 |
| 2013 MAY
May 21, 2013
Congressional Hearing on Apple Tax Practices Puts Spotlight on Legal Loopholes
Tech giant Apple has avoided paying billions of dollars in taxes to the U.S. or any country by using a complex web of Irish subsidiaries. But Apple is not alone, and none of the practices are illegal. Margaret Warner talks to Charles Duhigg of The New York Times for more on corporate tax loopholes.
   
| |
 |
| May 21, 2013
Senate Committee Grills Former IRS Commissioners on When Officials Knew Facts
A Senate Finance Committee hearing on the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service turned its focus to former IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman, who led the agency until last fall. Judy Woodruff has more, including testimony from his successor Steven Miller and the Treasury Department inspector general.
| |
|
| May 21, 2013
Watch Live: Apple CEO Tim Cook Faces Senate Questions on Taxes
A Senate panel says Apple Inc. is avoiding billions of dollars in U.S. taxes by shifting profits to foreign affiliates. Watch Apple CEO Tim Cook as he testifies before the panel on the company's tax strategy.
| |
|
| May 21, 2013
Watch Live: Senate Finance Committee Hearing on IRS
Live stream: Senate Finance Committee hearing to review criteria employed by the IRS to target tax exemption applications for greater scrutiny.
| |
|
| May 21, 2013
Politics Put On Hold As Nation Surveys Oklahoma Tornado Damage
A massive tornado ravaged a suburb of Oklahoma City on Monday, leveling buildings, killing at least 51 people, and temporarily brushing aside a trio of brewing political storms that had been the focus of official Washington in recent weeks.
| |
|
| May 20, 2013
In Further Firming of Relations, Myanmar President Visits White House
Myanmar President Thein Sein becomes the first leader of Myanmar to visit the White House in 47 years on Monday. Some advocacy groups are concerned that the Obama administration is rewarding Myanmar before Thein Sein has followed through on all of his promises for reforms.
| |
|
| May 20, 2013
Republicans Still Fired Up Over IRS Scandal Following Hearing
At this point, there appears to be more heat than light when it comes to discussion of the Internal Revenue Service's singling out of conservative groups for extra scrutiny when applying for tax-exempt status.
| |
|
| May 17, 2013
Covering Watergate: 40 Years Later With MacNeil And Lehrer
On May 17, 1973, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer launched public broadcasting's gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings. Forty years later, the two recount their memories after some of the more gripping moments and how their partnership changed not only the face of television journalism, but also their lives.
| |
|
| May 17, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Government Scandals, Remembering Watergate
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk with Judy Woodruff about the recent scandals rocking Washington and the Obama administration, what we can observe about how the government operates and how it affects the trust of the American people, plus the legacy of Watergate 40 years on.
| |
|
| May 17, 2013
Military Sexual Assault Crisis Prompts Congress to Act
President Obama summoned Pentagon leaders to the White House Thursday to discuss what Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey declared a crisis: sexual assaults in the military. At the center of the debate: should military commanders be stripped of their sole authority to decide whether complaints of sexual assault go forward?
| |
|
| May 17, 2013
House Committee to Hold First Hearing on IRS Scandal
The former acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, will take his place in the hot seat Friday morning when the House Ways and Means Committee holds the first hearing on the tax collection agency's targeting of conservative groups.
| |
|
| May 17, 2013
A Look Back at the Senate Watergate Hearings
The Watergate scandal began with a burglary in June 1972 and ended with a president's resignation in August 1974.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| May 16, 2013
How Watergate Affected You
Forty years ago, in the summer of 1973, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer led public television's gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings -- co-anchoring all 250 hours of the proceedings, and launching the beginnings of what the PBS NewsHour is today.
| |
|
| May 16, 2013
Demographic Shifts, Biblical Ideals Contribute to Evangelical Immigration Stance
While lawmakers in Washington continue work on overhauling American immigration policy, Ray Suarez reports from Colorado, where members of the Evangelical Christian community are advocating passage of immigration reform to respond to demographic shifts in membership.
| |
|
| May 16, 2013
15 Figures Who Made Watergate an American Epic
On May 17, 1973, Sen. Sam Ervin gavelled in the hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, better known as the Senate Watergate Committee. The impending result was unfathomable -- the downfall and resignation of President Nixon. Four decades later, we look back at some of the people involved.
| |
|
| May 16, 2013
Turkish Prime Minister Talks Syria with Obama at White House
President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. and Turkey will keep ramping up pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, with his country's civil war having "wracked the region." Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke today in a news conference from the White House Rose Garden.
| |
|
| May 16, 2013
Obama Attempts Damage Control on IRS, Benghazi, AP Scandals
To catch you up on the last 24 hours: President Barack Obama canned the man at the helm of the IRS, released emails between intelligence analysts and State Department officials following the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and asked a Senate Democrat to reintroduce a bill to help reporters protect the identity of their sources.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| May 15, 2013
Attorney General Holder Faces Republicans' Questions at Hearing
Attorney General Eric Holder may be the lone witness at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight Wednesday. Watch a live stream of the hearing, scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m.
| |
|
| May 15, 2013
Trio of Scandals Puts Obama, Holder in Hot Seat
A trio of scandals has put President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on the hot seat.
| |
|
| May 14, 2013
Book Explores Societal Transfer of Power From Big Institution to Active Citizen
Author Nicco Mele's new book, 'The End of Big,' explores how technology has made the world a smaller place, opening up new opportunities for local politics, small business and average citizens to wield influence. Political editor Christina Bellantoni talks to Mele about his work and the ways technology impacts our democracy.
| |
|
| May 14, 2013
How Sequestration Could Affect US Flood-Warning System
BOISE, Idaho -- The government's automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, are taking down up to 150 of the nation's stream gauges -- devices that provide life-saving flood warnings and help scientists track drought conditions. The first round of nationwide closures started this month.
| |
|
| May 14, 2013
Obama Ponders Time Left in Office as Probes Pile Up
A trio of controversies is giving President Barack Obama's critics plenty of fodder for investigations that will likely pull the White House away from the issues it would like to see championed this spring and summer.
| |
|
| May 13, 2013
Understanding Tax Law Behind Reports IRS Engaged in Political Targeting
Revelations that the IRS targeted conservative political groups for additional scrutiny has launched a political firestorm. To help understand the tax law, Judy Woodruff is joined by Richard Schmalbeck of Duke University School of Law and Jay Sekulow of the American Center for the Law and Justice.
| |
|
| May 13, 2013
IRS Under Fire for Scrutinizing Tax Status of Conservative Groups
Reports charge the IRS targeted conservative political groups in 2012 by applying extra scrutiny to organizations that focused on government spending or the U.S. Constitution or had the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their names. Judy Woodruff reports on responses from the president and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
| |
|
| May 13, 2013
Obama: IRS Scrutiny of Conservative Groups 'Outrageous' if True
President Barack Obama said Monday that if an inspector general review of the Internal Revenue Service shows the tax agency gave conservative groups more intense scrutiny, "then that's outrageous and there's no place for it."
| |
|
| May 13, 2013
Obama to Face Questions on Benghazi Attack, IRS Scandal
Monday's joint news conference by President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron will likely be consumed by questions regarding the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS and the Obama administration's handling of last year's attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya.
| |
|
| May 10, 2013
Shields and Gerson on Immigration Debate, Benghazi Hearings, Sanford's Comeback
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson discuss the immigration reform bill's first day in Congress, Congressional hearings on the security leading up to the consulate attack in Benghazi and handling of the facts afterwards, as well as Mark Sanford's political victory in South Carolina.
| |
|
| May 10, 2013
Republicans Stoke 2016 Speculation With Visits to Early Voting States
Six months after the end of the 2012 presidential election, political activity has already started to percolate in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. For Republicans, especially, it appears the 2016 field will be wide open.
| |
|
| May 10, 2013
White House Spokesman: Demands to Release Benghazi Memos Are 'Political'
In a twice-delayed press briefing, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday that requests by House Republicans to release memos about the administration's response to last year's attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, were an attempt to politicize the deadly event.
| |
|
| May 10, 2013
Bipartisan Immigration Plan Tweaked on Border Security
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday opened formal debate on the comprehensive immigration reform proposal crafted by a bipartisan group of eight senators, kicking off a process that is expected to involve several more days of hearings on amendments in the next few weeks.
| |
|
| May 9, 2013
Congress Sorts Through Charges and Counter-Charges in Benghazi Attack Accounts
Amid a steady flow of partisan arguing by members of Congress, three State Department officials testified that senior government officials withheld embarrassing facts and didn't take responsibility for security at the Benghazi facilities. Judy Woodruff sorts out the facts with Adam Entous of The Wall Street Journal.
| |
|
| May 9, 2013
As Bipartisan Immigration Reform Plan Debuts, an Emphasis on Flexibility
The comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform plan survived its first day in Congress. Judy Woodruff reports on the battles and revisions underway. Jeffrey Brown talks to Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown and Brian Bennett of the Los Angeles Times about whether the gang of eight can bring undecided Republicans on board.
| |
|
| May 9, 2013
Champion of Military Sexual Assault Awareness Questions if Change Is Possible
Tuesday should have been a good day for Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif. Her signature issue in Congress -- reducing sexual assaults in the U.S. military -- had just been forcefully endorsed by the president and secretary of defense. But Speier was not optimistic that major change is coming.
| |
|
| May 9, 2013
Songwriters Draw Musical Inspiration From Immigration
While "Gang of Eight" may sound like the next new pop sensation -- making bipartisan harmony on the issue of immigration reform -- that band of political leaders is not the least bit concerned with Billboard hits. But music does have a place in the national dialogue. NewsHour talks with two music makers about immigration.
| |
|
| May 9, 2013
Read an Excerpt From 'The Roberts Court' by Marcia Coyle
Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal has published, "The Roberts Court," released on May 7. "The book presented another chance to dig into a subject and, of course, it was a subject that I love and an institution that I deeply respect," she said.
| |
|
| May 9, 2013
After Emotional Benghazi Hearing, GOP Promises 'Investigation Is Not Over'
After six hours of emotional testimony Wednesday about last year's attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., declared the hearing closed, but that "this investigation is not over."
| |
|
| May 8, 2013
House Hearing Is Latest Chapter in Political Dispute Over Benghazi Attack
At a House hearing, clear battle lines were drawn and arguments were renewed over the Benghazi consulate attack and the Obama administration's initial explanation of events last September. Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman covers the political wranglings and testimony by three State Department officials.
| |
|
| May 8, 2013
Call It a Comeback: Sanford Wins South Carolina Special Election
Four years after admitting to an extramarital affair that derailed his national political prospects, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford won a special House election that will return him to the seat he once held in Congress.
| |
|
| May 7, 2013
Tracking Sequestration Across the Nation
The sequester. It’s the term used to describe a series of across the board federal spending cuts, and a topic that has dominated political talk in Washington since the elections. See how the $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts have affected your community.
| |
|
| May 7, 2013
Obama: Sexual Assault in the Military is a 'Betrayal'
President Barack Obama says military personnel who engage in sexual assault are betraying the uniform they are wearing. He says he has directed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to "step up our game exponentially" to halt such assaults.
| |
|
| May 7, 2013
In South Carolina, Will Sanford Get a Second Chance?
