Fresh Air

After Kirsten Johnson's dad started showing signs of dementia, she had a hard time accepting that his death was getting closer. Her new Netflix documentary, 'Dick Johnson is Dead,' enacts his death from a series of imagined accidents. Johnson has been the cinematographer for over 50 documentaries, including 'Citizenfour.' We'll also talk about her 2016 film 'Cameraperson,' which she's described as a memoir. She spoke with 'Fresh Air' producer Sam Briger...

Andrew Weissmann, a lead prosecutor in the Mueller investigation, shares his experience with the probe and its report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Weissmann says the constant threat that President Trump might fire Mueller and shut down the probe and the prospect of Trump granting pardons to key witnesses had an effect on Mueller and his team...

In his new book, 'The Bomb,' journalist Fred Kaplan pulls back the curtain on how U.S. presidents, their advisers and generals have thought about, planned for — and sometimes narrowly avoided — nuclear war.

Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews the first album from an all-star band of jazz women, called Artemis.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra, talks about Verdi's "Requiem." He'll talk about how Verdi communicates suffering and hope through music, and how music has helped him find a sense of connection during the pandemic.

Ken Tucker reviews a new EP from singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton, one of the few Black women recording country music hits.

Also, we'll talk about Donald Trump's finances with 'Forbes' senior editor Dan Alexander...

The new drama 'The Glorias' is based on the feminist activist's memoir 'My Life on the Road,' and follows Steinem from ages 20 to 40. Steinem spoke with Terry Gross in 2015 about her unique childhood, the illegal abortion she had when she was 22, and how aging has been liberating. We'll also hear an excerpt of her 1987 interview, about the 15th anniversary of 'Ms.' magazine, the feminist publication which she co-founded...

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the young, charismatic conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra, talks about Verdi's "Requiem." He chose the piece for his inaugural performance as music director of the orchestra in Philadelphia. We'll talk about how Verdi communicates suffering and hope through music, the piece's meaning in Yannick's own life, and how music has helped him find a sense of connection during the pandemic...

'Politico' reporter Dan Diamond describes efforts by Trump loyalist and HHS spokesperson (currently on leave) Michael Caputo to alter weekly CDC reports and have scientists change their findings on the course of the coronavirus pandemic...

'Forbes' senior editor Dan Alexander examines President Trump's sprawling business interests in his new book, 'White House, Inc.' Alexander says the president has broken a number of pledges he made about how he would conduct business while in office. We talk about Trump's holdings and potential conflicts of interest, and what Alexander found when he looked closely at the numbers.

Also, Ken Tucker reviews Mickey Guyton's EP 'Bridges' and her single "Black Like Me."

Legal analyst and 'New Yorker' staff writer Jeffrey Toobin spoke with Terry Gross in 2013 about his profile of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, written as she marked her 20th anniversary on the Supreme Court. We'll talk about how her work led to breakthroughs in the equal treatment of women. And Toobin will tell a touching personal story she shared with him. Ginsburg died Sept. 18 at the age of 87...

Harvard historian and 'New Yorker' writer Jill Lepore tells the story of the Simulmatics Corporation. Founded in 1959, it used a so-called "people machine," a computer program it claimed could predict the impact of political messages or advertising pitches. Her book is 'If Then.'

TV critic David Bianculli reviews Ryan Murphy's new Netflix series 'Ratched,' an origin story of the notorious nurse from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...