• Inflation is up, job growth is flat, and voters don’t like it
    May 14 2026
    In the last week, we’ve gotten seemingly conflicting economic data — inflation is up, consumer spending is up slightly and the job market is holding steady. We discuss what to make of it, how voters are feeling, and what politicians are saying about it.

    This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, financial correspondent Maria Aspan, 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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    21 mins
  • Could one Nebraska House race alter the Electoral College?
    May 13 2026
    A day after Nebraska held its primary election, the result in the Democratic race to fill one of the most competitive House seats in the country is still too close to call. We discuss how one possible outcome in that race could change the way the state awards its Electoral College votes in presidential elections, plus the particularly strange dynamics in the state’s Senate race.

    This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and Minnesota Public Radio host Clay Masters.

    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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    17 mins
  • Mr. Trump goes to Beijing
    May 12 2026
    President Trump is headed to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. We discuss what each side hopes to accomplish and how the Iran war has changed the power dynamics between the two leaders.

    This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, 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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    18 mins
  • Democrats face disadvantage after redistricting setbacks
    May 11 2026
    The U.S. House map looks particularly bleak for Democrats after Virginia’s Supreme Court overturned the map voters approved last month, on top of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act. We discuss where the party goes from here, how Republicans are continuing to bolster their advantage with new districts in southern states, and what it all means for voters.

    This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, congressional reporter Sam Gringlas, and political correspondent Ashley Lopez.

    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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    17 mins
  • How rising oil prices are foiling Trump’s energy policy
    May 8 2026
    Oil prices continue to climb as a result of the Iran war. We discuss how that has interfered with President Trump’s planned energy policy. Plus, will the Republican presidential ticket have Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the top in 2028?

    This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, business correspondent Camila Domonoske, and White House correspondents Danielle Kurtzleben and Franco Ordoñez.

    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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    31 mins
  • How Trump is undermining the fight against public corruption
    May 7 2026
    The Trump administration has taken multiple actions that experts warn are undermining the fight against public corruption. We discuss what that looks like and the implications for democracy and the rule of law.

    This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, justice correspondent Ryan Lucas, 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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    18 mins
  • Trump approval is worst ever in new poll
    May 6 2026
    President Trump said he would punish the Republican state senators in Indiana who voted against redistricting, and in Tuesday’s primary, almost all of them lost to Trump-backed challengers. We discuss takeaways from the primaries in Indiana and Ohio, plus how voters say they feel about Trump in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.

    This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, political reporter Stephen Fowler, 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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    15 mins
  • Is the Strait of Hormuz Trump’s biggest political headache?
    May 5 2026
    Iran and the United States have exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple days as the U.S. military tries to provide safe passage to commercial ships there. We discuss what these developments mean for the ongoing ceasefire, as well as how the war overall has stymied President Trump’s domestic priorities.

    This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, national security correspondent Greg Myre, and White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez.

    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.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    17 mins