The NPR Politics Podcast

Today Proved How Hard It Will Be For Democrats To Pass These Huge Bills

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Moderate House Democrats want to vote on infrastructure before negotiations continue on the big Biden economic plan. Progressive Democrats, joined by ...

Vets Are Worried Their Afghan Allies Will Be Killed Before They Can Evacuate

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. is evacuating thousands of people a day from Kabul, prioritizing Americans and citizens of NATO allies. The Taliban insist that all troops mu...

Why Didn't Biden Start Evacuating Americans Sooner? We Asked Him.

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden spoke about the situation in Afghanistan again Friday, emphasizing his commitment to evacuating all Americans and Afghan allies after ...

Biden: Military Isn't The Way To Deal With Human Rights Issues

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Frantic evacuations continue in Afghanistan as President Biden publicly defends the way in which the withdrawal of U.S. troops was conducted. And in a...

Election Officials Still Get Death Threats

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The nation's top election officials met in Iowa last weekend. They discussed the ongoing challenge presented by false conspiracy theories pushed by Re...

Most Kids Still Can't Get The Vaccine. They Represent 18% Of New Cases.

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hospitals across the country are nearing capacity as they struggle to treat unvaccinated Americans. Children represent eighteen percent of all new cas...

Biden: Americans Shouldn't Die In A War That Afghans Aren't Willing To Fight

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a speech at the White House Monday, President Biden forcefully defended his decision to withdrawal from Afghanistan — rebuking the Afghan governm...

Weekly Roundup: August 13th

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The unexpected announcement from the Pentagon comes as the Taliban is rapidly increasing their control over the country. And new census data out this ...

The Docket: Vaccine Mandates

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest installment of the Docket, our series on legal issues, NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben and Carrie Johnson talk about vaccine mandates with Lin...

What's Next For New York After Cuomo's Resignation?

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Once talked about as a future presidential candidate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) will leave politics in disgrace after the release of a report detaili...

Biden's Next Infrastructure Challenge: Democrats

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden's infrastructure deal passed the Senate with 19 Republican votes, bolstering his claim that he can secure deals in today's Washington....

Biden's Climate Plans Are Historic. But Are They Enough?

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden said that the United States will cut its greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The Senate is on t...

Weekly Roundup: August 8th

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The unemployment rate dropped to 5.4% in July — a low for the pandemic. Nearly a million new jobs were added to the economy — although restaurants...

Prices Are Rising. Who's To Blame?

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

People agree: prices are up on everything from gasoline to used cars. But both experts and voters disagree on the cause and whether inflation is here ...

Biden Said He Couldn't Stop Evictions. Then He Did.

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gene Sperling oversees the White House's rollout of COVID relief. On Monday, he told reporters that President Biden had "quadruple-checked" whether he...

Governor Andrew Cuomo Sexually Harassed Multiple Women, New York Investigation Finds

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An investigation found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women in and out of state government and worked to retaliate against one of h...

Light Summer Reading? The 2,702-Page Infrastructure Deal Just Dropped.

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A vote on the trillion-dollar proposal is expected as soon as Thursday. Also, President Biden has been denying tens of thousands of migrants asylum pr...

60 Percent Of Adults Are Fully Vaccinated. Why Are Things Getting Worse?

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden gave a speech Thursday afternoon begging folks to get vaccinated. A CDC document warns that the very contagious delta variant means "t...

The Docket: The Rise And Fall Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was born from the civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s, but in recent years the Supreme Court has effectively null...

Sixty-Six Percent Of Alabamians Still Need The Shot. Can Tommy Tuberville Help?

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The White House says it is "following the science" on masks after the CDC issued new guidance, but some experts say they're falling short on the socia...

Four Police Officers Detailed The Ugly Violence And Racism Of The Capitol Riot

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The officers — Pfc. Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the U.S. Capitol Police, and Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges of the Washington, D.C., Me...

Some 6300 New Migrants Arrived At The Southern Border Every Day Of June

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Customs and Border Protection reported encounters with 188,829 migrants and asylum-seekers at the U.S. southern border last month, the highest level i...

Weekly Roundup: July 23rd

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A hearing next week featuring testimony by Capitol Police officers will be held without any members nominated by Republicans. Minority Leader Kevin Mc...

The First $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Deal Vote Failed. It Doesn't Really Matter.

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A group of 21 senators from both parties but out a statement that they're close to a deal and another vote is expected as soon as Monday.And an Ohio D...

