States have a year to get full funding for Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. The governors of Utah, Wyoming and Montana are trying to get the money, but their legislators may derail the efforts.
John Boehner is set to start his third two-year term as speaker. And while his election is nearly a foregone conclusion, a number of his GOP colleagues are likely voting against him on the floor.
Increased hiring and high rents could make this a banner year for homebuying. But a looming decision by the Federal Reserve could scare off potential buyers and disrupt the housing recovery.
"I believe in diplomacy, I believe in dialogue, I believe in engagement," the president says of Iran and other regimes perceived as U.S. enemies. But he says restoring relations is a gradual process.
The new Senate majority leader will soon take office. NPR's Eric Westervelt asks Alec MacGillis, author of The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell, what his leadership might look like.
Since his election, Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras Baraka has tried some unusual tactics to battle crime. He says that's just a small step in a very long effort to make Newark a safer place to live.
The EPA moved ahead with far-reaching polices to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. And the president struck a landmark deal with China to curb its carbon output as well.