"Who am I to judge?" With those five words, Pope Francis "stepped away from the disapproving tone, the explicit moralizing typical of poes and bishops," writes James Carroll.
On the 25th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we talk to Medical Theologian, Dr. James McCartney about the abortion debate. McCarney, the Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Villanova University just outside Philadelphia and the Ethics Consultant for the Catholic Health East Health System, says advances in medical technology have helped the anti-abortion argument, by showing the fetus as a person earlier on.
The acclaimed music-video director transitioned to the big screen with One Hour Photo, a dark psychological drama starring Robin Williams. Now Romanek has tackled Never Let Me Go, the futuristic thriller based on Kazoo Ishiguro's novel.
The podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, featuring O'Brien's conversations with comics, actors and writers, launched November 2018. Its second season starts Oct. 7.
When journalist Pete Earley's son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it sent him on an effort not only to get his son properly diagnosed and treated, but to understand the nation's mental health system. Earley's book about the experience is Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness.
Nigerian-born actor Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in the new Stephen Frears film Dirty Pretty Things. Ejiofor plays an immigrant former doctor who now must make his living in London as a cab driver and hotel clerk. Ejiofor graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and was named Outstanding Newcomer in The London Evening Standard Awards 2000. He recently completed a sell-out run at London's National Theatre as Christopher in Blue/Orange. At the age of 19 he had a role in Steven Spielberg's film Amistad.
Reverend Theodore Hesburgh has just published a new memoir about serving as the University of Notre Dame's president for 35 years. His tenure overlapped with the 1960s student movements; Hesburgh did his best to strike a balance between allowing for freedom of expression and maintaining an environment conducive to learning.
In her new book, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Murder and the Undoing of A Great Victorian Detective, Kate Summerscale revisits the gruesome 150-year-old murder that helped catapult British mystery fiction into being. Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan offers a review.
Washington Post Pentagon Correspondent Greg Jaffe joins Fresh Air to talk about the military options available to President Obama as he develops a new strategy in Afghanistan. Jaffe is co-author of the new book The Fourth Star, about the four generals who led the US military's efforts in Iraq.
Byrne got his big break playing a slick gangster in the Coen Brothers' "Miller's Crossing." One reviewer wrote, "a subtle yet forceful performance as an impassive man, concealing deep pain." He was the executive producer of "In the Name of the Father," and also starred in and produced the films "A Dangerous Woman," and "Into the West." Byrne is now appearing as Prof. Baer in the remake of "Little Women," directed by Gillian Armstrong.
Mirta Ojito is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times. Ojito and her family were part of the Mariel boatlift out of Cuba. Her new memoir is Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus. Ojito has interviewed Fidel Castro himself in researching the boatlift.
Father Robert Drinan. For ten years, he was a Congressman from Massachusetts. He left his seat when the Pope ordered all priests to leave elected office. He now teaches law at Georgetown University and has recently completed a book on human rights.
Casey Affleck is a man returning to his hometown to bury his brother and reconnect with his teen nephew in Manchester by the Sea. Critic David Eldestein calls the film draining, but also worth seeing.
We catch up with him about the latest news from Iraq. He's in the United States for just one day, and then he goes back to Baghdad. Burns has won several Pulitzer Prizes for his overseas war reports.
Violence caused by Mexican drug cartels is spilling over the border into the United States. New York Times journalist Randal C. Archibold reports that home invasions and shootings related to the Mexican drug trade are spreading as far north as Canada.
Roseanne Cash's newest album, King's Record Shop, blends country and rock music. Rock critic Ken Tucker says that her affectless voice lends itself to both genres.
