As the Senate prepares to leave town for a two-week break, a bipartisan deal for $10 billion in new COVID money is on hold thanks to a fight over immigration. The BIden administration announced plans to lift a Trump-era restriction called Title 42. It allowed the U.S. to block migrants from entering the country before they have the chance to make an asylum claim. Republicans and some conservative Democrats want to see the rule reinstated. And new sanctions have been implemented against Russia by...
Apr 06, 2022•14 min
Unemployment in the United States is near record lows, wages are growing quickly, and spending in the service sector is increasing as the pandemic lulls. But there's also some worrying news: more job openings than people who want to fill them, global economic uncertainty stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and so much demand for consumer goods that the supply chain is struggling to keep up — forces that have all helped to drive inflation. Can the Federal Reserve calibrate its response in...
Apr 05, 2022•14 min
President Joe Biden again referred to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a war criminal after mass graves were discovered in territory recaptured by Ukrainian forces. And in conversations with NPR, many Ukrainians have expressed a deep sense of grief — and a desire for more military support from Europe and the United States. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and correspondent Elissa Nadworny. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@...
Apr 04, 2022•14 min
The Federal Communications Commission has few regulations over what candidates can say in their advertisements, though private broadcasters and internet platforms can impose more stringent rules. The result is thousands of the political advertising voters see can include lies and outlandish claims. And some election watchers say the private money was key to a smooth general election process in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Now, though, some states have begun to outlaw those outside donatio...
Apr 01, 2022•23 min
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a former White House staffer, was interviewed by the committee investigating the January 6th attacks on Thursday. The investigators are now hoping to have public hearings in May to lay out what they have discovered, though any criminal chargers would have to come from the Justice Department. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh. Connect: Email the s...
Mar 31, 2022•14 min
In Florida, a law limiting discussion of sexual orientation will take effect this summer. In Indiana, Republican lawmakers debated how to constrain discussion of sensitive topics, including race and ethnicity. Similar efforts are ongoing in statehouses across the country, a manifestation of the right's new focus on what and how kids are taught — something they hope will motivate parents ahead of the midterm elections. The episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, senior political editor a...
Mar 30, 2022•14 min
Russia pushed a conspiracy theory that the United States is helping Ukraine develop biological weapons. There's no evidence for that, but the idea did end up on Tucker Carlson Tonight — a Fox News show that reaches, on average, more than 3.5 million viewers with each episode. How did the conspiracy theory find its way from the Kremlin to American conservative media? This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, voting reporting Miles Parks, and domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yous...
Mar 29, 2022•14 min
COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are down in the United States, but health experts say it's too early to declare victory over the virus. Lawmakers are trying to reach a deal to continue funding the federal response, as a contagious subvariant is fueling surges in Europe and Asia. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and health correspondent Allison Aubrey. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Polit...
Mar 28, 2022•14 min
On a four-day trip through Europe, President Biden is sending the message that the US and allies are united in their response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But a month after the invasion began, it's not clear that diplomatic pressures are working to deter Russia's aggression. Also, Clarence Thomas's wife Ginni Thomas repeatedly urged then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The news is sparking questions about whether the Supreme Court just...
Mar 25, 2022•27 min
Tepublicans in the Ohio Senate primary are vying for Trump's endorsement to gain an edge in a crowded field. But Trump's approval doesn't mean an automatic victory: the former president just rescinded an endorsement in the Alabama Senate race, and his candidate was lagging in the polls. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and national political correspondent Don Gonyea. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NP...
Mar 24, 2022•14 min
Wednesday was the third day of Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, but senators spent much of their time rehashing familiar lines of questioning. Republicans doubled down on charges Jackson is "soft on crime." And Jackson, like most nominees since Ruth Bader Ginsburg, did not comment on any potential issues that could come before the court. In an era of deep polarization, are the hearings just for show? This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, justice corresp...
Mar 24, 2022•15 min
Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's Supreme Court pick, faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. In a marathon hearing, Jackson said she decides cases "from a position of neutrality" and follows the text of the Constitution. Republican senators questioned her record sentencing criminal defendants and representing detainees and Guantanamo Bay. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and c...
Mar 23, 2022•15 min
On her first day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told senators that she "stands on the shoulders" of those who came before her and that she decides cases "from a neutral posture." While she has broad support from Democratic senators, Republicans are likely to press her on her record as a public defender when questioning begins Tuesday. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and legal affairs correspondent N...
Mar 21, 2022•14 min
On top of aid to Ukraine and a trillion-dollar budget, Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act and passed legislation which makes lynching a federal hate crime. They also voted to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but only because some senators who were opposed reportedly didn't know the vote was happening. And Black Americans are mobilizing in support of Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman on the high court. Hearings...
Mar 18, 2022•28 min
For more than a year, immigration activists have been frustrated that the White House has used the pandemic as a reason to turn away hundreds of thousands of migrants before they can make a request for asylum in the United States. Now, pressure created by the three million Ukrainian refugees could create enough political pressure to force Biden to revisit the policy. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and correspondent Joel Rose. Connec...
