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
- Aug 18, 2026 · 23 minFlorida primaries expose America’s partisan sortingFlorida’s contests show how ideological migration, redistricting, Trump’s influence, and intraparty tensions are reshaping assumptions about national politics.
- Aug 17, 2026 · 19 minPress briefings lose power as presidents bypass the pressThe episode argues that weakening press access and evasive government communication threaten the public’s ability to test official claims and hold presidents accountable.
- Aug 14, 2026 · 28 minSecret aircraft switch exposes tensions over presidential securityThe episode connects an unusual response to a reported missile threat with enduring questions about intelligence, press access, and political influence.
- Aug 13, 2026 · 20 minPrimary results expose Democrats’ uneven coalitionThe episode tests whether Democratic divisions reflect a durable ideological split or the different pressures shaping voters and candidates across states.
- Aug 12, 2026 · 19 minPrimaries test Trump’s influence and parties’ appetite for changeThe results reveal how voters are balancing moderation, progressivism, immigration, generational change, and loyalty to Donald Trump across four states.
- Aug 11, 2026 · 21 minWomen and abortion test Collins’s Maine advantageMaine’s Senate race turns on whether Susan Collins’s moderate reputation can withstand pressure from abortion politics and economic concerns.
- Aug 10, 2026 · 26 minTrump’s legacy concerns shape war, economic and White House choicesThe episode connects Trump’s response to immediate political and economic pressures with his longer-term effort to control how history remembers his presidency.