A Heartbreaking Rise In COVID Cases Has People Worried Restrictions Will Return

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in parts of the United States and there have been new cases among fully-vaccinated lawmakers and government staff. T...

These Two Sites Explain How Facebook Outrage Reshaped Media

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Shapiro's conservative commentary and news aggregation site The Daily Wire is a dominant force on Facebook, where sharp headlines drive massive en...

What Does Federal Court Ruling Mean For DACA Program?

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden's primary policy initiatives, his trillion-dollar infrastructure and economic plans, face their first test in the Senate this week...

Black Rebellion: Mass Violence And The Civil Rghts Movement

17 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Hinton's book America On Fire explores how aggressive policing sparked thousands of incidents of mass violence in Black communities across t...

Weekly Roundup: July 16th

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Voting rights activists feel that they have done the work of energizing and organizing voters to care about the issue. Now, they want President Biden ...

Is This The Biggest Bill Of Your Lifetime?

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his April address to Congress, President Joe Biden said he hoped to prove that democracy and the federal government were still capable of deliverin...

Can Joe Biden Turn Florida Blue With A Savvy Response To Protests In Cuba?

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Faced with food and fuel shortages, Cubans have begun unprecedented protests against the country's communist government. President Biden's response co...

We Asked Vice President Kamala Harris If She's Pushing Senate To Change Filibuster

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Take our survey: npr.org/podcastsurveyVice President Harris talked to NPR's Asma Khalid about the administration's path forward on their voting rights...

When Will People Be Able To Visit The United States Again?

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Take our survey: npr.org/podcastsurveyDomestic travel is surging as the country reopens, but there is still an international-sized hole in the bottom ...

Weekly Roundup: July 9th

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden gave a defensive speech Thursday updating the American public on his plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan. He said that the United Sta...

Trump's Social Media Lawsuit Is Mostly Messaging, But Tech Regulation Is Coming

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former president Donald Trump filed a lawsuit this week claiming that his rights are violated by social media bans, claims legal experts say are spuri...

How An Increase In Violent Crime Is Changing The Political Landscape

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Though crime rates remain well-below historic highs, assaults and murders have spiked since the pandemic began. Democrats in New York picked ex-cop Er...

Six Months Later, There Is A Lot We Don't Know About The Attack On The Capitol

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

More than five hundred people have been charged in what is on track to be one of the largest criminal investigations in the country's history. Now, a ...

How Democratic Is American Democracy?

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

By 2040, 70% of Americans could be represented by just 30 Senators. And twice in the last two decades, a Republican president has lost the popular vot...

The Docket: The First Term With A New Conservative 6-3 Majority On The Supreme Court

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Chief Justice John Roberts used to be seen as a solid conservative, but as the center of conservative politics moved to the right so did the justices ...

Weekly Roundup: July 2nd

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden did not meet his goal of 70% of Americans having one shot of the vaccine by July 4th, and some hot spots are flaring up in red states ...

Trump Organization, CFO Are Criminally Charged. What Does It Mean For Trump?

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former President Donald Trump's family business and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, have been criminally charged by the Manha...

The Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Restrictive Voting Laws

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court upheld the state of Arizona's restrictive voting laws that some argued targeted black and brown voters. Plus, the ...

We Just Got Our Clearest Picture Yet Of How Biden Won In 2020

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Pew Research Center just released the most comprehensive analysis of the demographic breakdown of voters in 2020. We dig into the data and look at...

The Supreme Court Avoids Ruling On Trans Rights, At Least For Now

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to wade into a major controversy over the use of bathrooms by transgender students, delivering at least a tempo...

In Tandem: Biden Walks Tightrope Between Infrastructure Deal And Democratic Wish-list

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden walked back an earlier threat that he would not sign the newly announced bipartisan infrastructure deal if it did not come to his desk...

NPR's It's Been A Minute: A History Of AIDS/HIV Activism

26 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Forty years ago this month, the CDC reported on patients with HIV/AIDS in the United States for the very first time. In the years since, LGBTQIA+ Amer...

Weekly Roundup: June 25th

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Justice announced it is suing the state of Georgia over a restrictive voting law. The move comes as the Biden administration seeks w...

Biden Announces Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, But That's Only Half The Story

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Standing next to Democratic and Republican Senators, President Biden declared, "we have a deal." The group had agreed to a framework for a large infra...

"Mean Girls" Meets The Supreme Court Pt. II: SCOTUS Supports Student Free Speech

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court sided with a student who was penalized after cussing out her school on Snapchat. Advocates of free speech are calling it a big win f...

