The NPR Politics Podcast

It's Been Months Since Congress Last Passed Coronavirus Aid. Americans Are Struggling.

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Republicans secure the votes to move forward on a Supreme Court nomination, government funding negotiations hit a snag. And Americans are strugglin...

Who Are The Women Under Consideration To Replace RBG?

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Most of them [the potential nominees] are young, and they've gone through the [nomination] process very recently," Trump said. He noted that one pers...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Progressive Icon, Dead At 87

19 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday. The Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from metastatic cancer of the pancr...

Weekly Roundup: September 18th

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A steady presidential race remains steady: Joe Biden's lead is in the high single-digits nationally. But Trump's messaging tying Joe Biden to socialis...

Bad News/Good News: Vaccine Access Months Away, But Masks Really Help

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Congress that a widely-available vaccine probably won't be available until well into 2...

Analysis: Biden Leads, But He's Still Short Of 270 Electoral Votes

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden maintains a lead in key states Trump won in 2016, but the race remains tight in Florida. Arizona and Georgia are toss-ups, and Texas is pink...

They Voted For Obama, Then Trump—Now What?

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding the motivation of voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania is key to understand the 2016 coalition that allowed President Trump to notch a de...

Trump's Nevada Rally Violated State Covid Rules. He Held It Anyway.

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After the weekend's rally, aimed at building support among Hispanic voters, President Trump spent Monday in California hearing about disaster response...

Weekly Roundup: September 11th

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As wildfires rage across the west, activists are noting the campaign's relative silence on the issue of climate change. Natural disasters of all sorts...

Whistle-blower: Trump Officials Pushed Intel Staff To Downplay Russian Interference

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Homeland Security official says in his complaint that he was ordered to halt reports that made the president "look bad." DHS and the...

On Tape: President Trump Admits To Downplaying The Pandemic

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump was aware of the severity of the coronavirus in early February, telling Bob Woodward that it was much more severe than the flu. In pub...

President Trump Pushes Unrealistic Vaccine Timeline In Effort To Win Votes

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pressed on whether he was politicizing vaccine development by suggesting that a vaccine could come before election day (very unlikely), President Trum...

Labor Day Is When Election Season Kicks Into High Gear. Here's Where Voters Are.

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this Labor Day episode of the podcast, we hear from voters in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Pennsylvania about how they're feeling about their options in No...

Weekly Roundup: September 4th

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Isolated bursts of violence between protesters have left at least three Americans dead. But demonstrations across the country remain primarily peacefu...

The Pandemic Is Slowing Nationally, But Still Severe

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Six million Americans have been diagnosed with coronavirus and more than 185 thousand have died. Cases nationally are trending downward, but the Midwe...

Lawmakers On Both Sides Of The Aisle Contend With New Political Realities

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans' internal divisions, and divisions with President Trump, made legislating nearly impossible during Trump's first term. There's little sign...

Trump Defends Man Accused Of Shooting Protesters, Visits Kenosha

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The president is in Kenosha, Wis., today, a city that has been rocked by protests after police shot a black man several times in the back a little ove...

Joe Biden: 'Do I Look Like A Radical Socialist With A Soft Spot For Rioters?'

31 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Biden's remarks come after several days of unrest in cities, including the shooting deaths of two protesters in Wisconsin, allegedly by an armed white...

Trump Is Following His 2016 Roadmap. Does It Matter That The Electorate Has Changed?

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Protests continue after police in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake repeatedly in the back on Sunday. A young white man is said to have murdered two...

'We're Here And They're Not': Amid Pandemic And Recession, Trump Touts Achievements

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump accepted the nomination for a second term onstage at the White House, in front of 1500 people — where the was little social distanci...

Pence: Trump Won't Stay Silent When 'Our Heritage Is Demeaned Or Insulted'

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Pence formally accepted the vice presidential nomination on the third night of the Republican National Convention. As racial justice protests con...

Trump Leverages Presidential Power To Juice Convention TV

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Melania Trump gave her Republican National Convention address from the Rose Garden of "the people's house." Campaign videographers were there as Donal...

Trump, Or Else: Speakers Laud President As 'Bodyguard Of Western Civilization'

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump and his allies portrayed Democrats as "radical" and decried "cancel culture." The first night of the Republican National Convention at...

What To Know About The Republican National Convention

23 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump and the Republican party will lay out their vision for Trump's re-election all week. The NPR Politics Podcast breaks down what to watc...

