Politics & Government

Protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Capitol on April 10.

Immigration Proves A 'Rubik's Cube' For Many Republicans

8:37pm April 17, 2013

by Mara Liasson

They don't want to offend Hispanic voters, but they don't want to turn off the GOP base either, says Ron Bonjean, a former Republican leadership aide. And competing for Hispanic votes is not a top priority for the sizable number of Republican rank and file who still see the bill as amnesty.

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Obama Criticizes Congress After Background Check Bill Fails

8:37pm April 17, 2013

Melissa Block talks to Ari Shapiro about President Obama's remarks after the Senate rejected a proposal to expand background checks before gun purchases.

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Politics & Government

Governing During Threats To National Security

2:10pm April 17, 2013

Hours after the bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday, the president reminded the country of its resilient nature and assured the public that those responsible will be brought to justice. Wednesday, the toxic substance ricin was detected in mail addressed to the White House.

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Vice President Biden and members of Congress watch as President Obama signs the STOCK Act on April 4, 2012. A year later, Congress moved to undo large portions of the law without fanfare.

How Congress Quietly Overhauled Its Insider-Trading Law

5:46pm April 16, 2013

by Tamara Keith

With no fanfare, Congress moved to undo large parts of the popular law known as the STOCK Act, and President Obama has signed the watered-down measure into law. Insider trading is still illegal, but disclosures of large stock trades by staffers will be harder to get than under the original law.

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Politics & Government

The Immigration Bill's Chances In Congress

2:16pm April 16, 2013

The Senate's Gang of Eight will roll out comprehensive immigration reform legislation Wednesday. The law is expected to create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million individuals living in the U.S. illegally, beef up border security and enhance the country's legal immigration system.

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Tom Perez, President Obama's nominee to lead the Labor Department, has been an aggressive advocate for civil rights.

Labor Nominee's Civil Rights Work Draws Praise, Controversy

1:28pm April 15, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Tom Perez has been one of the most aggressive advocates for civil rights in decades. He prosecuted a record number of hate crimes cases and got huge settlements from banks that overcharged minorities for home loans. But Republicans say he has questions to answer about a whistle-blower case.

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United Farm Workers members were among the crowd that filled the lawn on Capitol Hill during an immigration rights rally Wednesday.

Immigration Debate Puts Farm Workers Union In Spotlight

9:58pm April 13, 2013

by Don Gonyea

The United Farm Workers seemed to be all over Washington this week — lobbying members of Congress and gathering for a big immigration rally outside the Capitol. The union has gotten "a huge injection of leverage" from its role in the immigration debate, one analyst says.

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Week In News: Guns In U.S., Threats Abroad

6:09pm April 13, 2013

The gun control debate continued to dominate the news this week with President Obama coming out strongly in support of reforming the current gun control laws alongside the Newtown families. Host Jacki Lyden speaks with James Fallows, national correspondent with The Atlantic, about that story along with the bird flu in China, North Korea and the Postal Service.

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What Obama's Tax Proposal Could Cost Him, And Us

12:50pm April 13, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Both President Obama and Republican lawmakers say they're willing to close loopholes in the individual tax code. The argument is over what should be done with the money after that.

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Politics & Government

'Straw Purchases' Get Keen Eye In Gun Debate

10:11am April 13, 2013

Congress voted to begin debate on a package of new gun control measures this week, passing a key procedural hurdle. But several proposals face a long road before reaching President Obama's desk. One proposal has garnered bipartisan support: additional measures targeting so-called "straw purchasers" and gun trafficking. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon reports on why advocates say the new measures are necessary, and how one gun, purchased through a surrogate, ended up in the wrong hands.

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