Fresh Air
Monday-Friday, 3-4 p.m.
A daily look at contemporary issues and arts through thought-provoking, often intimate conversations. A winner of the Peabody Award, Fresh Air is known for its probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insights.
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A new eight-part series by MUBI chronicles the ferocious rise of the Italian dictator. While the show is a bit too eager to make Mussolini entertaining, the story it tells couldn't be any more timely.
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Patrick Ryan's novel focuses on two married couples and stretches from pre-WWII to the close of the 20th century, capturing both the sweep of history and the mundane particularity of everyday life. -
Before 2026's midterms, President Trump wants to ban mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines, and change voting rules. Legal expert Richard Hasen discusses the future of free and fair elections.
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In 1984, the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap satirized heavy metal bands. Now the characters are back for a sequel, Spinal Tap II. Reiner says "they have grown neither emotionally or musically." -
The issues facing journalism these days — from online clickbait to corporate interference — run throughout The Paper. But it's primarily a comedy, with characters and actors that will win you over.
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Younger follows in the footsteps of greats like Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, using her instrument in many styles of jazz and pop music.
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Strings says his guitar has been his best friend for as long as he can remember. After his mother's death this past June, music became a source of catharsis. -
Darren Aronofsky's film is a funny, bloody valentine to 1990s New York City. Though awfully engrossing, Caught Stealing's mix of rambunctious slapstick and bone-crunching violence doesn't always gel. -
Wyle spent 11 seasons on the drama ER. When it was time prep for the HBO series The Pitt, he went to medical boot camp to learn how health care had changed. Originally broadcast April 21, 2025.
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Gupta's new book examines the world of pain — why we feel it, and how we can treat it. He says distraction and meditation can be useful tools for managing certain kinds of pain.
