While the Obama administration maintains it will not negotiate with terrorists, it will allow families to negotiate on their own for release of loved ones.
The president interviews 18-year-old, Noah McQueen, who's participating in a White House mentoring program for young men of color. "It's hard to always make the right decision," McQueen tells Obama.
President Obama says it would break protocol to meet with Israel's prime minister just two weeks before Israeli elections. The two leaders have developed a prickly relationship over the years.
The president's $3.99 trillion proposal, released Monday, calls for more spending on domestic programs, infrastructure and defense — and includes tax hikes the new Congress is unlikely to approve.
President Obama paid a visit, watched a parade and promised $4 billion in investments and loans. He made headlines, of course, but what did the village people think of it all?
"I believe in diplomacy, I believe in dialogue, I believe in engagement," the president says of Iran and other regimes perceived as U.S. enemies. But he says restoring relations is a gradual process.
The interview was wide-ranging and nuanced. Obama touched on topics ranging from Iran to his view of race relations in the country to the new political reality of a Legislature controlled by the GOP.
In an interview with NPR, the president left open the door to reopen the embassy in Tehran, called Iran's defense concerns "legitimate" and said it could become a "successful regional power."