The NPR Politics Podcast

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...

House Democrats Push For Money For States In New Relief Bill

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

House Democrats plan to move forward with a $3 trillion bill for additional coronavirus relief, following up on the historic $2 trillion aid package p...

Nation's Top Health Officials Testify

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Public health needs continue to stymie lawmakers' hopes for an immediate economic reopening. The nation's top health experts appeared — virtually —...

Fauci In "Modified Quarantine"; CA Special Election Has Lessons For November

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After coming into contact with a White House staff member who tested positive for the coronavirus, Anthony Fauci and two other top officials from the ...

Weekly Roundup: May 8th, 2020

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After months of wrangling following the Russia probe, prosecutors will not go ahead with the case against Michael Flynn based on the former national s...

Supreme Court Firsts: Teleconferences, Livestreams, And A Toilet Flush

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court resumed oral arguments this week after a lengthy hiatus because of the pandemic. The high court heard arguments via teleconference, ...

Partisan Divide: Michigan, Texas Take Differing Approaches To Reopening

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As new confirmed cases decline in the state, Michigan has extended its stay-at-home order until May 15th. Texas is moving quickly toward reopening, an...

Trump Visits Mask Factory In Arizona, A 2020 Battleground

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In his first major trip during the outbreak, President Trump is in Arizona Tuesday touring a mask factory. The state is an important 2020 battleground...

Hill Leaders Turn Down Additional Tests For Lawmakers

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The top lawmakers on Capitol Hill, both up for reelection this year, denied the administration's offer of more testing for lawmakers. Many Americans r...

Weekly Roundup: May 1st, 2020

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This podcast contains a frank discussion of an alleged sexual assault.In an appearance on MSNBC Friday morning, Joe Biden denied sexually assaul...

Treatment Research Continues As Phased Reopening Begins

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The original White House social distancing guidelines are lapsing, with a phased plan for reopening that delegates more control to states taking their...

Half Of Households Financially Impacted By Coronavirus. It Could Get Worse.

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fifty percent of Americans said they or someone in their household has either lost hours or a job because of the coronavirus, as the economy rapidly s...

WH Guidelines For Reopening Remain Vague So States Like Georgia Return To Work

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The White House has released guidelines for when and how states can begin reopening their economies, but the metrics are loose. Georgia's Governor Bri...

"Veepstakes": Joe Biden Begins Search for Vice Presidential Pick

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden has committed to selecting a woman as his running mate. Now that is the presumptive nominee, he's facing pressure from a number of camps in ...

Weekly Roundup: April 24th, 2020

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Doubts grow over the next phase of the coronavirus relief plan. And, the coronavirus outbreak has reshaped how top strategists are approaching congres...

Trump's Immigration Order Stops Far Short Of Total Ban

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Late Monday night, President Trump tweeted that he would sign an executive order suspending all immigration into the United States. The proclamation t...

Despite Protests, Most Americans Still Support Coronavirus Restrictions

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Demonstrations supported by national conservative groups have begun to spring up across the country. They are protesting the severe restrictions that ...

Another Half-Trillion: Senate Reaches Deal On Rescue Package

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The $484 billion bill is expected to approved by the Senate Tuesday afternoon. The largest component of the legislation, according to a summary obtain...

Former Staffer Accuses Joe Biden Of Sexual Assault

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This podcast contains an explicit description of an alleged sexual assault.Tara Reade, a former junior staffer in Joe Biden's Senate office, has...

Weekly Roundup: April 17th, 2020

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The White House has now issued guidance about when communities can begin to reopen, a phased plan based on downward trends in positive cases. But for ...

Unemployment Claims Remain Sky-High, All But Undoing 10 Years Of Job Gains

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

5.2 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the four-week total to 22 million — nearly wiping out all the job gains made ...

Trump, Governors Weigh How To Reopen Country

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump is impatient to get the country reopened. The administration's public health experts and the governors of California and New York say ...

Obama Endorses Biden For President—So What?

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden in a twelve-minute video shared online Tuesday morning. So what does the former president's endorsement mean in an ele...

Trump Promised Corporate Partnerships To Fight The Virus. They Haven't Materialized.

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rather than a sweeping national campaign of screening, drive-through sample collection and lab testing, NPR found a smattering of small pilot projects...

Weekly Roundup: April 10th, 2020

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a White House briefing Friday, the top medical experts from the coronavirus task force said the social distancing measures appeared to be constrain...

17 Million Americans Have Filed For Unemployment In The Last 3 Weeks

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits shot up again last week, as 6.6 million more people filed initial claims, and analysts expect the n...

Bernie Sanders Suspends Presidential Campaign

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a livestream announcing his exit from the presidential contest, Bernie Sanders told support that while there was no viable path forward for his cam...

Despite Health Risks, In-Person Voting Underway in Wisconsin

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After a protracted tug-of-war between the state's governor, legislature and Supreme Court, voting is underway in Wisconsin's primary election. Results...

White House: This Week Could Be Toughest Yet

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Deaths from the coronavirus outbreak are expected to spike this week in some of the country's hardest hit communities. President Trump breaks from his...

Weekly Roundup: Friday, April 3rd

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Democratic National Committee has agreed to push back their nominating convention until mid-August. Mike Bloomberg is facing lawsuits from former ...

Nearly Ten Million Americans Have Filed For Unemployment In The Last Two Weeks

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

More than six million people filed for unemployment last week, on top of the 3.3 million claims the week prior. Analysts project the share of American...

How Tennessee and Colorado Are Responding to Pandemic

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the White House warns the American public to expect 100 thousand or more deaths from the coronavirus outbreak, the administration is deferring to s...

Pandemic Opens A New Front In The Battle Over Abortion Access

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should abortion count as an essential medical service during the coronavirus outbreak? States disagree, prompting court fights. And lawmakers differ o...

President Trump Extends Social Distancing Guidance Through April

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump is now asking Americans to stay at home through April, with some hints that the social distancing measures could last even longer. Eve...

Weekly Roundup: Friday, March 27

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A record number of Americans filed for unemployment benefits for the first time last week as the coronavirus hammered the economy. It's nearly five ti...

Joe Biden, Retail Politician, Tries His Hand At Virtual Campaigning

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden has held a number of web-based campaign events and fundraisers now that the coronavirus outbreak has grounded his campaign. Early efforts we...

Senate and White House Announce Deal On Coronavirus Package

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell touted a bipartisan deal to provide emergency funds in response to the new coronavirus pandemic and committed t...

As Congress Closes In On A Deal, Trump Says He Wants To Open U.S. By Easter

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A Senate agreement on emergency funding to address the coronavirus could be "hours" away, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday, as Republicans and ...

Tempers Flare In Coronavirus Aid Negotiations

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As financial markets fall and case numbers soar, Congress has (so far) been unable to reach a deal on a major coronavirus aid package with an expected...