Fresh Air

Copeland was the first Black principal ballerina for the American Ballet Theatre. We talk about the pressure of being first, the injury that nearly ended her career, and her mentor, pioneering Black ballerina Raven Wilkinson. Her memoir is The Wind at My Back.

For Veterans Day, we feature archival interviews with two men who fought in World War II: Robert Kotlowitz was one of three soldiers in his platoon to survive an ill-advised assault on the Germans. For 12 hours, he lay in a foxhole without moving. Also, we hear from Robert Williams, one of the elite Tuskegee Airmen. The primarily Black group of military pilots faced scorn from the bomber pilots they flew to protect — until it became clear how good they were at their job...

Steven Spielberg's latest project, The Fabelmans, is semi-autobiographical — focused on his childhood and teen years and his parents' divorce. He jokingly refers to the film as "$40 million of therapy." He speaks with Terry Gross about the first movie he saw in theaters and growing up around Holocaust survivors.

Maureen Corrigan reviews Foster by Claire Keegan...

New York Times science writer David Wallace-Wells brings us some new thinking on global warming — and it isn't all bad. He's been called an alarmist in the past for his warnings about the consequences of dumping carbon into the atmosphere. But in a new article, Wallace-Wells writes that the cost of solar and wind energy has fallen dramatically, and scientists now say the pace of global warming in coming decades will be slower than previously forecast...

Spielberg's latest project, The Fabelmans, is semi-autobiographical — focused on his childhood and teen years and his parents' divorce. He jokingly refers to the film as "$40 million of therapy." He speaks with Terry Gross about the first movie he saw in theaters, filming the iconic D-Day sequence in Saving Private Ryan, and growing up around Holocaust survivors.

We mark the life of the rock 'n' roll pioneer, who died Oct. 28, by listening to archival interviews with his sister, pianist/singer Linda Gail Lewis, and with Myra Lewis Williams, who married Jerry Lee when she was 13. And Ken Tucker reflects on Lewis' 1968 country album.

Historian Matthew Delmont talks about the more than one million Black people who served in the military in WWII, the contributions they made and discrimination they faced, and those who struggled for equality in civilian life. Delmont's book is Half American.

Justin Chang reviews Steven Spielberg's new semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans.

Till tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley, whose decision to hold an open-casket funeral for her murdered son Emmett served as a catalyst for the civil rights movement. We talk with director Chinonye Chukwu.

Ken Tucker reviews Taylor Swift's Midnights.

Ramona Emerson's novel, Shutter, is about a police department photographer, who, like Emerson, grew up in the Navajo Nation. The protagonist is haunted by the ghosts of victims from scenes she's photographed...

Porter won an Emmy for Pose, and a Tony for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. In addition to performing, he's also a star on the red carpet. His memoir, Unprotected, is now out in paperback.

New York Times reporter Alexandra Berzon says election deniers are joining the electoral process at the precinct level. Their hope is to remake the machinery of American elections. She spoke with guest interviewer Arun Venugopal.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album from the trio Thumbscrew. And David Bianculli reviews the Weird Al Yankovic biopic, Weird, starring Daniel Radcliffe.