The NPR Politics Podcast

How will American politics change now that a former president, Donald Trump, is facing criminal prosecution for the first time in the country's nearly two and a half centuries of existence? This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and political correspondent Susan Davis. The po...

The indictment appears to be connected to hush money payments made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election. Daniels alleges that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which the former president denies. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national justice correspondent C...

Now, states are beginning to take up the mantle in order to revive the initiatve supported by super-majorities of Americans. Teachers, parents and students told NPR that the program makes a big difference in their lives. This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, politcs reporter Ximena Bustillo, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Cas...

In 2013, researchers published a landmark study on why Americans of all incomes and demographics die years before their peers in comparable countries. In the decade since the report was published, that gap has only grown. We examine the policy choices behind Americans' shorter lives. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and health corres...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a criminal corruption charges, has moved to weaken the country's court system. His plan is, for now, on hold after widespread protest. The situation has created a diplomatic headache for President Biden: a key ally's democracy wobbles as the White House holds its annual "Summit for Democracy." This episode: political correspondent Susan Davi...

Six in ten Americans say in a new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll that they don't want Trump to be president again, but it's unclear whether the other GOP hopefuls can build a wider base of support without tarnishing their image among voters they'll need to win a primary. And in his trip to Canada last week, Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed resettling asylum seekers, rising...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely Republican presidential primary candidate, once strugged to win the vote of conservative Latinos in South Florida — but lately, many of those voters have really embraced his message. And the tools to create artificial video, audio, and text have become far more powerful and much easier to use in the last few years. The technology is poised to reshape much of mod...

Top monetary officials including Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen say things have stabilized in the two weeks since panicked depositors rapidly withdrew their money from Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, causing both to fail. But on top of revisiting recently relaxed banking regulations, policy makers are pondering how to handle the risk of bank runs in...

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is set to address the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday and is expected to tout the company's billion-dollar restructuring effort to build a firewall between its Chinese owner and the data of the app's 150 million U.S. users. Lawmakers of both parties — having previously shied away from regulating U.S. tech giants — are laser-focused on the app as...

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 president's post derailed the ongoing House Republican retreat in Florida, where GOP members denounced New York's investigation into the former pr...

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 highlighted the inability of the U.S. government to export democracy by way of regime change. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national poli...

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 Iraq. Federal judges are all bound by an ethics code — so why aren't Supreme Court justices? This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Susan Davi...

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 by federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, in Amarillo, Texas. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national correspondent Sarah McCammon, and politic...

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: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and national security correspondent Greg Myre. The podcast is produced by Elen...

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 hush money to Stephanie Clifford, the adult film star also known as Stormy Daniels. His former attorney Michael Cohen previously was convicted in connection with the payment...

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 was confident in the banking system after a few high-profile bank closures last week. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara...

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. But, like all presidents' budgets, it is more a statement of principles than a concrete plan to be taken up by Congress. And more people who have be...

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 Democrats voted to overturn a local criminal code reform that was unanimously approved by the elected city council. This episode: White Hous...

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 episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, media correspondent David Folkenflik, and Colorado Public Radio...

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 reporter Ximena Bustillo, and congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales. This episode was produced by Elena Moore and Casey Mor...

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 Scott Detrow, international correspondent Deb Amos, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. This episode was produced by E...

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 reporter Elena Moore, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Monta...

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 muddy the waters about the nature of the U.S. Capitol riot. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and...

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 legislation. How did things get to this point? This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and congressio...

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 evidence continues to strongly support a wildlife origin. The attempt to figure out the truth continues to have big implications across public health and both domes...