Fresh Air

Best Of: John Lithgow / Sondheim’s tumultuous life

We talk with John Lithgow, veteran of hundreds of performances on stage, screen and television. He’s currently starring in the play ‘Giant’ on Broadway. He plays renowned children’s book author …

Apr 04, 2026 · 48m

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Julio Torres spins immigrant stress into satire

As a gay, atheist teenager in El Salvador, Julio Torres felt like an alien. He was legally labeled “alien” when he came to the U.S. on a student visa, and …

Apr 03, 2026 · 44m

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John Lithgow

Lithgow, 80, plays an intelligence agent in the FX action series 'The Old Man,' and he's currently starring in the Broadway production of 'Giant,' about a dark side of children's …

Apr 02, 2026 · 45m

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An exposé of the plastic industry

In award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner’s new book, ‘Plastic Inc.,’ she traces how plastic went from a wartime miracle to the survival strategy of the fossil fuel industry. What Gardiner found …

Apr 01, 2026 · 44m

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Inside the training camps for “alpha males”

The Trump era has brought a resurgence of the “alpha male.” ‘New Yorker’ writer Charles Bethea reports on camps where men crawl through mud and sit in ice baths, in …

Mar 31, 2026 · 45m

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Former Infowars employee on Alex Jones' conspiracy machine

Josh Owens spent four years as a video editor and field producer for Jones' Infowars media company. "It was all about making things look cinematic," he says. Owens' memoir is …

Mar 30, 2026 · 45m

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Best Of: Jill Scott / Riz Ahmed

R&B artist Jill Scott shares some of the lessons she learned from the legends who came before her, including the moment she first met Aretha Franklin. Scott’s new album is …

Mar 28, 2026 · 48m

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Remembering Action Hero Chuck Norris

We remember martial arts champion turned Hollywood action hero Chuck Norris, who died last week at age 86. In addition to his many kung fu and action films, he was …

Mar 27, 2026 · 46m

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America's first AI-fueled war is unfolding. How'd we get here?

‘Project Maven’ is the story of how the U.S. spent a decade building an AI warfare system that's now being used in the war in Iran. Author and Bloomberg journalist …

Mar 26, 2026 · 45m

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Bryan Stevenson says facing our racist past is a path, not punishment

In his second term, President Trump has ordered the removal of monuments, plaques and exhibitions related to slavery, and the history of racial injustice in the U.S. Meanwhile, human rights …

Mar 25, 2026 · 1h 10m

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Will President Trump act on his threat to take Cuba?

<em>New Yorker</em> writer Jon Lee Anderson describes conditions in Cuba, why it's vulnerable now — and what regime change would mean — considering the Castro family's entrenchment in the Cuban …

Mar 24, 2026 · 44m

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Riz Ahmed is chasing acceptance in 'Bait'

In his new Prime Video series, ‘Bait,’ Riz Ahmed plays an actor auditioning to be the next James Bond. Ahmed says Bond is a "symbol of aspiration, this unattainable kind …

Mar 23, 2026 · 43m

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Best Of: Harrison Ford / Novelist Francis Spufford

Harrison Ford spoke with Terry Gross about his role in the Apple TV series ‘Shrinking,’ as a therapist who has Parkinson's Disease. He also talks about how he landed the …

Mar 21, 2026 · 48m

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‘Jury Duty’ star James Marden / Remembering Roy Book Binder

‘Jury Duty’ is the Prime Video series about one unwitting regular guy who becomes part of a staged fake jury, not knowing that everyone around him is an actor. Season …

Mar 20, 2026 · 46m

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Jill Scott is in her ‘auntie’ era

The Grammy-winning R&B star spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about making her new album, ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ finding inspiration in the poetry of Nikki Giovanni, and growing up …

Mar 19, 2026 · 43m

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The Blitz, romance, and time-traveling fascists

In Francis Spufford’s new novel, ‘Nonesuch,’ magical, time-traveling fascists want to go back in time and murder Winston Churchill before he shores up Britain's will to fight the Nazis. The …

Mar 18, 2026 · 45m

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Could the Iran war lead to WWIII?

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, policy expert Karim Sadjadpour says the war in Iran is becoming increasingly complicated: "I don't think President Trump ... understood what he was getting …

Mar 17, 2026 · 44m

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The tumultuous life of Stephen Sondheim

Daniel Okrent’s new biography, ‘Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy,’ offers new insights into the renowned Broadway composer and lyricist. Okrent talks with Terry Gross about Sondheim’s often toxic relationship to …

Mar 16, 2026 · 46m

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Best Of: Delroy Lindo / Tayari Jones on ‘Kin’

Delroy Lindo stars as Delta Slim, a gifted and haunted blues musician, in ‘Sinners.’ It's a performance that has earned Lindo his first Academy Award nomination. He wants to win, …

Mar 14, 2026 · 48m

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Benicio del Toro

Benicio del Toro is nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘One Battle After Another,’ where he plays a karate sensei who runs what he …

Mar 13, 2026 · 45m

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Inside the explosive growth of sports betting

As part of his investigation into sports betting,<em> Atlantic </em>journalist McKay Coppins gambled $10,000 during last NFL season. He spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about his experiment, what he learned, …

Mar 12, 2026 · 43m

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Harrison Ford

After playing some of the most recognizable and beloved characters in cinematic history, Harrison Ford is not interested in retiring. "I really do love the work,” he tells Terry Gross. …

Mar 11, 2026 · 46m

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Jamilah Lemieux on the complicated beauty of being a ‘Black. Single. Mother.’

As a culture critic, Lemieux has spent years pushing back against the stereotypes and stigma that follow single mothers. Her new book blends her own memoir with the stories of …

Mar 10, 2026 · 44m

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The hidden history of blackface in America

In 2013, historian Rhae Lynn Barnes was researching blackface in America at the Library of Congress when she encountered something strange: Various primary sources on the subject were listed as …

Mar 09, 2026 · 44m

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Best Of: ‘Hamnet’ star Jessie Buckley / Documentarian Morgan Neville

Irish actor Jessie Buckley is nominated for an Oscar for her starring role as Shakespeare’s wife in ‘Hamnet.’ She talks about the film and how motherhood has changed her. “The …

Mar 07, 2026 · 47m

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Remembering pop songwriter Neil Sedaka

Sedaka, who died last week at 86, wrote and recorded hits in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s – songs like “Calendar Girl” and “Breaking up is Hard to Do.” …

Mar 06, 2026 · 45m

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Delroy Lindo is claiming victory

Delroy Lindo is Oscar-nominated for his role as Delta Slim in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners.’ In a wide-ranging conversation with co-host Tonya Mosley, he talks about preparing for the role, growing …

Mar 05, 2026 · 45m

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From Beatles break-up to John’s murder, a look at Paul’s transformation

<p dir="ltr">Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville tells us about his new film, ‘Man on The Run.’It begins when the Beatles end, with Paul McCartney trying to figure …

Mar 04, 2026 · 45m

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