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Embedded

Embedded

Embedded - an NPR Original longform podcast - journeys alongside the world's biggest headlines, exploring how and why things happen the way they do. From the stories behind police shootings caught on video, to visiting a town ravaged by the opioid epidemic; from the class-and-race dialogues buried inside the World Cup to living alongside NRA evangelists, we take a topic and inhabit it to explore what's been sealed off, undisclosed, or never brought to life - and return with a deeply-reported portrait of why these stories matter. In The Last Cup, our latest season, we face Lionel Messi - one of the world's most prominent soccer stars. The 2022 World Cup marks his last chance secure the coveted trophy ? and a last chance for glory in his home country of Argentina. Hosted by Argentine journalist Jasmine Garsd, The Last Cup is much more than a sports story. It's a tale of immigration and race, of capitalism and class, of belonging and identity. A story for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider in their own home.

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Episodes

The Last Cup: Part 4

With the disappointment of the 2010 World Cup behind them, Argentines are hopeful that Lionel Messi might break their losing streak at the 2011 Copa America, the largest tournament in South America. Messi is prepared to give his all, looking for a way to deliver a victory for his home country. Meanwhile, host Jasmine Garsd makes the long journey back to Argentina after many years away and faces an unexpected tragedy.

The Last Cup is a dual language limited series from NPR and Futuro Studios. All episodes will be released in English and Spanish. Listen to the Spanish versions here.
2022-11-22
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The Last Cup: Part 3

Lionel Messi finally gets a chance to put on Argentina's national jersey, but something is off. His time abroad has fundamentally changed the way he plays. Things get even more complicated when the Argentine soccer legend, Diego Maradona, becomes coach of Messi's 2010 World Cup team. With Messi under increasing scrutiny, the hometown crowd begins to question if he can ever get out from under Maradona's shadow.

The Last Cup is a dual language limited series from NPR and Futuro Studios. All episodes will be released in English and Spanish. Listen to the Spanish versions here.
2022-11-17
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The Last Cup: Part 2

From his earliest goals on the soccer fields of his hometown in Argentina to his arrival in Spain's Barça Football Club, host Jasmine Garsd follows the journey of a gifted kid who would go on to become one of the best. In Argentina, where the national sport is a fierce obsession, Lionel Messi was the one that got away.

As Garsd retraces Messi's early career, she examines the consequences of Argentina's devastating economic crisis of 2001, how it shaped Messi's path, and what it meant for her own life.
2022-11-10
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The Last Cup: Part 1

NPR and Futuro Studios present The Last Cup, a podcast series about soccer and the immigrant experience.

As Lionel Messi rose up the ranks of the storied Barça football club in Spain, he dreamed of winning a World Cup for his home country. But playing with Argentina's national team has proven to be this soccer superman's kryptonite. For most of his career, Messi has wrestled with the disappointment of the home crowd after each devastating World Cup loss. Over time, his connection to his own country has been questioned after spending time abroad.

What can Messi's story tell us about the cost of leaving home, and the struggle to return?

The Last Cup is a dual language limited series. All episodes will be released in English and Spanish. Listen to the Spanish versions here.
2022-11-10
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Changing the Police: The Walk-Out

The series concludes: we check back in with John Mueller after his resignation as head of the Yonkers Police Department. And we consider what his departure means for police reform efforts in the city at a time when tensions between police and some members of the community remain high.
2022-08-11
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Changing the Police: To Police or Not To Police

In Yonkers, as in the rest of the country, a substantial number of police calls involve situations where someone is having a mental health crisis. But are cops the right people to answer those calls? A growing number of cities across the country think the answer might be "No." Some have launched crisis response programs that offer alternatives to the police for non-violent mental health emergencies. But in Yonkers, for now, the police still handle these calls. In this episode, Embedded, along with its series partner, The Marshall Project, looks at what happens when the police are the only option people have. And we ask: when it comes to how much the police "police," is less more?
2022-08-04
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Changing the Police: Charlie Walker's Plan

