Decoded by POLITICO

While athletes prepare to travel to Beijing this February for the Winter Olympics, Canada, Australia and the U.K. joined the United States this week in announcing diplomatic boycotts of the Chinese Olympic games. Phelim Kine reports.

Phelim Kine is a DC-based China correspondent for POLITICO.
Annie Rees is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.
Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.

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President Biden on Monday nudged members of his party in Congress push through his signature Build Back Better plan, which includes health provisions to change prescription drug pricing. Democrats’ ability to meaningfully impact drug prices, however, depends heavily on Congress passing the party’s $1.7 trillion social spending bill in the coming weeks. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

Alice Miranda Ollstein is a health care reporter for POLITICO.
Annie Rees is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.
Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.

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In a 36-page memo to the Jan. 6 committee, Col. Earl Matthews slams the Pentagon's inspector general for what he calls an error-ridden report. Plus, Marc Short, former chief of staff to Mike Pence, is cooperating with the Capitol riot committee. Meridith McGraw reports.

Meridith McGraw is a national political correspondent for POLITICO.
Annie Rees is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.
Raghu Manavalan is a senior editor for POLITICO audio.

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What will it take to declare victory over Covid? POLITICO's Sarah Owermohle reports.

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In North Carolina, the race for the Senate reveals the party’s internal conflict over race and the best strategy to win a crucial seat. POLITICO's Michael Kruse reports.

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After seven Senate terms and three runs for president, Joe Biden has mastered his folksy image. But behind "the Delaware way" are secrets in Joe's family tree and son Hunter's foreign deals. National political correspondent Ben Schreckinger tells Playbook's Ryan Lizza about what he uncovered while investigating his book, “The Bidens: Inside The First Family’s Fifty-Year Rise to Power.”

Ryan Lizza is a co-author of POLITICO Playbook.
Ben Schreckinger is a national political correspondent for POLITICO and the author of "The Bidens: Inside The First Family’s Fifty-Year Rise to Power."
Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is senior producer for POLITICO audio.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.

Read an excerpt of Ben's book in Politico Magazine here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/14/how-joe-biden-became-irish-511637

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U.S. officials bet on Novavax to provide a shot that could easily be shipped overseas. But its manufacturing problems have left global distributors without enough shots for poor and middle-income countries. POLITICO's Erin Banco reports.

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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was a former teacher and self-described housewife catapulted to run for president of Belarus when her candidate husband was arrested in 2020. Even in exile after the disputed election, she’s the biggest threat against strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s hold over Belarus. She has captivated Belarusians with her campaign for democracy and been nominated for the Nobel Prize. POLITICO’s Ryan Heath asks Tsikhanouskaya about how she plans to corral the international community for tighter sanctions and about how she’s working with informants within the Lukashenko regime to bring it down. 

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is an opposition leader, fighting to bring Democracy to Belarus. 
Ryan Heath is the host of the "Global Insider" podcast and authors the newsletter. 
Olivia Reingold produces “Global Insider.” 
Irene Noguchi  edits “Global Insider” and is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

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By making local officials the gatekeepers for million-dollar businesses, states have unintentionally created a breeding ground for bribery and favoritism. POLITICO's Mona Zhang reports. This episode is the second in a two-part series on the unintended consequences of marijuana legalization laws.

This episode originally aired in May 2021.

Mona  Zhang is POLITICO's states cannabis policy reporter.
Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.

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Welcome to Ontario, Oregon, home of the tater tot — and now, a massive marijuana market for customers crossing the Idaho border. POLITICO's Natalie Fertig explains how the tiny town border town of 11,000 people became one of America's cannabis capitals — and what it means for other towns as weed legalization spreads. This episode is the first in a two-part series on the unintended consequences of marijuana legalization laws.

This episode originally aired in May 2021.

Natalie Fertig is POLITICO's federal cannabis policy reporter.
Jeremy Siegel is a host for POLITICO Dispatch.
Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio.
Jenny Ament is the senior producer of POLITICO audio.

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