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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

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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

Most Recent Episodes

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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What Makes TikTok A National Security Threat?

The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Saturday, March 18, 2023. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

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Michael Dwyer/AP

What Makes TikTok A National Security Threat?

After a series of classified national security briefings, Congress passed a law that will ban TikTok if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company. It is not clear what specific risks they're reacting to, but experts point to a widespread, if ineffectual, state-backed disinformation effort and other data-privacy concerns.

What Makes TikTok A National Security Threat?

Listen · 14:47
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Politics Weekly Roundup: Hush Money, Pocket Money

Trump merchandise is seen at a vendor selling pro-Trump items in Moosic, Pa., on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Old Forge, Pa. Jacqueline Larma/AP hide caption

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Jacqueline Larma/AP

Politics Weekly Roundup: Hush Money, Pocket Money

The first week of testimony in Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York centered on David Packer, the tabloid mogul who says he helped quash stories in order to benefit the then-candidate's presidential bid. And in a Pennsylvania county where voters expressed concerns about inflation ahead of the 2022 midterms, people say they're still frustrated by high prices but that the economy is not necessarily the top factor in who they'll vote for come November.

Politics Weekly Roundup: Hush Money, Pocket Money

Listen · 21:13
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Supreme Court Weighs Granting Presidents Absolute Immunity From Criminal Prosecution

Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Supreme Court Weighs Granting Presidents Absolute Immunity From Criminal Prosecution

Months after Special Counsel Jack Smith first asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on Donald Trump's claim of absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, the Supreme Court finally heard the former president's appeal. At least a few of the conservative justices seemed receptive to Trump's argument. What is unclear is whether the court will act in time to allow the federal cases against the former president to be resolved before the 2024 election.

Supreme Court Weighs Granting Presidents Absolute Immunity From Criminal Prosecution

Listen · 18:53
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Donald Trump Won Montana By Double-Digits. Can Its Democratic Senator Keep His Seat?

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., speaks with members of the press during votes on a bill that would enshrine same-sex and interracial marriages into federal law, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

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Patrick Semansky/AP

Donald Trump Won Montana By Double-Digits. Can Its Democratic Senator Keep His Seat?

Sen. Jon Tester is an experienced political strategist and capable campaigner whose reputation as a working farmer has helped him to defy the odds as a Democratic in ruby-red Montana. But can he win re-election in a year that one of opponents, Republican Tim Sheehy, could benefit from Donald Trump's coattails?

Donald Trump Won Montana By Double-Digits. Can Its Democratic Senator Keep His Seat?

Listen · 15:28
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This Texas District Has A Lot To Teach Us About How Politics Has Changed

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to the media at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Michelle Vallejo/AP hide caption

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Michelle Vallejo/AP

This Texas District Has A Lot To Teach Us About How Politics Has Changed

Texas's 15th Congressional District is held by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican. Her Democratic challenger is Michelle Vallejo. Organizers from both parties believe they've got the right message to win the district's Tejano voters.

This Texas District Has A Lot To Teach Us About How Politics Has Changed

Listen · 11:15
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Sneak Peek: NPR's Electoral College Map Analysis

Voters fill out their ballots at a polling place, Feb. 29, 2020, in Charleston, S.C. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

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Patrick Semansky/AP

Sneak Peek: NPR's Electoral College Map Analysis

The 2024 presidential race will come down to two key regions: the industrial Midwest and the Sun Belt, The number of white voters without a college degree is dwindling as a share of the total electorate, but can Trump's inroads with voters of color help him to make up the ground he needs to defeat President Biden?

Sneak Peek: NPR's Electoral College Map Analysis

Listen · 16:40
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Bipartisan Work Threatens Speaker Johnson's Standing With Anti-Compromise Republicans

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., left, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Bipartisan Work Threatens Speaker Johnson's Standing With Anti-Compromise Republicans

Foreign aid legislation is advancing to a vote in the House thanks to Democratic support, as a third Republican signs on to the effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. And a prospective juror in the Trump trial was excused after the press published details that could have led to her being publicly identified.

Bipartisan Work Threatens Speaker Johnson's Standing With Anti-Compromise Republicans

Listen · 20:51
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In The Ads Race, It's No Contest: Biden Is Swamping The Airwaves

Signs and buttons are scene before President Joe Biden speaks at the Carpenters Union Hall, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Scranton, Pa. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

In The Ads Race, It's No Contest: Biden Is Swamping The Airwaves

The Biden campaign and allied groups are aggressively advertising to win over persuadable voters. Trump and his affiliates are almost nowhere to be found.

In The Ads Race, It's No Contest: Biden Is Swamping The Airwaves

Listen · 15:20
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