After half-a-century in a tank, a beloved orca named Tokitae was about to be freed. Then her life ended, and a moment of reckoning began.
Feb 2026
A surprise Kennedy Center makeover
In his second term, President Donald Trump has gone on a mission to reinvent the Kennedy Center, the beloved performing arts venue in Washington, D.C.Trump promised to overhaul the center’s programming. He installed loyalists on the board who made him chairman. In December, Trump ... Show More
18m 40s
Feb 2026
A teddy bear, an ice skate: What remains from last year's deadly D.C. plane crash
In late January of last year, an American Eagle flight and a U.S. Army helicopter collided above the Potomac River, killing everyone aboard both aircraft. It was the deadliest flight disaster in the U.S. in decades.A year later, families and first responders are reflecting on the ... Show More
15m 19s
Nov 2024
Episode 1: Save The Whale
When the movie “Free Willy” is released, word gets out that the star, a killer whale named Keiko, is sick and living in a tiny pool at a Mexican amusement park. An environmentalist sets out to give the fans what they want: their favorite celebrity orca back in the sea. Sign up fo ... Show More
47m 49s
Jan 2024
The Sunday Read: ‘The Whale Who Went AWOL’
<p>On April 26, 2019, a beluga whale appeared near Tufjord, a village in northern Norway, immediately alarming fishermen in the area. Belugas in that part of the world typically inhabit the remote Arctic and are rarely spotted as far south as the Norwegian mainland. Although they ... Show More
44m 41s
Nov 2024
From Serial: ‘The Good Whale’
<p>After the movie “Free Willy” became a hit, word got out that the star of the film, a killer whale named Keiko, was sick and living in a tiny pool at a Mexican amusement park. Fans were outraged and pleaded for his release. “The Good Whale” tells the story of the wildly ambitio ... Show More
47m 22s
Mar 2020
KURT RUSSO on the People Under the Sea⌠ENCORE⌡ /162
Kurt and Ayana’s conversation explores the powerful memory held by Southern Resident orcas, the threats they face from vessel noise, chemical pollutants, and declining Chinook salmon population, the health of the Salish Sea, and the Lummi Nation’s sacred duty to return Sk’aliCh’e ... Show More
1h 2m