It's election day in South Carolina's first congressional district, and voters will choose either Republican Mark Sanford or Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch to be the House's newest member, capping off what will surely be one of this off-year's most contentious and entertaining election campaigns.
| |
|
| May 7, 2013
Chambliss' Hole-in-One Puts Obama in Play on Budget Talks
The White House says President Barack Obama is "willing to try anything" with Republicans to find a solution to the nation's fiscal problems. Monday, that meant venturing out to Andrews Air Force Base on a drizzly day in Washington to hit the links.
| |
|
| May 6, 2013
SEC Considering New Rule for Political Contributions by Public Companies
The SEC is considering a proposal to require publicly traded companies to disclose money donated for politics to shareholders -- a conflict to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Ray Suarez hears both sides of the debate from Robert J. Jackson of Columbia University Law School and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins.
| |
|
| May 6, 2013
High Stakes for South Carolina Special
Voters in the coastal 1st Congressional district of South Carolina will decide whether the state's former governor, Mark Sanford, deserves a second chance in politics.
| |
|
| May 6, 2013
How Did Watergate Affect You?
In the summer of 1973, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer led PBS's gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings -- co-anchoring all 250 hours of the proceedings, launching the beginnings of what the PBS NewsHour is today. On May 17, the NewsHour will look back at the scandal that transformed American politics.
| |
|
| May 6, 2013
NRA, Biden Push Guns Back Into Political Spotlight
Leaders of the National Rifle Association told members attending the group's annual convention in Houston over the weekend they would not back down from attempts to strip away their constitutional right to possess firearms.
| |
|
| May 3, 2013
Shields and Gerson on Jobs Report Progress, Presidential 'Juice'
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson discuss the boost in the latest jobs report, President Barack Obama's effectiveness at the start of his second term, and political partisanship in battles over gun control and immigration reform.
| |
|
| May 3, 2013
Ornstein: Political 'Tribalism' Led to Lack of Compromise in Washington
Past the 100 day mark for his second term, critics and pundits wonder how strong President Obama's influence remains. But Congress expert Norm Ornstein says that Washington's refusal to compromise on any key legislative issue is more about "tribalism" than political partisanship or the president's "juice."
| |
|
| May 3, 2013
The Calendar Says 2013, but It Feels Like 2016
There are still roughly 1,000 days before voting gets underway in the 2016 presidential primary process, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the political headliners appearing at dueling Democratic and Republican Party dinners in Columbia, S.C., Friday night.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| May 2, 2013
EMILY'S List Launches 'Madam President' Campaign
The progressive women's group EMILY's List unveiled its 'Madam President' campaign Thursday to elect the first female President of the United States in 2016. On the same morning, a new poll found former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic Party's nomination in three years.
| |
|
| May 2, 2013
Center for Public Integrity Examines 'All the Presidents' Debt'
President Bill Clinton's 1996 presidential campaign occurred 17 years ago, but he still has more than $100,000 campaign debt. Center for Public Integrity reports on White House hopefuls from yesteryear who are still awash in red ink
| |
|
| May 2, 2013
President Selling Immigration Bill at Home and Abroad
The burgeoning debate over immigration reform is expected to consume lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the coming months. But for the moment, at least, the issue does not appear to have grabbed the attention of much of the American public.
| |
|
| May 1, 2013
Virginia: Issues Fade in 2013's Only Competitive Election
This year's only competitive election is Virginia's gubernatorial race between former Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe and Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. But the race so far looks more like a public relations duel over candidates' respective ties to two businesses than an issues-based campaign.
| |
|
| May 1, 2013
Does Obama Have the 'Juice' to Influence Congress?
Most presidents I've covered have struggled with a recalcitrant Congress. But does President Obama have the "juice" -- as ABC's Jonathan Karl put it Tuesday at the White House press conference -- to translate his relatively strong popularity ratings into legislative success?
| |
|
| May 1, 2013
Does Obama Still Have Enough Political 'Juice' to Wrangle Congress?
President Barack Obama marked the 100th day of his second term Tuesday with a customary news conference that highlighted the fresh challenges and unresolved business facing his administration.
| |
|
|
|
| APRIL
April 30, 2013
States Become Central Battleground in Fight Over Access to Abortion Services
Five states have moved to adopt tighter abortion regulations, including North Dakota, where a new law prohibits abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. Jeffrey Brown gets perspectives from Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life and Ilyse Hogue of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
| |
|
| April 30, 2013
Political Challenges and Clashes to Come Between Congress and White House
How does the current relationship between the White House and Congress affect major points of business like spending cuts and immigration reform? Judy Woodruff gets analysis from Glenn Thrush of Politico and Dan Balz of The Washington Post.
| |
|
| April 30, 2013
Opinion: 40 Years After Roe v. Wade, A Pro-Life Perspective
On Tuesday's PBS NewsHour, we revisit the hot-button issue of abortion and debate its move from federal courts to state governments. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, and Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro Choice America, both wrote op-ed columns for us.
| |
|
| April 30, 2013
Opinion: 40 Years After Roe v. Wade, A Pro-Choice Perspective
On Tuesday's PBS NewsHour, we revisit the hot-button issue of abortion and debate its move from federal courts to state governments. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, and Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro Choice America, both wrote op-ed columns for us.
| |
|
| April 30, 2013
Special Elections Will Test Democrats in Mass., Sanford in S.C.
Massachusetts voters will decide Tuesday which Republican and Democratic candidates will win their party primaries and head to the state's special U.S. Senate election. Next week, South Carolina voters will head to the polls.
| |
|
| April 29, 2013
Little Consensus Among Lawmakers on Next Steps With Syria
There appeared to be widespread agreement among lawmakers Sunday that the U.S. must respond to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons, but there was little consensus on the steps that should be taken.
| |
|
| April 26, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Bush Legacy, NFL Draft
Musings by syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks on the sport of politics and politics of sport, including the legacy of former President George W. Bush and the NFL draft.
| |
|
| April 26, 2013
Judy Woodruff Recounts Day President Reagan Was Shot
March 30, 1981 was a routine day for Judy Woodruff as she traveled with the press pool to cover a speech by President Ronald Reagan at the Washington Hilton. But the events of that day would lead to one of America's longstanding and contentious policy debates -- how much should the country regulate firearms.
| |
|
| April 26, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Red Line Reluctance, Flexibility on FAA Furloughs
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk with Judy Woodruff about President Barack Obama's "red line" on Syria, the FAA furlough deal in Congress, repercussions of the Boston Marathon attack and George W. Bush's newly dedicated presidential center.
| |
|
| April 26, 2013
Non-Citizens Would Earn Legal Status Under Immigration Bill, Meissner Says
Doris Meissner, director of the Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, says the current proposed immigration bill offers "earned legalization" rather than amnesty.
| |
|
| April 26, 2013
Congress Begins to Weigh In On Drone Strikes Policy
Walking down a hallway of the Hart Senate Office Building on Tuesday, Georgetown University law professor Rosa Brooks was reminded that President Barack Obama has seemed uneasy about the administration's highly secret U.S. drone program which targets and kills terror suspects overseas.
| |
|
| April 26, 2013
Bush Library Dedication Celebrates Complicated Presidential Legacy
All five living presidents were on hand Thursday for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. And, for a day at least, political differences gave way to warm tributes to the 43rd president from his predecessors and successor.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| April 25, 2013
Gun Control and Gun Rights Advocates Ready to Continue Their Fight
How has the NRA evolved from its founding in 1871 as an education and training organization into a political force on Capitol Hill and beyond?
| |
|
| April 25, 2013
Uphill Gun Control Fight Feels Familiar to Advocates of Another Era
The defeat of a bipartisan effort to expand background checks for gun buyers was cheered by gun rights advocates and denounced by the president and families of gun victims. Judy Woodruff takes a behind-the-scenes look at the fight over gun control and the decades-long evolution of lobbying tactics on both sides of the debate.
| |
|
| April 25, 2013
Workers From Other Countries 'Lifeline' for U.S., Former INS Chief Says
Doris Meissner, director of the Migration Policy Institute's immigration policy work, says foreign-born workers who come to the U.S. under the H-1B visa program are "complementary" to U.S. workers and that the visa program needs to provide more flexibility because allowing that access is "a real lifeline" for the U.S. economy.
| |
|
| April 25, 2013
Bush Back in Spotlight as Presidents Honor Him at Library Dedication
As the George W. Bush Presidential Center is dedicated Thursday morning at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and with President Barack Obama and all of the living former presidents expected to attend and honor the 43rd commander in chief, Americans are viewing Bush more favorably, according to a new poll.
| |
|
| April 24, 2013
Search for Sender of Ricin Letters Turns Up Odd Twists, Echoes of Anthrax Case
Federal investigators searched a home in Tupelo, Miss., in the hunt for who sent politicians letters tainted with ricin. Gwen Ifill talks to Kimberly Kindy of The Washington Post and Marilyn Thompson of Reuters about strange twists in the investigation, including conflict between a karate teacher and an Elvis impersonator
| |
|
| April 24, 2013
'W-Visa' Would Enable Lower-Skilled Foreigners to Legally Work in U.S.
