The NPR Politics Podcast
Hosted by A Martinez, Ayesha Rascoe, Leila Fadel, Michel Martin, Miles Parks, Steve Inskeep & Tamara Keith · 43 decoded episodes · newest Oct 7, 2026
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.<br><br><em> Support public media by joining NPR+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for The NPR Politics Podcast.</em>
Episodes 43
- Oct 7, 2026 · 21 minCalifornia tests whether voters will tax billionaire wealthProposition 40 could fund programs facing federal Medicaid cuts while exposing the legal, enforcement, and political limits of taxing wealth at the state level.
- Oct 6, 2026 · 21 minMidwest races test Democrats’ new openingThe contests could show whether Democratic momentum reflects durable voter movement or mainly energized opposition in a difficult midterm environment.
- Oct 5, 2026 · 23 minMaine tests Collins’s hold on a pivotal Senate seatThe race pits Susan Collins’s moderate brand and Senate influence against a late Democratic challenger in a contest that could still shape control of the chamber.
- Oct 2, 2026 · 34 minMidterm races sharpen as Trump and faith reshape campaignsThe episode maps a shifting congressional landscape while examining how Republicans manage Trump and Democrats use religion without alienating secular voters.
- Oct 1, 2026 · 20 minSupreme Court cases could reshape presidential powerThe term’s rulings could affect immigration enforcement, gun regulation, climate litigation, religious protections, voting rules, and the balance of power in Washington.
- Sep 30, 2026 · 19 minLatino voters test both parties in Pennsylvania battlegroundThe Lehigh Valley offers a close look at how affordability, distrust, and uneven outreach could shape the midterms without defining a lasting 2028 coalition.
- Sep 29, 2026 · 18 minElection enforcement fears cloud the midtermsThe episode shows how uncertainty around voting rules and enforcement could shape both election administration and turnout before ballots are cast.
- Sep 28, 2026 · 18 minFreedom Caucus faces a post-Trump testThe episode connects the caucus’s uncertain future to a broader constitutional fight over whether the White House can override Congress’s spending decisions.
- Sep 25, 2026 · 46 minAffordability and Trump’s role shape the 2026 midtermsThe episode maps how prices, immigration, technology and presidential approval could reshape the political terrain before the 2026 midterms.
- Sep 24, 2026 · 26 minElection rules meet political reality in a divided WashingtonThe episode connects voter confidence, campaign incentives, congressional power, and economic pressures to the choices facing American voters.
- Sep 23, 2026 · 19 minTrump’s White House press restrictions face a First Amendment testThe dispute tests whether a president can reshape established White House press access while controlling the information environment around the administration.
- Sep 22, 2026 · 21 minRepublicans build a midterm advertising edgeThe episode examines whether Republican fundraising, super PAC spending, and expanded coordination rules can reshape competitive midterm races.