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POLITICO Tech

POLITICOwww.politico.com
The POLITICO Tech podcast is your download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. New episodes on Thursdays.
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Episodes

'Modern day slavery' for some farmworkers in Georgia

An alleged human trafficking ring in Georgia highlights many of the loopholes found in the H-2A agricultural visa program, renewing calls for an overhaul. Ximena Bustillo reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 25, 202213 min

Presenting Playbook Deep Dive: 'You only win if you fight': Will Gallego unseat Sinema?

This week Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza is in Arizona to dig into a few big plotlines ahead of this year’s elections. Trump narrowly lost the state in 2020, Senator Mark Kelly – the Democratic incumbent – is one of the most vulnerable senators up for reelection this year and strategists are already looking at the 2024 Senate election to see who will run against Kyrsten Sinema. On this week’s Playbook Deep Dive Episode, Ryan joins Rep. Ruben Gallego for a long dinner and a few drinks. They discus...

Apr 22, 202228 min

No one in D.C. wants to talk to the Russian ambassador

Russia’s ambassador to the United States can’t get meetings with senior officials at the White House or the State Department. He can’t convince U.S. lawmakers to see him, and it's rare to find an American think tanker who’s willing to admit to having any contact with the envoy. Senior foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi discusses her conversation with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. and D.C.'s loneliest man, Anatoly Antonov. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 20, 202212 min

POLITICO’s midterm election forecast

We're six and a half months out from the the midterms, and to keep track of the almost 500 seats up for grabs, POLITICO has launched an election forecaster. Steve Shepard, the man behind the tracker, breaks down his 2022 election predictions and which races to keep an eye on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 19, 202213 min

House Dems’ super PAC sparks Latino backlash in Oregon

A newly drawn House district offered the prospect of electing Oregon’s first Latina to Congress. Then a top super PAC unexpectedly swooped in. Sabrina Rodriguez reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 18, 202212 min

The changing demographics of the 'Chocolate City'

Gentrification has dramatically transformed Washington, D.C. — as a result, the city now has a smaller Black population. That decline mirrors a nationwide trend, nine of the 10 cities with the largest Black populations have also seen decreases in Black residents. Delece Smith-Barrow reports on the latest installment of The Recast’s Next Great Migration series: Washington, D.C. Read the full piece here . Read other Next Great Migration work at politico.com/greatmigration Learn more about your ad ...

Apr 15, 202213 min

Why does insulin cost so much?

Insulin is what economists would call a super inelastic product — no matter what the cost is, people will pay for it because it's a life-saving medication. Two bills currently in Congress hope to drive down costs. Katherine Foley reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 14, 202213 min

Why your burger is so expensive

American consumers are seeing food prices rise at the fastest rate since 1981. Supply chain snarls, labor shortages and climate challenges — plus the conflict in Ukraine — share the blame. Steven Overly reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 13, 202211 min

Oligarchs can still stash money in real estate — for now

As political pressure grows to crack down on Russian oligarchs, U.S. policymakers are taking a deeper look at an industry that has long avoided anti-money-laundering rules: real estate. POLITICO's Katy O'Donnell discusses the push in Congress to close foreign money loopholes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 12, 20229 min

The FDA's food failure

A POLITICO investigation based on more than 50 interviews finds the FDA is failing to meet American consumers' expectations on food safety and nutrition. POLITICO's Helena Bottemiller Evich reports on the agency's structural flaws and the risks posed to Americans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 11, 202212 min

The untold story of Afghanistan's female elite soldiers

Trained by the U.S. Army, a group of trailblazing Afghan women became a formidable military force during the war in Afghanistan. They now live scattered around the U.S., stuck in immigration limbo. Amanda Ripley reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 08, 202215 min

Tribes left behind by America's weed laws

Federal protections for state and territorial cannabis markets don't apply to Native American tribes. Natalie Fertig reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 07, 202214 min

5 key takeaways from U.N. climate report

On Monday, the U.N. offered a familiarly stark report card on the world’s progress on cutting emissions from the IPCC, which has been monitoring climate change since 1988. Despite the panel's regular reports about the consequences of burning fossil fuels, between 1990 and 2019 global emissions rose 54 percent and they are still rising. POLITICO's Karl Mathiesen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 06, 202213 min

Amazon's telehealth gold rush

Amazon has been pushing into health care for years, starting with wearable health devices and pharmacy services. But the nationwide expansion of its “Amazon Care” service is its biggest move in the rapidly growing telehealth industry, which could grow to a $20 billion sector over the next five years. Emily Birnbaum reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 05, 202212 min

NYC mayor Eric Adams takes on the 'gotcha' press

In a copy of a Zoom recording provided to POLITICO, New York City Mayor Eric Adams instructed administration staff that every single communication from a city agency, down to notices about cherry blossoms in bloom, must be approved by City Hall — warning that anyone violating his “discipline of message” would be fired. Julia Marsh reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 04, 202212 min

Biden turned the Russian ruble into rubble. How’d it bounce back?

