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 | May 17, 2013
 Gwen's Take: I See Your Benghazi and Raise You One IRS It was scandal week in Washington, but because of an accident of scheduling, I had the opportunity to view it through an altered lens.

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 | May 15, 2013
 Republicans Demand Action, Jail Time for Those Responsible for IRS Scandal Republicans stepped up demands for action against the IRS for targeting conservative political groups, the day after the Treasury Department released a report saying the IRS used inappropriate criteria in assessing tax-exempt status. Gwen Ifill reports on Attorney General Eric Holder's testimony in a House Judiciary hearing.

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 | May 3, 2013
 Gwen's Take: The Trouble With Making (and Keeping) Promises The leader of the free world suggested at the White House correspondents dinner that all bets are off in his second term. No more races to run. No more critics to please. Fasten your seat belts. This, of course, could not be farther from reality.

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 | May 1, 2013
 Three College Friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Arrested for Roles After the Bombing Three men who attended college with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were arrested and charged with disposing of evidence and lying to authorities. Gwen Ifill talks with Dina Temple-Raston, NPR's counterterrorism correspondent, about the charges and the men's friendship.

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 | April 30, 2013
 President Obama Renews Pledge to Close Guantanamo Detention Center In a White House news conference, President Barack Obama renewed a pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where more than half of the prisoners have recently been on hunger strike to protest their legal limbo. Gwen Ifill talks to Charlie Savage of The New York Times.

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 | April 30, 2013
 Does Obama Still Have Enough Political 'Juice' to Wrangle Congress? In a White House news conference, President Barack Obama renewed a pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where more than half of the prisoners have recently been on hunger strike to protest their legal limbo. Gwen Ifill talks to Charlie Savage of The New York Times.

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 | April 29, 2013
 Congress Seeks to Eliminate Perk of Online Shopping by Requiring Sales Tax Proposed legislation in Congress could require consumers to pay sales tax for online purchases. Currently, states can only collect taxes from businesses that have a physical presence in their state. Gwen Ifill looks at the stakes and debate with Brian Bieron of eBay and the National Retail Federation's Rachelle Bernstein.

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 | April 26, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Will Jeb Bush Run? How Confrontation Politics Will Shape 2016 Leave it to Barbara Bush to cut through the confusion. When she was asked just before the opening of her son's presidential library whether her other son, Jeb, should run for president, she said no. And she didn't dance around it, either.

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 | April 23, 2013
 Senate Retirements Could Be Crucial in Upcoming Battle for Political Control Montana's Max Baucus is the eighth senator to announce he won't seek re-election. How will these retirements shape the fight for seats and the political landscape? Gwen Ifill gets analysis from Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report.

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 | April 22, 2013
 Case Against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Raises Legal Quandaries Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been formally charged with using weapons of mass destruction, and if found guilty, could face the death penalty. Gwen Ifill talks with former Justice Department official David Rivkin and Laura Murphy of the ACLU to explore legal questions raised by trying Tsarnaev in a federal court.

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 | April 19, 2013
 Journalism 101: When Getting it First Trumps Getting it Right I tweeted this: "Disturbing that it's OK for TV to ID a Boston bombing suspect only as 'a dark-skinned individual.'" And the hounds of Twitter hell were unleashed.

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 | April 17, 2013
 Supreme Court Rules Foreign Human Rights Cases Can't Be Tried in U.S. The Supreme Court ruled against trying foreign human rights cases in U.S. courts. The justices decided that a 1789 tort statute enacted by the first Congress didn't apply to conduct outside of the U.S. Gwen Ifill talks to National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle about why the court's ruling is a huge blow for human rights activists.

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 | April 17, 2013
 Amendments for Background Checks and Assault Weapons Ban Fail in Senate Proposed amendments for assault weapons and high capacity magazine bans and universal background checks failed to pass the Senate. Kwame Holman reports. Then, Gwen Ifill gets two perspectives on why Senate failed to pass the proposals from National Shooting Sports Foundation's Lawrence Keane and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

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 | April 16, 2013
 Investigators Tackling Boston Bombings Must 'Triage,' Crowd-source Information Gwen Ifill talks with former deputy national security advisor Juan Zuarte and former senior FBI Official Don Borelli for their takes on the investigation and how authorities are sifting through evidence, as well as the president's characterization of the bombings as a terrorist attack.

