Andrea Seabrook
Andrea Seabrook covers Capitol Hill as NPR's Congressional Correspondent.
In each report, Seabrook explains the daily complexities of legislation and the longer trends in American politics. She delivers critical, insightful reporting – from the last Republican Majority, through the speakership of Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats' control of the House, to the GOP landslide of 2010. She and NPR's Peter Overby won the prestigious Joan S. Barone award for their Dollar Politics series, which exposed the intense lobbying effort around President Obama's Health Care legislation. Seabrook and Overby's most recent collaboration, this time on the flow of money during the 2010 midterm elections, was widely lauded and drew a huge audience spike on NPR.org.
An authority on the comings and goings of daily life on Capitol Hill, Seabrook has covered Congress for NPR since January 2003 She took a year-and-a-half break, in 2006 and 2007, to host the weekend edition of NPR's newsmagazine, All Things Considered. In that role, Seabrook covered a wide range of topics, from the uptick in violence in the Iraq war, to the history of video game music.
A frequent guest host of NPR programs, including Weekend Edition and Talk of the Nation, Seabrook has also anchored NPR's live coverage of national party conventions and election night in 2006 and 2008.
Seabrook joined NPR in 1998 as an editorial assistant for the music program, Anthem. After serving in a variety of editorial and production positions, she moved to NPR's Mexico Bureau to work as a producer and translator, providing fill-in coverage of Mexico and Central America. She returned to NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1999 and worked on NPR's Science Desk and the NPR/National Geographic series, "Radio Expeditions." Later she moved to NPR's Morning Edition, starting as an editorial assistant and then moving up to Assistant Editor. She then began her on-air career as a weekend general assignment reporter for all NPR programs.
Before coming to NPR, Seabrook lived, studied and worked in Mexico City, Mexico. She ran audio for movies and television, and even had a bit part in a Mexican soap opera.
Seabrook earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Earlham College and studied Latin American literature at UNAM - La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. While in college she worked at WECI, the student-run public radio station at Earlham College.
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Rep. Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader, announces he is resigning from Congress by June. After his decision became public, Andrea Seabrook spoke the Texas Republican by phone and asked him whether he was backing away from a fight.
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Texas Congressman Tom DeLay plans to resign his seat in the coming weeks. The Republican former House majority leader doubts his chances of winning re-election in the face of mounting political troubles. -
Immigration-reform protesters take their rallies to Capitol Hill as the Senate begins a two-week process of debating changes to immigration laws. Massive rallies around the nation have protested legislation that would crack down on illegal immigrants.
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Democrats are unhappy with the budget proposed by President Bush that would boost spending on the war on terror while cutting social programs. Some Republicans have problems with the budget too -- though the two parties may not always agree on what those problems are or how to solve them.
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Rep. John Boehner of Ohio was elected House majority leader today to replace indicted Rep. Tom DeLay. Boehner defeated fellow Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, 122-109, after lagging behind his rival in a first, inconclusive ballot. The third contender -- John Shadegg of Arizona -- withdrew after finishing last in the first round of balloting.
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House Republicans vote Thursday on a replacement for former Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), the acting majority leader, is considered the frontrunner ahead of Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ). Blunt and Boehner have strong ties to Washington lobbyists. Shadegg remains a "dark horse" candidate.
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The online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which allows users to edit entries on a wide range of subjects, has banned Capitol Hill computers from the editing process. The reason? Hill staffers tend to write glowing entries about their bosses. Alex Chadwick talks with Andrea Seabrook about some of the worst offenders, and just how far-ranging the problem is getting.
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In the past three months, 50 people have been indicted in Bakersfield, Calif., for allegedly siphoning hundreds of thousands from a Red Cross program.
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Congress Reacts Swiftly to Iraq Speech -- In his speech Wednesday, President Bush provided ample evidence of a strategy of praising supporters and attacking critics, including Rep. John Murtha (D-PA). Murtha was among the -- Mr. Bush's highest profile critic in recent weeks. Murtha was among many in Congress to swiftly react to the president's speech.
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A Texas judge's refusal to throw out the entire indictment against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay guarantees there won't be a trial before January. House Republicans are mandated to pick new leaders when their session resumes in January -- but they will delay the session until January 31 in the hopes the remaining charges will be dropped, and DeLay can reclaim his post.
