The NPR Politics Podcast

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...

After Almost Two Decades Of War, Biden To Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden says that U.S. troops will be out of Afghanistan by September 11th, 2021. The president said in an address Wednesday that after nearly...

White House Says It Will Meet Vaccine Goals Despite Pause In Johnson & Johnson Use

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after ...

John Boehner Thinks The Republican Party Has Changed. Has It?

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a new memoir, the former Republican House Speaker says that even Ronald Reagan couldn't get elected in today's GOP. He decries obstructionist tacti...

Weekly Roundup: April 9th

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As lawmakers and security officials brainstorm security reforms for the U.S. Capitol complex, investigators have yet to disclose any evidence that ext...

Biden Announces Gun Safety Agenda

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden announced a series of policy actions on Thursday aimed at curbing gun violence. Congressional action remains unlikely unless Democrats...

Activists Stoke Corporate Backlash To Voting Restrictions

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

States are facing pressure from corporations to dial back legislation that makes it harder to vote. Major League Baseball announced on Friday that it ...

Top Biden Labor Economist: Boosting Black Women Benefits Everyone

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Black people, in particular Black women, are historically among the last to recover from economic downturns. Janelle Jones, the first Black woman to s...

Hunter Biden's Memoir Goes Long On Addiction, Short On Corporate Work

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new memoir details a harrowing struggle with addiction but mostly elides the past corporate and lobbying work that has raised political propriety qu...

Weekly Roundup: April 2nd

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden announced his first judicial nominees this week, including one judge seen as a possible candidate for the Supreme Court. Biden's staff...

A Full Court Press: The Supreme Court Considers Expanded Benefits For Student Athletes

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether or not the NCAA is operating a conspiracy to fix prices in the athletic labor market by not ...

"It's Big" And "It's Bold": Biden Unveils Massive Infrastructure Plan

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Both parties agree that the country's infrastructure needs a face lift, and today President Biden revealed a $2 trillion plan to address the problem. ...

Gov. Kristi Noem Hopes To Court Conservatives By Banning Trans Girls From Sports

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

South Dakota's governor Kristi Noem is a Republican rising star who signed two executive orders on Monday that bar transgender girls and women from pa...

Will A New Georgia Law Restrict Voter Access Or Restore Faith In Elections?

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new Georgia law has become the center of the debate over voting rights with President Biden calling it "Jim Crow in the 21st century." Republicans a...

Weekly Roundup: March 26th

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Colorado is considering new gun control measures in the wake of this week's mass shooting in the state. But can those restrictions survive the scrutin...

President Biden Addresses Migration, Filibuster At First Press Conference

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In an hour-long briefing, Biden downplayed the role his election victory and messaging are playing in encouraging an influx of migrants to the border....

Guns Are A Key Part Of American Political Identity. That Makes Reform Unlikely.

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fearing base backlash, Republican lawmakers are unlikely to support gun control measures popular among the American public. And limiting Democratic ma...

US Loans Vaccines To Mexico, Canada

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

AstraZeneca's vaccine has not been authorized for use in the United States, but the nation has millions of doses in its stockpile. Now, the Biden admi...

Migrant Children Advocates Say Biden Should Have Been Prepared For Arrivals

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The reasons the Biden administration is housing some migrant children in adult detention facilities are complicated. The number of migrants arriving a...

What If We Don't Need To 'Fix' Polarization?

20 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben interviews Lilliana Mason, associate professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, about her book Unci...

Weekly Roundup: March 19th

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Civil rights groups have been meeting with the Biden administration about addressing the rise in violence toward Asian Americans. President Biden said...

Exclusive: FBI Director Christopher Wray On Responding To Hate Crimes

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

FBI Director Christopher Wray sits down with NPR's Carrie Johnson for a wide-ranging interview about the role of the FBI, the mass shooting in Atlanta...

Kids Entering US Alone Present Challenge For Biden

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of children are coming to the United States in search of a better life, many crossing into the country illegally along the southern border. ...

Republicans Move To Curb Voting After Historic 2020 Turnout

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Republican state lawmakers across the country, including in Iowa and Arizona, have introduced measures designed to make it harder to vote. Meanwhile, ...

Biden Passed The Recovery Plan. Now What?

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Infrastructure could be the next big focus, if an influx of children and teens at the U.S. souther border doesn't force action on immigration legislat...

Weekly Roundup: March 12th

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Detrow shares his reporting on the day, one year ago, that it felt like everything changed. And President Biden is dealing with an influx of peo...

Biden: All Americans Eligible To Get Vaccine Beginning May 1

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his first primetime address as president, Joe Biden said he believes the country can be more or less back to normal by Independence Day. But he cau...

Reeling From COVID Scandal, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Early in the pandemic, New York governor Andrew Cuomo rose to national prominence for his frank daily briefings. Now, Cuomo is accused of covering up ...

COVID Relief Spending Dwarfs All Precedents

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There is no easy way to describe how big $1.9 trillion dollars is. It's only the latest round of recovery spending. Democrats say this package could f...

More Police, More Fencing: Here's What The Capitol Riot Report Recommends

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new assessment commissioned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recommends a dramatic expansion of security measures at the U.S. Capitol. And Republican s...

Weekly Roundup: March 5th

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite a strong jobs report last month, the economy is still really struggling. That means there's a lot of energy behind Democrats' COVID relief pac...

The Supreme Court Is Expected To Make It Harder For People To Vote

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court seems poised to uphold voting restrictions in Arizona, setting the stage for Republican legislatures to try to make it more difficul...

