Short Wave

A rare bipartisan success story, the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, quietly helped to clean up voter rolls and catch fraud for nearly a decade — until it became the target of the far-right and a Trump allied lawyer.

NPR Voting Correspondent Miles Parks and NPR's Investigations Team traced the secret meetings and grassroots pressure to dismantle an obscure elections tool — giving the election denial movement its biggest policy victory yet.

To read the investigation, head here.

This episode: voting reporter Miles Parks.

This episode was produced by by Monika Evstatieva and edited by Ben Swasey and Barrie Hardymon. Data reporting by Nick McMillan. Fact checking by Barbara Van Woerkom. Audio engineering by James Willetts.

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President Biden is expected to sign the debt ceiling agreement into law as soon as Saturday, after bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress approved the legislation. But the manufactured crisis, brinkmanship and last-minute U-turn are not encouraging signs about the health of the American political system.

And how conspiracy theories have undermined an effective voter fraud prevention tool.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and voting correspondent Miles Parks.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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This week's science news roundup reunites All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang with Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber to dig into the latest headlines in biomedical research, also known as cool things for the human body. We talk new RSV vaccines, vaccination by sticker and a new device helping a man with paralysis walk again.

Have questions about science in the news? Email us at [email protected].

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The early days of the campaign will be easier for Biden this time around: he's got all the advantages of incumbency, including a relative risk-free primary process. Here's a primer on his campaign leadership and how he's using the Democratic National Committee in an effort to win new states.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Droughts, worsening fire seasons, temperature swings and monsoons all impact farmers' businesses, food production, utility costs and livelihoods. The new normal has caused some farmers to feel politically homeless — many felt abandoned by Trump-era tariff policies despite generally identifying as conservative voters. And despite the billions in funding for agriculture-related programs in Biden's signatures climate law, many farmers still feel as though lawmakers could be doing more to support them.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, political reporter Ximena Bustillo, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Ice in Antarctica is melting really quickly because of climate change. That's driving sea level rise around the world, and the water is rising especially fast in the seaside city of Galveston, Texas — thousands of miles from Antarctica. Why do Antarctica and Texas have this counterintuitive relationship? And what does it mean for a $34 billion effort to protect the city from hurricanes?

Read more and see pictures and video from Antarctica here.

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Democrats took a big gamble: they chose not to raise or eliminate the debt ceiling when they had full control of government, betting that it could create a headache for the Republican-controlled House. Republicans, after repeatedly raising the debt ceiling without issue during the Trump administration, held global financial stability hostage to secure minor policy wins.

Now, after flirting with disaster for weeks, the parties appear close to ending a crisis of their own making.

This episode: political correspondent Kelsey Snell, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Join us on an audio tour of the U.S. Capitol complex, through Senate office buildings, press work stations, the Capitol subway, and the House floor — originally released as a bonus episode for NPR Politics Podcast+ supporters.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, reporter Barbara Sprunt, and producer Casey Morell.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Mora Leeb was 9 months old when surgeons removed half her brain. Now 15, she plays soccer and tells jokes. Scientists say Mora is an extreme example of a process known as brain plasticity, which allows a brain to modify its connections to adapt to new circumstances.

Read more of Jon's reporting.

Science in your everyday got you puzzled? Overjoyed? We've love to hear it! Reach us by emailing [email protected].

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The fiscal parameters of a deal to avert self-inflicted financial catastrophe have been largely hammered out by House Republicans and the White House — but differences over social programs and energy permitting still need to be resolved.

And, over the last decade, the Supreme Court has increasingly leveraged its emergency or "shadow" docket to issue orders that have sweeping implications — but the approach is much less transparent than the usual judicial process.

Also, the podcast marks 1000 episodes since we launched the daily version of the show. Thank you for listening!

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, economics correspondent David Gura, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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