Fresh Air

Set in Russia in the years following the fall of communism, The Wizard of the Kremlin doesn't always work dramatically. But you leave with a better understanding of how Vladimir Putin came to power.

Caputo, who died May 7, wrote the acclaimed 1977 memoir A Rumor of War, about leading a Marine platoon during the Vietnam war. He went on to a career in journalism. Originally broadcast in 2005.

Attenborough began hosting and producing nature documentaries for the BBC in the 1950s. He spoke to Terry Gross in 1995 about about traveling the world to film Life on Earth.

Former national security official Rush Doshi says President Trump's sky-high tariffs on Chinese goods sparked a clash in which China prevailed. We look at the current state of U.S.-China relations.

Riley's new film centers on a crew of women who steal from luxury fashion stores and sell the goods at lower cost to people who can't afford retail. He says it's a challenge to the system.

Aguda's novel, One Leg on Earth, follows a young woman in Nigeria facing an unintended pregnancy. The Things We Never Say, by Strout, centers on a high school teacher leading a secret life of sadness.

David Attenborough's acclaimed nature series Life on Earth began production 50 years ago. Now, a PBS documentary captures the host looking back on that series as it's projected in a screening room.

Tech writer Joanna Stern used AI to read medical results, respond to texts and serve as her therapist. She says her emotional connection to it was unsettling. Her new book is I Am Not a Robot.

In the course of his delightful Netflix series, Galifianakis learns how to graft apple trees, make richer compost and generally self-sustain. "The future is agrarian," he says in every episode.

Sharpe played a newly rich tech bro on vacation in The White Lotus. Now he's starring as Mozart, a musical genius who struggles to "read the room" in a new limited TV series.

In Stuart's new novel John of John, both father and son are gay. David Bianculli reviews the TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies. Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd discusses his new series Half Man.

Seller has been a key behind-the-scenes figure for some of Broadway's biggest hits including, Hamilton and Rent, but he got his start on a much smaller scale. Originally broadcast June 30, 2025.