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 | April 15, 2013
 Obama: Anyone Responsible for Boston Bombs Will Feel 'Full Weight of Justice' After the explosions, President Barack Obama spoke at the White House about the events in Boston, the spirit of its citizens and the state holiday Patriots' Day. Stephen Murphy of the Boston City Council offers an eyewitness account to Gwen Ifill, including seeing the fireball blast and the team effort shown by first-responders.

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 | April 15, 2013
 Tens of Thousands of Spectators, Runners Disperse After Deadly Boston Blasts After two devices were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, tens of thousands of runners and spectators had to be diverted from the disaster, many leaving behind bags or luggage to speed their retreat. Gwen Ifill talks to Scott Malone of Reuters about the scene at the blast.

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 | April 15, 2013
 Boston on High Alert After Deadly Blasts Rock Marathon Finish Line The 2013 Boston Marathon was marked by blood and chaos when two explosions went off near the finish line, injuring scores of people and killing two. Gwen Ifill reports on this developing story, including whether a third Boston explosion is connected and how other major cities are taking precautions.

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 | April 12, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Seeing Eye-To-Eye For a Change On paper, Washington's politicians can appear polarized. Gwen Ifill reflects on why small moments of face time count a great deal when attempting to find consensus and the power of a little old-fashioned eye contact.

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 | April 10, 2013
 Obama Budget Plan With Medicare Cuts, Tax Hikes Draws Critique From Congress The Obama administration rolled out its new budget proposal, which includes Medicare cuts and tax hikes for the wealthy. Kwame Holman has more on the budget from Capitol Hill. Gwen Ifill gets two reactions to the president's budget, first from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., then White House economic adviser Gene Sperling.

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 | April 5, 2013
 Embracing Difference: Telling Other People's Stories Well Journalism is at a crossroads. We have stories to tell, but many of our audiences have stopped listening to us because they can tell we're not talking about them. When it comes to diversifying our newsrooms, our multiple platforms and our thinking...we have been slow to grasp that this is not optional. This is about survival.

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 | April 4, 2013
 Live Chat: Gwen Ifill Answers Your Questions Join correspondent Gwen Ifill for a live chat 12 p.m. ET for the answers to all your questions in April.

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 | April 3, 2013
 For North Korea, Economic and Strategic Significance in Kaesong Closing Why did North Korea close the Kaesong industrial complex when it actually relies on that income? Gwen Ifill talks to Jack Pritchard, former U.S. special envoy for North Korea negotiations, about how a combination of "compounding events" makes current tensions with North Korea potentially more significant than past dustups.

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 | April 3, 2013
 North Korea Bars South Korean Workers From Jointly Owned Factories North Korea prevented South Korean employees of the Kaesong Industrial Park from getting to work Wednesday. The complex is a rare example of economic cooperation between the two countries. Gwen Ifill reports on entreaties from South Korea and the U.S. to North Korea to tamp down its rhetoric.

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 | March 25, 2013
 New State Secretary Faces New and Old Challenges in the Middle East, Afghanistan What does Secretary of State John Kerry's schedule say about the current U.S. foreign policy priorities? How does the current secretary compare to his predecessor? Gwen Ifill talks with Michele Dunne of the Atlantic Council and Susan Glasser of Foreign Policy about the war in Afghanistan and challenges of responding to Syria.

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 | March 25, 2013
 Secretary of State John Kerry Makes Trip to Afghanistan to Defuse Tensions Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced trip to Kabul, Afghanistan to hash out differences with President Hamid Karzai. Meanwhile the last Afghan prison still under U.S. control was handed back to Afghan authorities. Gwen Ifill reports on outcomes of the visit, plus other U.S. foreign policy challenges in the region.

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 | March 22, 2013
 Gwen's Take: When It Helps to Look Inward It can be easy to look at Washington's hijinks and see only the shallow end of the pool. But every once in awhile, before they dive in and hit their heads, our leaders actually pause to engage in a little beneficial navel gazing.

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 | March 20, 2013
 Obama Pledges 'Unwavering' Commitment to Israel's Security During Visit President Barack Obama made his first trip to Israel, where he reaffirmed the bond between the two nations. Margaret Warner, who is traveling with the president, talks with Gwen Ifill about the timing of the trip and common concerns for the U.S. and Israel, including the Syrian conflict and Iran's nuclear program.

