The NPR Politics Podcast

With President Biden's agenda stalled in Congress, lawmakers are turning their attention to bipartisan reform proposals meant to increase public trust in government. Two ideas that have garnered attention: barring legislators from trading individual stocks and clarifying the Electoral Count Act, which sets the process for certifying presidential election results. This episode: White House correspo...

Progressives point to a law that gives the education secretary the unilateral power to discharge federal student debt as a mechanism Biden can use to fulfill his promise to forgive $10 thousand in student loans for all borrowers. The White House has so far insisted the move would require an act of Congress. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Asma Khalid...

The White House, which has known about Eric Lander's behavior for weeks following an internal investigation, faces questions about why Biden failed to fire the Cabinet-level official sooner. Also: 900,000 Americans have died of COVID. As states give up on mitigation efforts, what does the future of the pandemic look like? This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, congressional reporte...

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Washington and French President Emmanuel Macron is in Moscow as the two leaders attempt to resolve tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe. The leaders, whose countries have strong economic ties to Russia, have been more receptive than President Biden to Vladimir Putin's security concerns. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, national polit...

The South Carolina Republican was a steadfast ally for Donald Trump in Congress, but he voted to impeach the former president after he experienced the attack on the Capitol. Now, Trump has endorsed a primary opponent. And Democrats contend with how to reform the Iowa caucuses after 2020's goat rodeo. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, senior political editor and correspondent Dom...

President Biden said that ISIS leader Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blew himself up as U.S. special forces conducted a pre-dawn raid in northern Syria on Thursday. The president said the all Americans returned safely from the operation and every effort was made to limit civilian casualties. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national...

Republicans are the slight favorites to win an open Senate seat in Ohio, but first their candidate will need to prevail in a crowded primary fight. Democratic front-runner Tim Ryan is already keeping a packed campaign schedule — but he could have trouble persuading the independent voters he needs in an increasingly Republican state. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, congressio...

Civil rights advocates say an algorithm at the heart the First Step Act, the 2018 bipartisan criminal justice reform law, should be overhauled or scrapped. Also: Kenneth Polite, a Black man who lost a sibling to gun violence is heading the Justice Department's criminal prosecution division. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national...

Activists say the president has made little substantive progress on overhauling the U.S. immigration system despite pledging as a candidate to work toward a more humane and open immigration system. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national desk correspondent Joel Rose. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Poli...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats will move to confirm Biden's choice as quickly as possible. And Trump allies are under investigation for an electoral college gambit — but experts say that it's unlikely they will face criminal penalties. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, voting reporter Miles Parks, and senio...

A new congressional district in Colorado that is forty percent could be the site of one of the country's closest House races in November. Democratic organizers in Colorado and across the country are worried their party may not to be able to win enough support with Latino voters after Republicans proved competitive with the crucial demographic in 2020. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara...

Breyer's retirement gives President Biden his first opportunity to name a new justice to the court. During the presidential campaign, he pledged to name an African American woman if he got the chance. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the N...

After Democrats failed to pass federal voting rights legislation, changes to election processes enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures will reshape how voters cast a ballot in 2022 and beyond. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, voting reporter Miles Parks, KUT reporter Ashley Lopez, and WABE reporter Sam Gringlas. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join...

8,500 U.S. troops are on heightened alert for deployment to Europe after Russia stationed more than 100,000 military personnel on its border with Ukraine. Europe's considerable economic links to Russia have complicated the response to the Kremlin's threats against Ukraine. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and international affairs corres...

Kamala Harris made history when she became the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as vice president. But in an often thankless job, and tasked with a portfolio of politically thorny issues, her first year in office was a mixed bag. Also, a pollster who has spent more than two decades speaking with young people explains what motivates Gen-Z voters — and why politicians will ignore th...

The court ruled that the former president cannot block the release of 800 pages of his records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. The panel also asked Ivanka Trump, Trump's daughter and a former presidential adviser, to testify, and a request for former Vice President Mike Pence could be on the way, signaling that the investigation is getting closer to Trump's inner circ...

In a press conference to mark one year in office, the president touted his administration's progress combating COVID, while conceding he'll likely need to break up his signature legislation to get it through the Senate. He also threatened major sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, but drew criticism for adding that consequences would depend on whether Russia committed a "minor incursion" or...

Senate Democrats are bringing new voting rights bills to the floor this week. There's just one problem: They don't have the votes. That could have consequences for the 2022 midterms, and it's setting up a public showdown about the future of the filibuster. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and correspondent...

The Biden administration laid out his main priorities as the president took office: tackling the pandemic, responding to the climate crisis, addressing racial inequality, and rejuvenating the economy. Over the past few weeks, the NPR Politics Podcast checked in on whether those goals being met. Today we look at racial equity. The Biden administration pledged to center people of color in their hiri...

The Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration's vaccine-or-test rule for businesses with more than 100 employees, but allowed a separate mandate for health care workers to stand. Also, Democrats' push to pass voting rights legislation is unraveling, as moderates in the Senate resist any changes to filibuster rules. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House corre...

The idea of another American Civil War might seem outlandish. But as the country diversifies, it's grown more polarized. Today, Americans can't even agree on who won the 2020 election or whether masks prevent the spread of COVID. Researchers say it's not out of the question for these political tensions to boil over. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Tam...

In an interview with NPR, former President Donald Trump made it clear that he hasn't moved on from his 2020 election loss, and it's causing a rift within the Republican Party. Trump maintains his false claims that the election was stolen from him, and while most Republicans have fallen in line, some desperately want to move on. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, senior political...

In a fiery speech in Atlanta Tuesday, President Biden urged the Senate to change filibuster rules in order to pass new voting rights protections. But Senate Democrats are divided on filibuster changes, and voting rights advocates say fiery remarks are not enough in the wake of laws passed in 19 states that restrict ballot access. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House co...

Democrats have two major pieces of unfinished business on their to-do list. They'll try, again, to reach a compromise on President Biden's signature Build Back Better bill, and they say passing voting rights legislation is also a top priority. But they don't have the votes right now to do either. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and se...

The justices are considering whether the federal mandates governing private employers and healthcare staff are constitutional. And Republicans who back Trump's election lies are running for election administration offices across the country. This episode: politics correspondent Juana Summers, labor correspondent Andrea Hsu, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and voting a...