• Monday, August 24, 2026
    • 22.1 °C NP

Description

The Trump administration has taken steps to effectively dismantle the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel, two agencies that protect federal civil servants. We discuss why changes at these agencies matter and how the U.S. Supreme Court could grant the president broad powers to make changes at other independent agencies. 

This episode: voting and election security correspondent Miles Parks, labor and workplace correspondent Andrea Hsu, and justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.

This podcast was produced by Casey Morell & Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.

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/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

What does President Trump plan to do with Venezuela’s oil?

audio-image
NPR

President Trump says he plans to control revenue f....

Emily Dickinson (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

Supreme Court poised to rule on tariffs, birthright citizenship and more

audio-image
NPR

The Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on....

Jan. 6, 2021: Five Years Later

audio-image
NPR

Five years ago, a mob attacked the United States C....

Trump Says The U.S. Will 'Run' Venezuela After Capturing Maduro

audio-image
NPR

Overnight, the U.S. military launched strikes on V....

U.S. foreign aid changed in 2025 – and it was felt around the world

audio-image
NPR

On the night of his inauguration, President Trump ....

Welcome to the NPR Washington Desk

audio-image
NPR

Happy New Year! In this special episode, the Polit....

Shakespeare's Sonnets (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

The Annual Can't Let It Go Year End Extravaganza

audio-image
NPR

We look back on some of the highlights from 2025 w....

Year In Review: The Impact Of Project 2025

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Trump's Immigration Policy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Trump's Foreign Policy

audio-image
NPR

Editor's note: This episode originally aired on De....

Year In Review: Trump’s Environmental Policy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Margery Kempe and English Mysticism (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

Year In Review: Trump, Gerrymandering & Redistricting

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Trump's Economy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Congress' Successes & Failures

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Trump Uses Prime-Time Speech To Blame Biden, Immigrants For Economy Woes

audio-image
NPR

President Trump used his prime-time speech Wednesd....

Eclipses (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

Americans Give Trump Low Marks On The Economy In New Poll

audio-image
NPR

Only 36% of Americans approve of President Trump�....

Year In Review: Trump's Foreign Policy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Donald Trump Is Sports-Fan-In-Chief

audio-image
NPR

President Trump has built a brand as the sports-fa....