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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
The NPR Politics Podcast

Podcast Directory

The NPR Politics Podcast

From NPR

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

Most Recent Episodes

Roundup: Stormy Daniels Testifies, Why People Are Still Voting For Nikki Haley

Judge Juan Merchan presides over proceedings as Stormy Daniels, far right, answers questions on direct examination by assistant district attorney Susan Hoffinger in Manhattan criminal court as former President Donald Trump and defense attorney Todd Blanche look on, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in New York. Elizabeth Williams/AP hide caption

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Elizabeth Williams/AP

Roundup: Stormy Daniels Testifies, Why People Are Still Voting For Nikki Haley

Donald Trump remains on trial in New York state court over alleged hush money payments. This week, Trump was warned by the judge to stop violating his gag order or he could find himself in jail. And thousands of people are still casting ballots for Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, even though she suspended her campaign months ago. Will those protest voters come home to Trump's candidacy, vote for President Biden or just stay home?

Roundup: Stormy Daniels Testifies, Why People Are Still Voting For Nikki Haley

Listen · 21:33
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A Change In U.S.-Israel Policy?

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his "Investing in America agenda" at Gateway Technical College, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Sturtevant, Wis. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

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Morry Gash/AP

A Change In U.S.-Israel Policy?

In an interview with CNN, President Biden said he would block further U.S. shipments of weapons to Israel if it launched a ground invasion of Rafah as part of the Israeli war in Gaza. What impact will his statement have both for the U.S.-Israel relationship, and among progressive Democrats who call for a halt to weapon shipments to Israel?

A Change In U.S.-Israel Policy?

Listen · 13:58
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Mike Johnson Keeps His Job — For Now

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Mike Johnson Keeps His Job — For Now

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion Wednesday afternoon to remove Speaker of the House Mike Johnson from his job. It failed by a wide, bipartisan margin. What happens now?

Mike Johnson Keeps His Job — For Now

Listen · 10:58
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Some GOP House Members Want To Fire The Speaker. Again.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses during a news conference amid threats that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust Johnson from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Some GOP House Members Want To Fire The Speaker. Again.

Some members of the House Republican conference are mad at Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for a variety of reasons. But do they have the votes to kick him out of his role — and send the House back to the paralysis it faced last year?

Some GOP House Members Want To Fire The Speaker. Again.

Listen · 13:24
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A Vote's A Vote — Enthusiastic Or Not

"I Voted" stickers are set out at a polling place in Newtown, Pa., Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

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Matt Rourke/AP

A Vote's A Vote — Enthusiastic Or Not

With 26 weeks to go until Election Day, voters' opinions on the major candidates are forming. We explore the different — and similar — issues motivating people across all ages to go to the polls, like abortion, the economy & Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas.

A Vote's A Vote — Enthusiastic Or Not

Listen · 13:03
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How To Hire A Vice President

Staffers disinfect the lectern and adjust the vice presidential seal prior to a speech by then-Vice President Mike Pence, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, at Lanconia Municipal Airport in Gilford, N.H. Robert F. Bukaty/AP hide caption

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Robert F. Bukaty/AP

How To Hire A Vice President

As the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump faces a lot of big decisions — perhaps none more so than who his running mate will be. We discuss who might be on Trump's shortlist, and what qualities he's looking for in a vice president.

How To Hire A Vice President

Listen · 15:28
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Roundup: Biden's Shifting Coalition, Trump's Criminal Trial

The crowd is shown at a Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump campaign event in Freeland, Mich., Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Paul Sancya/AP hide caption

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Paul Sancya/AP

Roundup: Biden's Shifting Coalition, Trump's Criminal Trial

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll highlights values differences between Democrats and Republicans, as well as a shift in President Biden's coalition of voters. And Donald Trump was fined nine thousand dollars for violating a gag order, meant to protect witnesses and jurors from harassment, during his criminal trial.

Roundup: Biden's Shifting Coalition, Trump's Criminal Trial

Listen · 25:33
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Exposé: Hostile Workplaces And Undisclosed Free Trips In The Federal Judiciary

Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, Friday, June 19, 2015, in Washington. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/AP

Exposé: Hostile Workplaces And Undisclosed Free Trips In The Federal Judiciary

NPR found that dozens of federal judges failed to disclose privately-funded travel to exclusive, often partisan events in exotic locales. And employees in the federal judiciary do not enjoy the same legal protections against workplace discrimination and harassment that cover most U.S. workers, which can help foster a hostile workplace environment.

Exposé: Hostile Workplaces And Undisclosed Free Trips In The Federal Judiciary

Listen · 16:07
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How House Republicans Are Responding To Campus Protests

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to the media on the Low Library steps on Columbia University's campus in New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Stefan Jeremiah/AP hide caption

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Stefan Jeremiah/AP

How House Republicans Are Responding To Campus Protests

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson visited Columbia University with fellow members of the House Republican conference and met with students who said they felt unsafe on campus in the midst of protests calling on the university to shed its investments related to Israel. Now, Johnson is moving forward with legislation aimed at combating campus antisemitism — though some Democrats are criticizing the effort as a political stunt that could curb legitimate criticism of the Israeli government.

How House Republicans Are Responding To Campus Protests

Listen · 12:57
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Principle Or Pragmatism? Abortion Fight Divides Arizona Republicans

The Arizona state flag is carried outside of the Executive Tower in Phoenix. Matt York/AP hide caption

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Matt York/AP

Principle Or Pragmatism? Abortion Fight Divides Arizona Republicans

A handful of Arizona Republicans are expected to join with Democratic lawmakers in order to repeal the state's near-total abortion ban. The move is an apparent effort to blunt the power of a November abortion access ballot measure that strategists say could spark a Democratic wave election in the state.

Principle Or Pragmatism? Abortion Fight Divides Arizona Republicans

Listen · 13:34
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