Politics & Government

Energy Standards For Ceiling Fans Spin Up D.C. Debate

11:48am July 29, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Ceiling fans help keep you cool — unless you're in Washington, where a battle over energy-efficiency standards for ceiling fans is raising temperatures between the White House and congressional Republicans.

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Former Democratic Rep. Lindy Claiborne Boggs attends the Distinguished Service Award ceremony at the Capitol in May 2006 in Washington, D.C.

Politics & Government

Ex-Rep. Lindy Boggs: Advocate For Women, Dedicated To Family

1:01pm July 27, 2013

by Linda Wertheimer

The former congresswoman from New Orleans and U.S. ambassador to the Vatican died Saturday morning. She was 97. NPR's Linda Wertheimer traces her life and accomplishments, along with her personal legacy.

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A sidewalk memorial in Chicago remembers Eugene Clark, 25, who was shot and killed last weekend. In the same weekend, the city had at least 6 people killed and 22 wounded by gunfire. This weekend, the Congressional Black Caucus held a summit in Chicago to

Emergency Summit On Urban Violence Opens In Chicago

12:59pm July 27, 2013

by Natalie Moore

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus hosted a day-long meeting on guns, youth and gang violence in Chicago. They plan to hold forums in New Orleans and Baltimore, and take a list of solutions to urban violence to Washington.

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Senate Passes Student Loan Legislation To Lower Interest Rates

9:31am July 25, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

After much drama, the Senate finally voted on a student loan bill that would tie the borrower's rate to the 10-year Treasury note on Wednesday. The proposal is a bipartisan compromise and similar both to a House plan and one offered by President Obama.

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House Rejects Measure That Would Have Curbed NSA Program

7:58pm July 24, 2013

The House rejected a measure that would have ended funding for a National Security Agency program that collects the phone records of Americans. The amendment to the defense spending bill had the support of liberal Democrats and libertarian Republicans, but was opposed by the Obama administration.

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Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas broke barriers and became a White House fixture, but her famous bluntness caused her downfall in the end.

Veteran Journalist Helen Thomas Leaves An Outspoken Legacy

3:09pm July 23, 2013

by David Folkenflik

In her long career, Thomas broke barriers and became a White House fixture — but her famous bluntness caused her downfall in the end. She died Saturday morning at the age of 92.

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Politics & Government

Republicans Pin Hopes On Senate Turnover In 2014

7:37am July 23, 2013

by Mara Liasson

Much of what happens in the Senate in the present reflects expectations for the Senate of the future — specifically after the next election. Republican hopes are high for a takeover in 2014 that would confront President Obama with united opposition from a GOP-controlled Congress. So what are the prospects for the gains the GOP needs?

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Politics & Government

Political Reporters Hit The (Bike) Trail In Iowa

7:37am July 23, 2013

David Greene speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea, Scott Horsley and Brian Naylor about The Des Moines Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. The three reporters are riding in the event, also known as RAGBRAI, to explore the Iowa they didn't see on the presidential campaign trail.

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Becca Besaw of Austin, Texas, and Christopher Robertson of Fort Worth, Texas, protest the state's new law restricting access to abortion at a rally in Dallas on July 15.

State Laws Limiting Abortion May Face Challenges On 20-Week Limit

4:57pm July 22, 2013

by Julie Rovner

States are setting an abortion limit at 20 weeks after fertilization, but that may clash with established standards for calculating the viability of a pregnancy. It could also open the new laws up to constitutional challenges.

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State Abortion Laws Differ From Doctors In Defining 20 Weeks

10:30am July 22, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Texas last week became the 12th state to ban most abortions after 20 weeks. But most of the state laws don't define 20 weeks the same way doctors do.