🎙️ What a show tells
NPR Politics Podcast
- CENTERour grouping of the show
- 21claims in our motif index
- 22motifs they came up in
⚠️ Stories told, not claims that they're true.
What the show's hosts, guests, callers and the clips they play said, as claims in our words, filed by the shape of the story. "Came up on" the show: told, reported or argued against. We don't yet mark which.
✍️ Its signature
the motifs it tells far more than the other shows we follow do
🧩 Checks and balances 🧩 Executive overreach 🧩 Solution in search of a problem 🧩 Crooked 🧩 Polls are manipulated
👯 Tells the most alike
the shows whose stories overlap most with its own, whatever their lean
- 🎙️ Pod Save America 39% alike · left
- 🎙️ Left, Right & Center 31% alike · center
- 🎙️ Forum (KQED) 28% alike · center
- 🎙️ Strict Scrutiny 27% alike · left
- 🎙️ Breaking Points 26% alike · center
🧩 Its repertoire
every motif its claims came up in, the most first
🧩 Executive overreach ×2 🧩 Checks and balances ×2 🧩 Polls are manipulated ×2 🧩 Solution in search of a problem ×2 🧩 Crooked ×2 🧩 Disinformation campaign ×1 🧩 Political realignment ×1 🧩 Graft ×1 🧩 Losing the base ×1 🧩 Own goal ×1 🧩 Electability ×1 🧩 Lawfare ×1 🧩 Pay to play ×1 🧩 The stranger in the arena ×1 🧩 Flailing desperately ×1 🧩 Yellow dog ×1 🧩 Enthusiasm gap ×1 🧩 Coming for your job ×1 🧩 Smear campaign ×1 🧩 Faith as a prop ×1 🧩 They're going to steal it ×1 🧩 Boss from hell ×1
🎙️ Lately on the show
its latest claims, in our words, with their motifs
- 2026-10-27 “Democrats are showing much higher enthusiasm and turnout in early voting compared to Republicans.”
🧩 Enthusiasm gap - 2026-10-26 “The Department of Justice lawsuit in Alaska is a precursor to attempts to overturn elections.”
🧩 Executive overreach 🧩 They're going to steal it - 2026-10-26 “The Department of Justice is being used as a political tool to target Trump's opponents.”
🧩 Lawfare - 2026-10-26 “The Trump administration's claims about non-citizen voting are not made in good faith because the numbers keep changing.”
🧩 Solution in search of a problem - 2026-10-26 “Non-citizen voting cases stem from mistakes and confusion rather than nefarious conspiracies to sway elections.”
🧩 Solution in search of a problem - 2026-10-23 “A fake polling organization released fraudulent results for a Michigan Democratic Senate primary.”
🧩 Disinformation campaign 🧩 Polls are manipulated - 2026-10-23 “Donald Trump's approval ratings are currently low and he is losing support among independents and Latino voters.”
🧩 Political realignment 🧩 Losing the base - 2026-10-23 “Vivek Ramaswamy has miscalculated politically by running the ad.”
🧩 Own goal - 2026-10-23 “Some pollsters are producing fake or phony polls to manipulate the public.”
🧩 Polls are manipulated - 2026-10-23 “Vivek Ramaswamy is trying to drag his opponent into the gutter because he is losing in the polls.”
🧩 Flailing desperately - 2026-10-23 “Amy Acton has spread defamatory and disparaging lies about Vivek Ramaswamy and his family.”
🧩 Smear campaign - 2026-10-22 “Donald Trump is abusing executive power by ignoring Congress's power of the purse.”
🧩 Executive overreach 🧩 Checks and balances - 2026-10-22 “Congress has the appetite to reclaim its authorities from the executive branch.”
🧩 Checks and balances - 2026-10-21 “Ken Paxton is a historically terrible candidate because he is corrupt.”
🧩 Electability 🧩 Crooked - 2026-10-21 “Republicans in Texas are unhappy that John Cornyn was not the nominee.”
🧩 Yellow dog - 2026-10-21 “James Tallarico uses religious imagery and costumes to manipulate voters.”
🧩 Faith as a prop - 2026-10-21 “Ken Paxton is a corrupt politician who has been impeached for his scheming.”
🧩 Crooked - 2026-10-20 “Mary Peltola physically and emotionally abused her staff.”
🧩 Boss from hell - 2026-10-14 “Artificial intelligence will replace jobs.”
🧩 Coming for your job - 2026-10-05 “The allegations against Senator Collins suggest a pay-to-play scheme involving government contracts and members of the Appropriations Committee.”
🧩 Graft 🧩 Pay to play - 2026-10-05 “The Democratic nominee Troy Jackson is struggling because voters do not know much about him despite his political history.”
🧩 The stranger in the arena