logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
12m 39s

Trump Administration Fires Top Pentagon ...

NPR
About this episode
Over the weekend, the Trump administration fired several high-ranking military leaders and announced it plans to fire over 5,000 probationary Pentagon employees starting this week.

This episode: political correspondent Susan Davis, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman.

The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs & Kelli Wessinger and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at
plus.npr.org/politics.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Nov 21
New Poll Results Show Democrats With An Edge, Topping Off Tough Week For Trump
From a rare political turn-about on the Epstein files, to a judicial slap-back on his redistricting plan in Texas, President Trump had a tough week. Is his grip on the Republican Party starting to break? Plus, a new poll shows Democrats with a big advantage going into the midterm ... Show More
21m 38s
Nov 20
U.S. Had Better-Than-Expected Job Growth In September
The September jobs report, released belatedly on Thursday, shows the United States added 119,000 jobs, beating expectations, but the unemployment rate went up. We discuss what the data tells us about the economy and how the Trump administration is responding to the news.<br/><br/ ... Show More
18m 20s
Nov 19
Hundreds Of Immigrants Arrested In Chicago Lack Criminal Records
A look at more than 600 immigrants arrested since the Trump administration began amped up immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago finds almost none have convictions. We discuss what enforcement tactics looked like on the ground and what to expect as enforcement ramps up in Cha ... Show More
16m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 21
The Right-Wing Provocateur Who Has Trump’s Ear
<p><i>Warning: This episode contains strong language.</i></p><p>In President Trump’s second term, Laura Loomer has emerged as the most influential outside adviser, telling the president whom to fire and shaping major policy decisions.</p><p>Ken Bensinger, who covers media and pol ... Show More
37m 7s
Oct 2
The Fight at the Center of the Government Shutdown
<p>As the U.S. government shutdown enters its second day, Democrats are trying to underline that the growing political fight is all about the rising cost of health care.</p><p>The New York Times journalists Margot Sanger-Katz and Shane Goldmacher explain why the Democrats are bet ... Show More
21m 54s
Sep 22
Charlie Kirk’s Politically Charged Memorial
<p>Conservatives from around the country flocked to Arizona on Sunday to memorialize the activist Charlie Kirk. The service included leaders from the highest levels of the U.S. government, including Vice President JD Vance and President Trump.</p><p>Two clear strands emerged duri ... Show More
31m 20s
Oct 3
Why did the US government shut down?
The US federal government is closed for business. Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to agree on a budget to keep the government open. But over two million federal workers who will go without a paycheck during negotiations have a new worry: will President Donald Trump u ... Show More
21m 2s
Oct 9
How Trump’s using the government shutdown to remake America
The US government has been shut down for more than a week, and Democrats and Republicans are locked in a political blame game. Shutdowns are nothing new in US politics, but this time President Trump has made an unusual threat: to permanently cut hundreds of thousands of jobs and ... Show More
28m 2s
Sep 16
Trump Promises Free Speech Crackdown
<p>In response to the murder of Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump vows retribution against his political opponents, JD Vance asks Americans to snitch on anyone criticizing Kirk's politics, and Stephen Miller pledges to "disrupt, dismantle, and destroy" left-wing organizations. Jon, Love ... Show More
1h 20m
Sep 5
Senators Unleash on R.F.K. Jr.
<p>In an extraordinarily tense showdown on Thursday, senators of both parties confronted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his vaccine policies, his firing of the director of the C.D.C., and the growing list of federal health officials who have resigned in protest of hi ... Show More
31m 40s
Sep 5
Trump's Very Convincing Body Double
<p>The internet enjoys a brief freakout about the possibility that Trump might be dead. (He isn't.) Senators from both parties press RFK Jr. on his dismantling of the CDC and his accelerating war on vaccines. Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein hold a press conference on Capitol Hill to ... Show More
1h 20m
Sep 19
Trump Cancels Kimmel
<p>Caving to a pressure campaign from Donald Trump's FCC, Disney pulls Jimmy Kimmel's show off the air. Jon and Dan are joined by newly minted Crooked contributor Alex Wagner to discuss Trump's attacks on Kimmel and his new lawsuit against The New York Times, the impending takeov ... Show More
1h 15m
Oct 2
Hegseth’s hectic military
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered top military officials to DC for a surprise lecture on the "warrior ethos." Chaos ensued. With Hegseth, it usually does. This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru and Devan Schwartz, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, e ... Show More
26m 9s