Israeli Maoz Inon's parents were killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks. Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah's brother died after being tortured in an Israeli military prison. Their new book, ?The Future Is Peace,? chronicles their eight day drive across Israel and Palestine, through checkpoints, holy sites, refugee camps, and separation walls. 

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Amanda Peet is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Except last year there seemed to be three different shoes, as she faced her parents' deaths and a breast cancer diagnosis. Peet spoke with Terry Gross about her ?Season of Ativan,? navigating middle age in Hollywood, and her memories of Diane Keaton from the set of ?Something?s Gotta Give.? Peet stars in the new film ?Fantasy Life? and in the Apple TV series ?Your Friends & Neighbors,? now in its second season. 


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The war entered a new phase when President Trump began a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace explains what this means.


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In a new book, Harvard professor Namwali Serpell makes the case that we have been reading one of the most celebrated writers in American history all wrong. ?On Morrison? is a deep dive into the Nobel Laureate?s complete body of work ? her 11 novels, plays, and criticism. Serpell has been teaching Morrison for nearly two decades, and she says no matter how many times she returns to the work, she still finds something new. 

Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reviews two new biographies of composers and pianists born 40 years apart.


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Arsenio Hall grew up in Cleveland dreaming of being the next Johnny Carson ? kind of. ?I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid, and I knew the talent was out there.? Hall spoke with Tonya Mosley about his groundbreaking talk show, ?The Arsenio Hall Show,? and why he decided to end it, despite its massive success. 

Before he was a comic, producer and the ?roastmaster,? Jeff Ross was a kid growing up in his family's kosher catering hall in New Jersey, serving weddings and bar mitzvahs. ?My bar mitzvah was like something between a Super Bowl halftime show and like something Saddam Hussein would throw for one of his kids,? he tells Terry Gross. Ross shows his more vulnerable, introspective side in his new Netflix comedy special, ?Take a Banana for the Ride.? 


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Singer, songwriter, and guitarist St. Vincent is known for her powerful guitar riffs and dark, poetic songs. Her early influences were Nirvana and David Bowie. ?I've always felt like gender and identity were a performance. I've been aware of that since I was a young child and learning how to code switch growing up in Texas,? she told Terry Gross in 2024. She's backed by an orchestra at London?s Royal Albert Hall on her new live album.  

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Nancy Foley's debut novel ?I am Agatha,' and TV critic David Bianculli reviews the brief return of the TV sitcom ?Malcolm in the Middle.? 


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Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari's book, ?Labor,? is a portrait of reproductive healthcare in post-Dobbs America, serving a community in Oregon with an RV clinic. She also talks about her Iranian heritage and her grandmother's death from an illegal abortion. 

Also, Ken Tucker reviews ?After the Flood,? by Robert Polito, a book about Bob Dylan?s past 30 years. 

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In 2020, writer Annabelle Gurwitch went to urgent care for a COVID-19 test and learned she had stage 4 lung cancer. She writes about life as a "cancer slacker" in her memoir, ?The End of My Life is Killing Me.? The humorist spoke with Terry Gross about facing her mortality, divorce, and going on a tour with her boyfriend and a young heavy metal band.

Also, John Powers reviews the Nordic noir series ?Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole? on Netflix. 


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Known for his ruthless celebrity roasts, Ross turns inward in his Netflix special, ?Take a Banana for the Ride,? which details the loss of his parents and grandfather. The comic spoke with Terry Gross about working at his family?s catering business, his breakthrough ?Letterman? set, and living with alopecia. And, upon Terry?s request, he roasts her.

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Hall grew up in Cleveland dreaming of being the next Johnny Carson. He got close ? closer than anyone expected ? and then he walked away. Thirty years later, he's finally telling the full story in a new memoir. ?I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid and I knew the talent was out there,? he tells Tonya Mosley. I found Bruno Mars and put him on the show when he was two feet tall. I wanted those things that Johnny didn't do.? He talks about some of the iconic moments of 'The Arsenio Hall Show,' his decision to end it, and his friendships with Jay Leno and Richard Pryor.

Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead marks the 100th birthday of the composer Randy Weston.


