The NPR Politics Podcast

The NPR Politics Podcast

Every weekday, NPR's best political reporters are there to explain the big news coming out of Washington and the campaign trail. They don't just tell you what happened. They tell you why it matters. Every afternoon. Political wonks - get wonkier with The NPR Politics Podcast+. Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics

Episodes

December 24, 2025 19 mins

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is taking a look back at the year that was in different political areas. Today, we explore how President Trump pushed Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps with the hope of getting more Republican members of the House of Representatives, and how that led to an escalation of partisan gerrymandering throughout the country.

This episode: senior White...

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As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is taking a look back at the year that was in different political areas. Today, we look at President Trump's handling of the economy, including his tariff policy.


This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley.


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As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is taking a look back at the year that was in different political areas. Today, we look at what lawmakers were able to get done -- or not -- in 2025, and how that may influence their 2026 agenda.


This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith.<...

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It was another busy week in Washington. We discuss President Trump’s decision to reclassify cannabis as a schedule 3 drug, a revealing news story about the inner workings of the White House, and Congress’s decision to leave town without voting to extend expiring healthcare subsidies.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional reporter Sam Gringlas, and White House correspondent Deepa Shivara...
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President Trump used his prime-time speech Wednesday night to blame the country’s ongoing economic challenges on the Biden administration. We discuss what we learned from the speech and whether it is likely to sway Americans who don’t already support Trump. 

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Mont...
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Only 36% of Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of the economy in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. We discuss what might be driving that discontent and how much Trump’s tariff policies are to blame. 

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This podcast was produced by Cas...
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December 16, 2025 25 mins
As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is taking a look back at the year that was in different political areas. Today, we explore what President Trump's administration has done in terms of foreign policy, and what might be expected in the coming year.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national security correspondent Greg Myre.

This pod...
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December 15, 2025 19 mins
President Trump has built a brand as the sports-fan-in-chief, attending roughly a dozen major sporting events so far this year. We discuss how professional men’s sports align with Trump’s political brand.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This podcast was produced by Casey Morell a...
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It’s been a busy week in the political world. We discuss the Indiana state Senate's rejection of President Trump's push to redraw the state’s congressional districts, President Trump's speech on the economy in Pennsylvania in which he denigrated immigrants, and the United States' seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, senior White House correspondent Tamar...
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The enhanced subsidies 22 million Americans use to help pay for health insurance are set to expire at the end of this month, and when they do, many Americans will see their insurance premiums balloon. We discuss Democrats' and Republicans' competing proposals to address rising healthcare costs and whether Congress is likely to come to an agreement before — or after — the looming deadline.

This episode: political correspon...
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The Supreme Court is considering whether President Trump should be able to fire the head of the Federal Trade Commission and other independent agencies without cause. We discuss why Congress created these independent agencies in the first place and the broader impact of the court eroding the 90-year-old precedent that protects them from presidential politics.

This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, labor and ...
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President Trump has announced a $12-billion bailout plan for farmers, designed to offset the impacts they have felt from a trade war with China. We discuss how this program fits into Trump’s broader economic policy agenda, and whether it detracts from his message that tariffs will be a boon for the country’s economy.This episode: national political correspondent Sarah McCammon, White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and sen...
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The Trump administration has refocused some of its immigration policy on a push to get immigrants to "remigrate," or leave the country voluntarily. We discuss the administration's language and policy and examine its links to white nationalism.

This episode: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, immigration policy correspondent Ximena Bustillo, and domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef.

This podcast was ...
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This normally would be a bonus episode just for NPR Politics Podcast+ listeners. With this being the season of giving, we're sharing this one with everyone! To hear more bonus content like this, regular episodes sponsor-free, and support the work of NPR, sign up for NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics. 

It's the latest installment of our series, "Political Mosts," where we answer a superlative-type question abou...
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It was another busy week in the political world. We discuss the Supreme Court’s approval of Texas' redrawn congressional map, Democrats' performance in a Tennessee special election, and President Trump's dismissal of worries about "affordability" as a "con job." 

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Ashley Lopez, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanar...
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State and local elections officials across the country are preparing for a variety of ways the Trump administration could interfere with the 2026 midterm elections. We discuss the risks and what tactics the president and his allies have suggested.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, voting correspondent Miles Parks, and senior political correspondent and editor Domenico Montanaro.

This pod...
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New questions have emerged surrounding the United States’ military strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in early September. We discuss what we know and why the White House appears to be distancing itself from the decision to order multiple strikes on the same boat.

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national security correspondent Greg Myre.
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The Trump administration has announced more restrictions on the country’s refugee and asylum programs after a shooting of two National Guard members last week in Washington, D.C., allegedly by an Afghan immigrant. How do these changes advance Trump’s immigration policy agenda and his vision of what it means to be an American?

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, immigration policy correspondent Xime...
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President Trump has vowed to seek retribution from his perceived political enemies and to reward his political allies. We discuss how that focus is playing out at the Justice Department, where career prosecutors and other civil servants are no longer calling the shots. How does this partisan shift affect major court cases, from redistricting in Texas to James Comey’s prosecution?

This episode: senior White House correspond...
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November 28, 2025 10 mins

NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, first launched on a whim in 2008, attract millions of viewers. In this episode of Consider This from NPR, we hear from two members of the NPR music team on what they love about producing and sharing Tiny Desk performances with the world. 



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