President Biden gave a speech Thursday afternoon begging folks to get vaccinated. A CDC document warns that the very contagious delta variant means "the war has changed" against COVID. The bipartisan infrastructure deal which passed its first vote in the Senate this week is evidence that President Biden may be able to foster cooperative lawmaking in modern Washington, as he promised during the campaign. Will it help his party hold onto congressional majorities during a difficult midterm election...
Jul 30, 2021•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was born from the civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s, but in recent years the Supreme Court has effectively nullified its key provisions. We explore why the law was first passed and what it means for voters of color now that its powers have been gutted. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NP...
Jul 29, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast The White House says it is "following the science" on masks after the CDC issued new guidance, but some experts say they're falling short on the social science: how to convince the remaining 40 percent of American adults to get vaccinated. Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the nation and residents there aren't likely to listen to President Biden. Can football coach-turned-Senator Tommy Tuberville convince the rest of the state to get inoculated? This episode: White House correspondent S...
Jul 28, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The officers — Pfc. Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the U.S. Capitol Police, and Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department — testified before a congressional committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters. The officers each detailed brutal violence and abuse at the hand of protestors that left them with ongoing physical and mental injuries. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe,...
Jul 27, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Customs and Border Protection reported encounters with 188,829 migrants and asylum-seekers at the U.S. southern border last month, the highest level in a generation. The Biden administration has struggled with how to respond. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Faceb...
Jul 26, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast A hearing next week featuring testimony by Capitol Police officers will be held without any members nominated by Republicans. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is boycotting the process after the House's top Democrat Nancy Pelosi vetoed some of the members he selected to serve. And the rate of violent crime is sharply up in some cities across the United States. There are no simple answers about what's driving the increase, but it it is certain to be a central issue in the Republican effort to retak...
Jul 23, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast A group of 21 senators from both parties but out a statement that they're close to a deal and another vote is expected as soon as Monday. And an Ohio Democratic primary race to replace Biden official Marica Fudge in the House of Representatives is getting a lot of national attention, including from this podcast. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, and demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben. Connect: Subscribe to the N...
Jul 22, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coronavirus cases are on the rise in parts of the United States and there have been new cases among fully-vaccinated lawmakers and government staff. The country as a whole saw a nearly 150% increase in the seven-day case average compared with two weeks prior. The vaccines, though, are still preventing serious infections and mostly keeping people out of the hospital. Now, President Biden and the White House are struggling to figure out how to get the remaining one-third of American adults vaccina...
Jul 21, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ben Shapiro's conservative commentary and news aggregation site The Daily Wire is a dominant force on Facebook, where sharp headlines drive massive engagement. The upstart The Georgia Star News has pushed outright disinformation about the 2020 presidential election and subsequently scored an exclusive interview with Donald Trump. The two sites illustrate a number of distinct ways in which outrage, social media, and political polarization have reshaped the media landscape. This episode: congressi...
Jul 20, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Joe Biden's primary policy initiatives, his trillion-dollar infrastructure and economic plans, face their first test in the Senate this week. And does a federal court ruling limiting the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, increase the urgency around immigration in Congress? This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional reporter Susan Davis, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast...
Jul 19, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elizabeth Hinton's book America On Fire explores how aggressive policing sparked thousands of incidents of mass violence in Black communities across the United States beginning in the 1960s. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben talks to the author about how the government's typical response to these "rebellions" — more policing — is both escalatory and inadequate. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Liste...
Jul 17, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Voting rights activists feel that they have done the work of energizing and organizing voters to care about the issue. Now, they want President Biden to step up the pressure on Congress from the bully pulpit. And Hunter Biden's art sales will be anonymous, which the White House is calling an ethics win. Good governance experts aren't buying it. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Juana Summers, and senior political...
Jul 16, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast In his April address to Congress, President Joe Biden said he hoped to prove that democracy and the federal government were still capable of delivering for the American people. This week, Senate Democrats unveiled Biden's chief effort to meet that promise: a $3.5 trillion dollar plan that would — among other things — dramatically expand access to child and health care, as well as overhaul the energy sector to curb climate change. The proposal faces a difficult road to passage and could see consi...
Jul 15, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Faced with food and fuel shortages, Cubans have begun unprecedented protests against the country's communist government. President Biden's response could help boost Democratic support among Florida's many Cuban American voters. The party has lost a number of key elections in the state, thanks in large part to lackluster support among conservative expatriates who hope to see Democrats take a harder line against Cuba's communist government. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, Wh...
Jul 14, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Take our survey: npr.org/podcastsurvey Vice President Harris talked to NPR's Asma Khalid about the administration's path forward on their voting rights agenda given the major roadblock in the Senate: some Democrats in the chamber are unwilling to change the filibuster, a rules quirk that forces a sixty-to-forty majority to pass most legislation. And many Democrats from the Texas statehouse have come to Washington D.C. to meet with federal lawmakers, fleeing their own state in a procedural stunt ...