Mar 17, 2022•14 min
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a video address before Congress Wednesday, in which he asked for additional support to protect the country's citizens against Russian military brutality. Following the speech, Biden pledged to send an additional $800 million to Ukraine to boost security measures. This is in addition to $200 million in military aid to Ukraine Biden approved on Saturday. One ask that Zelenskyy is not likely to see answered: a U.S.-led no fly zone, which the Biden a...
Mar 16, 2022•14 min
Even before the pandemic, three in five Americans reported feeling like they are left out, poorly understood and lacking companionship. Communities with low social connectedness have higher rates of crime, lower educational achievement, and poorer physical health than more connected communities. As Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone documented more than 20 years ago, a frayed social fabric also makes governing much harder. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben talks to the author about how much worse things have...
Mar 15, 2022•14 min
The UN says more than 600 civilians been killed, though the true number is likely far higher. Russia's attacks have begun to reach the westernmost parts of the country, including on a military installation near Ukraine's border with Poland. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and correspondent Ryan Lucas. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter...
Mar 14, 2022•12 min
The $1.5 trillion dollar package also contained billions in aid to Ukraine. One thing that was absent? COVID relief money that the White House was banking on. And the 2020 Census undercounted many Black, Latino, and Native Americans. White, non-Latino Americans were overcounted. That could help to perpetuate inequality. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, correspondent Hansi Lo Wang, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenic...
Mar 11, 2022•25 min
The head of the Justice Department said that he is committed to unraveling the conspiracy behind the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, and reiterated that political considerations are no reason to overlook possible criminality. Garland is also clear-eyed about the limits on the department's ability to protect Americans' right to vote in the face of restrictive new laws passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Democrats in Congress repeatedly failed to pass federal voting righ...
Mar 10, 2022•13 min
Democrat Jared Polis ended Colorado's statewide mask mandate in the summer of 2021 and didn't reinstate it during later coronavirus surges. In an interview with the NPR Politics Podcast, Polis suggested that prioritizing vaccine and testing availability over masking helped the state achieve a high rate of immunization and relatively low death rate. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Mar 09, 2022•14 min
The symbolic move was accompanied by an acknowledgement from the president that gas prices are likely to keep rising. Nominally at an all-time high, gasoline prices remain well below their 2008 peak after adjusting for inflation. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe to the NPR Politics New...
Mar 08, 2022•11 min
Ukraine continues to hold out against a Russian invasion, as the U.S. and its European allies debate military aid and banning Russian oil imports to further constrain the petrostate's economy. NPR's Ryan Lucas is reporting from Ukraine and shares how the people there are experiencing the Russian invasion. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, correspondent Ryan Lucas, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Po...
Mar 07, 2022•14 min
Lawmakers said in a court filing this week that the evidence they have gathered through their investigation into last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol suggests that former President Donald J. Trump conspired to commit fraud by misleading the public about the outcome of the presidential election. Also: The Supreme Court's conservative majority could curtail the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate greenhouse gas pollution. And American oil and natural gas proponents are leveragi...
Mar 04, 2022•27 min
Biden is asking Congress to make new treatment options free and immediately available to patients who test positive. The administration says wastewater monitoring will help localities respond nimbly to outbreaks and that widespread vaccine adoption will help to reduce the lethality of future waves. The new plan comes as at a time when most states are easing masking and gathering restrictions and preparing to embrace a return to normal, This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White ...
Mar 03, 2022•14 min
Election officials said more than 15,000 mail-in ballots weren't completed properly after the state imposed new voting rules governing Tuesday's primary races. Election workers received thousands of calls from voters with questions and some vulnerable Texans opted to vote in person for the first time in years to ensure their ballot would be counted. Similar rule changes have been imposed in more than a dozen states since the 2020 election. This episode: voting reporter Miles Parks, politics and ...
Mar 02, 2022•14 min
In his speech, the president emphasized policies with broad, bipartisan support, including sanctions against Russian oligarchs and military aid to Ukraine. He also drew Republican applause when he called for more funding for police departments. Many priorities popular among the Democratic base, including voting rights legislation and climate action, got very little air time during Biden's remarks. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, and ...
Mar 02, 2022•19 min
At last week's Conservative Political Action Conference, influential Republicans focused on the notion that important American cultural values are under attack. And prominent 2024 presidential hopefuls, who could face former president Donald Trump in a primary race, attempted to distinguish themselves from Trump in a way that would not alienate his supporters. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and senior political ed...
Feb 28, 2022•13 min
Jackson's experiences working as a public defender and on the federal sentencing commission give her a unique background compared to the sitting high court justices. And Biden's approval ratings are dismal: a majority of Americans — 56 percent — describe his first year in office as a failure. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro...
Feb 25, 2022•26 min
In a speech at the White House Thursday afternoon, President Biden reiterated that the United States would not deploy troops to Ukraine, though he did bolster troop presence in neighboring countries. The economic impact of the invasion and subsequent sanctions will take time to determine. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and international correspondent Jackie Northam. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Polit...
Feb 24, 2022•13 min
