Radio Programs

The best scene in Disney's incredibly photo-realistic remake of The Lion Kingfeatures a computer-generated beetle rolling a ball of computer-generated dung across a computer-generated African landscape. It might sound mundane, but this particular ball of dung is carrying a tuft of fur from the runaway lion Simba, and its eventual discovery will renew hope that the rightful king of the savanna is alive and well.

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. When Leonard Cohen died two years ago at the age of 82, he left behind many unpublished poems and lyrics.

From Nazis and narcos to mistresses and mysterious ship wrecks, Ellroy's This Storm and Mina's Conviction offer plot twists and zig-zags that take readers on a wild ride.

Two of the country's oldest and most venerated music institutions, the New York Philharmonicand the Metropolitan Opera, are beginning their seasons with a change in artistic leadership. Both organizations are grappling with 21st century issues of bringing new audiences in and convincing them that centuries-old music forms are central to their lives today.

On the next Fresh Air – the New York Times deputy general counsel talks about issues he’s faced during the Trump presidency when the war over press freedom is about the very nature of truth.

New York Times reporter Ken Vogel talks about what we learned from the Paul Manafort trial—including how he set up a front group and used laundered money to pay Washington lobbyists, so that he could circumvent registering as a foreign lobbyist when he was representing the Russian backed authoritarian Ukrainian leader Victor Yanukovych.

On the next Fresh Air, the unfolding crisis in Venezuela, where desperate shortages of food, electrical power, and medicine have compelled an estimated three million people to leave the country, many on foot.

Based on the true story of a crime gone wrong, Wanda is considered a cinematic landmark. The 1970 film, which is now out in a restored version, was written and directed by its star, Barbara Loden.