Best News Podcasts | Audible.com

Best News Podcasts | Audible.com

Stay up to date and informed with the best news podcasts of all time

If you're looking to squeeze some news content and commentary into your life so you're informed but not overwhelmed, then these listens are for you.

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May 12, 2023

Stay up to date and informed with the best news podcasts of all time

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In a world where breaking news headlines change hourly and we're inundated with constant notifications, articles, news blasts, and think pieces, it can be difficult to simply keep up with what's going on in the world—let alone make sense of it. That’s where podcasts come in.

Ranging from global and breaking news to politics, art, and finance, these shows are hosted by experts in their fields who deliver the news while you're on the go and contextualize each story so you can truly understand what's going on. No matter what your interests or knowledge gaps might be, there's a podcast for you, whether you're looking for a quick daily news podcast or an in-depth weekly news podcast. These are the very best news podcasts in world news, current events, money, the arts, and more.

National and World News Podcasts

Politics & Current Events Podcasts

Money and Finance News Podcasts

Art and Culture News Podcasts

In the Room with Peter Bergen

Peter L. Bergen

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Overwhelmed by conflicting narratives and sensationalism in the news? Wondering where you can get an objective analysis and direct-from-the-source reporting? In the weekly nonpartisan news podcast In the Room with Peter Bergen, the longtime national security journalist and bestselling author goes beyond the headlines to explore the world’s most important and captivating news stories, from war and politics to AI and UFOs. Balancing various perspectives, Bergen combines narrative storytelling and interviews with top experts and leaders to help listeners contextualize and understand the impact of these stories through a trustworthy, engaging lens.

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Up First

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If you want to start your busy day bright and early with what you need to know about what's happening in the world, then NPR's Up First is your go-to podcast. You'll receive 10 minutes of reporting on the three biggest stories of the day, all ready for you by 6 AM EST Monday through Friday, and 8 AM EST on Saturday. On Sundays, you can look forward to longer analyses on major headlines by 8 AM EST. Within only 10 minutes, this podcast covers a broad range of issues and provides enough information to help you start your day informed.

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CBS Mornings on the Go

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CBS Morning Show hosts Gayle King, Nate Burleson, and Tony Dokoupil bring you the top three news stories of the day, all in under 17 minutes. CBS Mornings on the Go is a great podcast if you don't have time to tune into a TV show before your commute but want to make sure you don't miss the headlines and host commentary as well as reporting from affiliates.

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NPR News Now

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If you're more of a "check in on the news as you have time" kind of person and you want to just spend a few minutes catching up, then NPR News Now offers listeners five minutes of the top news of each hour, updated on the hour. This is a great option for days where there's a lot of breaking news throughout the day and you want to make sure you're staying on top of things without getting sucked into a news spiral.

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NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

Lester Holt NBC News

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Do you want to catch up on the nightly news without being glued to a television screen? Nightly News with Lester Holt is the audio version of the acclaimed evening news show from NBC, updated each weeknight. This podcast clocks in at roughly 25 minutes and includes multiple stories for each day with commentary and firsthand reporting.

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Post Reports

The Washington Post

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If you're looking for another evening news rundown, check out Post Reports, the official news podcast of The Washington Post. Released by 5 PM EST every weekday, each episode offers approximately 30 minutes of the most important news of the day, pulled from the paper's outstanding reporting of the day. Host Martine Powers sometimes focuses on one big story, drilling down deep, and sometimes incorporates multiple stories. All episodes include links in the show notes to coverage at The Washington Post for more in-depth reading.

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The Globalist

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Looking for a perspective on internationally significant news? The Globalist has anchors in London and Zürich and offers an hour-long episode daily on the biggest news headlines from Europe and around the globe. It's always a great idea to keep up on the news from a lens outside one's own, and this podcast does a great job of analyzing news from a global perspective.

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Today, Explained

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Hosted by Sean Rameswaram and Noel King, Today, Explained delivers 27 minutes of news, presented without fillers or bias, to give you a grasp on what's going on in the world each day. New episodes drop every weekday, full of the best reporting from the Vox network so you’ll never miss quality coverage of important national stories.

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Skimm This

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Looking for a more abridged version of the news? The Skimm, the media company behind The Daily Skimm newsletter, a daily digest of news, brings you a weekly digest of the week's biggest news headlines in audio format. Episodes range from 30 to 40 minutes in length and drop every Thursday evening—but when especially important news breaks, you can usually expect a 15-minute special report. The tone of Skimm This is casual, offering an experience not unlike a very knowledgeable friend summing up the week's news for you.

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Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband & Geoff Lloyd

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Sometimes, listening to the news can be a bit disheartening, full of tragedy and frustration. That's why hosts Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd offer weekly episodes highlighting the news from an optimistic and upbeat perspective. Reasons to be Cheerful reminds listeners that being informed doesn't have to mean being depressed about the state of the world—there really is good news out there!

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Consider This from NPR

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Six days a week, from Monday through Saturday, the hosts of NPR's All Things Considered help you make sense of a big news development on a personal level. Each day, they choose one major headline story and take a deeper dive, exploring what it means for the country and smaller communities, oftentimes incorporating reporting from local journalists and community organizers. Each episode clocks in at 15 minutes or less, making Consider This an easy listen to fit into even the busiest day.

