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Dave Davies Dave Davies is a guest host for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
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Dave Davies

Dave Davies

Guest Host, Fresh Air

Dave Davies is a guest host for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

In addition to his role at Fresh Air, Davies is a senior reporter for WHYY in Philadelphia. Prior to WHYY, he spent 19 years as a reporter and columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, covering government and politics.

Before joining the Daily News in 1990, Davies was city hall bureau chief for KYW News Radio, Philadelphia's commercial all-news station. From 1982 to 1986, Davies was a reporter for WHYY covering local issues and filing reports for NPR. He also edited a community newspaper in Philadelphia and has worked as a teacher, a cab driver and a welder.

Davies is a graduate of the University of Texas.

Story Archive

Tuesday

How the SCOTUS 'Supermajority' is shaping policy on everything from abortion to guns

Demonstrators rally in support of abortion rights at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on April 15. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Law

How the SCOTUS 'Supermajority' is shaping policy on everything from abortion to guns

Fresh Air

Constitutional lawyer Michael Waldman says there's a growing divide between the electorate and the Court: "the country is moving in one direction ... the Court is moving fast in another direction."

How the SCOTUS 'Supermajority' is shaping policy on everything from abortion to guns

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Friday

Author Interviews

A novelist's time in the MMA cage informed his book on memory loss and identity

Fresh Air

John Vercher trained in mixed martial arts as a young man. His novel, After the Lights Go Out, centers on a veteran MMA fighter who struggles to remember things. Originally broadcast June 28, 2022.

A novelist's time in the MMA cage informed his book on memory loss and identity

Listen · 36:01
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Wednesday

Law

FRONTLINE traces the 'ambition and revenge' driving SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas

Fresh Air

As controversy swirls around the benefits Thomas and his wife Ginni received from a conservative billionaire, filmmaker Michael Kirk examines the couple's path to power in a new PBS documentary.

FRONTLINE traces the 'ambition and revenge' driving SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas

Listen · 42:16
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Tuesday

Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it
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Shots - Health News

Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it

Fresh Air

From excessive hygiene to low-fiber diets, author Theresa MacPhail explores the deep-rooted causes of rising allergy rates in her new book Allergic.

Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it

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Tuesday

Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalls the first laugh she got — and the ER trip that followed

Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a writer whose husband hates the novel she's working on in You Hurt My Feelings. Jeong Park/A24 hide caption

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Jeong Park/A24

Movie Interviews

Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalls the first laugh she got — and the ER trip that followed

Fresh Air

She was about 3 years old and had stuck raisins up her nose — but she made her mom laugh so she calls it a win. The Veep star plays a writer whose husband hates her new novel in You Hurt My Feelings.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalls the first laugh she got — and the ER trip that followed

Listen · 37:07
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Wednesday

Millions of people have long COVID brain fog — and there's a shortage of answers
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Shots - Health News

Millions of people have long COVID brain fog — and there's a shortage of answers

Fresh Air

Psychologist James Jackson says people with long COVID experience impaired brain function and mental health issues. He offers some practical advice and support in his new book, Clearing the Fog.

Millions of people have long COVID brain fog — and there's a shortage of answers

Listen · 36:00
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Monday

Author Interviews

'The Last Honest Man' profiles the senator who exposed the CIA's crimes and cover-ups

Fresh Air

Journalist James Risen tells the story of Sen. Frank Church, who exposed the dirty laundry of the CIA and the FBI nearly 50 years ago, and inspired congressional oversight of intelligence agencies.

'The Last Honest Man' profiles the senator who exposed the CIA's crimes and cover-ups

Listen · 42:03
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Monday

Africa

How South Africa nearly descended into civil war instead of a multi-racial democracy

Fresh Air

Journalist Justice Malala explains how Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk kept the country on a path to peace after the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani. His book is The Plot to Save South Africa.

How South Africa nearly descended into civil war instead of a multi-racial democracy

Listen · 36:26
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Thursday

Sports

The story behind the sports betting boom

Fresh Air

Five years ago a Supreme Court ruling lifted a ban on sports betting. New York Times reporter Eric Lipton tells of the lobbying, favorable deals, partnerships and human impact following that decision.

The story behind the sports betting boom

Listen · 36:48
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Tuesday

How poverty and racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease

Public health professor Arline Geronimus says marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which leads to increasingly serious health problems over time. Jon Cherry/Getty Images hide caption

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Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

How poverty and racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease

Fresh Air

Public health professor Arline Geronimus explains how marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which damages their bodies at the cellular level. Her new book is Weathering.

How poverty and racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease

Listen · 36:31
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Friday

Television

'Fresh Air' marks the final season of 'Succession,' with Cox, Culkin and Macfadyen

Fresh Air

Brian Cox plays family patriarch Logan Roy on the HBO series, Kieran Culkin is his youngest, most immature son, and Matthew Macfadyen is the put-upon son-in-law. Originally broadcast in 2021 and 2022.

'Fresh Air' marks the final season of 'Succession,' with Cox, Culkin and Macfadyen

Listen · 46:25
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Tuesday

Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

An unhoused individual sleeps under an American flag blanket in New York City on Sept. 10, 2013. In 2021, approximately 11% of Americans lived below the federal poverty line. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

Fresh Air

Poverty, by America author Matthew Desmond says if the top 1% of Americans paid the taxes they owed, it would raise $175 billion each year: "That is just about enough to pull everyone out of poverty."

Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

Listen · 35:41
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Monday

From 'Almost Famous' to definitely famous, Billy Crudup is enjoying his new TV roles

Billy Crudup plays a salesman marketing timeshares on the moon in the futuristic series Hello Tomorrow! Apple TV hide caption

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Apple TV

Television

From 'Almost Famous' to definitely famous, Billy Crudup is enjoying his new TV roles

Fresh Air

Crudup stars as a fast-talking salesman in the retro-futurist Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow! He won an Emmy for his role as a cynical TV executive in the series The Morning Show.

From 'Almost Famous' to definitely famous, Billy Crudup is enjoying his new TV roles

Listen · 44:23
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Monday

A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief
Anton Petukhov/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief

Fresh Air

Karen Fine says "I feel like I learn from my patients all the time. ... They really have skills and senses that we don't." Her new memoir is The Other Family Doctor.

A veterinarian says pets have a lot to teach us about love and grief

Listen · 36:15
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Friday

Author Interviews

'Camera Man' unspools the colorful life of silent film star Buster Keaton

Fresh Air

Slate film critic Dana Stevens traces Keaton's trajectory, from performing in his family's vaudeville act as a child, to starring in and directing silent films. Originally broadcast Jan. 24, 2022.

'Camera Man' unspools the colorful life of silent film star Buster Keaton

Listen · 38:32
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Tuesday

Economy

'Limitless' makes the case that the Federal Reserve is more powerful than we realize

Fresh Air

NY Times journalist Jeanna Smialek says the Fed has expanded its reach in recent years — in part because of the pandemic, but also due to changing expectations related to accountability and fairness.

'Limitless' makes the case that the Federal Reserve is more powerful than we realize

Listen · 37:15
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Thursday

How a former caterer created the mercenary army fighting Putin's war in Ukraine

A poster displays a Russian soldier with a slogan reading "Glory to the Heroes of Russia." Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

How a former caterer created the mercenary army fighting Putin's war in Ukraine

Fresh Air

Guardian journalist Shaun Walker talks about Yevgeny Prigozhin, the tough-talking convict-turned-businessman who recruits soldiers from Russian prisons to fight in Ukraine.

How a former caterer created the mercenary army fighting Putin's war in Ukraine

Listen · 44:38
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Tuesday

Health Care

An ER doc reflects on life, death and uncertainty in the early days of COVID-19

Fresh Air

Dr. Farzon Nahvi spent the first few months of the pandemic as an emergency room physician in Manhattan. He talks about trying to improvise treatments during that time. His new book is Code Gray.

An ER doc reflects on life, death and uncertainty in the early days of COVID-19

Listen · 36:48
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Monday

History

LBJ biographer Robert Caro reflects on fame, power and the presidency

Fresh Air

Caro isn't solely interested in telling the stories of famous men. Instead, he says, "I wanted to use their lives to show how political power worked." Originally broadcast in 2013 and 2019.

LBJ biographer Robert Caro reflects on fame, power and the presidency

Listen · 44:39
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Friday

Music Interviews

Remembering De La Soul co-founder David Jolicoeur, aka Trugoy the Dove

Fresh Air

Jolicoeur, who died Feb. 12, co-founded the hip-hop group De La Soul in the 1980s, while still in high school. The group brought a sense of fun and wit to the genre. Originally broadcast in 2000.

Remembering De La Soul co-founder David Jolicoeur, aka Trugoy the Dove

Listen · 19:18
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Tuesday

Law

Former prosecutor says Manhattan DA could have charged Trump with multiple crimes

Fresh Air

Mark Pomerantz spent a year investigating Trump, from the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, to countless financial statements that wildly overstated assets. His book is People Vs. Donald Trump.

Former prosecutor says Manhattan DA could have charged Trump with multiple crimes

Listen · 36:51
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Thursday

Asia

A journalist ventures inside one of the world's most notorious terrorist groups

Fresh Air

Jere Van Dyk has spent years in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he got to know leaders of the Haqqani network, responsible for many suicide bombings and kidnappings. His new book is Without Borders.

A journalist ventures inside one of the world's most notorious terrorist groups

Listen · 35:49
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Thursday

Technology

Social media's role in Jan. 6 was left out of the final report

Fresh Air

Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell says the unpublished report shows that tech companies didn't respond to employees' warnings about violent rhetoric on their platforms.

Social media's role in Jan. 6 was left out of the final report

Listen · 35:59
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Wednesday

30 years after the siege, 'Waco' examines what led to the catastrophe

The Texas and the ATF flags fly at half staff April 23, 1993, over the only structure left standing after a fire destroyed the the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas on April 19. J. David Ake/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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J. David Ake/AFP via Getty Images

National

30 years after the siege, 'Waco' examines what led to the catastrophe

Fresh Air

Writer Jeff Guinn draws on new interviews with federal agents and surviving Branch Davidians in his account of the confrontation, which left scores of people dead, including more than 20 children.

30 years after the siege, 'Waco' examines what led to the catastrophe

Listen · 36:09
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