The NPR Politics Podcast

Weekly Roundup: January 7th

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The justices are considering whether the federal mandates governing private employers and healthcare staff are constitutional. And Republicans who bac...

'A Dagger At The Throat Of Democracy': President Biden Decries Election Lies

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a speech from the Capitol one year after the building was attacked, President Biden warned that the United States could become a nation that "accep...

Biden's COVID Response Lags Behind The Crisis, Experts Say

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the president and his team promise more tests are coming, the omicron variant continues to drive cases to new records. While the latest wave is put...

Capitol Police Are Still Dealing With The Aftermath Of January 6th

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chief Tom Manger says that he is dealing with low morale and high turnover as the force attempts to reinvent itself in the wake of last year's attack ...

US Democracy Is At Risk Of Failing, According To 64% Of Americans

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The sentiment is felt most acutely by Republicans, two-thirds of whom wrongly believe that "voter fraud helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election." That'...

Our Favorite Political Music of 2021

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Miles Parks, Juana Summers, and Ayesha Rascoe are joined by Stephen Thompson of NPR Music to discuss their favorite political music of the year.Connec...

Our Favorite Political TV Of 2021

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Miles Parks, Kelsey Snell, and Barbara Sprunt are joined by Aisha Harris of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss the year in political tele...

What Does It Take To Combat Disinformation?

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whitney Phillips, assistant professor at Syracuse University, talks to NPR's Miles Parks about conspiracy, disinformation, and what it would take to i...

Why Was Marriage At The Center Of The Fight For LGBT Civil Rights?

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest NPR Politics Book Club, Danielle Kurtzleben talks with journalist Sasha Issenberg whose book The Engagement chronicles the path of marri...

Despite Early Warnings Of An Omicron Surge, Testing Remains A Problem Nationwide

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said officials knew there would be a surge from the Omicron variant sin...

Interview: Longtime Hillary Clinton Aide Huma Abedin On Parenting, Faith, And 2016

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Huma Abedin has worked for Hillary Clinton for a quarter-century. In a new book, Both/And, she discusses being a prominent Muslim woman in American po...

How Successful Was The Biden Administration In Managing The Economy This Year?

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration laid out his main priorities as the president took office: tackling the pandemic, responding to the climate crisis, addressin...

How Successful Was The Biden Administration In Fighting Climate Change This Year?

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration laid out his main priorities as the president took office: tackling the pandemic, responding to the climate crisis, addressin...

How Successful Was The Biden Administration In Battling COVID This Year?

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration laid out his main priorities as he took office: tackling the pandemic, responding to the climate crisis, addressing racial in...

Sen. Manchin Closes The Door On Biden's Build Back Better Plan

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, the West Virginia Democrat said he would not support the Build Back Better Act, the centerpiece of President Bide...

Weekly Roundup: December 17th

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden acknowledged Thursday that the centerpiece of his agenda, a nearly-two trillion dollar social programs package known as the Build Back...

Gun Control Activists Are Training To Run For Office

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following in the footsteps of Lucy McBath, a Georgia Democrat who won a seat in the House of Representatives after her son was shot and killed, gun co...

Extreme Wing Of House Republican Party Worries Rest Of Caucus Before Midterms

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is feeling hopeful about the midterms: President Biden's approval numbers are low and inflation is at least tempo...

Donald Trump Jr. Pressed Top Trump Aide To Act During Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol recommended that Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff under President Trum...

How One Authoritarian Used Migrants As A Political Tool, And Why It Worries Biden

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. officials have accused Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko of being the latest to take advantage of desperate migrants. They say he helped ...

Weekly Roundup: Texas' 6-Week Abortion Ban Will Stand For Now

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court is allowing a lawsuit challenging Texas's 6-week abortion ban to go forward, but keeping the law in place while the suit moves throu...

No One Has Been Granted Clemency During Biden Administration

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden pledged ambitious criminal justice reforms as a candidate, but has taken few steps during his time in office to deliver them. And the FBI sa...

What To Know About The U.S. Olympics Boycott

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In response to China's human rights abuses, the United States will not send any government representatives to the 2022 Winter Olympics in the country....

Why Women Seek Abortions After 15 Weeks

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court could allow Mississippi's ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy to take effect. In the United States, many women end up getti...

The High Cost Of Vaccine Conspiracies

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An NPR analysis finds that people living in counties which strongly supported Donald Trump in the 2020 election could be three times more likely to di...