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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 Roald Dahl, caught in a public controversy after he wrote an article laced with antisemitic statements. Also, we?ll talk about Stephen Sondheim?s life and music with Daniel Okrent, author of a new book ?Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn't Easy.?  


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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 then tried to get a work visa.  The comic/filmmaker drew on those experiences to write, direct, and star in the satirical film, ?Problemista.? He spoke with Terry Gross in 2024 about immigrant stress, his odd form of comedy, and why he's attracted to difficult people. ?I don't see difficult people as nightmares to escape. I'm really drawn to them like a moth to a flame,? he says. His new comedy special on HBO is called ?Color Theories.?

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ?The Drama.? 


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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 book author Roald Dahl. He spoke with Dave Davies. 

Also, John Powers reviews 'Stay Alive' by Ian Buruma, about daily life in Nazi Berlin. 

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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 after years of reporting is that while millions of us were recycling and using less fuel, the companies that make plastic are producing more to make up for it. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about recycling, microplastics in the human body, and the environmental impact.   

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album from Megan Moroney, ?Cloud 9.?


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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 an effort to reclaim masculinity. Bethea says what he found underneath all the warrior posturing surprised him: men in genuine pain who felt lonely and desperate for connection. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his reporting. 

Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel by Tana French, ?The Keeper.?


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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 ?The Madness of Believing.? He spoke with Dave Davies about how he got into Infowars, the ?nonsense? and ?lies? the company sold, and how he got out.

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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 ?To Whom This May Concern.? 

Also, actor Riz Ahmed talks about his Prime Video series, ?Bait.? He plays a British Pakistani actor auditioning to be the next James Bond. He talks about drawing from moments in his own life, battling self-criticism and chasing acceptance. 


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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 the star of the long-running TV show, ?Walker, Texas Ranger.? He spoke with Terry Gross in 1988 about the karate he learned while stationed in Korea. 

Also, we remember Tex-Mex musician Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes, who died March 7 at age 85.  His signature sound was created on the vox organ, an instrument made in Britain. When he went to England in the ?60s he got a call at his hotel. ?George Harrison and John Lennon called the hotel and wanted me to come to the studio because they wanted to see how they had a vox organ but they couldn't get the sound I had out of mine,? he told Terry Gross in 1990. 

Justin Chang reviews the film ?Miroirs No. 3? and David Bianculli reviews ?Marshals? and ?The Madison.?


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?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 Katrina Manson reveals the people behind that mission, and their belief that AI could make war more precise and save lives. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about the ethics of this technology. A troubling research study found AI models placed in simulated nuclear crisis scenarios chose the nuclear option 95% of the time. Also, Carolina Miranda reviews a Los Angeles art installation that harkens to the old days of cinema.

Also, Carolina Miranda reviews a Los Angeles art installation that harkens to the old days of cinema.

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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 lawyer Bryan Stevenson has been working to ensure evidence of America's painful past is not erased. His organization, the Equal Justice Initiative, founded the Legacy Museum to show us the truth of our history. ?You can't get the beautiful ?R? words, like redemption and reconciliation and restoration and repair, unless you first tell the truth,? he tells Terry Gross.

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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 entrenchment in the Cuban government.

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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 of self" his character is pursuing. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about being his own worst critic, why he connected to Hamlet, and his early days as an MC on pirate radio. 


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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 role of Han Solo in ?Star Wars.?

Also, we?ll hear from British novelist Francis Spufford. His new book, ?Nonesuch,? follows a young woman in WWII London trying to survive the Blitz, navigate romance, and fight time-traveling fascists. He spoke with Executive Producer Sam Briger.

Critic David Bianculli reviews the new film ?Peaky Blinders,? which is a follow up to the hit British TV series starring Cillian Murphy. 


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?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 two is now streaming, with a new setting. It?s called ?Company Retreat.? We?re listening back to our interview with James Marsden, who played a satirical version of himself in the first season. 

Also, we remember raconteur Roy Book Binder, known for playing southern blues and hillbilly music. He died March 3rd at age 82. 

Justin Chang reviews the new Ryan Gosling space epic, ?Project Hail Mary.?


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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 in a multigenerational household. 


