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 coal mine closing near her hometown, the 2016 Republican National Convention, and the Rohingya refugee crisis in southern Bangladesh. 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 home country of the Philippines for NPR and health care in Appalachia for Voice of America.
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she's leaving office in the coming weeks. The announcement Thursday shocked analysts and has left her party in a bind.
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Speaking to her party's annual caucus, 42-year-old Ardern said "it's time" for her to move on and that she "no longer had enough in the tank" for her premiership. -
The Female Pilots of Ukraine is the first of its kind in the country at a time when the Ukrainian military has been using drones for reconnaissance and fighting against Russian forces. -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his forces are taking back Kherson, following Russia's withdrawal from the strategic southern city. -
Ukraine was the leading country Americans adopted from, but it halted adoptions this year after Russia's invasion. Now many families and children are in limbo. -
All of the chain's 100-plus locations in Ukraine closed after Russia invaded in February. Three reopened in Kyiv this week, for delivery only. "It's a nice gift from McDonald's," one customer says. -
Ukrainian forces liberated the town of Balakliia in a swift counteroffensive against Russia in the east, where retreating Russian troops left behind tanks, captives and an untold number of casualties. -
The Ukrainian town of Balaklia was the first to be liberated as part of Ukraine's recent counteroffensive. The work to understand what happened there during six months of occupation is just beginning.
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Ukrainian officials claim to have taken Izium, Balakliya and Kupiansk — all of which have been controlled by Russian forces for months. -
Antony Blinken is on a trip to Kyiv, where he visited a children's hospital and met with U.S. Embassy staff. The U.S. announced nearly $3 billion in aid and weapons for Ukraine and other countries.
