Fresh Air

The NPR legal affairs correspondent met the future SCOTUS justice in the early '70s, when Totenberg interviewed Ruth Bader Ginsburg for a story about a decision pertaining to women's rights. Her memoir about her life and friendship is Dinners with Ruth.

Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Ling Ma's new collection of stories, Bliss Montage.

Servants of the Damned author David Enrich says lawyers for the firm of Jones Day were deeply embedded in the Trump White House — and helped create policy designed to limit the federal government.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is Emmy-nominated for her role as the veteran teacher Barbara Howard on the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, about an under resourced Philly school. We talk about her long career in showbiz — from Dreamgirls on Broadway to Moesha, and how she made her own way in an industry that didn't offer many parts to Black women.

Tennis legend John McEnroe talks about his career, his outbursts on the court, and his new job as a TV tennis analyst and voice-over artist on the hit Netflix Series, Never Have I Ever. McEnroe is the subject of a new Showtime documentary.

Also, songwriter and singer Amanda Shires performs a few songs and talks about her life. Her latest album, Take it Like a Man, has songs about a rocky period in her marriage to singer songwriter Jason Isbell...

NPR international correspondent Anne Garrels died Wednesday at 71. She was known for fearless reporting in conflict zones, empathy for the victims of war, and a host of prestigious awards. We'll hear about her experiences in Iraq in 2003, chronicled in her book, Naked in Baghdad.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Book critic Maureen reviews If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery.

Like, Comment, Subscribe author Mark Bergen says YouTube has ushered in a world of abundant content and creativity, of influencers and hustlers, of information overload and endless culture wars.

Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews The Funky Freqs' album Hymn of the Third Galaxy. And John Powers reviews the new sequel series American Gigolo.

Singer-songwriter and fiddle player Amanda Shires opens up about a rough time in her marriage and how she turned to songwriting to process her feelings. Her new solo album is Take it Like a Man. We talk about playing the songs for her husband, Jason Isbell, performing fiddle as a teen with the Texas Playboys, and founding the country supergroup The Highwomen. Shires plays some songs in-studio.

John McEnroe is remembered as one of the most talented — and hotheaded — tennis players of all time. Over the course of his career, he won 155 combined titles — more than any man in the game's modern era. We talk about wins, losses and notorious moments on the court. He's the subject of a new Showtime documentary called McENROE.

On this Labor Day, we feature Terry Gross's 1984 interview with folk singer Pete Seeger, who was famous for singing songs about workers, unions and social justice. And we'll hear her 2016 interview with Bruce Springsteen — recorded after the publication of his memoir Born to Run.

We continue our series of great music interviews from our archive with "The Godfather of Soul," "the Hardest Working Man in Show Business," "Soul Brother #1" — James Brown. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2005.

Also, we hear Terry's 1986 interview with songwriter Ellie Greenwich. She collaborated on teenage pop hits from the early '60s like "Be My Baby," "Leader of the Pack" and "Da Doo Ron Ron...