Politics & Government

Politics & Government

Sen. Robert Menendez on the SALT deduction dividing Democrats

5:06pm November 20, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Sen. Menendez (D-N.J.) about the Build Back Better bill that passed in the House Friday, and the debates that will likely emerge as it heads to the Senate.

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Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., says he believes the Senate will pass President Biden's spending bill before the end of the year. The House passed the bill on Friday, sending it to the 50-50 Senate.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin expects the Senate to pass spending bill by the end of 2021

3:36pm November 20, 2021

Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, spoke with NPR about how Democrats plan to secure all 50 member votes needed to pass President Biden's $2.2 trillion social spending bill.

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Iran and U.S. are trying to renegotiate nuclear deal

9:56am November 20, 2021

Scott Simon speaks to Vali Nasr, professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, about the latest moves to save the nuclear deal with Iran.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps up his Africa tour

9:26am November 20, 2021

by Michele Kelemen

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps up his Africa tour in Senegal at a very tense time in the region. There's a civil war in Ethiopia and military coup in Sudan.

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Politics & Government

Week in politics: The 'Build Back Better' bill is moving forward

8:30am November 20, 2021

by Ron Elving

We track the progress of the $2 trillion Build Back Better bill, which passed the House on Friday morning and is heading to the Senate for further negotation.

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President Biden walks to speak with reporters as he returns to the White House Friday.

Politics & Government

Democrats hope Biden's sales job can help their midterm chances

7:01am November 20, 2021

by Mara Liasson

Democrats have spent months negotiating with themselves, undercutting their ability to take credit for bills of significance they are now passing, but for which they aren't getting credit.

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Armed participants walk at a Proud Boys rally with other right-wing demonstrators in September 2020 in Portland, Ore. Far-right groups celebrated the verdict in the Rittenhouse trial.

For far-right groups, Rittenhouse's acquittal is a cause for celebration

9:11pm November 19, 2021

by Odette Yousef

One expert fears that the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse will embolden people to seek out altercations where it could be possible to make claims of self-defense.

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President Biden pumps his fists after getting a medical checkup as he departs Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., onÂ Friday.

White House doctor gives Biden a good bill of health

6:43pm November 19, 2021

by Franco Ordoñez

The White House physician raised concerns about the increasing frequency and severity of President Biden's "throat clearing" during speeches and worsening gait, but overall found him "fit for duty."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a Friday news conference with other Democratic leaders after House passage of the Build Back Better Act.

Politics & Government

The House passes a $2 trillion spending bill, but braces for changes in the Senate

5:28pm November 19, 2021

by Kelsey Snell

The measure was delayed by an all-night speech from GOP leader Kevin McCarthy. Centrist Democrats in the Senate have raised objections to some provisions that will likely alter the House-passed bill.

Members of Citizens Against Inflation picket a Denver supermarket in 1974. They asked shoppers to sign petitions calling for a rollback of prices as one method of combating inflation.

Inflation is at 30-year highs. Here's how it's hurt past presidents

4:52pm November 19, 2021

by Ron Elving

One of the lessons from inflationary eras past is that voters are less interested in causal responsibility than in forcing a change. In other words, if you are in office now, you are holding the bag.