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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As many island nations attempt to keep the coronavirus out, they also risk getting cut off from the outside world their economies depend on. -
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. -
Flooding in Indonesia's capital Jakarta has killed at least 60 people and displaced thousands. For now, the rain has let up and people are starting to return home. But more heavy rain is expected.
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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. -
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? -
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. -
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.
