Politics & Government

Lame Duck Congress Waddles Up Against A Deadline

2:52pm December 11, 2014

As Congress wraps up, it still must pass a federal budget, address immigration and release a torture report. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Washington correspondent Mara Liasson about the agenda.

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GOP Unseats Sen. Mary Landrieu In Louisiana

2:52pm December 11, 2014

Republicans have reason to party in New Orleans this weekend. The GOP picked up a ninth Senate seat in Louisiana's runoff election Saturday — and by a wide margin.

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Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, pictured at a gathering last week of African-American clergy, academics and activists outside Washington D.C.

In Troubled Times, Does 'The Black Church' Still Matter?

2:52pm December 11, 2014

by Michel Martin

As the nation endures a season of racial tension, NPR's Michel Martin talks about the mission of the black church and whether it remains relevant in the social justice movement.

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First The Protest, Then The Storm: Bay Area's 5 Straight Nights Of Clashes

1:45pm December 11, 2014

by Richard Gonzales

Oakland and Berkeley demonstrators have broken into stores and blocked freeways and rail lines, part of a movement born of frustration about police shootings in Staten Island, N.Y., and Ferguson, Mo.

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Obama: CIA's 'Harsh Methods' Inconsistent With Values, National Security

12:34pm December 11, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

Earlier, GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell and Saxby Chambliss said the release of the Senate's report on the CIA's interrogation practices "will present serious consequences for U.S. national security."

Politics & Government

Should Homeowners With Solar Panels Pay To Maintain Electrical Grid?

12:14pm December 11, 2014

by Peter Overby

Utilities say consumers who put solar panels on their roofs should help pay to maintain the lines that carry the power they sell back into the system. Panel leasing firms say that's anti-competitive.

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Politics & Government

Legislators Want A Law For Police Use Body Cameras

11:54am December 11, 2014

by Neal Charnoff

Black lawmakers at the North Carolina General Assembly say they'll file legislation next year requiring some or all law enforcement officers to wear body cameras.

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Spending Bill Provision Would Provide Big Boost To Party Fundraising

9:38am December 11, 2014

by Peter Overby

The 1,600-page omnibus spending bill includes language that raises contribution limits to the national party committees, bringing them above the realm of merely wealthy donors. Under the provision, donors can give a party a total of $778,000 — each year, an eight-fold increase.

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Congressional Plan To Fund Military Comes With A Side Of 'Land Grab'

8:13am December 11, 2014

by Juana Summers

Material tacked onto the authorization bill adds 250,000 acres of new wilderness, expands national parks, and moves toward a national women's history museum. 'Ethically, it stinks,' says Sen. Coburn.

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Report Reveals Deeply Misguided Interrogation Tactics, Feinstein Says

2:16pm December 10, 2014

by Dina Temple-Raston

The Senate's "torture report" finds that the CIA conducted brutal interrogations of detainees in the years after 9/11, misled elected leaders, and got little useful information from the harsh tactics.

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