Doris Meissner, director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, says a proposed W-Visa category would for the first time allow low-skilled foreigners to legally work in the U.S.
| |
|
| April 24, 2013
Baucus Retirement Shakes Up 2014 Senate Map for Democrats
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced Tuesday he would not seek a seventh term in 2014, setting off a political chain reaction that will reverberate from official Washington to Big Sky Country.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| April 23, 2013
Forty Percent of Non-Citizens Live in U.S. on Expired Visitor, Student Visas
Doris Meissner, director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, says 40 percent of non-citizens living in the U.S. are "visa overstays."
| |
|
| April 23, 2013
Welcome the Stranger: Convincing Evangelicals to Support Immigration Reform
Ray Suarez speaks with Jenny Hwang, co-author of the book "Welcoming the Stranger," which urges evangelicals to look at comprehensive immigration reform based on biblical principles.
| |
|
| April 23, 2013
Evangelicals Rally for Pathway to Citizenship and Immigration Reform
Evangelical leaders rallied in Washington to gather political support for comprehensive immigration reform. Pastors are attempting to take the message of comprehensive immigration reform from the pews in their churches to the politicians in the Capitol.
| |
|
| April 23, 2013
Boston Bombings Rouse Debate in Senate Immigration Hearing
There was little doubt last week's Boston Marathon bombings would be raised during Monday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the comprehensive immigration reform proposal recently unveiled by a bipartisan group of eight senators.
| |
|
| April 22, 2013
Undocumented Individuals 'Deeply Rooted' in U.S. Communities
Former INS chief Doris Meissner describes how describes how undocumented workers have become "deeply rooted" into American communities and workplaces. PBS NewsHour's Kwame Holman sat down with Meissner recently to talk about immigration in light of the Senate's bipartisan plan to reform the country's immigration policy.
| |
|
| April 22, 2013
Gang of Eight's Immigration Bill Under New Scrutiny After Boston Bombings
The investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings and the push to overhaul the country's immigration system have converged in recent days. Supporters of reform say the attacks should prompt lawmakers to pass legislation to gain a better understanding of the millions of undocumented people estimated to be in the country.
| |
|
| April 19, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Resilience During National Trauma, Failure of the Gun Bill
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk to Jeffrey Brown about the Boston Marathon attack and the ensuing city-wide lockdown while authorities conducted a manhunt. They also discuss the politics and political consequences behind the failed gun legislation, and whether it can be revived.
| |
|
| April 19, 2013
Police Warn Boston: 'Shelter in Place'
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick requested that everyone in the Boston area stay inside and only open their door to police officers showing proper identification. Commuter bus, rail, taxi and subway services were suspended. Businesses were asked to stay closed until further notice.
| |
|
| April 19, 2013
Slow-moving Sequestration Still Figures in Budget Negotiations
According to a new Wall Street Journal-NBC poll, fewer than 20 percent of Americans report feeling any impact of sequestration -- the $85 billion dollars in across-the-board federal spending cuts that got underway March 1.
| |
|
| April 19, 2013
With Manhunt Underway in Boston, Politics Pushed Aside
With a massive manhunt in Boston underway, any semblance of politics is likely to go by the wayside Friday. President Obama was briefed overnight by homeland-security and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco about developments in the investigation.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| April 18, 2013
Group of Eight Senators Say Immigration Bill Is 'Common-sense Approach'
The Border Security and Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 lays out a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the U.S., reforms the family and employment-based visa, creates new visas for low-income workers and provides funding to secure the U.S. -Mexico border.
| |
|
| April 18, 2013
Obama Honors Victims of Boston Bombing in Interfaith Service
President Barack Obama sought to inspire a stricken city and comfort an unnerved nation Thursday, declaring that Boston "will run again" and vowing to hunt down the perpetrator of the twin blasts that brought mayhem and death to the Boston Marathon.
| |
|
| April 18, 2013
Gun Control Advocates Lose 'Round One'
In a stinging setback for President Obama and advocates of tougher gun control measures, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday turned back proposals that would have expanded background checks for most gun sales, banned military-style assault weapons and limited the capacity of ammunition magazines.
| |
|
| April 18, 2013
Former Activist Says Pathway to Citizenship Is Possible in 2013
How has immigration activism changed since the last big push for comprehensive reform in 2007? Watch part 4 of Hari Sreenivasan's series on the evolving issue of immigration here.
| |
|
| April 17, 2013
Senate Blocks Expanded Gun Sale Background Checks
Senate Republicans, backed by rural-state Democrats, blocked legislation Wednesday to tighten restrictions on the sale of firearms, rejecting personal pleas made by families of the victims of last winter's mass elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
| |
|
| April 17, 2013
FBI: Early Test Shows Ricin in Obama Letter
Letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator that tested positive for poisonous ricin are related and both are postmarked Memphis, Tenn., the FBI said Wednesday. A senator said police have a suspect in mind. Several other reports of suspicious mail to government officials were being checked.
| |
|
| April 17, 2013
Manchin-Toomey Deal on Background Checks Facing Uphill Climb
The Senate on Wednesday will begin voting on a series of amendments to a sweeping gun control package. And most indications are that advocates for expanding a background check system for gun purchases -- a key provision of the bill -- are several senators short of their goal.
| |
|
| April 17, 2013
The Evolving Immigration Debate: Religion
Hari Sreenivasan talks with Rev. Samuel Rodriguez about the changing debate over immigration.
| |
|
| April 16, 2013
Letter to Miss. Senator Tests for Ricin
An envelope addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi twice tested positive Tuesday for ricin, a potentially fatal poison, congressional officials said, heightening concerns about terrorism a day after a bombing at the Boston Marathon.
| |
|
| April 16, 2013
News Wrap: Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill Makes Quiet Debut in Congress
In other news Tuesday, a group of Senators from both sides of the aisle introduced a sweeping immigration reform bill, following months of negotiations. It includes a new farm worker program and visas for high-tech workers. Also, American Airlines had to ground its entire fleet after its reservation system went down.
| |
|
| April 16, 2013
Boston Blasts Put Politics On Hold
Unclaimed finish line bags remain at the scene of the blasts.
| |
|
| April 16, 2013
The Evolving Immigration Debate: Guest Workers
Hari Sreenivasan talks with South Carolina peach farmer Chalmers Carr about the changing debate over immigration.
| |
|
| April 15, 2013
Gang of Eight Senators Fine-tune Details of Immigration Reform Bill
While supporters of immigration reform rallied on Capitol Hill, a group of eight senators put the finishing touches on legislation to overhaul the current system. Gwen Ifill talks with the Los Angeles Times' Bill Bennett for an update on what's in the plan.
| |
|
| April 15, 2013
This Week on the Hill: Immigration and Guns on Deck
After two weeks of recess, Congress hit the ground running last week, working on legislation related to guns, immigration and the budget. Here's a quick look back as members return for another busy week.
| |
|
| April 15, 2013
Top Five Ways the President's Budget Would Change Medicare
President Obama's 2014 budget plan includes a number of money-saving changes to Medicare, some of which have triggered concern from patient and provider groups. Here are five things you should know about the president's plan.
| |
|
| April 15, 2013
Rubio Takes Lead in Selling Immigration Reform
Sen. Marco Rubio may be a member of the Gang of Eight, but on Sunday he flew solo, giving seven back-to-back television interviews to endorse the comprehensive immigration reform proposal and becoming the leading conservative voice for the plan.
| |
|
| April 15, 2013
The Evolving Immigration Debate: Border Security
The last time the terms "amnesty" and "pathway to citizenship" were batted around with such frequency was seven years ago, in the year leading to the ultimately doomed Immigration Reform Act of 2007. Today, the debate is similar. Shawn Moran, vice president of the Border Patrol Council, discusses the evolving debate.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
Shields and Brooks Debate McConnell's 'Watergate,' Love and Politics
Mark Shields and David Brooks pondered political sex scandals this Friday on the Doubleheader: If it's in the name of love, is it less offensive? Plus, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's comparison of an eavesdropping scandal to Watergate.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Obama's Budget, Senate Gun Fight, Margaret Thatcher
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss development in the gun legislation battle and if background checks will amount to substantive gun control, plus backlash against President Barack Obama's budget, bipartisan efforts on an immigration bill and the legacy of Margaret Thatcher.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
How Is the Sequester Affecting the Arts?
With the government sequestration now a fact of life, we've been looking on the program at how cuts are affecting or might affect various sectors. Jeffrey Brown looks at the arts and arts organizations with a leading advocate, Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
Social Security Advocate: Obama's Budget Is 'Bad Policy. Bad Politics.'
Leaders of a half dozen liberal and progressive groups rallied at the White House on April 9, 2013, to protest President Barack Obama's call in his budget to reduce cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security and other federal benefits.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
Odd Couple or Old Friends? OFA Steps into Fair Elections
It's house party time in New York for supporters of campaign finance reform, and much like the parties over the past two presidential cycles from Obama for America, this house party push is from OFA, too -- the new OFA. Organizing for Action joined the New York Fair Elections coalition at the end of March.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
With Procedural Hurdle Cleared, Senate Begins Gun Debate
Gun control advocates hailed Thursday's Senate vote allowing debate to move forward on a sweeping package of legislation as a victory for their movement. But things are just getting started, and any measures that curb access to guns are a long, long way from reaching President Barack Obama's desk.
| |
|
| April 12, 2013
In Venezuela, Will 'Chavismo' Last Without Hugo Chavez?
The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was the force behind "Chavismo," a left-wing political ideology that favors nationalization and social welfare programs over free market development. But will that ideology survive in its most robust form without the charismatic leader?
