Terry Gross

Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas’ goal of destroying the state of Israel. New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins talks about his reporting trip to the Lebanese/Israeli border.

After making the hit film "Crazy Rich Asians" and the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "In The Heights," my guest, Jon M. Chu, is now adapting "Crazy Rich Asians" into a Broadway musical. He's directing a film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Wicked," which is expected to open in November.

Anne Applebaum, has been writing for years about the rise in authoritarianism around the world and the erosion of democracy. Her latest book, "Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want To Run The World," is a potent read on how today's autocracies are not just ruled by one powerful leader, but are instead a sophisticated interconnected network.