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NPR's home for audio documentaries brings untold stories to light through deeply reported narrative series. We go to hidden corners of the headlines to explore what's been sealed off, undisclosed, or overlooked – and the people at the heart of those stories. 

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After we released Alternate Realities, hundreds of listeners reached out, sharing stories about friends and family members who had also fallen under the spell of conspiracy theories. Many of them had tried everything they could think of to get that person back... and failed.

Has anyone had success with this? If you or anyone you know has come up with an intervention or experiment or strategy that actually worked — please email us at embedded@npr.org. 

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Alternate Realities: A Question for Listeners

Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit donate.npr.org now.

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Part 2: The network had developed a method that had the potential to get women widespread access to safe abortions. But to make that happen, a whisper network wasn't enough. 

Hosts Marta and Victoria travel across Latin America to trace how the network entered a new era. Women spoke up and teamed up. They challenged each other and sometimes even broke the law.

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The Network: Breaking Bread

Part 3: The network and its method took off in countries where women didn't have a legal option for abortion. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, many Americans have found themselves in that very situation. 

We travel to the US to see how the network is responding to exploding demand and mounting abortion restrictions. 

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The Network: Déjà vu

Part 1: In the mid-1980s, an OBGYN in Brazil noticed that far fewer pregnant women at his hospital were dying from abortion complications. It wasn't a coincidence. 

Brazilian women had made a discovery that allowed them to safely have abortions at home, despite the country's abortion restrictions. That discovery eventually spread across the globe. 

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The Network: Saint-o-tec

Decades ago, Brazilian women made a discovery that allowed them to have safe abortions without a doctor, regardless of the law. Now, as abortion restrictions rise across the United States, their method is shaping how American women have abortions, too. 

In this three-part series, hosts Victoria Estrada and Marta Martinez of Futuro Media's Latino USA chart the global, loosely connected network that brought this abortion method to millions of women. 

All episodes will be available for NPR+ subscribers on June 5 and for all listeners on June 12. 

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Introducing "The Network" from NPR and Futuro Media

Episode 3: After a year of waiting, the bet is finally over. Reporter Zach Mack takes stock of his father's predictions and confronts him about the future of the family. 

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Alternate Realities: Facing the Facts

Episode 2: After reporter Zach Mack accepts a bet with his father over 10 politically apocalyptic predictions, he sets out on a journey to change his dad's mind.

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Alternate Realities: Down the Rabbit Hole

Episode 1: Reporter Zach Mack thinks his dad has gone all in on conspiracy theories, while his father thinks that Zach is the one being brainwashed. In 2024, after the latest round of circular arguments, they decided to try something new, an attempt to pull each other out of the spell each of them thinks the other is under. Can one family live in two realities?

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Alternate Realities: A Strange Bet

Zach Mack and his dad are living in separate realities, and it's tearing their family apart. 

Like so many Americans, Zach's dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. After years of circular arguments, the father challenged his son to a bet: $10,000 on ten politically apocalyptic predictions that would all happen in 2024.

In this three-part series, we follow Zach on an intimate journey to bring his father back from the rabbit hole. 

All episodes will be available for NPR+subscribers on February 21 and for all listeners on February 23.

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Introducing Alternate Realities from NPR

Kelly's here for a quick assurance: Yes we are working on more episodes at this very moment, and we'll tell you more as soon as we can. But in the meantime, check us out LIVE on stage in Anaheim, CA on Saturday October 29th at the Now Hear This Podcast Festival. There'll be tons of other great podcasts there all weekend long: Pop Culture Happy Hour, How I Built This, The Moth, WTF with Marc Maron, The Gist, Criminal and much more. Get tickets and more info at nowhearthisfest.com.

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An Update + Embedded Live

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