Why Scientists, Lawmakers & Diplomats Care Where COVID Began

Speaker Mike Johnson has split apart the foreign military aid package sent over by the Senate into separate bills, focused on Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan respectively. He's also moving forward on border legislation and other red-meat Republican policy issues in an apparent effort to appease hardliners and protect his own job.This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national security correspondent Greg Myre and congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt.This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

More than 300 defendants have been charged with obstructing or attempting to obstruct an official congressional proceeding in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. But, so far, federal judges have disagreed about whether the statute was meant to apply only to the destruction of documents and records, not events like those on Jan 6. If the Supreme Court finds in favor of the rioters, many could see their jail sentences substantially reduced.This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Trump faces 34 felony counts alleging that he falsified New York business records in order to conceal damaging information to influence the 2016 presidential election. This is the first time in U.S. history a former president will be tried on criminal charges.This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Biden administration unveiled new, targeted student debt forgiveness and new regulations on gun sales this week. The maneuvers appear targeted to boost the president's standing among young voters, who express lower levels of support for Biden compared to older age groups.This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, political reporter Elena Moore, and political correspondent Susan Davis.This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Erie, Pa., supported Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. What makes the county such a reliable bellwether? And how are campaign operatives there feeling about this year's race?This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and national political correspondent Don Gonyea.This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We go deep on Alabama's second congressional district ahead of a primary runoff there next week. The Supreme Court forced the state to redraw its congressional maps to bolster the rights of the state's Black voters, a win that surprised voting rights advocates after previous decisions by the high court curtailed other protects in the Voting Rights Act.This podcast: voting correspondent Miles Parks, voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, and political reporter Stephen Fowler.This podcast was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said Monday that abortion access was a state issue and that he supports access in the case of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. Top Trump allies working outside of the campaign already have a proposed framework, including using existing legislation to implement a de facto national ban.This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez.Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Congress is headed back to Washington. With funding deadlines in the review mirror, they are turning their attention to foreign military aid. But Republicans and Democrats are voicing concerns about Ukraine and Israel, respectively, and there's a looming threat against Speaker Johnson. Oh, and there's some impeachments to talk about.This episode: voting correspondent Ashley Lopez, congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales, and congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.Our producers are Jeongyoon Han, Casey Morell & Kelli Wessinger. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a call Thursday to Israel's prime minister, President Biden told Benjamin Netanyahu the U.S. needed to see more humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza and protections to civilians on the ground or else the U.S. would reconsider its policies toward Israel. The call comes as Biden faces criticism from some Democrats for his handling of the war. Plus, new data from the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, and Can't Let It Go. This podcast: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.This podcast was produced by Jeongyoon Han & Kelli Wessinger, and edited by Casey Morell. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a pivotal election year, U.S. democracy continues to face a persistent challenge among the country's electorate — gaps in voter registration rates between white eligible voters and eligible voters of color. Long-standing barriers to voter registration have made it difficult to close these gaps, and dedicated investment is needed to ensure fuller participation in elections and a healthier democracy, many researchers and advocates say. Read more.This podcast: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, and voting correspondents Hansi Lo Wang & Miles Parks.This podcast was produced by Jeongyoon Han & Kelli Wessinger, and edited by Casey Morell. 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy