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POLITICO
The POLITICO Tech podcast is your download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. New episodes on Thursdays.
Episodes
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May 24, 2022 • 13min
The big midterm questions answered today
What’s next for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp? Will the national fight over abortion lead to Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-Texas) defeat in the primary? Scott Bland shares his burning questions ahead of tonight's primaries.
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May 23, 2022 • 11min
McConnell takes on MAGA over Ukraine aid
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is determined to stamp out an isolationist, pro-Trump wing of his party that has pushed back on $40 billion in aid to Ukraine — and U.S. support more broadly. Andrew Desiderio reports.
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May 20, 2022 • 12min
Kamala Harris wants to get out of D.C.
The Vice President has cast more tie-breaking votes than all but two predecessors. It’s starting to frustrate some staff. Eugene Daniels reports.
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May 19, 2022 • 14min
How Fetterman could shake up cannabis policy on Capitol Hill
Legalizing weed isn’t the top priority for most voters, but Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman — who clinched the Dem nom for Senate — is betting that it could help draw people to the polls. Natalie Fertig reports.
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May 18, 2022 • 13min
Ghana finally has enough Covid shots. But many still won't take it
When friends and family got sick last year, people across Ghana scrambled to get shots. But there weren’t enough. Now, many say they don’t want the jab. Local volunteers are struggling to change their minds. Erin Banco reports.
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May 17, 2022 • 13min
Is this the end for Madison Cawthorn?
Today, primary voters in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District will decide whether their representative has become more trouble than he's worth. Once a rising conservative star, Cawthorn is now mired in controversy, facing the very real possibility his electoral career might end as quickly as it began. Michael Kruse reports.
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May 16, 2022 • 11min
The millions of tons of grain stuck in Ukraine
A growing number of U.S. lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to establish a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, to help transport millions of tons of grain from Ukraine to the world food supply. But doing so is complicated — and could provoke retaliation from Russia. Meredith Lee reports.
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May 13, 2022 • 12min
Biden pilots new rural resources program
President Joe Biden and Democrats have pushed through billions of dollars in new funding for rural development. But now comes the hard part — working through a federal bureaucracy that makes it almost impossible for local leaders in the smallest, poorest areas to figure out how to get the money. Ximena Bustillo reports on a new system that hopes to solve the problem.
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May 12, 2022 • 13min
Post Roe, what's next for birth control?
Blue-state governors and lawmakers from California to New York are vowing to turn their states into sanctuaries for people seeking abortions. Plus, the years-long push for over-the-counter birth control is ramping up inside the FDA in the wake of a potential Supreme Court decision rolling back abortion rights. Lauren Gardner reports.
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May 11, 2022 • 12min
Bitcoin's drop renews risk concerns
The debate over Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies took on a new dimension last month when Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s largest asset managers, announced that it would soon allow participants in its 401(k) plans to invest some of their retirement savings in Bitcoin. Last Wednesday, that led Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., to send Fidelity a letter challenging the decision. Ben Schreckinger reports.
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