Fresh Air

Ramy Youssef's new animated comedy series, #1 Happy Family USA, is about an Egyptian American Muslim family living in New Jersey, after 9/11, trying to blend in and doing everything they can to avoid being seen as a threat. Youssef spoke with Terry Gross about the series and his own experience during that time. Also, Danny McBride talks with Tonya Mosley about his HBO series The Righteous Gemstones, about a wildly dysfunctional family of televangelists fighting for power, influence, and their father's approval.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There's a new documentary about the '60s British band The Zombies. It's called 'Hung Up on a Dream' and it's streaming on Amazon Prime. We're listening back to Terry's 1998 interview with lead singer of The Zombies, Colin Blunstone. The band had a reputation for being clean cut and well mannered. "People want rascals and rogues and naughty boys. So in a way, I think that it went against us a bit," he said.Also, we remember actor/director James Foley. He directed Glengarry Glen Ross.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Journalist Amy Larocca says our society's obsession with optimization and self-care has reached a fever pitch. She unpacks what it really means to take care of ourselves in How to Be Well. Also, Justin Chang reviews the Chinese film Caught by the Tides.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

ProPublica reporter David Armstrong began investigating the pharmaceutical industry when he learned a single pill of his cancer treatment costs about the same as a new iPhone — but costs 25 cents to make. His investigation into the discovery and marketing of the drug Revlimid revealed strategies employed by pharmaceutical companies to ward off competition, and keep prices of their medications high. We'll also talk about ways insurance companies deny claims for tests and treatment recommended by doctors.Also, David Bianculli reviews a music documentary about singer-songwriter Janis Ian.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Actor Ramy Youssef was in 5th grade and living in New Jersey when the Twin Towers fell. His new Amazon Prime animated show, #1 Happy Family USA, draws on the experiences of his own Egyptian American family navigating Islamophobia after Sept. 11. Conan O'Brien was the recipient of this year's Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. David Bianculli reviews the Netflix special of the ceremony.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Georgia native has seen how Hollywood traffics in stereotypes about the American South. He talks with Tonya Mosley about making creative work that challenges them. His HBO show The Righteous Gemstones, which satirizes televangelists, just wrapped its fourth and final season.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Michelle Williams talks about starring in Dying For Sex — a dark but funny TV series based on a true story about a woman with stage four cancer who, facing death, decides to take ownership of her sexual pleasure. Also, we hear from Sarah Snook. She's best known for her role on HBO's Succession as Shiv Roy. She tells us why she almost didn't audition for the part. Snook was recently nominated for a Tony for her performance on Broadway in the stage adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

R. Crumb created Zap Comix and such characters as Mr. Natural and Fritz the Cat. His comics were a staple of the 1960s counterculture, and came out of his nightmares, fantasies and fetishes. There was a time when he wanted to censor that part of himself — but then he took LSD. He told Terry Gross about that experience in a 2005 interview. We'll also hear from his wife Aline Kominsky Crumb, who is also a cartoonist. Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new Marvel film, Thunderbolts*.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When NYT critic-at-large Amanda Hess learned her unborn child had an abnormality, she turned to the internet — but didn't find reassurance. "My relationship with technology became so much more intense," she says. She talks with Tonya Mosley about pregnancy apps, online forums, and baby gadgets. Her new book is Second Life: Having A Child In The Digital Age. Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Daniel Kehlmann's new novel, The Director. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

New York Times reporter Eric Lipton says the Trump family businesses, including their crypto company, are capitalizing on the President's position, and creating unprecedented conflicts of interest.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Michelle Williams' FX/Hulu series Dying For Sex follows a woman with terminal cancer who decides to pursue her own sexual pleasure. She says the show is about sex, friendship and "being scared and brave at the same time."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Snook, who played Shiv Roy on Succession, was just nominated for a Tony for playing all the characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray on Broadway. "I don't know what comes after this," she says. She talks about playing 26 different parts in Dorian, why she almost didn't audition for Succession, and the word she could never quite say in an American accent. Also, Ken Tucker shares a remembrance of the leader of Pere Ubu, David Thomas.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We're diving into the resurgence of the pronatalism movement, the belief that having more babies will save a failing civilization. With new Trump-backed policies promising "baby bonuses" and even a "National Medal of Motherhood," pronatalists are warning that falling U.S. birth rates could mean economic collapse, or even extinction. Sociologist Dr. Karen Guzzo and NPR reporter Lisa Hagen join us to unpack the motivations behind this growing movement.Also, we'll talk with author Daria Burke. She spent several years digging into the science of how our brains and bodies carry the imprint of early experiences. She wanted to understand the trauma of her childhood. Plus, Justin Chang reviews the new Cronenberg thriller The Shrouds.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

David Grann's book, The Wager, is about an 18th century British warship that wrecked on an island after passing through the treacherous waters of Cape Horn. The castaways faced terrible conditions and starvation, and descended into chaos, including cannibalism and mutiny. 81 sailors escaped the island on a makeshift boat, and sailed nearly 3000 miles to Brazil. Only 29 survived. Grann is also the author of Killers of the Flower Moon. David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix miniseries The Four Seasons, co-created by Tina Fey.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Fresh Air host Terry Gross lost her husband, acclaimed writer Francis Davis, on April 14. They were together for 47 years. Today, she shares some of Francis with the audience, including the story of how they met and became a couple.Also, we listen back to our 2005 interview with George Clooney. He just received a Tony nomination for his role as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck on Broadway.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A once-fringe movement claims having more babies is the only way to save civilization. NPR reporter Lisa Hagen and sociologist Karen Guzzo explain who's empowering pronatalism today.Plus, jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews a new album from Wilco guitarist Nels Cline.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Journalist David Graham says the aim of the creators of the conservative action plan Project 2025 aim is to push the federal government "as far to the right as they can." His new book is The Project.Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new PBS documentary about libraries.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Daria Burke spent several years digging into the science of how our brains and bodies carry the imprint of early experiences. She wanted to understand the trauma she lived through growing up in 1980s Detroit with a mother who battled addiction. She suffered years of neglect before finding stability through school and rising in the corporate world. In her new memoir, Of My Own Making, she writes about the limits of success, how she was shaped by her past, and the work it took to change course. Plus, our critic at large, John Powers, reviews The Golden Hour. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler's movies include both Black Panther films and Creed. His latest fillm, Sinners, is a vampire thriller about twins, both played by Michael B. Jordan, opening a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi. The film explores race, faith, and American history through the lens of horror. Also, Noah Wyle talks about his starring role in the MAX series The Pitt, about life at a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room. He also played a doctor on the long-running hit ER. Plus, contributor Carolina Miranda reviews Laila Lalami's suspenseful new novel, The Dream Hotel.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Before he became a musician, Merle Haggard lived the kind of life that's often mythologized in song: Hopping freights and doing prison time. When he became a star, he acquired his own observation car. Now that coach is part of the Virginia Scenic Railway. Terry Gross spoke with Haggard in 1995. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two albums: one's a collection of recordings by Paul Robeson, and the other features the music of Paul Robeson, performed by singer Davóne Tines. Finally, Justin Chang reviews David Cronenberg's new thriller, The Shrouds.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy