The NPR Politics Podcast
Episodes
Checking In With The Double Haters
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As campaign season started, many American voters expressed a dislike of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. With Biden's exit from the presidential race,...
Looking At The Election In Arizona
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Between a competitive Senate race, a measure to liberalize abortion rights & a measure concerning immigration, Arizona voters have a lot on their ball...
Harris, Trump Ramp Up Campaigning As Polls Open
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Polls ahead of Election Day show an ever tightening race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. We look at their camp...
Election 101: How Voting Looks Different In 2024 (Encore)
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Voting looks a little different in 2024 than it did during the last presidential election. In this encore of a September episode, we explore some of t...
Roundup: Activists Pitch Women — Secretly Vote For Harris
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump campaigns in Aurora, Colorado today, a city that he's targeted with the brand of anti-immigrant rhetoric that has propelled his reelectio...
The politics of natural disasters
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After hurricanes Helene and Milton battered the south, both former President Trump and Vice President Harris have made disaster response part of their...
Older Voters Worried About Economy, Abortion
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They vote in large numbers. They're a part of the electorate that usually gets courted heavily. But older voters say this time around, presidential ca...
Call Her Daddy, The View, 60 Minutes: Kamala Harris Goes Wide
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both leveraging popular entertainment media to reach voters who might not follow traditional news sources.Our cover...
Fewer Than 30 Days Until This Whole Thing Is Over
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This presidential cycle is the closest in recent memory and, despite what feels like an never-ending stream of unprecedented news, has remained nearly...
Roundup: Harris Courts GOP; Trump Returns To Shooting Site
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Harris traveled to the birthplace of the Republican Party in Wisconsin this week to campaign with a one-time senior Republican congress...
Ranked Choice Voting... Coming To A Ballot Near You?
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Voters in a record number of states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada, are set to decide this fall whether to enact far-reaching chan...
Control of House of Representatives Runs Through New York
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Democratic under-performance in New York state cost the party control of the House of Representatives in 2022. Now, a new coordination strategy has th...
Vice Presidential Debate Recap
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This vice presidential debate in New York City, hosted by CBS News, is the only time Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz face off before vo...
Visions of masculinity: Walz, Vance prepare for debate
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
NPR's live special coverage of the CBS News Presidential Debate Simulcast begins Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and is available on your local mem...
Weekly Roundup: Latino Voters Could Be Key In PA, NV
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Folks with Puerto Rican heritage represent a small but vital part of the electorate in Pennsylvania, where a little bit of outreach money could make d...
So Who Are These Vice Presidential Picks Meant To Appeal To?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kamala Harris' running mate Gov. Tim Walz has spent his time in the key mid-west states and is in many ways fulfilling the core obligation of a VP pic...
Israel, Ukraine And The Messes That Await The Next President
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The most immediate challenge for the next president: the U.S. is both deeply involved in both of these wars but has pretty limited control of what is ...
Will Mark Robinson's Racism & Porn Scandal Hurt Trump In NC?
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson described himself, according to CNN reporting, as a "Black Nazi" and expressed support for slavery in p...
How Harris Incorporates Biography Into Her Election Pitch
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kamala Harris often quotes her mother on the campaign trail: "Don't let people tell you who you are. You tell them who you are." Though she would be t...
Weekly Roundup: Oprah, Harris, Trump, Undecided Voters
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Harris sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a campaign event that was reminiscent of the televison icon's classic daytime talk show. And Don...
As Fed Makes Borrowing Easier, Candidates' Economic Pitches
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It just got cheaper to borrow money in the United States; the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, signalling that it believes inflation is largely ove...
Reproductive Rights Fight Continues To Define Campaign
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump's rhetoric on abortion care and reproductive rights has been all over the map this year, but his record — and that of the Republican pa...
Election 101: How Voting Looks Different In 2024
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Voting looks a little different in 2024 than it did during the last presidential election. We explore some of the changes & challenges as voting begin...
A Conversation About Political Violence In The United States
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former president Donald Trump appears to have been the target of a second assassination effort Sunday. A man was arrested after the Secret Service spo...
Weekly Roundup: Swift Speaks, Congress Stalls
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The influential pop star threw her support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in an Instagram post Tuesday. What impact does her endorsement — or a...
Examining GOP False Claims Of Noncitizens Voting
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's an allegation that's centuries old, but is increasingly becoming prominent in political discourse — that noncitizens are voting en masse to inf...
