The NPR Politics Podcast
Episodes
Black People Are The Fastest-Growing Group Of Gun Owners In The U.S.
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Black gun owners told NPR that they largely own guns for protection; many feel the government does not do enough to protect their safety. Unlike most ...
First Gen Z Candidates Run For The House; Many Can't Get Ballots In Their Language
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The young candidates say they hope to fix broken institutions that they feel have let their generation down. And a quirk in how a half-century old vot...
Presidents Can't Fix Inflation. It Doesn't Stop Americans From Blaming Them For It.
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inflation hit a new, 40-year high in June, with consumer prices up 9.1% from a year ago. Gas prices were a big part of this, but the cost of essential...
Vaping, COVID, And The Biden Administration's Approach To Public Health
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Biden administration says Americans now have access to the tools they need to protect themselves from COVID, as a new spike in cases begins. Death...
Jan. 6 Hearing: People Who Believed Trump Face Consequences. So Far, Trump Doesn't.
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack held its seventh public hearing Tuesday, focusing on the role right-wing extremist groups – su...
Massively Popular Ideas Can't Pass Congress. Is It Time To Reform The System?
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The overwhelming majority of gun owners are in favor of universal background checks, of raising the minimum age to buy guns to 21 and so-called "red f...
Weekly Roundup: July 8th
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden has exchanged letters with the WNBA all-star, who is behind bars in Russia. It's the latest example of the thorny politics surrounding...
Abortion Access Is Now A Key Issue In Many Governor's Races
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the Supreme Court declared that abortion access is an issue that should be decided by states, it introduced a new, high-stakes political fight in...
The Grassroots Efforts To Spread Election Conspiracies
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Election misinformation has spread beyond the confines of social media to local, grassroots events taking place throughout the country. An NPR investi...
American Democratic Norms Continue To Falter As Some Republicans Refuse To Concede
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Republican primary candidates who lost by substantial margins are refusing to concede their races — echoing Donald Trump's baseless claims of voter ...
Planet Money: What's Causing Inflation?
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last few months have made us acutely aware of inflation. We all agree that it's making our lives harder, but economists disagree about what's caus...
As The Supreme Court Ends Its Term, The Christian Nationalist Right Keeps Winning
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court ends its term and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson takes the bench. And how does the Christian right keep securing political wins even ...
Supreme Court Curbs Environmental Protection Agency's Power To Protect Environment
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court limited the ways in which the EPA could regulate greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, jeopardizing President Biden's goal for...
NATO Expansion To Move Ahead Despite Russia's War In Ukraine
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The alliance is poised to admit Sweden and Finland after Turkey dropped its objections to their membership. The U.S. will bolster its military presenc...
Trump Tried To Join Attack On Capitol; Our Interview With VP Harris On End Of Roe
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
According to testimony from White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, Trump knew that the some protesters were armed before encouraging them to march on th...
Gun Split Screen: Biden Signs Safety Measures As Justices Nix A Century-Old Law
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, Biden signed legislation designed to prevent people convicted of domestic abuse from owning a gun and increase the prevalence of state "r...
Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a 6-3 vote along partisan lines, the Supreme Court's conservative majority has overturned Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old case that was the basis for ...
Trump Pressured Justice Department To Act Based On Baseless Election Fraud Claims
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Top Trump-era Justice officials, including acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen, testified about the former president's push to have the Justice Depa...
It Didn't End On January 6th: Republican Election Fraud Conspiracies Persist
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Nashville last week, Christian conservatives echoed Trump's claims about fraud after his speech at their conference. In Texas, the state GOP incorp...
Republican Officials Detail Trump's Effort To Subvert Presidential Election Results
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The officials who appeared before the Jan. 6 committee were Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his ...
How To Make The Public Safer? It's A Lot Harder Than Just Hiring More Police
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A special episode from our friends at Code Switch:In the wake of violence and tragedies, people are often left in search of ways to feel safe again. T...
Inflation At 40-Year High; Jan. 6 Committee Wants To Talk To Ginni Thomas
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Take our survey: https://www.npr.org/podcastsurveyGinni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, reportedly said she'd be willing to...
"Illegal and Unconstitutional:" What We Learned From The Third Jan. 6 Hearing
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The committee centered its third hearing around one person in particular: former Vice President Mike Pence, honing in on the pressure put on him by fo...
AAPI Voters In Nevada Talk Economy, Inflation; Gun Legislation Moves Through Congress
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of those elections, NPR held discussions with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters in the Nevada about their concerns and prioritie...
