House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would agree to raise federal government's borrowing limit in exchange for cuts to discretionary, non-defense spending and other changes to federal safety net programs — though he likely does not have enough support from his own party to actually pass the plan through his chamber. The U.S. must raise its borrowing limit by early summer in order to avoid destabilizing the global economic system. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political co...
Apr 19, 2023•14 min
It remains to be seen whether Fox News will have to retract any of the baseless claims it broadcast about Dominion Voting Systems, which was suing the broadcaster for $1.6 billion dollars in damages. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, media correspondent David Folkenflik, and Colorado Public Radio reporter Bente Birkeland. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by...
Apr 19, 2023•11 min
The Supreme Court will decide how to move forward after temporarily halting a lower court's order which would have restricted access to the abortion medication mifepristone, used in more than half of U.S. abortions. The issue arrives at the high court as it weathers yet another ethics controversy involving Justice Clarence Thomas. ProPublica reported that the justice has long failed to report lavish gifts from his friend Harlan Crow, a billionaire Republican mega-donor. This episode: political c...
Apr 17, 2023•15 min
California Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein's months-long recuperation from shingles has hamstrung the Judiciary committee and led some of her fellow lawmakers to push for her resignation. The 89 year-old has not voted on legislation since February. And the Environmental Protection Agency proposed aggressive new regulations that would all but mandate a shift to electric vehicle production over the next decade — and the move is largely backed by the auto industry. This episode: political correspon...
Apr 14, 2023•27 min
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Jack Teixeira, as a suspect in the leak of classified intelligence documents. The files contain information about Ukraine's military readiness and sensitive intelligence gathered by the U.S. about its allies. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national security correspondent Greg Myre. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey M...
Apr 13, 2023•11 min
Scott, who serves as a senator from South Carolina, announced a presidential exploratory committee — a fundraising vehicle often used by candidates ahead of formal campaign announcements. Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump have all formally entered the GOP primary contest. Former vice president Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are also expected to run. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, political correspondent Kelsey Snell, and political corr...
Apr 12, 2023•16 min
As many Republican-led states pass legislation restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors and adults, both the Biden administration and the Supreme Court have begun to weigh in. We look at the current state of affairs in Utah, which passed a law on the topic earlier this year. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and KUER politics reporter Saige Miller. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey More...
Apr 11, 2023•13 min
Two federal judges issued contradictory opinions related to a drug used in nearly all U.S. medication abortions last week. The Biden administration has announced its intent to appeal the issue and the issue will likely work its way to the Supreme Court. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our execut...
Apr 10, 2023•12 min
Tennessee House Republicans voted to expel Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson after they led a protest on the floor of the chamber in response to a recent deadly school shooting in Nashville. Rep. Gloria Johnson, who also participated in the protest, held on to her seat by a single vote and suggested that's because she is white. And the Biden administration released a report shifting blame for the chaotic final days of American troops in Afghanistan to the Trump administration. The document o...
Apr 07, 2023•22 min
Want to put yourself or your cause on the ballot? Generally, you need to gather signatures first in order to signal support for your message. Last year, five would-be GOP gubernatorial hopefuls in Michigan were disqualified after allegedly fraudulent signatures were discovered on their petition documents. Now, election officials are raising the alarm about the risks associated with paid signature-gathering. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, voting correspondent Miles Parks, a...
Apr 06, 2023•13 min
Liberal Janet Protasiewicz won her election to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court by more than 11 percent. The rout is the latest example of a powerful national trend: voters strongly support Democratic-backed candidates on abortion access issues. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, political correspondent Kelsey Snell, and White House correspondent Tamara Keith. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthon...
Apr 05, 2023•13 min
Prosecutors in New York allege Donald Trump falsified business records to conceal hush money payments made by allies, which prosecutors say was an effort to keep scandalous allegations against him from coming to light during the final months of his 2016 presidential campaign run. Trump is expected to speak to the allegations tonight at a Florida campaign event. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, national justice cor...
Apr 04, 2023•15 min
A race for one seat on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court has broken national spending records. The winner could be the key swing vote on cases deciding everything from abortion rights to redistricting in the state. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and Wisconsin Public Radio's Shawn Johnson. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research a...
Apr 03, 2023•13 min
How will American politics change now that a former president, Donald Trump, is facing criminal prosecution for the first time in the country's nearly two and a half centuries of existence? This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and political correspondent Susan Davis. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive prod...
Mar 31, 2023•26 min
The indictment appears to be connected to hush money payments made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election. Daniels alleges that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which the former president denies. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDanie...
Mar 31, 2023•10 min
Now, states are beginning to take up the mantle in order to revive the initiatve supported by super-majorities of Americans. Teachers, parents and students told NPR that the program makes a big difference in their lives. This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, politcs reporter Ximena Bustillo, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fac...
