Fresh Air

Anderson talks about playing Margaret Thatcher in the new season of 'The Crown,' and then coaches Terry Gross on how to do the former prime minster's voice. We'll also talk about Anderson's role as a sex therapist in 'Sex Education,' and her ongoing fight for equal pay for her co-starring role in 'The X-Files.'

Also, Ken Tucker reviews the album 'The Otherside' from country singer-songwriter Cam.

USWNT soccer star Megan Rapinoe speaks with Terry Gross about her World Cup wins, the ongoing fight for pay equality in women's sports, and being an LGBTQ activist. Her new memoir about her life on and off the field is 'One Life.'

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews 'We Keep the Dead Close,' by Becky Cooper, a true crime story about the murder of a Harvard student in 1969 that went unsolved until two years ago.

Harold McGee is best-known for his books about food science...

Jarrett is one of the most celebrated pianists in jazz — a musician acclaimed for his emotionally intense and physically energetic improvised performances. He was a prodigy who started playing piano at the age of 3. Now he has a new album, 'Budapest,' which was recorded during his last European concert tour. Jarrett recently revealed he had two strokes in 2018 and now he's partially paralyzed and unable to perform...

'Politico' journalist Garrett Graff says presidents typically reserve their most controversial decisions for their last weeks in office. In a new article, Graff lays out some of the norm-busting actions President Trump may take in the days remaining in his presidency. Trump is already blocking president-elect Biden's access to classified information — and some worry he might destroy White House records and begin issuing pardons.

Harold McGee is best-known for his books about food science. In his new book, 'Nose Dive,' he writes about why things smell the way they do — and the ways different chemicals combine to create surprising (and sometimes distasteful) odors. We talk about stinky cheese, cat pee, mask breath and why cooking releases smells.

Also, John Powers reviews season 4 of 'The Crown,' in which Princess Diana is introduced.

Writer Katherine Standefer tells us about long QT syndrome — and the implanted cardiac defibrillator that helps regulate her heart. In her new memoir, 'Lightning Flowers,' she writes about how the device changed her life, and about trying to get medical care with little income 11 years ago — just as Congress was trying to establish the Affordable Care Act. "One of the greatest gifts is to feel alive while you are alive," Standefer says...

The USWNT soccer star and activist spoke with Terry Gross about her World Cup wins, the ongoing fight for pay equality in women's sports, and taking a knee in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. Her new memoir about her life on and off the field is 'One Life.'

Also, we remember longtime 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek. He died Nov. 8.

Author Jerald Walker talks about growing up on Chicago's South Side, raising his two sons in a predominantly white suburb and preventing his essays from turning into clichés about the Black experience. His new collection of essays is 'How to Make a Slave.' The title is a reference to Frederick Douglass' line, "You've seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man."

Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album by cornet player Ron Miles...

McLorin Salvant's repertoire includes jazz standards and forgotten early songs, show tunes, and originals. ​She'​s one of this year's MacArthur fellows​. We'll also listen back to our 2001 interview with dancer and choreographer Marge Champion, who died Oct. 21.

Jack Goldsmith, former legal counsel to George W. Bush's White House, says no matter when Trump leaves office, his successor will face tough questions about how to reconstruct the battered presidency. In his book, 'After Trump,' Goldsmith and his co-author Bob Bauer write that Trump has exposed the presidency's vulnerability to excesses of authority and weaknesses in accountability...