President Trump is promoting tighter restrictions on mail-in ballots as well as passage of the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote. UCLA professor Richard Hasen unpacks the ramifications.

John Powers reviews the Oscar-nominated Japanese film ‘Kokuho.’

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Kate Hudson is up for an Oscar for her role as Claire in the film ‘Song Sung Blue,’ starring opposite Hugh Jackman as one half of Lightning & Thunder, a Neil Diamond tribute band. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about pursuing singing late in her career. We also hear from Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard. He’s earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film ‘Sentimental Value.’ He’ll talk with Dave Davies about his many roles over the years -- from 'Dune' to 'Good Will Hunting,' and 'Mamma Mia!' and recovering from a stroke that impaired his ability to memorize lines.

David Bianculli reviews a new documentary about Paul McCartney in his decade after the Beatles.

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We take a trip to Bikini Bottom and revisit our interview with Tom Kenny, who plays SpongeBob on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series, and in the new ‘Spongebob SquarePants’ film. Kenny’s been voicing the character since the show began in 1999. In 2004 he talked about creating the voice, including experimenting with inhaling helium.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews ‘Man on the Run,’ the new documentary about Sir Paul McCartney in the decade after the Beatles split up, and Justin Chang reviews the new erotic drama ‘Dreams,’ starring Jessica Chastain. 

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New York Times journalist David Sanger discusses how we got here, the state of Iran's nuclear weapons program, the likelihood of U.S. military force against Iran and if Trump's goal is regime change.

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Aside from the evil Baron Harkonnen in ‘Dune,’ actor Stellan Skarsgård doesn’t really believe in bad guys. He looks for nuance in every role. He’s Oscar-nominated for his performance in ‘Sentimental Value,’ as a successful filmmaker who is estranged from his grown daughters. Skarsgård spoke with Dave Davies about improvising with Robin Williams in ‘Good Will Hunting,’ raising actor children, and how a stroke impacted his acting.

Also, critic Maureen Corrigan reviews ‘This is Not About Us,’ by Allegra Goodman.

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Eight years after her bestseller 'An American Marriage,' Tayari Jones has written a new novel, 'Kin,' set in the Jim Crow South. It follows two girls, Vernice and Annie, who grow up next door to each other without their mothers. That shared wound binds them and carries them through adulthood and across class lines. Jones says the idea for the book came from her own experience of losing a friend — and the particular kind of grief that the world doesn't always recognize. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about female friendship, growing up with civil rights activist parents, and the writing class that changed her life.'Kin' was just selected by Oprah’s Book Club. 

Also, critic David Bianculli gives his take on the latest TV shows.

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Kate Hudson has had a hugely successful career as an actor and entrepreneur, but knew she'd always regret it if she didn't try her hand at music. Finally in 2024 she released her debut album, 'Glorious,' and got to share a whole other side of herself with the world. “I'm very happy with myself as a mother. Like I feel like I've made all the right mistakes and all the wrong mistakes,” she says. “But I couldn't say that about my art. And that would be my own personal sadness and regret, is that I didn't share my writings as a musician.” She spoke with co-host Tonya Mosley about taking the leap, her Oscar-nominated performance in 'Song Sung Blue,' and what she remembers from the set of 'Almost Famous.' 


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The Nigerian musician Fela Kuti used his music in the ‘70s as a weapon against colonial values and his country’s brutal dictatorship. The danceable music and political lyrics inspired a youth movement. Award-winning podcaster Jad Abumrad talks with Terry about his podcast series, ‘Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.’ 

Also, we hear from best-selling science journalist Michael Pollan. His new book ‘A World Appears’ asks how technology is changing our consciousness. “Consciousness is under siege,” he says. “I think that it’s the last frontier for these companies that want to sell our time and, of course, our time is our mind time.” Pollan also questions whether A.I. is capable of achieving consciousness.

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The great actor Robert Duvall made his mark starring in epic movies and intimate dramas including ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Tender Mercies,’ ‘The Great Santini,’ and, of course, ‘Apocalypse Now.’ He died Sunday at age 95. We listen back to archival interviews from 1996 and 2010. 

Also, the documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, whose approach was to choose a subject and capture it at great, revealing length, died Monday at age 96. His films include 'Titicut Follies,' 'Central Park,' 'Juvenile Court,' 'High School,' and 'Hospital.' He spoke with Terry Gross in 1986 about why he chose documentary as his medium. 

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