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A Definitive Report on the Chernobyl Accident

Scientist Zhores Mevedvev was the first scientist in the West to determine that the Soviet Union suffered a nuclear accident in 1957, three decades before Chernobyl. He has a new book called "The Legacy of Chernobyl," about the latter disaster -- which contributed to the Soviet Union's glasnost and perestroika reforms. Medvedev's father was exiled from Russia; Medvedev himself faced persecution for his research and activism.

24:35
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Other segments from the episode on August 23, 1990

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 23, 1990; Interview with Zhores Medved; Interview with Jim Harrison; Review of the film "Darkman."
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18:27

Novelist Jim Harrison

Harrison has new collection of novellas, called The Woman Lit by Fireflies. He lives in relative isolation with his family on a farm in upstate Michigan.

Interview
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04:00

"Darkman" Has Action, Finesse and Fun

Stephen Schiff reviews the new operatic, gothic action movie directed by Sam Raimi. He says it may not live up to its lofty, Phantom of the Opera-like pretensions, but he praises the film for its comic book-like exuberance.

Review

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03:30

"Accident" Is a Thoughtful Mediation on Anxiety

Christa Wolf's new autobiographical novel juxtaposes the protagonist's worries over her brother's forthcoming brain surgery with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Book critic John Leonard says, despite the book's emotional darkness, Wolf's book is a flicker of light.

Review
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52:30

Former White House Russia expert Fiona Hill warns the U.S. is on a path to autocracy

Russia expert Fiona Hill warns that American democracy is under attack — from within.
In November 2019, Hill became one of the key witnesses at then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment hearing, where she condemned the false narrative that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election, and described the Trump administration's parallel policy channel in Ukraine to get dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden.

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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08:26

This Romanian film about immigration and vanishing jobs hits close to home

R.M.N. is based on an actual 2020 event in Ditrău, Romania, where 1,800 villagers voted to expel three Sri Lankans who worked at their local bakery.

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