Politics

Some House Republicans Deny Risk Of Default In Debt Ceiling Debate

6:10pm January 17, 2013

by Tamara Keith

Some GOP House members argue that if the debt limit isn't raised, the president would have to make choices about what bills get paid. But economists say prioritizing payments — even assuming it would be possible — isn't a great idea.

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Politics & Government

The Secret Keys Of A Second Inaugural Address

2:15pm January 17, 2013

NPR Political Junkie Ken Rudin recaps the week in politics. Paul Glastris, speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, and Peter Robinson, speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, discuss the strategy of inauguration addresses and how President Barack Obama's speech will likely differ the second time around.

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Politics & Government

Obama Calls On Congress To Act To Reduce Gun Violence

11:11am January 17, 2013

by Mara Liasson

President Obama has signed into law 23 executive orders allowing federal agencies to strengthen the existing background check system and improve the tracking of stolen guns. But the big items like universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines will need congressional action.

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Politics & Government

The President's Plans To Reduce Gun Violence

2:29pm January 16, 2013

A month after the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama announced his proposals for gun control policies during a White House ceremony. He issued 23 executive orders on gun control and urged Congress to pass laws that would tighten requirements on gun sales and assault weapons.

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Politics & Government

House Approves Sandy Aid, Senate Votes Next

11:07am January 16, 2013

by Tamara Keith

Victims of Hurricane Sandy are one step closer to getting a major infusion of federal disaster aid. Tuesday night, the House approved a $50 billion assistance package. This type of funding has typically been noncontroversial. But the Sandy aid has been a battle.

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George P. Bush speaks during the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

Politics & Government

Another George Bush Plans To Try His Hand At Politics

7:54pm January 15, 2013

by Wade Goodwyn

George Prescott Bush, 36, has announced he is running for office in Texas. The grandson of the first President Bush, nephew of the second, and son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has already raised nearly $1.4 million. Now he just has to decide what job he's campaigning for.

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As religious as this country may be, many Americans are not religious at all. The group of religiously unaffiliated — dubbed "nones" -- has been growing.

Losing Our Religion: The Growth Of The 'Nones'

3:27pm January 14, 2013

by Heidi Glenn

As religious as this country may be, many Americans are not religious at all. The group of religiously unaffiliated – dubbed "nones"-- has been growing. One-fifth of Americans say they're nones, as are one in three under 30. They're socially liberal and aren't looking for an organized religion.

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Watch an interactive of the Supreme Court justice narrating her personal family photos. (Above: Sotomayor, 1959)

A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family

3:27pm January 14, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is open about how she benefited from affirmative action, how she came to terms with her diabetes and the "out-of-body experience" of being appointed to the high court. Sotomayor spoke with NPR just before the release of her new autobiography.

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Lack Of Up-To-Date Research Complicates Gun Debate

3:27pm January 14, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Vice President Joe Biden says his task force on reducing gun violence is facing an unexpected obstacle: slim or outdated research on weapons. Public health research dried up more than a decade ago after Congress restricted the use of some federal money to pay for those studies.

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Construction was under way on Capitol Hill in November for President Obama's Inauguration Day ceremonies.

Politics & Government

Critics Decry Looser Rules For Inauguration Fundraising

3:27pm January 14, 2013

by Peter Overby

President Obama has changed course from 2009, allowing bigger donations and corporate money. Advocates for overhauling campaign finance laws wonder what happened to the president's old pledge to change the way Washington works.

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