NPR Host
Appearances
Consider This from NPR
Former DOGE employee: work could 'cross extreme ethical and legal lines'
March is Women's History Month, so on NPR's Book of the Day podcast, we're kicking it off with a week of women writers, including one novel about a woman who ditches society and heads to a secluded religious community.
Consider This from NPR
Former DOGE employee: work could 'cross extreme ethical and legal lines'
That's this week on NPR's Book of the Day podcast.
Fresh Air
Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy
Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? At All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we put that kind of magic back into discovering new tracks. We're here to make the hunt for new music easy, delivering you the cream of the crop from every genre. We'll help you make music feel fun again, only on All Songs Considered from NPR.
Fresh Air
Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy
Having news at your fingertips is great, but sometimes you need an escape. And that's where Shortwave comes in. We're a joy-filled science podcast driven by wonder and curiosity that will get you out of your head and in touch with the world around you. Listen now to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy
These days there is a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy
Imagine, if you will, a show from NPR that's not like NPR, a show that focuses not on the important but the stupid, which features stories about people smuggling animals in their pants and competent criminals in ridiculous science studies, and call it Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me because the good names were taken. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Fresh Air
Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy
Yes, that is what it is called, wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy
If you need a break from headline whiplash, listen to NPR's All Songs Considered. On our latest installment of music to calm the nerves and recalibrate your day, we reflect on the goodness of others and the enduring power of love through the songs of Max Richter, Leah Bertucci, Ruichi Sakamoto, and more. Listen to new episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday, wherever you get podcasts.
Fresh Air
How Did DEI Become Part Of A Political Agenda — And A Slur?
These days there's so much news it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community. The Consider This podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism. Six days a week we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth.
Fresh Air
How Did DEI Become Part Of A Political Agenda — And A Slur?
Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. Hey, it's A. Martinez. I work on a news show.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
This message comes from NPR sponsor Sony Pictures Classics. I'm Still Here from filmmaker Walter Salas is the true story of one family's resilience when a dictatorship attempts to tear them apart. Led by a Golden Globe winning performance by Fernanda Torres, now playing Select Cities.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
This message comes from Apple Card. If you love iPhone, you'll love Apple Card. It comes with the privacy and security you expect from Apple. Plus, you earn up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase, which can automatically earn interest when you open a high-yield savings account through Apple Card. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app. Subject to credit approval.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Savings is available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility. Apple Card and savings by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch, member FDIC. Terms and more at applecard.com. You can also invest on your own and trade on Thinkorswim. Visit Schwab.com to learn more.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
This message comes from NPR sponsor Rosetta Stone, an expert in language learning for 30 years. Right now, NPR listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership to 25 different languages for 50% off. Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Support for NPR and the following message come from Bowlin Branch. Change your sleep with the softness of Bowlin Branch's 100% organic cotton sheets. Feel the difference with 15% off your first set of sheets at bowlinbranch.com with code NPR. Exclusions apply. See site for details.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Support for NPR and the following message come from State Farm. As a State Farm agent and agency owner, Lakeisha Gaines is passionate about empowering other small businesses.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Talk to your local agent about small business insurance from State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Support for NPR and the following message come from Bowlin Branch. Change your sleep with Bowlin Branch's airy blankets, cloud-like duvets, and breathable sheets. Feel the difference with 15% off your first order at bowlinbranch.com with code NPR. Exclusions apply. See site for details.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Support for NPR and the following message come from Rosetta Stone, the perfect app to achieve your language learning goals no matter how busy your schedule gets. It's designed to maximize study time with immersive 10-minute lessons and audio practice for your commute. Plus, tailor your learning plan for specific objectives like travel.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off and unlimited access to 25 language courses. Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR. Support for NPR and the following message come from IXL Learning. IXL Learning uses advanced algorithms to give the right help to each kid, no matter the age or personality. Get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when you sign up today at ixl.com slash NPR.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Support for NPR and the following message come from State Farm. As a State Farm agent and agency owner, Lakeisha Gaines understands the support small businesses need.