Why People In Republican-Leaning Areas Seem More Likely To Die Prematurely
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One theory: as polarization pushed policy-making out of Congress and toward states, divergent policies passed in red and blue-leaning states may have ...
'Detached From Reality': William Barr Says Trump Obsessed Over Fraud Conspiracies
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The second hearing into the Jan. 6 insurrection featured a slew of clips from top Trump aides from the campaign and administration testifying that the...
Weekly Roundup: June 10
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The hearing documenting former President Trump's role in the January 6th riot was largely told through recorded clips. But Rep. Liz Cheney — a Repub...
'Trump Summoned The Mob': What To Know About The First Jan. 6 Hearing
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee's vice chair, summed up the hearing's thesis like this: "On this point, there is no room for debate: Those who invaded ...
Many Trump Picks Did Well Running For Open Seats, But Struggled Against Incumbents
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Trump voters largely remain enthusiastic about the former president and would considering voting for him again in 2024, but some had a hard time seein...
Democratic Backsliding Rocks The Summit Of The Americas Before It Begins
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The United States is hosting a major gathering of heads of state from the Americas, but some countries are upset President Biden has elected not to in...
Federal Inquiry Cast A Shadow On Solar Power Growth. Now, Biden's Granted A Reprieve.
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Commerce Department is investigating whether China is skirting U.S. tariffs by routing solar panel parts through southeast Asian manufacturers —...
Americans Are Spending Lots — But They Still Don't Feel Good About The Economy
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Labor Department said Friday that U.S. businesses added 390,000 jobs in May, as the unemployment rate held steady at a very low 3.6 percent and, d...
President Biden Makes Longshot Plea For Action On Gun Violence
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Despite bipartisan efforts at a modest deal, Senate Republicans could filibuster any gun control measures that are brought to a vote. That would incre...
Gun Rights Are Likely To Be Expanded Even Further By The Supreme Court
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The conservative majority so far appears unmoved by prevailing public opinion on the controversial social issues before them this term, though they ha...
As Uvalde Families Demand Answers, DOJ Will Investigate Police Response
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
And President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited with victims and their families in Texas on Sunday. The White House is considering more executiv...
Here's How Politicians Pick Their Voters
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest installment of our book club, Danielle Kurtzleben talks to professor Carol Anderson about the ways in which redistricting and state vote...
John Legend On His Criminal Justice Activism
28 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most people know John Legend as an award-winning actor and musician. But he also has a long record of political activism. He talked to political corre...
Weekly Roundup: May 27th
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Senate is negotiating over limited legislation aimed at reducing gun violence, although those negotiations are narrow in scope and unlikely to pro...
Police Reform Failed In Congress, So Biden Takes What He Can Get
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An opt-in police misconduct database and new conduct standards for federal police: President Biden's police reform executive action enacts reforms tha...
Federal Gun Restrictions Are Likely Doomed in the Senate
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A mass shooting at a Texas elementary school has many Americans again asking what can be done about gun violence. But in the face of broad Republican ...
Voters With Disabilities Worry About Their Ability To Cast Ballots In Wisconsin
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A court case has some voters with disabilities worried that they will not be able to rely on family or caretakers for help casting a vote without brea...
Biden Visits South Korea And Japan, Emphasizing Trade To Counter China
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden said the U.S. Military would defend Taiwan if China invaded. He also announced a new, if nebulous, economic compact with 12 nations de...
Weekly Roundup: May 20th
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
U.S. government tariffs and Department of Agriculture buying practices helped drive consolidation in the baby formula industry. When a major plant shu...
Will Threats To Abortion Access Motivate Democratic Voters? Maybe.
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The leak of a draft opinion from the Supreme Court earlier this month that showed the majority-conservative court ready to overturn Roe v. Wade has le...
MAGA Republicans Dominate Key North Carolina, Pennsylvania Primaries
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In North Carolina, Rep. Ted Budd — boosted by Donald Trump's endorsement — secured a decisive win over the state's former two-term governor.And in...
American Conservatives Are Smitten With Hungary's Increasingly Autocratic Leader
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A prominent conference of American conservatives — the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) — will take place in Hungary this week. Pri...
How Replacement Theory Moved From The Fringe To The Mainstream
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The suspected gunman in Saturday's shooting in Buffalo, N.Y. is alleged to have written a racist screed explaining his motivations. One of the topics ...
Weekly Roundup: May 13th
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sat down with NPR's Deirdre Walsh for a conversation about the leaked Supreme Court draft that would spell the...
A Majority of Americans Support Roe. That Doesn't Mean They Agree on Abortion.
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Senate Democrats failed to pass a bill that would have codified the right to an abortion Wednesday, with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin voting with al...
This Longtime Dem Lawmaker Opposes Abortion Rights. Will Primary Voters Support Him?
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rep. Henry Cuellar is a conservative Democrat who has represented the 28th Congressional District in south Texas since 2005. Backed by Democratic cong...
Biden's Midterm Pitch: Inflation Is High, But You're Still Better Off With Me
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In an economic speech that felt like a campaign stump, Biden touted his administration's efforts to bolster the American economy. He said that inflati...
National Abortion Ban Could Come To A Vote If Republicans Win Congress
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After initially being reluctant to talk about the substance of the leaked Supreme Court opinion, GOP lawmakers have begun to campaign on the exaggerat...
America Before Roe v. Wade
07 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court may be on the cusp of overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling which established abortion access as a constitutional right. In this ...
More Jobs, Bigger Paychecks... And The Risk Of Recession?
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of people have gotten jobs recently and paychecks are, on average, getting bigger. But what those paychecks can buy is shrinking because costs ar...
Are Other Rights Really At Risk If Roe Is Overturned?
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It depends how the final opinion is written. And, President Biden said that voters need to elect more Democrats in order to ensure their rights are pr...
Trump's Endorsement Helps J.D. Vance Win Ohio's GOP Senate Primary Race
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The primary race illustrated the state's dramatic conservative turn in recent years. If Vance bests Democrat Tim Ryan in November, the 37 year-old wou...
The Supreme Court Seems Likely To Overturn Roe v. Wade
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
According to a draft opinion obtained by POLITICO, there is a five-justice conservative majority ready to strike down Roe v. Wade, the case which esta...
More Funding For Ukraine Seems Likely. More COVID Money Seems... Less Likely.
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The White House pitch to provide consistent support for Ukraine through the end of September at a cost of $33 billion has broad support in Congress. M...
Republicans Have Momentum With Voters. It Might Be Enough for a Wave in November.
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, 47% of registered voters surveyed said they are more likely to vote for the Republican in their district, as op...
States Are Preparing For A Possible Post-Roe Future
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court is considering a case that could significantly weaken the right to abortion — or even scrap it entirely. With Roe V. Wade on shaky...
So There's A Lot Happening In Florida Right Now
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A flurry of headlines out of the Sunshine State: Gov. Ron DeSantis — a rising star in the Republican party and apparent presidential hopeful — is ...
Immigration, Inflation Loom Large As Dems Wonder How To Tout Wins Ahead Of Midterms
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a conversation with NPR, Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland said that while thin margins have limited Democrats' legislativ...
8 in 10 Young People Want Government Action On Student Loan Debt
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty-eight percent of Americans under 30 want to see student debt cancelled entirely. Despite a campaign trail promise to eliminate some debt, Presi...
Weekly Roundup: April 22
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and will streamline their immigration and vetting process, the White House told reporters this...
These Candidates Face Allegations Of Abuse—Will They Win Their Elections Anyway?
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prominent candidates in two Republican Senate primaries, Missouri's Eric Greitens and Georgia's Herschel Walker, face domestic violence allegations. O...
Remain In Mexico: Will The Supreme Court Let Biden End Trump's Asylum Policy?
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Biden administration has repeatedly tried to end the policy, which requires migrants making an asylum claim in the U.S. to reside in Mexico until ...
Federal Court Ends CDC's Transportation Mask Mandate
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A judge said the rule exceeded the Centers for Disease Control's power, raising questions about how the agency can enforce public health rules in futu...
After Decades Of Bipartisan Teamwork, Republicans Quit Presidential Debate Commission
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
And you might not have to go to Iowa in order to be the Democrats' presidential nominee anymore: the party is looking to reshape its primary calendar ...
Weekly Roundup: April 15th
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Palin, whose 2008 turn as John McCain's running mate presaged the Republican Party's evolution, is reentering the political arena with a bid to ...
What Natasha Romanenko Experienced When Russian Troops Occupied Her Town
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv, Natasha Romanenko lived in her root cellar for a month to avoid Russian soldiers. In the final days of the occupatio...
A Look At The Most Interesting Races In The GOP's Fight To Retake The Senate
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are 35 Senate elections happening this November and although Republicans are defending 21 incumbents to Democrats' 14, they still appear poised ...
On COVID, Democrats Struggle With The Tension Between Public Health And Politics
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The White House continues to insist the country has the tools to return to life-as-usual, even as COVID spreads through establishment Washington. Low ...
How Extremist Republicans Have Reframed Politics In Idaho
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Far-right activists and a militia figure are a major force in the state's Republican politics, where even orthodox conservatives like Gov. Brad Little...