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Pod Save America

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Hosted by four former aides to President Obama—Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor—Pod Save America offers listeners a deeper understanding of what's genuinely breaking news in politics, why it matters, and how listeners can take action. Informative, thought-provoking, and always lively, with a touch of humor, each episode is about an hour long, with journalists, politicians, and activists often joining the conversation. New episodes drop every three to four days.

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The Jon Stewart Podcast

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On The Problem With Jon Stewart podcast, host Jon Stewart explores political issues and their ramifications not fully covered on his show of the same name. Episodes feature nuanced discussions of major news and hot-button topics, insights from expert guests, updates on the facts and developments listeners need to know, and concrete steps for taking action in your own community. And of course, Stewart and his staff share some grievances and jokes.

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Climate of Change with Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy

Cate Blanchett, Danny Kennedy

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Hosted by actress and environmental activist Cate Blanchett and clean energy expert Danny Kennedy, this Audible Original podcast explores some of the most exciting, inventive initiatives to combat climate change—from a Navajo solar farm in the Arizona desert to the use of clean energy among night fisherfolk in the Philippines. With insights from entrepreneurs and thought leaders on how we can tackle our biggest environmental challenge, Climate of Change takes an optimistic stance to inspire listeners to make changes in their own lives while also supporting broad change at the policy level.

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Planet Money

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NPR's Planet Money promises a fun, easy-to-understand podcast about what's going on in the economy, both at home and all over the world. From decoding the mysteries of cryptocurrency to innovative brands making waves in the business world to financial scandals you probably haven't heard of (but have definitely been affected by), this podcast makes money talk engaging and will have you seeing the economy in a new way.

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So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Farnoosh Torabi

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Named one of the best money podcasts by multiple outlets, So Money makes money accessible and engaging. Hosted by award-winning financial strategist Farnoosh Torabi, this listen features discussions on news affecting the market, interviews with celebrities (like Queen Latifah and Margaret Cho) about money, and advice on money management, all with expert guests weighing in. Three new episodes drop each week, and on Fridays, Torabi answers listener questions. With more than 1,000 episodes in the archive, So Money is a wide-ranging podcast that has a lot to dig into.

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The Stacking Benjamins Show

StackingBenjamins.com | Cumulus Podcast Network

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If you're looking for a podcast with a balance of financial news, personal perspectives, and tips about the market and how to manage your own money, then The Stacking Benjamins Show is a great choice. Hosts Joe Saul-Sehy and OG offer practical advice, answers to your questions, and context for some of the biggest headlines of the week, bringing a casual and humorous tone to it all. Episodes run a little over an hour, and three new episodes drop every week.

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The Indicator from Planet Money

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An offshoot of Planet Money, this NPR podcast offers listeners a little more context on some of the bigger financial headlines and what they mean for the average citizen. Three episodes are released each week, and they come in at just under 10 minutes. The Indicator is a great addition to your rotation of news podcasts for a little deeper money understanding that oftentimes goes hand in hand with some of the biggest news and politics headlines of the week.

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TODAY with Hoda & Jenna

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Each weekday morning on NBC's TODAY show, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager get together to talk about what's happening in entertainment, art, fashion, food, wellness, and more. Now, you can listen in to their popular feel-good morning segment any time of day as a podcast. TODAY with Hoda and Jenna mixes pop culture news with inspirational stories and interviews with artists, authors, and celebrities. Breezy and informative, episodes run about 30 minutes.

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TED Radio Hour

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In this NPR podcast, host Manoush Zomorodi explores big questions facing our society, which run the gamut of philosophical debates, current events, and new and emerging technologies and theories. This is a great culture podcast to keep you up to date on some of the most exciting developments that affect our communities but don't always make big news headlines.

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Fresh Air

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Each weekday on Fresh Air, host Terry Gross explores an issue that's important to people across America, ranging from politics and current affairs to history and culture. An accomplished interviewer, Gross has intimate, down-to-earth conversations with luminaries, thought leaders, and experts in their field. Each episode is a solid 40 to 50 minutes long, allowing guests to really explore each topic.

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The New Yorker Radio Hour

WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

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Hosted by The New Yorker's David Remnick, noted journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, this podcast offers conversations from culture critics, artists, journalists, and experts in a variety of fields. The episodes focus on issues and topics that affect American life, from current events and politics to interesting stories in history, crime, art, technology, and more. With more than 150 back episodes and three new episodes dropping weekly, there's so much to discover on Radio Hour. (Oh, and episodes usually clock in at under half an hour.)

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The Week in Art

The Art Newspaper

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Hosted by Ben Luke and sponsored by Christie's, The Week in Art aims to cover all new and developing stories in the fine art world, including headline news, new artists to watch, and exciting new exhibitions. The podcast often invites guests to discuss various exciting developments of the global art world, and new hour-long episodes are available weekly.

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Book Riot - The Podcast

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Stay up to date on everything that's hot, cool, and worth talking about in the world of books and reading with Book Riot. Hosted by the editors at BookRiot.com, this weekly podcast explores breaking news and business developments in the publishing industry and lets listeners in on fascinating stories, from salacious histories to contentious lawsuits, behind some of the biggest books, past and present, and most acclaimed and influential authors.

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