Fresh Air
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Talk to your local agent about small business insurance from State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Fresh Air
Seth Rogen Lands The 'Tragic' Job Of Studio Head
NPR informs and connects communities around the country, providing reliable information in times of crisis. Federal funding helps us fulfill our mission to create a more informed public and ensures that public radio remains available to everyone. Learn more about safeguarding the future of public media. Visit protectmypublicmedia.org.
Fresh Air
Billie Eilish & Finneas
Thank you. We had so many delightful, introspective, sometimes emotional, sometimes funny, always deeply human conversations with St. Vincent, Al Pacino, Bridget Everett, Pharrell Williams, Jeremy Strong, Ina Garten, and so many others. People you know well and hopefully new people you learned about for the first time on our show.
Fresh Air
Billie Eilish & Finneas
We're able to do this because of your support to your local station or by joining NPR+. NPR Plus has grown a lot this year, and we want to say thank you, an extra special thank you, to those supporters. You know who you are, and we see you. If you don't know what we're talking about, NPR Plus is a great way to support independent public media.
Fresh Air
Billie Eilish & Finneas
When you sign up for a simple reoccurring donation, you support our mission to create a more informed public. And get special perks for more than 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening, weekly bonus episodes from our Fresh Air archives, and even exclusive and discounted items from the NPR Shop and NPR Wine Club.
Fresh Air
Billie Eilish & Finneas
When you donate today, you join a community of supporters united in our curiosity about the world and respect for hearing out different perspectives. Join us on the plus side today at plus.npr.org. Thanks.
Fresh Air
The Campaign To Silence Journalists & Undermine Free Speech
A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. That's where we come in. On the NPR Politics Podcast, we keep you up to date on what happens inside Washington and what it means for you and your community. The NPR Politics Podcast.
Fresh Air
The Campaign To Silence Journalists & Undermine Free Speech
NPR informs and connects communities around the country, providing reliable information in times of crisis. Federal funding helps us fulfill our mission to create a more informed public and ensures that public radio remains available to everyone. Learn more about safeguarding the future of public media. Visit protectmypublicmedia.org.
Fresh Air
Mardi Gras With New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens
Public media counts on your support to ensure that the reporting and programs you depend on thrive. Make a recurring donation today to get special access to more than 20 NPR podcasts. Perks like sponsor free listening, bonus episodes, early access and more. So start supporting what you love today at plus.npr.org.
Fresh Air
Mardi Gras With New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens
These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community. The Consider This podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth.
Fresh Air
Mardi Gras With New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens
Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Mardi Gras With New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens
At this year's Oscars, Anora took home the award for Best Picture, Zoe Saldana and Kieran Culkin also picked up wins, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo delivered a show-stopping opening number. For a recap of all the highlights, listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Remembering The South African Playwright Who Defied Apartheid
Listen to The Sam Sanders Show, part of the NPR Podcast Network.
Fresh Air
Remembering The South African Playwright Who Defied Apartheid
A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. That's where we come in. On the NPR Politics Podcast, we keep you up to date on what happens inside Washington and what it means for you and your community. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen wherever you listen.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
This message comes from Capella University. With Capella's FlexPath learning format, you can set your own deadlines and learn on your schedule. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella.edu.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
This message comes from NPR sponsor, Sotva, maker of quality, handcrafted mattresses. Founder and CEO, Ron Rutzen, shares one of their core values.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
To learn more, go to saatva.com slash NPR. This message is brought to you by the official White Lotus podcast from HBO. Join host Evan Roskatz as he looks back at the first two seasons of the show with Jennifer Coolidge, Murray Bartlett, Megan Fahey, and more. Listen before the new season starts February 16th on Max.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
This message comes from Intuit. Why is Intuit Enterprise Suite a better solution for growing businesses? It provides powerful financial management and accounting capabilities integrated with payments processing, payroll, HR, marketing, third-party apps, and more. Through powerful automation and insights, it helps you manage one or more businesses in one place.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
Visit intuit.com forward slash enterprise to learn more. Money Movement Services by Intuit Payments, Inc., licensed by NYDFS. This message comes from Dell Technologies, offering anniversary savings on their most popular tech. For a limited time only, save on select next-gen PCs, like the XPS 16, powered by Intel Core Ultra processors. Save now at dell.com slash deals.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
This message comes from Capella University. Learning doesn't have to get in the way of life. With Capella's game-changing FlexPath learning format, you can set your own deadlines and learn on your own schedule. That means you don't have to put your life on hold to earn your degree. Instead, enjoy learning your way and pursue your educational and career goals without missing a beat.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella.edu. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Ameriprise Financial. Chief Economist Russell Price shares how market research can help investors.
