The Florida governor made his campaign official on Wednesday night, in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk beset with technical issues. Quickly attracting criticism from both Republican and Democratic challengers alike, DeSantis cited his pandemic response and battles against critical race theory as reasons why he would be an effective president. This episode: political correspondents Susan Davis and Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving. The podcast is produce...
May 25, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll shows more than six in 10 Americans are concerned about President Biden's mental fitness, but his approval rating has increased four points from last month's survey. The poll also explored attitudes toward the debt ceiling, and to issues surrounding gun control. We dig into the numbers, and make sense of them. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and senior political editor and correspondent ...
May 24, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tim Scott, the junior senator from South Carolina, kicked off his presidential campaign in North Charleston on Monday, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis is expected to follow suit this week, according to multiple media reports. As the field of Republican candidates takes shape, what will contenders need to do to challenge former president Donald Trump successfully — as well as current president Biden? This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national political correspondent Don Gonyea,...
May 23, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast After cutting short his trip to Asia, President Biden returned to Washington to meet with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to try and hash out terms over increasing the country's debt limit. Where are they finding common ground, and what still needs to be resolved? This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, reporter Barbara Sprunt, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our exe...
May 22, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vivek Ramaswamy is a 37 year-old investor and pharmaceutical entrepreneur who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. A self-described nationalist, he says he can expand Donald Trump's America First message to a wider audience. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis and White House correspondent Asma Khalid. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Unlock access to this and other bonus co...
May 19, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast As world leaders convene in Japan for the G7 summit, contemporary concerns including climate change and Russia's invasion of Ukraine are on the agenda alongside a resurgent worry: nuclear war. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and international correspondent Anthony Kuhn. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Unlock access to this and other bonus c...
May 18, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast OpenAI head Sam Altman appeared before a Senate panel this week to talk about his ChatGPT product and the future of artificial intelligence. Lawmakers acknowledge the broad upsides of the fast-moving technology but hope to craft regulation in order to blunt the social and civic drawbacks that arrived alongside past tech breakthroughs. This episode: political reporter Deepa Shivaram, disinformation correspondent Shannon Bond, and congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales. The podcast is produc...
May 17, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed a bill banning abortion in North Carolina after 12 weeks. But as Republicans hold supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature, it is likely the veto will be overridden, and restrictions could take effect as soon as this summer. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and WFAE politics & government reporter Steve Harrison. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morel...
May 16, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Four senators — two Democrats, two Republicans — are joining forces on a bill to regulate how social media companies can interact with users under the age of 18. They're one of many groups in Congress trying to increase oversight and regulation in this field, but given the country's polarized politics, does their legislation have any chance of making its way to President Biden's desk? This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and technology ...
May 15, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lawmakers have yet to reach a deal to avert U.S. default, which could come as soon as next month. In Ohio, Republican lawmakers are attempting to amend the state's constitution to waylay reproductive rights activists' push to safeguard access to abortion. And, in Can't Let It Go, news of a dog who is very old. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Kelsey Snell, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and Ohio Statehouse News Bureau Ka...
May 12, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Social Security provides retirement money to U.S. workers who have paid into the system via taxes. The program could be forced to cut payments within the next decade if Congress doesn't act to shore up its funding. One bipartisan plan, still in its early days, comes from Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats: an independent endowment seeded by a $1.5 trillion investment from the federal government. This episode: White Hous...
May 11, 2023•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode includes discussion of sexual violence. Jurors found former President Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in the civil lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, who says Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store. While the jurors did not find that Trump raped Carroll, they agreed that he "sexually abused" her and that he defamed her when he denied her story. Carroll was awarded $5 million in total damages for both claims. And New York Republican Rep. George Santos,...
May 10, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Congress has long directed the government to spend more money than it collects in taxes. That means the government has to borrow money to meets its obligations, which it does by selling Treasury securities. Treasury securities are a promise from the government that you if give it money now, it will pay you back with interest later. They have long been considered among the safest investments in the world. But now, the U.S. is flirting with not paying its bills by refusing to increase the amount o...