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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 book?s hero, a young woman named Iris, is trying to survive the Blitz while navigating her love life and sexism in ?40s London. The author spoke with Fresh Air Executive Producer Sam Briger.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new movie adaptation of the TV series ?Peaky Blinders.?


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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 into." Sadjadpour spoke with Terry Gross about the historical context of the conflict, the four priorities for the U.S. government, and the likelihood of escalation to WWIII. 


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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 his mother, his drinking and substance use, and finding himself through his art. ?There are two major arcs to [Stephen Sondheim?s] life. One is from absolute alienation to finally, near the end of his life, connection,? he says. ?The other is from an ambivalence that could be crippling at times, to resolution, to knowing who he was and what he was capable of doing.?

Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel ?Now I Surrender.?

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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, but he says he won't let it define him either way. ?I have never taken my marbles and gone home as a result of whatever disappointments, the vicissitudes of the industry.?

Also, we hear from novelist Tayari Jones. Her new book ?Kin? is a story of two motherless girls in 1950s Louisiana who became each other?s chosen family. The idea for the book came from her own experience of losing a friend. ?When you're friends with someone, you know your name will not be listed in any obituary. But it breaks your heart to lose your friends,? she tells Tonya Mosley. 


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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 calls a "Latino Harriet Tubman" operation. He was also in Wes Anderson?s latest film, ?The Phoenician Scheme.? He spoke with Tonya Mosley last year.

David Bianculli reviews ?Scarpetta,? the new Prime Video series starring Nicole Kidman, based on a series of books by Patricia Cornwell, and John Powers reviews the new Netflix series ?How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,? by the creator of ?Derry Girls.? 


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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 about his experiment, what he learned, and what the explosion of betting is doing to society. ?It?s turning all of American life into a Las Vegas table game. There?s always this kind of glittering mirage of profit that you?re chasing, when, in reality, it?s designed to sort of demoralize and crush every regular person who plays.? They also talk about how betting has expanded to politics and international conflict. 


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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. ?It constantly changes, and the people change, and the mission and the opportunity change, and it just makes for an interesting way to live your life." The 83 year-old looks back on his big break with ?Star Wars,? the challenges of playing a therapist in the Apple TV series ?Shrinking? and the infamous 2015 plane crash. 


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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 21 other Black women. 

Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews ?American Classic.? 


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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 "missing on shelf." It turns out that a librarian had purposely hid the materials to keep it from the KKK, which had a resurgence in the ?80s. Barnes?s new book, ?Darkology,? looks at the proliferation of racist minstrel shows, and how amateur blackface became one of the most popular forms of entertainment in America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Barnes also explains how blackface fell out of fashion and then ultimately became taboo. ?It is our patriotic duty as American citizens [to] help make sure that the American public has access to our history in all of its complexity,? she says. 


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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 thing this story offered me that brought me into this next chapter of my life as a mother was tenderness.?

Also, documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville tells us about his new documentary, ?Man on the Run,? which focuses on Paul McCartney?s life and music after the break-up of The Beatles. 

John Powers reviews ?Kokuho,? a Japanese film about a gangster?s son who dreams of being a star in Kabuki theater.


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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 nine years old when he began studying piano at Juilliard. Sedaka told Terry Gross in 2007, ?To the shock of my family, after studying at Juilliard I sold 40 million records in five years.? The British invasion derailed his career until years later when Elton John helped revive it, by signing Sedaka to his label. 

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album by The Paranoid Style, led by composer-singer Elizabeth Nelson. And Justin Chang reviews the new Pixar film, ?Hoppers.?


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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 up in the U.K. as the son of a Jamaican immigrant, and a special phone call from Spike Lee. He also shares what was going through his mind when he was onstage at the BAFTAs when a man shouted a racial slur.

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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 out who he is as a musician and as a person? without John Lennon and the band that defined him since he was a teenager. Neville got access to previously unseen archival footage of McCartney with his young family and forming his new band, Wings. He spoke with Fresh Air contributor/producer Ann Marie Baldonado.

 
Also, jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews an Art Blakey concert album, ?Strasbourg 82.? 