Fresh Air
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
For more information and important disclosures, visit Ameriprise.com slash advice. Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results. Securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.
Fresh Air
A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon
If you love NPR podcasts, you don't need me to tell you the value of public media in your life.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community. The Consider This podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. That's where we come in. On the NPR Politics Podcast, we keep you up to date on what happens inside Washington and what it means for you and your community. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen wherever you listen.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
When you take a shower or get ready in the morning, how many products are you using? Everything from your shampoo to your lotion. In our study, we found that the average woman used about 19 products every day and the average man used about seven. These products might come at a cost. The ingredients they contain can be harmful to our health.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
Listen to the Life Kit podcast from NPR to learn more about the risks of personal care products.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
Making time for the news is important, but when you need a break, we've got you covered on All Songs Considered, NPR's music podcast. Think of it like a music discovery show, a well-deserved escape with friends, and, yeah, some serious music insight. I'm going to keep it real. I have no idea what this story is about.
Fresh Air
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
Hear new episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday, wherever you get podcasts.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
This message comes from CBS. Survivor 48 is here, and alongside it is a new season of On Fire with Jeff Probst, the official Survivor podcast. It's the only podcast that gives you inside access to Survivor. New episodes are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
Tools for managing our emotions. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
My name is Willie and my question is, is magic real?
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
Bella DePaulo is glad if you're happily married, but she is perfectly happy being single.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
From yourself to your dog to your spouse are significant others. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
On ThruLine from NPR. The consequences for the country would have been enormous. It would have been a crisis. The man who saw a dangerous omission in the U.S. Constitution and took it upon himself to fix it. Find NPR's ThruLine wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
These days, there's so much news, it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community. The Consider This podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism. Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
On the Embedded Podcast. No. It's called denying a freedom of speech. It's misinformation. Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to alternate realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR. All episodes available now.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
NPR informs and connects communities around the country, providing reliable information in times of crisis. Federal funding helps us fulfill our mission to create a more informed public and ensures that public radio remains available to everyone. Learn more about safeguarding the future of public media. Visit protectmypublicmedia.org.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
There's a lot of news happening. You want to understand it better, but let's be honest, you don't want it to be your entire life either. Well, that's sort of like our show, Here and Now Anytime. Every weekday on our podcast, we talk to people all over the country about everything from political analysis to climate resilience, video games. We even talk about dumpster diving on this show.
Fresh Air
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
Check out Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR.
Fresh Air
The Red Scare & America's Conspiratorial Politics
Over 70% of us say that we feel spiritual, but that doesn't mean we're going to church. Nope, the girls are doing Reiki, the bros are doing psychedelics, and a whole lot of us are turning inward to manifest our best selves. On It's Been a Minute from NPR, I'm looking at why maybe you and your closest friends are buying into wellness for spirituality.