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| April 11, 2013
News Wrap: Senators Finish Work on Major Aspects of Immigration Reform Bill
In other news Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators wrapped up work on the major elements of an immigration reform bill. Also, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan announced a recall of more than 3 million vehicles due to air bag problems.
| |
|
| April 11, 2013
Senate Blocks Attempt to Prevent Debate on Gun Legislation
With families of the Newtown shooting victims looking on, Congress moved closer to coming up with a comprehensive bill for reducing gun violence. The Senate blocked an attempt to prevent debate on the subject. Judy Woodruff reports on what measures the bill may include.
| |
|
| April 11, 2013
What do You Think About Obama's Proposal to Reduce Social Security?
President Barack Obama's proposed budget includes a decrease in cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security. What do you think? Should the president leave Social Security alone? Or is his approach necessary to tame the deficit?
| |
|
| April 11, 2013
Judy's Notebook: A Budget to Get Worked Up About
The very words "federal budget" make most of us yawn. But I'd argue that at 244 pages (not counting appendices and "supplementals") and with a proposed $3.77 trillion in spending "suggestions," the choices Mr. Obama has made make for exciting reading.
| |
|
| April 11, 2013
Senate Ready to Debate Gun Legislation
Four months after the deaths of 20 first-graders and six of their teachers at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the U.S. Senate on Thursday will begin debate on legislative proposals aimed at curbing gun violence.
| |
|
| April 11, 2013
Senate to Take Key Vote on Guns
The U.S. Senate is expected to take a key procedural vote Thursday that would pave the way for debate to begin on new gun legislation, including a bipartisan proposal to expand background checks that was unveiled Wednesday.
| |
|
| 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 reactions to the budget from both sides of the aisle. Gwen Ifill gets views from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and White House economic adviser Gene Sperling.
| |
|
| April 10, 2013
President Obama's Budget Gamble
President Barack Obama took a risk by deciding to include changes to Medicare and Social Security in his 2014 fiscal year budget. And, as with all true gambles, political or otherwise, it comes with an uncertain fate.
| |
|
| April 9, 2013
Gun Policy Proposals Face Pressure From Senators
Senators face a major test this week on whether to enact stricter gun control measures, and the interest groups with a stake in the issue aren't letting up. At the same time, families of gun violence victims will be in the Capitol to make their voices heard.
| |
|
| April 8, 2013
As Congress Returns to Tackle Guns, States Around the Nation Work on New Laws
Lawmakers in Congress and at the state level are grappling with how to approach and pass new gun legislation. For the latest from Capitol Hill and state capitals, Gwen Ifill talks with Ed O'Keefe of The Washington Post, Arkansas State Rep. Charles Collins and Vinny DeMarco, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.
| |
|
| April 8, 2013
'The End of Big' Argues That Technology Helps The Little Guy
In his new book "The End Of Big: How The Internet Makes David The New Goliath," author Nicco Mele examines democracy taking place outside our existing structures of power, government and big business. Mele argues that such a shift makes us "reimagine" society as we know it, and helps return power to the little guy.
| |
|
| April 8, 2013
Congress Returns With Guns, Immigration, Budget on Agenda
Members of Congress head back to Washington on Monday to face what is shaping up to be a busy work period at a pivotal moment for getting something done.
| |
|
| April 7, 2013
David Kuo, Former Bush White House Official, Dies
A conservative Christian who helped to lead President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative but then criticized the effort has died. David Kuo was 44 when he died Friday in Charlotte, N.C. He had suffered from brain cancer for the last decade.
| |
|
| April 5, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Redemption Politics and the Final Four
The Doubleheader duo -- syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks -- join us again to weigh in on former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's return to politics and the four teams left in the men's NCAA tournament.
| |
|
| April 5, 2013
Shields and Brooks on the Job Numbers, Obama's Budget Bargaining Prospects
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk with Judy Woodruff about the week's top political stories, including the March 2013 jobs report, whether President Barack Obama's proposed budget will include cuts to social security and how the U.S. should react to North Korea's nuclear threats.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| April 4, 2013
Former INS Chief Talks Politics of Immigration Reform
Doris Meissner, a former official in the Clinton administration, ends up talking a lot about politics when the subject is potentially landmark immigration reform legislation now gathering steam in Congress -- a plan she said offers more benefits than deficits for the United States.
| |
|
| April 4, 2013
Sandra Day O'Connor on the History of the Supreme Court in 'Out of Order'
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor sat down with Judy Woodruff to talk about her new book "Out of Order." A collection of historical anecdotes about the nation's highest court, O'Connor said she wrote the book because "people know really very little about the court" despite its great significance.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| April 4, 2013
Judy's Notebook | Mapping the Brain: "Something We Can All Cheer"
While much of the country's news "diet "this week has been filled with stories about North Korea, the debate in the U.S. over guns, and the college basketball finals, I was fixed on a story about that most mysterious of human organs -- the brain.
| |
|
| April 2, 2013
Former Sen. Olympia Snowe: It's Time for Voters to 'Reward' Bipartisanship
When Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, announced in 2012 that she would not seek re-election, she cited strident partisanship as the main reason to end her 33-year career. Judy Woodruff talks with Snowe more about what prompted her retirement and how she's working to resolve the bitter divide in American politics.
| |
|
| April 2, 2013
What if a Search Engine Could Determine an Election?
What if search engines manipulated their search results? Dr. Robert Epstein, a senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology says if they did, it could affect what voters find online and as a result influence elections. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Epstein about his latest research.
| |
|
|
|
| MARCH
March 29, 2013
Shields and Brooks Discuss Shifting Values on Gay Marriage, Gun Control
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks analyze the week's political news with Judy Woodruff, including the Supreme Court examination of same-sex marriage laws and the societal and political sea change on that issue, plus why the push for new gun control legislation may be losing momentum.
| |
|
| March 29, 2013
ACLU, Congress Await Obama's Next Action on Overseas Drone Strikes
The Obama administration has yet to fulfill his promise to engage Congress on the controversial use of U.S. drone attacks to kill terror suspects. ACLU lobbyist Chris Anders claims the president has been reluctant to share specific legal memoranda that certify his administration's assertions that the attacks are self-defense.
| |
|
| March 28, 2013
Obama Calls for Stricter Gun Laws as New Details Emerge in Major Shooting Cases
Activists, families and politicians made appeals for new laws to curb gun violence on a National Day to Demand Action. Judy Woodruff talks to Sean Holstege of the Arizona Republic and Ray Rivera of the New York Times about developments in the high-profile mass shooting cases in Tucson, Ariz., Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn.
| |
|
| March 28, 2013
Will 'Sea Change' in Public Opinion Matter in Same-Sex Marriage Ruling?
It isn't often that the country stops what it's doing as long as it did this week to pay attention to a Supreme Court argument -- in this case, to two of them, both with the potential to shake up social and cultural norms across the land.
| |
|
| March 28, 2013
Gay Marriage Cases Now in Justices' Hands
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took up the issue of whether same-sex couples should get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. Consensus from court-watchers is that five justices are prepared to strike down the law.
| |
|
| March 27, 2013
Social Media Unites Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage, But Is that Enough?
If you've been on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram in the past 24 hours, you've seen it -- the red equal sign, a symbol of support for same-sex marriage. The popularity of the image has raised questions regarding what its impact will be on the same-sex marriage debate.
| |
|
| March 27, 2013
High Court Skeptical of Federal Defense of Marriage Act
Following the oral arguments at the Supreme Court challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, attorney Roberta Kaplan and plaintiff Edith Windsor, among others, spoke outside the court.
| |
|
| March 27, 2013
In Second Day on Gay Marriage, Supreme Court Takes Up DOMA
For a second day, the topic's the same. The Supreme Court will again examine the constitutionality of a case related to same-sex marriage, this time on whether a federal law violates the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause.
| |
|
| March 26, 2013
Supreme Court Could Avoid Ruling on Gay Marriage Ban
The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it could find a way out of the case over California's ban on same-sex marriage without issuing a major national ruling on whether gays have a right to marry. Several justices raised doubts during a riveting 80-minute argument that the case was properly before them.
| |
|
| March 26, 2013
Supreme Court Takes Up Gay Marriage for First Time
Tuesday's arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court involving California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, boil down to this: Can a popular vote revoke a privilege already granted by a state government? Does the 14th Amendment prevent California from defining marriage as between a man and a woman?
| |
|
| March 25, 2013
Obama Pushes Immigration Reform at White House Ceremony for New Citizens
At a ceremony at the White House for 28 new U.S. citizens, President Barack Obama called on Congress to come together on immigration reform. Judy Woodruff talks with Sara Murray of The Wall Street Journal about how Senate negotiations got hung up on the issue of lower-skilled worker wages.
| |
|
| March 25, 2013
Gunshot Deaths Pushing Some E.R. Doctors To Activism
In Colorado, where more people die from gunshots than car crashes, the victims have a profound effect on the physicians who treat them. For some of the doctors on the front lines, the experiences lead to a strong opposition to guns, questions about gun laws and even activism.
| |
|
| March 25, 2013
Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns Take Aim at Key Senators
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg co-founded in 2006, is launching a $12 million ad buy this week in 13 key states where it says it "can most influence the upcoming Senate vote" on gun control efforts.
| |
|
| March 22, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Congressional Escapes, March Madness Brackets
NewsHour political analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks talk with Hari Sreenivasan about the pre-holiday congressional scramble and how to pick a winning March Madness bracket.
| |
|
| March 22, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Obama in the Mideast, GOP in Overhaul
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss bipartisan compromise in Congress on the budget, an election postmortem for the Republican party, President Barack Obama's "soaring rhetoric" and "realistic policies" for the Mideast and the 10th anniversary of the War in Iraq.
| |
|
| March 22, 2013
News Wrap: Senate Readies to Pass First Budget in Four Years
In other news Friday, the Senate prepared to vote and pass its first budget in four years. Also, North Dakota moved to outlaw abortion in the state. The Republican-controlled legislature passed a bill defining life as starting at conception.
| |
|
| March 22, 2013
This Week on the Hill: Gay Marriage Advocates Line Up for Court Hearings
The Supreme Court's hearings to review cases on California's Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act are next week -- but there's already a line of people hoping to get a seat to hear the oral arguments. Plus, impromptu concerts, Irish gatherings and debating whether the Capitol should continue tours during the sequester.
| |
|
| March 22, 2013
Church and State: Religious Leaders Debate Same-Sex Marriage
Watch politics editor Christina Bellantoni moderate a Google Hangout debate between religious leaders that take opposing sides on same-sex marriage.
| |
|
| March 22, 2013
Will There Be Drama in Senate 'Vote-a-rama'?
