Opinion

National

What's In A (Hispanic-Sounding) Surname? We Gave Our Advice. Here's Yours

6:18am September 17, 2017

by Leah Donnella

Last week, Ask Code Switch heard from a woman who was considering trading her white-sounding last name for her boyfriend's Latino one. Here's a roundup of the best advice we got from our readers.

Jesus Martinez (L) works at his bodega grocery store in the Queens borough of New York City in 2007. Tech entrepreneurs got pushback for calling their startup "Bodega."

National

High-Tech 'Bodega' Falls Short Of The Real Thing

3:41am September 16, 2017

by Scott Simon

Two entrepreneurs attracted criticism after they unveiled a ritzy vending machine they named Bodega. NPR's Scott Simon muses on the value of the brick and mortar stores that predate the machine.

Mini Market is a bodega in Ridgewood, Queens, that sits on the corner of Seneca Avenue and Woodbine Street. Writer Angely Mercado says these stores aren't just about convenience — they feed the spirit of a community.

Nobody Takes The Bodega Out Of The Corner. Not Even A Startup

7:08pm September 15, 2017

by Angely Mercado

A new startup wants to make these neighborhood stores "obsolete." But for many people, bodegas aren't just about convenience — they feed the spirit of a community.

Week In Politics: Trump Debates DACA, Border Security With Democrats

4:48pm September 15, 2017

Democratic leaders emerged from a meeting with President Trump heralding a deal to protect DACA. The president says there was no deal. Was this a moment of bipartisanship? NPR's Ailsa Chang asks NPR political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times.

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President Trump gives a speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at its commissioning at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia in July.

What Should We Make Of Trump's Speech Patterns — And Our Responses To Them?

12:26pm September 14, 2017

by Barbara J. King

Yes, President Trump's words tend to be simple and oft-repeated. The real question, says anthropologist Barbara J. King, may be what happens when we adopt them.

Politics & Government

Facts And Friction

5:23pm September 13, 2017

Who fact-checks the fact checkers?

People crowd Fort Lauderdale International Airport as evacuation is underway on Thursday.

National

With A Hurricane Approaching Florida, Airline Algorithms Show No Sympathy

8:06am September 09, 2017

by Scott Simon

The software of major airlines monitor supply and demand, then lower or raise prices accordingly — within seconds. That can lead to some exorbitant prices, NPR's Scott Simon says.

National

With This Ring, I Thee Take ... Your Hispanic-Sounding Surname?

6:01am September 09, 2017

by Leah Donnella

What happens when a 'Miller' becomes a 'Martinez'? This week, we offer advice for a woman whose fiance is worried about unconscious bias affecting their marriage.

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Candy, a prostitute who begins to see a way off the street, in HBO's The Deuce.

Arts

In 'The Deuce,' Sex Isn't Titillating — It's Business

5:13pm September 08, 2017

by Eric Deggans

David Simon's gritty new drama follows pornography's transition from back-alley pursuit to billion-dollar industry. The sex scenes are transactional, but also explicit, with equal opportunity nudity.

Week In Politics: Trump Strikes Budget Deal With Democrats

4:58pm September 08, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with political commentators Guy Benson of Townhall.com and E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and the Brookings Institution about the political stories of the week.

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