‘2024’ and ‘From the Clinics to the Capitol’ dissect opposing political movements

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

Today’s episode features two books that dissect very different case studies in politics: Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and the anti-abortion movement. First, in July 2024, Harris’ presidential campaign launched like a rocket – but it seemed to stall shortly after. 2024 goes behind the scenes of the Harris team as they leapt into the race months before the election. In today’s episode, NPR’s Scott Detrow speaks with two of the book’s authors, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf, about how Harris’ inner circle saw crucial campaign moments. Then, Carol Mason’s new book From the Clinics to the Capitol breaks down the political strategy of the anti-abortion movement. In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s Sarah McCammon about ties between the movement and white nationalism.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you that friend, the one who's constantly recommending podcast episodes to anyone who'll listen?
0:05.3	If so, subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter and nerd out with us.
0:09.7	You'll get fresh podcast recommendations every week handpicked by the people who live for this stuff.
0:15.3	Subscribe at npr.org slash podclub.
0:18.2	You can also find the link in the description for this episode.
0:23.1	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. There's a new nonfiction book out
0:29.1	titled From the Clinics to the Capitol, how opposing abortion became insurrectionary.
0:33.9	And it's about the wide tense that exists within the anti-abortion movement, how this one
0:40.1	issue can gather supporters from all sorts of different perspectives, from fairly mainstream voters
0:45.9	to conspiracy theorists to violent extremists. That interview is coming up in a bit, but first I
0:52.4	want to play you this interview about another politics-related book from earlier this summer. It's with these longtime reporters who wrote
0:58.4	24 how Trump retook the White House and the Democrats lost America. It's a look back at the
1:04.6	failures of the Kamala Harris campaign. And before you roll your eyes at rehashing the 2024 election,
1:10.5	I think it's an interesting case study in comparison.
1:13.2	And what happens when a political movement struggles to broaden its tent to different perspectives?
1:19.2	NPR speaks with reporters Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf after the break.
1:23.5	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
1:28.2	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:34.8	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:42.1	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:47.8	It's July 2024, and Vice President Kamala Harris seems to be taking off like a rocket.
1:53.2	Good evening, Philadelphia.
	...

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