The NPR Politics Podcast

Congressional Democrats are trying to wrap up negotiations on their reconciliation package, fund the government, and deal with the debt ceiling. But with looming deadlines with big consequences, someone is going to have to compromise. The big question: who's it going to be? Plus, bipartisan talks over police reform legislation officially came up empty handed. This episode: White House corresponden...

Seven House lawmakers are facing ethics complaints for violating the Stock Act, which polices insider trading, because of a recent bipartisan trend of lawmakers ignoring disclosure requirements. They say it was an accident. Plus, TikTok accounts are using public disclosures to tell followers when to buy and sell stock based on what congressmembers do. It's a clear sign of the distrust the public h...

The Biden administration is expelling hundreds of Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, after thousands arrived at a crossing near Del Rio, Texas this weekend. Photos of groups in makeshift campsites and of border patrol agents aggressively confronting the migrants on horseback sparked outrage. Now, Biden is facing pressure from all sides: many Republicans say he needs to be tougher on borde...

In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Biden emphasized the importance of global cooperation to combat the coronavirus and climate change. And he not so subtly critiqued China and authoritarianism. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Subscribe to the...

The GOP has a good shot at taking at least one if not both chambers of Congress in next year's midterm elections. And they are already sharpening their message by focusing on the economy. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the s...

Saturday's "Justice For J6" rally is being held to protest government treatment of people who participated in the riot. It could serve as a test of how the Capitol Police force has evolved since January's attack. And congressional testimony by prominent U.S. gymnasts about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's handling of their sexual abuse allegations raises major questions about the organization...

The group was founded in 1985 to get Democratic women who back abortion access elected to office and has faced criticism in the years since from people who say the group has not done enough to support Black women and other candidates of color. Now, EMILY's List has chosen a new leader: Laphonza Butler. She is the first first woman of color and the first mother to lead the group and spoke with NPR...

Progressives feel as though their job compromising on the $3.5 trillion dollar budget bill is done, while Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema say the package is still too big. Looming over it all, a chance the federal government defaults on its debt as Republicans signal they won't cooperate on raising or suspending the debt ceiling. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressi...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared before both the House and the Senate this week, where he met with bipartisan frustration over the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after the country's government fell to the Taliban. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and diplomatic correspondent Michele Keleman. Connect: Subscribe to the...

The WBNA's political activism helped to reshape the political landscape in Washington. NPR's Franco Ordoñez and Ayesha Rascoe talked to Nneka Ogwumike, head of the league's players union, about its role in the racial justice movement and Georgia's 2020 Senate race. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Gro...

There were remembrance ceremonies in New York City, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. The reading of the victim's names — there were nearly 3,000 — took hours. Former President George W. Bush and Vice President Harris spoke. And, our reporters discuss the political legacy of the attacks after two decades. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Scott Detrow,...

The number of new COVID cases hasn't been this high since before the vaccine was widely available. Aiming to curb the rise, President Biden has announced a series of expansive new policies covering the bulk of American workers. And the Department of Justice is suing Texas over its near-ban on abortions, launching one of many expected court fights over the law. This episode: White House corresponde...

In a conversation with NPR's Nina Totenberg, Justice Breyer, 83, says he plans to retire from the High Court before he dies. He bemoaned the public's perception of Supreme Court Justices as politicians and said it is up to young people to address the problems facing the country. This episode: legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Connect: Subscribe...

Voting ends Tuesday in California's recall election, where voters are deciding whether or not to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. If he loses, Republican Larry Elder is the most likely candidate to replace him. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and KQED senior editor Scott Shafer. Connect: Subscribe t...

Some twelve million Americans saw their expanded unemployment assistance expire Monday as the delta variant throttles the nation's economic recovery. Research from the states that halted the aid programs earlier this summer suggests the end of benefits will hurt spending and won't do much to get people back into the workforce. So far, neither Congress nor the Biden administration are pushing to re...

The Biden administration is investigating several states over their bans on mask mandates in schools, saying the measures could violate the rights of children with disabilities who are entitled to a safe school environment. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior education editor and correspondent Cory Turner. Connect: Subscribe to...

On Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaida terrorists. The passengers and crew fought back and because of that, the plane crashed outside Shanksville, Pa., instead of its likely target: the U.S. Capitol. Part of the plane crashed onto land owned by Tim Lambert, a public radio reporter at WITF in Harrisburg, Pa. The crash would end up connecting Lambert, in surprisin...

President Joe Biden's approval rating has dropped to a new low, 43 percent, according to a new poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour, and Marist College. Americans are split about what should have happened in Afghanistan, but a large majority label the U.S. role in the country a "failure." The poll found that a historically large majority of Americans approve of resettling Afghan refugees in the United Stat...

A state law took effect Wednesday banning abortion after about six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. It also allows people to sue others seeking an abortion and anyone who aids them in the process, with damages beginning at ten thousand dollars plus attorney's fees. So far, the Supreme Court has not halted the legislation. So far, the Supreme Court has not halted the legislatio...

The withdrawal effort managed to evacuate 124,000 people before the last U.S. service member left Afghanistan on Monday, ending nearly two-decades of American military presence in the country after the September 11th attacks. Tuesday at the White House, President Biden fervently defended his decision not to "extend the forever war," though touted America's remote warfare capabilities and told terr...

Much of the country is reeling from natural disasters as COVID hospitalization rates hit levels not seen since before the vaccine was widely available. Evacuations continue from Afghanistan in the wake of the most deadly attack on U.S. service members in more than a decade. All that during what was supposed to be a domestic policy-focused summer for the Biden White House, with two trillion-plus do...

President Biden has warned there could be more violence coming over the weekend in Afghanistan. Yesterday's attack at Kabul's airport could be a preview of the disarray that could be in store for the country after the U.S. finally exits. And: it is still unclear where tens of thousands of evacuated Afghans will be allowed to resettle. Also, voting rights activists will take to the streets across t...

President Biden addressed the nation to offer condolences to the families of the U.S. military personnel and scores of Afghan civilians who died. He promised to hold the perpetrators accountable. The evacuation mission continues ahead of Tuesday's deadline. More than a hundred thousand people have now been evacuated from Afghanistan. This episode: congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, White Ho...

The U.S. has only a few more days to evacuate as many as 1,500 Americans and many thousands of Afghans before the Tuesday deadline set in negotiations with the Taliban. Staying longer, U.S. officials say, risks violence. Now, attention has begun to turn to what comes next: how and where to resettle the scores who have fled. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House corresp...

Moderate House Democrats want to vote on infrastructure before negotiations continue on the big Biden economic plan. Progressive Democrats, joined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, worry that would sacrifice much-needed leverage. The compromise the party brokered Tuesday shows just how much work lies ahead as the party works to pass the heart of President Biden's agenda. This episode: demographics an...