The best politics podcasts: 9 shows that'll keep you informed and entertained
There’s an election coming up, did you hear? Just kidding. OF COURSE you heard, it’s everywhere.
But if these last four years have shown us anything, it’s that politics and elections, uhhhh, they really matter — we’re in the middle of a woefully mismanaged, deadly pandemic, after all. Podcasts are a simple, entertaining way to keep track of what’s going on in the political word. It's also far easier to listen to a couple of shows than it is to read every news article out there.
That in mind, we collected a few of our favorite politics podcasts. Here are nine shows you might want to check out.
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1. The Daily
The New York Times’ The Daily is pretty much an obligatory inclusion on this list. It delivers the news you have to know each day, which is often filtered through a political lense. Political journalist Michael Barbaro hosts the show and while it’s often kind of a downer — the news isn’t great these days — it is also a good primer for the day.
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2. Up First
In a similar vein, Up First from NPR is a show designed to inform you about the day ahead. It gives you the three biggest stories of the day in just ten minutes. Ten minutes, you know what’s up, then you move on with your day. Cannot beat that.
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3. NPR Politics
OK, so if you’re some kind of glutton for punishment and want even more politics after you already listened to a show like Up First, then you could do add the NPR Politics show. It airs every weekday and tells you the most important news stories of the day. You can trust the reporting and the show will always be top quality because audio news is in NPR’s DNA.
4. Citations Needed
OK, so this might not be a capital-P Politics podcast. But if the last four years has taught us anything, it’s that politics kind of touches…everything? Citations Needed, hosted by Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson, examines media, power, and politics, basically uncovering the bullshit you might not have been aware of.
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5. Slow Burn
I’ve selected Slow Burn as one of my favorite historical podcasts and as a favorite pod listen to while running. And now, I’ll add it to my favorite politics podcasts, too. Slate’s Slow Burn takes historical events and walks through all the things that have been lost along the way. The seasons on Watergate, the Clinton impeachment, and David Duke’s rise are fantastic. They are political stories from the past, but the connection they have to the current political climate are unavoidable and important.
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6. The Weeds
The Weeds, a Vox podcast, got its name by being a show dedicated to getting deep into the weeds. Host Matthew Yglesias is joined by Ezra Klein, Dara Lind, Jane Coaston, and others to talk about policy and the latest political news.
7. 538 Politics Podcast
Keeping with the wonky theme, if you want to get to the data and analytics behind political stories, 538’s podcast is your best bet. You’re going to get Nate Silver doing Nate Silver analysis stuff, so if that’s your bag, here’s your pod.
8. Trump Inc.
Who’s making money off of the Trump presidency? That’s what Trump Inc. aims to answer. And, uh, there’s plenty to explore there. If following the money is important in politics, then you should probably follow this podcast.
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9. Still Processing
OK, so this New York Times podcast really isn’t a politics podcast in the strictest sense. But you’d be hard-pressed to find two smarter cultural commentators than hosts Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham. And the podcast typically ties the culture at large into the political climate. A recent episode, for instance, mapped out how dystopian TV shows can help us understand the dystopia we actually inhabit. It’s a show that’s definitely worth your time.
Topics Politics
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
