The NPR Politics Podcast
Kanalaren Xehetasunak
The NPR Politics Podcast
Every weekday, NPR's best political reporters are there to explain the big news coming out of Washington and the campaign trail. They don't just tell you what happened. They tell you why it matters. Every afternoon.Political wonks - get wonkier with The NPR Politics Podcast+. Your subscription suppo...
Atal Berriak
1944 atal
What to make of Trump’s mixed-messages on the Iran war
President Trump sent a lot of mixed messages on the war in Iran this week, starting with imminent peace on Monday, threatening to take control of Khar...
Primary voters reject the establishment and choose populism
More than half the states have had their primary contests for this year’s midterm elections. We discuss some key themes that have emerged. Voters are...
Trump signs law giving immigration enforcement $70 billion
President Trump signed a law giving roughly $70 billion to federal immigration enforcement agencies, intended to cover their budgets for three years,...
California counts votes slowly. Trump falsely cries fraud.
California counts votes very slowly, maybe slower than any other state. This is normal for California, but President Trump and some other Republican l...
Will the controversy surrounding Platner deter primary voters?
Democrat Graham Platner is the frontrunner in his party’s primary contest to represent Maine in the U.S. Senate, but Platner’s campaign has been dogge...
Do political scandals matter anymore?
As recently as a few days ago, it looked like President Trump’s $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund might prevent Congress from passing funding for i...
Voters reject the establishment in this week’s primaries
Voters in several of this week’s primary races rejected incumbents and politicians backed by Washington leaders in favor of outsiders. We discuss that...
Why did Governor Polis release election denier Tina Peters?
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters was released from prison this week, after Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted her sentence. Peters...
Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization fund’ is a problem for the GOP
A federal court put President Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund” on hold, but Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say they would like to see the preside...
Democrats target working-class voters in Iowa and Montana
To win control of Congress, Democrats need to win rural and working-class voters in traditionally Republican strongholds. We discuss the party’s strat...
Which Democrats could be on the presidential ballot in 2028?
It was another busy week in politics. For our weekly news roundup, we discuss the Justice Department’s investigation into E. Jean Carroll, a writer wh...
How immigration courts are quietly speeding up deportations
After about two months on the job, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has shifted the agency’s immigration enforcement efforts toward tactic...
In Texas Senate run-off, MAGA ousts the old guard
Republican Sen. John Cornyn was one of a few incumbents who lost their re-election bids in Texas’ primary run-off election Tuesday. We discuss what to...
What to know about the California governor’s race
When voting in California’s primary election wraps on June 2, a crowded field of 62 candidates vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom will narrow to just...
Sources & Methods: Trump's counterterrorism plan
From NPR's Sources & Methods:
The attack at a mosque in San Diego underscores larger problems: the rise of far right extremism and the ri...
Some Republicans in Congress are standing up to Trump
Tensions between congressional Republicans and the White House caused leaders on the Hill to delay a vote on immigration funding. We discuss what's at...
Why these swing voters give Trump a pass on the economy
NPR reporters observed focus groups of 12 North Carolina voters who backed President Joe Biden in 2020 and President Donald Trump in 2024. We discuss...
Trump's revenge tour ousts Massie in Kentucky. Is Texas next?
President Trump wasn't on the ballot in Tuesday’s primaries, but he notched a victory when the challenger he backed defeated Kentucky Republican Rep....
Trump creates $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization fund’
President Trump is creating a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they were victims of the “weaponization” of the Justice Department...
Trump goes after GOP foes in Louisiana, Kentucky primaries
Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy lost his primary last Saturday to a challenger backed by President Trump, and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie faces...
What did Trump accomplish in China?
President Trump returned from a long awaited trip to China on Friday. We discuss what the United States got out of the meetings with Chinese leaders....
Inflation is up, job growth is flat, and voters don’t like it
In the last week, we’ve gotten seemingly conflicting economic data — inflation is up, consumer spending is up slightly and the job market is holding s...
Could one Nebraska House race alter the Electoral College?
A day after Nebraska held its primary election, the result in the Democratic race to fill one of the most competitive House seats in the country is st...
Mr. Trump goes to Beijing
President Trump is headed to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. We discuss what each side hopes to accomplish and how the Iran war has...
Democrats face disadvantage after redistricting setbacks
The U.S. House map looks particularly bleak for Democrats after Virginia’s Supreme Court overturned the map voters approved last month, on top of a re...
How rising oil prices are foiling Trump’s energy policy
Oil prices continue to climb as a result of the Iran war. We discuss how that has interfered with President Trump’s planned energy policy. Plus, will...
How Trump is undermining the fight against public corruption
The Trump administration has taken multiple actions that experts warn are undermining the fight against public corruption. We discuss what that looks...
Trump approval is worst ever in new poll
President Trump said he would punish the Republican state senators in Indiana who voted against redistricting, and in Tuesday’s primary, almost all of...
Is the Strait of Hormuz Trump’s biggest political headache?
Iran and the United States have exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple days as the U.S. military tries to provide safe passage to c...
Efforts to renew key spy program keep failing in Congress
Congress has been unable to reach an agreement over the reauthorization of a surveillance program the intelligence community says is vital for spying...
Trump’s retribution tour: Comey, Indiana Republicans, and ABC
President Trump and his allies seem to be — once again — seeking retribution from people who have gotten on the president’s bad side. We discuss the J...
Florida passes new House map; Mills exits Maine Senate race
Florida lawmakers have approved a new congressional district map designed to flip four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives from Democrat contro...
Supreme Court deals another blow to Voting Rights Act
In a landmark ruling Wednesday, the Supreme Court effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act. We discuss what the ruling could mean for Black representa...
Trump mulls a Spirit Airlines bailout. Is this capitalism?
President Trump has suggested the United States “buy” the struggling Spirit Airlines. We discuss other ways Trump has blurred the lines between govern...
DOJ charges suspect in White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
The Justice Department has charged 31-year-old Cole Allen with trying to assassinate President Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Associatio...
Trump, Vance evacuated after shots fired at White House Correspondents' Dinner
President Trump, Vice President Vance, and members of the administration were evacuated from the Washington Hilton Saturday night after shots were fir...
DOJ drops Fed chair probe to cap a busy week in politics
It was another busy week in politics. We discuss the Justice Department’s decision to drop its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell,...
Civil rights group says federal charges are political
The Justice Department has charged the Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights organization, with several financial crimes. We discuss w...
Virginia beats back Trump's redistricting gamble
Virginia voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to redraw congressional district lines, improving Democrats’ odds at winning back the House in Nove...
Trump backs psychedelic drug treatments
President Trump signed an executive order to fast-track medical research into psychedelic drugs, following a push by podcaster and influencer Joe Roga...