Every four years, the Yonkers Police Department starts the process of hiring new officers. This time, the department is specifically recruiting people of color through a program known as "Be The Change." Of course in Yonkers, there are plenty of Black people who don't feel it's up to them to "change" a department that has a long history of misconduct. But there's also a strong community of Black officers who question whether reform is possible until the Yonkers Police more accurately reflect the community they serves. In this episode, Embedded, in partnership with the Marshall Project, explores why there are so few officers of color on the Yonkers police force and why even those who've made it onto the force often feel the odds are stacked against them.
2022-07-28
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Changing the Police: Reckoning with the Past

For a long time, the police department in Yonkers, New York had a reputation as overly aggressive, especially when it came to policing the poorer parts of the city. There were lots of stories of "bad apples"-police officers who allegedly roughed people up or planted drugs during random stops and arrests. Eventually, the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in to investigate. Now the Yonkers Police Department says it is transforming. With the help of a progressive police chief, it has adopted new policies and procedures to minimize force and make the police more accountable to the public. As Embedded, in partnership with The Marshall Project, continues its look at police reform in one American city, we confront a question many of those who say they were mistreated by the police have raised: is it enough? For some alleged victims the answer is clear: there can never be real reform until the police have fully accounted for the wrongs of the past.
2022-07-21
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Changing the Police: The John Mueller Show

Episode 1 takes listeners to Yonkers, New York, a city with a long and ugly history of bad policing. The Justice Department has demanded an overhaul of the department and has been monitoring it for more than a decade. The commissioner in Yonkers has promised to do what the feds want and more. He has promised to "reform" policing in Yonkers and turn his officers into guardians of the community, accountable to its citizens. Can it be done and what does this kind of reform even look like?
2022-07-14
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Coming Soon: Changing The Police

In a new multi-part series, Embedded listeners will get to know the Yonkers Police Department, located just outside New York City. For over a decade, the department has been monitored by the federal government because of its history of misconduct. A new generation of leaders say they are fixing what's been broken in Yonkers and will soon finish the reform process. But what does this really mean and how will it change things?
2022-07-12
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Capital Gazette: "All Of A Sudden... It's Different"

Part 5: There's one important part of the newspaper's story we couldn't bring you until now: what it's like to have their attacker stand trial. And the unexpected ways that trial can affect you. Plus a big update about the newspaper itself.
2021-10-15
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On Our Watch: Under Color of Law

One of the first police shootings to be captured on cell phone, millions saw Bay Area Rapid Transit police Officer Johannes Mehserle fire a single, fatal gunshot into Oscar Grant's back as the 22-year-old lay face down on the train station platform. Now, a lawsuit filed by NPR member station KQED has forced BART to comply with California's 2019 police transparency law, and release never-before-heard tapes from inside that investigation.
2021-07-09
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On Our Watch: The Brady Rule

Fellow officers long suspected a veteran detective in Antioch, Calif., was leaking operational police secrets to a drug dealer. For years, the department didn't act on their concerns. Even after the detective was finally fired in 2017, his record remained secret. In episode six of On Our Watch we look at the incentives departments have to investigate dishonest cops and what the secrecy around police misconduct means for criminal defendants who are prosecuted on their testimony.
2021-07-02
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On Our Watch: Neglect of Duty

An officer is repeatedly disciplined for not turning in his police reports on time. A mom goes to the police asking for help with her missing daughters. In the fifth episode of On Our Watch, we look at what can happen when police don't follow through on reports of victimization, and an accountability process that doesn't want to examine those failures.
2021-06-25
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On Our Watch: Perceived Threat

A 16-year-old Black kid walks into a gas station in Stockton, Calif. to buy gummy worms for his little sister. When the teen gets in an argument with the clerk over a damaged dollar bill, a white officer in plainclothes decides to intervene ? with force. In the fourth episode of On Our Watch, we trace the ripple effects of this incident over the next 10 years in a department trying to address racism and bias. But can the chief's efforts at truth and reconciliation work when the accountability process seems to ignore the truth?
2021-06-18
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On Our Watch: 20-20 Hindsight

After his son is shot and killed by a Richmond, Calif. police officer, a father looking for answers becomes a police transparency advocate. When the files about his son's death are released, they show an accountability system that seems to hang on one question: did the officer fear for their life? And in a rare interview, we hear from the officer who pulled the trigger.
2021-06-11
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On Our Watch: Conduct Unbecoming

