Embedded - podcast cover

Embedded

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

Mitch Part 1: 'Win This Thing'

Mitch McConnell has been described as "opaque," "drab," and even "dull." He is one of the least popular - and most polarizing - politicians in the country. So how did he win eight consecutive elections? And what does it tell us about how he operates? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

May 30, 201933 minSeason 4Ep. 1

Coming Soon: Mitch

Coming soon from NPR's Embedded : How did Mitch McConnell become one of the most powerful people in the world? And how did he change America in the process? Episodes available beginning May 30, 2019. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

May 23, 20191 min

How It Ends: The Search

In 2015, Bashir Shikder returned from an overseas trip to an empty house. His wife had taken his two young children to live in the Islamic State. For the past four years he's done everything he can to try to get them back. And now that ISIS has lost all his territory, he wants to know... Where are they? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Apr 18, 201923 minSeason 3Ep. 15

How It Ends: Judgment

How It Ends: Judgment Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Apr 11, 201924 minSeason 3Ep. 14

How It Ends: The Brother

What would you do if your brother wound up far away, having made a terrible mistake? What would you do if it involved ISIS? How far would you go? On today's show, we find out. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Apr 06, 201930 minSeason 3Ep. 13

Coming Next Week: How It Ends

Now that ISIS has lost its territory, what happens to all the people from around the world who ran off to join it? Their governments don't want them. But their families do. We follow them as they try to get their loved ones out. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Mar 28, 20192 min

After The Storm

For months, officials claimed fewer than 100 people died from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Then, all of a sudden, the official estimate rose to nearly 3,000 deaths. How did that happen? We have the story of one family that helps make sense of it. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Feb 21, 201925 minSeason 3Ep. 12

The Hearing

This is a story about who is allowed to vote... and who is not. In Florida, the ultimate swing state, 1.5 million people cannot vote, because they have a past felony on their record. And there is one way to try and get that right back: Ask the governor directly. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Nov 01, 201834 minSeason 3Ep. 11

Trump Stories: The Apprentice

Omarosa Manigault Newman has a new book. What about those tapes? We re-visit an episode from our "Trump Stories" season. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Aug 17, 201836 minSeason 3Ep. 10

The Waiver

President Trump's travel ban has been upheld by the Supreme Court. People from the seven banned countries can still come to the U.S. if they get a special "waiver." So far, few people have gotten them. We follow one Yemeni family as they try to get a waiver to escape a civil war. Supreme Court audio in this episode comes from Oyez . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Jul 04, 201835 minSeason 3Ep. 9

The Red Line

From 2011-2013, Kelly covered the war in Syria, where people would ask, "Why won't the U.S. intervene?" Then came a chemical attack, ordered by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, that killed more than 1,000 people, and the U.S. almost intervened, but didn't. Now, a new book tells why. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Jun 27, 201837 minSeason 3Ep. 8

Police Videos: North Miami

Police shoot the wrong guy. A collaboration with WNYC Studios and their podcast Aftereffect . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Jun 21, 201838 minSeason 3Ep. 7

The Apology Broker

This week, an episode from NPR's Rough Translation podcast. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Jun 14, 201841 minSeason 3Ep. 6

Coal Stories 5

It's been a year and a half. Gary, Kyle, and Brad move on. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Jun 01, 201823 minSeason 3Ep. 5

Coal Stories 4

We meet someone new. Derek. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

May 25, 201827 minSeason 3Ep. 4

Coal Stories 3

It's not all about Trump. Kyle makes progress. Gary has decisions to make. Brad makes a change. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

May 17, 201821 minSeason 3Ep. 3

Coal Stories 2

After the election. The price of a certain kind of coal goes up. People's lives start changing. Some think it's because of Trump. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

May 10, 201822 minSeason 3Ep. 2

Coal Stories 1

The "war on coal." Getting Appalachia wrong. Which side are you on? What it's like to live a decline. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

May 03, 201822 minSeason 3Ep. 1

Coming Soon: Coal Stories

Starts May 3. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Apr 30, 20181 min

Trump Stories: Scott Pruitt

As Donald Trump's EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt is popular with conservatives for his aggressive rollback of Obama-era environmental regulations. He has also been strongly criticized for alleged ethics violations. But there's another side of Pruitt that's less well known. Pruitt is a Southern Baptist, and for years, his politics focused on faith-based issues like abortion and religious freedom. Pruitt has publicly said he doubts the science behind the theory of evolution. In this episode, we e...

