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

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

President Donald Trump takes the oath of office Jan. 27, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Jim Bourg/AP hide caption

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Jim Bourg/AP

How Trump's early days in 2017 might be different from the upcoming term

NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith has been looking at what Donald Trump did in early 2017 when he first took office, and what might be different this time around.

How Trump's early days in 2017 might be different from the upcoming term

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during a ceremony to award Mexican actor/singer/radio personality Angelica Vale a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/AP hide caption

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Chris Pizzello/AP

Looking The Other Way, Part 1: A powerful Democrat and a #MeToo scandal

Did Eric Garcetti, a powerful Democrat, lie under oath about a #MeToo scandal in his office?

Looking The Other Way, Part 1: A powerful Democrat and a #MeToo scandal

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The Los Angeles City Hall building is seen in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Looking The Other Way Part 2: On tape and under oath

What happens when political ambition collides with a #MeToo allegation in the Democratic party?

Looking The Other Way Part 2: On tape and under oath

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The TikTok logo is seen on their building in Culver City, Calif. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Roundup: Clock ticks toward TikTok ban & government shutdown

Lawmakers are up against a deadline of midnight Friday to pass a bill to fund the government. What's behind the hold up?

Roundup: Clock ticks toward TikTok ban & government shutdown

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., left, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., meets with reporters after presenting his final version of an interim pending bill to his caucus, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

How the spending bill died

For a few hours, Congress looked poised to avoid a government shutdown by passing a new short-term spending bill. But, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy & President-elect Donald Trump voiced opposition, and House Speaker Mike Johnson & lawmakers are back to square one. What now?

How the spending bill died

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses before talking to reporters about work on a final version of a spending bill before federal agencies run out of money at midnight on Friday night, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

As the year ends, what do Congress & the White House still want to do?

Lawmakers face a Friday deadline to fund the federal government through March; will it get passed? And, in the waning days of the Biden administration, what policy objectives does the White House still want to accomplish?

As the year ends, what do Congress & the White House still want to do?

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An abortion- rights activist holds a box of mifepristone pills as demonstrators from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP hide caption

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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP

A look at the state of reproductive rights in 2024

The effects of the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion continue to be felt across the United States. We look at the state of reproductive rights in 2024, and what may change when President-elect Trump starts his second term in January.

A look at the state of reproductive rights in 2024

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President-elect Donald Trump arrives for a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Trump holds first press conference since election

The president-elect spoke to the media for more than an hour at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Topics of discussion included tariffs, vaccines and foreign policy, among others.

Trump holds first press conference since election

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Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

Roundup: Jan. 6 report issued; Biden's big pardon day

In a new report, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice looked into FBI shortcomings in the run up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.

Roundup: Jan. 6 report issued; Biden's big pardon day

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Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be director of National Intelligence, meets with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Why some in Congress are skeptical of Trump's national intelligence pick

Tulsi Gabbard doesn't have the typical background for a director of national intelligence, but the former Hawaii congresswoman has made a name for herself: she is a Democrat-turned-Republican who staunchly backed Trump in 2024, and she holds controversial foreign policy views. Will she get the job?

Why some in Congress are skeptical of Trump's national intelligence pick

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