Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including weekly bonus episodes and curated playlists of archive interviews from Fresh Air. And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair
The podcast features an interview with Jad Abumrad, creator of the podcast series "Fela Kuti, Fear No Man," focusing on the life and music of Fela Kuti, the father of Afrobeat. Abumrad describes Fela's music as a blend of trance-like grooves and political lyrics that ignited a youth movement against post-colonial repre...
The conversation centers on the Jeffrey Epstein case, particularly the newly released files and their implications. Vicky Ward, an investigative journalist who has covered Epstein for over two decades, provides insights into Ghislaine Maxwell's role, the involvement of figures like Donald Trump and Bill Gates, and pote...
Dorothy Roberts, legal scholar and author of "The Mixed Marriage Project," discusses her memoir, which explores love, race, and family through the lens of her parents' interracial marriage and her father's research on interracial couples in Chicago. Roberts uncovers her father's early interest in interracial marriage, ...
The Ruby Ridge standoff and its lasting impact on American society are examined through a conversation with Chris Jennings, author of "End of Days, Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse and the Unmaking of America." The discussion centers on the religious beliefs that drove Randy and Vicki Weaver to isolate themselves, heavily ar...
This episode of Fresh Air Weekend explores press freedom and the weaponization of fear. Filmmaker Julia Loktev discusses her documentary, "My Undesirable Friends, Part One, Last Air in Moscow," which follows independent Russian journalists leading up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the criminalization of ...
This episode of Fresh Air commemorates the 50th anniversary of the film Taxi Driver by revisiting interviews with key figures involved in its creation. The podcast features conversations with director Martin Scorsese, who reflects on the film's impact and Paul Schrader's pivotal role as the screenwriter, emphasizing th...
The conversation centers on Julia Loktev's documentary, "My Undesirable Friends," which explores the lives of independent Russian journalists as they navigate increasing government restrictions and the lead-up to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Loktev discusses the film's focus on young journalists and their r...
Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing writer for The Atlantic, joins the show to discuss his evolving views on Donald Trump, characterizing him as increasingly dictatorial. Kagan argues Trump's actions, such as dismantling the federal bureaucracy and the Justice Department, alongsi...
The podcast explores the Murdoch family's dynamics, succession battles, and influence on global politics, focusing on Gabriel Sherman's book, "Bonfire of the Murdochs." It examines Rupert Murdoch's ambition to build a family business and how it ultimately led to familial strife, highlighting the competition among his c...
Ethan Hawke discusses his role as lyricist Larry Hart in the movie Blue Moon, exploring themes of self-worth, artistic expression, and the passage of time. Hawke reflects on portraying Hart's internal conflicts, including his self-loathing and the fear of losing his creative partnership. He also shares insights gained ...
This episode of Fresh Air Weekend features interviews and a book review. First, writer Liz Moore discusses her novels, particularly "Long Bright River" set in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, and "The God of the Woods," set in the Adirondacks. Moore shares insights into adapting her work for television, the impo...
Guillermo del Toro discusses his new film Frankenstein, exploring themes of misunderstood creatures, flawed father-son relationships, and the uneasy truce between science and religion. Del Toro reflects on the profound impact of the 1931 Frankenstein film on his understanding of faith, viewing the creature as a persona...
The podcast features an interview with Brooke Nevils, who discusses her new memoir, "Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe," which details her experience of sexual assault by Matt Lauer. Nevils explains why she decided to share her story in her own words, emphasizing the complexities ...
The conversation centers on the Trump administration's climate policy reversals and their broader implications. David Gelles, a reporter from The New York Times, shares insights from the World Economic Forum at Davos, where global leaders expressed concerns about the erosion of U.S. social norms and the rule of law. Ge...
The interview explores Tucker Carlson's influence on the American right and the evolution of his views. Jason Zengerle, author of "Hated By All The Right People," discusses Carlson's transformation from a Weekly Standard writer to a prominent, more extreme media figure. Carlson's role as an advisor to Donald Trump, inf...
The podcast explores how fear has become a powerful force in American life, shaping policy and excusing violence, through the lens of the 1984 Bernhard Goetz shooting. Heather Ann Thompson, historian and author of "Fear and Fury," discusses how Goetz, who shot four black teenagers on a New York subway, became a celebra...
The podcast features interviews and reviews centered on literature and film. Rachel Eliza Griffiths discusses her memoir, The Flower Bearers, focusing on her wedding day marred by tragedy and the subsequent attack on her husband, Salman Rushdie. She also delves into her dissociative identity disorder and how she coped ...
This Fresh Air episode celebrates Mel Brooks with a review of the HBO documentary "Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man" and revisits two interviews with Terry Gross. The documentary, co-directed by Judd Apatow, features comedy luminaries reflecting on Brooks's impact. Bianculli highlights Brooks's seriousness behind the co...
The interview explores themes of motherhood, abandonment, and female agency through the lens of Quiara Alegría Hudes's new novel, The White Hot. Hudes discusses the double standards applied to mothers who leave their children versus fathers, referencing the character Siddhartha as an example of glorified male abandonme...
The Trump administration's actions regarding immigration and the use of federal power are examined, focusing on events in Minneapolis. Emmanuel Malion shares his personal experiences with racial profiling and ICE, while Elizabeth Goitein discusses the administration's deployment of federal resources against perceived p...
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