About Lisa @LisaDNews
Lisa Desjardins is a correspondent for PBS NewsHour, 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 NewsHour, 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 is 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.
Lisa’s Recent Stories
Politics Jan 21
What does Kamala Harris believe? Where the candidate stands on 9 issuesHere's where California Senator and 2020 White House candidate Kamala Harris stands on key issues.
Politics Jan 18
Shutdown’s lost pay, dwindling business send more people to D.C. food banksThe government shutdown has stifled business in the nation's capital. Many contractors are barely getting by without their paychecks, and unlike permanent federal workers, they will never recover the income they lose. Food banks are experiencing spiking demand, even though…
Jan 18
What does Kirsten Gillibrand believe? Where the candidate stands on 11 issuesHere's where New York Senator and 2020 White House contender Kirsten Gillibrand stands on key issues.
Politics Jan 16
New to Capitol Hill, Reps. Riggleman and Spanberger face shutdown’s added pressureTwo new House members, Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va., and Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., belong to the largest congressional freshman class in decades. Even before their offices were fully set up, these Capitol Hill newcomers had to cast votes on how…
Politics Jan 14
What does Tulsi Gabbard believe? Where the candidate stands on 7 issuesIf elected president in 2020, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, would take office before turning 40 and become the youngest person ever in the job. Here is what Gabbard believes on some key issues in the 2020 race.
Politics Jan 12
What does Julián Castro believe? Where the candidate stands on 8 issuesHere is where Castro stands on some of the key issues of the 2020 presidential election cycle.
Politics Jan 02
5 reasons why this shutdown is worse for federal workersPoliticians have argued that the current government shutdown is less disruptive than past shutdowns because just nine of 15 cabinet agencies — and approximately 15 percent of federal civilian workers — have been affected. But this still leaves some…
Politics Dec 26
How this shutdown compares to every other since 1976The current shutdown marks the 21st time the federal government has shuttered in 42 years.
Politics Dec 14
Outgoing Reps. Mark Sanford and Carlos Curbelo on the political peril of disagreeing with your partyRep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C. and Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., are two Republican members of Congress who have sometimes broken with President Trump, and who won’t be returning to Capitol Hill in January. They sit down with Lisa Desjardins to discuss…
Politics Nov 27
What Congress could accomplish in the lame-duck sessionThis lame-duck session could potentially be among the most significant policy-wise in recent congressional history.
