All that glitters is not gold. 

Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The New York Times who’s been covering Donald Trump for nearly three decades. Her extraordinary level of access in and around the Oval Office has resulted in two best-sellers, including the book of the summer, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.

The new book, co-written with her Times colleague Jonathan Swan, chronicles the first year of Trump’s 2nd term: how the current Trump administration differs from the first (5:05), the “rotating cast of characters” that orbits the Oval Office (9:40), the president’s obsession with gold and interior decorating (13:15), and what his insatiable appetite for risk has meant for the country–and people–who delivered him back to the White House (28:25) . We also discuss the tentative release of the Epstein files (22:03), the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine (33:15), and how Trump’s health is like “a black box” inside the administration (41:00). 

On the back-half, Haberman unpacks the early influence of her father, fellow Times journalist Clyde Haberman (47:00), finding her footing at New York tabloids (55:20), how her career took a left turn after Trump’s victory in 2016 (1:01:35), the “access journalism” critiques she’s received in recent years (1:04:33), and why she prefers to make journalistic assessments of the President rather than psychological ones (1:10:40). To close, she talks about interviewing Trump this past spring (1:13:09), a shocking exchange around power inside the Oval Office (1:14:30), and her commitment to covering this chapter of American history until we turn the page (1:30:20). 

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From Kenny Powers (“Eastbound & Down”) to Jesse Gemstone (“The Righteous Gemstones”), Danny McBride has created some of the most vain, quintessentially American portraits of male dysfunction in recent memory. His debut short-story collection, Thrilling Tales of Modern Men, is an ode to the overconfident yet woefully insecure characters that have defined his work for the past two decades. 

We begin with the origins of Danny’s new book (3:38), his mother’s church puppet shows that first inspired him to write (11:00), and a formative movie theater memory that (may or may not have) foreshadowed his parents’ divorce (16:00). Then, we walk through the lifelong creative partnerships he formed at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (20:00), the odd jobs he held before breaking through in Hollywood (25:00), and the substitute teaching stint that inspired Eastbound & Down (35:00).

On the back-half, McBride reflects on making The Foot Fist Way (38:00), Tropic Thunder (44:10), This Is the End (45:38), and the cult classic Your Highness (50:00). We also discuss the significance of Kenny Powers in the Trump era (1:02:00), returning to Charleston (1:05:00), the impact of Danny’s late friend and collaborator Ben Best (1:02:00) and his vision for the post-Gemstones chapter ahead (1:10:00).

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Councilmember Nithya Raman says she’s running for mayor “to make LA affordable for everyone.” She joins us this week in her first extended sit-down since edging out Spencer Pratt in the recent mayoral primary.

We begin with Raman’s decision to challenge an incumbent mayor she once endorsed in Karen Bass (2:47), the state of Los Angeles after years of overlapping crises (6:50), and why she believes the city needs a greater sense of urgency in addressing housing affordability (9:47) and homelessness (16:11) in order to restore public trust in local government (25:00). Then, she reflects on immigrating to the United States from India as a child (29:44), the unique opportunities this country afforded her (33:08), and a formative experience that led to a life of activism and politics (41:28).

To close, Nithya explains how she would have handled the LA fires of 2025 (45:43), what she believes the city needs to do to safeguard against future climate disasters (46:12), her evolving views on the LAPD and their role in addressing homelessness (53:54), and why she believes this sprawling city is still worth fighting for (1:07:33).

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Tom Hanks is one of the defining actors of the last half-century. Today, we return to one of our favorite conversations with the beloved performer and writer.

We begin by discussing his debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (5:58), his nomadic upbringing across California (13:28), and the Stanley Kubrick film that made him want to be an artist (19:40). Then, we talk about his early work at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival (24:00) and moving to Los Angeles for his television debut in Bosom Buddies (28:30), before pivoting to dramatic roles in films like Philadelphia and Forrest Gump (32:44).

On the back-half, Hanks describes the transformative, eight-year process of making Cast Away (39:00), receiving an AFI Lifetime Achievement award for his work at age forty-six (41:35), the vital performances that followed (42:40), and his insatiable desire to reflect the human experience (46:23).

To close, Hanks reflects on the kinship he found with Yankee hall of famer Joe DiMaggio (59:08), his formative friendships with actor Holland Taylor (52:30) and the late Nora Ephron (54:40), and the Cecil B. DeMille story he hopes to keep telling (55:50).

Original air date: July 9, 2023

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Alanis Morissette’s 1995 chart-topping album “Jagged Little Pill” didn’t just describe a generation; it defined it. “I will take angry as the first note in the music,” she tells us. “I just think every woman I knew was pissed because they were paying attention. How do you not get pissed?”

On the heels of the record’s 30th anniversary, the seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter joins us this week to discuss her new LA residency, Butterfly with a Machete (4:42), growing up in Ottawa (10:20), and her turbulent years as a teenage Canadian pop star (11:27). Then, Morissette reflects on the nuances of “Jagged Little Pill” (13:10), how she channels the unconscious in her work (27:04), the “patriarchal responses” to the record, including from Joni Mitchell (35:09), and the pressures, insecurities, and misconceptions that shaped her rise to fame (38:15).

