Politics

Protesters with a coalition of progressive groups sit in front of the U.S. Capitol steps Monday as part of the Democracy Spring demonstration.

Hundreds Protesting Political System Arrested On Capitol's Steps

7:30pm April 11, 2016

by Peter Overby

The Democracy Spring coalition of progressive groups called on legislators to replace caps on campaign donations, fix the Voting Rights Act and end gerrymandering. At least 400 were arrested.

Despite Federal Court Rulings, Texas' Voter ID Laws Remain In Place

6:36pm April 11, 2016

by Wade Goodwyn

Despite being ruled in violation of the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution by seven federal judges, Texas' voter ID restrictions are still the law of the land. It's been six months since the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals again ruled the law unconstitutional, but it looks as if Texas will go through another election with the restrictions in place.

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Map of women's representation in state legislatures

See Where Women Have The Most And Least Political Representation In The U.S.

6:36pm April 11, 2016

Women may make up half the population in the U.S., but just 24.5 percent of state lawmakers are women.

Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) hold a campaign rally at City Garage April 10, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Is It OK To Vote For Hillary Clinton Because She's A Woman?

6:35pm April 11, 2016

by Danielle Kurtzleben

A listener's 8-year-old daughter tells her dad to vote for the "girl" candidate, because she's a woman. It's a sweet clip, but it gets at the deep question of how identity and issues are intertwined.

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U.S. Chief Climate Negotiator: 'Paris Wasn't The End, Paris Is The Start'

5:42pm April 11, 2016

Since the beginning of the Obama administration, Todd Stern has been the U.S. government's chief climate negotiator. He led the team in Paris that managed to get some 200 countries to agree to the most sweeping deal ever to limit global carbon emissions. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Stern about what's happened since Paris and his decision to step down from the job after seven years.

NPR Politics Podcast Explores The History Of Contested Conventions

5:25pm April 11, 2016

by Domenico Montanaro

The NPR Politics Podcast talks with elections law attorney Ben Ginsberg about how a contested GOP contention would play out.

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Can A Candidate Pay Delegates? Plus, 3 Possible GOP Convention Scenarios

4:59pm April 11, 2016

Rides on Air Force One and state dinners were lures the last time there was an open convention. What about cold, hard cash? Top Republican lawyer Ben Ginsberg explains what's permissible and not.

Block associations on the South Side have long pushed to make their neighborhoods cleaner and safer, but investment from developers and retailers has been slow to follow.

Talking Housing Segregation And Chicago With WBEZ's Natalie Y. Moore

4:45pm April 11, 2016

by Gene Demby

A longtime Chicago reporter, a native of the black South Side, digs into the ways segregation continues to shape the politics of her hometown, as well as her own life.

President Obama bows as he greets Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2009. The president travels to Japan next month and there's speculation he might visit Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic bombin

Will President Obama Visit Hiroshima?

3:47pm April 11, 2016

by Greg Myre

The White House hasn't announced any such plans. But Obama will be in Japan next month and a visit would be a grand symbolic gesture in keeping with his emphasis on nuclear nonproliferation.

Politics & Government

Citizens United Court Case Was A Fight Against Censorship, Bossie Says

3:15pm April 11, 2016

Steve Inskeep talks to David Bossie, president and chairman of the conservative advocacy group Citizens United, about the role of big money in politics in this election year.

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