Politics & Government

Jim Comey, then deputy attorney general, testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2005.

Obama's Pick To Lead FBI Adds New Layer To Privacy Debate

4:34am June 21, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

President Obama will nominate Jim Comey to be the country's next FBI director on Friday. Comey is best-known for raising alarms about a secret surveillance program during the Bush years. That issue has taken on new resonance after the latest revelations of government surveillance.

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In his new book, The Center Holds, Jonathan Alter looks at President Obama's re-election campaign.

'The Center Holds' Sees Victory For Moderates In Obama's Win

2:50pm June 20, 2013

Journalist Jonathan Alter regards the 2012 presidential contest as the most consequential election of recent times. In his new book, Alter argues that President Obama's re-election prevented the country from veering sharply to the right, and he dissects the campaign and the events that led up to it.

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Politics & Government

The Penultimate Edition Of The Political Junkie

11:20am June 20, 2013

Ken Rudin recaps the week in politics. Boston Globe political reporter Jim O'Sullivan previews the special election between Mass. Senate candidates Edward Markey and Gabriel Gomez on June 25. NPR senior Washington editor Ron Elving looks to the future of Congress.

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How Ted Cruz's Father Shaped His Views On Immigration

7:07am June 20, 2013

by David Welna

The Texas senator says giving a path to citizenship to immigrants in the U.S. illegally would be unfair to immigrants who followed the rules, like his own father, 74-year-old Rafael Bienvenido Cruz. He portrays his dad as a kind of Cuban Horatio Alger.

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Leaders take part in the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Their discussions included tax-avoidance issues.

G-8 Nations Pledge To Crack Down On Corporate Tax Evaders

10:18pm June 19, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

This week's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries concluded with a pledge to end the use of tax shelters by multinational corporations. But there are still big questions about how they will make a dent in the problem.

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House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks

8:43pm June 18, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The legislation is one of the most far-reaching abortion bills in decades and follows the May murder convictions of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell. The bill, which would ban nearly all abortions starting 20 weeks after fertilization, is unlikely to ever become law.

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Why The FISA Court Is Not What It Used To Be

1:52pm June 18, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

President Obama says federal judges have been "overseeing" the recently exposed government surveillance programs. But few, if any, experts in the Bush or Obama administrations believe that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has the enforcement teeth it once had.

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Oxfam charity volunteers wear masks depicting G-8 leaders President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel around a large caldron to draw attention to the issue of world hunger in Northern Ireland on Sunday. G-8 leaders are gathering there for an annual summi

Obama Begins European Trip With G-8 Summit In Ireland

1:23pm June 17, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Syria's civil war is expected to be a central issue as the U.S. president meets with the world's other major powers. Obama's decision last week to send weapons to the Syrian rebels is supported by Britain and France, but not by Russia.

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To Find Out How The Health Law Affects You, Ask The President

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The next move in the health care law is all about coverage for people who don't have health insurance. President Obama has been trying to clear up some of the confusion over who gets coverage, and when. But many questions remain to be answered.

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Politics & Government

Obama Urges Congress Not To 'Block' Immigration Bill

5:53am June 13, 2013

by Scott Horsley

President Obama is trying to keep the pressure on Congress to overhaul the immigration system without interfering with progress on the legislation. Surrounded by business, labor and religious leaders, the president on Tuesday called on the Senate to pass the bill. The Senate has moved the measure forward, but lawmakers will propose many amendments before any final vote.

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