Fresh Air
NPR
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. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair 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
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 28, 2026 • 48min
Best Of: Jill Scott / Riz Ahmed
Riz Ahmed, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actor and writer, talks about creating Bait and reimagining Hamlet with roots in his life. Jill Scott, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and poet, reflects on her new album To Whom This May Concern and musical influences. They explore identity, performance, artistic origins, and the cultural threads that shape their work.
7 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 46min
Remembering Action Hero Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris, martial-arts champion turned action star, reflects on his karate roots, fight choreography, stunts and screen persona. Augie Meyers, Tex-Mex keyboardist and Vox-organ pioneer, recalls crafting his signature sound, Beatles phone call, and writing bilingual hits. Short, vivid conversations about craft, performance, risk, and musical innovation.
19 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 46min
America's first AI-fueled war is unfolding. How'd we get here?
Katrina Manson, Bloomberg journalist and author of Project Maven, digs into the rise of AI in modern warfare. She traces how an AI targeting system was built and deployed, explains failures from bad data to rapid fixes, and explores escalation risks, classified-cloud politics, and why international regulation is lagging.
17 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 11min
Bryan Stevenson says facing our racist past is a path, not punishment
Bryan Stevenson, human rights lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, advocates preserving painful history through museums and archives. He discusses why confronting slavery and lynching is necessary for truth and healing. He traces Montgomery’s role in segregation, reframes Rosa Parks’ activism, and explains how documenting racial terror supports democratic repair.
21 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 45min
Will President Trump act on his threat to take Cuba?
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer and veteran Latin America correspondent, sketches a debilitated Cuba and why it is vulnerable now. He narrates the economic collapse, healthcare and power failures, Castro family influence, and foreign levers shaping possible change. He warns against simplistic, humiliating talk of takeover and urges learning from past regime-change mistakes.
Mar 23, 2026 • 44min
Riz Ahmed is chasing acceptance in 'Bait'
Riz Ahmed, actor/writer/producer/musician known for The Night Of and Sound of Metal, talks about chasing an unattainable ideal through his character auditioning for Bond. He digs into his inner critic and early MC days on pirate radio. He also discusses reimagining Hamlet, blending genres, and working with Patrick Stewart.
Mar 21, 2026 • 48min
Best Of: Harrison Ford / Novelist Francis Spufford
Harrison Ford, veteran actor known for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, discusses playing a therapist with Parkinson's and his career choices. Francis Spufford, British novelist, talks about Nonesuch, wartime London, mythic Blitz themes, and writing a female protagonist navigating politics and time-traveling fascists. Multiple candid conversations explore memory, identity, and creative process.
5 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 46min
‘Jury Duty’ star James Marden / Remembering Roy Book Binder
James Marsden, actor known for The Notebook and Westworld, talks about playing a satirical version of himself and the improvisational risks of Jury Duty. Roy Bookbinder, veteran acoustic blues guitarist and storyteller, appears via a 1987 interview and live performances. Justin Chang, film critic, reviews Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary, discussing its tone, derivations, and alien buddy-comedy elements.
Mar 19, 2026 • 44min
Jill Scott is in her ‘auntie’ era
Jill Scott, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, poet and actor, reflects on her new album and creative rebirth. She talks about the lead single "Pressure" and making music after a decade. Nikki Giovanni’s poetry and a ninth-grade audition shaped her voice. She shares stories from acting in Botswana and embracing an "auntie" role mentoring younger artists.
23 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 46min
The Blitz, romance, and time-traveling fascists
A time-travel plot imagines fascists trying to erase Churchill and change history. The Blitz’s daily terror and survival form the backdrop. A young woman navigates romance, sexism, class barriers, and musical life in 1940s London. Alternate histories, jazz scenes, and the stakes of resisting authoritarianism appear throughout.
