Fresh Air

Music producers Lance and April Ledbetter talk about curating their new anthology, which collects the flip sides of the 78s Smith chose for his 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music.

The Late Night writer and performer hosts The Amber Ruffin Show on NBC's streaming service, Peacock. "I've earned (hopefully) enough grace to do whatever I want," she says of her new hosting gig.

Ahmed plays a drummer who loses his hearing in Sound of Metal. To prepare for the role, he immersed himself in deaf culture — an experience that changed the way he thought about communication.

The pandemic, along with unprecedented political and social upheaval, created a year in which listeners sought to be transported. Enter these 10 albums. At the top of the list: X's Alphabetland.

Le Carré, who died Dec. 12, worked for MI5 and MI6 early in his career and later drew on that experience in thrillers like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Originally broadcast in 1989 and 2017.

Winslet says she wanted to portrays a same-sex love story "wtihtout fear or secrecy" in Ammonite. Loudon Wainwright III and Vince Giordano play from the "Great American Songbook."

Richard Nixon's first vice president resigned amid charges of bribery and tax evasion. Maddow and Mike Yarvitz revisit Agnew's story in the podcast (and now book)Bag Man. Originally broadcast in '19.

The film opens in an airport where a man greets the wife and daughter he hasn't seen in years. Farewell Amor is a deeply empathetic story about the struggles and anxieties of one immigrant family.

"[Trump] can't handle the concept of the label 'loser,' " Haberman says. "He has never before encountered a problem that he couldn't sue away through the court system or spin away."

Brittany Barnett works on behalf of people serving harsh sentences as a result of the war on drugs. Nine of her clients have been granted clemency. Her new memoir is A Knock at Midnight.