The NPR Politics Podcast

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Every weekday, NPR's best political reporters are there to explain the big news coming out of Washington and the campaign trail. They don't just tell you what happened. They tell you why it matters. Every afternoon.Political wonks - get wonkier with The NPR Politics Podcast+. Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics

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Trump Says He'll Be Arreste...

03.21.2023

The former president's announced on social media that he'd soon be arrested, apparently referring to an ongoing state investigation in New York over his hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Trump invited his supporters to protest. The ...

The NPR Politics Podcast episodes:

03.21.2023 Trump Says He'll Be Arrested, Invites Protest, Derails GOP Confab The former president's announced on social media that he'd soon be arrested, apparently referring to an ongoing state investigation in New York over his hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Trump invited his supporters to protest. The ...
03.20.2023 US Still Has Lessons To Learn From Its Misguided War In Iraq It's been twenty years since the U.S. launched a war in Iraq — a conflict justified by faulty intelligence. More than 4000 Americans died along with tens of thousands of Iraqis. The war undermined Americans' trust in government and further ...
03.17.2023 Roundup: Repealing Iraq War Approval; SCOTUS Has No Ethics Code A bill ending Iraq war authorizations has cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate and is expected to be taken up by the chamber for a final vote next week, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of ...
03.16.2023 Abortion Access Could Be Limited Further By Mifepristone Case Was the FDA wrong to approve a drug that's used in nearly all medication abortions in the U.S. — and should the drug, mifepristone, be taken off the market? Those questions were argued in court Wednesday, in a case heard ...
03.15.2023 US Pulls Allies Closer As Its Drone Downed In Brush With Russia The U.S. and the United Kingdom will provide nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia as part of a defense deal between the two nations. And, a U.S. drone crashed near the Black Sea after an encounter with Russian jets. This episode: ...
03.14.2023 Donald Trump Likely To Be Charged Over Porn Star Hush Money Former President Donald Trump has been invited to testify before a New York City grand jury — a move that is widely understood to mean Trump could soon face criminal charges related to his financial dealings and the payment of ...
03.13.2023 Biden: Government To Ensure Customers Can Withdraw Money The Biden administration has announced that customers of Silicon Valley Bank will have full access to their deposits, an extraordinary move by federal officials to backstop billions of dollars in uninsured money. In remarks Monday morning, the president indicated he ...
03.10.2023 What Does Biden Care About Most? Look At His Budget Proposal President Biden wants to raise income taxes on households earning more than $400,000 a year to shore up the social safety net, make community college and childcare less expensive, and boost investment in strategic industries in order to counter China. ...
03.09.2023 Politics Wins Over Principle As Dems Axe DC Crime Code Reforms In principle, Democratic lawmakers support the local Washington, D.C., government's power to make laws for the city's residents — who don't have voting representation in Congress. But, facing the political risk of seeming weak on crime, a huge majority Senate ...
03.08.2023 Fox News Still Broadcasts Election Lies. It Could Cost Them. A billion-dollar defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against the broadcaster is tied to the outlet's full-throated embrace of former president Donald Trump's election lies and conspiracy theories — deceptions that forced one former Dominion executive into hiding. This ...
03.07.2023 How Department of Agriculture Is Reckoning With Racial Inequity Black farmers have long struggled with discrimination, inequities that persist today despite federal efforts to address them. Now, the USDA is out with a new equity report with a number of recommendations. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, political ...
03.06.2023 We Traveled With Attorney General Merrick Garland To Ukraine The U.S. attorney general traveled to Ukraine to discuss war crimes investigations with top justice officials from around the globe. In an exclusive conversation, NPR interviewed Garland about why this work is personal to him. This episode: White House correspondent ...
03.03.2023 Will Supreme Court Un-Forgive Student Debt? Seems Like It. Democratic lawmakers and Republican activists both met for messaging conferences this week. The Supreme Court's conservative majority appears poised to strike down President Biden's order cancelling some student debt. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt, political ...
03.02.2023 Tucker Carlson Has Exclusive Access To Jan. 6th Security Tapes Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy provided access to the footage to Carlson, who has frequently used his Fox News show to spread conspiracies about the attack. There has been a sustained effort on the part of Trump-allied Republicans to ...
03.01.2023 Cooperation To Confrontation: Why US China Strategy Changed A new House panel kicked off a series of hearings focused on what lawmakers describe as the threat posed by China's government to the United States. The committee's chair, Republican Mike Gallagher, hopes the committee produces a slew of bipartisan ...
