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NPR's home for audio documentaries brings untold stories to light through deeply reported narrative series. We go to hidden corners of the headlines to explore what's been sealed off, undisclosed, or overlooked – and the people at the heart of those stories. Support in-depth storytelling that matters by subscribing to Embedded+ and unlock early access to new episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/embedded
Episodes
- The Girls: “This isn’t ringing alarms to y’all?”
This Embedded episode covers allegations that led Child Protective Services to decline an investigation, while the school district continued to promote Ronnie Stoner. An update is included at the end of the episode.
- The Girls: “I need to tell you something”
The podcast episode "The Girls" examines accusations of child sex abuse against coach Donnie Stoner, brought forward by Abbie Jones in 2023 and Alexis Crook from nearly 20 years prior. Reporter Jess Clark investigates the differing respons…
- The Network: Pivoting as mifepristone access shifts
NPR's Embedded episode "The Network" examines the potential impact of restrictions on mailing the abortion pill Mifepristone. It notes that despite increased barriers, access is expected to continue, drawing parallels to historical methods…
- Alternate Realities: Double or Nothing
Zach Mack calls his dad to discuss the Alternate Realities series, resulting in a new year-long experiment after an unexpected turn in their conversation.
- The Harvard Plan: The Endless Frontier
The episode discusses the historical origins of government-funded university research, established by Vannevar Bush after WWII, and contrasts it with the Trump administration's proposed compact, which would give the President dominant cont…
- The Harvard Plan: Jay & Alan
Alan Garber, Harvard president, and Jay Bhattacharya, a potential NIH head, are central to academic freedom debates. Their past relationship as advisor and student is examined in the context of their current opposing roles and its signific…
- The Harvard Plan: And so it begins…
The Harvard Plan, a collaboration between On the Media and The Boston Globe, examines Harvard University's situation after Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration. The season features insights from politics professor Ryan Enos, genetics professor…
- Alternate Realities: A Question for Listeners
The Embedded podcast is seeking listener experiences and successful strategies for helping individuals who have become involved in conspiracy theories, after receiving numerous responses to their episode 'Alternate Realities'.
- Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media
Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media. NPR is asking for donations to support its services, with more information available at donate.npr.org.
- The Network: Déjà vu
This episode examines the network's expansion into countries with limited abortion access and its response to increased demand and restrictions in the US following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
- The Network: Breaking Bread
This episode, Part 2 of The Network, details the evolution of a method for women's access to safe abortions. Hosts trace the network's expansion across Latin America, highlighting women's increased activism, collaboration, and legal challe…
- The Network: Saint-o-tec
In the mid-1980s, a Brazilian OBGYN noted a decrease in maternal deaths from abortion complications. This was attributed to women discovering methods for safe at-home abortions, a practice that subsequently disseminated internationally.
- Introducing "The Network" from NPR and Futuro Media
The podcast series "The Network" by NPR and Futuro Media explores a safe abortion method discovered by Brazilian women. Hosts Victoria Estrada and Marta Martinez chart the global network that disseminated this method, which is now impactin…
- Alternate Realities: Facing the Facts
In the third episode of Embedded, reporter Zach Mack examines his father's predictions and discusses the family's future after a year-long wait for a bet to end.
- Alternate Realities: Down the Rabbit Hole
In episode 2 of Alternate Realities, host Zach Mack takes on a bet concerning 10 political predictions and travels to influence his father's perspective.
- Alternate Realities: A Strange Bet
In "Alternate Realities: A Strange Bet," reporter Zach Mack and his father engage in a discussion about conspiracy theories, with each questioning the other's perception of reality. They embark on an experiment to bridge their differing vi…
- Introducing Alternate Realities from NPR
Zach Mack confronts his father's immersion in conspiracy theories, documented in the three-part series "Alternate Realities." The series explores their relationship after the father wagers on ten political predictions for 2024.
- Five Fingers Crush The Land from NPR's Throughline
This episode of Embedded, originally from Throughline, discusses the Uyghur people, their land, customs, and music, as well as their targeting in China. It references a three-part NPR series detailing the detention, torture, forced labor,…
- The Black Gate: Arresting Your Brothers and Sisters
NPR correspondent Emily Feng reports on the Kucar family, encountering a figure accused of silencing others and a Uyghur man implicated in China's systems of control.
- The Black Gate: Like a Bullet from a Gun
Abdullatif Kucar attempts to retrieve his children from state-run schools and his wife from prison in China. They are among many Uyghurs detained, and Kucar faces difficulties in bringing them home permanently.
- The Black Gate: Vanished in the Night
NPR correspondent Emilly Feng reports on Abdullatif Kucar's search for his family, who were detained in China's Xinjiang region. The episode covers the detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups in the area.
- Introducing The Black Gate from NPR
The episode "Introducing The Black Gate" from NPR's Embedded details the Chinese government's detention of Uyghurs, with correspondent Emily Feng reporting on the efforts of one man to reunite his family and uncovering information about th…
- A Good Guy: Under Oath
The episode examines Sgt. Joshua Abate's actions on January 6 and whether they conflicted with his Marine Corps oath to defend the Constitution. It also delves into how his case contributes to the evolving understanding of the January 6 ev…
- A Good Guy: 279 Hours
Marine Sgt. Joshua Abate admitted to following the crowd into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, during a routine polygraph test for top-secret clearance. The episode explores his perspective on the events and his reasons for not speakin…
- Introducing "A Good Guy" from NPR
The Embedded episode "A Good Guy" investigates Sergeant Joshua Abate, an active-duty Marine who participated in the January 6th Capitol attack. The series looks into his defense strategy, which emphasizes his military career over his actio…
- Tested: Lumpers and Splitters
This episode of Embedded discusses the challenges faced by recent female athletes like Christine and Max, examining Christine's Olympic qualification and Max's court case, while exploring alternative ways to categorize sports beyond the tr…
- Tested: Unfair Advantage?