Fresh Air
The Red Scare & America's Conspiratorial Politics
That's on the It's Been a Minute podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
On ThruLine from NPR. The consequences for the country would have been enormous. It would have been a crisis. The man who saw a dangerous omission in the U.S. Constitution and took it upon himself to fix it. Find NPR's ThruLine wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
This month, Shortwave is featuring a science and dog collab for the ages. Because sometimes scientists need help and have to call in dogs to get the research done. Their powerful noses have earned some of them a job as conservation detection dogs, helping biologists sniff out things that are hidden or hard to find, like whale poop in the ocean.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
Hear the surprising ways dogs are pushing conservation work forward on ShoreWave, a science podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
Making time for the news is important, but when you need a break, we've got you covered on All Songs Considered, NPR's music podcast. Think of it like a music discovery show, a well-deserved escape with friends, and yeah, some serious music insight. I'm going to keep it real. I have no idea what this story is about. Hear new episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday, wherever you get podcasts.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
On the ThruLine podcast, the myth linking autism and vaccines was decades in the making and was a major moment for vaccine hesitancy in America, tapping into fears involving the pharmaceutical industry and the federal government.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
No matter how many studies you do showing that this is not a problem, it's very hard to unring the bell.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
Listen to ThruLine from NPR wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
If you're a super fan of Fresh Air with Terry Gross, we have exciting news. WHYY has launched a Fresh Air Society, a leadership group dedicated to ensuring fresh air's legacy. For over 50 years, this program has brought you fascinating interviews with favorite authors, artists, actors, and more. As a member of the Fresh Air Society, you'll receive special benefits and recognition.
Fresh Air
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
Learn more at whyy.org slash fresh air society.
Fresh Air
At 3 Years Old, David Tennant Knew He Wanted To Be Doctor Who
These days there is a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider This from NPR is a podcast that helps you make sense of the news. Six days a week we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
At 3 Years Old, David Tennant Knew He Wanted To Be Doctor Who
Imagine, if you will, a show from NPR that's not like NPR, a show that focuses not on the important but the stupid, which features stories about people smuggling animals in their pants and competent criminals in ridiculous science studies, and call it Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me because the good names were taken. Listen to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Fresh Air
At 3 Years Old, David Tennant Knew He Wanted To Be Doctor Who
Yes, that is what it is called, wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
At 3 Years Old, David Tennant Knew He Wanted To Be Doctor Who
Do you remember when discovering a new artist felt like finding buried treasure? At All Songs Considered, NPR's music recommendation podcast, we put that kind of magic back into discovering new tracks. We're here to make the hunt for new music easy, delivering you the cream of the crop from every genre. We'll help you make music feel fun again, only on All Songs Considered from NPR.
Fresh Air
How A Writer's Life Changed In A Second
NPR informs and connects communities around the country, providing reliable information in times of crisis. Federal funding helps us fulfill our mission to create a more informed public and ensures that public radio remains available to everyone. Learn more about safeguarding the future of public media. Visit protectmypublicmedia.org.
Fresh Air
How A Writer's Life Changed In A Second
This message comes from David Tennant Does a Podcast With, back for Season 3. David Tennant returns to sit down with superstar guests like Russell T. Davies, Jamila Jamil, and Stanley Tucci. New season streaming now wherever you get your podcasts.
Fresh Air
Jeremy Strong / Sebastian Stan / Adrien Brody
Making time for the news is important, but when you need a break, we've got you covered on All Songs Considered, NPR's music podcast. Think of it like a music discovery show, a well-deserved escape with friends, and yeah, some serious music insight. I'm going to keep it real. I have no idea what this story is about.
Fresh Air
Jeremy Strong / Sebastian Stan / Adrien Brody
Hear new episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday, wherever you get podcasts.
Fresh Air
Jeremy Strong / Sebastian Stan / Adrien Brody
At this year's Oscars, Onora took home the award for Best Picture, Zoe Saldana and Kieran Culkin also picked up wins, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo delivered a show-stopping opening number. For a recap of all the highlights, listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
50 Years Of 'Rocky Horror'
Making time for the news is important, but when you need a break, we've got you covered on All Songs Considered, NPR's music podcast. Think of it like a music discovery show, a well-deserved escape with friends, and, yeah, some serious music insight. I'm going to keep it real. I have no idea what this story is about.
Fresh Air
50 Years Of 'Rocky Horror'
Hear new episodes of All Songs Considered every Tuesday, wherever you get podcasts.
