There are 34 Senate races this November and any one of them could decide control of the evenly-divided chamber. Democrats in Pennsylvania are slogging through a crowded primary, pitching similar progressive economic policies and distinct personal brands to voters. And Republican presidential hopeful and Florida Senator Rick Scott put out a blueprint encouraging GOP candidates to double-down on the culture war issues in order to save a country he describes as imperiled. This episode: congressiona...
Feb 23, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast White suburban mothers were a key, persuadable voting block in 2020 who helped to secure Biden the presidency. Now, their softening support for COVID safety measures in schools could be a boon for Republicans in November. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, and Connecticut Public reporter Catherine Shen. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter ....
Feb 22, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Putin appears to be establishing a pretext for a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the context dwindle. It remains to be seen whether a Russian invasion will unite NATO allies or drive a wedge between the European powers and the United States. This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and international correspondent Frank Langfitt. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast...
Feb 21, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even Democratic areas have begun to relax COVID restrictions as the Omicron wave ebbs, but another wave could mean the restrictions have to come back. Outside public health experts say that the federal government should establish a data-driven plan to help the public understand when and why safety measures like masking are necessary. And the January 6th investigation in Congress continues its work seeking documents and interviewing hundreds of witnesses. It is all building toward public hearings...
Feb 18, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger, and Michelle Childs are all highly-qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. They are also young enough to serve for decades to come. Biden has said that he will announce his nominee by March 1, the day he is scheduled to give his first State of the Union address before Congress. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Connect: Email the show at nprpo...
Feb 17, 2022•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The president says that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still "distinctly possible," but that diplomatic talks to avert an attack are continuing. And later this week, Vice President Harris will discuss the crisis with European allies at the Munich Security Conference. Meanwhile, former President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are at odds over the integrity of the 2020 election. It could determine the future of the Republican Party. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesh...
Feb 16, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Biden won back Pennsylvania and Arizona from Trump in 2020, but the president's sagging approval ratings could cause problems for downticket Democrats in those states come November. And election conspiracies are proving popular in Republican primaries, but some establishment figures are worried that the so-called Big Lie will be a liability in the general election. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, KJZZ reporter B...
Feb 15, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast NPR's Joanna Kakissis has been reporting on the life of Ukrainians as Russia continues to amass troops on the country's border. And will Russian President Vladimir Putin's continued aggression drive a wedge between the United States and Europe? This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, international correspondent Joanna Kakissis, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe ...
Feb 14, 2022•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Inflation is particularly potent as a political issue because it touches everyone, but President Biden still rarely addresses the topic substantively in public appearances. How much of an issue will it be in November? And a joint database, designed to prevent voter fraud, lets states track those Americans registered to vote in multiple places. But the program has recently become the target of a far-right disinformation campaign that's already led one state to stop participating. This episode: Wh...
Feb 11, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast With President Biden's agenda stalled in Congress, lawmakers are turning their attention to bipartisan reform proposals meant to increase public trust in government. Two ideas that have garnered attention: barring legislators from trading individual stocks and clarifying the Electoral Count Act, which sets the process for certifying presidential election results. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and congressional reporter Cl...
Feb 10, 2022•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Progressives point to a law that gives the education secretary the unilateral power to discharge federal student debt as a mechanism Biden can use to fulfill his promise to forgive $10 thousand in student loans for all borrowers. The White House has so far insisted the move would require an act of Congress. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and education correspondent Cory Turner. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the N...
Feb 09, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The White House, which has known about Eric Lander's behavior for weeks following an internal investigation, faces questions about why Biden failed to fire the Cabinet-level official sooner. Also: 900,000 Americans have died of COVID. As states give up on mitigation efforts, what does the future of the pandemic look like? This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and health reporter Will Stone. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org J...
Feb 08, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Washington and French President Emmanuel Macron is in Moscow as the two leaders attempt to resolve tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe. The leaders, whose countries have strong economic ties to Russia, have been more receptive than President Biden to Vladimir Putin's security concerns. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and Moscow correspondent Charles Maynes. Connect: Email the show at...
Feb 07, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The South Carolina Republican was a steadfast ally for Donald Trump in Congress, but he voted to impeach the former president after he experienced the attack on the Capitol. Now, Trump has endorsed a primary opponent. And Democrats contend with how to reform the Iowa caucuses after 2020's goat rodeo. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, South Carolina Public Radio reporter Victoria Hansen and Iowa Public Radio reporter...