This Embedded episode examines World Athletics' policies concerning DSD athletes, Caster Semenya's challenge to these rules, and the definition of an "unfair" advantage in track and field.
- Tested: Running in Circles
Episode 4 discusses the 2009 World Championships win by South African sprinter Caster Semenya, the subsequent scrutiny of her body and gender, and the resulting regulations and legal battles over DSD athletes.
- Tested: Card-Carrying Females
The episode follows Kenyan sprinter Maximila Imali as she challenges DSD regulations in court. It also examines a historical 30-year campaign by scientists, athletes, and journalists against previous versions of sex testing.
- Tested: Questions of a Physical Nature
Episode two of Embedded revisits the early history of women in elite sports, focusing on the skepticism and concerns surrounding their inclusion that led to the implementation of sex testing policies.
- Tested: The Choice
Embedded episode 'Tested: The Choice' explores the new regulations in track and field that require some female athletes to lower their natural testosterone levels to compete. The episode features runner Christine Mboma discussing the choic…
- Introducing Tested from NPR and CBC
The podcast 'Tested' examines the history of sex testing in women's sports and the challenges faced by elite female runners concerning their eligibility due to biology. Hosted by Rose Eveleth, the series investigates the decisions athletes…
- Supermajority: The Could-Be Candidate
Melissa Alexander, Mary Joyce and Sarah Shoop Neumann reflect on their evolving understanding of the statehouse as the 113th General Assembly of Tennessee concludes. They face a challenge reconciling their conservative beliefs with new pol…
- Supermajority: A Common-Sense Caucus
Melissa Alexander sought gun control measures within the Republican party in the Tennessee statehouse. She found an ally in Senator Richard Briggs, a doctor and army veteran representing a moderate faction concerned about the party's right…
- Supermajority: The Roll Call
Covenant moms Melissa Alexander, Mary Joyce, and Sarah Shoop Neumann return to the Tennessee legislature four months after advocating for gun control. They encounter new legislation concerning abortion, education, police violence, and LGBT…
- Supermajority: The Covenant Moms
In "Supermajority: The Covenant Moms," host Meribah Knight follows three conservative mothers from Nashville who, motivated by the Covenant School shooting, seek to influence gun control legislation in a Republican-dominated state. The epi…
- Introducing Supermajority from NPR and WPLN
NPR’s Embedded and Nashville Public Radio present Supermajority, a four-part series. Host Meribah Knight follows three conservative mothers in Tennessee over a year as they navigate their Republican-controlled state legislature, confrontin…
- Field Notes: On Losing the Gaza They Knew
Embedded host Kelly McEvers speaks with NPR reporters about the Israel-Hamas conflict. In this episode, Leila Fadel shares voice memos from a Gaza student and the story of a displaced family.
- Field Notes: On Reporting, the Israel-Hamas War
Embedded host Kelly McEvers speaks with NPR reporters Daniel Estrin and Anas Baba about the difficulties of covering the Israel-Hamas conflict, with Baba reporting from inside Gaza.
- Taking Cover: Accountability
This update from the series Taking Cover features a U.S. senator seeking accountability from the Marines regarding failures. It also introduces an Army soldier who continues to serve despite being denied information about his war wounds.
- The Kill List: The Pier
Journalist Mary Lynk investigates the 2020 death of activist Karima Baloch. The documents and interviews she gathers bring her closer to the truth, raising questions about closure for her family and other global dissidents.
- The Kill List: Living Ghosts
This Embedded episode of The Kill List examines the life and fight of activist Karima Baloch, the history of the Baloch people and Pakistan, and the experiences of dissidents who disappear and reappear.
- The Kill List: 'I am not a terrorist'
This episode of Embedded, titled 'The Kill List: I am not a terrorist,' explores the circumstances surrounding the death of Karima Baloch. It includes perspectives from individuals close to her, some speaking for the first time, in an atte…
- The Kill List: The Dissident Club
This episode of The Kill List podcast from CBC's Uncover examines the fear of Pakistani intelligence among exiles in the West. It features members of a "dissident club" who have fled their home country and asks whether Pakistan targets the…
- The Kill List: A Death in Sweden
The podcast The Kill List, part of CBC's Uncover series, investigates the suspicious deaths of two prominent Baloch dissidents in Sweden, examining the striking similarities between the cases.
- The Kill List: Death of an Icon
The Kill List investigates the death of Karima Baloch, a Pakistani human rights activist who fled to Canada. Her body washing ashore raises questions about the disappearances and deaths of other Pakistani dissidents.
- All The Only Ones: No More (Gender) Drama
The final episode features Christine, an 18-year-old starting hormone replacement therapy during her freshman year of college, and reflects on the experiences of Dr. Charles Ihlenfeld and his patient Joanna regarding gender transition and…
- All The Only Ones: I can't wait
This episode explores the difficult decision facing Parker, a trans high school athlete, who must choose between pursuing college field hockey or starting hormone replacement therapy. It also features the stories of Vicky and Donna, two tr…
- All The Only Ones: The missing piece of the puzzle
This episode of Embedded meets Zen, a Mexican-American navigating their transness, and explores the story of Bernard, an historic trans person from early 1900s Alabama who fought to be seen.
- Introducing All The Only Ones
The podcast "Embedded" introduces its new 3-part series, "All The Only Ones," hosted by Laine Kaplan-Levenson. The series examines the history of transgender youth in America, covering contemporary experiences and historical accounts from…