Fresh Air
Texan-Palestinian Comic Mo Amer
On The Sunday Story, what it's like to be a reporter covering the war in Gaza while also living through it. Listen now to The Sunday Story on the Up First podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Texan-Palestinian Comic Mo Amer
Like so many Americans, my dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. These are not conspiracy theories. These are reality. I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole, trying to get him back. Listen to Alternate Realities on the Embedded Podcast from NPR.
Fresh Air
Texan-Palestinian Comic Mo Amer
A lot happens in Washington every day, from the White House to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between. That's where we come in. On the NPR Politics Podcast, we keep you up to date on what happens inside Washington and what it means for you and your community. The NPR Politics Podcast. Listen wherever you listen.
PBD Podcast
Zelenskyy Oval Office Meeting, Trump Tariffs In Effect, Epstein Files Update | PBD Podcast | Ep. 556
To what extent is immigration as an issue part of your problem with working class voters?
PBD Podcast
Zelenskyy Oval Office Meeting, Trump Tariffs In Effect, Epstein Files Update | PBD Podcast | Ep. 556
People voting for the other side and not for you, feeling that Democrats are not serious about the issue in ways that concern them.
TED Talks Daily
Collagen's dirty secret — and its clean future | Fei Luo
Tools for managing our emotions. That's next time on the TED Radio Hour from NPR. Listen and subscribe to the TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.
TED Talks Daily
Why social health is key to happiness and longevity | Kasley Killam
Tools for managing our emotions. That's next time on the TED Radio Hour from NPR. Listen and subscribe to the TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
On the evening of October 24, 1871, in Los Angeles, an angry group of white men descended upon a neighborhood where some of the city's very small population of Chinese residents lived.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Many historians believe it's the biggest mass lynching event in American history.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
And maybe they thought, this can't happen here. San Francisco was much bigger, more cosmopolitan, and had a much bigger Chinatown.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
In what started as a labor strike, a group of angry men, driven by the idea that Chinese immigrants were taking their jobs by working for less, marched towards Chinatown and started setting buildings on fire. They killed four men that night.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Anti-Chinese violence had landed on the doorstep of Wong Kim Ark's family. Eventually,
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
When Wong Kim Ark's family left the United States after the 1877 anti-Chinese riots in San Francisco, they never came back.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Something that would have been really challenging in the U.S. because there were so few Chinese women and because Chinese men were legally barred or socially discouraged from marrying outside their race.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
But he didn't stay long. After several months, he returned to the United States to work. And he repeated this process again a couple of years later, going back to China to visit his wife and his growing family. But in 1895, on what he must have expected to be another uneventful trip from China to San Francisco…
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
In August of 1895, Wong Kim Ark was sitting on a steamship, detained and watched over by guards. He was there because, according to the government, he was not a U.S. citizen, even though he had documentation showing he was born in San Francisco. It must have been a lonely, bitter feeling to be just a few miles from his hometown, rejected by his own government. But he wasn't alone.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Almost immediately, a group of people started working to get him out.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
The Chinese Six Companies, also known as the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
They frequently hired lawyers, white lawyers, to help Chinese laborers who were subject to deportation under the law.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
So while Wong Kim Ark sat imprisoned on the steamship, his case headed to a California district court.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
the district court was faced with a monumental decision, one that hinged on a single sentence in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
The 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution after the Civil War to achieve, quote, equal protection of the laws. It was intended to make sure newly emancipated Black Americans had full, equal citizenship and rights. Some of the most impactful Supreme Court cases have hinged on this amendment. There's Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the constitutionality of segregation.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Brown v. Board of Education, which reversed that. Even Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion. Wong Kim Ark's case focused on a specific part of the 14th Amendment, the Citizenship Clause.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
That phrase, jurisdiction thereof, it's key because the court had to decide what makes a person a U.S. citizen. Do all people born on U.S. soil fall under its jurisdiction, its laws? Or is jurisdiction about where your loyalties lie? Are Chinese people living in the United States really subject to U.S. laws? Or should they be considered subjects of the emperor of China?
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
And then, what does this legal argument mean for all immigrants across the country? Could this same logic be applied to birthright citizens from Europe?