There Will Be Enough Vaccine Doses For Every US Adult By May, Biden Says

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden announced yesterday an accelerated vaccination timeline in the United States, but some states are already moving to fully reopen—a m...

FBI Head Says Domestic Extremists Are Top Threat To US

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

FBI Director Christopher Wray defended his department saying it warned law enforcement ahead of the insurrection at the capitol. He also emphasized t...

Trump Is The Past, Present, And Future Of The Republican Party

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The former president's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference is confirmation that Donald Trump won't go quietly into retirement—loy...

Weekly Roundup: February 26th

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden hasn't reinstated family separation policies, but his choice to keep migrant children in a shelter facility has drawn criticism from a...

How Young Activists Are Working With America's Oldest President

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Many young progressive groups were openly hostile to Joe Biden's primary campaign, but they rallied to support him once he secured the nomination. Now...

How Much Credit, Blame Does Biden Deserve For The State Of The Pandemic?

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vaccination rates are trending up and deaths are trending down since President Biden took office—but another hundred thousand Americans have died si...

Ousted Capitol Security Heads Face Questions About Attack

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Under questioning from senators about the attack on the Capitol, the law enforcement officials who oversaw the building's security were quick to lay b...

Merrick Garland On Glidepath To Confirmation As Biden AG

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his confirmation hearing to serve as Attorney General, Merrick Garland emphasized loyalty to the people of the United States over fealty to the pre...

Weekly Roundup: February 19th

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of Texans have been without power or potable water for days following unusually harsh winter weather. The Republican governor blamed the outa...

Biden Wants To Re-Open Schools, But How Much Can He Really Do About It?

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden has made reopening schools a benchmark for how his administration is handling the pandemic. It is a politically tricky goal, since tho...

Trump Puts McConnell On Blast

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a statement former President Donald Trump called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a "dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack" and said Rep...

What Is In The Next Covid Relief Bill

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

House Democrats are putting the finishing touches on their Covid-19 relief package. It is expected to include everything from direct payments to a $15...

Seven Republicans Voted To Convict Trump. Where Does The GOP Go From Here?

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Seven Republican senators voted to convict former President Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection, making this impeachment the most bipartisan in h...

Donald Trump Acquitted In Second Impeachment Trial

14 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

All fifty members of the Democratic caucus and seven Republicans said Donald Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection at the Capitol — that's ten...

Is Trump's Whataboutism Defense Enough Cover For GOP Acquittal?

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a combative but brief showing, former president Trump's defense team highlighted past uses of fight metaphors by Democratic politicians to suggest ...

Democrats Tell Senators A Conviction Could Prevent Future Violence

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The House impeachment managers concluded their case against Donald Trump by characterizing a Senate conviction as a way to prevent of future violence ...

Democrats Ground Case Against Trump In Jarring Insurrection Videos

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Democratic impeachment managers played a series of graphic videos demonstrating just how close senators came to encountering violent extremists in...

56 Votes Is Enough To Continue Trump's Trial—But Short Of What's Needed To Convict

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Six Republicans voted with Democrats that it is constitutional to try a former president in the Senate after he or she has left office. But it would t...

What To Know About Trump's Second Impeachment Trial

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The impeachment trial gets underway tomorrow. A new brief suggests that Trump's lawyers will defend him on both process and substance. And a vote to c...

Weekly Roundup: February 5th

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his first major foreign policy address since assuming office, President Biden promised that the country would once again be a reliable ally to its ...

Is Impeachment About More Than Removal? Depends Who You Ask

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The question is at the center of next week's impeachment trial in the Senate, which begins Tuesday. Donald Trump's defense team says you can't vote to...

GOP Weighs Who To Punish: Conspiracy Theorist And/Or Impeachment Supporter

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Cheney is the third-ranking House Republican; she voted for President Trump's second impeachment. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a freshman lawmaker wh...

Trump Is Charged With Inciting An Insurrection—What's His Defense?

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The former president's impeachment trial begins next Tuesday. His new attorneys say the Senate doesn't have the grounds to proceed now that he is out ...

Should President Biden Strike A COVID Compromise?

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ten Republican senators are meeting with President Biden at the White House Monday to discuss their coronavirus relief proposal — which is just one-...

Weekly Roundup: January 29th

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Republican strategists close to Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue's failed Senate campaigns tell WABE's Emma Hurt that former President Trump's interfer...

Interview: Tired Of Gridlock, GOP Sen. Rob Portman Won't Seek Reelection

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Republican Rob Portman of Ohio talks with NPR's Susan Davis about his retirement from the Senate, the Republican party after Trump, as well as the for...

Do Biden's Climate Executive Orders Have Teeth?

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden will "pause" new federal land leases for oil and gas extraction "to the extent possible" — but how much of an impact will that have ...

Biden Rolls Out Limited Racial Equity Actions, Says More To Come

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden signed new executive actions today attempting to address racial inequity. For activists, these initiatives feel like they are lacking ...

What We Know About The Senate Impeachment Trial

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today the House will formally deliver an article of impeachment against former President Trump to the Senate, and the upper chamber has already begun ...

Weekly Roundup: January 22nd

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden has promised that 100 million doses of vaccines will be administered in his first 100 days — but some public health experts think th...

The Fifty-Fifty Senate Is Going To Be A Little Bit Weird

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate; that means that Democrats effectively hold a majority in the chamber. But the...