A raft of punishing sanctions sent Russia’s currency crashing after its invasion of Ukraine. A month later, the ruble has staged a dramatic recovery — putting pressure on the Biden administration and allies to deploy even tougher measures. But officials say the ruble's recovery is not necessarily a sign of improvement in the Russian economy or Putin’s position. Kate Davidson reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Apr 01, 202213 min

Why haven't more hospitals used N95s?

POLITICO reporter Rachael Levy broke the story that some hospitals have been asking patients to remove their N95 masks — even though they offer better protection. Rachael’s reporting changed a national policy in a matter of days — but the question remains why policymakers in the US are behind on mask guidance. Rachael Levy reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 31, 202212 min

How a lawsuit spurred Florida GOP to pass ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law

Florida’s fight over contentious LGBTQ legislation — the "Parental Rights in Education Bill," dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents — had its genesis nearly two years ago, not in the halls of the state Legislature but in a September conversation between a Tallahassee mother and her 13-year-old teen. Gary Fineout reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 30, 202212 min

Biden's wealth tax on the uber rich

On Monday, President Joe Biden released his administration’s new budget proposal. It includes increases in domestic investments and a big boost in military funding. To pay for it, Biden proposed increasing taxes on corporations and the rich — including a new minimum tax on Americans with incomes of $100 million or more. Brian Faler reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 29, 202211 min

How to prepare for cyberattacks

The Biden administration has issued ominous warnings about looming Russian cyberattacks. The energy and finance industries are of particular focus, but one of the President's top cyber aides said last week that "We should consider every sector vulnerable." Maggie Miller reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 28, 202212 min

How Russia will impact the future of trade

Days after a 424-8 vote to revoke normal trade relations with Russia, the bill's path through the Senate is complicated. Senate Republicans are demanding the legislation be paired with a separate House-passed measure banning Russian oil imports, and Rand Paul has voiced opposition to expanding the Magnitsky Act. Gavin Bade reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 25, 202213 min

Chip lobby gets warm welcome, but no money

A microchip lobbying blitz is happening on Capitol Hill today, and D.C. has pledged to pour billions of dollars into coaxing chip manufacturers back to the U.S. The problem? The money's held up in Congress. Brendan Bordelon reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 24, 202213 min

Hackers come for your health data

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had their sensitive health data breached in 2021, a threefold increase in three years, according to a POLITICO analysis of the latest HHS data. Ben Leonard reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 23, 202210 min

The global food crisis will only get worse

Russia and Ukraine combined provide about 30 percent of the world’s supply of wheat and Ukraine alone provides about 15 percent of the world's corn. Russia's invasion into Ukraine is setting off a global food crisis that might be unprecedented. Meredith Lee reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 22, 202212 min

Will Biden (really) cancel student debt?

Ahead of the midterms, Democrats fret that Biden’s inaction on student debt could burn him with younger voters. Michael Stratford reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 21, 202213 min

The state battle to criminalize trans care

The furor surrounding transgender youth has been playing out in Texas, but it's not the only state proposing criminalizing gender-affirming care despite opposition from medical experts. Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are increasingly using transition-related medical care as a wedge issue heading into the midterms. Juan Perez reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 18, 202211 min

The Covid funding blame game

The White House asked for $22.5 billion for covid response funds. Last week, Congress put together a bipartisan $15 billion plan. But so far, exactly zero dollars have actually been agreed upon. And even as the administration warns it may need to cancel new orders of Covid-19 drugs as soon as next week and wind down access to testing soon after that, there appears to be no clear strategy from either the White House or Capitol Hill to secure the funds. Adam Cancryn reports. Learn more about your ...

Mar 17, 202212 min

How Liz Cheney wins re-election

Liz Cheney faces a primary with Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman. Wyoming political strategists say the only viable path to victory for Liz Cheney is with the help of Democrats and Independents who register as Republicans to vote in the primary. Tara Palmeri reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 16, 202212 min

A firefighter shortage

The Forest Service has long struggled with staffing shortages, but the challenges have intensified amid a hyper-competitive labor market and cost-of-living concerns. Ximena Bustillo reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 15, 202212 min
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