Politics & Government

Sen. Patty Murray pushes for over-the-counter birth control and insurance coverage

5:17pm May 21, 2023

NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., about her efforts to push legislation that would make birth control available without a prescription and covered by insurance.

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Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks with members of the press from Capitol Hill on Sunday after participating in a phone call on the debt ceiling with President Joe Biden.

Biden and McCarthy set to meet again Monday for debt ceiling talks

3:05pm May 21, 2023

by Scott Detrow

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters he had a "productive" phone call with President Biden as he travels back to Washington. Negotiators for the pair will resume talks Sunday evening.

A U.S. debt default would lead to a slump in stock and bond markets, while eroding the U.S.' financial standing in the world, analysts say.

Politics & Government

Here's what could happen in markets if the U.S. defaults. Hint: It won't be pretty

10:44am May 21, 2023

by David Gura

Investors are still hopeful that lawmakers will clinch a deal to raise or suspend the debt ceiling. That's because failure to do so could have devastating consequences in markets.

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Politics & Government

Politics chat: Biden addresses debt ceiling at G7 press conference

7:55am May 21, 2023

The negotiations over the federal debt ceiling flowed over into world affairs as President Biden gave a press conference at the end of the G7 conference in Japan earlier today.

Colorado Springs Mayor-elect Yemi Mobolade reflects on his historic victory

7:55am May 21, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe asks Colorado Springs Mayor-elect Yemi Mobolade about his victory in Tuesday's election. He's the first Black person to be elected mayor there.

Deemmeris Debra'e Burns shows the spot on a rural road in Satartia, Miss., where he lost consciousness when a carbon dioxide pipeline ruptured, an experience he thinks is a warning for America.

The U.S. is expanding CO2 pipelines. One poisoned town wants you to know its story

6:01am May 21, 2023

by Julia Simon

Companies are building carbon dioxide pipelines as a possible climate solution. But after a pipeline rupture sent dozens to the hospital in a Mississippi town, there are questions about their safety.

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A federal investigation found former U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack (at right) repeatedly engaged in abuses of power and gross mismanagement. Pack, shown last year at a party with conservative politician and publisher Steve Forbes, sought to stamp out all hints of anti-Trump sentiment at the agency, the Voice of America, and other networks funded by the federal government.

Politics & Government

Federal inquiry details abuses of power by Trump's CEO over Voice of America

6:00am May 21, 2023

by David Folkenflik

Investigators found Trump's appointee at the U.S. Agency for Global Media repeatedly abused his power. "It just takes one's breath away," says David Seide, a lawyer who represented whistleblowers.

Former President Donald Trump greets supporters at a campaign rally on April 27, 2023 in Manchester, N.H.

Politics & Government

Ghost of William Jennings Bryan haunts Trump's next run for the White House

9:18pm May 20, 2023

by Ron Elving

Comparisons between the two began cropping up early in 2016, right about the time former President Trump's candidacy was bringing the word "populist" back into the daily political conversation.

Colt M4 Carbine and AR-15 style rifles are displayed during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas on May 28, 2022. A Maryland man is causing concern for carrying an AR-15 style rifle near a school bus stop.

A Maryland man has been carrying an AR-15-style rifle near a school bus stop

5:15pm May 20, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Community members from Severn, Md., have been fuming after a local resident began displaying his rifle near a school bus stop in protest of gun control legislation. Police say he's broken no laws.

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C speaks at Triad Baptist Church in Kernersville, North Carolina

Politics & Government

Former US Rep. Mark Walker joins North Carolina GOP gubernatorial field

8:14am May 20, 2023

by Gary Robertson, Associated Press

Ex-U.S. Rep. Mark Walker formally entered next year’s race for North Carolina governor on Saturday, saying that he's best suited to win the seat that has eluded Republicans for much of the past three decades, by attracting a diverse set of voters in the otherwise closely divided state.