On Thursday, members of the House voted to fund the government, approved a budget and beat it out of town for Easter recess, leaving the Senate behind to spend all day on the floor arguing over minor amendments to a 10-year spending plan.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| March 21, 2013
Budget Battles Aren't Just About Money, but Different Visions of Government
The U.S. House approved a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown just ahead of a looming deadline in a rare show of bipartisanship. But Hari Sreenivasan reports that battles over the budget and the sequester aren't over yet. Judy Woodruff talks with Todd Zwillich of WNYC's "The Takeaway" about the upcoming legislation.
| |
|
| March 21, 2013
Progress on Immigration Reform Leaves Rep. Gutierrez Elated and Wary
In a role-reversing moment, Republicans have thrown strong and vocal support behind comprehensive immigration reform efforts this week. Long-time advocate, Democrat Rep. Luis Gutierrez says the November election may have done for the cause what all his years of hectoring the political class could not.
| |
|
| March 21, 2013
Judy's Notebook: Three Years Later, Still in the Dark on the Affordable Care Act
A new study released by the Kaiser Family Health Foundation shows that Americans remain uninformed and divided over the Affordable Care Act. In fact, they understand less about the act and what it covers now than they did three years ago when it was signed into law.
| |
|
| March 21, 2013
Budget Battle Heats Up as Threat of Shutdown Fades
With the Senate having advanced a bill Wednesday to avert a government shutdown and the House expected to follow suit Thursday, lawmakers are already embroiled in their next fiscal fight over the 2014 budget.
| |
|
| March 21, 2013
The Assault Weapons Ban as Understood by a 2nd Amendment Scholar
In light of Congress' recent failure to pass an assault weapons ban, Kwame Holman speaks with Second Amendment expert Joyce Lee Malcom how the Second Amendment came to be and what research suggests the framers of the Constitution original intentions.
| |
|
| March 20, 2013
News Wrap: Senate Passes Spending Bill to Keep Government Operating
In other news Wednesday, the Senate passed a spending bill to keep the government running through September, moving that legislation on to a vote in the U.S. House. Also, General Motors announced a recall of 27,000 of their vehicles due to automatic transmission problems.
| |
|
| March 20, 2013
As Obama Arrives in Israel, Senate Prepares for 'Vote-a-rama'
When President Barack Obama landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "It's good to get away from Congress." Perhaps that's because 5,900 miles away, senators were settling in for a marathon session of amendments and debate over legislation to fund the government beyond March.
| |
|
| March 19, 2013
Cantor Continues Outreach to Minority Groups
As Republicans work to reassess their party message and policy prescriptions for America, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has stepped up his outreach to minority groups who helped to re-elect President Barack Obama last fall.
| |
|
| March 19, 2013
Support for Gay Marriage Grows as Supreme Court Cases Near
A new national poll reflecting a major evolution on attitudes toward gay marriage highlights the continued cultural shifts on the issue one week before it faces a monumental test at the Supreme Court.
| |
|
| March 18, 2013
Republicans Take Stock of Losses, Map Strategy to Retake the White House
Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican National Committee, unveiled an unsparing, 98-page report on the party's 2012 presidential election loss. Gwen Ifill gets analysis from USA Today's Susan Page and Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report on the GOP's soul-searching and future-looking tactics.
| |
|
| March 18, 2013
Grassroots Groups Woo Young Conservatives at CPAC
While most cameras are fixed on the speakers and big-names at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, the NewsHour took a look at the volunteers, activists and conference attendees. This behind the scenes look revealed a focused effort to reach out and start a conversation with the growing millennial generation
| |
|
| March 18, 2013
Expanding the Tent: Republicans Court Diverse Conservatives
After conservatives at CPAC delivered their own autopsy of the 2012 election last week, the Republican National Committee today unveiled their expanded efforts to appeal to a wider range and more diverse group of conservatives through the Growth and Opportunity Project.
| |
|
| March 18, 2013
'The Button Man' Brings Flair to CPAC
Frank Enten, known simply as the "Button Man," set up shop to sell his wares at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) since its inception 40 years ago. And over the years, he has seen a lot of politicians, a lot of buttons and a lot of attendees as CPAC has grown.
| |
|
| March 18, 2013
The New GOP Playbook: More Outreach, Fewer Debates
Republican Party officials are openly charting a course out of the political wilderness, and say they hope to emerge on the other side no longer seeming like a "stuffy" group of old men and instead appealing to a broader coalition of voters.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Shields and Brooks on CPAC, Obama's Outreach to Congress, Pope Francis
New York Times columnist David Brooks and syndicated columnist Mark Shields talk with Judy Woodruff about who was and wasn't at the annual CPAC meeting, whether President Obama's bipartisan outreach to Congress will produce results, plus words on what the new pope's leadership may mean for the Catholic Church.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Conservative Activists Outline Political Future at CPAC Meeting
The annual CPAC gathering brought together conservatives, activists and possible 2016 candidates tapped with the responsibility to reshape and re-energize the Republican party. Kwame Holman gets reactions from attendees and looks at why some prominent GOP leaders, like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, won't be at the podium.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
News Wrap: CR Intrinsic to Pay $600 Million in SEC Insider Trading Settlement
In other news Friday, trading group CR Intrinsic will pay $600 million in a settlement with the SEC over allegations that a manager made trades on a drug for Alzheimer's disease. Also, the Vatican struck back at claims that Pope Francis didn't intervene or confront the bloody Argentine dictatorship starting in the late '70s.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Cruz vs. Feinstein, March Madness
In this edition of the Doubleheader, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk with Hari Sreenivasan about an exchange between two senators over assault weapons, plus March Madness.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Young Republican Attends CPAC to See Rising Stars of the GOP
Andy Reuss, an intern for Republican Sen. Mike Lee, got the chance to attend the 40th Conservative Political Action Conference. NewsHour followed this first-time attendee of CPAC as he spends the day listening to the rising stars of the conservative movement, collects swag, and meets with a variety of political organizations.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Republican Strategist Cites Clinton as Chance for GOP Comeback
After losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, political consultant Whit Ayres says it's time the Republican Party started focusing on new strategies and ideas to build up popular support for American conservativism. He tells Republicans to take Bill Clinton as an example.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Democrats, GOP Grapple With Internal Divisions
Republicans and Democrats end a week focused on bipartisanship with signs they are far from united within their own parties.
| |
|
| March 15, 2013
Watch Live: Conservative Activists Discuss Party Goals on Day Two of CPAC
On day two of CPAC, speakers will address conservatives from around the country about party goals and the challenges ahead for a new generation of conservative activists. Watch NewsHour's live stream to hear from Sens. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre and former Gov. Mitt Romney.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| March 14, 2013
News Wrap: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Ban on Assault-Style Weapons
In other news Thursday, the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee approved a new ban on assault weapons. Also, President Barack Obama met with both Senate Republicans and House Democrats on Capitol Hill to push a long-term budget agreement.
| |
|
| March 14, 2013
Judy's Notebook: What Is Happening In Washington?
The president spent an hour this week answering questions from his biggest critics -- House Republicans. This on the heels of a dinner with a dozen Senate Republicans, as yet another meeting is set with all 45 GOP members of the Senate. Has something gotten into the drinking water in the nation's capital?
| |
|
| March 14, 2013
President's Outreach to Hill Republicans Collides with CPAC
The olive branches extended over the course of the president's meetings this week on Capitol Hill -- he'll meet with Senate Republicans over lunch Thursday and House Democrats in the afternoon -- aren't expected to get much mention as 8,000 activists gather to hear some of the Republican party's top stars at CPAC.
| |
|
| March 14, 2013
Watch Live: Conservatives Congregate for Annual Political Action Conference
Over the next three days, more than 8,000 right-leaning political activists will gather in Washington, D.C., for the annual Conservative Action Political Caucus. Watch a live stream that features Thursday's speakers at the conference, including Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
| |
|
| March 13, 2013
Have Past Presidents Found a Winning Strategy in Bipartisanship?
As budget negotiations progress, President Barack Obama continues to emphasize bipartisanship. To examine if this approach has helped with politics and policies in the past, Judy Woodruff talks with presidential historian Michael Beschloss and Marc Hetherington, an author and political science professor at Vanderbilt University.
| |
|
| March 13, 2013
News Wrap: House Blocks Obama Administration's Welfare Work Waiver
In other news Wednesday, the House voted to block the Obama administration from allowing states to waive welfare work requirements. The GOP claimed the president was trying to destroy the 1996 welfare reform law. Also, a trial began in Steubenville, Ohio for two high school football players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl.
| |
|
| March 13, 2013
Obama Continues Outreach to Hill As Poll Numbers Dip
Much has been made about President Barack Obama's stepped up outreach to lawmakers on Capitol Hill aimed at boosting support for his fiscal policies. But there are fresh signs that the president should also keep an eye on his standing with the American people when it comes to his handling of the economy.
| |
|
| March 12, 2013
Rep. Paul Ryan Offers 'Opening Bid' on Budget Plan
House Budget chair Rep. Paul Ryan put forth a blueprint which he says would cut the federal deficit by $4.6 trillion over the next 10 years. Democrats dismissed the proposal, saying the math doesn't add up. Nancy Cook of National Journal joins Jeffrey Brown to explore the politics and math behind Paul's budget bid.
| |
|
| March 12, 2013
Ryan Set to Release GOP Budget Plan
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Tuesday will release his blueprint for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in October. The plan would seek to cut spending by $4.6 trillion over the next decade, while bringing the budget into balance without raising taxes.
| |
|
| March 11, 2013
Obama's Outreach to GOP Will Be Tested
The next few days should give President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans a clear sense of just how far apart the two sides are when it comes to reaching a long-term deal to reduce the nation's deficit.
| |
|
| March 8, 2013
Brooks and Marcus Discuss Washington's Effect on the Economy, Budget Deal Hopes
New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus talk with Jeffrey Brown about February's job report and how much politics and the government policy -- sequestration in particular -- effect the economy, plus the possibility of a bipartisan budget agreement and Rand Paul's John Brennan filibuster.
| |
|
| March 8, 2013
Colorado Senate Begins Voting on Gun Measures
The Colorado Senate began voting on seven gun control measures Friday that could serve as a barometer for the rest of the nation, as lawmakers around the country try to respond to the December mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
| |
|
| March 8, 2013
This Week From the Hill: Snowquester Fizzles, but Will Minimum Wage Rise?