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 | March 18, 2013
 High Court Hears Case on Conflict Between State, Federal Voter Registration Law The Supreme Court heard arguments on a voter registration law in Arizona that requires voters to provide physical proof of citizenship in order to decrease voter fraud. The case pits the state law against federal law, and opponents say it unfairly targets minorities. Gwen Ifill talks to Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal.

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 | March 15, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Is Washington Not As Bad As You Think? How could it be true that lawmakers work overtime to serve their constituents and that they work overtime spending money to get reelected? As usual, it all comes down to the fine print.

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 | March 13, 2013
 Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio Is First South American, First Jesuit Pontiff The election of Pope Francis marked two firsts for the papal office: he is both the first South American and the first Jesuit pope. For more on the historic selection and what it reflects about the current state of the Catholic Church, Gwen Ifill talks with Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter.

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 | March 13, 2013
 White Smoke at the Vatican: Francis Named 266th Pontiff White smoke emanating from a Vatican chimney late Wednesday night signaled a new pope had been elected. Argentine Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio was selected as the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, assuming the name Pope Francis. Gwen Ifill reports on the election and the celebration in Vatican City.

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 | March 8, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Washington at Work (No, really.) For 24 hours in Washington this week, things worked the way they were supposed to. Votes were taken. Budgets were approved. Nominees were confirmed. Previously warring parties broke bread in a civil fashion. And there was true, extended debate about checks and balances and what it takes to protect the homeland.

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 | March 6, 2013
 Acid Attack on Bolshoi Artistic Director Rocks Ballet World A Russian ballet star in the Bolshoi theater has confessed to throwing sulfuric acid in the face of the company's artistic director. To learn more about the people involve and the theories surrounding this disturbing case, Gwen Ifill talks with Michael Schwritz who has been following the story for The New York Times.

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 | March 6, 2013
 House Passes Spending Bill, Preventing Government Shutdown The U.S. House of Representatives passed a stopgap bill to cover expenses through September in order to avert a government shutdown, but retained the sequester budget cuts. The bill now goes to the Senate, where Democrats hope to build in more exceptions to the automatically-mandated cuts. Gwen Ifill reports.

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 | March 6, 2013
 Paul Launches Filibuster Strike Against Administration's Drone Policy The U.S. House of Representatives passed a stopgap bill to cover expenses through September in order to avert a government shutdown, but retained the sequester budget cuts. The bill now goes to the Senate, where Democrats hope to build in more exceptions to the automatically-mandated cuts. Gwen Ifill reports.

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 | March 5, 2013
 New Study Shows U.S. Lags Behind Other High-Income Countries in Female Lifespan Gwen Ifill talks to Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, about a pair of studies released in that journal about the lifespan of American women. In one, researchers found that in 43 percent of the nation's counties, more women 75 years old and under are dying sooner.

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 | March 4, 2013
 President Obama Nominates Candidates for Energy and Environmental Team At the first cabinet meeting of his second term, President Obama announced nominations for the positions of budget, energy, and environmental policy. Gwen Ifill talks with lobbyist Scott Segal of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP and Michael Brune, president of the Sierra Club, to learn more about the president's picks and larger agenda.

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 | March 4, 2013
 Parties Look to Budget Battles with Sequestration a Reality At the first cabinet meeting of his second term, President Obama announced nominations for the positions of budget, energy, and environmental policy. Gwen Ifill talks with lobbyist Scott Segal of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP and Michael Brune, president of the Sierra Club, to learn more about the president's picks and larger agenda.

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 | March 1, 2013
 Gwen's Take: The Blame Game and Other Perplexing Things The truth is, on the sequester, Congress is just as flummoxed about how to proceed as the people they represent. And with no sure guide -- or guarantee of political and fiscal Armageddon at hand -- government freezes.

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 | Feb. 26, 2013
 Fed Chair Bernanke Warns Lawmakers Sequester Could Slow Economic Recovery Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress that the automatic spending cuts slated to take effect Friday could put a drag on economic growth. Gwen Ifill talks to economist Nariman Behravesh about whether political paralysis will affect the economy and how consumers are shrugging off Washington dysfunction.