Weekly Roundup: August 21st

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The head of the United States Postal Service testified before the Senate today about controversial changes that good governance watchdogs say undermin...

'An Ally Of The Light': Joe Biden Pledges Return To Hope And Compassion

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden has accepted the Democratic party's presidential nomination. In his acceptance speech, closing out the convention's final night, he pledged ...

Historic: Kamala Harris Accepts Vice Presidential Nomination

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris, in her speech on the third night of the Democratic National Convention, accepted the vice presidential nomination with a nod to her mot...

One Upside For Virtual Convention? No Jeers For Controversial Speakers

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Democratic National Convention's second night featured speeches from Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Jill Biden, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — anot...

Not Too Far Left, But Left Enough: Kasich and Sanders Speak On DNC Night One

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Those were the dual messages of the first night of the Democratic convention from former Republican governor of Ohio John Kasich and progressive fireb...

The DNC Starts Tomorrow. Here's What To Watch For.

16 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and others will speak at the mostly-virtual Democratic National Convention. And, will conventions ever be the same?Want more?...

Life Kit: How To Vote By Mail

15 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you're planning to vote this fall, you can probably mail in your ballot instead of voting in person. NPR's Life Kit put together this guide for how...

Weekly Roundup: August 14th

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump opposes funding for the U.S. postal service because he believes it will make voting by mail easier. Led by a major donor to the presid...

Trump's Executive Actions Are Less Than Meets The Eye

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump announced an executive action last weekend to grant an additional $400 in employment benefits after the White House and Congress faile...

In First Campaign Event, Kamala Harris Prosecutes Trump

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris came out swinging, forceful in her critiques of President Trump at her first appearance on the campaign trail since Joe Biden selected h...

Why Pick Kamala Harris For Vice President?

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Who is Kamala Harris and why did Joe Biden select her to serve as his vice president and running mate? The NPR Politics team sits down to discuss the ...

Arizona Voters Discuss Coronavirus, Racial Justice, Election

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Who will win Arizona, Trump or Biden? How is the coronavirus being handled in the state? Who is to blame? NPR and Marist College held a virtual focus ...

Weekly Roundup: August 7th

07 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Coronavirus stimulus package negotiations are stuck at "no deal." Meanwhile, tens of millions of Americans remain jobless. Trump may accept the nomin...

Republicans Fear Democrats May Win Senate

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Republican strategists worry that the party may not be able to win a Senate majority again, and they almost certainly will not be able to significantl...

Different Approaches, Same Pain: Georgia And California Struggle To Curb Covid-19

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Congress stagnates on aid and Biden's convention duties go virtual, states are feeling the pain of the coronavirus. More than 150 thousand American...

Trump's TikTok Trepidation Troubles Teens

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump said Monday that TikTok will close Sept. 15 unless it's bought by an American company. Microsoft is in discussions with TikTok parent ...

The 2020 Battleground Map—With 90 Days Left.

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NPR's 2020 Battleground MapThe latest NPR analysis of the Electoral College has several states shifting in Biden's favor, and he now has a 297-170 adv...

Weekly Roundup: July 31st

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The country's worst-ever GDP report mirrors common sense: the economic retracted dramatically when the pandemic put life on hold. And the president's ...

Trump Suggests Unprecedented Election Delay. Congress Isn't Interested.

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The president tweeted the proposal just after a report showed the U.S. economy shrank by one-third, the worst contraction in history. Legally, resched...

Who Will Joe Biden Pick As His Running Mate?

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NPR has profiled a series of women thought to be under consideration to serve as Joe Biden's running mate. They include Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warre...

Can The GOP Unite Behind Their Coronavirus Plan?

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Senate Majority Leader has announced what is nominally the Republican proposal for the next phase of coronavirus relief, but members of his own pa...

There Are Fewer Than 100 Days Left Till Election Day. Here's The State Of The Race.

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden leads in national polls by a large margin and Trump's approval ratings on key issues are sliding. Despite a term filled with scandals, from ...

Weekly Roundup: July 24th, 2020

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump announced yesterday that much of the Republican National Convention would be cancelled because of coronavirus concerns. School reopeni...

After Crackdown In Portland, Trump And Barr Tout Federal Police

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Federal police have been militant in their response to protests in Portland, including detaining people in unmarked vans. In the wake of that controve...