Weekly Roundup: December 3rd

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Congress passed a short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, but they only punted and they still have a long list of things to do before ...

Why Two Experts Think The Supreme Court Is Prepared To Roll Back Roe V. Wade

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court heard arguments for a case that challenges the foundation of Roe v. Wade, the decision that originally made abortion legal. In their...

The Big Consequences Of Small Changes To Congressional Maps

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Congressional districts are redrawn every ten years by state legislatures. In theory it is so populations are accurately represented when voting, but ...

Congress Has A LOT To Do, But Can They Stop Fighting For Long Enough To Do It?

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Congress and, in particular, congressional Democrats have a long to-do list before the end of the year. But inter- and intra-party disputes threaten a...

What Do You Need To Know About Omicron? Biden Says Be Concerned But Don't Panic

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new Covid-19 variant called Omicron is spreading throughout the world and public health officials are worried about its transmissibility. President ...

The Docket: What Is Executive Privilege And What Are Its Limits?

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In order to resist a congressional investigation into the January 6th insurrection, former President Trump and his associates are claiming executive p...

Remembering NPR Political Reporter Cokie Roberts

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cokie Roberts was one of NPR's "Founding Mothers," a pioneering journalist whose career blazed a trail for generations of women at the network. NPR's ...

Weekly Roundup: November 24th

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Though it has grown more popular with time, the Affordable Care Act was widely disliked by the public in 2010 and cost Democrats dearly in the midterm...

America's Other Public Health Crisis: 100,000 Overdose Deaths

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

More than 100,000 people died from a drug overdose in the 12-month period beginning April 2020. Despite a growing consensus that recognizes addiction ...

Yes, COVID-19 Cases Are Up. No, It's Not A Repeat Of Last Year.

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 case numbers are once again rising in the United States ahead of the holiday season, but the country is in a much different place than it was...

Weekly Roundup: November 19th

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The two-trillion dollar package still needs to pass the Senate, where it is expected to undergo extensive changes. Also, a look at what issues are dom...

Leaders of Canada And Mexico Visit Washington To Talk COVID, Trade, And Migration

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The summit comes after a five-year hiatus spanning the Trump administration. Despite the nations' strong relationship, disagreements over sensitive po...

Democrats Say They Have A Plan To Overcome 2022 Headwinds

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats say they will prioritize sustained outreach to communities of color and clear messages about how they think they have improved people's live...

US-China Summit May Have Lowered The Temperature, But The Tough Issues Remain

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for a video summit this week. Both governments lauded the call as productive, but the economic and h...

Steve Bannon, Former Top Trump Aide, Charged With Contempt Of Congress

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bannon was indicted last week for defying a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. He surrendered this morning to federal a...

Weekly Roundup: November 11th

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pew is out with an extensive look at nine different ideological groups latent in America's political divides. And the National Rifle Association strug...

More Trump Allies Ordered To Testify Before Congress About January 6th

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats are racing to finish their extensive investigation into the January 6th insurrection in the next year, worried that they may not hold onto t...

Biden's Election Was Legitimate. Republicans Have Convinced Supporters It Wasn't.

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and other top Republicans have continued to lie about the results of the presidential election. Now, 62 percent of Republicans believe el...

Vice President Harris Travels To France To Mend Fences

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vice President Kamala Harris is in France for several days, helping to mend the U.S. relationship with that country after a recent drama involving a m...

Congress Passes Biden's Trillion-Dollar Transit, Broadband, And Power Bill

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It is a major political victory for President Biden, though it remains to be seen whether it will buoy his approval ratings or boost support for Democ...

Weekly Roundup: November 5th

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It is not clear whether Democrats in the House of Representatives will vote today on the two major legislative packages that represent the core of Pre...

The Republican Election Official Who Stood Up To Trump

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Raffensperger is a conservative Republican who serves as Georgia's elected Secretary of State — he oversaw the 2020 elections cycle in the stat...

Virginia Elects Republican Glenn Youngkin As Governor

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Youngkin defeated former governor Terry McAuliffe, and outperformed former president Donald Trump's 2020 margins in every county. In the deep-blue sta...

Supreme Court May Allow A Challenge To Texas Abortion Restrictions To Move Forward

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A near-ban on abortion in Texas was designed to be hard to challenge in court, but in a hearing on Monday, many of the Supreme Court's conservative ju...