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 | Feb. 26, 2013
 Sequester Stalemate Leads to Salty Talk, Little Dialogue Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress that the automatic spending cuts slated to take effect Friday could put a drag on economic growth. Gwen Ifill talks to economist Nariman Behravesh about whether political paralysis will affect the economy and how consumers are shrugging off Washington dysfunction.

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 | Feb. 21, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Inside the Supreme Court with Sonia Sotomayor It's easy to hear Justice Sonia Sotomayor coming. Her voice arrives before she does, as she greets the guards by name, calls every other person she passes "sweetie," and generally brings gusts of fresh air with her wherever she goes. It's as if the Bronx has come to Washington.

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 | Feb. 21, 2013
 Live Chat: Gwen Ifill Answers Your Questions Join correspondent Gwen Ifill for a live chat, hosted by PBS' Washington Week 12 p.

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 | Feb. 20, 2013
 Sotomayor: 'Every Day We Live Our Life, We Make a Choice' On Wednesday's NewsHour, Sotomayor talks with Gwen Ifill more about her past and her experience as a Supreme Court justice. Watch a web-only excerpt for more of their conversation.

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 | Feb. 20, 2013
 Justice Sotomayor Talks Life Before and on the Bench in 'My Beloved World' Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice -- and one of the youngest ever -- to serve on the Supreme Court. Her new memoir, "My Beloved World," talks about her early life and difficult childhood. Justice Sotomayor talks with Gwen Ifill about her adjustment to "the bench" and the importance of an open mind.

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 | Feb. 20, 2013
 For Obama, Public Opinion on Sequester May Not Be Enough Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice -- and one of the youngest ever -- to serve on the Supreme Court. Her new memoir, "My Beloved World," talks about her early life and difficult childhood. Justice Sotomayor talks with Gwen Ifill about her adjustment to "the bench" and the importance of an open mind.

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 | Feb. 19, 2013
 Supreme Court Case on Monsanto Seeds Tests Limitations of Patent Law A suit between biotech giant Monsanto and an Indiana farmer has reached the high court. Gwen Ifill dissects the case with Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal. Ray Suarez discusses broader implications with Bert Foer of the American Antitrust Institute and Todd Dickinson of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

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 | Feb. 18, 2013
 After Newtown, Gun Control Debate Spurs Political Action Across the Nation In the nine weeks since the Newtown shooting massacre, the gun control debate has spread far beyond the Beltway. Gwen Ifill and political editor Christina Bellantoni explore what steps American cities have taken to curb gun violence, and how opposition voices have attempted to fight these measures.

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 | Feb. 7, 2013
 Known for Single Act of Defiance, Rosa Parks Trained for Life Full of Activism What do you really know about the life and legacy of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks? Gwen Ifill talks with biographer Jeanne Theoharis, whose book "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" offers a complex portrait of the woman best known for refusing to give up her seat on an Alabama bus in 1955.

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 | Feb. 7, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Happy 100th Birthday, Rosa Parks Rosa Parks would have celebrated her 100th birthday Monday. While the history books like to portray Mrs. Parks as a solitary heroine who single-handedly desegregated public transportation overnight, the truth is far from that. Gwen Ifill explores the untold stories of Parks' life before and after the bus boycott of 1955.

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 | Feb. 4, 2013
 Scholars Hope Richard III's Remains Spur Reexamination of His Reputation An archaeological dig has led to the discovery of the remains of Richard III, one of the most legendary and reviled British monarchs. But did the 15th century king deserve his reputation? Gwen Ifill talks to New York Times reporter John Burns about the historic find and what will happen to the king's bones and notoriety now.

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 | Feb. 1, 2013
 Gwen's Take | Rubio, Giffords & Hagel: The Week in Confrontation Government can be dry. Politics can be tiring. The law, while necessary, can be tedious. This is why high drama in Washington can be so much fun.

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 | Jan. 30, 2013
 Israeli Warplanes Make Strike on Weapons Convoy in Syria Though Israel has not confirmed the news, Syrian media and an U.S. official say that Israeli war planes struck a convoy carrying missiles or missile parts inside Syria. Gwen Ifill talks to Margaret Warner reporting from Jersualem about the tensions between Israel, Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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 | Jan. 30, 2013
 Israeli Strike on Syria Shows Growing Lawlessness Along Border, Analysts Say Though Israel has not confirmed the news, Syrian media and an U.S. official say that Israeli war planes struck a convoy carrying missiles or missile parts inside Syria. Gwen Ifill talks to Margaret Warner reporting from Jersualem about the tensions between Israel, Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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 | Jan. 30, 2013
 Gabby Giffords Testifies at Gun Violence Hearing: 'Too Many Children Are Dying' Former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head by a gunman at a political event in 2011, took the stand at a congressional hearing on gun violence. Gwen Ifill reports on testimony by Giffords, her husband Capt. Mark Kelly, as well as Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association.

