The NPR Politics Podcast

Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman is part of a new class of progressive lawmakers hoping to push their party left on issues like police reform, healthcare and racial justice. A proponent of reparations legislation, the former New York principal tells NPR that President Biden's position "falls short" when it comes to reparations for survivors and descendants of victims of the 1921 Tulsa race mas...

The Supreme Court threw out a Republican-led challenge to the Affordable Care Act, and the justices ruled unanimously in favor of a Catholic foster agency denying service to LGBTQ couples. Plus, the Biden administration expanded transgender and gay student protections, setting up potential legal battles in conservative states. This episode: Congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, White House cor...

In Geneva, President Biden and Russia President Vladimir Putin met for hours. At separate news conferences Putin described the talks as "constructive" and Biden said he did what he came to do. Both leaders agreed to keep talking. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and NPR's Moscow correspondent Lu...

Democrats on the Hill are meeting with Democratic state lawmakers from Texas to discuss federal legislation on voting rights, an issue that was recently added to the Vice President's list of priorities. But a couple of key moderate Democrats still stand in the way of nationwide reform. This episode: White House correspondents Scott Detrow and Ayesha Rascoe, and congressional correspondent Susan Da...

In the first overseas trip of his presidency, Biden is in Europe delivering a central message to allies: America is back. But while G-7 leaders agree on confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, they diverge on how hard to push China. Plus, will Biden's meeting with Vladimir Putin pave the way for a more predictable relationship with Russia? This episode: White House correspondents Sco...

In a speech announcing the change, President Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that allowing every eligible American adult the chance to vote was not something that is up for debate. Also: a bipartisan group of ten senators brokered their own infrastructure agreement. Now all they have to do is.... convince fifty of their colleagues to sign on. This episode: congressional corresp...

Some Republican lawmakers have branded the efforts to teach about the effects of racism as "critical race theory." They have introduced legislation in statehouses around the country hoping to ban it. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, racial justice and politics correspondent Juana Summers, and political reporter Barbara Sprunt. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast he...

Vice President Harris emphasized the need for development and healthy civil society in her first foreign trip, meant to curb the flow of migrants and asylum-seekers coming to the United States. And Biden is negotiating over infrastructure with a larger bipartisan group after his negotiations with Republicans foundered. This episode: politics, demographics, and culture reporter Danielle Kurtzleben,...

A bipartisan Senate investigation found that police had more alarming intelligence ahead of the Jan. 6 attack than previously documented. And the president is off to Europe this week. He will attempt to reassure leaders that the U.S. is a reliable partner and an important ally against China and Russia. This episode: politics, demographics, and culture reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, White House corr...

Former president Donald Trump spoke at a North Carolina Republican Party meeting over the weekend. The appearance demonstrated his lasting control of the conservative political ecosystem. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podca...

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont had asked the Labor Department to bar governors from prematurely ending supplementary unemployment payments tied to the pandemic. In an interview with NPR, Walsh said there probably wasn't anything the administration could do to stop them. Also: Vice President Harris is taking her first international trip in an effort to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. southern...

Former President Trump will speak at the North Carolina Republican Party's state convention this weekend, kicking off his unofficial return to the campaign trail as he prepares to stump for Republican candidates. Also, while some Trump administration alumni have followed traditional conservative routes since leaving the White House, others are working to keep the MAGA movement alive. This episode:...

In Texas this week, state Democrats blocked a number of Republican voting changes purportedly aimed at increasing election confidence. Arizona's continued recounts of 2020 ballots have helped to sustain right-wing conspiracies about irregularities in the presidential election. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, voting and disinformation reporter Miles Parks, KUT reporter Ashley L...

The White House announced a number of new orders aimed at tackling the racial wealth gap in connection with the visit. Centenarian survivors of the attack testified before Congress last month about the ongoing lack of justice and accountability for Black Americans harmed by racism. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and politics and...

This month NPR is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to commemorate the moment we're looking back on the women who shaped how NPR has covered the biggest political stories. Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg, and Mara Liasson built NPR's political coverage from the ground up and take us into the rooms where history was made. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow and White House cor...

The country's reckoning with policing, racial equity, and representation have reshaped the contest to run the largest city in the U.S. And, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has pushed for eight years to change the way the military prosecutes sexual assaults. Now, it looks like her legislation could pass Congress. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, WNYC reporter Brigid Bergin,...

The U.S. government and scientists remain uncertain about the exact origins of the coronavirus outbreak: transmission from animals or research lab escape? Either option has lessons for how society can contain future pandemics. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politi...

The Docket is a new ongoing series from The NPR Politics Podcast where we examine the backstory of the laws that impact our daily life. Traffic stops are a routine police practice, but with the rise in body cams and cell phone footage, people have begun to witness how they can escalate to violence and even death. We examine how the law itself may contribute to that escalation. Warning: this episod...

During his first address to Congress, President Biden pushed for his party's police reform and racial justice package to be passed by May 25th, the first anniversary of George Floyd's murder by police. They have now missed that deadline. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, and politics and racial justice reporter Juana Summers. Connect: S...

The White House dropped half a trillion dollars in spending from Biden's infrastructure and stimulus proposal in an ongoing show of "bipartisanship," but the cuts weren't to the levels or areas that would improve the legislation's standing with conservatives. And: how Donald Trump has maintained his influence over Republicans. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House corr...

Alec MacGillis' book Fulfillment tells the story of America's three-decade long economic transformation through the lens of Amazon's rise to corporate dominance. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben interviews the author for the latest installment of the Politics Podcast book club. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebo...

The left flank of the Democratic party has exerted a lot of influence over the Biden administration on issues like climate change and economic strain. Will progressive sway Biden on Israel, too? And concerns over mental health could present a foothold for bipartisan regulation of big tech. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, senior political...

Twenty-two Republican led states are planning to roll back expanded unemployment benefits, because they say the benefits are keeping people from returning to work. Progressives argue employers need to do a better job of incentivizing workers to return. We look at what's really going on. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, and chief economi...

The court, a 6-to-3 conservative majority, has increasingly filled the legislative role abdicated by a dysfunctional Congress. And as Republican leadership balks at a commission to investigate the January 6th insurrection, it is worth considering what role an official record of the event would play in civic life. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspondent Sus...

The states both have long histories of Republican control, but the two pairs of senators have taken remarkably different tactics in Congress. Arizona's Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema came to Washington by persuading the state's split-ticket voters and soft partisans, while Georgia's Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won by exciting Democratic base voters. READ THE STORY This episode: White House corre...