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

As controversy swirls around Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni over financial benefits they received for years from a Texas billionaire, we look at the formative influences on the Washington power couple. Filmmaker Michael Kirk's FRONTLINE PBS documentary examines Clarence Thomas's early years, where he endured poverty, hardship and discrimination in the Jim Crow South. After a period as a Black Power activist in college, he began to criticize affirmative action and build ties with conservative Republicans, leading eventually to his seat on the Supreme Court. He teamed up with and married Ginni Lamp, who grew up surrounded by far-Right conservatives. Kirk's documentary is Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court. “FRESH AIR” from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. LISTEN TO DAILY EPISODES OF FRESH AIR https://www.npr.org/podcasts/38144490... LISTEN TO OTHER FRESH AIR INTERVIEWS ON YOUTUBE (published once a week)    • Fresh Air   SUBSCRIBE TO FRESH AIR+ FOR BONUS EPISODES https://plus.npr.org/freshair FOLLOW “FRESH AIR”   / freshairwithterrygross     / nprfreshair   https://whyy.org/freshair (Newsletter) LISTEN TO OTHER NPR PODCASTS ON YOUTUBE Code Switch:    / @nprcodeswitch   Throughline:    / @nprthroughline   It’s Been a Minute:    / @npritsbeenaminute   Book of the Day:    / @nprbookoftheday   SUBSCRIBE TO WHYY AND NPR WHYY:    / @whyyphiladelphia   NPR:    / @npr   NPR Music (Tiny Desk):    / @nprmusic   Jazz Night in America:    / @jazznightinamerica   NOTE: Captions are auto-generated by YouTube. See “Fresh Air” sponsors and promo codes https://www.nationalpublicmedia.com/p... The NPR shows you love are possible thanks to your support. Donate today: https://www.npr.org/donations/support