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 | Jan. 29, 2013
 Obama Embraces Bipartisan Senate Blueprint for Immigration Reform President Obama has endorsed a bipartisan immigration plan crafted by eight senators, but that blueprint faces major hurdles in the House, where some lawmakers are working on a competing plan. Gwen Ifill gets views from Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas, and Clarissa Matinez de Castro of the National Council of La Raza.

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 | Jan. 29, 2013
 Obama's Immigration Push to Test Limits of Bipartisan Framework President Obama has endorsed a bipartisan immigration plan crafted by eight senators, but that blueprint faces major hurdles in the House, where some lawmakers are working on a competing plan. Gwen Ifill gets views from Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas, and Clarissa Matinez de Castro of the National Council of La Raza.

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 | Jan. 25, 2013
 Gwen's Take | Eight Rows Back: The GOP's Murky Path Forward Republicans knew that President Obama's reelection was no small thing. The Obama team has plans - climate change, gun control, health care implementation. The Romney team had plans too. Tax reform. Energy policy. Entitlement reform. All sidelined.

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 | Jan. 24, 2013
 'Everyone Is Entitled to a Chance': Panetta Lifts Ban on Women in Combat Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he will lift a 19-year ban on servicewomen serving in combat. Jeffrey Brown reports that this move may open up more than 200,000 jobs to women. Gwen Ifill looks at the implications of Panetta's decision with Col. Ellen Haring of the U.S. Army and former Marine Corps officer Wade Zirkle.

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 | Jan. 24, 2013
 Live Chat: Gwen Ifill Answers Your Questions Join correspondent Gwen Ifill for a live chat, hosted by PBS' Washington Week Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. On the table: all things politics.

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 | Jan. 23, 2013
 Secretary of State Clinton Claims Fault for Benghazi Attack in Heated Hearing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke before Senate and House committees about the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Gwen Ifill reports on Clinton's taking responsibility for the inadequate security as well as her rejection of claims from Republicans that the Obama administration had deceived the nation.

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 | Jan. 22, 2013
 The Debate on Abortion, Four Decades After Roe v. Wade Forty years ago, in the landmark case Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that abortion should be legal in the United States. Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life and Nancy Keenan of NARAL Pro-Choice America join Gwen Ifill to debate the state of abortion rights and activism today.

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 | Jan. 22, 2013
 Narrow Victory for Netanyahu Shows Centrist Political Shift in Israel Though Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected as prime minister of Israel, there was a tight margin between his Likud party and the next most popular, the Centrist party. Gwen Ifill talks to Margaret Warner from Tel Aviv about Israel's move away from more conservative parties toward the center.

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 | Jan. 22, 2013
 News Wrap: House GOP Ready to Raise Debt Ceiling Though Mid-May In other news Tuesday, House Republicans readied to vote on a plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling through May 19th. Rep. Paul Ryan said they wanted to shift focus to making major spending cuts. Also, parts of the Midwest are in a deep freeze, with temperatures dipping to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

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 | Jan. 21, 2013
 'We Are Made for This Moment': Obama's Address Stressed Equality, Fairness In his second inaugural address, delivered on the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., President Barack Obama stressed themes of equality and fairness. Jeffrey Brown and Gwen Ifill recap the festivities, the musical celebrations and the other ceremonial traditions kicking off the president's second term.

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 | Jan. 21, 2013
 PBS NewsHour Inauguration 2013 Special In this PBS NewsHour Inauguration 2013 special, correspondents Gwen Ifill and Jeff Brown cover the full second inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. We then provide analysis of the President's speech and the day's events with guests Mark Shields, David Brooks, Annette Gordon Reed, Richard Norton Smith and Beverly Gage.