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Julie Novkov is the dean of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY, and co-author of American by Birth, Wong Kim Ark and the Battle for Citizenship.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Wong Kim Ark was still stuck on a steamer off the coast while his case played out in court. It had been months, and he was right in the middle of a bigger battle between the U.S. government and Chinese Americans.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Finally, in the fall of 1895, the court came to a decision. He wins. He wins.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Wong Kim Ark was technically free, but his victory was short-lived.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
the government appealed the case up to the Supreme Court. They did this because they wanted to enforce and expand the Chinese Exclusion Act. Even the president at the time, Grover Cleveland, was in full support of excluding Chinese immigrants.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
So the government did it. It appealed the case all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. And the Solicitor General, the lawyer who represents the government in front of the Supreme Court, was right out of central casting.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Holmes Conrad came from a prominent slave-owning family. He had spent the Civil War as an officer, fighting for the Confederacy. And here's some nice irony for you. Because he fought for secession during the Civil War, Conrad actually had his citizenship revoked.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Meanwhile, Wong Kim Ark, after being detained those horrible four months on ships, was back to his hardscrabble life in San Francisco. He was earning money and sending it to his wife and kids in China. And all the while, the government was trying to beat him in court, questioning his citizenship.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Yet behind the scenes, he's got an all-star, high-powered legal team on his side, paid for by the Chinese six companies.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Many big businesses had a keen interest in the Wong Kim Ark case. They needed labor, cheap labor, to expand and be profitable. So they jumped to support Wong Kim Ark's case.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Evarts and Ashton had argued cases before the Supreme Court before, but... I would have to think that they were pessimistic at this point. The two of them were coming off a loss in a high-profile case involving a Chinese client. Going into this case, they had every reason to doubt the outcome, an outcome that would be potentially devastating for Wong Kim Ark and thousands like him.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
This episode contains depictions of racist violence. Now, on to the show.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
The United States v. Wong Kim Ark is one of the most important Supreme Court cases in U.S. history, a case that would shape the relationship between immigrants and the U.S. government and further define who gets to call themselves an American.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
So what did this have to do with Sandra Wong and her dad? What was his relationship to Wong Kim Ark?
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah. And you've been listening to ThruLine from NPR.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Casey Minor. Fact-checking for this episode was done by Kevin Vogel.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
And I didn't have that opportunity. She became obsessed with learning more about the story her father never told her. She went searching through all the records she could find.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes Navid Marvi, Sho Fujiwara, Anya Mizani. We're going to be talking about the art of cinematic storytelling at the On Air Fest in Brooklyn on February 21st. Want to come? Go to onairfest.com and use the code THROUGHLINE40 to get 40% off your ticket.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
After all her research, here's the story she pieced together. Wong Kim Ark brought Sandra's father, Wong Yuk Jim, to San Francisco from China in the 1920s. Wong Kim Ark claimed Sandra's father as his son, but it's possible her dad was his grandson. So this would make Wong Kim Ark... My father's grandfather.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Finding out the truth was bittersweet. And there's a question Sandra still thinks about. Why didn't her dad tell her? You know, there are secrets.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
Pain. Shame. Maybe it's because at the center of this story is one troubling fact — Wong Kim Ark, Sandra's great-grandfather, was born in the United States. Yet as a young adult, he was prevented from returning to San Francisco, his birthplace, after visiting family in China because of, quote, his race, language, color, and dress.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
And he did fight. With help from the Chinese-American community, Wong Kim Ark's case made it to the Supreme Court. He fought for his right to be here.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order denying birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. who do not have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. More than 20 states have sued the Trump administration in response, contending that his action disregards over 125 years of legal precedent.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
And a federal judge has already blocked President Trump's executive order.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
On that boat was a passenger from San Francisco, a young man returning from visiting his parents' homeland of China.
Throughline
Birthright Citizenship
A U.S. customs agent declared that Wong Kim Ark was not allowed to step foot onto U.S. soil.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: Roy Wood, Jr.
March is Women's History Month, so on NPR's Book of the Day podcast, we're kicking it off with a week of women writers, including one novel about a woman who ditches society and heads to a secluded religious community.