The NPR Politics Podcast

Changes To Texas Voting Rules Worry Older Voters And Those With Disabilities

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Election officials said more than 15,000 mail-in ballots weren't completed properly after the state imposed new voting rules governing Tuesday's prima...

At The State Of The Union, Biden Wooed Moderates And Slammed Putin

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In his speech, the president emphasized policies with broad, bipartisan support, including sanctions against Russian oligarchs and military aid to Ukr...

"Awake Not Woke": How Republicans Are Defining Their Party in 2022

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At last week's Conservative Political Action Conference, influential Republicans focused on the notion that important American cultural values are und...

Ketanji Brown Jackson Is The First Black Woman Nominated To The Supreme Court

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jackson's experiences working as a public defender and on the federal sentencing commission give her a unique background compared to the sitting high ...

US Responds To Russian Invasion Of Ukraine With Stronger Sanctions

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a speech at the White House Thursday afternoon, President Biden reiterated that the United States would not deploy troops to Ukraine, though he did...

Two Very, Very Different Strategies For Winning The Senate

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are 34 Senate races this November and any one of them could decide control of the evenly-divided chamber. Democrats in Pennsylvania are slogging...

Parents' COVID Frustrations Are A Political Issue For Democrats

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

White suburban mothers were a key, persuadable voting block in 2020 who helped to secure Biden the presidency. Now, their softening support for COVID ...

Russia Recognizes Parts Of Ukraine As Independent, Escalating Conflict

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Putin appears to be establishing a pretext for a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the context dwindle. It remains ...

Will Americans Tolerate COVID Restrictions If Cases Rise Again?

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Even Democratic areas have begun to relax COVID restrictions as the Omicron wave ebbs, but another wave could mean the restrictions have to come back....

What To Know About Biden's Supreme Court Front-Runners

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, and Michelle Childs are all highly-qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. They are also young enough to serve...

Biden Holds Out Hope for Diplomatic Solution In Ukraine

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The president says that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still "distinctly possible," but that diplomatic talks to avert an attack are continuing. And...

A Look At Key Senate, Governor's Races In Arizona And Georgia

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Biden won back Pennsylvania and Arizona from Trump in 2020, but the president's sagging approval ratings could cause problems for downticket Democrats...

On The Ground In Ukraine As Threat Of Russian Invasion Grows

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

NPR's Joanna Kakissis has been reporting on the life of Ukrainians as Russia continues to amass troops on the country's border. And will Russian Presi...

The Economy Is Doing Well By Most Measures—But Inflation Remains A Problem

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation is particularly potent as a political issue because it touches everyone, but President Biden still rarely addresses the topic substantively ...

Congress Pursues Good-Governance Reforms

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With President Biden's agenda stalled in Congress, lawmakers are turning their attention to bipartisan reform proposals meant to increase public trust...

Biden Promised To Cancel $10,000 In Student Debt For All Borrowers. He Hasn't.

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Progressives point to a law that gives the education secretary the unilateral power to discharge federal student debt as a mechanism Biden can use to ...

Top Biden Science Adviser Who Was Accused Of Toxic Management Resigns

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The White House, which has known about Eric Lander's behavior for weeks following an internal investigation, faces questions about why Biden failed to...

In Moscow And Washington, European Leaders Attempt To Lower Tensions Around Ukraine

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Washington and French President Emmanuel Macron is in Moscow as the two leaders attempt to resolve tensions betwee...

Weekly Roundup: February 4th

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The South Carolina Republican was a steadfast ally for Donald Trump in Congress, but he voted to impeach the former president after he experienced the...

ISIS Leader Dead After U.S. Raid, Biden Says

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden said that ISIS leader Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blew himself up as U.S. special forces conducted a pre-dawn raid in northern Syri...

How The Race For Ohio's Open Senate Seat Looks From The Campaign Trail

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans are the slight favorites to win an open Senate seat in Ohio, but first their candidate will need to prevail in a crowded primary fight. De...

Racial-Bias Issues Plague Justice Department Early-Release Program

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Civil rights advocates say an algorithm at the heart the First Step Act, the 2018 bipartisan criminal justice reform law, should be overhauled or scra...

Democratic Activists Say Biden Has Failed To Deliver On Immigration Promises

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Activists say the president has made little substantive progress on overhauling the U.S. immigration system despite pledging as a candidate to work to...

Biden Says He'll Make His Supreme Court Pick By The End Of February

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats will move to confirm Biden's choice as quickly as possible. And Trump allies are under investigati...

Both Parties Vie For Latino Voters To Boost Midterms Hopes

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A new congressional district in Colorado that is forty percent could be the site of one of the country's closest House races in November. Democratic o...

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer To Retire

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Breyer's retirement gives President Biden his first opportunity to name a new justice to the court. During the presidential campaign, he pledged to na...

Here's How Voting Is Different In Georgia and Texas This Year

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After Democrats failed to pass federal voting rights legislation, changes to election processes enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures wi...

As Putin Threatens Ukraine, Biden Weighs Increasing Military Presence In Europe

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

8,500 U.S. troops are on heightened alert for deployment to Europe after Russia stationed more than 100,000 military personnel on its border with Ukra...

Weekly Roundup: January 21st

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris made history when she became the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as vice president. But in an often thankless job, and...

Supreme Court Rules Trump Cannot Shield Jan. 6 Documents From Congress

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The court ruled that the former president cannot block the release of 800 pages of his records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurre...

In News Conference, Biden Says Build Back Better May Have To Be Broken Up

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a press conference to mark one year in office, the president touted his administration's progress combating COVID, while conceding he'll likely nee...

Democrats Are Headed For A Clash Over The Filibuster

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Senate Democrats are bringing new voting rights bills to the floor this week. There's just one problem: They don't have the votes. That could have con...

How Successful Was The Biden Administration In Addressing Racial Equity So Far?

17 Jan 2022

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...

Weekly Roundup: January 14th

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration's vaccine-or-test rule for businesses with more than 100 employees, but allowed a separate ...

Is another civil war brewing in America?

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of another American Civil War might seem outlandish. But as the country diversifies, it's grown more polarized. Today, Americans can't even a...

Trump tells NPR he isn't giving up his 2020 election lies

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In an interview with NPR, former President Donald Trump made it clear that he hasn't moved on from his 2020 election loss, and it's causing a rift wit...

President Biden calls for filibuster changes to pass voting rights bills

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a fiery speech in Atlanta Tuesday, President Biden urged the Senate to change filibuster rules in order to pass new voting rights protections. But ...

Congress is back in session. Can Democrats finally pass Build Back Better?

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats have two major pieces of unfinished business on their to-do list. They'll try, again, to reach a compromise on President Biden's signature B...

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...