The NPR Politics Podcast

A key 9/11 plotter, Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed on July 30, according to President Joe Biden. The president said that no one else was hurt in the strike, including al-Zawahiri's family. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan today, She is the highest-ranking elected American official to visit Taiwan since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. The island democracy governs itself, but China claims...

While voters and pundits alike wait to see which candidates will declare presidential runs, potential candidates on the Republican side are trying to distance themselves from former president Donald Trump. Many Democrats, meanwhile, remain skeptical of President Biden's chances in 2024 & wonder if he should not seek a second term. Support the show and unlock sponsor-free listening with a subscript...

President Biden scored a major legislative victory this week as West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin agreed to back the administration's Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate. But, what could the bill do if passed, and will it help an economy some argue is either close to — or already in — a recession? This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, Whit...

The Department of Justice's investigation into the events of January 6 has expanded to include testimony from more members of then-President Trump and then-Vice President Pence's inner circles, like former Pence chief of staff Marc Short. But does this investigation have any impact on how Republican voters say they plan to vote in the 2024 presidential primaries? Listen to our special report on th...

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, the issue of reproductive rights was returned to states to decide. In a special session currently taking place in the Indiana legislature, Republican lawmakers are pushing to ban most abortions in the state, with a few exceptions. But, not all Republicans are on board with the proposal, saying it goes too far, and the White House is also lobbying against t...

After June's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned the constitutional right to an abortion established in Roe v. Wade, Democrats in Congress are trying to enshrine other protections into federal law in case they are subject to similar Supreme Court action. A bill seeking to protect the right to same-sex marriage has passed the House with bipartisan support, but faces a...

The former president and vice president held separate rallies for candidates in Arizona's August Republican gubernatorial primary election, drawing a contrast in how each wants to guide the direction of the party. Mike Pence's preferred candidate, Karrin Taylor Robson, is supported by the state's outgoing governor, Doug Ducey, while Donald Trump's pick, Kari Lake, is running a campaign that mirror...

How did the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol come together? Who was involved in planning it? What did President Trump know and why did he take so long to respond? How much danger were lawmakers in? And, finally, who will be held accountable? In this hourlong special, the NPR Politics team breaks down the key insights from the public hearings. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Ke...

President Biden has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms. Our coverage: https://n.pr/3zoCtkb Is there such a thing as "the Hispanic vote"? Is Latino a more suitable term? And who is Ben Fernandez, the first person of Hispanic origin to run for president? In our latest installment of the NPR Politics Book Club, Danielle Kurtzleben talks to Geraldo Cadava about his b...

The president's support among young voters — who generally trend Democratic — is anemic, with their level of support comparable with his numbers among whites without college degrees and white evangelical Christians. Part of the problem for Biden may be his big promises: then-candidate Biden promised transformational change, but his narrow control of the Senate and intraparty opposition has constra...

The effort has further taxed local election officials, who have fielded worried calls from voters who believed that the canvassers were affiliated with the government. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, voting reporter Miles Parks, and Colorado Public Radio reporter Bente Birkeland. Support the show and unlock sponsor-free listening with a subscription to The NPR Politics Podcas...

Black gun owners told NPR that they largely own guns for protection; many feel the government does not do enough to protect their safety. Unlike most white gun owners, most Black gun owners feel that it is more important to control gun violence than it is to protect gun rights. Read more: https://n.pr/3ze01rW This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, race and identity reporter Alana Wi...

The young candidates say they hope to fix broken institutions that they feel have let their generation down. And a quirk in how a half-century old voting rights provision is written means many Americans have trouble getting ballots in languages like Arabic and Haitian Creole. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, political reporter Elena Moo...

Inflation hit a new, 40-year high in June, with consumer prices up 9.1% from a year ago. Gas prices were a big part of this, but the cost of essentials like food and shelter are also rising rapidly. It is a real problem for Americans trying to make ends meet — and one that lawmakers, including Joe Biden, have few tools to address. That is likely to leave Democrats in a lurch come November's midter...

The Biden administration says Americans now have access to the tools they need to protect themselves from COVID, as a new spike in cases begins. Deaths have remained low so far and the administration — recognizing the political realities — has not pushed for new restrictions. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is moving ahead on a suite of initiatives aimed at reducing smoking and vaping...

The committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack held its seventh public hearing Tuesday, focusing on the role right-wing extremist groups – such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers – played in planning the deadly siege. It also featured testimony from Stephen Ayres, a former Ohio factory worker, who said he stormed the Capitol after President Trump suggested it because he believed Trump's...

The overwhelming majority of gun owners are in favor of universal background checks, of raising the minimum age to buy guns to 21 and so-called "red flag" laws to remove guns from potentially dangerous people, a new NPR/Ipsos survey finds. That mirrors the support among the rest of the public. So why is it that ideas with broad-based support have such trouble becoming federal law? This episode: Wh...

President Biden has exchanged letters with the WNBA all-star, who is behind bars in Russia. It's the latest example of the thorny politics surrounding Americans jailed abroad. And the president will take his first trip to the Middle East next week, visiting Israel and Saudi Arabia. His administration has embraced the success of the Abraham Accords, an agreement brokered during the Trump administra...

When the Supreme Court declared that abortion access is an issue that should be decided by states, it introduced a new, high-stakes political fight into many of the 36 gubernatorial races happening this year. Here's what that looks like in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, WHYY political reporte...

Election misinformation has spread beyond the confines of social media to local, grassroots events taking place throughout the country. An NPR investigation explores the role four prominent election denial influencers have in promoting false claims about the 2020 election, and how the events they hold & the ideas they promote affect election officials — and erode trust in the democratic process. T...

Republican primary candidates who lost by substantial margins are refusing to concede their races — echoing Donald Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and potentially setting up lucrative post-election fundraising schemes. This episode: congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, Georgia Public Broadcasting reporter Stephen Fowler, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro....

The last few months have made us acutely aware of inflation. We all agree that it's making our lives harder, but economists disagree about what's causing it. A special episode from our friends at Planet Money: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship pref...

The Supreme Court ends its term and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson takes the bench. And how does the Christian right keep securing political wins even as the share of like-minded Americans dwindles? This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, political reporter Ashley Lopez, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Suppo...

The Supreme Court limited the ways in which the EPA could regulate greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, jeopardizing President Biden's goal for an emissions-free power sector by 2035. And the high court sided with the Biden administration in a case concerning the White House's decision to end the so-called "Remain in Mexico" policy. The Trump-era policy had required asylum seekers to either...

The alliance is poised to admit Sweden and Finland after Turkey dropped its objections to their membership. The U.S. will bolster its military presence in Europe as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. And Biden's trip to Europe to meet with other world leaders has included a number of meetings on global inflation and the economy. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House c...