Politics

Will The Grass Be Greener In Obama's Second Term?

8:02pm January 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

One of the chief expectations of those who voted for President Obama is that he moves assertively to pass climate change legislation, whatever the political climate in Washington. But that won't be easy given the polarization in Washington.

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On Campaign Promises Report Card, Obama Did 'Pretty Well'

7:25pm January 19, 2013

by NPR Staff

The president's record on keeping his campaign promises over the last four years: 47 percent, according to the watchdog PolitiFact. A boon to Obama's promise-keeping came from the passage of big-name programs like the economic stimulus package and the education program Race to the Top.

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House GOP Backs Off Debt Ceiling Demands

7:13am January 19, 2013

by David Welna

House Republicans held their annual retreat this week in Williamsburg, Va., to figure out their next steps. They dropped a demand to have spending cuts for ever dollar the debt ceiling is raised, at least for the next three months. GOP lawmakers are now pinning their hopes for deficit reduction on other looming budget battles.

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Is A Fresh Start In Washington Possible?

7:13am January 19, 2013

Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Mara Liasson about whether the Obama administration and Congressional Republicans can find some common ground and overcome the political gridlock that characterized much of the president's first term.

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For editorial cartoonists, Obama's ears are his signature. In some depictions, they've grown throughout the years, but Matt Wuerker says cartoonists have gotten lazy. "We did the same thing to George W. Bush. By the end of his administration he was just D

For Cartoonists Who Cover Obama: Four More Ears

5:09pm January 18, 2013

by Alison MacAdam

Four years ago, when the nation's first African-American president was inaugurated, even conservative editorial cartoonists marked the moment with reverence. Now, not so much. Political cartoonists Scott Stantis of the Chicago Tribune and Matt Wuerker of Politico weigh in on the evolution of a president's image.

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Politics & Government

Does Obama's Second-Term Agenda Need Beefing Up?

9:11am January 18, 2013

by Mara Liasson

President Obama is sworn in for a second term in office next week. He has an ambitious agenda for the next for years, but is it ambitious enough?

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Dear Mr. President: Tell Obama Your Priority For His Second Term

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Becky Lettenberger

In anticipation of Inauguration Day, NPR photographer Becky Lettenberger and producer Justine Kenin visited 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to ask Americans: "What do you want President Obama to remember in his second term?"

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Lucas Codognolla, 22, receives his license after qualifying for it under President Obama's federal immigration policy, which allows some young immigrants who are in the country illegally to stay in the U.S. for at least two years.

Some States Put Brakes On Driver's Licenses For Illegal Immigrants

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Craig LeMoult

Many young illegal immigrants can now drive without the fear of being pulled over. Under President Obama's deferred action program, many have begun receiving their driver's licenses. But not every state is on board with allowing these young people behind the wheel.

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The Decades-Old Gun Ban That's Still On The Books

7:16am January 18, 2013

by David Welna

In 1986, Congress passed a ban on buying and selling machine guns made from then on — with the blessing of none other than the National Rifle Association. Gun law experts say the law was more significant than it seemed at the time.

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Politics & Government

Interior Secretary's Legacy Defined By Issues Of Oil

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Jeff Brady

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the latest member of President Obama's Cabinet to announce his second-term departure, ran a department responsible for a half-billion acres of public land. But it's how he dealt with the oil industry and renewable energy issues that marked his tenure.

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