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 | Jan. 11, 2013
 Gwen's Take: What It Takes, On Journalism and Politics Richard Ben Cramer's passing launched many of is us into fits of reminiscence. His book, "What It Takes: The Way To The White House," stands as a testament to -- and an answer to -- the question I always have in my mind about the people who run for president: Why do they do this?

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 | Jan. 9, 2013
 More Than 40 States See Widespread Flu Infection Last year, cases of influenza were at extremely low levels, but the virus has returned with a vengeance. Gwen Ifill talks to Dr. Julie Morita of the Chicago Health Department and Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University about the current flu outbreaks, hitting cities like Chicago and Boston particularly hard.

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 | Jan. 7, 2013
 Lawmakers Promise Tough Questions for Defense, CIA Nominees Judy Woodruff reports on President Obama's nominations of Chuck Hagel for defense secretary and John Brennan for CIA director. Gwen Ifill talks to Jessica Tuchman Mathews of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Reuel Marc Gerecht of Foundation for Defense of Democracies about the president's picks.

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 | Jan. 3, 2013
 Gwen's Take: Swearing Off Resolutions ... Kind of "I have never been much for making promises that I know will be impossible to keep," writes Gwen Ifill.

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 | Dec. 28, 2012
 Gwen's Take: Thanks for Watching Gwen Ifill reflects on a year of reporting by way of two handwritten letters sent to her by an aspiring politician and a freshman journalism major.

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 | Dec. 26, 2012
 Risk of Sequestration, Economic Uncertainty Haunts Investors, Federal Employees Returning to Washington after the holiday break, House Republicans called on the Senate to "act first" and avert the fiscal cliff. With prospects still murky for a deal before year's end, Gwen Ifill and guests discuss what government workers, Wall Street investors and taxpayers can expect if lawmakers miss the deadline.

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 | Dec. 26, 2012
 Post-Holiday Storm Unleashed Tornadoes, Blizzard and Caused at Least 6 Deaths A massive winter storm that spawned tornadoes and record snow in some parts of the south and midwest caused the death of at least six people, fouled flight schedules and ruined road conditions. Gwen Ifill reports on the huge weather system now beating a destructive trail into the northeast.

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 | Dec. 25, 2012
 Possible Candidates Prime Up for House Races in Illinois, South Carolina In the second part of our look at 2013 congressional races, NewsHour political editor Christina Bellantoni and Roll Call's Shira Toeplitz parse politics in Illinois (where Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s seat is up for grabs), South Carolina (where former Gov. Mark Sanford many face ex-wife Jenny in a race) and in New Jersey.

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 | Dec. 25, 2012
 Appeals for Peace Around the World as Millions Celebrate Christmas Pope Benedict greeted thousands of followers on Christmas Day, calling for an end to violence in Syria and better resources for the displaced and wounded. In Nigeria, in a region where a radical Islamic sect has previously staged attacks, gunmen killed five Christians. And in Newtown, Conn., worshippers marked a somber holiday.

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 | Dec. 24, 2012
 Congressional Seats Go Unexpectedly Up for Grabs Soon After 2012 Election Death, resignation and high-profile jobs have resulted in an unusual number of newly competitive Senate openings. Roll Call's Shira Toeplitz and NewsHour political editor Christina Bellantoni walk through the political cause and effect of congressional vacancies in Massachusetts, Hawaii and South Carolina.

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 | Dec. 24, 2012
 ElBaradei: Egypt's Draft Constitution Will 'Institutionalize Instability' In Egypt, citizens are still awaiting official results of the country’s constitutional referendum even though one side seems to have won the clear majority. Jeffrey Brown speaks to McClatchy Newspapers’ Nancy Youseff from Cairo. Then, Gwen Ifill speaks with opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei of the National Salvation Front.

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 | Dec. 24, 2012
 Egyptian Opposition Activists Makes Accusations of Referendum Voting Fraud The Muslim Brotherhood, the party of Egypt's President Morsi, reported the draft charter of the country’s constitution won approval by 64 percent. But opposition activists complained of voting fraud and irregularities. Gwen Ifill reports on the opposition's demands for a constitution to represent "all Egyptians."

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 | Dec. 21, 2012
 Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Finding Community Solutions to Gun Violence A special PBS broadcast called "After Newtown" will air Friday at 8 p.m. ET, continuing a national dialogue about the issues raised by the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. As part of the collaboration, Gwen Ifill spoke with Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Here is the broadcasted excerpt of their conversation.

