Women's rights
A more moderate Taliban? An Afghan journalist says nothing has changed
Afghan British journalist Najibullah Quraishi has had trouble sleeping for more than two hours a stretch ever since the U.S. withdrew troops from Afghanistan in August and the Taliban came back into power. Quraishi grew up in Afghanistan under Soviet and Taliban rule, and began reporting on the Taliban before the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks and the onset of the U.S. Afghan war. He's currently in Kabul reporting for his upcoming PBS Frontline documentary, Taliban Takeover, (airing Oct. 12) which details life in Afghanistan now.
How An Anti-Vice Crusader Sabotaged The Early Birth Control Movement
In her new book, The Man Who Hated Women, author Amy Sohn writes about Anthony Comstock, an anti-vice crusader who later became a special agent to the U.S. Post office, giving him the power to enforce the law. And she writes about the eight women charged with violating the Comstock Act.
Trump's Deal To End War In Afghanistan Leaves Biden With 'A Terrible Situation'
The Trump White House agreed to a May 1 troop withdrawal. New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins says Biden must now decide whether to honor a deal that included the Taliban but not the Afghan government.
How Women Have Been 'Profoundly' Left Out Of The U.S. Constitution
As a teen, Heidi Schreck debated the Constitution in competitions. A film of her Broadway play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is now available on Amazon Prime. Originally broadcast March 2019.
Jeffrey Toobin On 'Tough As Nails' Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Toobin spoke to Fresh Air in 2013 about his New Yorker profile of Ginsburg, written as she marked her 20th anniversary on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg died Sept. 18 at the age of 87.
Exiled Journalist Continues To Fight For Women's Rights In Iran
Masih Alinejad discusses her campaign against a law requiring that Iranian women and girls to cover their heads and necks with a hijab. Her new memoir is The Wind in My Hair.
How Battles Over Sex, Gender And Sexual Orientation 'Fractured American Politics'
Moral Combat author R. Marie Griffith says the fight for women's suffrage and legal birth control in the early 20th century helped create a political divide in the U.S. that still exists today.
For One Saudi Woman, 'Daring To Drive' Was An Act Of Civil Disobedience
After defying her country's ban on woman drivers, Manal al Sharif was arrested. The outcry by people all over the world led to her release. She tells her story from growing up in Mecca, and adhering to the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam to being a security engineer at Aramco, the Saudi national oil company.
Feminist Gloria Steinem Finds Herself Free Of The 'Demands Of Gender'
As she approached 60, the co-founder of Ms. magazine says, she entered a new phase in life, one in which "you can do what you want." Originally broadcast Oct. 26, 2015.
Hillary Clinton: The Fresh Air Interview.
Clinton's new memoir, Hard Choices, outlines her four years as secretary of state under President Obama. She talks about her vote for the Iraq War, women's rights and political "gamers."