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Wednesday

How poetry helps Ada Limon navigate life, even when it’s tough
Lucas Marquardt

The Code Switch Podcast

How poetry helps Ada Limon navigate life, even when it’s tough

by  , 

As we enter "cozy season," we're revisiting our conversation with Ada Limon, who just wrapped up her tenure as the U.S. Poet Laureate. She talks to us about loss and grief and evolving identity -- like becoming a "fall person" after a lifetime of identifying as a "summer person" -- and the power of poetry to navigate it all.

How poetry helps Ada Limon navigate life, even when it’s tough

Listen · 35:40
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Saturday

A portrait of Esther Green, an elder in Bethel, Alaska. She wears glasses and furs.
Katie Basile/KYUK

The Code Switch Podcast

How Trump's cuts to public media threaten the first Native American station

by  ,  ,  Dalia Mortada , 

On October 1, 2025, public radio stations lost all of their federal funding -- and for Black and Native American community stations, the cuts hit hard. Case in point, KYUK in Bethel, Alaska, which was the first Indigenous-led public radio station. They lost 70% of their budget after federal public media cuts, and will be shrinking from 10 full-time staffers, to 4 people. We speak to Esther Green, a Yupik elder, and her co-host Diane McEachern of KYUK's spiritual wellness show, Ikayutet, and station general manager Kristin Hall, about what the future looks like for the station.

How Trump's cuts to public media threaten the first Native American station

Listen · 17:40
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Wednesday

Why Malala Yousafzai is a hero in the West but not back home

Code Switch

Why Malala Yousafzai is a hero in the West but not back home

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Why is Malala Yousafzai so revered in the West while being much less popular in her home country of Pakistan? On this week's Code Switch, we unpack how Pakistani skepticism of Malala extends from a suspicion of U.S. and other foreign interests.

CS MALALA

Listen · 41:34
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Wednesday

Is the American dream a scam?

Code Switch

Is the American dream a scam?

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  Christina Cala ,  Veralyn Williams , 

This week on the pod: author Edgar Gomez talks about what it was like growing up poor, queer, and Nicaraguan Puerto Rican in Florida. His new memoir, Alligator Tears, chronicles his dreams of making it big, the various mini-scams he got into along the way, and his realization that a rich life might not ever come with bundles of money.

Alligator Tears

Listen · 33:10
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Wednesday

How calls for mass deportations went mainstream

The Code Switch Podcast

How calls for mass deportations went mainstream

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Calls to ban “third world immigration” in favor of “remigration” -- or, mass deportation -- went from fringe ideas in far right circles to ones pedaled by mainstream conservatives. Now, those ideas are mirrored in government policy. On this week's Code Switch, we track how these ideas got their start among white nationalists and neo-Nazis in the U.S. and Europe and found their way into the language of popular right-wing influencers and Trump administration advisers. Note: This episode makes references to Charlie Kirk, and it was reported and recorded before he was shot in Utah.

How calls for mass deportations went mainstream

Listen · 43:10
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Wednesday

An encampment for the unhoused in Washington D.C. near the Kennedy Center was cleared by employees of the city's Department of Health and Human Services. The residents of the encampment packed up their belongings and left with the help of city outreach workers as well as non-profit employees and volunteers.

An encampment for the unhoused in Washington D.C. near the Kennedy Center was cleared by employees of the city's Department of Health and Human Services. The residents of the encampment packed up their belongings and left with the help of city outreach workers as well as non-profit employees and volunteers. Tyrone Turner/WAMU for NPR hide caption

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Tyrone Turner/WAMU for NPR

Code Switch

How Trump's D.C. takeover criminalizes homelessness

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  Courtney Stein ,  Christina Cala ,  ,  ,  Veralyn Williams

On August 11, President Trump announced his intention to "rescue" the nation's capital. A central feature of his plan involved using federal officials to remove people experiencing homelessness from the city — people that he listed alongside "violent gangs, bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, and drugged out maniacs." On this episode, we're diving into what it means to criminalize homelessness, what it looks like when police officers are used to solve social problems, and what this D.C. takeover might portend for the rest of the country.

"Crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor."

Listen · 39:27
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Wednesday

Statelessness, but make it funny
Courtesy of Kovert Creative

The Code Switch Podcast

Statelessness, but make it funny

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Mo Amer is the creator and star of the hit Netflix comedy series Mo. It's a first-of-its kind Palestinian-American sitcom with a fraught plot line about the American immigration system and the hope to return, at least for a visit, to his family's homeland. We talk to Mo Amer what it’s like to make a show so centered on the real facts of his own life, and to be thrust into the role of spokesperson for Palestinian-Americans at this particular moment.