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 | Dec. 21, 2012
 Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Newtown, Gun Violence Earlier this week, correspondent Gwen Ifill sat down with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for the PBS special report "After Newtown," which airs 8 p.m. ET Friday, one week after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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 | Dec. 21, 2012
 Gwen's Take: Sandy Hook And the Politics of Pain Watching the faces of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting scroll by, in silence, at the end of the PBS NewsHour on Monday night was excruciating. I tried to escape by Christmas shopping. Cashiers asked me what the shooter's mother was thinking.

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 | Dec. 19, 2012
 President Obama Declares Gun Control Will Be a 'Central Issue' of Second Term The White House stepped up its response to Sandy Hook by planning to give Congress recommendations prevent mass shootings, from mental health services to gun control laws. Gwen Ifill talks to Gov. Pat Quinn, D-Ill., who is pushing for statewide bans in Illinois on assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines.

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 | Dec. 19, 2012
 Boehner Moves Forward With 'Plan B' Despite Doubts About Passage The White House stepped up its response to Sandy Hook by planning to give Congress recommendations prevent mass shootings, from mental health services to gun control laws. Gwen Ifill talks to Gov. Pat Quinn, D-Ill., who is pushing for statewide bans in Illinois on assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines.

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 | Dec. 18, 2012
 Gun Rights Supporter Sen. Mark Warner Says Tighter Firearms Laws Needed As funerals continued for shooting victims in Newtown, Conn., the White House and congressional leaders called for new gun legislation. Gwen Ifill speaks with Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, who explained that while there may be no easy solution, "Enough is enough."

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 | Dec. 17, 2012
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein Readies to Reintroduce Expired Assault Weapons Ban Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, has pledged to revive a law banning assault weapons at the opening of the next session of Congress. Gwen Ifill talks to Feinstein about the chances a new ban will pass after its 2004 expiration, and how it might eventually make weapons like those used in the Sandy Hook shooting less available.

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 | Dec. 14, 2012
 Gwen's Take: If Women Ruled the World The frustration is so intense in Washington these days that it is tempting to consider what things would be like if someone else were running the rodeo.

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 | Dec. 12, 2012
 Alan Simpson's Social Media Appeal for Budget Discussion; Pope Joins Twitter Gwen Ifill talks to the Daily Download's Howard Kurtz and Lauren Ashburn about news via social media, including a video by Alan Simpson calling on Americans to use social media to express their views on budget deal negotiations. Plus the Pope -- someone with a lot of followers even before joining Twitter -- starts tweeting.

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 | Dec. 10, 2012
 Michigan 'Right-to-Work' Laws Spark Heated Debate on Role of Labor Unions In a lame-duck session, Michigan Republicans approved a pair of bills that would make the Great Lakes State into a "right to work" state. Organized labor was furious, accusing politicians of pushing through legislation with no opportunity for public comment. Gwen Ifill talks to two Michigan lawmakers with differing views.

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 | Dec. 6, 2012
 Gwen's Take: What You Didn't Know About Election 2012 Hindsight is a form of grace in the political world. At a recent event at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, campaign operatives and reporters got a chance to rehash the 2012 election season. In a day and a half of sessions, the pros were at turns rueful, curious, baffled and only a little boastful about their successes.

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 | Dec. 4, 2012
 Paul Krugman: Hasty Fiscal Fix to the Deficit Would Cause 'Austerity Bomb' Though Republicans claim $2.2 trillion would be saved by their plan for long-term deficit reduction, economist Paul Krugman calls it a "vapor plan," with few details on where savings will come from. Gwen Ifill talks to Krugman about why he thinks reducing the deficit too fast could push the economy back into recession.

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 | Dec. 3, 2012
 White House, House Republicans Face Off Over Competing Deficit Reduction Plans House speaker John Boehner wrote to President Obama to reject a White House plan to raise tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, suggesting instead a counter-offer that raises Medicare eligibility age. Gwen Ifill talks to Erskine Bowles about his deficit reduction plan and how it differs from current proposals on the table.

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 | Nov. 16, 2012
 Gwen's Take: Political Storm Ends; Drama Begins One of the most hard-fought electoral prizes in the nation -- the Buckeye state -- seems oddly quiet. The incessant campaign advertising has stopped and the candidates have disappeared. But one thing is certain: voters are still paying attention.