Trump Wants To Change Who Counts When Dividing Up Seats In Congress

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump gave a more sober briefing about the coronavirus Tuesday evening, though it still contained inaccuracies. He said, months into the pan...

Is The Suburban Swing To Biden A Political Realignment?

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden is winning in the suburbs. They were key to Democrats' winning the House in the 2018 midterms. But suburban voters were once a key part of t...

Congress To Work On Pandemic Relief

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week with plans to tackle a long-awaited pandemic relief package. And a majority of Americans don't trust the pr...

Weekly Roundup: July 17th

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Congress has a lot it wants to take on when lawmakers return to Washington next week—police reform, Confederate names on military bases, and coronav...

GOP Hoped To Diversify. Then Came President Trump.

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A report from Republicans after Mitt Romney's loss called for the party to diversify its base. Instead, President Trump won. Now what?This episode: ca...

Polls Show Biden Riding High. Democrats Are Still Worried.

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden is doing well in the polls: in traditional Democratic strongholds, in swing states, and even in historically Republican bastions. But Democr...

Trump Fights Fauci. Nearly 140,000 Americans Are Dead.

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. continues to break its record daily high of new coronavirus cases. The White House has begun to openly criticize the country's most visible p...

Trump Uses His Office To Help A Friend

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has commuted the prison sentence of Roger Stone. Stone was convicted by a jury of lying to Congress about his efforts to contact WikiL...

Weekly Roundup: July 10th, 2020

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden has received detailed policy proposals from the joint committees he formed with Bernie Sanders, part of an effort to bring progressives into...

Absolute Immunity? Presidents Don't Have It.

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected President Trump's claim that he is "categorically immune" from having his pre-presidential financial records inves...

Is It Safe For Kids To Return To School?

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The President is insistent: kids must return to school in the fall. But its not his decision to make and school districts are struggling to figure out...

Young People Drive Coronavirus Surge

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The US is now regularly seeing days with more than 50,000 new cases of the coronavirus, up from the previous peak of 30 thousand a day in April. Flori...

President Revives "American Carnage" Message

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a speech Friday at Mount Rushmore, President Trump returned to the divisive "law and order" rhetoric and white identity politics that fueled his 20...

How Black Americans Experience Patriotism

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. is experiencing a reckoning over the fact that the promises of America are not fulfilled equally. Black Americans share how they experience p...

US Added Jobs In June⁠—But Now The Pandemic Is Getting Worse

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The unemployment rate fell to 11.1%. But there are indications that the job growth has slowed recently amid a surge of new coronavirus infections. Fol...

Trump Remakes Federal Judiciary In His Image

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In June, the Senate confirmed President Trump's 200th judge to the bench. With a dearth of legislative achievements to point to, reshaping the federal...

Trump's Disapproval Climbs Alongside US Coronavirus Cases

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Amid a renewed spike in coronavirus cases, the number of voters disapproving of the job President Trump is doing is at an all-time high, a new NPR/PBS...

Supreme Court Overturns Restrictions On Abortion Access

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals, citing the Supreme Court's adherence to precedent, to invalidate a Louisiana law that req...

Weekly Roundup: June 26th, 2020

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At the first coronavirus taskforce briefing in months, Vice President Mike Pence reiterated that the White House was there to support states in their ...

Congress Probably Won't Agree On Police Reform

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A day after Democrats blocked a Republican proposal in the Senate, they are set to pass a reform plan of their own in the House. Lawmakers appear pess...

U.S. Coronavirus Cases Holding Steady

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The United States isn't experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus—because the first wave never ended. While original hotspots of the outbreak, l...

Who Will Kentucky Pick To Face Mitch McConnell?

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Closely-watched congressional primaries in New York and Kentucky will test how well progressives fare in two very different parts of the country. And ...

Trump Fires Lawyer Who Prosecuted His Allies

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has removed a top Justice Department official, Geoffrey Berman, whose office has overseen the prosecutions of several of the president...

Weekly Roundup: June 19th, 2020

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, President Trump will hold his first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic seized the United States. The top pu...

In 5-4 Decision, Supreme Court Lets DACA Stand

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court has extended a life-support line to some 650,000 so-called "Dreamers" on Thursday, allowing them to remain safe from deportation. In...

NPR Analysis: Biden Has Early Edge On 2020 Political Map

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump is in a political hole and has a lot of ground to make up over the next five months if he hopes to win another term, an NPR analysis o...

