Ari Shapiro

Ari Shapiro reports on the White House for NPR with a focus on national security and legal affairs. His stories appear on all of NPR's newsmagazines, including All Things Considered and Morning Edition, where he is also a frequent guest host. Shapiro began covering the White House in 2010 after five years as NPR's Justice Correspondent, during which time his coverage of Justice Department policies and controversies chronicled one of the most tumultuous periods in the department's history.

The first NPR reporter to be promoted to correspondent before age 30, Shapiro has been recognized with several journalism prizes, including The American Bar Association's Silver Gavel for his coverage of prisoners lost in Louisiana's detention system after Hurricane Katrina; The Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for his investigation of methamphetamine use and HIV transmission; the Columbia Journalism Review's "laurel" recognition of his investigation into disability benefits for injured veterans; and the American Judges' Association's American Gavel for a body of work reporting on courts and the justice system. He has appeared as a guest analyst on television news programs including The NewsHour, The Rachel Maddow Show and CNN Newsroom.

Shapiro is based in Washington, D.C., where, as NPR's Justice Correspondent, he covered some of the most significant court cases in recent history, including Supreme Court rulings on Guantanamo detainees, the perjury trial of top White House official Lewis "Scooter" Libby and the fraud trial of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. He has also broken stories about the government's evolving approach to counterterrorism, detention and interrogation policies. He investigated abuses of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and covered the legal proceedings against American soldiers accused of those abuses.

Before covering the Justice Department, Shapiro was NPR's regional reporter in Atlanta and then in Miami. In 2003, he was an NPR reporting fellow at WBUR in Boston.

Shapiro is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale. He began his journalism career in 2001 in the office of NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg. Shapiro was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and grew up in Portland, Oregon.

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Politics
5:16 am
Mon November 26, 2012

Young Voters Key In Obama's 2012 Win

Originally published on Mon November 26, 2012 9:44 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

This is the season when political professionals try to make sense of the last election. Plenty of Republicans have been calling for their party to take a new approach to immigration after the Hispanic vote went overwhelmingly to President Obama.

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It's All Politics
4:53 pm
Tue November 20, 2012

Tough Turkey: People Have A Harder Time Getting Pardons Under Obama

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia, at last year's turkey pardoning ceremony.

Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 6:14 pm

Presidential pardons usually take the world by surprise. There's no advance notice — the White House just sends out an announcement with the names of those receiving clemency. Thanksgiving is one lighthearted exception.

On Wednesday, President Obama will once again take part in the traditional turkey pardoning at the White House. But while the business of pardoning humans is more serious, it's also increasingly rare.

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Politics
5:26 am
Sat November 10, 2012

Taxing Work Ahead: Have Negotiating Tables Turned?

Originally published on Sat November 10, 2012 1:38 pm

Republicans and Democrats agree: Election season may have ended just four days ago, but it's already time to get back to work. In this case, "back to work" might mean "back to fighting."

Leaders in both parties made their opening bids Friday on how to deal with the tax, spending and debt problems that face the country at the end of this year.

While the scenario echoes last year's spending battle, there are some differences that could push the parties toward the resolution they never reached last time around.

Where The President Stands

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It's All Politics
3:18 am
Fri November 9, 2012

'Let Mitt Be Mitt': But Who Was He?

Originally published on Fri November 9, 2012 10:30 pm

The postmortems for Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign are rolling in.

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Presidential Race
6:35 am
Sun November 4, 2012

Romney Brings Bipartisan Appeal To Final Push

Originally published on Sun November 4, 2012 12:08 pm

Transcript

ARI SHAPIRO, BYLINE: I'm Ari Shapiro, traveling with the Romney campaign. And here's a summary of Romney's final sprint: a rally in New Hampshire, a flight to Iowa for another rally, a flight to Colorado, two rallies there with a long bus drive in between then back to Iowa for a few hours' sleep in Des Moines. And that was just yesterday. Romney means it when he says:

MITT ROMNEY: We've had some long days and some very short nights.

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Presidential Race
5:29 pm
Wed October 31, 2012

Romney Picks Campaign Trail Back Up In Florida

Originally published on Wed October 31, 2012 6:53 pm

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney campaigned in Florida on Wednesday, the resumption of a crowded campaign schedule thwarted by superstorm Sandy.

Presidential Race
5:18 pm
Tue October 30, 2012

Romney Blurs Campaigning Line At Ohio Event

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

Mitt Romney did not officially campaign today out of respect for those recovering from Sandy or still enduring the giant storm, but he did appear in a crucial swing state before thousands of cheering supporters.

NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on Romney's balancing act one week before the election.

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Presidential Race
4:50 pm
Fri October 26, 2012

Romney: Obama's Policies Slowed The Recovery

Originally published on Fri October 26, 2012 5:57 pm

After a week full of campaigning across several battleground states, Mitt Romney delivered an economic policy address in Ames, Iowa, on Friday.

Presidential Race
4:47 pm
Thu October 25, 2012

Romney Pitches 'Big Change' In Swing State Ohio

Originally published on Thu October 25, 2012 6:51 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Mitt Romney has also been flying all over the country, hitting as many battleground states as he can. But today, the Republican left his plane behind and boarded the big blue Romney bus to focus on just one state, Ohio.

NPR's Ari Shapiro has this story about Romney's tour of one of the most contested states in the campaign.

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Presidential Race
7:18 am
Thu October 25, 2012

Romney Exudes Confidence In Nevada, Iowa

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Mitt Romney has also accelerated the pace of his campaign. Yesterday, he was in four states and four time zones, as the endurance test intensifies.

NPR's Ari Shapiro is traveling with the Romney campaign.

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