The number of new COVID cases hasn't been this high since before the vaccine was widely available. Aiming to curb the rise, President Biden has announced a series of expansive new policies covering the bulk of American workers. And the Department of Justice is suing Texas over its near-ban on abortions, launching one of many expected court fights over the law. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, business correspondent Andrea Hsu, and natio...
Sep 10, 2021•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a conversation with NPR's Nina Totenberg, Justice Breyer, 83, says he plans to retire from the High Court before he dies. He bemoaned the public's perception of Supreme Court Justices as politicians and said it is up to young people to address the problems facing the country. This episode: legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podc...
Sep 09, 2021•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Voting ends Tuesday in California's recall election, where voters are deciding whether or not to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. If he loses, Republican Larry Elder is the most likely candidate to replace him. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and KQED senior editor Scott Shafer. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcas...
Sep 08, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some twelve million Americans saw their expanded unemployment assistance expire Monday as the delta variant throttles the nation's economic recovery. Research from the states that halted the aid programs earlier this summer suggests the end of benefits will hurt spending and won't do much to get people back into the workforce. So far, neither Congress nor the Biden administration are pushing to renew the benefits. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Ay...
Sep 07, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Biden administration is investigating several states over their bans on mask mandates in schools, saying the measures could violate the rights of children with disabilities who are entitled to a safe school environment. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior education editor and correspondent Cory Turner. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast ...
Sep 06, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast On Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaida terrorists. The passengers and crew fought back and because of that, the plane crashed outside Shanksville, Pa., instead of its likely target: the U.S. Capitol. Part of the plane crashed onto land owned by Tim Lambert, a public radio reporter at WITF in Harrisburg, Pa. The crash would end up connecting Lambert, in surprising ways, to the first responders who managed the aftermath and to the families of the people who died...
Sep 03, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Joe Biden's approval rating has dropped to a new low, 43 percent, according to a new poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour, and Marist College. Americans are split about what should have happened in Afghanistan, but a large majority label the U.S. role in the country a "failure." The poll found that a historically large majority of Americans approve of resettling Afghan refugees in the United States, but that number could decline as the political fight heats up. This episode: White House corresp...
Sep 02, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast A state law took effect Wednesday banning abortion after about six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. It also allows people to sue others seeking an abortion and anyone who aids them in the process, with damages beginning at ten thousand dollars plus attorney's fees. So far, the Supreme Court has not halted the legislation. So far, the Supreme Court has not halted the legislation. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, ...
Sep 01, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The withdrawal effort managed to evacuate 124,000 people before the last U.S. service member left Afghanistan on Monday, ending nearly two-decades of American military presence in the country after the September 11th attacks. Tuesday at the White House, President Biden fervently defended his decision not to "extend the forever war," though touted America's remote warfare capabilities and told terror group ISIS-K: "We're not done with you yet." This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid,...
Aug 31, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Much of the country is reeling from natural disasters as COVID hospitalization rates hit levels not seen since before the vaccine was widely available. Evacuations continue from Afghanistan in the wake of the most deadly attack on U.S. service members in more than a decade. All that during what was supposed to be a domestic policy-focused summer for the Biden White House, with two trillion-plus dollar deals on the line. So, how is the president responding to crisis? This episode: White House cor...
Aug 30, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden has warned there could be more violence coming over the weekend in Afghanistan. Yesterday's attack at Kabul's airport could be a preview of the disarray that could be in store for the country after the U.S. finally exits. And: it is still unclear where tens of thousands of evacuated Afghans will be allowed to resettle. Also, voting rights activists will take to the streets across the country this weekend to pressure President Biden and congressional Democrats to take aggressive a...
Aug 27, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden addressed the nation to offer condolences to the families of the U.S. military personnel and scores of Afghan civilians who died. He promised to hold the perpetrators accountable. The evacuation mission continues ahead of Tuesday's deadline. More than a hundred thousand people have now been evacuated from Afghanistan. This episode: congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, and international correspondent Jackie Northam. Connect: Subscribe ...
Aug 27, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. has only a few more days to evacuate as many as 1,500 Americans and many thousands of Afghans before the Tuesday deadline set in negotiations with the Taliban. Staying longer, U.S. officials say, risks violence. Now, attention has begun to turn to what comes next: how and where to resettle the scores who have fled. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and national security correspondent Greg Myre. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Po...
Aug 25, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Moderate House Democrats want to vote on infrastructure before negotiations continue on the big Biden economic plan. Progressive Democrats, joined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, worry that would sacrifice much-needed leverage. The compromise the party brokered Tuesday shows just how much work lies ahead as the party works to pass the heart of President Biden's agenda. This episode: demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, and congressio...