While the "snowquester" was a bust, there were many other important events on Capitol Hill this week: CIA director John Brennan was confirmed after a 13-hour filibuster, Puerto Rico and Washington vied for Congress' attention and Sen. Tom Harkin proposed to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from the current $7.25.
| |
|
| March 8, 2013
Former GOP Senator Reflects on Presidential Meals and Meetings
Former Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl has a less-than-rosy account of President Barack Obama during early budget negotiations. The president, perceiving he had the upper hand, demanded GOP concessions. But with public approval polls dipping for the president, could Republicans hold more leveraging power?
| |
|
| March 8, 2013
Obama Steps Up Outreach to Republicans, But Hurdles Remain
The cherry blossoms are still a few weeks away from peak bloom, but olive branches are sprouting up all over Washington this week. One week after politicians in this town abandoned any hopes of a deal to avert $85 billion in budget cuts, the mood seems to have shifted toward possible compromise.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| March 7, 2013
Old Fashioned Filibuster Facts
All signs pointed to an easy confirmation of CIA director nominee John Brennan. That is until Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., took the Senate floor just before noon on Wednesday to filibuster the confirmation. Here are some facts and figures on filibusters.
| |
|
| March 7, 2013
Pelosi Hoping for 'Boldest Common Denominator' on Gun Control
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday sounded optimistic notes about two major legislative priorities on Capitol Hill: gun control and immigration. She sees the best chance for background check legislation, but also sees bipartisan support for gun trafficking measures. "On immigration I'm even more hopeful," she said.
| |
|
| March 7, 2013
Pelosi: For Budget Deal, 'Let's Talk' About Ensuring Strength of Entitlements
Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman reports on President Obama's new round of negotiations with Republicans on a long term deficit deal. Judy Woodruff talks with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi about the prospects of a bipartisan budget deal, the sequester cuts and the confirmation of CIA director John Brennan.
| |
|
| March 7, 2013
Paul Launches Filibuster Strike Against Administration's Drone Policy
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., took to the Senate floor for nearly 13 hours, vowing to "speak as long as it takes" to get clarification from the Obama administration on whether it has the authority to use unmanned aerial drones against U.S. citizens on American soil.
| |
|
| March 7, 2013
Judy's Notebook: Why Listening Is So Important (For a News Reporter)
Long ago, someone told me television -- even television news -- is like a big continuous conversation, and that it's always better when the next person speaking acknowledges what he or she just heard. I knew this, but decided to ignore it last week, thinking I needed to get quickly to the big story of the day. How wrong I was.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| March 6, 2013
House Moves Up Vote on Spending Bill as Snowstorm Bears Down on DC
House Republicans will hold a vote Wednesday on their stopgap measure to keep the federal government funded past March 27. The legislation, which seeks to remove the prospect of a potentially calamitous government shutdown, locks in post-sequester spending levels, but includes protections for defense and veterans programs.
| |
|
| March 5, 2013
Virginia Attorney General Criticizes Federal Government Overreach in New Book
Judy Woodruff talks with Ken Cuccinelli, attorney general of Virginia and gubernatorial candidate in that state, about his new book, "The Last Line of Defense," which explores the role of the federal government. Cuccinelli was the first state attorney general to sue the federal government over the health care reform law.
| |
|
| March 5, 2013
Virginia's Ken Cuccinelli on How to Manage Medicare
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the leading Republican candidate in the state's gubernatorial race, sat down with the NewsHour to discuss his new book's overarching theme -- the overreach of the federal government. We've excerpted a five minute preview of the conversation that will air in full Tuesday night.
| |
|
| March 5, 2013
Parties Look to Budget Battles with Sequestration a Reality
With Washington bracing for impact on two fronts -- ice expected to fall from the sky and across-the-board budget cuts slowly taking effect -- the conversation has shifted to the budget battle that will dominate the final days of winter.
| |
|
| March 4, 2013
This Week on the Hill
As members of Congress return to Washington amid post-sequester uncertainty, we pause to reflect on some of the non-fiscal matters faced on Capitol Hill last week.
| |
|
| March 4, 2013
Obama, Boehner Look Ahead to Next Budget Deadline
The next budget deadline is a little more than three weeks away, but President Obama and congressional Republicans appear no closer to resolving their differences that produced a stalemate over $85 billion in automatic spending cuts that kicked in last week.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Shields and Brooks on March Madness, Sequester
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields, New York Times columnist David Brooks and Hari Sreenivasan tackle March Madness allegiances and whether President Barack Obama is making friends and influencing people.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Shields and Brooks on the Cusp of Sequester, Voting Rights Act at Supreme Court
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the impending sequestration, strategies used by Democrats and Republicans to avoid the spending cuts and a provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act being argued at the Supreme Court.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Sequester Spotlight: Virginia's Military Region
Cathy Lewis, host of WHRO's "HearSay," says the cuts will have a dramatic effect on the the labor force in the military-rich Hampton Roads region, where on Tuesday President Barack Obama called on lawmakers to compromise.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Last Minute White House Meeting on Sequester Spurs Political Combat Not Progress
With no sequester deal achieved, $85 billion dollars in spending cuts are poised to take effect. Judy Woodruff reports on the response from the White House and congressional leaders, as well as what the cuts will mean for the coming weeks.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Sequestration Spotlight: Research Community Gets Involved
Add the nation's research community to those joining the chorus of upset voices decrying automatic, across-the-board spending cuts. The American Association for the Advancement of Science is calling on Congress to develop a solution, saying in a petition that sequestration is a threat to national competitiveness.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Sequester Kicking In After Failure to Communicate
There was much discussion in Washington this week on whether the impending failure to avert $85 billion in cuts to government programs -- the sequester -- resulted from a failure to communicate.
| |
|
| March 1, 2013
Lawmakers Head for Exits As Sequester Deadline Arrives
A day after competing proposals failed in the Senate, the focus of official Washington on Friday will turn to the White House, where President Obama and top congressional leaders are scheduled to sit down and discuss the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts that are set to kick-in before day's end.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
|
|
| FEBRUARY
Feb. 28, 2013
Congress Extends Violence Against Women Act, Ending Standstill
Almost 18 months after it expired, the House voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act and extend the law's protection to gays and lesbians, immigrants and Native Americans, among others. Judy Woodruff talks to Ashley Parker of the New York Times and Cindy Southworth from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
| |
|
| Feb. 28, 2013
News Wrap: Last Attempts by Lawmakers to Prevent Sequester Fail
In other news Thursday, it was "sequester eve" in Washington: the final day before $85 billion dollars in automatic spending cuts take effect. Also, the Obama administration plans to intervene in a challenge to California's gay marriage ban. The Justice Department is pushing the Supreme Court to strike down the ban.
| |
|
| Feb. 28, 2013
Up in Arms at the Nation's Gun Show
At the largest gun show in the Washington, D.C., region, showgoers shared their opinions on the proposals to expand gun control and their own experiences with firearms.
| |
|
| Feb. 28, 2013
Despite Votes Today, Sequester Deadlines Will Come and Go
President Obama and congressional leaders will huddle Friday, after automatic cuts to defense and domestic spending will have already kicked in, in a last-ditch attempt to negotiate a solution. But before that takes place, Senate lawmakers will vote Thursday on competing Republican and Democratic plans to address the sequester.
| |
|
| Feb. 27, 2013
Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks Immortalized With Statue at U.S. Capitol
A statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. Parks was the first woman and only the second African-American to lie in state in the rotunda after she died in 2005. Gwen Ifill reports on the ceremony.
| |
|
| Feb. 27, 2013
Examining the Political Push for Tighter Gun Laws, Assault Weapons Ban
Parents of the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary advocated to the Senate for stricter gun laws, and California Democrat Sen. Diane Feinstein called for a ban on assault weapons. Ray Suarez reports on the political push to address gun violence.
| |
|
| Feb. 27, 2013
Sequester Stalemate Leads to Salty Talk, Little Dialogue
Tuesday may have marked a new low in sequestration rhetoric, with congressional leaders trading barbs over which party is sitting on its collective keister when it comes to figuring out a way to avert the automatic spending cuts set to take effect this week.
| |
|
| Feb. 26, 2013
Remembering the Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Supreme Court's attention on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allows PBS NewsHour to look back in history, too. We asked viewers to share memories surrounding the passage of the law and the civil rights era. We received nearly 70 calls from 26 states.
| |
|
| Feb. 26, 2013
Did Embattled Confirmation Process Weaken New Defense Secretary Hagel?