Biden Says The US Has Gotten Serious About Climate

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden continues his travel this week in Scotland, where he is attending the United Nations climate conference, COP26. Despite trouble passin...

Weekly Roundup: Friday October 29th

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden touted a new framework for the infrastructure package Democrats have been trying to deliver. The package dropped from $3.5 trillion to...

The Docket: Do You Have The Right To Carry A Gun Outside Of Your Home?

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court has already ruled that an individual has the right to bear arms in their own home, but next week it will hear arguments about whethe...

Jobs Are Open But People Of Color And Women Are Struggling To Return To Work

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The labor market shifted dramatically during the pandemic, and as employers once again begin to hire, many black and brown Americans are finding it di...

How Safe Are Kids Online? Senators Ask TikTok, Snapchat, And YouTube

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok and Snapchat appeared for the first time before Congress alongside YouTube to answer questions about how safe their platforms are for young peo...

The Facebook Papers Show How Quickly Radicalization Can Happen Online

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of leaked documents from Facebook were viewed by more news organizations over the weekend including NPR. The internal sources show the compa...

You Should Pay Attention To The Virginia Governor's Race

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The off-year election is the first test of how people are feeling ahead of a consequential midterm season for the Biden administration. And will the J...

What Will Survive Negotiations In Biden's Trillion-Plus Dollar Social Programs Bill?

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The White House continues to negotiate with Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona over the president's social programs ...

Will Democrats Change The Senate Rules To Pass Voting Rights Legislation?

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Another high-profile voting rights push has failed because it did not attract enough Republican support to reach the de facto 60-vote threshold needed...

Why Are School Board Officials Getting Death Threats?

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

School boards are the latest frontier in the culture wars, as incensed community members and right-wing activists protest mask mandates and anti-racis...

If You're Vaccinated, You Can Visit The US From Abroad In November

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration announced that the U.S. will admit vaccinated foreign travelers beginning November 8th. Also: the latest on vaccination boost...

Weekly Roundup: October 15th

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The two senators who are forcing more negotiations over the Biden administration's multi-trillion dollar climate and social programs bill appear to ha...

The Boston Marathon Bomber Is Undoubtedly Guilty, But Should He Be Executed?

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court heard arguments for and against reinstating the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber. President Biden him...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Optimistic On Supply Chain Problems

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tells NPR that the Biden administration is focused on resolving supply chain issues in time of the holiday ...

Let's Talk About Young Voters

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Young voters broke for Joe Biden in 2020, but are shirking party affiliations in greater numbers than older generations. And it remains to be seen how...

How Much Has The Country Really Changed Since Clinton's Impeachment?

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The TV show Impeachment: American Crime Story dramatizes Bill Clinton's impeachment through the stories of three women at the heart of the proceedings...

Weekly Roundup: October 8th

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Congress reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling enough to cover the government's spending for a few more months. Anemic job growth persists. Former ...

What's Next For The Afghans Now In The United States?

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been brought to the United States but most have not yet been resettled in communities. The process is complex, with ...

Why Trump's Former Press Secretary Worries About His Influence In 2022

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham was part of the Trump administration from the beginning and, in a conversation with Tamara Keith,...

Hear What A Facebook Insider Told Congress About How Its Apps Hurt Kids

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen told senators that the company knows its products harm children and stoke division, but that executives...

Why Does Biden's China Policy Look So Much Like Trump's?

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biden's top trade official, Katherine Tai, indicated in a Monday speech that tariffs levied against China initiated during the Trump administration wo...

For White Evangelicals, The Identity Is About More Than Religious Faith

02 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest installment of the Politics Podcast book club, NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben interviews Calvin University historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez abo...

Weekly Roundup: October 1st

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Congress kept the government open but Democrats are still working out how to pass the two major pillars of the Biden agenda. And the president's appro...

Supreme Court Will Consider Abortion, Guns, Religious Liberty Cases This Term

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An empowered conservative majority on the Supreme Court will consider a number of social and cultural issues at the heart of American life, including ...

The Docket: After A Half Century, Roe V. Wade Faces An Uncertain Future

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Dec. 1 in a case from Mississippi that tests whether all state laws that ban pre-viability abortions are unconst...

Military Officials Recommended Trump, Biden Keep Troops In Afghanistan

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie tes...