On the back-half, we talk about her road to sobriety (40:00), the enduring mystery of “You Oughta Know” as immortalized on Curb Your Enthusiasm (42:20), why she’s determined to set the record straight with her new show (46:30), and how she’s provided a roadmap—really, refuge—for the next generation of pop stars, like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo (1:00:27).

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In celebration of the Tony Awards, Sam’s conversation on ‘Fresh Air’ with the legendary Nathan Lane.

At the time of recording, Lane had just received a nomination for his starring role as Willy Loman in ‘Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.’ He’s a veteran of the stage – often in comedic and musical roles. But in the role of Loman, which he does eight times a week, he’s noticed something different in the audience. “There’s an old joke – my job is just to keep 1600 people from coughing. It's kind of true, but when you hear what we hear during ‘Salesman,’ you hear people weeping in the dark.” At the age of 70, Lane says this production of ‘Salesman’ is the thing he’s most proud of.

This episode originally aired May 7, 2026.

Listen to Fresh Air. Special thanks to Terry Gross, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, and Molly Seavy-Nesper.

Subscribe to the Talk Easy YouTube Channel, and watch our latest with Nathan’s Death of a Salesman co-star and Tony nominee Christopher Abbott.

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Christopher Abbott is one of the finest actors of his generation. He joins us this week from the Winter Garden Theatre, where he plays Biff Loman in the latest Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman opposite Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf. 

Fresh off nine Tony nominations, we sit with Abbott to unpack is volatile and vulnerable portrayal of Biff (3:00), the renewed relevance of Arthur Miller’s critique of the American dream (6:00), and how he produces his intense performance, eight shows a week (8:30). Then, we walk through his upbringing in Greenwich, Connecticut (16:00), the working-class roots that shaped his approach to acting (25:00), and why he kept walking toward the stage (27:00).

On the back-half, we discuss Abbott’s lean years auditioning in New York City (32:00), his breakthrough role in Girls (42:19), creating work in the mold of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands (46:00), his journey to parenthood with Aubrey Plaza (1:02:00), and his lasting transformations in the films James White (1:05:00) and On the Count of Three (1:07:00). To close, we talk about his return to Girls in “The Panic in Central Park” (1:08:35), finding a home in the theater with Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (1:18:00) and now Death of a Salesman (1:20:40), and naturally, the New York Knicks (1:24:30).

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Emmy-nominated writer and stand-up Josh Johnson is making comedy that’s timely and timeless.

On the heels of his new HBO special Symphony, we begin with his creative process of shaping new material week after week, balancing life on the road with writing and hosting duties at The Daily Show (0:46). Then, we talk to Josh about the issues of today: Trump’s 1.8 Billion Slush Fund (4:26), pandemic fears (8:18), AI in commencement speeches (9:34), and “nonviolence as a psyop” (16:27).

On the back-half, Josh describes how he transitions between writing topical and evergreen jokes (23:12), the comedic inspiration that came from his Catholic school years (29:00), and finding his way into performing while working at Trader Joe’s (39:30). To close, we unpack the final week of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (42:27), the role of therapy in Johnson’s 2023 special Up Here Killing Myself (46:00), and what he hopes to create in the next five years (56:20).

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Michelle Obama is the former First Lady of the United States, a bestselling author of books like Becoming and The Look, the co-founder of Higher Ground, and now, a host alongside her older brother Craig Robinson on their hit podcast, IMO.

We start today’s episode in the present: her pivot to podcasting, her version of doomscrolling, and why she believes these times are “janky.” Then, she shares vivid memories of growing up on the South Side of Chicago, the work ethic modeled by her father, the ambition that propelled her from Whitney Young High School to Princeton University and later Harvard Law, and how she learned to question authority early as a “young, outspoken student.”

On the back-half, we walk through the first lunch she shared with her future husband, the period of adjustment that followed Barack’s bid for the Presidency, the complicated dynamics of life inside (and outside) the White House, her freighted final speech as First Lady, the enduring influence of her late mother, the beloved Marian Robinson, working for future generations, and how her hard-fought belief in the American people has never faltered.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep) is a national treasure with more primetime Emmys than any performer in the history of television. Then there’s her latest decade in film: two collaborations with Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said and You Hurt My Feelings) along with a devastating turn in the heart-rending fairytale from A24, Tuesday. Her range is unparalleled, including in the role of host on her excellent, award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me.

This Mother’s Day, we revisit our conversation live from the Aspen Ideas Festival, where we discussed her early performances in the basement of her childhood home (15:45), a formative high school yearbook quote (16:45), landing at SNL in the 1980s (22:06) with Larry David (24:56), the legacy of Seinfeld (28:42), and where she stands on the issue of “political correctness in comedy” (31:54).

On the back-half, a celebration of her uproarious turn as Selina Meyer on Veep (36:47), a life-changing diagnosis on the heels of her historic Emmy win (40:00), and the support she received from showrunner David Mandel (42:52) and President Biden (46:23). To close, words of wisdom from Jane Fonda (52:14) and the poem “Explanation” by Julia’s father, the late Gérard Louis-Dreyfus (54:00).

Original air date: July 14, 2024

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