Statelessness, but make it funny

Listen · 30:42
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Saturday

You told us — what brings you joy

We asked, and you answered: How do you connect joy and resistance? Jackie Lay hide caption

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Jackie Lay

Perspective

The Code Switch Podcast

You told us — what brings you joy

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

On this bonus episode of the show, we're hearing from some of YOU about what brings you joy, how you connect joy and justice work, and why joy is so important in your lives.

You told us — what brings you joy

Listen · 16:53
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Wednesday

Is joy an act of resistance?

A woman smiles while sipping a fancy drink. That's joy, right? Jackie Lay hide caption

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Jackie Lay

Analysis

Code Switch

Is joy an act of resistance?

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

The phrase "joy is resistance" has been popping up all over the place lately. But what, exactly, does it mean? In this episode, we're unpacking what joy is, when it can actually be used as a tool for social change, and why the slogan has become so popular (even when joy itself feels more tenuous.)

Is joy an act of resistance?

Listen · 36:38
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Wednesday

Protests are near constant. Do they work?

A side-by-side of protests from the civil rights movement, versus protests of the 21st century. Jackie Lay hide caption

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Jackie Lay

Code Switch

Protests are near constant. Do they work?

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

To the casual observer, it might seem like the U.S. has been spent years in a constant state of protest, from the Women's March in 2017 to the racial uprisings in 2020 to the No Kings protests earlier in the summer. But some are starting to wonder: How effective are any of those protests? When it comes to achieving lasting social change, do any of them work?

Protests are near constant. Do they work?

Listen · 30:35
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Wednesday

The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team
Thành ‎

Code Switch

The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Once upon a time, members of the Code Switch team were just kids, learning about race and identity for the first time. So on this episode, we're sharing some of the books, movies and music that deeply influenced each of us at an early age — and set us on the path to being the race nerds we are today.

The books, movies and music that shaped the Code Switch team

Listen · 30:45
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Wednesday

From gr*pists to nip nops, how self-censorship shapes the language of TikTok
Jackie Lay

Code Switch

From gr*pists to nip nops, how self-censorship shapes the language of TikTok

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Have you noticed people using terms like "unalive" and

From gr*pists to nip nops, how self-censorship shapes the language of TikTok

Listen · 33:58
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Wednesday

The lighter side of immigration: A day at the park in Queens

Shot of the Unisphere, the 140 foot-tall metal sculpture in the middle of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Unisphere was originally commissioned for the 1964-1965 World's Fair and has since become an icon for the borough of Queens. Wendy Correa/NPR hide caption

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Wendy Correa/NPR

The Code Switch Podcast

The lighter side of immigration: A day at the park in Queens

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

This week on Code Switch, we're doing a different kind of immigration coverage. We're telling a New York story: one that celebrates the beautiful, everyday life of the immigrant. Code Switch producer, Xavier Lopez and NPR immigration reporter, Jasmine Garsd spend a day at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The lighter side of immigration: A day at the park in Queens

Listen · 38:18
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Wednesday

Dispatches from the living memory of trans people of color

Three people stand in window frames. Jackie Lay hide caption

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Jackie Lay

Code Switch

Dispatches from the living memory of trans people of color

by  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Trans people are major targets of the second Trump administration. But in a way, that's nothing new; trans people have been fighting for their rights, dignity, and liberation for generations. So on this episode, we hear from trans elders about what their lives have looked like over the decades, and what messages they have for young people.

Dispatches from the living memory of trans people of color

Listen · 39:00
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Monday

Iranian American identity was under scrutiny long before the U.S. struck Iran

Protesters in Tehran chant slogans and one holds a poster with a vampire-like illustration of President Trump to protest the U.S. strikes on nuclear sites in Iran. Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption

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Getty Images/Getty Images Europe

Code Switch

Iranian American identity was under scrutiny long before the U.S. struck Iran

by  Shereen Marisol Meraji ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

We're throwing back to a conversation we had in 2020 with Jason Rezaian, Iranian American journalist who had been previously jailed in Iran. Back in January of 2020, the first Trump administration carried out a military operation killing Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian military commander. Now, the second Trump administration is striking Iranian nuclear sites. While lots has changed since 2020, much of our conversation with Jason is still eerily relevant.

Iranian American identity was under scrutiny long before the U.S. struck Iran

Listen · 32:15
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