Politics

Politics & Government

What's On Obama's Agenda With China's President?

6:39am June 01, 2013

Next week, President Obama will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at an estate in California. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon speaks with Ken Lieberthal of the Brookings Institution about what issues the two world leaders are likely to discuss.

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Rep. Cole speaks as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and others listen during a news conference in Moore last week.

Okla. Recovery Spotlights Rep. Cole's Support For Sandy Aid

1:39pm May 31, 2013

by Tamara Keith

When Congress voted on federal relief for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, five of the seven Oklahoma representatives and senators voted no. Rep. Tom Cole, who voted yes, warned that someday Oklahoma would be asking for help. That day came last week after a massive tornado hit his district.

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President Obama, with Education Secretary Arne Duncan at his side, calls on Congress on June 21, 2012, to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling. He is going to make that appeal again Friday.

Obama Presses Congress On Student Loan Rates

11:25am May 31, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Interest rates on government-backed college loans are set to double July 1 — unless Congress agrees on a fix before then. The president is expected to urge Congress on Friday to block that increase.

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Activists rally in support of gay marriage on March 25 in Chicago. The Illinois Senate has approved legislation that will legalize same-sex marriage, but it has stalled in the state House.

Will Ill. Legalize Gay Marriage Before Legislature Adjourns?

7:04pm May 30, 2013

by David Schaper

The clock is ticking for those who hope Illinois becomes the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriage. After passing the Illinois Senate in February, a bill to legalize gay marriage has stalled in the House. Backers are trying to get it through before the Legislature adjourns Friday night.

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White House Economic Adviser To Leave

10:19am May 30, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Alan Krueger, the chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, says he will step down to return to Princeton to resume his post as a professor of economics. Krueger, who has served as CEA chairman for the past two years, will return to Princeton in time for the beginning of the fall term.

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Former Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey waits to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on May 15, 2007. NPR has learned that Comey is in line to become President Obama's choice as the next FBI director.

Former Justice Official In Line To Be Named FBI Chief

6:25am May 30, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Two sources familiar with the search for a new director of the agency tell NPR that James B. Comey is in line to succeed outgoing chief Robert Mueller. Comey was the No. 2 official at the Justice Department in the George W. Bush administration.

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By leasing land for drilling, city leaders in Youngstown, Ohio, hope to generate funds to demolish vacant buildings.

What's Under Youngstown May Help What's On Top

7:18pm May 29, 2013

City leaders in Youngstown, Ohio, are hoping that by leasing land to drilling companies, they might generate funds to demolish vacant homes and buildings. Some refer to this as "frackmolishing," and opponents worry the drilling will cause environmental damage.

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President Obama speaks at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., on May 23.

Why Obama Wants To Change The Key Law In The Terrorism Fight

7:18pm May 29, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

Almost all of the federal government's actions against terrorism — from drone strikes to the prison at Guantanamo Bay — are authorized by a single law: the Authorization for the Use of Military Force. But President Obama says that with the Afghan war ending and al-Qaida weakened, it's time to limit the law's scope and ultimately have it repealed.

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Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has proposed cutting three seats from a key D.C. appeals court.

Senators Tussle Over Proposal To 'Unpack' Key D.C. Court

10:47am May 29, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

GOP Sen. Charles Grassley has floated legislation that would cut three seats from the important D.C. Circuit appeals court — just as President Obama prepares to announce his nominees for those jobs. The court is now evenly balanced with four appointees each from Republican and Democratic presidents.

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A bill proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight (from left, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; John McCain, R-Ariz.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Bob Menendez, D-N.J.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; and Michael Bennet, D-Colo.) has passed o

Immigration Measure Faces Test In Senate, Rival Bill In House

10:47am May 29, 2013

by David Welna

The immigration overhaul proposed by a bipartisan group of senators has been passed out of committee and will soon be brought before the Democratic-led Senate. Less clear, though, is where the issue is headed in the GOP-controlled House, where another bipartisan group is at work on its own bill.

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