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In Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv, Natasha Romanenko lived in her root cellar for a month to avoid Russian soldiers. In the final days of the occupation, Natasha says she ventured out to milk her cow when she was briefly held at gunpoint by a Russian soldier who accused her of scouting Russian troop locations.
When Russian forces invaded and occupied her town, according to Ukrainian officials, Russia targeted civilian areas and left hundreds missing. Now, President Biden is accusing Putin and his forces of war crimes — including genocide.
This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Scott Detrow, and senior political editor and correspondent Ron Elving.
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There are 35 Senate elections happening this November and although Republicans are defending 21 incumbents to Democrats' 14, they still appear poised to take control as Biden's sagging approval rating jeopardizes his party's narrow control of the chamber.
This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.
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The White House continues to insist the country has the tools to return to life-as-usual, even as COVID spreads through establishment Washington. Low booster uptake among seniors and the lack of vaccines for children under five continues to cause public health experts concern.
This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin.
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Far-right activists and a militia figure are a major force in the state's Republican politics, where even orthodox conservatives like Gov. Brad Little are described by opponents as "too liberal." Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, who has cozied up to white nationalists, is running to unseat him. Now, a group called Take Back Idaho is raising money in an uphill fight to push far-right Republicans out of power.
This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, national correspondent Kirk Siegler, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.
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Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to the former president, voluntarily testified before House investigators for more than eight hours this week about the insurrectionist riot in the Capitol.
And Congress debated how the government would survive if half its members died or were incapacitated in an attack or natural disaster. Right now, the Constitution requires House members be to replaced by special election, a lengthy process.
This episode: demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, congressional reporter Claudia Grisales, and congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell.
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The vote was 53 to 47, with three Republicans joining the Democratic caucus in support of Jackson's nomination. When sworn in this summer, she will be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
This episode: demographics and culture correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.
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As the Senate prepares to leave town for a two-week break, a bipartisan deal for $10 billion in new COVID money is on hold thanks to a fight over immigration. The BIden administration announced plans to lift a Trump-era restriction called Title 42. It allowed the U.S. to block migrants from entering the country before they have the chance to make an asylum claim. Republicans and some conservative Democrats want to see the rule reinstated.
And new sanctions have been implemented against Russia by the U.S. and its allies after the discovery of mass graves following the withdrawal of Russian troops near Kyiv. But the most significant source of Russian money, fossil fuel sales to Europe, continues more or less unscathed — raising the question of what, if anything, would lead fuel purchases to be halted.
This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and internation correspondent Jackie Northam.
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Unemployment in the United States is near record lows, wages are growing quickly, and spending in the service sector is increasing as the pandemic lulls.
But there's also some worrying news: more job openings than people who want to fill them, global economic uncertainty stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and so much demand for consumer goods that the supply chain is struggling to keep up — forces that have all helped to drive inflation.
Can the Federal Reserve calibrate its response in a way that won't tip the country into a recession? And what view of the economy will voters have come the November midterm elections?
This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley.
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President Joe Biden again referred to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a war criminal after mass graves were discovered in territory recaptured by Ukrainian forces. And in conversations with NPR, many Ukrainians have expressed a deep sense of grief — and a desire for more military support from Europe and the United States.
This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and correspondent Elissa Nadworny.
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The Federal Communications Commission has few regulations over what candidates can say in their advertisements, though private broadcasters and internet platforms can impose more stringent rules. The result is thousands of the political advertising voters see can include lies and outlandish claims.
And some election watchers say the private money was key to a smooth general election process in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Now, though, some states have begun to outlaw those outside donations in an effort to prevent corruption. Will Congress act to make up the funding gap?
This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and voting reporter Miles Parks.
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