Politics & Government

Another Republican Hopes For Upset In Mass. Senate Race

7:09pm June 24, 2013

by Tovia Smith

Businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez is trying to pull off a win in Tuesday's special election to fill John Kerry's Senate seat — like Republican Scott Brown's surprising special election victory in 2010. But polls show Gomez trailing veteran Democratic Rep. Ed Markey.

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Congress Not Likely To Pass Sweeping Climate Legislation

6:10pm June 24, 2013

by Jennifer Ludden

As President Obama prepares to unveil his executive strategy on climate change, we look at the politics of the issue in Congress.

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Tea Party members protest Common Core in Ocala, Fla., in April. The new educational standards, adopted by almost all the states, are the object of a growing conservative backlash.

Among Conservatives, Concerns Grow Over New School Standards

6:10pm June 24, 2013

by Cory Turner

Forty-six states and Washington, D.C., have signed on to the Common Core State Standards, a set of K-12 standards meant to ensure that students are reaching the same learning benchmarks nationwide. But as states begin implementing the standards, many conservatives have come out against them.

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President Obama meets with speechwriter Jon Favreau in the Oval Office in 2009.

Presents From The President: What Obama Gives His Friends

9:59pm June 22, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

President Obama has gotten mixed reviews in his gift-giving to foreign leaders. But those gifts are chosen by a staffer. When it comes to personal gifts to members of his inner circle, the president sets a very high bar.

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Family-planning clinics would be pushed down the list of health services receiving funding from the state if a budget bill moving through the Ohio Legislature is signed into law.

Ohio Family-Planning Services At Mercy Of Budget Bill

6:53pm June 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

The bill would put family-planning clinics at the bottom of the list for funding. Even those clinics that do not perform abortions but offer referrals expect a major financial blow. Proponents of the measure are clear in their goal: end abortions. But how will it affect other women's health services?

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Did IRS Targeting Harm Tea Party Groups?

10:59am June 22, 2013

Congress continues its hearings into the IRS flagging of Tea Party groups that applied for tax-exempt status. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks to NPR's Shirish Date.

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With Health Exchanges Poised To Open, PR Push Draws Scrutiny

9:07pm June 21, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The nonprofit Enroll America wants to encourage uninsured Americans to sign up for the exchanges when the time comes. Though the group has support across industries and from the Health and Human Services secretary, it's still been hit by congressional controversy.

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Jim Comey, then deputy attorney general, testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2005.

Obama's Pick To Lead FBI Adds New Layer To Privacy Debate

4:34am June 21, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

President Obama will nominate Jim Comey to be the country's next FBI director on Friday. Comey is best-known for raising alarms about a secret surveillance program during the Bush years. That issue has taken on new resonance after the latest revelations of government surveillance.

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In his new book, The Center Holds, Jonathan Alter looks at President Obama's re-election campaign.

'The Center Holds' Sees Victory For Moderates In Obama's Win

2:50pm June 20, 2013

Journalist Jonathan Alter regards the 2012 presidential contest as the most consequential election of recent times. In his new book, Alter argues that President Obama's re-election prevented the country from veering sharply to the right, and he dissects the campaign and the events that led up to it.

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Politics & Government

The Penultimate Edition Of The Political Junkie

11:20am June 20, 2013

Ken Rudin recaps the week in politics. Boston Globe political reporter Jim O'Sullivan previews the special election between Mass. Senate candidates Edward Markey and Gabriel Gomez on June 25. NPR senior Washington editor Ron Elving looks to the future of Congress.

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