How Congress Is Investigating January 6th — And Preparing For Any Future Attacks
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to the former president, voluntarily testified before House investigators for more than eight hours this week about...
Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed To The Supreme Court
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The vote was 53 to 47, with three Republicans joining the Democratic caucus in support of Jackson's nomination. When sworn in this summer, she will be...
Derailed By Immigration Fight, COVID Funding May Have To Wait Weeks
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the Senate prepares to leave town for a two-week break, a bipartisan deal for $10 billion in new COVID money is on hold thanks to a fight over immi...
The Economy Is Weird Right Now
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Unemployment in the United States is near record lows, wages are growing quickly, and spending in the service sector is increasing as the pandemic lul...
Mass Graves Found In Kyiv Suburbs Following Russian Withdrawal
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
President Joe Biden again referred to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a war criminal after mass graves were discovered in territory recaptured by Ukr...
How TV Ad Lies And Private Money Shape U.S. Elections
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Communications Commission has few regulations over what candidates can say in their advertisements, though private broadcasters and intern...
House Democrats Probe Gap In Trump's Call Logs From January 6th
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a former White House staffer, was interviewed by the committee investigating the January 6th attacks on Thursday...
In Florida and Indiana, Republicans Are Trying To Limit What Kids Are Taught
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Florida, a law limiting discussion of sexual orientation will take effect this summer. In Indiana, Republican lawmakers debated how to constrain di...
Why Did Tucker Carlson Echo Russian Bioweapons Propaganda On His Top-Rated Show?
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia pushed a conspiracy theory that the United States is helping Ukraine develop biological weapons. There's no evidence for that, but the idea did...
Congress Tries To Reach COVID Funding Deal
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are down in the United States, but health experts say it's too early to declare victory over the virus. Lawm...
Weekly Roundup: March 25, 2022
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On a four-day trip through Europe, President Biden is sending the message that the US and allies are united in their response to the Russian invasion ...
How Much Sway Does Donald Trump Hold In Republican Primaries?
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tepublicans in the Ohio Senate primary are vying for Trump's endorsement to gain an edge in a crowded field. But Trump's approval doesn't mean an auto...
Are Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings All Politics?
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wednesday was the third day of Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, but senators spent much of their time rehashing familiar l...
Ketanji Brown Jackson Vows To Be An "Impartial" Supreme Court Justice
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's Supreme Court pick, faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. In a marathon hearing, Jacks...
Ketanji Brown Jackson Begins Historic Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On her first day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told senators that she "stands on the shoulders" of those who cam...
The Senate Surprised Itself By Passing A Bill To Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On top of aid to Ukraine and a trillion-dollar budget, Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act and passed legislation which makes lynchin...
Ukrainian Refugees Could Convince Biden To End Pandemic Asylum Restrictions
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For more than a year, immigration activists have been frustrated that the White House has used the pandemic as a reason to turn away hundreds of thous...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's President, Addresses Congress
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a video address before Congress Wednesday, in which he asked for additional support to protect the c...
Politics And America's Loneliness Epidemic
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Even before the pandemic, three in five Americans reported feeling like they are left out, poorly understood and lacking companionship.Communities wit...
From A Basement In Lviv, The Latest On Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The UN says more than 600 civilians been killed, though the true number is likely far higher. Russia's attacks have begun to reach the westernmost par...
Once Derided As Graft, Earmarks Just Helped Congress Pass A Bipartisan Budget Deal
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The $1.5 trillion dollar package also contained billions in aid to Ukraine. One thing that was absent? COVID relief money that the White House was ban...
Exclusive: Attorney General Merrick Garland
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The head of the Justice Department said that he is committed to unraveling the conspiracy behind the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, and re...
Why Colorado's Democratic Governor Broke From His Party On Mask Mandates
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Democrat Jared Polis ended Colorado's statewide mask mandate in the summer of 2021 and didn't reinstate it during later coronavirus surges. In an inte...
Biden Bans Russian Oil Imports
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The symbolic move was accompanied by an acknowledgement from the president that gas prices are likely to keep rising. Nominally at an all-time high, g...
After Ten Days Of War, The View From The Ground In Ukraine
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine continues to hold out against a Russian invasion, as the U.S. and its European allies debate military aid and banning Russian oil imports to f...
January 6th Committee Says It Has Evidence Trump's Election Efforts Broke The Law
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lawmakers said in a court filing this week that the evidence they have gathered through their investigation into last year's attack on the U.S. Capito...
The White House Says It Is Prepared To Respond Quickly To New COVID Variants
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Biden is asking Congress to make new treatment options free and immediately available to patients who test positive. The administration says wastewate...