Democrats And Republicans Are In An Existential Crisis Over Ballot Access

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today Democrats' massive elections overhaul bill is all but set to stall out in the Senate, but the party's wish-list was never expected to gain Repub...

The Supreme Court Unanimously Rejects NCAA Limits On Athlete Compensation

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court unanimously sided with college athletes in their challenge to NCAA compensation rules. The court's ruling was narrow, but Justice Br...

Weekly Roundup: June 18th

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman is part of a new class of progressive lawmakers hoping to push their party left on issues like police reform, hea...

Obamacare Wins At SCOTUS; Biden Admin Expands Transgender Student Protections

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court threw out a Republican-led challenge to the Affordable Care Act, and the justices ruled unanimously in favor of a Catholic foster ag...

"I Did What I Came To Do": President Biden Meets With Russia's Vladimir Putin

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Geneva, President Biden and Russia President Vladimir Putin met for hours. At separate news conferences Putin described the talks as "constructive"...

Vice President Harris, Texas Lawmakers Meet To Push Voting Reform

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats on the Hill are meeting with Democratic state lawmakers from Texas to discuss federal legislation on voting rights, an issue that was recent...

In First Trip Abroad, Biden Tells Allies "America Is Back"

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the first overseas trip of his presidency, Biden is in Europe delivering a central message to allies: America is back. But while G-7 leaders agree ...

Weekly Roundup: June 11th

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a speech announcing the change, President Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that allowing every eligible American adult the chanc...

What's Behind The GOP's 'Critical Race Theory' Rhetoric?

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Some Republican lawmakers have branded the efforts to teach about the effects of racism as "critical race theory." They have introduced legislation in...

VP Harris Emphasizes Anti-Corruption In Trip To Guatemala, Mexico

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vice President Harris emphasized the need for development and healthy civil society in her first foreign trip, meant to curb the flow of migrants and ...

Senate Insurrection Report And Biden's First Trip Abroad

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A bipartisan Senate investigation found that police had more alarming intelligence ahead of the Jan. 6 attack than previously documented. And the pres...

How Does Trump's Return To The Public Eye Impact GOP Lawmakers?

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former president Donald Trump spoke at a North Carolina Republican Party meeting over the weekend. The appearance demonstrated his lasting control of ...

Weekly Roundup: June 4th

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont had asked the Labor Department to bar governors from prematurely ending supplementary unemployment payments tied to the...

With North Carolina Speech, Trump Returns To The Political Stage

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former President Trump will speak at the North Carolina Republican Party's state convention this weekend, kicking off his unofficial return to the cam...

Battles In Texas, Arizona Are Just The Beginning Of The Fight Over Voting Rights

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Texas this week, state Democrats blocked a number of Republican voting changes purportedly aimed at increasing election confidence. Arizona's conti...

Biden Visits Tulsa On 100th Anniversary Of Racist Terror That Killed Hundreds

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The White House announced a number of new orders aimed at tackling the racial wealth gap in connection with the visit. Centenarian survivors of the at...

50 Years Of NPR's Political Coverage

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month NPR is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to commemorate the moment we're looking back on the women who shaped how NPR has covered the b...

Weekly Roundup: May 28th

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The country's reckoning with policing, racial equity, and representation have reshaped the contest to run the largest city in the U.S. And, Democratic...

Pandemic Likely Began With Animals, But US Intel Agencies Will Investigate

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. government and scientists remain uncertain about the exact origins of the coronavirus outbreak: transmission from animals or research lab esc...

The Docket: The Law Defers To Police During Traffic Stops

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Docket is a new ongoing series from The NPR Politics Podcast where we examine the backstory of the laws that impact our daily life. Traffic stops ...

Biden Misses His Own Police Reform Deadline

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During his first address to Congress, President Biden pushed for his party's police reform and racial justice package to be passed by May 25th, the fi...

After A $500B Haircut, WH Infrastructure Plan Isn't Attracting More Republicans

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The White House dropped half a trillion dollars in spending from Biden's infrastructure and stimulus proposal in an ongoing show of "bipartisanship," ...

The Winners And Losers Of America's Economic Transformation

22 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alec MacGillis' book Fulfillment tells the story of America's three-decade long economic transformation through the lens of Amazon's rise to corporate...

Weekly Roundup: May 21st

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The left flank of the Democratic party has exerted a lot of influence over the Biden administration on issues like climate change and economic strain....