With Biden's Legacy Teetering, Democrats Struggle To Overcome Divisions

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Democratic Party discord threatens what amounts to nearly all of President Biden's domestic agenda, from childcare to climate. Compounding the challen...

Democrats Are Running Out Of Time To Negotiate On Major Priorities

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Congressional Democrats are trying to wrap up negotiations on their reconciliation package, fund the government, and deal with the debt ceiling. But w...

Do Lawmakers Have More Insight Into Stocks Than The Public? TikTok Users Think So.

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Seven House lawmakers are facing ethics complaints for violating the Stock Act, which polices insider trading, because of a recent bipartisan trend of...

Biden Faces Scrutiny Over Surge of Haitian Migrants

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration is expelling hundreds of Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, after thousands arrived at a crossing near Del Rio, Texa...

Amid Many Global Crises Biden Calls For Togetherness In First U.N. Address

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Biden emphasized the importance of global cooperation to combat the coronavirus...

As Biden's Approval Rating Dips, Republicans Sharpen Their Message For The Midterms

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The GOP has a good shot at taking at least one if not both chambers of Congress in next year's midterm elections. And they are already sharpening thei...

Weekly Roundup: September 17th

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Saturday's "Justice For J6" rally is being held to protest government treatment of people who participated in the riot. It could serve as a test of ho...

Interview: EMILY's List President On Electing Democratic Women

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The group was founded in 1985 to get Democratic women who back abortion access elected to office and has faced criticism in the years since from peopl...

With Big Plans And Small Margins, Can Democrats Pull Off Their Agenda?

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Progressives feel as though their job compromising on the $3.5 trillion dollar budget bill is done, while Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema say the...

Here Are The Tough Questions Congress Asked About Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared before both the House and the Senate this week, where he met with bipartisan frustration over the hasty wit...

Should Athletes Be Activists? WNBA Star Nneka Ogwumike Says They Have To Be

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The WBNA's political activism helped to reshape the political landscape in Washington. NPR's Franco Ordoñez and Ayesha Rascoe talked to Nneka Ogwumik...

Listen: How The Country Remembered 9/11, Two Decades Later

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There were remembrance ceremonies in New York City, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. The reading of the victim's names — there were nearly 3,000 —...

Weekly Roundup: September 10th

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The number of new COVID cases hasn't been this high since before the vaccine was widely available. Aiming to curb the rise, President Biden has announ...

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Told Us He Isn't Retiring. Yet.

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a conversation with NPR's Nina Totenberg, Justice Breyer, 83, says he plans to retire from the High Court before he dies. He bemoaned the public's ...

There's A Chance That California Will Soon Have A Republican Governor

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Voting ends Tuesday in California's recall election, where voters are deciding whether or not to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. If h...

Cutting Unemployment Aid Didn't Get Many Unemployed Americans Back To Work

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Some twelve million Americans saw their expanded unemployment assistance expire Monday as the delta variant throttles the nation's economic recovery. ...

Do School Mask Bans Violate The Rights Of Children With Disabilities?

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration is investigating several states over their bans on mask mandates in schools, saying the measures could violate the rights of ...

Sacred Ground: A 9/11 Story

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaida terrorists. The passengers and crew fought back and because of that, the ...

For Now, 73 Percent Of Americans Support Allowing Afghan Refugees Resettle in U.S.

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden's approval rating has dropped to a new low, 43 percent, according to a new poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour, and Marist College. Americ...

Abortion Is All But Banned In Texas

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A state law took effect Wednesday banning abortion after about six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. It also allows people to sue ...

After Two Decades And More Than A 150,000 Dead, America Has Left Afghanistan

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The withdrawal effort managed to evacuate 124,000 people before the last U.S. service member left Afghanistan on Monday, ending nearly two-decades of ...

How Will Biden Respond To US Crises?

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Much of the country is reeling from natural disasters as COVID hospitalization rates hit levels not seen since before the vaccine was widely available...

Weekly Roundup: August 27th

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden has warned there could be more violence coming over the weekend in Afghanistan. Yesterday's attack at Kabul's airport could be a previ...

More Than A Dozen Americans Dead After Attack At Kabul Airport

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden addressed the nation to offer condolences to the families of the U.S. military personnel and scores of Afghan civilians who died. He p...

Tens of Thousands Evacuated⁠—And Many Thousands More To Go

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. has only a few more days to evacuate as many as 1,500 Americans and many thousands of Afghans before the Tuesday deadline set in negotiations...