The Senate voted to confirm former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel as the next defense secretary by a vote of 58-41, after 18 Republicans joined with Democrats to end a filibuster blocking the nominee. Judy Woodruff talks to Mark Thompson of Time magazine about whether the confirmation fight affects Hagel at the start of his tenure.
| |
|
| Feb. 26, 2013
Our Past Still Speaks: Re-examining the Voting Rights Act
Whether or not you support the continued renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there are questions surrounding it worth pondering because the answers are not easy. This is a country where plenty has changed in race relations since 1965, but our past still speaks. Now it's up to the Supreme Court to decide how loudly.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Feb. 26, 2013
Obama Visits Virginia Shipyard to Put Sequester Squeeze on GOP
President Obama will visit a Virginia shipyard Tuesday to warn of the negative consequences from automatic spending cuts set to take effect later this week, in a bid to pressure congressional Republicans to accept a deal to replace the sequester that includes a mix of revenues and reductions.
| |
|
| Feb. 26, 2013
Guns and Outside Money Factor into Illinois' Special Primary
Voters in Chicago head to the polls for primary elections Tuesday to pick the likely successor to former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in the strongly Democratic 2nd congressional district in Illinois. Paris Schutz of WTTW discusses the frontrunners, the campaigns' focus on gun violence and the influence of outside money on the race.
| |
|
| Feb. 25, 2013
Sen. Leahy: Time for U.S. and Cuba to Discuss Relationship, 'Realities of Today'
Sen. Patrick Leahy returned from a congressional delegation to Cuba, where U.S. lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to secure the release of American Alan Gross, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence. Ray Suarez talks to the senator about that trip and about President Raoul Castro's announcement he will leave office in 2018.
| |
|
| Feb. 25, 2013
Despite Gloomy Urgings, No Signs of Give From Congress on Sequester
In a meeting with the nation's governors, President Obama urged members of congress to forget politics and get back to governing to prevent automatic spending cuts. Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times and Margaret Talev of Bloomberg News talk with Judy Woodruff about the effects of the sequester and how it may get resolved.
| |
|
| Feb. 25, 2013
Debt, Deficits and the Defense Budget
As Washington debates deficit reduction proposals, a Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder explains the so-called "sequestration" automatic budget cuts and how they might impact national security.
| |
|
| Feb. 25, 2013
Prospects for Deal to Avert Sequester Appear Grim
A central question hangs in the air as the week begins. (And, no, it doesn't involve the First Lady's appearance at Sunday's Oscars.) Can President Obama and Congress defy the odds and come to a deal before Friday, when $85 billion in automatic cuts to defense and domestic spending are scheduled to begin taking effect?
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Chinese Hacking, Oscar Picks
On the Doubleheader, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the revelations that a Chinese military unit has been targeting the U.S. in cyber-espionage, as well as what movies we think may win Academy Awards.
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Sequester Blame Game, Immigration Reform
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks analyze the week's news with Judy Woodruff, including the impending automatic spending cuts due to hit next week and immigration reform.
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
Obama Seeks Support for Economic Policy From Prominent Black Leaders
President Obama met Thursday with leaders of the NAACP, the National Black Justice Coalition, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and other prominent groups largely focused on the needs of African-Americans. The president explained how policy in his second term does and will benefit black communities.
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
Transportation Secretary Warns Sequestration Would Disrupt Air Travel
With sequestration due to take effect in a week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned that automatic spending cuts would disrupt air travel and cause a myriad of problems. Lisa Rein of the Washington Post joins Ray Suarez to discuss about what's reality, what's hype, and the Republican response to the imposing cuts.
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
What Democrats and the NRA May Have in Common over Gun Policy
Just how do Americans feel about gun control? Researchers at Johns Hopkins examined just that in two recent surveys. The results may not surprise - Democrats showed more support for stricter gun policies than NRA members - but they do shed light on policies that Americans agree on the most, including stricter background checks.
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
Americans Support Range of Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence
Recent public opinion data suggests lawmakers might have more success passing less controversial policies that researchers say also may have an appreciable effect on reducing gun violence. We look at some of those recommendations.
| |
|
| Feb. 22, 2013
President's Campaign Arm Making Gun Control Push
Even as a government spending crisis nears, President Obama and Vice President Biden have been working steadily on gun control measures, both in public and private.
| |
|
| Feb. 21, 2013
Republican Governors Rethink Opposition to Medicaid Expansion
At first, many Republican governors actively opposed expanding the Medicaid program and said they would not participate. Now, some of them, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott, have reconsidered. Judy Woodruff talks to Paul Howard of the Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute and Ron Pollack of Families USA.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Feb. 21, 2013
Judy's Notebook: On Smartphone Apps, Sequesters and Girls' Volleyball
The deadline for agreement on sequestration is March 1. Whichever side you favor, the American public appears to be weary at best -- and disgusted at worst -- by yet one more example of Washington brinksmanship.
| |
|
| Feb. 21, 2013
For Obama, Public Opinion on Sequester May Not Be Enough
Two polls out Thursday show record support for President Obama over congressional Republicans on the sequester battle that is consuming political debate this week.
| |
|
| Feb. 20, 2013
News Wrap: Jesse Jackson Jr. Pleads Guilty to Campaign Spending Fraud
In other news Wednesday, Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to spending $750,000 of campaign funds on personal items. Also, the Obama administration launched a new strategy to fight cyber theft in light of a recent report showing a Chinese military unit hacked more that 140 U.S. computer systems.
| |
|
| Feb. 20, 2013
Defense Secretary Panetta Warns Automatic Spending Cuts Could Mean Furlough
Automatic spending cuts will take effect in March if a budget deal cannot be reached. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said he may resort to furloughing the department's civilian workers. Judy Woodruff assesses what the cuts would mean for the U.S. military with Ashton Carter, deputy secretary of defense.
| |
|
| Feb. 20, 2013
Loaded Words: How Both Sides Are Using Persuasive Rhetoric About Guns
The traditional "gun control" side has zeroed in on the negative effects of guns, namely violence. Meanwhile, the traditional "gun rights" side is talking less about guns and more about how they are misused, shifting the focus to mental health and tougher enforcement of current laws.
| |
|
| Feb. 20, 2013
Kerry: U.S. Must Get Its Finances in Order
Secretary of State John Kerry emphasized the need for the United States to get its finances in order, else it will look weak abroad, in a speech he delivered at the University of Virginia on Wednesday -- his first major policy address since becoming secretary at the end of January.
| |
|
| Feb. 20, 2013
With Sequester Looming, Obama Keeps Up Pressure on GOP
Nine days, and the only thing certain is more uncertainty. With competing proposals to stave off $85 billion in automatic cuts to domestic and Pentagon spending -- set to take effect March 1 -- no closer to becoming reality and Congress out of town, there's more blaming than action.
| |
|
| Feb. 19, 2013
Public Opinion May Support Expanded Gun Sale Background Checks
As part of a package of proposals aimed at preventing gun violence, President Obama is calling on Congress to pass legislation that strengthens the background check system on guns sales.
| |
|
| Feb. 19, 2013
White House Reporters Frustrated With Obama Administration
Is it bad for democracy when a president answers impromptu questions from the press 107 times after a photo opportunity, compared with his predecessor's 355? Or that he's more likely to dish with the ladies of "The View" than he is to sit down with the New York Times?
| |
|
| Feb. 18, 2013
Obama's Leaked Immigration Plan, Golfing Trip Cause Stir
What will generate more outrage on President's Day: a leaked legislative blueprint for immigration reform or a golf outing with Tiger Woods? President Obama jaunted to Florida for some time with the guys this holiday weekend, but since Washington never takes a break from politics, it was anything but quiet back home.
| |
|
| Feb. 15, 2013
Shields and Gerson Discuss GOP Hold Up on Hagel, Looming Sequester
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson discuss public opinion versus the political battle on gun control, Congress heading home without a 'sequester' deal, the filibuster to block Chuck Hagel's nomination vote and takeaways from President Obama's State of the Union.
| |
|
| Feb. 15, 2013
To Reid's Disgust, Senate Republicans Delay Vote on Hagel
Republicans used a procedural move to block a vote on the confirmation of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary. But the high drama does little to change the bottom line: Hagel is still likely to be installed as defense secretary.
| |
|
| Feb. 14, 2013
Defense Secretary Nominee Hagel Faces More Hurdles in Bid for Nomination
Chuck Hagel's nomination as defense secretary was delayed when Senate Republicans called for a filibuster. Outgoing secretary Leon Panetta, due to leave his post Feb. 14th, will stay until his successor is confirmed. Jeffrey Brown has the latest with Time Magazine’s Mark Thompson and Public Radio International's Todd Zwillich.
| |
|
| Feb. 14, 2013
House Freshmen Feel the Call to Action After State of the Union Address
In his State of the Union Address, Pres. Obama called Congress to address climate change, gun control, and federal budget. Judy Woodruff talks with four House freshmen, Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz; Joaquin Castro, D-Texas; Luke Messer, R-Ind.; and Doug Collins, R-Ga., about their new positions and the president's priorities.
| |
|
| Feb. 14, 2013
News Wrap: U.N. Fails to Access Iran's Nuclear Sites
In other news Thursday, Senate Democrats took action to prevent the 'sequester,' which is set to take effect March first. United Nations inspectors have again failed to gain access to Iran's nuclear sites. Across the world, people rallied together to protest violence against women.
| |
|
| Feb. 14, 2013
Obama Takes His State of the Union Message on the Road and Online
President Barack Obama is participating in a live "Fireside Hangout" Thursday via Google Plus from the White House's Roosevelt Room, where he will answer participants' questions about the policies he laid out in Tuesday's State of the Union address. Watch a live stream of the event at 4:50 p.m. ET today.