A police officer in Los Angeles told women he'd let their cars pass inspection if they had sex with him. In the San Francisco, Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her. The California Highway Patrol quietly fired both men for sexual harassment, but never looked into whether their misconduct was criminal. The second episode of the NPR series On Our Watch examines the system of accountability for officers who abuse their power for sex and exposes where that system falls short.
2021-06-04
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On Our Watch: In Good Faith

In the small Northern California town of Rio Vista, a woman named Katheryn Jenks calls 911 for help. But after the police arrive, she ends up injured and inside a jail cell, facing serious charges. That same day, California Governor Jerry Brown signs a new law, State Senate Bill 1421, that opens up long hidden records of police misconduct, including files that might change the outcome of Jenks' case. This story is from the new NPR series, On Our Watch.
2021-05-28
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Capital Gazette: "We Are The Newsroom"

Part 4: In our final episode, the Capital Gazette is swept up in the troubles of the newspaper industry. Its corporate owners are making painful cuts, and a hedge fund with an ominous reputation seeks control. Staff members, who survived the 2018 shooting and kept the Capital going, wonder if the paper can last.
2021-03-11
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Capital Gazette: "I Know He Did It"

Part 3: The Capital Gazette takes on a new beat: itself. As the shooter's case works its way towards trial, the staff tries to balance coverage obligations with personal feelings.

Here is Capital photographer Paul Gillespie's stunning collection of photographs of the newspaper's staff and the families of the victims.
2021-03-04
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Capital Gazette: "It's OK That We're Alive"

Part 2: How do you try to return to normal after a mass shooting? The Capital Gazette moves into a tiny, temporary office, and staff members confront the challenges of producing a daily paper while dealing with fear and guilt.
2021-02-25
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Capital Gazette: "A Damn Paper"

Part 1: Five colleagues are shot dead. Everyone is traumatized. On that day, June 28, 2018, what can the remaining staff of the Capital Gazette do that might make a difference? Publish "a damn paper."
2021-02-18
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Coming Soon: The Capital Gazette

In a new four-part series, Embedded listeners will get to know the surviving staff of The Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, MD, where a gunman murdered five people in June 2018.
2021-02-16
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January 6: Inside The Capitol Siege

You may have seen fragments of footage from the siege on the Capitol. Now, hear from those who lived it.
2021-01-16
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Essential Mitch: The Judges

Mitch McConnell has consistently rejected the rules and norms that once guided Supreme Court nominations. He says he's taken his cue from the Democrats. This week, we dig into the history that shaped Mitch McConnell's views on judicial nominations.
2020-12-23
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Essential Mitch: The Interview

Embedded heads to the U.S. Senate for an in-depth conversation with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
2020-12-16
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Essential Mitch: The Trump Question

This week, Embedded takes a look at how Mitch McConnell managed four years of the Trump Presidency with shrewdness and surprising success.
2020-12-09
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Essential Mitch: The Money, Part 2

A lot of us don't pay much attention to money in politics. But Mitch McConnell does. And unlike most politicians, he speaks bluntly in favor of more political spending, not less. That stance led to a long battle with one Senator, who fought McConnell harder than just about anyone else.
2020-12-01
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Essential Mitch: The Money, Part 1

Mitch McConnell has no problem with money in politics. In fact, his view is the more the better. This week, Embedded digs into Mitch McConnell's long and singularly focused effort to keep the money pipeline open and flowing into American politics.
2020-11-24
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Essential Mitch: The Early Years

What is it about Mitch? How did a politician famous for his lack of charisma become one of the most powerful men in Washington? This week, we continue our deep dive into the world of Mitch McConnell, looking back on his early years as an up-and-coming politician.
2020-11-18
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Essential Mitch: The Relationship

It looks very likely President-elect Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be "Washington's new power couple." What do their non-relationship in the Senate, their negotiations during the Obama administration, and their warm speeches over the years tell us about how they will or won't work together under a Biden presidency?
2020-11-11
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Not On the Same Team

A new NPR podcast delves into a world where the NRA is viewed as too soft on guns and where a new network of more extreme pro-gun groups is on the rise. We hear a preview of NPR's "No Compromise" podcast.
2020-09-24
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Covering Covid: Life After Lockdown