What Trump's Policing Order Does (And Doesn't) Do

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday encouraging police departments to improve training — a step critics say falls short of what is ...

Supreme Court: LGBTQ Employment Discrimination Is Illegal

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The vote was 6-3 with conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Neil Gorsuch joining the court's four liberal justices in the majority. "In Title ...

It's Been a Minute: 'Not Just Another Protest'

14 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There is so much to unpack in this current moment. Sam has a candid conversation with Aunt Betty about how history has shaped her view of the current ...

The Ground Is Shifting In Trump's Culture War

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump and his campaign are sticking to culture war messaging even as some congressional Republicans cede ground on police reform as an incre...

The End Of Police In Minneapolis

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After one of the city's police officers killed George Floyd, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis city council has pledged to disband the city's p...

"Is that what a black man's worth? Twenty dollars?"

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Philonise Floyd, whose brother was killed by Minneapolis police, testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The hearing, tied t...

President Trump Denies Systemic Racism In Policing. Most Americans Disagree.

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Joe Biden's campaign touted his plans for police reform, President Trump denied that there is a systemic problem with American policing; according ...

Democrats Want To Reform, Not Defund, Police

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Congressional Democrats on Monday unveiled the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which aims to install wide-ranging reforms for police departments acro...

Weekly Roundup: June 5th, 2020

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the country erupts in protests over police brutality and racism, two-thirds of Americans think President Trump has increased racial tensions. That ...

View from the Ground At Washington DC Protests; Misinformation Spreads Online

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Since the White House has increased its military in the nation's capital, more protesters are gathering by the day. The protests continue to remain la...

Congress Searches For How To Respond To Calls From Protesters

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Despite curfews imposed across the country, protesters continue to gather to demand action after the death of George Floyd. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...

'He Thinks Division Helps Him': Biden Condemns Trump's Protest Response

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Former Vice President Joe Biden condemned both police violence and President Trump's increasingly confrontational response to widespread unrest in a T...

Trump Threatens To Deploy Military To States If They Don't Stop Violent Protests

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Escalating his rhetoric during a period of roiling national crises, President Trump on Monday threatened to deploy the U.S. military to cities or stat...

Trump Encourages Governors To 'Dominate' Protesters, Blames Democrats For Unrest

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump on Monday called governors weak and urged them to "dominate" to prevent further violent demonstrations following the death of George F...

Weekly Roundup: May 29th, 2020

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump responded to violent protests days after the killing of a black man. He said he will send in the National Guard, adding: "When the loo...

The Death Of George Floyd Sparks Outrage From Both Sides Of The Aisle

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Justice Department says it has made the investigation into George Floyd's death "a top priority," after furor over a video depicting a white polic...

Twitter Adds Warning To Trump's Tweets As He Spreads Misinformation

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter has placed a fact-checking warning on a pair of tweets issued by President Trump in which he claims without evidence that mail-in ballots are ...

Trump Threatens To Move The Republican National Convention

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has threatened to relocate the Republican National Convention, which has been scheduled to take place in Charlotte, N.C., in August. H...

Republicans And Democrats Battle Over The Future Of Voting

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The coronavirus has reshaped how voting may happen for the 2020 elections, and Democrats and Republicans are battling in courts across the country try...

Weekly Roundup: May 22nd, 2020

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In an at-times tense exchange on the radio show Breakfast Club, former Vice President Joe Biden said, "If you have a problem figuring out whether you'...

Trump And Biden Wage An Uneven Virtual Campaign

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The president with a major social media presence is facing a Democratic challenger with fewer digital resources. Biden's strategy counts on real-world...

Democrats Think Prioritizing Health Care Will Give Them Wins In 2020

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hoping to build on the party's success in 2018, the Democratic Party will take aim at federal challengers who want to repeal Obamacare and state candi...

Senators Clash Over How Soon To Reopen The Economy

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Members of the Senate Banking Committee squabbled Tuesday over how quickly the U.S. economy can rebound from the coronavirus shutdown and whether the ...

Democrats Launch Probe Into Trump's Firing Of State Department Inspector General

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Congressional Democrats announced Saturday they're requesting all records and documents regarding President Trump's decision to fire State Department ...

Weekly Roundup: May 15th, 2020

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's roundup: Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, had his cell phone seized by the FBI as they investigate his stock trades ...

Ousted Scientist Warns Government Response Risks American Lives

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Career government scientist Rick Bright testified that he was pushed out as the head of a government medical research agency after pushing back agains...