Jul 13, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Take our survey: npr.org/podcastsurvey Domestic travel is surging as the country reopens, but there is still an international-sized hole in the bottom lines of some U.S. tourism businesses. Would-be foreign visitors are mostly barred from coming stateside as coronavirus travel bans persist — and there have been few concrete answers from the Biden administration on when that will change. And vaccine maker Pfizer has begun talking about providing a coronavirus vaccine booster shot. That could be a...
Jul 12, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden gave a defensive speech Thursday updating the American public on his plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan. He said that the United States accomplished its mission in Afghanistan, though his administration acknowledged earlier in the day that the two-decade war "has not been won militarily" and that there are ongoing risks to the safety and prosperity of Afghans. Domestically, the White House is stalled on voting rights reforms: Democrats in Congress can't find a route around the ...
Jul 09, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former president Donald Trump filed a lawsuit this week claiming that his rights are violated by social media bans, claims legal experts say are spurious. But there has long been a push for big tech regulation in Washington, and it appears that the wheels are starting to turn. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional editor Deirdre Walsh, and technology correspondent Shannon Bond. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.o...
Jul 08, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Though crime rates remain well-below historic highs, assaults and murders have spiked since the pandemic began. Democrats in New York picked ex-cop Eric Adams as their mayoral nominee; he's likely to win. Biden traveled to Chicago to talk gun violence with the city's mayor Lori Lightfoot. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and WNYC reporter Brigid Bergin. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpo...
Jul 07, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast More than five hundred people have been charged in what is on track to be one of the largest criminal investigations in the country's history. Now, a House committee is charged with an impossible task: establishing a widely-accepted set of facts about what happened on January 6th. This episode; White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and justice correspondent Ryan Lucas. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@...
Jul 06, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast By 2040, 70% of Americans could be represented by just 30 Senators. And twice in the last two decades, a Republican president has lost the popular vote but won the White House. America's government was built to protect the rights of political minorities, but some critics say the system has become too unfair. What does this mean for the future of U.S. politics? This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and senior editor and correspondent R...
Jul 05, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chief Justice John Roberts used to be seen as a solid conservative, but as the center of conservative politics moved to the right so did the justices appointed after him. Now with a 6-3 conservative super majority on the court, what role does the chief justice play? This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and special guest Tom Goldstein. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the ...
Jul 03, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden did not meet his goal of 70% of Americans having one shot of the vaccine by July 4th, and some hot spots are flaring up in red states with a new variant looming. But there are signs across the nation that the country has radically curbed the spread of the virus. Plus economists are now predicting an ever quicker recovery for the economy. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, science ...
Jul 02, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former President Donald Trump's family business and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, have been criminally charged by the Manhattan district attorney's office in a case involving alleged tax-related crimes. The former president was not charged, but it's his name on the business. How could this impact him? This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, justice correspondent Ryan Lucas, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent...
Jul 01, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court upheld the state of Arizona's restrictive voting laws that some argued targeted black and brown voters. Plus, the court ruled in favor of rich donors seeking anonymity when donating to nonprofits, which could mean a lot for campaign contributors. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast he...
Jul 01, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Pew Research Center just released the most comprehensive analysis of the demographic breakdown of voters in 2020. We dig into the data and look at what it means for the both parties moving forward. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, and White House correspondent Asma Khalid. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Listen to our playlis...
Jun 30, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to wade into a major controversy over the use of bathrooms by transgender students, delivering at least a temporary victory to the trans community. But legislation across the country point to a mounting court battle in the future. Plus, the Biden administration faces criticism from climate activists. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and White House corr...
Jun 29, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden walked back an earlier threat that he would not sign the newly announced bipartisan infrastructure deal if it did not come to his desk with a second bill full of progressive priorities. Plus, former President Trump held his first post-presidency rally to drum up support for a congressional candidate. This episode: Congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national political co...
Jun 28, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Forty years ago this month, the CDC reported on patients with HIV/AIDS in the United States for the very first time. In the years since, LGBTQIA+ Americans have been fighting for treatment and recognition of a disease that was was understudied, under-reported, and deeply stigmatized. In this episode Sam Sanders talks with activists about how they got the media and the government to pay attention to the crisis. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Pol...
Jun 26, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Department of Justice announced it is suing the state of Georgia over a restrictive voting law. The move comes as the Biden administration seeks ways to combat Republican efforts to limit ballot access. Plus, Vice President Kamala Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border after mounting criticism for not going there sooner. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas, Georgia Public Broadcasting's Stephen Fowler, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, an...
Jun 25, 2021•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