For weeks and weeks, when millions of Americans were still under lockdown, there were pretty clear rules about what to do. Now that things are opening up, many people are having to decide for themselves what's safe and what risks they're willing to take.
2020-06-10
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Covering Covid: Essential

The workers who produce pork, chicken, and beef in plants around the country have been deemed "essential" by the government and their employers. Now, the factories where they work have become some of the largest clusters for the coronavirus in the country. The workers, many of whom are immigrants, say their bosses have not done enough to protect them.
2020-05-08
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Covering Covid: Backlash

A small but vocal minority of people are pushing back against public health measures experts say are life-saving. Turns out this is not the first time Americans have resisted government measures during a pandemic with lives at stake.
2020-05-03
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Covering Covid: Couples

Amid a pandemic: couples getting together, staying together, falling apart.

Reach out if you want to tell your story of the pandemic. Send us a voice memo to [email protected].
2020-04-19
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Covering Covid: Not Enough Tests

What do you get when you have a deadly virus, fear, uncertainty and not enough tests? ... Also, we want to hear from you. If you or someone you know has tried to get anything calling itself an at home coronavirus test, write to reporter Tom Dreisbach ([email protected] or on Twitter @TomDreisbach). We also want to honor the people who've been lost to this virus. If you or someone you know has lost someone to covid-19 please reach out and tell us their story. Send us a voice memo or write us an email at [email protected].
2020-04-04
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Covering Coronavirus

We're putting together episodes about this virus and we want to hear from you. You can send us a voice memo or an email to [email protected].
2020-03-25
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There Is No Playbook

When a flash flood ripped through Old Ellicott City in Maryland, residents thought it was a freak occurrence. Instead, it was a sign of the future. And adapting to that future has been painful. To see photos from Ellicott city and video from the floods, go to npr.org/flooded.
2019-12-19
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This Is Not A Joke

When a student starts down the path towards racist extremism, there's no set plan for how a school should respond. But teachers and fellow students are often the first to spot the warning signs. So what can they do?
2019-11-07
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The Terrorist

Frazier Glenn Miller spent years spreading racist, violent rhetoric, training Ku Klux Klan-affiliated paramilitary groups, and gathering arms to launch a "race war." But time and again, he escaped serious consequences. Many say that's because the government - and the media - failed to see the danger Miller posed until it was too late.
2019-10-31
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End Of Summer Update

As the summer winds down, we're taking a look at the latest developments in two of our recent series. What's the story behind #MoscowMitch? And why have Kentucky coal miners been camped out on a set of train tracks for more than a month?
2019-09-05
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Judges 2: 'Worse Than Willie Horton'

There are more than 30,000 state judges in America. And the vast, vast majority of them are not shielded from politics: They have to fight for their seats in elections. Sometimes very contentious elections, funded by millions of dollars in dark money. Is that a good idea? And what does it mean for how justice works in our country?
2019-08-02
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Judges 1: 'A Downward Death Spiral'

The U.S. Supreme Court does not have an army to enforce its rulings, the way the President does. It doesn't control budgets, the way Congress does. So what happens when the process to nominate and confirm judges becomes so politicized that people start to lose faith in the courts?
2019-07-26
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Mitch Part 5: '9 And 0'

Mitch McConnell knows that he is not popular. But, he says, the only judgment that really matters is on election day. And of the people who have challenged him, he says, "so far, there have been nine losers."
2019-06-28
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Mitch Part 4: 'Not A Happy Choice'

Mitch McConnell says he never expected Donald Trump to become president. And during the campaign, he was openly critical of Trump's rhetoric. So how are these two very different men working together now? And how are they changing the country?
2019-06-21
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Mitch Part 3: 'Darth Vader Has Arrived'

Mitch McConnell continues his rivalry with John McCain, and dramatically changes the role of money in American politics.
2019-06-13
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Mitch Part 2: 'Money Money Money'

A lot of us don't pay much attention to money in politics. But Mitch McConnell does. And unlike most politicians, he speaks bluntly in favor of more political spending, not less. That stance led to a long battle with one Senator, who fought McConnell harder than just about anyone else.
2019-06-06
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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?
2019-05-30
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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.
2019-05-23
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