Feb 04, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden said that ISIS leader Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blew himself up as U.S. special forces conducted a pre-dawn raid in northern Syria on Thursday. The president said the all Americans returned safely from the operation and every effort was made to limit civilian casualties. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national security correspondent Greg Myre. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Polit...
Feb 03, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Republicans are the slight favorites to win an open Senate seat in Ohio, but first their candidate will need to prevail in a crowded primary fight. Democratic front-runner Tim Ryan is already keeping a packed campaign schedule — but he could have trouble persuading the independent voters he needs in an increasingly Republican state. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and national political correspondent Don Gonyea. Connect: Email the ...
Feb 02, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Civil rights advocates say an algorithm at the heart the First Step Act, the 2018 bipartisan criminal justice reform law, should be overhauled or scrapped. Also: Kenneth Polite, a Black man who lost a sibling to gun violence is heading the Justice Department's criminal prosecution division. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Po...
Feb 02, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Activists say the president has made little substantive progress on overhauling the U.S. immigration system despite pledging as a candidate to work toward a more humane and open immigration system. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national desk correspondent Joel Rose. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter . Find and support your local...
Jan 31, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats will move to confirm Biden's choice as quickly as possible. And Trump allies are under investigation for an electoral college gambit — but experts say that it's unlikely they will face criminal penalties. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, voting reporter Miles Parks, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr....
Jan 28, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new congressional district in Colorado that is forty percent could be the site of one of the country's closest House races in November. Democratic organizers in Colorado and across the country are worried their party may not to be able to win enough support with Latino voters after Republicans proved competitive with the crucial demographic in 2020. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and demographics and culture correspondent Danielle...
Jan 27, 2022•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Breyer's retirement gives President Biden his first opportunity to name a new justice to the court. During the presidential campaign, he pledged to name an African American woman if he got the chance. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter . Find and support you...
Jan 26, 2022•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast After Democrats failed to pass federal voting rights legislation, changes to election processes enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures will reshape how voters cast a ballot in 2022 and beyond. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, voting reporter Miles Parks, KUT reporter Ashley Lopez, and WABE reporter Sam Gringlas. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group . Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter . Find and suppor...
Jan 25, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 8,500 U.S. troops are on heightened alert for deployment to Europe after Russia stationed more than 100,000 military personnel on its border with Ukraine. Europe's considerable economic links to Russia have complicated the response to the Kremlin's threats against Ukraine. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast...
Jan 24, 2022•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kamala Harris made history when she became the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as vice president. But in an often thankless job, and tasked with a portfolio of politically thorny issues, her first year in office was a mixed bag. Also, a pollster who has spent more than two decades speaking with young people explains what motivates Gen-Z voters — and why politicians will ignore them at their peril. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, White House correspondent A...
Jan 21, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The court ruled that the former president cannot block the release of 800 pages of his records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. The panel also asked Ivanka Trump, Trump's daughter and a former presidential adviser, to testify, and a request for former Vice President Mike Pence could be on the way, signaling that the investigation is getting closer to Trump's inner circle. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisale...
Jan 20, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a press conference to mark one year in office, the president touted his administration's progress combating COVID, while conceding he'll likely need to break up his signature legislation to get it through the Senate. He also threatened major sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, but drew criticism for adding that consequences would depend on whether Russia committed a "minor incursion" or a more severe advance. This episode: White House correspondent Scott Detrow, congressional correspon...
Jan 20, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senate Democrats are bringing new voting rights bills to the floor this week. There's just one problem: They don't have the votes. That could have consequences for the 2022 midterms, and it's setting up a public showdown about the future of the filibuster. This episode: White House correspondent Ayesha Rascoe, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org Join the NPR Politics Podcast Face...
Jan 18, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Biden administration laid out his main priorities as the president took office: tackling the pandemic, responding to the climate crisis, addressing racial inequality, and rejuvenating the economy. Over the past few weeks, the NPR Politics Podcast checked in on whether those goals being met. Today we look at racial equity. The Biden administration pledged to center people of color in their hiring and policy decisions. But over the past year other crises took centerstage. How successful were t...
Jan 17, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration's vaccine-or-test rule for businesses with more than 100 employees, but allowed a separate mandate for health care workers to stand. Also, Democrats' push to pass voting rights legislation is unraveling, as moderates in the Senate resist any changes to filibuster rules. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and congressional correspondent K...
Jan 14, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The idea of another American Civil War might seem outlandish. But as the country diversifies, it's grown more polarized. Today, Americans can't even agree on who won the 2020 election or whether masks prevent the spread of COVID. Researchers say it's not out of the question for these political tensions to boil over. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Connect: Email the show at nprpolitics@np...
Jan 13, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