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 | Nov. 13, 2012
 Should Lawmakers and White House Have Been Warned of Petraeus Investigation? When the Petraeus news hit, congressional leaders bemoaned not being notified beforehand. Gwen Ifill talks to Jane Harman, former ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and former Justice Department official Matthew Miller about when and if Congress and the president should be briefed on such investigations.

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 | Nov. 12, 2012
 As Details Emerge on Petraeus Affair, Fallout May Echo Far Beyond Resignation After David Petraeus resigned from his post as director of the CIA last week, details of his extramarital affair with biographer Paula Broadwell continued to materialize. Jeffrey Brown reports on the affair, the FBI investigation and the fallout. Gwen Ifill talks to three guests about national implications of the scandal.

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 | Nov. 9, 2012
 Gwen's Take: The Obama Victory - The Good, The Bad and the Potentially Ugly At first I focused on the winner/loser contrast. The emotions were compelling. But as we've begun to digest the exit polling that told us who voted for whom, the anecdotal evidence provided by the election night crowds began to sink in.

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 | Nov. 8, 2012
 Live Chat: Gwen Ifill Answers Your Questions Two days after the election, join correspondent Gwen Ifill for a live chat, hosted by PBS' Washington Week Thursday at 12 p.

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 | Nov. 7, 2012
 For President Obama, Little Time to Enjoy Re-election Before Returning to Work President Barack Obama returned to Washington after winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote in the 2012 election, but there was little time to savor the victory in the face of a potential fiscal crisis at the end of the year. Kwame Holman reports on the day after and Gwen Ifill Talks to Ray Suarez from Chicago.

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 | Nov. 6, 2012
 Gwen's Take: Hopes, Fears and Democracy on Election Day A friend of mine who just moved to Mexico City emailed me recently to remind me of the importance of the work we do here at the NewsHour.

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 | Nov. 5, 2012
 On Eve of Election, Making Campaign Assessments and Early Predictions Gwen Ifill talks to Pew Research Center's Andy Kohut, the Rothenberg Political Report's Stu Rothenberg and USA Today's Susan Page about the momentum leading into Election Day, plus historical trends that tend to signal which candidate will win a presidential election.

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 | Nov. 5, 2012
 Fate of Obama, Romney Now in Hands of Voters Gwen Ifill talks to Pew Research Center's Andy Kohut, the Rothenberg Political Report's Stu Rothenberg and USA Today's Susan Page about the momentum leading into Election Day, plus historical trends that tend to signal which candidate will win a presidential election.

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 | Nov. 2, 2012
 Gwen's Take: Reading Between the Lines The days tick down to a precious few, and partisans on both sides of the political divide are asking the same essential question: What's gonna happen? Sadly, my crystal ball remains permanently unreadable. But you can join me as I look for signs of things to come between now and Election Day.

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 | Oct. 26, 2012
 Gwen's Take: Election Countdown: By the Numbers Regardless of whether it's 25, 14, 12 or 10 days, hours, or minutes -- what's not to like about knowing the end is in sight?

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 | Oct. 24, 2012
 Some Senate Candidates Race Toward Photo-Finish Elections in Fight for Majority The outcome in extremely tight senate races in states like Connecticut, Arizona, Indiana and North Dakota could determine who controls the Senate and the president's agenda come January. Gwen Ifill talks to Roll Call's Shira Toeplitz and The Rothenberg Political Report's Nathan Gonzales for more on just what's on the line.

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 | Oct. 23, 2012
 Congressional Sequestration Squabble Has Local Economic Resonance in Virginia In the latest installment in our Battleground Dispatches series, Cathy Lewis of WHRO in Hampton Roads, Va., looks at how concern over sequestration is playing out as a local voting issue. Gwen Ifill talks to Roll Call's Steve Dennis and Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy about how congress is working on facing its budget negotiations.

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 | Oct. 23, 2012
 Battleground Dispatches: Election Day Roundup In the latest installment in our Battleground Dispatches series, Cathy Lewis of WHRO in Hampton Roads, Va., looks at how concern over sequestration is playing out as a local voting issue. Gwen Ifill talks to Roll Call's Steve Dennis and Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy about how congress is working on facing its budget negotiations.

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