FiveThirtyEight Politics

About this podcast

Nate Silver and the FiveThirtyEight team cover the latest in politics, tracking the issues and "game-changers" every week.

FiveThirtyEight Politics

Episodes

2021
How The Black Church Has Shaped American Politics
This installment of the podcast explores the role that the Black church plays in American politics, through initiatives like "souls to the polls" and beyond. Joining the podcast are Andra Gillespie, political science professor at Emory University, Besheer Mohamed, senior researcher at Pew Research Center, and Stacey Holman, the director of PBS’s recent documentary series “The Black Church."
March 4, 2021
45 min
Is CPAC Representative Of The GOP?
The crew looks to the speeches from the past weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference for indications about where the Republican party is headed. They also discuss Democratic lawmakers' varying views on how to approach Senate rules and the filibuster.
March 1, 2021
51 min
What The White House Thinks The Economy Needs
Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Heather Boushey, joins the podcast to discuss what is in the American Rescue Plan and why.
February 25, 2021
32 min
Democrats' COVID Relief Bill Is Popular
The team looks at the popularity of the Democrats' COVID relief plan and how both Democrats and Republicans are thinking about its provisions. Thee also tracks the latest voting restrictions being considered by Georgia Republicans, including a proposal to end early voting on Sundays, which is when Black churches traditionally mobilize voters through "souls to the polls" events. Lastly, they ask whether a recent survey of Americans attitudes about secession is a good or bad use of polling.
February 23, 2021
56 min
How The Crisis In Texas Happened
Texas has been in a dire situation this week. Millions of people were without power or heat, and in some cases water, in freezing cold temperatures for days because of severe blackouts. People are angry and politicians are pointing fingers. In this installment, civil and environmental engineer Daniel Cohan joins FiveThirtyEight's Sarah Frostenson, Maggie Koerth and Galen Druke to discuss why the blackouts occurred, where responsibility lies and how politics responds to these kinds of crises.
February 18, 2021
36 min
Why Seven Republicans Voted To Convict Trump
Nevada Democrats introduced a bill on Monday that would change their state's presidential nominating contest from a caucus to a primary and also dislodge New Hampshire from its position as the first primary in the nation. In this installment, the crew discusses how any potential changes could reshape the nominating process. They also consider why Republican senators' votes on convicting former President Donald Trump broke down the way they did. And lastly, they check-in on the gubernatorial recall efforts in California that are very likely to result in a recall election for Governor Gavin Newsom.
February 16, 2021
57 min
The Meaning Of Democrats' Impeachment Argument
While it appears unlikely that 17 Republicans will join Democrats in voting to convict the former president, the evidence presented could help shape the views of the public regarding what happened at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Cardozo Law Professor Kate Shaw discusses that evidence and its legal ramifications.
February 12, 2021
34 min
What Georgia Republicans' Proposed Voting Restrictions Would Do
Tia Mitchell, of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, joins the podcast to discuss what to expect from former President Trump's second impeachment trial. The crew also takes a look at the changes to election law that Republicans have proposed in Georgia and other states after Trump's loss in 2020.
February 8, 2021
57 min
What Could The GOP's Future Look Like?
Galen Druke discusses that question with pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson and writers Ramesh Ponnuru and Henry Olsen, who have all spent their careers in Republican politics and conservative thought.
February 4, 2021
62 min
Biden's Response To The Pandemic
Kaiser Health News's Anna Maria Barry-Jester joins the crew to discuss how Biden's response to the pandemic is different from former President Trump's. They also discuss a recent poll showing that if Trump were to start a new "Patriot Party," it would have significant draw among Republican voters.
February 1, 2021
54 min
The Final Model Talk Of 2020
Nate and Galen look back at the results of the Georgia Senate runoffs and discuss what the Democratic wins say about polling and what they mean for elections going forward.
January 28, 2021
35 min
Partisans Don't Just Disagree, They Hate One Another
Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Maggie Koerth join the podcast to discuss their reporting on partisan discord and violence in the United States. The crew also looks at the dynamics in Congress that will determine whether or not President Biden can pass his agenda.
January 25, 2021
55 min
The Biden Presidency Begins
On the first podcast episode of the Biden presidency, the crew reacts to President Biden's inauguration speech -- particularly whether any attempt to unite the country will be successful -- and looks at what his policy plans are for his first week in office.
January 20, 2021
37 min
Did Trump Change The Rules Of Politics?
This is the final FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast episode of the Trump presidency. The crew, joined by ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers, discusses Trump's legacy, how he changed politics and what the lasting effects will be.
January 19, 2021
59 min
Why 10 Republicans Voted For Impeachment
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 232-197 to impeach President Trump a second time. In this installment of the podcast, HuffPost's polling editor, Ariel Edwards-Levy, joined Galen and Perry to discuss why the vote broke down the way it did, what the different camps within the GOP are and what happens next.
January 14, 2021
35 min
What Led To The Attack On The Capitol
The crew unpacks some of the elements responsible for the attack on the U.S. Capitol. They also discuss the calculations being made by Democrats and Republicans about how to hold President Trump legally and/or politically accountable for the attack.
January 12, 2021
73 min
What Will The GOP Do Now?
The team reacts to Trump supporters violently occupying the U.S. Capitol and the Democratic victories in Georgia.
January 7, 2021
43 min
Trump's Fraud Obsession May Hurt The GOP In Georgia
The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Tia Mitchell joins the crew to discuss why Republicans are attempting to overturn the election. They also check in on the state of the runoffs in Georgia the day before Election Day.
January 4, 2021
51 min
2020
Goodbye To 2020
In 2020's final installment of the podcast, the crew looks back at the year that was. They consider the most surprising political stories of the year, fess up to what they think they got right (or wrong) and answer questions from listeners. They also assess whether many pollsters' decision to sit out the Georgia Senate runoffs is a "good or bad use of polling."
December 28, 2020
67 min
Why Georgia Isn't Like Other Battleground States
The crew debates whether the recent $900 billion stimulus package is a one-off attempt to avert crisis or a model for compromise in the Washington that President-Elect Biden is inheriting. They also discuss what makes the runoff elections in Georgia different from elections in other battleground states and what we can learn about the Biden administration and the Democratic Party from his cabinet picks so far.
December 22, 2020
66 min

FiveThirtyEight Politics

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

FiveThirtyEight Politics

Episodes

How The Black Church Has Shaped American Politics

Is CPAC Representative Of The GOP?

What The White House Thinks The Economy Needs

Democrats' COVID Relief Bill Is Popular

How The Crisis In Texas Happened

Why Seven Republicans Voted To Convict Trump

The Meaning Of Democrats' Impeachment Argument

What Georgia Republicans' Proposed Voting Restrictions Would Do

What Could The GOP's Future Look Like?

Biden's Response To The Pandemic

The Final Model Talk Of 2020

Partisans Don't Just Disagree, They Hate One Another

The Biden Presidency Begins

Did Trump Change The Rules Of Politics?

Why 10 Republicans Voted For Impeachment

What Led To The Attack On The Capitol

What Will The GOP Do Now?

Trump's Fraud Obsession May Hurt The GOP In Georgia

Goodbye To 2020

Why Georgia Isn't Like Other Battleground States