Shows / Fresh Air
Fresh Air
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.
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Episodes
Fresh AirAn 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…
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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…
Fresh AirFormer 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…
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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…
Fresh AirRemembering 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…
Fresh AirAmerica'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…
Fresh AirBryan 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…
Fresh AirWill President Trump act on his threat to take Cuba?
New Yorker writer Jon Lee Anderson describes conditions in Cuba, why it's vulnerable now — and what regime change would mean — considering the Castro family's…
Fresh AirRiz 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…
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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…
Fresh Air‘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…
Fresh AirJill 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…
Fresh AirThe 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…
Fresh AirCould 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 …
Fresh AirThe 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…
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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…
Fresh AirBenicio 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…
Fresh AirInside the explosive growth of sports betting
As part of his investigation into sports betting, Atlantic journalist McKay Coppins gambled $10,000 during last NFL season. He spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley…
Fresh AirHarrison 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…
Fresh AirJamilah 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…
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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…
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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…
Fresh AirRemembering 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.” He was…
Fresh AirDelroy 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…
Fresh AirFrom Beatles break-up to John’s murder, a look at Paul’s transformation
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…
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A look at Trump's plans to restrict voting
President Trump is promoting tighter restrictions on mail-in ballots as well as passage of the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote. UCLA…
Fresh AirJessie Buckley loves the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters
Jessie Buckley spoke with Terry Gross about her role as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in ‘Hamnet,’ directed by Chloé Zhao. She’s nominated for an Oscar and…
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Best Of: Kate Hudson / Stellan Skarsgård
Kate Hudson is up for an Oscar for her role as Claire in the film ‘Song Sung Blue,’ starring opposite Hugh Jackman as one half of Lightning & Thunder, a Neil…
Fresh AirThe voice of SpongeBob, Tom Kenny
We take a trip to Bikini Bottom and revisit our interview with Tom Kenny, who plays SpongeBob on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series, and in the new…
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Is the U.S. headed toward military conflict with Iran?
New York Times journalist David Sanger discusses how we got here, the state of Iran's nuclear weapons program, the likelihood of U.S. military force against…
Fresh AirStellan Skarsgård doesn’t believe in bad guys
Aside from the evil Baron Harkonnen in ‘Dune,’ actor Stellan Skarsgård doesn’t really believe in bad guys. He looks for nuance in every role. He’s…
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Tayari Jones on friendship, writing, and choosing your ‘Kin’
Eight years after her bestseller 'An American Marriage,' Tayari Jones has written a new novel, 'Kin,' set in the Jim Crow South. It follows two girls, Vernice…
Fresh AirKate Hudson
Kate Hudson has had a hugely successful career as an actor and entrepreneur, but knew she'd always regret it if she didn't try her hand at music. Finally in…
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Best Of: The life and legacy of Fela Kuti / Michael Pollan on consciousness
The Nigerian musician Fela Kuti used his music in the ‘70s as a weapon against colonial values and his country’s brutal dictatorship. The danceable music and…
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Remembering actor Robert Duvall & filmmaker Frederick Wiseman
The great actor Robert Duvall made his mark starring in epic movies and intimate dramas including ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Tender Mercies,’ ‘The Great Santini,’ and…
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Michael Pollan’s journey to understand consciousness
Science journalist Michael Pollan has written extensively about the therapeutic benefits of mind-altering psychedelics. His new book, ‘A World Appears,’ asks…
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A look at the ethical implications of AI
The AI chatbot Claude can help you write an email, challenge a hospital bill, or publish a novel. It was also reportedly used by the U.S. military in the…
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A daughter's rebellion against a regime and her father
Photojournalist Loubna Mrie grew up in Syria in a wealthy and abusive home. Her father was part of the regime, allegedly an assassin for Bashar al-Assad’s…