Aug 24, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. is evacuating thousands of people a day from Kabul, prioritizing Americans and citizens of NATO allies. The Taliban insist that all troops must be out of the country by the end of the month. That has left Americans who were deployed to the country worried about the fate of their Afghan allies — particularly those outside of the capitol city. This episode: demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and veterans correspondent...
Aug 23, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden spoke about the situation in Afghanistan again Friday, emphasizing his commitment to evacuating all Americans and Afghan allies after the Taliban's swift takeover. NPR's Scott Detrow asked him why these evacuations didn't begin months ago when the U.S. still had more control in the country. And as COVID cases continue to rise, many school administrators are implementing mask mandates for teachers and students despite orders in some states that prohibit the rules. The Biden admini...
Aug 20, 2021•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Frantic evacuations continue in Afghanistan as President Biden publicly defends the way in which the withdrawal of U.S. troops was conducted. And in an interview with ABC on Wednesday, Biden said that using military force to deal with human rights issues was "not rational." This episode: congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, international correspondent Jackie Northam, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Connect: Subscribe to the NP...
Aug 19, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The nation's top election officials met in Iowa last weekend. They discussed the ongoing challenge presented by false conspiracy theories pushed by Republicans about the presidential election. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, voting and misinformation reporter Miles Parks, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group ....
Aug 18, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hospitals across the country are nearing capacity as they struggle to treat unvaccinated Americans. Children represent eighteen percent of all new cases, as parents and pediatricians push to get those under twelve access to the vaccine as schools begin to reopen. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and health correspondent Allison Aubrey. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join th...
Aug 17, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a speech at the White House Monday, President Biden forcefully defended his decision to withdrawal from Afghanistan — rebuking the Afghan government for being unwilling to fight the Taliban and emphasizing that spending more time and money in the country would not, in his view, have changed the outcome. The president devoted very little of the speech to criticism he has faced over how the withdrawal was conducted. He took no questions from reporters. It remains to be seen how many of tens of ...
Aug 16, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The unexpected announcement from the Pentagon comes as the Taliban is rapidly increasing their control over the country. And new census data out this week shows that the share of Americans who identify as multiracial is up nearly 300 percent since 2010. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national correspondent Hansi Lo Wang. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Email the show...
Aug 13, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest installment of the Docket, our series on legal issues, NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben and Carrie Johnson talk about vaccine mandates with Lindsay F. Wiley, a law professor at American University. 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 playlist The NPR Politics Daily Workout . Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter . Find and support your local public radio station . Learn ...
Aug 12, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Once talked about as a future presidential candidate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) will leave politics in disgrace after the release of a report detailing multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Some allegations he denies, others encounters he says are being mischaracterized. Now, there are big questions about the future of politics in the state. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, New York State Public Radio reporter Karen DeWitt, political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, a...
Aug 11, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden's infrastructure deal passed the Senate with 19 Republican votes, bolstering his claim that he can secure deals in today's Washington. But now he has to contend with competing priorities within his own party. Also: Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) has said he will resign. This episode: political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Connect: Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here . Emai...
Aug 10, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden said that the United States will cut its greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The Senate is on track to approve billions for climate resiliency programs this week and Democrats have made climate policy a central piece of their forthcoming $3.5 trillion economic package. The proposals are all unprecedented — but are they enough to meet the scale of the challenge? This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent ...
Aug 09, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The unemployment rate dropped to 5.4% in July — a low for the pandemic. Nearly a million new jobs were added to the economy — although restaurants and factories are still hurting for workers. Covid cases continued to rise, too. We take a look at the two ends of the response spectrum: New York City's vaccine mandate and Florida's free-for-all. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley, national correspo...
Aug 06, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast People agree: prices are up on everything from gasoline to used cars. But both experts and voters disagree on the cause and whether inflation is here to stay. That uncertainty makes the economy a potent messaging tool ahead of the 2022 race for control of Congress. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow 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 ....
Aug 05, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gene Sperling oversees the White House's rollout of COVID relief. On Monday, he told reporters that President Biden had "quadruple-checked" whether he had the legal grounds to extend the eviction moratorium unilaterally but said ultimately the president's hands were tied by a Supreme Court ruling that blocked the administration from extending its past moratorium beyond the end of July. Yesterday, the administration extended the renter protections anyway. And, the U.S. continues the hard task of ...
Aug 04, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast An investigation found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women in and out of state government and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers, New York's attorney general announced Tuesday. The findings quickly renewed calls for the Democrat's resignation or impeachment. Cuomo smacked down the allegations, citing generational differences, and calling the investigation politically motivated. This episode: White house correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Tamara ...
Aug 03, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast A vote on the t rillion-dollar proposal is expected as soon as Thursday. Also, President Biden has been denying tens of thousands of migrants asylum proceedings, citing public health fears. After months of stagnant negotiations, immigration and civil rights groups are taking the White House to court. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Connect: Subsc...
Aug 02, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
