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
- Sep 21, 2026 · 16 minTrump tests alliances through high-stakes diplomacyThe episode examines whether Trump’s transactional diplomacy is reshaping U.S. alliances, global institutions, and the balance of power with Russia and China.
- Sep 18, 2026 · 29 minAnti-Muslim rhetoric returns to Republican campaign adsThe episode examines how fear-based messaging about Muslim candidates and communities is reshaping political campaigns, alongside a debate over artists’ political speech.
- Sep 17, 2026 · 21 minMidterm bellwethers test Democrats’ path to a majorityThe episode shows how a handful of races, rural districts, and election-administration fights could reveal whether the national environment is shifting.
- Sep 16, 2026 · 18 minAI regulation collides with the race for technological advantageThe debate is no longer only about AI safety, but whether economic and national-security pressure will prevent meaningful safeguards.
- Sep 15, 2026 · 19 minMichigan voters turn economic despair into a midterm warningMichigan swing voters’ anger over prices and a fading middle-class promise could reshape a competitive Senate race while testing both parties’ populist appeals.
- Sep 14, 2026 · 19 minCourt rulings throw Missouri’s congressional map into reverseMissouri’s map fight shows how litigation and ballot initiatives can reshape election rules, candidate races, and congressional control on competing timelines.
- Sep 12, 2026 · 60 minPost-9/11 security delivered gains at a steep democratic costThe panel revisits whether the architecture built after September 11 made the country safer without sacrificing law, privacy, oversight, and moral authority.
- Sep 11, 2026 · 36 minHow 9/11 remade American power and public trustThe episode traces how emergency measures adopted after 9/11 became a lasting architecture of war, surveillance, secrecy, and domestic suspicion.
- Sep 10, 2026 · 16 minRepublicans face a youth-movement test after Charlie KirkThe episode connects Kirk’s political legacy to Republicans’ difficulty retaining young voters while Trump offers a costly affordability promise.
- Sep 9, 2026 · 22 minTrump’s immigration crackdown reaches beyond the borderThe episode shows how broader enforcement is reshaping legal immigration, Republican politics, businesses, and access to due process.
- Sep 8, 2026 · 18 minTrump puts Republicans’ midterm strategy on displayThe convention tests whether Republicans can turn Trump-centered loyalty into a persuasive midterm message while Democrats try to capitalize on affordability concerns and GOP vulnerabilities.
- Sep 4, 2026 · 27 minTrump’s Venezuela strategy tests the limits of American powerThe episode connects U.S. control of Venezuelan oil, disputed military strikes, and Iran’s escalating conflict to the risks of intervention without a clear endgame.