The NPR Politics Podcast

Weekly Roundup: February 19th

Feb 19, 2021

This week, Danielle Kurtzleben, an NPR political reporter and expert on political discourse, takes a deep dive into Texas's power outages. She explains the complexities of their energy grid and the political finger-pointing amidst the crisis. The discussion then shifts to cancel culture, tracing its origins and examining its role in modern politics. Kurtzleben reveals how this term has evolved into a political weapon, igniting passionate debates about accountability and freedom of expression across the spectrum.

30:33

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Episode guests

Danielle Kurtzleben

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Crisis in Texas: A Historical Echo

9min

Texans Grapple with Crisis and Accountability

2min

Navigating Cancel Culture

8min

Culture Wars in Conservative Politics

5min

Musical Icons and Presidential Quirks

5min

Celebrity Arrest: A Lighthearted Reflection on DWI Incident

2min

Millions of Texans have been without power or potable water for days following unusually harsh winter weather. The Republican governor blamed the outages on renewable energy but that is only 10 percent of the story.

Plus, we look at "cancel culture." Where did it come from, and why are conservatives eager to use it as a political cudgel?

This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis, White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, business reporter Camila Domonoske, KUT's Ashley Lopez, and political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben.

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