Mar 30, 2023•12 min
In 2013, researchers published a landmark study on why Americans of all incomes and demographics die years before their peers in comparable countries. In the decade since the report was published, that gap has only grown. We examine the policy choices behind Americans' shorter lives. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and health correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited...
Mar 29, 2023•15 min
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a criminal corruption charges, has moved to weaken the country's court system. His plan is, for now, on hold after widespread protest. The situation has created a diplomatic headache for President Biden: a key ally's democracy wobbles as the White House holds its annual "Summit for Democracy." This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and Jerusalem correspondent Daniel Estrin. The podcast ...
Mar 28, 2023•15 min
Six in ten Americans say in a new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll that they don't want Trump to be president again, but it's unclear whether the other GOP hopefuls can build a wider base of support without tarnishing their image among voters they'll need to win a primary. And in his trip to Canada last week, Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed resettling asylum seekers, rising violence in Haiti, and a new area of attention: America's resurgent manufacturing economy. This epis...
Mar 27, 2023•14 min
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely Republican presidential primary candidate, once strugged to win the vote of conservative Latinos in South Florida — but lately, many of those voters have really embraced his message. And the tools to create artificial video, audio, and text have become far more powerful and much easier to use in the last few years. The technology is poised to reshape much of modern life — including, perhaps, the prevalence of disinformation. This episode: White House correspon...
Mar 24, 2023•26 min
Top monetary officials including Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen say things have stabilized in the two weeks since panicked depositors rapidly withdrew their money from Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, causing both to fail. But on top of revisiting recently relaxed banking regulations, policy makers are pondering how to handle the risk of bank runs in the age of smartphone banking. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, chief economics...
Mar 23, 2023•17 min
TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is set to address the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday and is expected to tout the company's billion-dollar restructuring effort to build a firewall between its Chinese owner and the data of the app's 150 million U.S. users. Lawmakers of both parties — having previously shied away from regulating U.S. tech giants — are laser-focused on the app as part of a broader effort to curb a perceived threat from China. This episode: political corresponden...
Mar 22, 2023•14 min
The former president's announced on social media that he'd soon be arrested, apparently referring to an ongoing state investigation in New York over his hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Trump invited his supporters to protest. The president's post derailed the ongoing House Republican retreat in Florida, where GOP members denounced New York's investigation into the former president and are once again torn between distancing themselves from his alleged actions and alienatin...
Mar 21, 2023•13 min
It's been twenty years since the U.S. launched a war in Iraq — a conflict justified by faulty intelligence. More than 4000 Americans died along with tens of thousands of Iraqis. The war undermined Americans' trust in government and further highlighted the inability of the U.S. government to export democracy by way of regime change. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and international correspondent Deb Amos. The podcast is produced ...
Mar 20, 2023•13 min
A bill ending Iraq war authorizations has cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate and is expected to be taken up by the chamber for a final vote next week, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Federal judges are all bound by an ethics code — so why aren't Supreme Court justices? This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg,...
Mar 17, 2023•22 min
Was the FDA wrong to approve a drug that's used in nearly all medication abortions in the U.S. — and should the drug, mifepristone, be taken off the market? Those questions were argued in court Wednesday, in a case heard by federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, in Amarillo, Texas. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national correspondent Sarah McCammon, and political correspondent Susan Davis. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited ...
Mar 16, 2023•14 min
The U.S. and the United Kingdom will provide nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia as part of a defense deal between the two nations. And, a U.S. drone crashed near the Black Sea after an encounter with Russian jets. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and national security correspondent Greg Myre. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. R...
Mar 15, 2023•15 min
Former President Donald Trump has been invited to testify before a New York City grand jury — a move that is widely understood to mean Trump could soon face criminal charges related to his financial dealings and the payment of hush money to Stephanie Clifford, the adult film star also known as Stormy Daniels. His former attorney Michael Cohen previously was convicted in connection with the payment in federal court, when prosecutors alleged the payments were made at Trump's direction. This episod...
Mar 14, 2023•13 min
The Biden administration has announced that customers of Silicon Valley Bank will have full access to their deposits, an extraordinary move by federal officials to backstop billions of dollars in uninsured money. In remarks Monday morning, the president indicated he was confident in the banking system after a few high-profile bank closures last week. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsle...
Mar 13, 2023•16 min
President Biden wants to raise income taxes on households earning more than $400,000 a year to shore up the social safety net, make community college and childcare less expensive, and boost investment in strategic industries in order to counter China. But, like all presidents' budgets, it is more a statement of principles than a concrete plan to be taken up by Congress. And more people who have been convicted of felonies are getting their right to vote back — an expanding policy trend that defie...
Mar 10, 2023•23 min
