Fresh Air

Rainbow writes and performs satirical songs about President Trump set to melodies of show tunes. "I always considered song parody kind of cheap," the Emmy-nominated performer says. "But ... I've gotten [such a] response from others ... that I'm appreciating it as an art form."

Also, we remember retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who died yesterday at 99. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2011.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist's new book, 'The Nickel Boys,' is based on the true story of a notorious Florida reform school where many boys were beaten and sexually abused. Dozens of unmarked graves were discovered on the school grounds, which the state shut down in 2011. Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel, and then the author speaks with contributor Dave Davies.

Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the book 'Jazz from Detroit.'

The Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic for 'The New Yorker' talks about the art of "terrible men" in the #MeToo era, TV's revolution (from low to high brow), and what she calls "the bad fan." Her new book of essays and reviews is 'I Like to Watch.'

A new Yiddish language production of 'Fiddler on the Roof' is currently running off-Broadway. Steven Skybell, who plays Tevye, and Joel Grey, who directs the show, explain why the play still resonates.

Film critic Justin Chang reviews the thriller 'Midsommar.'

In 1989, 26-year-old skipper Tracy Edwards set out on what was considered an unthinkable journey for a woman — to sail the 33,000 mile Whitbread Round The World Race...

The former first baseman played on championship teams with the Cardinals and Mets, and made a memorable appearance on 'Seinfeld.' His memoir, now out in paperback, is 'I'm Keith Hernandez.'

MLB pitcher Jim Bouton, who died Wednesday, spoke to 'Fresh Air' in 1986 about his 1970 tell-all memoir, 'Ball Four,' in which he drew on his seven years with the Yankees to offer an insider's guide to baseball...

NY Times reporter Caitlin Dickerson has been documenting the impact of the Trump administration's policies on migrants — and on the workers who deal with the large number of people held in detention. Dickerson talks about the squalid conditions at the Clint, Texas, border patrol center, where toddlers were living for weeks without diapers, and kids were living in cold, crowded holding areas without showers, clean clothes, toothbrushes, or enough food...

A new, Yiddish language production of the musical is currently running off-Broadway. Steven Skybell, who plays Tevye, and Joel Grey, who directs the show, explain why the play still resonates.

'Mother Jones' journalist Ari Berman says recent Supreme Court decisions on redistricting and the 2020 census will determine which party is in power in the next decade. Berman says while Americans are justifiably worried that Russia might try again to interfere in our 2020 election, we also need to also be focusing on homegrown threats to our democracy. "The Russians didn't invent voter suppression. The Russians didn't gut the Voting Rights Act...

Travis Rieder became dependent on opioids after a motorcycle accident in 2015 that crushed his left foot, and forced him to endure six surgeries. His book 'In Pain' draws on his insights as a patient, and his subsequent research into pain medicine, to examine the larger problems and dilemmas surrounding prescription opioids and the larger opioid crisis.

Parker is best-known for her role as the iconic single New Yorker Carrie Bradshaw on 'Sex and the City.' Now, on the HBO series 'Divorce,' she plays Frances, a woman navigating the dissolution of her marriage.

Also, Ken Tucker reviews two country hits that are challenging traditional notions of the genre, by Lil Nas X and Blanco Brown.

Amber Scorah was a third-generation Jehovah's Witness raised to believe that the Armageddon was imminent...