Fresh Air

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robert Caro was never interested in only telling the stories of great men. Instead, he says, "I wanted to …

David Blight's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography describes Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery, his passionate leadership in the abolitionist …

'New York Times' baseball writer Tyler Kepner spoke to 22 hall-of-fame pitchers about what they throw, and how they get a mental edge over hitters. His new book is 'K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches.'

Also, Maureen …

After 12 seasons on Law & Order: SVU, Christopher Meloni plays a disgraced policeman-turned-hit man in the second season of the Syfi Channel …

Bill McKibben, who first warned of climate change 30 years ago, says its effects are now upon us. He talks about heat waves, fires, flooding, drought, and, soon, millions of climate refugees. "The idea that anybody's …

The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was never interested in only telling the stories of great men. Instead, he says, "I wanted to use …

After wrapping up his role as 'Happy Days' iconic cool guy, The Fonz, in 1985, Winkler struggled with typecasting. Eventually he was able to move on. …

Ray Romano spoke to Terry Gross in 2016 about life after 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' and how fame has affected him. "Here's what I say: Before I thought my cab driver hated me; now I think my limo driver hates me." His …

After wrapping up his role as 'Happy Days' iconic cool guy, The Fonz, in 1985, Winkler struggled with typecasting. Eventually he was able to move on. …

The U.S. prison population is booming; an estimated 2.1 million people were incarcerated in America in 2016, and as many people in the U.S. have …

Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, who cover Congress for 'Politico,' discuss the power dynamics of Capitol Hill during the Trump Presidency. Their new …

Journalist Nathaniel Rich talks about the missed opportunities in our recent history that could've halted or slowed climate change. Rich says that …

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who conducts New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, spoke with Terry Gross in front of a live audience …

The new FX series 'Fosse/Verdon' celebrates the professional and romantic relationship between legendary choreographer Bob Fosse and dancer Gwen Verdon. He created the musicals 'Chicago,' 'Damn Yankees,' and 'Sweet …

Nézet-Séguin, who directs the New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, spoke with Terry Gross in front of a live audience for a …

Henry Louis Gates Jr. points to post-Civil War Reconstruction as the genesis of white supremacy, as white Southerners looked for ways to roll back …

'New York Times' reporter Nicholas Casey was in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in March 2019 during a six-day power outage that left 30 million people in the …

CNN legal affairs correspondent Joan Biskupic discusses the roots of Roberts' conservatism and his work for the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. She says he's had a conservative impact on the law, but is …

John Mulaney was a writer at 'Saturday Night Live' for five years and recently returned to host for the first time. He talks about his 'SNL' …

Luis Alberto Urrea's book 'The House of Broken Angels' borrows from the story of his older brother, who died of cancer. He says the book went through …

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist who started seeing a therapist herself after the man she thought she would marry unexpectedly broke up with her. …

Lyonne's character on the Netflix series 'Russian Doll' keeps dying and coming back to life. It's a premise that strikes a chord with the actor; …

Mulaney was a writer at 'Saturday Night Live' for five years and recently returned to host for the first time. "I was absolutely terrified," he says. …

J.M. Berger studies the online activity of extremists. He warns that white nationalism is a growing phenomenon worldwide — with many in the movement drawing inspiration from President Trump. "When we do the social media …

Primatologist Frans de Waal has spent 40 years studying the behavior and emotions of primates. He talks about how primates experience jealousy, …

W.S. Merwin, the former U.S. poet laureate, died March 15. He was a prolific writer as well as a conservationist and a conscientious objector during …

'New Yorker' journalist Ed Caesar discusses Arron Banks, the British businessman who funded the most extreme end of the pro-Brexit "Leave" campaign — possibly with help from Russia.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Carsie …

As a teen, Heidi Schreck debated the Constitution in competitions. Later she realized it had failed to protect four generations of women in her …

Primatologist Frans de Waal has spent 40 years studying the behavior and emotions of primates. He talks about how primates experience jealousy, …

Dr. Homer Venters spent nine years overseeing the care of thousands of inmates on New York City's Rikers Island. He details horrific cases of inmate deaths from beatings and neglect, and how a new medical record system …

'Saturday Night Live' cast member Aidy Bryant mourns the time she lost in her teens and early 20s feeling self-conscious about her weight and living in fear of judgment about her body. "The second I stopped being afraid …

Hal Blaine, one of the most prolific drummers in rock 'n' roll history, played on recordings with the Beach Boys, Elvis, Sinatra and many others. He …

'Saturday Night Live' cast member Aidy Bryant mourns the time she lost in her teens and early 20s feeling self-conscious about her weight and living in fear of judgment about her body. She recalls counting calories, …

How could an ER visit in which a patient receives nothing more than a Band-Aid cost $629? Sarah Kliff, a health policy reporter for 'Vox,' spent over …

David McCraw, deputy general counsel for 'The New York Times,' talks about legal issues he's faced on the job — from the president's lawyer threatening to sue for libel to the decision to publish WikiLeaks documents and …

Barbara Brown Taylor, an ordained Episcopal priest, left her job as rector of a church to become a professor of religion. Her new book, 'Holy Envy,' …

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's new film, 'Never Look Away,' tells the story of an artist who grows up in Nazi Germany, comes of age in East Germany and travels to the West to find freedom for himself and his art.

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We mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Mario Puzo's novel 'The Godfather' by listening back to our '96 interview with Puzo and our '16 …

Past administrations have had favored members of the press, says 'New Yorker' investigative reporter Jane Mayer, "but nothing where someone is so close in that they are coordinating on a daily basis with the president." …

The film 'Never Look Away' is about a painter who is first exposed to modern art as child growing up in Nazi Germany. His aunt takes him to an exhibit of modern art curated by Nazis, meant to show what degenerate art …

Journalist Alex Kotlowitz spent a summer in Chicago chronicling people whose lives were changed or lost due to gun violence. He likens the trauma of …

Pediatrician Thomas Boyce has treated children who seem to be completely unflappable and unfazed by their surroundings — as well as those who are extremely sensitive to their environments. Over the years, he began to …

Pamela Adlon directs, co-writes and stars in the FX comedy series 'Better Things,' which begins its third season on Thursday. The show centers on a single working mother of three daughters who is also trying to help her …

"Dance numbers are anything but spontaneous," Donen told Fresh Air in 1996. Donen, who died Feb. 21, also directed 'On the Town,' 'Funny Face' and …

According to journalist Mattathias Schwartz, a major part of Pompeo's job is traveling the world and cleaning up the president's messes. Schwartz writes about Pompeo in the 'New York Times Magazine.' He says Pompeo was …

Mary Pipher's new book, 'Women Rowing North,' chronicles the positive aspects of transitioning from middle age to old age: "At this life stage, women …

Adlon directs, co-writes and stars in the FX comedy series 'Better Things,' which begins its third season on Thursday. The show centers on a single working mother of three daughters who is also trying to help her …

Filmmaker Yoruba Richen's documentary, 'The Green Book: Guide to Freedom,' tells the story of the manual, first published in 1936, that helped African-Americans find safe places to stay, eat, shop and do business on the …

R. Kelly was charged on Friday with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims. In an interview recorded Wednesday, Feb. …

"No one can sing like Freddie Mercury," Malek told Terry Gross in November 2018. The actor has been nominated for an Academy Award for playing …