Are Expanded Unemployment Benefits Keeping People From Returning To Work?

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-two Republican led states are planning to roll back expanded unemployment benefits, because they say the benefits are keeping people from retur...

Supreme Court Will Consider Guns And Abortion Before 2022 Election

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The court, a 6-to-3 conservative majority, has increasingly filled the legislative role abdicated by a dysfunctional Congress. And as Republican leade...

Biden Won Georgia And Arizona. Why Are Their Democratic Senators So Different?

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The states both have long histories of Republican control, but the two pairs of senators have taken remarkably different tactics in Congress. Arizona'...

How Black And White Americans' Views On Race Differ

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll out Monday reveals how Americans view race after a white police officer was found guilty of George Floyd's murder.M...

Weekly Roundup: May 14th

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence presents a new hurdle for an administration that has tried to stay laser-focused on its own legislative agenda...

Fuel Squeeze And Inflation Marker Could Create Trouble For Biden—If They Last

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The president said the country's fuel supply will return to normal soon and that there was no cause for a run on gas stations. And a consumer goods pr...

House Republicans Oust Liz Cheney After Persistent Criticism of Donald Trump

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

She served as the Republican Conference Chair, the third-ranking leadership position among Republicans in the House. She intends to remain in Congress...

Biden Wants $10 Billion To Put Young People To Work On Environmental Projects

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The president's Civilian Climate Corps proposal is a reboot of a New Deal era program that employed young men to build trails, parks, and other nature...

At Florida's Retirement Xanadu, GOP Firebrands Lead Their Own Trump Rally

10 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

House Republican bomb throwers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz threw a rally at The Villages retirement community in Florida this weekend. It sh...

Weekly Roundup: May 7th

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney currently sits as the third highest ranking Republican in the House, but that may not last long. She's at odds with ...

Patents Are Just One Piece Of The Global Vaccine Manufacturing Problem

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Technical expertise and supply chains shortages will pose huge challenges for global manufactures hoping to manufacture coronavirus vaccines, despite ...

Trump's Facebook Ban Remains, For Now

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook's moderation board has upheld the company's decision to suspend Donald Trump's account because of posts expressing support for rioters, thoug...

Dems To Justice Breyer: Retire From Supreme Court While We Control Senate

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Reeling from the political fallout after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, some liberal groups are pushing for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer...

How Much Is Biden Willing To Compromise On His Infrastructure Plan?

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden has touted his desire to bring transformational change to American society, but his pursuit of compromise might curb what's possible o...

Weekly Roundup: April 30th

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, California's secretary of state confirmed that there are enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democ...

Census: More Seats For Texas, Fewer For California and New York

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first round of Census numbers out this week will help to determine each community's electoral clout and share of federal resources. An ongoing aud...

Biden's Pitch to Congress: Make Government Great Again

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Biden detailed how he says his two multi-trillion dollar legislative proposals will res...

The Docket: "Mean Girls" Meets The Supreme Court

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Docket is a new ongoing series from The NPR Politics Podcast where we examine the major legal questions of our time. Where does a law come from, a...

The Pandemic And Biden's First 100 Days

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As President Biden nears his 100th day in office, how much credit is he due for curbing the pandemic and what challenges remain?This episode: congress...

Weekly Roundup: April 23rd

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a 94-to-1 vote, the Senate passed a bill aimed at reducing hate crimes directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. And more than half of Ame...

World Leaders Convene (Virtually) For White House Climate Summit

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of the meeting, the US announced its goal to halve emissions from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. It was one of a number of pledges annou...

DOJ Announces Minneapolis Police Investigation; Biden Governs With An Eye On History

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One day after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges, the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigatio...

George Floyd's Family, White House Push For Police Reform Law After Guilty Verdict

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all the counts he faced over the death of George Floyd. After the verdict...

White House Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy On Summit

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How will the US slash emissions by 2030? White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy talks to NPR's Scott Detrow ahead of this week's climate summit wit...

Biden Holds Bipartisan Infrastructure Talks At White House

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Members of the House and Senate, all former governors and mayors, attended a meeting at the White House today to talk infrastructure priorities with t...

Weekly Roundup: April 16th

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Testimony ended Thursday in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, facing charges of second-degree murder, third-degree ...

Americans Support An Expanded View Of "Infrastructure" But Not How To Pay For It

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that Americans generally support making things like broadband part of infrastructure, but they don't agree on...