President Obama responds to a question from NPR's Steve Inskeep on Dec. 17 in the Oval Office. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

Daniel Majook Gai from South Sudan goes in and out of his war-torn country to help children there go to school. Courtesy of Project Education South Sudan hide caption

President Obama told NPR that he thinks the U.S. is less racially divided today than when he first took office. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Police officers check drivers at a sobriety checkpoint in Escondido, Calif. Lenny Ignelzi/AP hide caption

Tinashe, whose hit "2 On" was produced by DJ Mustard, performs on stage in December. Emmerson/Corbis hide caption

Protesters rally outside the Supreme Court during the March for Life on Jan. 25, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images hide caption