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The American Presidency, Redefined
Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham talks with Dave Davies about Trump's impact on democracy. Meacham's latest book, ‘American Struggle,’…
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Best Of: Mixed Marriage Project / How Racism Costs Everyone
Dorothy Roberts’ father was a white anthropologist who studied interracial marriages and her mother was a Black woman from Jamaica. She always assumed her…
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‘Sinners’ Songwriter Raphael Saadiq
Singer, songwriter, and producer Raphael Saadiq is known for his work as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné!, as a solo artist, and for his work producing and…
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Fela Kuti and the music of political resistance
Considered the father of Afrobeat, Nigerian musician Fela Kuti used his music in the 1970s to combat colonial values and brutal dictatorship. Former Radiolab…
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Excavating the Epstein files
British journalist Vicky Ward first profiled sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 for Vanity Fair. The experience was so alarming and stressful that she went…
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Love, Race & the ‘Mixed Marriage Project’
Almost a decade after her father's death, legal scholar Dorothy Roberts had to confront the 25 boxes of his research collecting dust in her office. Roberts'…
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The Ruby Ridge siege & conspiracy-laced politics in America
We look back at the 1992 siege at Ruby Ridge in Idaho, where gunfire left two civilians and a deputy U.S. Marshal dead. Chris Jennings’ new book explores the…
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Best Of: Fighting for free press in Russia / ‘Fear and Fury’
Julia Loktev’s latest documentary, ‘My Undesirable Friends - Part 1: Last Air in Moscow,’ follows independent Russian journalists in the months leading up to…
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A 50th anniversary celebration of ‘Taxi Driver’
Martin Scorsese's masterpiece about loneliness, urban decay, and vigilantism is 50 years old this month. We’re revisiting archival interviews about ‘Taxi…
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Following independent journalists fighting for free press in Russia
Julia Loktev's acclaimed documentary, ‘My Undesirable Friends,’ follows young Russian journalists in the months before and after Putin's invasion of Ukraine —…
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Is America headed toward dictatorship?
Atlantic writer Robert Kagan says as President Trump violates norms, laws and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, we’re on the edge…
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How Rupert Murdoch built an empire and broke his family
We go inside the real succession story within the Murdoch family media empire. It includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. In 2023…
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Ethan Hawke
"Every now and then you bump up against a part that presses you to the wall of your ability," Hawke says of playing lyricist Lorenz Hart in ‘Blue Moon.’ He’s…
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Best Of: Novelists Liz Moore & Julian Barnes
Liz Moore’s bestselling book, ‘Long Bright River,’ was set in a troubled Philadelphia neighborhood where she’d worked on a photo essay. “My own family has a…
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Guillermo Del Toro would ‘rather die’ than use generative AI
When Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was a kid growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, he would draw monsters all day. His deeply Catholic grandmother…
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Former NBC producer on silence, shame and finding words after #MeToo
Brooke Nevils was a young NBC producer working the 2014 Sochi Olympics when, she says, ‘Today Show’ host Matt Lauer sexually assaulted her. Lauer has denied…
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Inside the U.S. reversal on climate change action
President Trump calls global warming "a hoax." As the U.S. faces more severe storms and extreme weather events, New York Times climate reporter David Gelles…
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How Tucker Carlson Became Right-Wing Media’s Most Significant Voice
‘New Yorker’ staff writer Jason Zengerle says after Tucker Carlson was let go from CNN and MSNBC, and joined Fox News, Trump’s 2016 presidential candidacy…
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The Rebirth Of White Rage
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Heather Ann Thompson talks about the 1984 New York City subway shooting, when Bernhard Goetz, a white man, shot four Black…
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Best Of: Writers Rachel Eliza Griffiths & Quiara Alegría Hudes
When writer Rachel Eliza Griffiths married Salman Rushdie in 2021, she expected her wedding day to be joyful. But the joy was invaded by tragedy, when she got…
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A Mel Brooks Appreciation!
He’s the subject of a new two-part HBO documentary by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio called ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!’ It looks at his origins in…
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Writer Quiara Alegría Hudes On ‘White Hot’ Rage
The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright has written a debut novel that asks a provocative question: What if a woman claimed the right to a spiritual quest like…