The NPR Politics Podcast

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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

  • 29 minutes 47 seconds
    Roundup: Indiana Rejects Redistricting, Trump Bashes Immigrants In Pennsylvania
    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 Tamara Keith, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Please let us know what you think of our show and how we can make it better by filling out this quick survey. As a token of our appreciation, three respondents will be randomly selected to receive a $25 gift card.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    12 December 2025, 9:09 pm
  • 18 minutes 41 seconds
    Health Insurance Subsidies Expire This Month But Congress Can't Agree On A Fix
    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 correspondent Sarah McCammon, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    11 December 2025, 9:41 pm
  • 13 minutes 16 seconds
    Supreme Court Considers Vastly Expanding The President’s Powers
    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 workplace correspondent Andrea Hsu, and senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    10 December 2025, 9:22 pm
  • 18 minutes 6 seconds
    Trump Offers Farmers $12-Billion Bailout To Offset Pain From Trade War
    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 senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Please let us know what you think of our show and how we can make it better by filling out this quick survey. As a token of our appreciation, three respondents will be randomly selected to receive a $25 gift card.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    9 December 2025, 9:07 pm
  • 16 minutes 37 seconds
    Trump Administration Urges 'Remigration,' Borrowing White Nationalist Language
    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 produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    8 December 2025, 9:30 pm
  • 15 minutes 33 seconds
    What's the 'biggest' thing on our political radar for next year?
    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 about covering politics and our careers in journalism. Today, Sarah McCammon (national political correspondent) and Sam Gringlas (Congress reporter) each share the "biggest" issue or issues on their political radar for next year. They also answer this question from a listener: “What person or event was the ‘biggest’ influence on your decision to become a journalist?"    

    Listen to find out how you can submit a most-type question for us to answer in a future bonus episode! 

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    7 December 2025, 8:00 am
  • 22 minutes 45 seconds
    Roundup: Supreme Court OKs Texas Redistricting, Trump Dismisses 'Affordability'
    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 Montanaro.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    5 December 2025, 9:51 pm
  • 17 minutes 12 seconds
    Elections Officials Prep For Possible Federal Interference In The Midterms
    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 podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    4 December 2025, 8:51 pm
  • 16 minutes 52 seconds
    Are The Strikes On Venezuelan Boats ‘War’ – And Do The Rules Of War Apply?
    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.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    3 December 2025, 9:36 pm
  • 17 minutes 6 seconds
    Trump Announces More Restrictions On Legal Immigration After DC Shooting
    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 Ximena Bustillo, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    2 December 2025, 9:35 pm
  • 16 minutes 15 seconds
    Trump’s Quest For Political Retribution Is Impeding The Justice Department
    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 correspondent Tamara Keith, justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

    This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

    Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

    Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

    For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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    1 December 2025, 9:28 pm
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