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Sunday, November 25, 2012

U.S.

Despite Talk, Immigration Overhaul Not A Guarantee

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks during a news conference in the Capitol on Nov. 9. Boehner has said Republican House leaders and Obama "can find the common ground" on immigration policy.

November 25, 2012 Key Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, say it's time to find common ground in revising the nation's immigration laws, but conservatives in the House could be a firewall against a bipartisan deal.

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Kee Facts: A Few Things You Didn't Know

She Was The Only Woman To Get The Medal Of Honor

A portrait of Mary Walker from the National Archives.

November 25, 2012 In all of American history, just one woman has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor: Mary Edwards Walker, a physician during the Civil War. Congress later tried to take back the medal, but she refused to return it.

Summary

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Simon Says

Jesse Jackson Jr.: Great Hopes And Disappointments

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. speaks to constituents in Chicago in 2009. Jackson resigned from Congress on Wednesday, following a hospitalization and an investigation into misuse of campaign funds.

November 24, 2012 Jesse Jackson Jr. has a famous name and fabulous contacts, and had what looked like boundless prospects when he was first on the national stage in 1988. But this week, he resigned from Congress after his self-hospitalization this summer and an ongoing ethics investigation.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

Friday, November 23, 2012

It's All Politics

How To Oust A Congressman, SuperPAC-Style

U.S. Rep. Joe Baca of California, shown at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, learned the power of superPACs firsthand this year, when he lost for the first time since he was elected in 1999.

November 23, 2012 Think superPACs were a waste of wealthy donors' money this election season? Consider how New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's superPAC was able to help engineer an upset in one congressional race outside Los Angeles.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond

Cuomo, Christie And Building Consensus

President Obama, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie visit the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's World Trade Center site for a briefing on construction progress in June. The Republican Christie and Democrat Cuomo will have to find consensus on the plan for rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy, together and with a divided Congress.

November 23, 2012 WNYCGov. Chris Christie is defending local tax increases and major federal investments, despite his tough talk on spending. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is courting the spotlight as he calls for billions of dollars from Washington to rebuild. The Republican and Democrat will have to find consensus on the plan for rebuilding — together and with a divided Congress.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Thursday, November 22, 2012

It's All Politics

Before The Showdown: The Long Road To The Fiscal Cliff

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., prepares to announce a debt ceiling deal in July 2011. That deal laid the foundation for the across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect on New Year's Day, 2013.

November 22, 2012 References to the fiscal cliff, set for Jan. 1, have become ubiquitous in Washington. But many may have forgotten just how and when the looming tax increases and spending cuts were first devised.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Two-Way

Susan Rice Says Benghazi Claims Were Based On Information From Intelligence

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., speaks on CBS' Face the Nation on Sept. 16. Her comments on this and other shows that Sunday on the deadly Benghazi attack have been criticized.

November 21, 2012 The U.S. envoy to the U.N. is seen as a front-runner for the job of secretary of state in President Obama's second term, but her comments in the wake of the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi have made her a focus of criticism. Rice also said she looked forward to discussing Sen. John McCain's concerns over her comments with the Republican.

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It's All Politics

Why Have There Been So Many Contested Elections?

A Palm Beach County election worker counts ballots in Riviera Beach, Fla., on Nov. 9. Rep. Allen West contested the results of the election in Florida's 18th District for two weeks before conceding. Since 2000, the number of contested elections has more than doubled.

November 21, 2012 Election-related lawsuits have more than doubled since 2000. There has been at least one post-election litigation in every general or midterm election since 2000, with the exception of 2002. Legal experts blame the flawed election process and the fact that voters don't like their candidates to concede.

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It's All Politics

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s Bad End Is Just The Latest For A Snake-Bit District

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, seen here in October 2011, resigned from Congress on Wednesday.

November 21, 2012 The end of the congressman's career continues a dubious streak, one that residents of Illinois' 2nd District would no doubt gladly see a future lawmaker break.

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'It's All Politics': NPR's Weekly News Roundup

It's All Politics, Nov. 20, 2012

The Capitol earlier this month, as Congress prepared to return for its post-election lame-duck session.

November 21, 2012 The election may be over, but the bickering continues, and not just between NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin. As President Obama defends his U.N. ambassador, Republicans continue to lambast her for "misleading" reports about what happened in the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.

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ListenPlaylist

It's All Politics

Will Your Family Squabble About Politics This Thanksgiving?

Families generally offer homogenous groupings when it comes to politics — but there's always that outlier brother-in-law or great-aunt.

November 21, 2012 "People who have any brains" will avoid dredging up politics during the holidays, says one psychologist. But in our highly polarized era, family gatherings offer the chance for rare encounters with people who don't already share our partisan leanings.

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NPR It's All Politics Podcast

It's All Politics

NPR political analysts Ken Rudin and Ron Elving delve into the week's political news and analysis in a weekly podcast.

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