Embedded

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Mitch McConnell continues his rivalry with John McCain, and dramatically changes the role of money in American politics.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How It Ends: JudgmentLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy