The NPR Politics Podcast

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...

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...