POLITICO Tech

The POLITICO Tech podcast is your daily download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. From AI and the metaverse to disinformation and microchips, we explore how today’s technology is shaping our world — and driving the policy decisions, global rivalries and industries that will matter tomorrow.

Tech News
Politics
Daily News
326
What, exactly, is Biden getting from his Middle...
The Biden administration argues that the president's upcoming visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia are of great strategic importance. But possible images of him glad-handing with the Saudi crown prince threatens to be the defining moment. Alex Ward reports.
13 min
327
Did Minnesota accidentally legalize weed? Kinda...
Earlier this month, a Minnesota law took effect that allows adults to purchase edibles or beverages with up to 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per serving. But some key state lawmakers were confused when they realized they had made those THC products legal. Paul Demko reports.
9 min
328
Boris Johnson’s downfall was his own making
Boris Johnson resigned Thursday after fighting all week to hang on to his post as the U.K.'s Prime Minister, surviving lashings in the press, investigations and a narrow confidence vote last month. Even as the walls closed in around him, he remained defiant. Ryan Heath on how it could have been even messier.
13 min
329
Battered FDA hopes new advisers will solve PR p...
Stung by messaging missteps over the coronavirus crisis, baby formula shortage and abortion access, the Food and Drug Administration is planning to hire Vin Gupta and other senior-level advisers to shore up the agency’s communications. Adam Cancryn reports.
12 min
330
Seven states have 60 days to divide a key water...
Climate change and worsening drought have driven water stores to dangerous lows. Now states have to figure out who has to live with less. Lara Korte reports.
12 min
331
Tech surveillance in a post-Roe world
Our digital footprints can easily reveal who’s providing abortion care, who’s seeking an abortion and who’s protesting. Sam Sabin reports on digital privacy after Roe.
14 min
332
SCOTUS handcuffs Biden on climate
The Supreme Court delivered a major setback to President Biden’s ambitious climate change goals in Thursday's West Virginia v. EPA ruling. The 6-3 ruling is an obstacle for Biden’s hopes of dealing with global warming through executive order, barely six months after a Senate stalemate shut down his hopes for Congress's biggest-ever climate bill. Alex Guillén reports.
12 min
333
We watched 34 primaries so you didn't have to. ...
More than half of the states in the U.S. have held primary elections ahead of the midterms. As Trump looms over the GOP and Democrats attempt to limit losses, politics editor Scott Bland shares five takeaways and a report card on the state of the race.
12 min
334
States are shaping the future of abortion. Here...
For decades, state lawmakers had limited avenues to control abortion. Now, the power to decide when — and whether — abortion should be legal is squarely in their hands. Megan Messerly looks at the states and people re-shaping abortion policies in 2022 and 2023.
12 min
335
Biden's got global problems. The G-7 won't solv...
The coziest club on the global summit circuit is back together, but its inability to solve inflation, Russia's war in Ukraine, and climate change is raising questions about whether G-7 leaders need to spend more time out of their democratic comfort zone. Ryan Heath reports.
10 min
336
Republicans brace for the impact of reversing Roe
Everything was going right for Republicans in the midterm campaign. Then the Supreme Court decision came down. David Siders reports.
12 min
337
Inside the wild world of D.C.'s matchmakers
D.C.’s single power players are enlisting an expensive, awkward, and sometimes even romantic method to find love: matchmakers. Jessica Goldstein reports.
14 min
338
Patients with opioid addiction could soon lose ...
Federal regulations that have allowed practitioners the flexibility to virtually prescribe buprenorphine, an opioid withdrawal treatment drug, are due to expire along with the Covid-19 public health emergency — even as opioid deaths reach record levels. Krista Mahr reports.
12 min
339
Election administrators go to Washington
Election workers from across the country are flying into the nation’s capital to beg Washington for two things that have vexed officials since the last election: security and funding. Zach Montellaro reports.
12 min
340
Georgia, Proud Boys and more: Jan. 6 hearings h...
Today, the Jan. 6 committee looks at Trump’s role in the plan to replace electors at the state level to overturn election results. But tensions are growing between members of the committee and the DOJ, who want access to full interview transcripts to aid in their own investigations. Kyle Cheney reports.
10 min
341
The cannabis gold rush that wasn't
The nation’s marijuana industry boomed during the pandemic. Weed sales hit $27 billion in 2021, nearly doubling figures from just two years earlier — and revenues are projected to double again over the next six years. But the still-green industry is mired in a financial funk: Stock prices have plummeted. Capital raises have crashed. And marijuana prices have slumped. Paul Demko reports.
10 min
342
Global abortion-rights advocates worry their co...
Activists said they spoke to officials not only about their fears of the international impact if Roe v. Wade were to fall, but also proposed changes to U.S. policy that has long restricted funding for abortions abroad. Daniel Payne reports.
8 min
343
Saudi Arabia, ‘pariah’ to potential partner
President Joe Biden will travel to the Middle East next month, making stops in Israel, the West Bank and then Saudi Arabia, where he’ll seek to rebuild relations after vowing to make the kingdom a “pariah.” Nahal Toosi reports.
13 min
344
Recession vibes are swirling
We are in a paradoxical economic moment. The economy is hot by certain metrics — unemployment, job openings, consumer demand — but inflation is way up, and soaring gas and grocery prices are driving the narrative. Victoria Guida reports.
11 min
345
How Elon Musk’s Starlink changed the war in Ukr...
From artillery strikes to Zoom calls, the tech billionaire’s satellite internet service has become a lifeline in the war with Russia. Christopher Miller reports.
11 min
346
Presenting Playbook Deep Dive: He defied Trump ...
This week in the GOP primary for South Dakota’s at-large district, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) defeated a challenger from his right who claimed he wasn’t aligned closely enough with former President Donald Trump, even though Johnson agrees with Trump on many policies. Johnson’s vote for a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attacks and his support for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to remain in House Leadership was cited as proof he is not an ally of the former president. Johnson also faced more than $500,000 in spending against him from Drain the DC Swamp PAC. He tells Ryan Lizza that South Dakotans like Trump – but they also like Dusty Johnson. Find out how he overcame the challenges faced from defying Trump and how he survived to win the Republican nomination on this week’s episode of Playbook Deep Dive.
45 min
347
The January 6 hearings are (finally) here
The House committee, after nearly a year investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, introduces its findings tonight to a prime-time TV audience. Kyle Cheney explains the challenges ahead.
11 min
348
The newest research into long Covid
There is no test for long Covid, and the CDC and the medical community have no official definition. But health care workers across the country are diagnosing patients who have previously contracted Covid-19 based on a wide-ranging set of symptoms. A CDC study released May 27 said that one in five adults in the U.S. may develop the condition — but there are still more questions than answers. Erin Banco reports.
11 min
349
The frustrations inside the West Wing
Soaring global inflation. Rising fuel prices. A deadlocked Congress unable to tackle sweeping gun safety legislation. President Biden and his aides are frustrated by a cascade of challenges — and the window for a political revival is closing. Jonathan Lemire reports.
10 min
350
Can wind save oil country?
The Gulf Coast's long reign as a hub for oil and gas production could help it secure a lead role in generating energy from wind and green hydrogen, but it will face some big obstacles. Kelsey Tamborrino reports.
8 min