The NPR Politics Podcast

The latest tariffs are due to take effect this week, but many of the details are still uncertain. We discuss what may be coming, why congressional Republicans aren't pushing back against tariffs some of them oppose, and the effects of Trump's decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzlebe...

The "Make America Great Again," or MAGA, movement stands for loyalty to President Trump above all else. We discuss what happens to the movement once Trump's term ends and whether there is someone else who can take up the mantle. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, political reporter Stephen Fowler, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. This podcast w...

The Trump administration says it is investigating whether dozens of universities have violated civil rights protections. We discuss the allegations, universities' settlements with the administration, and what's behind all of it. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, education reporter Sequoia Carrillo, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. This podcast...

President Trump, apparently moved by photos of malnourished children and people struggling to find food, has shifted the way he talks about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We discuss the United States' role in the crisis and whether Trump's change in tone will lead to a change in policy. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and...

A coalition of 21 states and Washington, D.C. is challenging the Trump administration's demands that states hand over the personal data of people who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps. We discuss why the administration says it needs the data, and how it fits into a bigger push for states' data. This episode: White House correspondent Deep...

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — for immigrants whose parents brought them illegally to the United States when they were children — offers participants protection from immigration enforcement and benefits such as work permits and the ability to buy health insurance. We discuss efforts by the Trump administration to roll back some of these protections and benefits. This episode:...

Congress recently passed — at the White House's request — a rescission package that cancels $9 billion in spending Congress had previously approved. We discuss whether Congress has forfeited its power to decide how the government spends its money, and what that means for voters across the country. This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and...

President Trump's attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell have been relentless. We discuss what it would mean if the United States no longer has a politically independent Federal Reserve. We also dive into the potential effects of looming tariffs. This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, finance correspondent Maria Aspan, and senior national political correspondent Mara Lias...

Emil Bove has been behind many of the Justice Department's most controversial recent decisions, and now he's President Trump's nominee to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. We discuss the controversy around Bove's nomination and what it could mean for future judicial appointments. This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and senior national politic...

There are at least 10 Democratic candidates younger than 40 vying for seats in Congress in next year's elections. We discuss what has been successful for recent Gen Z and young millennial candidates, as well as what hasn't. And we ask why we are seeing all these young candidates now. This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, political reporter Elena Moore, and senior political editor a...

New congressional districts are on the agenda for the special session that began in Texas on Monday. We discuss why Texas is redrawing its congressional map now and what it and similar efforts in other states could mean for party control of Congress. This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, correspondent Hansi Lo Wang, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro....

We review a busy week in Washington, including President Trump's response to a new report about his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and calls from the White House for more partisan budgeting. Plus, what is Trump's foreign policy doctrine? This episode: politics correspondent Ashley Lopez, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national security correspondent Greg Myre...

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Two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its decision to withhold about $6 billion in federal education grants. And the Supreme Court says the administration can go ahead with layoffs at the Department of Education. We discuss the impacts these developments have on local school districts. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, education reporter Sequoia Carril...

The big tax and spending bill President Trump signed into law earlier this month included $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Supreme Court recently told the administration it could deport people to countries with which they have no ties. We discuss these and other developments that are helping the president accelerate deportation efforts. This episode: senior White House...

Before taking office, President Trump promised to release the FBI's files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Now he is urging his supporters to stop talking about Epstein. We discuss what the backlash means for Trump, for MAGA, and for the future of the Republican party. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Stephen Fowler, and senior political e...

President Trump has said he is considering eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. We discuss FEMA's role in helping Texas communities recover from recent flash floods, and what that response indicates about the agency's future. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and environmental correspo...

The Supreme Court gave President Trump the green light to move forward with plans to lay off thousands of federal workers. We discuss the potential impacts of the ruling, plus new tariffs Trump announced this week. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, labor and workplace correspondent Andrea Hsu, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and senior White House co...

During the campaign, President Trump promised a swift end to the war in Ukraine, but he has so far not been able to strike a deal to stop the fighting. We discuss the president's changing views on the conflict and whether Washington is likely to approve more military aid to Ukraine. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, national security correspondent Greg Myre, and senior national p...

The Department of Justice has taken the rare step of suing all of the federal District Court judges in Maryland, after the Maryland court issued a 48-hour pause in every case where an immigrant was challenging their removal from the United States. We examine why this lawsuit is so unusual and how it fits into the Trump Administration's larger attitude toward the judicial branch. This episode: poli...

President Trump's new tax and spending law is expected to result in nearly 12 million Americans losing health insurance. Advocates say it also effectively reduces access to abortions even in states where they are legal. We dive into how it all works and how Democrats hope to use the changes in campaigns. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh,...

President Trump has promised that his newly signed tax and spending law will be a boon for taxpayers and the economy as a whole. We dig into what the legislation really does and what it could mean for Americans' wallets. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley. This podcast was produce...

From our friends at The Indicator from Planet Money : What's the price to save a human life? We examine the monumental legacy of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with journalist Jon Cohen, who traveled to Eswatini and Lesotho to learn how cuts under the Trump administration are hitting people at the clinic door. Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponso...

Congress narrowly passed President Trump's massive tax and spending bill this week. We discuss what the GOP victory could mean for the 2026 midterm elections. And, we look at the message the president was trying to send with his visit to a new migrant detention center in the Everglades. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senio...

Most Americans are worried about democracy, have little faith in their political leaders, and disapprove of President Trump's job performance, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll . We break down the results and look at the implications. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and senior national political corr...