02.28.2023 Why Scientists, Lawmakers & Diplomats Care Where COVID Began The Department of Energy has a new report which concludes with "low confidence" that the COVID-19 virus could have originated from a lab in Wuhan, China. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal report. Scientists say the ...
02.27.2023 Train Wreck: Political Sideshow Descends On Ohio Crash Site After a train derailed in rural Ohio, the community is concerned about the near- and long-term health impacts of the hazardous waste that the train was transporting. Top-level Biden administration officials, including EPA Administration Michael Reagan and Transportation Secretary Pete ...
02.24.2023 Will SCOTUS Remake The Web? And Dems' Tough 2024 Senate Map The Supreme Court heard two major cases that could ultimately make platforms like YouTube and Twitter liable for the content users share on their sites. And a lot of blue lawmakers in red states are up for reelection in the ...
02.23.2023 DeSantis vs Trump Voters: Insights Into GOP Primary Divide President Biden is gaining in popularity — how much of his decision to run again is driven by Vice President Harris' lackluster support among key groups of voters? And Donald Trump is seeing his support among Republicans flag — but ...
02.22.2023 J6 Trial: DOJ Alleges Cop Tipped Off Proud Boys Leader Members of the Proud Boys are on trial related to their alleged actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The actions of former president Donald Trump loom large over of the trial. This episode: White House ...
02.21.2023 Have You No Sense Of Decency? The U.S. has entered an era of post-shame politics, where politicians are willing to endure embarrassment, criticism and negative attention in order to survive scandals. We talk about the modern history of politicians weathering controversy — from Bill Clinton to ...
02.20.2023 Biden's Surprise Visit To Ukraine President Biden traveled to Ukraine on Monday on an unannounced trip to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion of the country. But back home, more Americans are growing weary of continuing to support a war that could stretch on for ...
02.17.2023 These Voters Fret Biden's Age, Just Not Enough To Pick Trump A focus group of swing voters showed worry about President Biden's age — he'd be 82 at the start of a second term — but the voters said they'd still vote for him over Donald Trump. A 2020 rematch, though, ...
02.16.2023 Biden Says UFOs Are NBD—Plus Our Chat With Second Gentleman In remarks Friday, President Biden said the three aerial objects shot down by U.S. military were most likely tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions. And second gentleman Doug Emhoff is using his platform to combat antisemitism. This episode: ...
02.15.2023 Christian Nationalism's Foothold In American Politics A survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution found that found more than half of Republicans believe the US should be a strictly Christian nation, adhering to the ideals of Christian nationalism or sympathizing with ...
02.14.2023 GOP Targets Immigration Boss, Will Hold Hearings In Arizona Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy will lead fellow Republican lawmakers on a trip to Arizona this week, part of an effort by his caucus to boost the profile of border security as an issue through messaging that spuriously links ...
02.13.2023 More UFOs Shot Down By US Air Force The United States military downed three more unidentified flying objects, though the Biden administration said it had no indication that the objects were intended for surveillance. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said that he didn't think "the American people ...
02.10.2023 U.S. Officials Allege Ballooning Chinese Espionage Threat China has sent surveillance balloons over more than 40 countries across five continents and the Biden administration is in touch with other countries about the scope of the program, according to information provided by the Biden administration. And voting officials ...
02.09.2023 The Fight Over The Farm Bill The Farm Bill is a sweeping legislative package that funds an array of programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — formerly known as food stamps. Internal Republican disagreements have some watchers worried the new package might not get over ...
02.08.2023 From SOTU To Stump: Biden Heads To Wisconsin and Florida President Biden is in Wisconsin Wednesday, touting the same broadly popular priorities he emphasized during Tuesday's State of the Union address. The president is positioning himself to run for reelection as a political pragmatist focused on the business of governing, ...
02.08.2023 State Of The Union: Biden Touts Popular, Bipartisan Policies President Biden kept a tight focus on broadly popular policies and bipartisan achievements in a State of the Union address that is likely to serve as a model for his future campaign speeches. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, ...
02.06.2023 Top US Diplomat Cancels China Trip Amid "Spy" Balloon Fallout Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his trip to China after the U.S. spotted a Chinese surveillance balloon near a military base in Montana. The Air Force popped the balloon off the coast of South Carolina over the weekend. Blinken's ...
02.03.2023 Biden Intends To End COVID Emergency Declarations. Now What? Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was at the White House on Wednesday for talks as President Biden continues to insist that the U.S. paying its debts is non-negotiable. House Republicans remove Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from her ...
