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Lisa Desjardins

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Lisa Desjardins

About Lisa @LisaDNews

Lisa Desjardins is a correspondent for PBS News Hour, where she covers news from the U.S. Capitol while also traveling across the country to report on how decisions in Washington affect people where they live and work.

She specializes in breaking down complex stories and political disagreements into the key pieces that matter, often translating numbers and fiscal information into accessible stories for the audience.

Prior to joining News Hour, Desjardins spent nearly ten years with CNN as a senior correspondent and Capitol Hill reporter. Prior to CNN, she reported for the Associated Press, WBTW-TV, WIS-TV, WTS-TV, Reuters, and The Sun News. At WIS in Columbia, South Carolina, she broke news of the compromise to bring down the Confederate flag from the state house dome.

Desjardins earned a bachelor’s degree at the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She also received a first level graduate degree in Russian Studies from the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia.

Desjardins’ reporting during and after the January 6th Capitol insurrection was the recipient of a Peabody Award, the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association Joan S. Barone Award, and the National Press Foundation’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress. She is also the recipient of a Peabody Award for CNN’s coverage of the 2008 election and a Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi award for national breaking news for coverage of the Haiti earthquake.

Full Bio

Lisa’s Recent Stories

Politics Sep 09

Missouri's election maps in chaos after conflicting rulings

With less than two months until Election Day, the fights over congressional maps are still raging. Republicans are not seeing as much gain as they may have liked from redistricting. In the last day, dueling and conflicting legal rulings have…

Politics Sep 08

Trump's trade war with Canada looms over key congressional races

President Trump’s tariff policies are shaping key races for control of Congress this fall. Geoff Bennett discussed the impact on the midterms with congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins.

Politics Sep 02

8 questions GOP lawmakers face as the House returns

Republicans face a torrent of questions about the words and actions President Donald Trump has unleashed while they’ve been gone.

Nation Sep 01

After long break, House returns to a changing political landscape

The House has returned to Washington after a nearly two-month absence, and lawmakers came back to a changing political landscape. Since they left town in mid-July, President Trump has escalated or ignited controversies on a host of issues, from Iran…

Politics Aug 26

How data centers became a major issue in the midterms

While there are many issues dividing voters this midterm season, one seems to be uniting them: opposition to AI data centers. Candidates who've taken notice are racing to shape policy around these centers, which could be a defining issue in…

Nation Aug 20

Why primary polls appear to be so inaccurate this year

Results in some high-profile races this primary season have differed greatly from public opinion polls. In the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, progressive Abdul El-Sayed had double-digit leads in polling but won over Haley Stevens by just one point. Lisa Desjardins…

Politics Aug 19

What the Florida and Alaska primary results mean for November

An upset win by a progressive candidate leads a host of headlines from Tuesday's primaries. In the Senate primary, Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon trounced more moderate Democrat Alex Vindman, even though he spent far more money. In Alaska, Democrat…

Politics Aug 19

7 questions about the national debt hitting $40 trillion

There is a lot to unpack about the national debt. Here's a starter guide to what's happening with the national debt right now.

Nation Aug 17

National debt nears $40 trillion: How we got here and why it matters

The national debt is expected to hit a record high as soon as this week, crossing a major threshold of $40 trillion. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins explains why that milestone is a warning sign for many economists.

Nation Aug 11

The effectiveness and cost of the National Guard deployment in D.C.

It has now been one year since President Trump declared a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital and deployed thousands of members of the National Guard to its streets. Questions continue to mount over the mission’s cost, its legality and…

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