President Obama

Former President Donald Trump, shown here at a mixed martial arts event on Nov. 11, is asking to be freed from a gag order in an election interference case.

Politics & Government

An appeals court hears arguments about Trump's gag order in Jan. 6 case

2:35pm November 20, 2023

by Carrie Johnson

Lawyers for the former president and the special counsel team argued before a federal appeals court about the scope of a gag order lodged against him. The court gave no timetable for a ruling.

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John B. Chambers is the former deputy head of the Sovereign Debt Ratings Group and former chairman of the Sovereign Debt Committee at Standard and Poor's. The ratings agency in 2011 made a major decision to strip away the country's AAA rating.

Economy

He took away the country's top AAA rating in 2011. He ended up fearing for his life

5:00am June 05, 2023

by David Gura

John B. Chambers led the team at ratings agency S&p that decided to downgrade the country's AAA rating in 2011. It was a big decision, and it took a personal toll — but he has no regrets.

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Then-President Barack Obama pets the family dog Bo outside the Oval Office of the White House.

National

Obamas Mourn Death Of 'True Friend,' Beloved 'First Dog' Bo

6:08pm May 08, 2021

by Marisa Peñaloza

"For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, comforting presence in our lives," said former President Barack Obama. The Portuguese water dog was 12 in human years.

A woman, mourning the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, holds a sign at the Supreme Court that reads, "when there are nine," something Ginsburg said to describe when there'd be enough women on the court.

Politics & Government

Ginsburg's Death Is A Major Cultural Moment That's About To Upend Politics Again

7:00am September 19, 2020

by Domenico Montanaro

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is vowing a vote for a potential Trump nominee will take place on the Senate floor despite McConnell not even holding a hearing for Obama's 2016 nominee.

Samantha Power speaks on Jan. 13, 2017, during her final press conference as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Books

In New Memoir, Samantha Power Describes Going From Idealist To Diplomat

5:05am September 12, 2019

by Noel King

NPR's Noel King speaks with Samantha Power about her memoir The Education of an Idealist. In her book, Power describes how she went from working outside the system to moving inside, as a diplomat.

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Then U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power answers a reporter's question during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea on Oct. 9, 2016.

Samantha Power Tells Of The Not-So-Simple 'Education Of An Idealist'

2:12pm September 11, 2019

by Caitlyn Kim

In her memoir, the former U.N. ambassador aims to show how she kept true to her idealistic nature despite facing the realities of foreign policy and world atrocities.

The control tower at the Camp VI detention facility in the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, as seen through razor wire, in April.

Justice Breyer Says It's 'Past Time' To Confront Guantanamo's 'Difficult Questions'

3:46pm June 10, 2019

by Nina Totenberg

Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from Gitmo detainee but Breyer warns of court consensus unraveling 18 years after 9/11 okayed detentions.

Vianeth Avila outside the courtroom in Miami. Her husband, Cuban-born Jesus Avila, was detained by immigration officials on return from their honeymoon. Avila was a permanent resident, but not a citizen. In recent years, the U.S. government has taken a to

National

Cuban Immigrants Were Given A Haven In The U.S., Now They're Being Deported

5:00am May 11, 2019

by Daniel Rivero

Sixty-four Cuban nationals were deported in fiscal year 2016. Two years later, the number was 463, a more than sevenfold increase, as U.S. policies have toughened towards Cuban immigrants.

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President Trump repeated his false claim that the Obama administration had a policy of separating families at the border.

FACT CHECK: Trump Wrongly States Obama Administration Had Child Separation Policy

6:52pm April 09, 2019

by Brian Naylor

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, President Trump restated an earlier falsehood in which he blamed the Obama administration for a policy the Trump administration in fact started.

The Treasury Department data comes as tax revenue has fallen and federal spending continues to rise.

U.S. National Debt Hits Record $22 Trillion

2:19pm February 13, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Federal deficits are now expected to average $1.2 trillion, or 4.4 percent of gross domestic product — far higher than the average over the past 50 years.