02.02.2023 House Republicans Begin Investigations Into President Biden The House Oversight and Judiciary committees, helmed by Repulican representatives James Comer of Kentucky and Jim Jordan of Ohio, will be the venues for a series of investigations into the President Joe Biden's administration and personal life. The party campaigned ...
02.01.2023 Nikki Haley Will Seek The Republican Presidential Nomination The former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador is going back on her pledge not to run against her former boss, Donald Trump. And after years of controversy, including the presence of an alleged Russian spy, the storied National ...
01.31.2023 Florida Election Workers Warn Chaos Is Coming Without Reform Recent changes to Florida's election laws institute new requirements that, as designed, could cause huge numbers of ballots to be rejected in the state — a key presidential battleground. Election workers are warning that, without reforms, ballot counting could be ...
01.30.2023 Can Facebook Still Be Trump's Fundraising Juggernaut? The site's parent company announced that Donald Trump would be able to return to the platform with new guardrails on his account. But will Facebook be as lucrative a fundraising tool for the former president given the new limitations on ...
01.27.2023 Does Conservative Mean Whatever Donald Trump Says It Means? After extracting a slew of concessions from Kevin McCarthy during the Speaker vote saga, conservative House Republicans are now flexing their muscles in a fight over the U.S. debt. But what does the "conservative" label mean right now? New research ...
01.26.2023 Mass Shootings And Extremism Are Top White House Concerns Vice President Harris is in California after a number of mass shootings in the state. The US Secret Service is out with a report documenting trends in attacks resulting in mass violence. And details on how one Nazi extremist group ...
01.25.2023 United States And Its Allies To Provide Tanks To Ukraine The move, announced by President Biden in a speech from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, is the latest in a continued escalation of military equipment headed to the country from the U.S. and its allies. It comes as ...
01.24.2023 Dems Don't Love 2024 Senate Maps Like The GOP Does Democrats head into the 2024 elections needing to defend far more seats in the Senate than their Republican counterparts. With potentially vulnerable incumbents in Montana & West Virginia — and a potential three-way race in Arizona — the GOP seeks ...
01.23.2023 FBI Searches Biden's Home; Harris Speaks Out For Abortion Rights The White House said FBI agents searched President Biden's Delaware home on Friday, finding more items with classified markings. The search took place voluntarily, and without a search warrant. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Florida on Sunday to mark ...
01.20.2023 Ruminations On Supreme Court Leaks, Classified Documents & Preferred Fonts Documents were at the heart of Washington news this week. A Supreme Court investigation into who leaked a draft opinion of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade failed to identify who was responsible; the White House's communications strategy in handling ...
01.19.2023 PPP Loans Provided Lots Of Cash Assistance With Few Questions Asked The Payroll Protection Program was enacted during the pandemic to provide financial assistance to businesses that were closed, or operating at a reduced capacity. An NPR investigation finds the program was rife with fraud and most of the loans have ...
01.18.2023 Much Ado About Debt Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress the United States would reach the statutory debt limit — commonly known as the debt ceiling — on Jan. 19. As Congress & the Treasury work to find ways to avoid financial chaos, what ...
01.17.2023 Proud Boys Members Face Seditious Conspiracy Charges In Washington, D.C., members of the Proud Boys are on trial related to their alleged actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It is the second major seditious conspiracy trial related to the insurrection following one ...
01.16.2023 The Fight To Keep Climate Change Off The Back Burner The world faces key deadlines for climate action in coming decades. But most of us are more focused on the short term — today, tomorrow, maybe next year. So what do we do about that? The NPR podcast Consider This ...
01.13.2023 A New Congress Takes Shape; Stefanik's Stock Rises; 'Spare' Sparks Drama With a narrow majority in the House, Republicans will need to find ways to work with Democrats — who still control the Senate and the White House. What battles may loom large for the new Congress? As those battles are ...
01.12.2023 Garland Appoints Special Counsel To Investigate Biden Document Storage After President Biden announced a second set of classified documents had been improperly stored at his Wilmington, Del., residence, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday he was appointing Robert Hur, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland who ...
01.11.2023 Document Drama Differs Between Biden & Trump Both the president and his predecessor are facing investigations from the Department of Justice over the potential mishandling of classified documents. But the two cases have strong differences between them, both in terms of scale and practice. This episode: White ...

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