The NPR Politics Podcast

The government shutdown is over, after Congress passed a deal Wednesday that funds the government through the end of January. The deal does not extend expiring health insurance subsidies, but it does include a provision allowing several Senate Republicans to sue the government for millions. We discuss what’s in the deal and what comes next. This episode: national political correspondent Sarah McCa...

The redistricting arms race continues, with several developments that may blunt President Trump's effort to advantage the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm elections. We also discuss a case before the Supreme Court that could alter how mail-in ballots are counted and an effort to reduce elections occurring in odd-numbered years. This episode: national political correspondent Sarah McCammon, pol...

A recent Tucker Carlson interview with far-right influencer Nick Fuentes has stirred controversy at the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-leaning think tank. We discuss the fallout and the conservative movement’s struggles over how to handle right-wing figures who express antisemitic views. This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, national political correspondent Sarah McCammon, and se...

The Senate has advanced a plan to end the government shutdown, after a group of Democrats broke with leadership to vote for the deal. We discuss what’s in the deal and what to make of the politics of it. Can Democrats claim a win? This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. This podc...

Democrats had a good day on Tuesday, winning up and down the ballot across the country. We discuss what lessons the down-ballot victories offer, as well as what the Democratic and Republican parties can learn from this week’s election results. This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, political reporter Stephen Fowler, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith and senior political editor...

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week about whether President Trump overstepped the limits of his power when he implemented widespread tariffs to address trade deficits. We discuss what both sides argue and the potential ramifications of the court striking down the president’s tariff policy. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, an...

Democrats saw major wins in Tuesday’s elections, from California’s redistricting ballot measure to gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and the mayoral race in New York City. We discuss what the results say about the future of the Democratic Party and to what extent the wins reflect a referendum on President Trump. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior polit...

Tuesday is the last day voters in New Jersey and Virginia can cast ballots in their states’ gubernatorial races, as well as the end of voting in California’s redistricting ballot measure contest and New York City’s mayoral race. We discuss the big takeaways from each of those contests and what lessons they offer about the 2026 midterm elections. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamar...

President Trump recently returned from a week-long trip to Asia. We discuss the president’s speech to military troops in Japan, what came out of Trump’s highly watched meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping, and the fact that all of this happened during a month-long federal government shutdown.  This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Deepa Shivara...

The NPR Politics Podcast celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special live show. We discuss how unusual mid-decade redistricting efforts could alter the landscape for the midterms, as well as some of the major themes to watch as the election draws closer. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national political correspondent Sarah McCammon, voting correspondent Miles Parks...

During a roundtable at the White House earlier this month, President Trump directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate antifa, the far-left movement opposing fascism, as a foreign terrorist organization. We discuss whether the Trump administration can legally do that, and even if it can’t, the significance of the president suggesting it.  This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, ju...

Millions of Americans are set to lose federal food assistance on Nov. 1, unless lawmakers step in. We discuss how food banks are handling the imminent crisis and whether the deadline will push congressional leaders back to the negotiating table. This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, political reporter Stephen Fowler, and congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. This podcast was produc...

The Trump administration has said universities that sign a compact agreeing to certain policy priorities will get preferential treatment when it comes to get federal funding. Though no schools have signed the agreement yet, some say they are in discussions with the administration about it. We discuss the compact and other tactics by an administration that has made reshaping higher education a prio...

This week in Washington, President Trump halted trade talks with Canada, announced a private donation to help pay the military and authorized new sanctions on Russian oil. We discuss these developments, as well as how Trump uses his carefully cultivated image. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior political editor and correspo...

The Trump administration broke ground this week on a new White House ballroom, demolishing the White House’s East Wing in the process. We discuss why the project is controversial and who is paying the $300 million bill. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Amazon and Goog...

The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse and oversight over military actions, but recent actions by the White House appear to step on that authority. We discuss whether Congress has ceded its power to the Trump administration and what it would take to get it back.  This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and senior nationa...

At the heart of the federal government shutdown is a fight on Capitol Hill over health insurance subsidies. We discuss the likely impact of not extending those subsidies past their expiration at the end of the year, plus how the government shutdown is forcing some family planning clinics to close. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Du...

Dominion Voting Systems, the election technology firm at the center of several election-related conspiracy theories in 2020, was sold this month and rebranded as Liberty Vote. We discuss the practical implications of the transformation and how it could affect the 2026 midterm elections.  This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, voting correspondent Miles Parks, and Colorado Public R...

The Justice Department indicted former National Security Adviser John Bolton on charges related to mishandling classified information. Bolton was a vocal critic of President Trump, and his indictment comes on the heels of indictments of other Trump critics, James Comey and Letitia James. We discuss the case against Bolton as well as other major news in Washington this week.  This episode: voting c...

Gen Z and millennial voters are a significant voting bloc — expected to account for more than half of eligible voters by the next presidential election. We discuss how the financial pressures weighing specifically on younger rural voters affects how and whether they vote. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, political reporter Elena Moore, and senior political editor and corresponde...

One task the federal government does a lot of is gathering data -- on prices, on the job market, and on a bunch of other things. When the government is shut down, those data aren't getting collected, and economic policy decisions based on those data aren't getting made with the full picture. We discuss why this aspect of the government shutdown has a broader impact than you might think. This episo...

Republicans, both in Congress and at the state level, are continuing a push to restrict voting by U.S. citizens living abroad. We discuss what those restrictions could look like and what they could mean for voters, including those who live in the country. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, voting correspondent Hansi Lo Wang, and voting correspondent Miles Parks. This podcast was p...

From Consider This from NPR : Nearly a quarter century after the September 11th attacks, the Trump administration is using the language of terrorism to target a new enemy: Latin American drug cartels. The president says the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels. Scott Detrow talks to a Bush-era lawyer who says the powers of war are too extraordinary to use against crime. See pcm.adswizz.com...

The Justice Department indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James, an outspoken critic of President Trump, this week on allegations of fraud. It comes after the DOJ indicted another Trump critic, former FBI director James Comey, who was arraigned this week on charges alleging he lied to Congress. Then, we get an update on the government shutdown, and talk about a cat's wild ride. This episod...

Hamas and Israel have agreed to the first phase of a deal designed to end the war in Gaza. We discuss President Trump’s role in the negotiations that brought about the deal and whether lasting peace could be on the horizon. This episode: voting and election security correspondent Miles Parks, national security correspondent Greg Myre, and senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith. This podcast...