The Sunday Story

NPR Podcasts
NPR Podcasts
  • 4.4 (11)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

“The Sunday Story” from Up First is where storytelling meets the issues of the day. Hosted by Ayesha Rascoe, “The Sunday Story” is NPR’s weekly news and culture magazine exploring one topic in depth through conversations, interviews and deeply-reported narrative journalism. Publishing every Sunday in the Up First feed. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for The Sunday Story.

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  1. 5d ago

    Hot Dam: Why beavers are Britain’s new climate heroes

    Four hundred years ago, the last of Britain’s native beavers were hunted to extinction. But in 2009, scientists began a grand experiment to bring the furry, buck-toothed rodents back. They relocated a pair of Norwegian beavers to a remote rainforest in Scotland, hoping they’d become the Adam and Eve of a new line of British beavers. Today on The Sunday Story, NPR’s Lauren Frayer travels from the wilds of Scotland to a tube station in London, to explore how these animals – beloved by some humans and loathed by others – are transforming the British landscape.  Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    Hot Dam: Why beavers are Britain’s new climate heroes

  2. Aug 9

    The black lung crisis deepens in Appalachia

    Rates of black lung disease amongst Appalachia’s coal miners are at the highest they’ve been in 50 years. Recent data shows that a third of veteran miners have the disease. The epidemic is also striking younger workers, too.  On The Sunday Story, Howard Berkes investigates the devastating human cost on Appalachian families, decades of regulatory failures, and why life-saving protections from toxic silica dust remain stalled in federal court. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    The black lung crisis deepens in Appalachia

  3. Aug 2

    Trump attacks DSA candidates as 'communists.' Will it stick?

    President Trump has repeatedly warned that the communists are coming for America. And he’s not talking about China or North Korea. He’s talking about Democratic Socialists like Zohran Mamdani and recent Congressional candidates. This week on The Sunday Story, we bring you a conversation from our colleagues at The NPR Politics Podcast. They argue that as the midterms near, crying “communism” may be a key Republican strategy. They discuss whether there’s any legitimacy to the claim, what Republicans hope to achieve by making it, and whether voters will be convinced.   Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    Trump attacks DSA candidates as 'communists.' Will it stick?

  4. Jul 26

    ‘We want to ride’: the 1978 protest that sparked the disability rights movement

    Thirty-six years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, guaranteeing civil rights for millions of Americans. But the movement that made that day possible began years earlier. One pivotal victory was won by a small, often-forgotten group of activists in Denver known as the "Gang of 19." On The Sunday Story, NPR’s Joseph Shapiro and Colorado Public Radio’s Stephanie Wolf trace the history of the disability rights movement—from the protests that secured accessible public transit to the modern-day fight to protect the hard-won right to live independently.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    ‘We want to ride’: the 1978 protest that sparked the disability rights movement

  5. Jul 19 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

    Infertility doctor secretly fathered dozens of children: how strangers became family

    What defines a family? For a group of strangers, that question took on a profound, unexpected meaning after DNA tests revealed a hidden, decades-old deception. They discovered they were all half-siblings conceived through artificial insemination in the mid-20th century. Their biological father was not the man who raised them, but Dr. Charles Charny, a Philadelphia fertility specialist. In this week's episode of The Sunday Story, Frank Langfitt follows this unique family as they piece together their strange creation tale and decide to become a family. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    Infertility doctor secretly fathered dozens of children: how strangers became family

  6. Jul 12 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

    Should we worry about the end of the world?

    From climate change to the rise of AI - it’s hard not to feel like human civilization could be nearing the end. What threats are really worth worrying about? And what can we do to survive a global catastrophe? Today on The Sunday Story, Ben Bradford, host of the new NPR Network podcast Are We Doomed?, tells us what he’s learned about the end of the world. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    Should we worry about the end of the world?

  7. Jul 5 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

    The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state

    Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed, marking the birth of a new nation. But if you read the Declaration closely, it’s not just about creating something new;  it’s about ridding itself of something unwanted. It’s a break-up text, announcing secession from the British Crown. Today, that same spirit is fueling a modern-day movement in Illinois. A growing number of rural counties want to secede from Illinois and create a  51st state called “New Illinois.”  Driven by frustration over the dominance of Chicago politics,  they are organizing for a new future. This week on The Sunday Story, reporter Connor Towne O'Neill takes us inside the movement to split Illinois, and the challenges facing a modern secessionist movement in the land of Lincoln. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    The growing movement to secede from Illinois and become the 51st state

  8. Jun 28 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

    The secret life of a stolen Van Gogh

    What happens to famous works of art when they are stolen from museums and private art collections? In the Netherlands, museums and collectors reach out to Arthur Brand, a self-styled art detective who works to track down art that has gone missing and fallen into the criminal underworld.   This week on The Sunday Story, when a famous Van Gogh painting is stolen from a museum, Brand teams up with an unlikely partner – art thief Octave Durham. Together, the pair work to rescue a masterpiece from the underground market and return it to its museum home. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    The secret life of a stolen Van Gogh
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

“The Sunday Story” from Up First is where storytelling meets the issues of the day. Hosted by Ayesha Rascoe, “The Sunday Story” is NPR’s weekly news and culture magazine exploring one topic in depth through conversations, interviews and deeply-reported narrative journalism. Publishing every Sunday in the Up First feed. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for The Sunday Story.

Information

  • Channel
    NPR Podcasts
  • Creator
    NPR
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015-2026 NPR - For Personal Use Only
  • Show Website
    The Sunday Story
  • Provider
    NPR

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