After Their Debate, Harris & Trump Head Back On The Trail
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Following Tuesday's debate, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are hitting the campaign trail — and tweaking their ...
Harris, Trump Spar In First Debate
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Kamala Harris went on the offensive against former President Donald Trump in the ABC News Presidential Debate, putting Trump on the def...
How Harris, Trump Prep For Tuesday's Debate
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have their first — and, so far, only — scheduled debate on Tuesday. What are the st...
Looking The Other Way Part 2: On Tape & Under Oath
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when political ambition collides with a #MeToo allegation in the Democratic party?Episode 2 of our two-part investigation.Learn more abou...
Looking The Other Way, Pt. 1: A Powerful Democrat & A #MeToo Scandal
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did Eric Garcetti, a powerful Democrat, lie under oath about a #MeToo scandal in his office?That's the question at the center of a new investigation f...
Roundup: Trump N.Y. Sentencing Delayed Until After Election
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It was a busy week in U.S. courtrooms. After being convicted of 34 felonies earlier this year in a New York state trial, former President Donald Trump...
Republicans Are In Good Position To Win The Senate
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans need to flip two seats to assure their control of the Senate, and with West Virginia's open seat a virtually guaranteed pick-up, all eyes ...
Why Harris And Trump Are Dumping Cash, Time Into Pennsylvania
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
NPR tracked where the candidates are investing the most travel time and money. Unsurprisingly, the most competitive states are receiving the most atte...
Voting Is About To Begin. How Has The Electorate Changed?
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are fewer white people without college degrees, more Latino potential voters in key states and a rise in Asian American voters in Nevada. We hav...
Breaking Down "No Tax On Tips"
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
By now, you've probably heard a lot from both presidential nominees about getting rid of taxes on tips. The idea may sound good on first go, but it ha...
Roundup: Harris Pitches Hope; Trump's Military Cemetery Feud
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In her first major interview of her presidential campaign, Vice President Harris pitched policy continuity with an attitude shift. She wants to contin...
Experts Think Georgia Can Withstand Trump-Backed Conspiracies
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to pressure Georgia's political leadership to "find" him votes in the 2020 election, but election conspiracies he in...
The Power Of Political Advertising
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ad spending in the 2024 presidential election is nearing $2 billion. With Vice President Kamala Harris' late entry to the race, we look at how her cam...
How Harris, Trump Are Angling For Votes
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each talks about patriotism. Each talks about their strengths as leaders. But, the visions of America Vice President Kamala Harris and former Presiden...
Nervous Democrats: Internal Polling, Senate Map Are Worries
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kamala Harris has a number of paths to the 270 electoral votes she needs to secure the presidency, a change from the Biden campaign. But political ope...
RFK Jr. Endorses Donald Trump, Suspends Campaign
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whose conspiracy-minded presidential campaign failed to gain traction with the American public, suspended his campaign Friday ...
Kamala Harris Makes Her Case: DNC Night Four
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In her speech formally accepting the Democratic party's presidential nomination, Kamala Harris emphasized her record on abortion access and voting rig...
Tim Walz And Oprah Winfrey Speak On DNC Night 3
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota delivered a speech introducing himself and formally accepting his nomination to serve as Kamala Harris' running mate. Oprah...
Barack And Michelle Obama Are Fired Up: DNC Night 2
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President Obama and Michelle Obama delivered rousing speeches on the second night of the Democratic National Convention. Lil Jon performed during the ...
DNC Night 1: Joe Biden Passes The Torch To Next Generation
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Night one of the Democratic convention showcased a party in transition. Hillary Clinton and President Biden shared the stage with a new generation of ...
Roundup: Ahead Of DNC, Trump Struggles To Find A Message
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kamala Harris has seen her campaign continue to gain momentum as Donald Trump has struggled to find an effective line of attack. As the Democratic par...
How Harris And Trump Are Talking About The Economy
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kamala Harris wants to combat "corporate price gouging." Donald Trump wants to eliminate taxes on Social Security. But the president's powers over the...
Can Harris Win Over "Uncommitted" Voters Worried About Gaza?
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden saw a groundswell of protest during the Democratic primary as hundreds of thousands of voters concerned about the administration's res...
Harris Embraces Prosecutor Past In Campaign Against Trump
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Kamala Harris is using her record as a prosecutor to her advantage in the campaign against former president Donald Trump. So far, it ap...
What To Know About Tim Walz's 24-Year Military Career
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018, Tim Walz said he carried weaponry "in war" when pushing for gun control, despite never serving in combat. He also said he chose to retire fro...