May 09, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a major pandemic-related immigration policy is scheduled to end, the Biden administration is warning the tens of thousands of migrants hoping to cross into the U.S. via its southern border that they should instead apply for asylum using the government's app or through a processing center in their home countries. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. The podcast is produced by Elena Moo...
May 08, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast A jury in Washington, D.C., has convicted former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and three others of seditious conspiracy, handing the Justice Department a key victory in its Jan. 6 probe. And as the country continues to add jobs and boost wages, why do Americans think the country is in a recession? This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley. ...
May 05, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Statehouses have long passed legislation in order to curtail or overrule local governments, but there is a renewed focus in many Republican-controlled legislatures to enforce conservative cultural priorities in Democratic-leaning cities. This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, political correspondent Kelsey Snell, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Mutu...
May 04, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The public health policy was implemented by the Trump administration as a way to limit migration to the United States during the pandemic, and the Biden administration kept it in place, despite criticism from many Democrats. With the policy set to be rescinded this month, what will happen to U.S. immigration policy as a result? The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Unlock access to this and other bonus cont...
May 03, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode discusses gun violence and contains mentions of suicide and the sound of gun shots. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. Nearly one-in-five Americans have seen someone injured in a shooting. Four percent of adults have been injured themselves. A recent KFF poll documents the sizable reach of a uniquely American gun violence epidemic. This episode: politica...
May 02, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Roughly half the country believes that neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump should seek the presidency in 2024 — though both men are. A group called No Labels is laying the groundwork for a potential third party candidate, but they won't say where they're getting their money. This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, KJZZ reporter Ben Giles, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel....
May 01, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Both men are strikingly unpopular — two-thirds of Americans don't want Trump to run for president again and just 41 percent approve of Biden's job performance, according to a recent poll from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist. But the Democratic performance in the 2022 midterm elections and other recent polling suggests voters who don't like Biden might cast a ballot for him anyway. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, senior political editor and corre...
Apr 28, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to narrowly pass a bill to temporarily raise the debt limit. But it was paired with spending cuts and policy changes to social programs that mean it's dead on arrival in the Democratic-held Senate. So what's next in the ongoing stalemate? This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. This episode of the podcast was produced by Elena Moore. It was...
Apr 27, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast A core tenet of President Biden's economic agenda has been protecting American industry. He argues a strong manufacturing sector is good for the economy and U.S. national security. And he's not the only one: it's a rare issue where Biden and former President Trump align. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis and White House correspondent Asma Khalid. This episode of the podcast was produced by Elena Moore. It was edited by executive producer Muthoni Muturi. Unlock access to this and ...
Apr 26, 2023•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden announced his reelection bid in a video released early Tuesday morning. We break down the issues that he chose to highlight, the political climate heading into 2024, and whether America is ready for a potential Trump-Biden rematch. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson. This episode of the podcast was produced by Elena Moore. It was edited by Lexie Schapitl. Our executive produce...
Apr 25, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Republican presidential hopefuls flocked to Iowa this weekend for a chance to make their pitch to a key block of primary voters: conservative Christians. And even though former President Trump wasn't physically there — he dialed in via video call — he was still the largest presence in the room. This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national political correspondent Don Gonyea, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. This episode of the podcast was produced b...
Apr 24, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is mulling over a 2024 run for the White House — and he currently stands as the biggest threat to former President Trump in the primary. But the Republican Governor has a tough race ahead of him, and it's unclear he can shore up enough support within the GOP. Also, NPR's Scott Detrow sits down with Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman for his first interview since returning to the Senate after a six-week hospitalization for clinical depression. This episode: poli...
Apr 21, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Supreme Court has three options: send the fight over mifepristone — a drug used for over half of U.S. abortions — back to a lower court, take the case up in this summer or fall, or allow the ban to go into effect. After granting themselves more time to decide, justices have a deadline of midnight tomorrow to decide. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and senior political editor and correspon...
Apr 20, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 
