Accessibility links
Politics NPR's expanded coverage of U.S. and world politics, the latest news from Congress and the White House and elections.

PoliticsPolitics

Thursday

Law

Reporter's Notes Surrendered in CIA Outing Case

Time magazine has decided to surrender the notes of reporter Matthew Cooper. The journalist had been held in contempt of court for refusing to reveal a confidential government source who "outed" the identity of a covert CIA operative married to a critic of President Bush's Iraq policy. The decision by the magazine has wide implications for the future of investigative journalism. Alex Chadwick talks with Time editor-in-chief Norman Pearlstine.

Reporter's Notes Surrendered in CIA Outing Case

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4724738/4724739" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

World

A Conversation with Sen. Ted Kennedy

President Bush strongly defended his handling of the Iraq war on Tuesday in response to mounting criticism from Congress and the American people. But Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy (D-MA) called the war an "intractable quagmire" at a recent armed services committee hearing. Kennedy joins host Ed Gordon to discuss Iraq, his new immigration reform bill, and the Voting Rights Act.

A Conversation with Sen. Ted Kennedy

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4724526/4724527" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Performing Arts

'Stuff Happens': The Iraq War as History Play

The dark comedy by David Hare chronicles the tangle of diplomatic maneuvers leading to the war. It hints that President Bush and top advisers intended to invade Iraq even before the Sept. 11 attacks.

'Stuff Happens': The Iraq War as History Play

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4724084/4724190" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

All Things Considered

Senators Wrangle over Bush's Iraq Speech

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have sharply different responses to President Bush's prime-time speech on Iraq Tuesday. In it, the president acknowledged the "horrifying" quality of some images coming from Iraq -- but he maintained the sacrifice is worth it.

Senators Wrangle over Bush's Iraq Speech

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4723724/4723725" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Sen. Thune Wrestles with the Politics of Base Closure

South Dakota's Republican Sen. John Thune has been in office only six months and he's already learned some hard political lessons from the base closure process. He was surprised when the Pentagon announced it planned to close his state's Ellsworth Air Force Base. Now he fighting to save what is his state's second-largest employer.

Sen. Thune Wrestles with the Politics of Base Closure

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4723336/4724053" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Analysis

Analysis

Slate's War Stories: Deconstructing Bush's Speech

President Bush hoped to bolster support for the war in Iraq in a nationally televised address Tuesday night to soldiers at the Fort Bragg U.S. Army base in North Carolina. Alex Chadwick gets opinion and analysis of the speech from Slate military affairs writer Fred Kaplan.

Slate's War Stories: Deconstructing Bush's Speech

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4723206/4723207" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

News

White House Changes Include New Spy Center

The White House announces that it is embracing dozens of recommendations from a presidential commission on intelligence and weapons of mass destruction. The approval comes after a three-month review of 74 specific changes in U.S. intelligence-gathering.

White House Changes Include New Spy Center

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4723745/4723746" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tuesday

National

House Ponders Outlawing Horsemeat

A House bill that would effectively ban the slaughter of horses to be used for meat is receiving mixed reactions. Even some people who are horse lovers support slaughter because they believe it's a humane way to dispose of excess horses.

House Ponders Outlawing Horsemeat

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4721962/4721963" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Business

Chinese Bid for Unocal Stirs National Security Debate

Politics has taken center stage in China's bid for oil. Last week, a Chinese oil company bid more than $18 billion for Unocal, a California-based oil company. Many members of Congress say the bid should raise national security concerns.

Chinese Bid for Unocal Stirs National Security Debate

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4721047/4721048" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

World

Study: Suicide Bombings Create Political Impact

University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape has compiled an extensive database on suicide terrorist attacks around the world since 1980. The results of the Chicago Project of Suicide Terrorism shed new light on the impact of the strategy on political struggles.

Study: Suicide Bombings Create Political Impact

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4721056/4721057" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Opinion

Durbin: Bush Restates Reasons for Iraq Conflict

President Bush persists in changing his reasons to keep U.S. troops in Iraq, according to Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL). Speaking after the president's prime-time speech from Fort Bragg, N.C. Durbin says Bush's connection of the war in Iraq with Osama bin Laden is inaccurate, saying, "Iraq was not a haven for international terrorism before we invaded it."

Durbin: Bush Restates Reasons for Iraq Conflict

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4722499/4722500" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday

Opinion

All Things Considered

Securing Nukes Is Top Job, Says Terror Panel

Weapons of mass destruction remain the greatest threat to national security, according to former Sen. Sam Nunn and Harvard's Ashton Carter. At a panel discussion of terrorism, the two security experts recommended a centralized organization to coordinate intelligence and plan operations to rein in the world's deadliest weapons.

Securing Nukes Is Top Job, Says Terror Panel

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4720541/4720542" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Opinion

This I Believe

The Willingness to Work for Solutions

As a student of history, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has studied the collapse of thriving civilizations. He believes strong leadership can protect America from a similar fate.

The Willingness to Work for Solutions

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4717148/4717172" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">