Weekly Roundup: Trump Rambles As Harris Rallies
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former President Trump held a long, meandering press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Thursday, where he committed to a Sept. 10 debate with ...
Poll: Harris Opens Narrow Lead Over Trump
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Kamala Harris opened a narrow lead over former President Trump in the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, but it is still within the margi...
Exploring Kamala Harris' Identity While Campaigning
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
She's a historic major party nominee, but her gender and race aren't cornerstones of Kamala Harris' candidacy in ways they were for other groundbreaki...
Minn. Gov. Tim Walz Picked As Harris' Running Mate
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Walz, 60, is a veteran and former schoolteacher who has been governor of Minnesota since 2019. Why did Harris pick him, and what does he bring to the ...
Harris' & Trump's Paths To The Presidency
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As election day nears, Vice President Harris and former President Trump will focus their campaigns in specific states in their efforts to win. We look...
Weekly Roundup: Trump Dumps Heritage; Harris Has Meme-entum
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former president Trump is still working to distance himself from the Project 2025 policy proposals created largely by his former aides in cooperation ...
Looks Like The Sun Belt Is Back On The Menu
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With Vice Present Harris replacing President Biden as the likely Democratic nominee, early surveys of the race show Harris winning back younger, nonwh...
Can Joe Biden End Presidential Immunity And Change SCOTUS?
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden's plan to fix the Supreme Court is going nowhere quickly, but the ideas he is proposing seem likely to stick around for awhile.This ep...
Who Will Be Kamala Harris' Running Mate?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Traditionally, vice presidential nominees are meant to bring balance to a political ticket without alienating any potential voters. Vice President Har...
JD Vance's Military Record & "Childless Cat Lady" Comment
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
JD Vance has been careful not to claim he served in a combat role while deployed to Iraq as a Marine. But after a Harris campaign ad claimed Vance wou...
Roundup: Obamas Back Harris; Bigoted Tropes Could Irk Voters
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Harris continues to pull in fistfuls of money and has secured another key endorsement from Barack and Michelle Obama.And racist tropes ...
Will Harris Break With Biden On Israel-Gaza Policy?
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The vice president has been more vocal on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip than President Biden, but she has maintained the administration's ...
With An Eye On His Legacy, Biden Addresses The Nation
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The president was emphatic about the threat that Donald Trump poses to American democracy. He said that after a lifetime of service, it was time to pa...
Dead Heat: Kamala Harris Boosts Dems' Odds In Our New Poll
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a speech at her campaign headquarters, Vice President Harris highlighted her background as a prosecutor and will work to unite the party and earn t...
Kamalanomenon: Vice President Harris Racks Up Endorsements
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vice President Harris faces no major opposition for the Democratic nomination. The fundraising platform ActBlue has reported more than $50 million in ...
President Biden Ends His Reelection Campaign. Now What?
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Biden strenuously resisted pressure to step down from the campaign for weeks after a debate in which he struggled to speak clearly and coherently. But...
After Assassination Attempt, Trump Reclaims The Limelight
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a lengthy speech formally accepting the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump made his case for serving a second term focused on mass d...
JD Vance, Trump's VP Pick, Speaks On RNC Night Three
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
J.D. Vance is 39 years-old and has been in office as Ohio's junior U.S. senator for less than two years. He said in an interview that this is his firs...
RNC Night 2: Nikki Haley Endorses Trump, Hopes To Woo Skeptics
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Night two of the Republican National Convention was full of speeches by former Trump rivals offering their full endorsement of the nominee. That inclu...
RNC Day 1: J.D. Vance Is Trump's Vice Presidential Pick
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're reporting from Milwaukee, Wisc., where the Republican National Convention kicked off by officially nominating Donald Trump and J.D. Vance as the...
Update: Trump Assassination Attempt & Biden Oval Address
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office. He used the remarks to again decry political violence, which he said has no place in Americ...
Donald Trump Safe After Shooting During Pennsylvania Rally
14 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The former president was rushed off the stage by the Secret Service. Trump said in a statement on his platform Truth Social a bullet grazed his right ...
Roundup: Dems Fret; GOP Prepares; Majestic Mustaches
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After this week's NATO summit in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden held a rare, solo press conference to try and allay concerns over his mental fi...
Trump Wants To Make The Presidency More Powerful. Here's How.
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Often frustrated by Washington bureaucracy and red tape in his first term, former President Trump aims to make the presidency more powerful if he wins...
Is Project 2025 Trump's Plan For A 2nd Term? It's Complicated
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is Donald Trump's plan for a second term? He's got ideas of his own, the Republican party has released a platform document — but the most compr...
Biden, Defiant, Is Not Going Anywhere But The Campaign Trail
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, a number of high-level congressional Democrats called for the president to step back from the ticket. He sent a letter on Monday tha...
More Election Stakes: AI Weapons And North Korean Cybercrime
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Amid a frenetic campaign newscycle, we take a look at some of the very real challenges that the next president will have to tackle during their four-y...
Roundup: Dems Ask, Is Biden's Time Up? DOJ Post-SCOTUS Fears
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With Congress returning to Washington next week and more lawmakers raising the possibility that President Biden should step down from the ticket, the ...
Trading Stock, Congressional Style
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our friends at the Indicator from Planet Money caught up with congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh to talk about her reporting on how members of ...
Biden Struggles With Dems; Trump Fundraising Hits Highs
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As President Joe Biden continued to face fallout from his poor performance at the CNN Presidential Debate — including calls from fellow Democrats to...
Supreme Court Shifts Regulatory Power From Experts To Judges
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our wrap of the Supreme Court term, we reflect on the huge number of consequential rulings and explain some of the cases we initially did not have ...
Supreme Court Grants Trump Broad Immunity From Prosecution
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What the ruling means for the charges against Donald Trump, the power of the presidency and the movement to reform the Supreme Court.This episode: sen...
Roundup: Supreme Court Abortion Ruling, Robert F. Kennedy
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court largely punted on abortion access and curtailed a law the Department of Justice has been using to prosecute accused Jan. 6 insurrect...
Biden Struggled, Trump Often Lied, CNN Didn't Fact-Check
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden fumbled in the CNN Presidential Debate, offering often rambling answers in a hoarse and quiet voice. Donald Trump, who also rambled, p...
Ahead of Presidential Debate, Voters Head To The Pools
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many folks have tuned out the news, unenthused about the rematch between historical unpopular presidential candidates. Ahead of Thursday's debate in G...
Julian Assange, Who Twice Upended Politics, Accepts Plea Deal
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Julian Assange, who has long been imprisoned in the United Kingdom, has agreed to plead guilty to a U.S. felony and will return to his native Australi...
OTHER: The Independent Voters Who Dominate Arizona
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Independent voters aren't necessarily swing voters. Most usually vote with one party. But in Arizona, they now represent the single largest group of v...
Weekly Roundup: Debate Prep; Masculinity In Politics
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Like two heavyweights looking for a rematch, President Biden and former President Trump have their first of two scheduled debates next week. But, this...
Talking About Abortion On The Campaign Trail
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion has been playing a large role in campaign messaging. We explore how both Dem...
Interview: Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J.
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., didn't expect to run for the Senate. But when Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted on corruption allegations, he decided to act. In a...
White House Announces Immigration Action To Take Effect This Summer
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an executive action released today, President Biden announced plans to offer protection against deportation to an estimated half a million undocume...
Trump Courts Young Voters
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Young voters historically vote for Democrats. But, former President Trump's style and rhetoric are drawing attention among some casting their first ba...
Weekly Roundup: Trump on the Hill, older voters in Florida
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump returned to Capitol Hill for the first time since his supporters disrupted the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021. The event was ...
Abortion Status Quo Remains For Now After Supreme Court Punt
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled that the litigants did not have standing to bring the case. But there will more challenges to abortion acc...
Dueling Arizona Ballot Measures Could Juice Voter Turnout
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As abortion access advocates canvas the state gathering signatures to get a ballot initiative in front of voters, Republican lawmakers in Arizona adva...
Trump Calls DOJ Rigged. It Just Convicted Hunter Biden.
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hunter Biden, the president's son, has been convicted on three felony charges tied to his purchase of a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs. Presi...
Biden Makes A Longshot Play For Nikki Haley Voters
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Biden campaign has hired a former Republican congressional chief-of-staff to lead its outreach to Republican voters, but interviews and polling su...
Politics Roundup: Hunter Biden Trial, Congressional Races
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The president's son is being tried on federal firearm charges for allegedly lying about his drug use when he bought a gun in 2018. And as presidential...
Additional Trump Charges Likely Won't Be Decided By Election
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The state charges in Georgia are on ice as Donald Trump and his team pursue an appeal, with initial arguments set for October. In the near term, Trump...