Apr 26, 201858 minSeason 2Ep. 11

Trump Stories: Obstruction

Embedded tells the story of another part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation--the question of whether President Trump may have obstructed justice by attempting to thwart the Russia investigation. It's a crime that could have been committed regardless of whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia in the 2016 election. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Feb 15, 201858 minSeason 2Ep. 10

Trump Stories: Collusion

Embedded tells the story of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. What contacts did people in Trump campaign have with Russia? What financial and business ties has President Trump had with Russia over the years? And what more can we expect from the investigation? Through new interviews, archival research, and a look at key moments — from Miss Universe in Moscow, to hacked emails and promises of "dirt" — Embedded pieces together the story t...

Feb 09, 20181 hr 5 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Coming Soon: Trump Stories - Russia

NPR's Embedded tells the story of the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller of President Donald Trump. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Feb 07, 20182 min

Trump Stories: Trump SoHo

As a businessman, President Trump was known for his towering buildings. Today we tell the story of one of those skyscrapers and what it says about how and with whom Trump does business. Follow Kelly McEvers on Twitter @kellymcevers, Alina Selyukh @alinaselyukh, @JimZarroli, Chris Benderev @cbndrv, Tom Dreisbach @TomDreisbach, and the show @nprembedded. Email us at [email protected] Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Nov 04, 201742 minSeason 2Ep. 8

Trump Stories: Kushner

Jared Kushner has taken on a lot of responsibilities in the Trump White House, from tackling the opioid crisis to negotiating Middle East peace. But like many members of the administration, he has no previous government experience. In this episode, we examine Kushner's business dealings and his family's history to better understand how he might handle his government work. Follow Kelly McEvers on Twitter @kellymcevers, Chris Benderev @cbndrv, Tom Dreisbach @TomDreisbach, and the show @nprembedded...

Oct 26, 201742 minSeason 2Ep. 7

Trump Stories: Bannon

Now that Steve Bannon has left the Trump Administration, he says he is waging #war against the Republican establishment in the name of populist nationalism. But before he got involved in politics, Bannon spent decades in Hollywood, and his time there can tell us a lot about the origins of his beliefs. Follow Kelly McEvers on Twitter @kellymcevers, Tom Dreisbach @TomDreisbach, and Chris Benderev @cbndrv. Email us at [email protected] and find us on Twitter @nprembedded. Learn more about sponsor me...

Oct 19, 201742 minSeason 2Ep. 6

Trump Stories: The Golf Course

When Donald Trump came to Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California in 2002, he was greeted as a "white knight." Trump was buying a golf club that had gone into bankruptcy when the 18th hole had literally fallen into the ocean. But what followed was a decade of public insults, lawsuits, and broken rules. Follow Kelly McEvers on Twitter @kellymcevers, Sonari Glinton @Sonari, and Embedded producers Tom Dreisbach @TomDreisbach and Chris Benderev @cbndrv. Email us at [email protected] and find us on...

Oct 12, 201742 minSeason 2Ep. 5

Trump Stories: The Apprentice

13 years ago, one TV show changed how the world saw Donald Trump. Today, the story of how it became a hit, why it may have helped his eventual election and how the people involved feel about it now. Follow Kelly McEvers @kellymcevers and producers @TomDreisbach and @cbndrv. Email us at [email protected] Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...

Oct 11, 201736 minSeason 2Ep. 4

Coming In October: Embedded On President Trump

NPR's Embedded takes a story from the news and goes deep. And in a new series of episodes, host Kelly McEvers tells the inside stories of what Donald Trump and members of his administration were doing before they got into politics - from a new kind of reality show, to the troubled development of a golf course, to the Hollywood background of a presidential adviser. Subscribe now to hear the latest episodes beginning October 5. Have story ideas or tips? Email us at [email protected] and find us on ...

Sep 07, 20172 min

Police Videos: Cincinnati

On April 16, 2015, police officer Jesse Kidder encountered a murder suspect named Michael Wilcox in a suburb outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. What happened next was caught on video and surprised a lot of people, including police. And the incident tells us a lot about how these videos have changed us. Follow us on Twitter @nprembedded, follow Kelly McEvers @kellymcevers, and producer Tom Dreisbach @TomDreisbach. Email us at [email protected] Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com...

Mar 23, 201726 minSeason 2Ep. 3