History

Politics & Government

Encore: The History Of Government Shutdowns In The U.S.

5:58pm December 31, 2018

by Ron Elving

Earlier this year, when a different shutdown loomed in January, NPR's Ron Elving provided a history lesson on government shutdowns. As the partial shutdown continues, we revisit those of the past.

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Though his politics are right of center and he lobbied hard against the Affordable Care Act, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also has been key to passing several landmark health laws with bipartisan support.

How Sen. Orrin Hatch Shaped America's Health Care In Controversial Ways

12:35pm December 31, 2018

by Erik Neumann

Republican Orrin Hatch is leaving the Senate after 42 years. He led bipartisan efforts to get health care for more kids and AIDS patients. He also thrived on donations from the drug industry.

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For A Boy From Cuba, A Stranger's Crucifix Was A Symbol Of Kindness

8:10am December 29, 2018

As part of the series "What They Took with Them," Jose Linares tells of a crucifix that reminds him of his childhood flight from Castro's Cuba to the U.S.

Friday News Roundup - International

4:01pm December 28, 2018

Across Antarctica...and beyond.

Sharon Sakamoto shows two family photos of Eileen Okada and her other older siblings, who spent part of their childhood living in a barrack behind barbed wire at an Idaho prison camp the U.S. government named the Minidoka War Relocation Center. The third

Some Japanese-Americans Wrongfully Imprisoned During WWII Oppose Census Question

10:29am December 27, 2018

by Hansi Lo Wang

In the 1940s, the U.S. government used census data to locate and wrongfully incarcerate Japanese-Americans. Some are now speaking out against plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

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A Beautiful Gold Ring Lost, A Friendship Rekindled

5:42am December 27, 2018

If you had to evacuate your home at a moment's notice, what would you take with you? When teenaged Sarah Frey was sent to the U.S. to escape unrest in the Dominican Republic, she took a ring with her.

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Religion

Grandmother's Rosary Is An Anchor To Family Around The World

6:21am December 26, 2018

NPR's Isabel Lara lived close to the World Trade Center and after Sept. 11, she wasn't allowed to return home for a week. The only thing she could think about was one thing she left behind: a rosary.

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Micah Swimmer oversees a class of Eastern Band Cherokee language learners at the New Kituwah Academy in Cherokee, N.C. Behind him, a bulletin board displays the names of the few remaining fluent speakers of his Cherokee dialect.

To Save Their Endangered Language, 2 Cherokee Brothers Learn As They Teach

2:48pm December 24, 2018

by Liz Schlemmer

Jakeli and Micah Swimmer aren't fluent in their native Cherokee dialect, but it's an important part of their identity. "If we're not speaking Cherokee, then what are we?" Jakeli asks.

Bruce Auster's mother, Sylvia, in an old family photo. Originally from Brooklyn, she met her husband Stanley when they both worked at Macy's on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan.

Arts

Is Santa Real? A Doubting Brother And The Gift Of A Mother's Voice

6:07pm December 23, 2018

by Bruce Auster

As a kid, NPR editor Bruce Auster loved to record his family talking. A snippet of tape captured by chance on a long-ago December night marked a moment before cancer changed everything for his family.

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Michael Durand (left), husband of Kitchn Editor-In-Chief Faith Durand, and friend Chris Gardner (right) carve turkey while guests hang out in the Durands' kitchen, dirty dishes and all, at a recent party.

Books
Arts

Like Moths To A Flame: Why Modern-Day Guests Always Gather In The Kitchen

11:27am December 22, 2018

by Deena Prichep

Holiday season is party season. Hosts decorate their homes with trees, flowers and candles in the windows to make them cozy and festive. Yet so many parties end up in the kitchen. Why?

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