Ashley Westerman
Ashley Westerman is a producer who occasionally directs the show. Since joining the staff in June 2015, she has produced a variety of stories including a , the , and the . She is also an occasional reporter for Morning Edition, and NPR.org, where she has contributed reports on both domestic and international news.
Ashley was a summer intern in 2011 with Morning Edition and pitched a story on her very first day. She went on to work as a reporter and host for member station 89.3 WRKF in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she earned awards covering everything from healthcare to jambalaya.
Ashley is an East-West Center 2018 Jefferson Fellow and a two-time reporting fellow with the International Center for Journalists. Through ICFJ, she has covered labor issues in her and health care in Appalachia for Voice of America.
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Health care has consistently polled as the No. 1 issue for Iowa voters. As they prepare to caucus, voters weigh which candidate to support and what health care should look like in the future. -
After voting overwhelmingly for independence, the South Pacific island group now has to negotiate its separation with Papua New Guinea's government. -
The Solomon Islands and Kiribati recently established ties with China. Economic considerations are a key driver, but both nations also cite concerns about climate change as a reason for the decision. -
Sam Rainsy of the now-banned Cambodia National Rescue Party was barred from boarding a plane from Paris to Thailand. His deputy was detained in Malaysia. Both risk arrest if they enter Cambodia. -
Some experts suggest King Maha Vajiralongkorn's firing of his consort may be an additional power move by a monarch who has worked to amass personal authority since he succeeded his father in 2016. -
Marie Louise Yovanovitch was recalled after being targeted in a political campaign that's now a subject of a federal indictment. How did she make enemies in President Trump's world? -
They are urging the international community for more resources to help manage climate change and calling for larger countries to cut their carbon emissions. -
The law allows the government to determine what constitutes false information and stipulates hefty fines and jail sentences for people and media companies that violate it. -
After U.S.-Taliban talks excluded Afghanistan's government and collapsed last month, the senior official tells NPR that the only way to lasting peace is to include the country's leaders. -
On the anniversary of the People's Republic of China, the country's top diplomat in Washington says it has "no interest in global dominance or hegemony; we just want our people to have a better life."