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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 professor Richard Hasen unpacks the ramifications.

John Powers reviews the Oscar-nominated Japanese film ?Kokuho.?

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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 already won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for her performance. The Irish actor talks about motherhood, the singing competition show she did in her teens, and the infamous crying scene in ?Hamnet.? 

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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 Diamond tribute band. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about pursuing singing late in her career. We also hear from Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard. He?s earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film ?Sentimental Value.? He?ll talk with Dave Davies about his many roles over the years -- from 'Dune' to 'Good Will Hunting,' and 'Mamma Mia!' and recovering from a stroke that impaired his ability to memorize lines.

David Bianculli reviews a new documentary about Paul McCartney in his decade after the Beatles.

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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 ?Spongebob SquarePants? film. Kenny?s been voicing the character since the show began in 1999. In 2004 he talked about creating the voice, including experimenting with inhaling helium.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews ?Man on the Run,? the new documentary about Sir Paul McCartney in the decade after the Beatles split up, and Justin Chang reviews the new erotic drama ?Dreams,? starring Jessica Chastain. 

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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 Iran and if Trump's goal is regime change.

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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 Oscar-nominated for his performance in ?Sentimental Value,? as a successful filmmaker who is estranged from his grown daughters. Skarsgård spoke with Dave Davies about improvising with Robin Williams in ?Good Will Hunting,? raising actor children, and how a stroke impacted his acting.

Also, critic Maureen Corrigan reviews ?This is Not About Us,? by Allegra Goodman.

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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 and Annie, who grow up next door to each other without their mothers. That shared wound binds them and carries them through adulthood and across class lines. Jones says the idea for the book came from her own experience of losing a friend ? and the particular kind of grief that the world doesn't always recognize. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about female friendship, growing up with civil rights activist parents, and the writing class that changed her life.'Kin' was just selected by Oprah?s Book Club. 

Also, critic David Bianculli gives his take on the latest TV shows.

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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 2024 she released her debut album, 'Glorious,' and got to share a whole other side of herself with the world. ?I'm very happy with myself as a mother. Like I feel like I've made all the right mistakes and all the wrong mistakes,? she says. ?But I couldn't say that about my art. And that would be my own personal sadness and regret, is that I didn't share my writings as a musician.? She spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about taking the leap, her Oscar-nominated performance in 'Song Sung Blue,' and what she remembers from the set of 'Almost Famous.' 


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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 political lyrics inspired a youth movement. Award-winning podcaster Jad Abumrad talks with Terry about his podcast series, ?Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.? 

Also, we hear from best-selling science journalist Michael Pollan. His new book ?A World Appears? asks how technology is changing our consciousness. ?Consciousness is under siege,? he says. ?I think that it?s the last frontier for these companies that want to sell our time and, of course, our time is our mind time.? Pollan also questions whether A.I. is capable of achieving consciousness.

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The great actor Robert Duvall made his mark starring in epic movies and intimate dramas including ?The Godfather,? ?Tender Mercies,? ?The Great Santini,? and, of course, ?Apocalypse Now.? He died Sunday at age 95. We listen back to archival interviews from 1996 and 2010. 

Also, the documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, whose approach was to choose a subject and capture it at great, revealing length, died Monday at age 96. His films include 'Titicut Follies,' 'Central Park,' 'Juvenile Court,' 'High School,' and 'Hospital.' He spoke with Terry Gross in 1986 about why he chose documentary as his medium. 

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Science journalist Michael Pollan has written extensively about the therapeutic benefits of mind-altering psychedelics. His new book, ?A World Appears,? asks, what is consciousness? ?Consciousness has kind of become the secular substitute for the soul,? he tells Terry Gross. Pollan also talks about current studies on consciousness and whether plants and artificial intelligence have consciousness. 

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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 operation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Now the Pentagon is threatening to cut ties with Anthropic, the company that built it, because it insists on keeping restrictions around autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. Journalist Gideon Lewis-Kraus spent months inside Anthropic, one of the world's most secretive AI companies, for a new piece in ?The New Yorker,? where he asks: What happens when the people who built the machine can't fully explain what it's doing? He spoke with Tonya Mosley.

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