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

Saturday

Justice Kennedy May Soon Find Himself Disappointed And His Legacy Undermined

The Supreme Court term that just concluded was a small taste of what is to come. In all, 13 of the cases decided by a liberal-conservative split, Justice Anthony Kennedy provided the fifth and deciding conservative vote. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Analysis

Analysis

Justice Kennedy May Soon Find Himself Disappointed And His Legacy Undermined

The Supreme Court justice may believe that rights once recognized will not be taken away, but President Trump is about to get his second nominee to the court and it's sure to be a conservative.

Canadians Rally Around Retaliatory Tariffs Aimed At The U.S.

Don Woodbridge (left) and son Alan Woodbridge hold jars of pickles at their company in Harrow, Ontario. Orders are up in anticipation of retaliatory Canadian tariffs on U.S. gherkins. Jackie Northam/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jackie Northam/NPR

World

Canadians Rally Around Retaliatory Tariffs Aimed At The U.S.

Among the items targeted in retaliatory tariffs: ketchup, powerboats, dishwashing liquid, steel and aluminum. And gherkins. Canadian businesses have flooded a Canadian pickle business with new orders.

Canadians Rally Around Retaliatory Tariffs Aimed At The U.S.

Listen · 3:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/624759542/624912669" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Labor Clout Takes A Hit In Supreme Court Ruling On Dues

Union activists and supporters rally Wednesday in Lower Manhattan against the Supreme Court's ruling in Janus v. AFSCME. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Labor Clout Takes A Hit In Supreme Court Ruling On Dues

The Supreme Court dealt a blow to public sector unions this week, saying workers don't need to pay a cent in dues or fees, but they can still benefit from a union contract in their workplace.

Labor Clout Takes A Hit In Supreme Court Ruling On Dues

Listen · 4:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/624513403/624725792" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
The Russia Investigations: Big Implications For The New Supreme Court Justice

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement effective July 31. President Trump is planning to nominate a replacement soon. Zach Gibson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Analysis

National Security

The Russia Investigations: Big Implications For The New Supreme Court Justice

No one can know how a more conservative high court might respond to litigation over a possible Mueller subpoena of the president, but the new justice could be the one to cast the deciding vote.

5 Senators Who Will Likely Decide The Next Supreme Court Justice

(Left to right) Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly, Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Manchin; GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Getty Images

5 Senators Who Will Likely Decide The Next Supreme Court Justice

A narrowly divided Senate is putting two Republican women who support abortion rights and three red-state Democrats in the spotlight as the critical votes in the Supreme Court confirmation process.

5 Senators Who Will Likely Decide The Next Supreme Court Justice

Listen · 4:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/624687831/625544313" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Trump Administration: Migrant Families Can Be Detained For More Than 20 Days

People demonstrate in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, demanding an end to the separation of migrant children from their parents. On Friday, the Justice Department said in a court filing that "the government will not separate families but detain families together during the pendency of immigration proceedings." Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

National

Trump Administration: Migrant Families Can Be Detained For More Than 20 Days

Now that a judge has ordered a stop to separating families, the Justice Department says it can hold families caught illegally crossing the border until their immigration proceedings are resolved.

The U.S. Has A Long, Troubled History Of Detaining Families Together

Garry Mead, assistant director of detention and removal for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, answers a reporter's question in 2007 in front of cells that housed immigrant families at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas. After a suit by the ACLU, the center ended family detention, and ICE mostly avoided it until 2014. LM Otero/AP hide caption

toggle caption
LM Otero/AP

National

The U.S. Has A Long, Troubled History Of Detaining Families Together

Now that President Trump no longer can separate migrant families detained at the border, his administration is preparing to lock them up together — an arrangement with many critics and legal limits.

The U.S. Has A Long, Troubled History Of Detaining Families Together

Listen · 5:02
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/624789871/624789872" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Trump Says He Will Announce Supreme Court Pick On July 9

President Trump and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, at the public swearing-in ceremony for Justice Neil Gorsuch at the White House in April 2017. Trump will announce his pick to replace Kennedy on July 9. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Carolyn Kaster/AP

Trump Says He Will Announce Supreme Court Pick On July 9

The president said Friday that he has his list narrowed to "about five" candidates, including two women, and he may interview one or two candidates this weekend at his golf club in New Jersey.

Teaching Parents Of Kids With Disabilities To Fight Back

Craig Blackburn, left; Kyle Kosceilniak, center; and Hannah LaCour, members of the Louisiana delegation of the National Down Syndrome Society, practice their remarks while waiting to meet a Senate staffer. Joseph Shapiro/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Joseph Shapiro/NPR

Take A Number

Teaching Parents Of Kids With Disabilities To Fight Back

A nationwide program helps parents of children with developmental disabilities — and people with disabilities themselves — advocate for their rights, from the school yard to Congress.

Teaching Parents Of Kids With Disabilities To Fight Back

Listen · 7:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/620337603/624789891" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Who Gets Power — And Why It Can Corrupt Even The Best Of Us
Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Hidden Brain

Who Gets Power — And Why It Can Corrupt Even The Best Of Us

This week on Hidden Brain's radio show, we tackle a big topic: power. From our conflicted feelings toward the powerful, to the ways we gain and lose power ourselves, and how power can corrupt.

Who Gets Power — And Why It Can Corrupt Even The Best Of Us

Listen · 50:32
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/624607771/624694078" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Jeff Smith: How Much Entrepreneurial Potential Lives Inside Our Prisons?

Jeff Smith on the TED Stage. Ryan Lash/TED hide caption

toggle caption
Ryan Lash/TED

TED Radio Hour

Jeff Smith: How Much Entrepreneurial Potential Lives Inside Our Prisons?

After serving a year in prison, Jeff Smith realized his fellow inmates were just as business savvy as many on the outside. He now works to help inmates harness those skills when they leave prison.

Jeff Smith: How Much Entrepreneurial Potential Lives Inside Our Prisons?

Listen · 12:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/623942980/624605177" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Obama Tells Democratic Donors To 'Get Organized' And Register Voters Before Midterms

Former President Barack Obama, who spoke to Obama Foundation fellows in May, urged Democrats at a California fundraiser this week to get younger people involved in the process. Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune TNS via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune TNS via Getty Images

Obama Tells Democratic Donors To 'Get Organized' And Register Voters Before Midterms

At an expensive Beverly Hills fundraiser, the former president talked about how to motivate voters to get to the polls. "We have to get systematic about registering voters," he said.