The NPR Politics Podcast

Amid a renewed spike in coronavirus cases, the number of voters disapproving of the job President Trump is doing is at an all-time high, a new NPR/ PBS NewsHour /Marist poll finds. Joe Biden is using the pandemic to attack the president. And despite a narrow loss in the Kentucky Senate primary, the progressive wing of the Democratic party is amassing power in the halls of Congress. This episode: W...

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals, citing the Supreme Court's adherence to precedent, to invalidate a Louisiana law that required doctors at clinics that perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Plus, lawmakers in both parties are asking for more information after press reports suggested that Russian operatives have paid Afghan insurgents to ta...

At the first coronavirus taskforce briefing in months, Vice President Mike Pence reiterated that the White House was there to support states in their response to the pandemic and touted the administration's response so far despite the country's high death toll. And Attorney General William Barr talks to NPR about the pile of controversies facing the Department of Justice. This episode: White House...

A day after Democrats blocked a Republican proposal in the Senate, they are set to pass a reform plan of their own in the House. Lawmakers appear pessimistic about the chances of compromise legislation. This episode: White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email...

The United States isn't experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus—because the first wave never ended. While original hotspots of the outbreak, like New York and New Jersey, have seen declines, population centers in the south, including Texas, are seeing record numbers of cases. White House coronavirus task force member Anthony Fauci testified about the pandemic yesterday on Capitol Hill. This...

Closely-watched congressional primaries in New York and Kentucky will test how well progressives fare in two very different parts of the country. And reporting from a Michigan suburb on how folks there view the racial justice protests and the president's response to the pandemic. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, Kentucky Public Radio re...

President Trump has removed a top Justice Department official, Geoffrey Berman, whose office has overseen the prosecutions of several of the president's associates. And the president's Saturday rally was a return to form for Trump, but fell short of expectations set by his campaign. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, justice correspondent Ryan Lucas, White House reporter Ayesha...

In Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, President Trump will hold his first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic seized the United States. The top public health official there said he hoped it would be delayed and the campaign agreed to limited public health precautions. And, new allegations from a former national security adviser draw White House ire. This episode: congressional correspondent Su...

The Supreme Court has extended a life-support line to some 650,000 so-called "Dreamers" on Thursday, allowing them to remain safe from deportation. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts said the decision was not about the Trump administration's authority to end the program, but rather about its "arbitrary" justification. This episode: political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, White Hou...

President Trump is in a political hole and has a lot of ground to make up over the next five months if he hopes to win another term, an NPR analysis of the Electoral College map finds. Read the analysis. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politic...

President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday encouraging police departments to improve training — a step critics say falls short of what is needed to curb police officers' use of force against people of color. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, and congressional reporter Claudia Grisales. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast her...

The vote was 6-3 with conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Neil Gorsuch joining the court's four liberal justices in the majority. "In Title VII, Congress adopted broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on an employee's sex when deciding to fire that employee," the court held in Monday's decision. "We do not hesitate to recognize today a necessary consequence of that legis...

There is so much to unpack in this current moment. Sam has a candid conversation with Aunt Betty about how history has shaped her view of the current protests, and he walks around downtown Los Angeles to get the perspective of people he meets. Sam also talks to BuzzFeed News reporter Melissa Segura on her recent reporting about police unions and what they mean for reform, and Morning Edition execu...

President Trump and his campaign are sticking to culture war messaging even as some congressional Republicans cede ground on police reform as an increasing majority of Americans voice their support for the protests. This episode: campaign correspondents Asma Khalid and Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Connect: Subscri...

After one of the city's police officers killed George Floyd, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis city council has pledged to disband the city's police force. What comes next could take years to figure out. This episode: campaign correspondent Asma Khalid, reporter Adrian Florido, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the...

Philonise Floyd, whose brother was killed by Minneapolis police, testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The hearing, tied to House Democrats' police reform proposal, took place as Republican reform efforts in the Senate began to take shape. This episode: campaign correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and National Justice correspondent Carrie...

As Joe Biden's campaign touted his plans for police reform, President Trump denied that there is a systemic problem with American policing; according to polls, a large majority of Americans disagree. And Republicans have controlled Georgia politics for nearly two decades. Tuesday's primary in the state could be the beginning of a shift in power. This episode: campaign correspondents Asma Khalid an...

Congressional Democrats on Monday unveiled the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which aims to install wide-ranging reforms for police departments across the country. It faces Republican opposition. Responding to a mantra of nationwide anti-racism protests, Joe Biden's campaign announced he doesn't support defunding police departments. Reform activists say their ask is more nuanced than that. In th...

As the country erupts in protests over police brutality and racism, two-thirds of Americans think President Trump has increased racial tensions. That poll comes as news that 2.5 million American jobs were added in May as Trump encourages the country to reopen. Plus, a look at the type of leadership Americans want in this moment. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, campaign correspon...

Since the White House has increased its military in the nation's capital, more protesters are gathering by the day. The protests continue to remain largely peaceful despite the Trump administration's focus on violence. Plus, misinformation is spreading quickly as more people are turning to social media to understand what's happening on the ground. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow,...

Despite curfews imposed across the country, protesters continue to gather to demand action after the death of George Floyd. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on the the Congressional Black Caucus to draft legislation while President Trump continues to focus on quelling the protests. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, and congressional corresp...

Former Vice President Joe Biden condemned both police violence and President Trump's increasingly confrontational response to widespread unrest in a Tuesday morning speech delivered at Philadelphia City Hall. This episode: campaign correspondent Scott Detrow, campaign reporter Juana Summers, and senior political ediotr and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Po...

Escalating his rhetoric during a period of roiling national crises, President Trump on Monday threatened to deploy the U.S. military to cities or states that don't take "necessary" actions to halt violent protests, saying the armed forces will "quickly solve the problem for them." This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, and national political corre...

President Trump on Monday called governors weak and urged them to "dominate" to prevent further violent demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck. Plus former Vice President Joe Biden meets with black leaders and is encouraged to listen to younger African-Americans. This episode: campaign correspondent S...

President Trump responded to violent protests days after the killing of a black man. He said he will send in the National Guard, adding: "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." Joe Biden called on the nation to better empathize with the pain of black Americans in the wake of the death of the black man by a white police officer. Plus, the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reaches a 1...