| |
|
| Feb. 14, 2013
Senators Haggle Over Hagel Confirmation Vote
Dismayed over the Obama administration's response to the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and emboldened by Chuck Hagel's shaky performance at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, GOP lawmakers have launched an effort to delay a full vote on the president's defense secretary nominee.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
Lawmakers Begin Contemplating Action for 11 Million Undocumented Immigrants
In Sen. Marco Rubio's State of the Union response he called for a solution to the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Is a bipartisan immigration reform plan the answer? Margaret Warner discusses the question with Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and Manu Raju, senior reporter at Politico.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
Help Us Translate the 2013 State of the Union Address
Do you read or write in a language other than English? If so, the PBS NewsHour needs your help. Please join our all-volunteer captioning and translation team, and help us translate President Barack Obama's 2013 State of the Union address and Sen. Marco Rubio's Republican response.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
State of the Union: 4 Takes on Afghanistan, Syria, President's Style
Along with urging action on guns and jobs, President Obama touched on some foreign policy points, including the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran. We asked four foreign policy analysts whose specialties range from Afghanistan to nonproliferation to give us their takes.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
How Undocumented Immigrants Sometimes Receive Medicaid Treatment
While federal law generally bars undocumented immigrants from being covered by Medicaid, a little-known part of the health insurance program for the poor pays about $2 billion a year for emergency treatment for a group of patients who mostly comprise undocumented immigrants.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
President Obama Challenges Congress to Help Middle Class
The message at the heart of President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night centered on lifting up the economy and challenging members of Congress to work with him to help improve the lives of middle class Americans.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
Undocumented Immigrant Testifies at Senate Hearing on Immigration Reform
Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas testified before the the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday about his experience as an undocumented immigrant in America. The hearing was the Senate's first official step toward crafting a bill to deal with comprehensive immigration reform.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
Members of Congress React to President Obama's Bipartisan Pitch
President Barack Obama's State of the Union, which called for bipartisanship in Congress on a swath of issues -- from economic policy to gun control and immigration reform -- didn't fall onto deaf ears.
| |
|
| Feb. 13, 2013
EPA Contaminated by Conflict of Interest
In 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency was poised to cite evidence of cancer risks in hexavalent chromium, a chemical found in tap water. Yet a special EPA panel urged the agency to delay action, citing research by the American Chemistry Council, a powerful industry lobby. How influential was the ACC in the EPA's decision?
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Hanging Out With the NewsHour: State of the Union Reactions
Politics editor Christina Bellantoni gets reaction to President Obama's yearly address by talking with voters, journalists and a Tufts University historian in a Google+ Hangout after the State of the Union.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Obama: Nation Stronger, GOP Should Back His Plans
President Barack Obama urged a deeply divided Congress Tuesday night to embrace his plans to use government money to create jobs and strengthen the nation's middle class. He declared Republican ideas for reducing the deficit "even worse" than the unpalatable deals Washington had to stomach during his first term.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
State of the Union: President Obama Proposes Smarter, Not Bigger, Government
President Obama gave his fourth State of the Union address, focusing on the economy and proposals to boost economic performance without adding to the deficit. The president also touched on climate change and renewable energy, raising the minimum wage, education and job training, immigration reform, Afghanistan and gun control.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Shields and Brooks: Using SOTU to Set Agenda, Tackle 'New Budget Reality'
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss with Judy Woodruff what they're looking for in President Obama's first State of the Union address of his second term, the current political and economic realities and whether State of the Union speeches really matter.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Offers State of the Union Preview
Judy Woodruff gets a preview of President Obama's first State of the Union of his second term from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who offers a sense of what Americans can expect from the speech, as well as the president's reactions to critics.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Join Us for a State of the Union Google Hangout
Before President Obama makes his State of the Union address tonight, join PBS NewsHour for a Google Hangout hosted by politics editor Christina Bellantoni.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Volunteer Translators Give Obama's State of the Union Global Reach
With more than 850 volunteers, PBS NewsHour's translating community -- powered through the translation platform Amara -- helps give U.S. news reports global reach.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
'Designated Survivor' Most Powerful Man (or Woman) for Three Hours
By tradition, one Cabinet secretary is chosen every year to be the "designated survivor" and skip the president's speech in the case that those seated together in the confined House Chamber were wiped by an attack on the Capitol and the line of presidential succession was no longer functional.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Behind Every President, There is a Speechwriter
Cabinet Secretaries prowling the halls for clues, White House staffers crafting secret policy -- it sounds straight out of the TV drama "The West Wing." But it's non-fiction, and has taken place in the run up to previous presidents' State of the Union speeches.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
What is Your State of the Union in 2013?
PBS NewsHour follows up with some of our favorite stories from the past yearand we ask them what they see in the year to come.
| |
|
| Feb. 12, 2013
Obama to Focus on Economy in State of the Union Address
President Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union address Tuesday evening, laying out the policy pieces to fill in the sweeping vision he put forward at his second inauguration a little more than three weeks ago.
| |
|
| Feb. 11, 2013
Do You Remember When the Voting Rights Act Passed? Tell Us Your Story
For 48 years, the Voting Rights Act has been one of the most prominent pieces of civil rights legislation. Its aim: to ensure that people in areas with a history of racial discrimination receive fair treatment when they vote. PBS NewsHour wants to hear from viewers about their memories of the law via our Oral History Hotline.
| |
|
| Feb. 11, 2013
Obama Weighs Use of Executive Authority, Set for State of the Union
President Obama is prepared to exert executive authority on a host of issues, from strengthening protections for gays, to toughening regulations as part of an energy platform and to helping homeowners with refinancing mortgages.
| |
|
| Feb. 8, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Bush Family Email Hacking, Super Bowl Results
For our regular examination of the politics of sport and the sport of politics with syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks, we tackle the revelation that members of the Bush Family had their email hacked.
| |
|
| Feb. 8, 2013
White House Report: Maneuvers Ahead of Sequester Deadline
The next set of automatic budget cuts in the ongoing fiscal tug-of-war between the White House and Congressional Republicans -- the so-called sequester -- will take effect March 1 unless another deal to avert the sudden, steep reductions in government spending is reached.
| |
|
| Feb. 8, 2013
Shields and Brooks on DOJ Drone Memo, Brennan Hearing, Syria Strategy
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk to Judy Woodruff about the week's political news, including CIA director nominee John Brennan's confirmation hearing, the leaking of a Justice Department memo justifying targeted killing and the Syria strategy split within the Obama administration.
| |
|
| Feb. 8, 2013
Brennan Welcomes 'Discussion' About Drones, Defends Policy on Strikes
As President Obama's choice to be the next director of the CIA, John Brennan faced tough questions Thursday at his confirmation hearing from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee frustrated with the administration's approach to fighting terrorism.
| |
|
| Feb. 7, 2013
A Look at Senate Appointees as Cowan Joins Their Ranks
Appointments to the Senate only began after 1913, when the 17th Amendment gave U.S. citizens the power to elect senators, giving governors the ability to appoint a replacement for a senator if they were to die, resign or be expelled from office. And several senate appointees of the 20th century rose to the highest ranks.
| |
|
| Feb. 7, 2013
Brennan Defends Drone, Intelligence Policies at CIA Confirmation Hearing
John Brennan, President Obama's nominee to head the CIA, faced tough questioning during his first confirmation hearing, defending his positions on intelligence policy and drone warfare. Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman recaps the hearing and explores why Brennan withdrew his nomination for the same post in 2008.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Feb. 7, 2013
Meet Mo Cowan, Massachusetts's Newest Senator
Never before in the history of our nation have two African-Americans served in the U.S. Senate at the same time. That is, until Democrat William "Mo" Cowan was sworn in as Massachusetts's new senator on Thursday. Cowan will serve on an interim basis filling the seat vacated by former Sen. John Kerry.
| |
|
| Feb. 7, 2013
Brennan Hearing Spotlights Drone Attacks and Targeted Killings
Torture techniques and targeted killings came up at the top of CIA director nominee John Brennan's Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. "I never believe it's better to kill a terrorist than detain him," because of the information detainees could provide, he said.
| |
|
| Feb. 7, 2013
Brennan to Face Tough Questions on Drones Memo
With the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA potentially in jeopardy, President Obama reversed course Wednesday, directing the Justice Department to the two congressional intelligence committees access to classified memos about targeted overseas killings of American citizens suspected of being terrorists.
| |
|
| Feb. 6, 2013
Cabinet Shuffle: Obama Taps REI Executive Sally Jewell for Interior Secretary
President Obama named Recreational Equipment Inc. executive Sally Jewell to replace Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior. Gwen Ifill talks to National Journal's Coral Davenport, Greg Ip of The Economist and Julie Rovner from NPR about the appointment and remaining Cabinet vacancies at the start of the president's new term.
| |
|
| Feb. 6, 2013
Obama Pressures Republicans to Prevent Sequester
President Obama is challenging congressional Republicans to accept higher taxes in a renewed effort to stave off sequester cuts expected March 1.
| |
|
| Feb. 5, 2013
President Obama Tackles Tough Issues Through Campaign-Style Stumping
President Obama has been using campaign-style events to push his legislative agenda, including a recent trip to Minnesota, where he spoke about increasing gun control. Ray Suarez discusses the president's tactic with Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and Christi Parsons, syndicated White House correspondent.
| |
|
| Feb. 5, 2013
Leaked Drone Memo Creates More Questions Than Answers
Until now, it was not known what legal framework the U.S. government operated under when ordering the killing of its citizens. But last night, NBC News published a secret but unclassified Justice Department memo that outlines the administration's legal case for some of these killings.
| |
|
| Feb. 5, 2013
Cantor to Present Way Forward for GOP
On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., hopes to present a way forward out of the political darkness in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington titled "Making Life Work," which will offer a more cheerful vision for how government can improve the lives of the American people.
| |
|
| Feb. 4, 2013
Obama Goes on the Road to Push for Gun Legislation
For the first time since unveiling his sweeping plan to reduce gun violence last month, President Obama will hit the road Monday in support of his proposal, looking to build up public opinion behind the measure as a way of bolstering its prospects on Capitol Hill.
| |
|
| Feb. 1, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Scott Brown, Super Bowl and Deer Antler Spray
On this edition of the Doubleheader, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks begin with the decision by former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown to not seek the seat vacated by John Kerry. Plus, the pundits pick Super Bowl favorites.
| |
|
| Feb. 1, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Hagel's Rough Hearing, Movement on Immigration
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk with Judy Woodruff about Hillary Clinton leaving the State Department, Chuck Hagel's first confirmation hearing for Decretary of Defense, as well as congressional testimony on gun control and political momentum for immigration reform.
| |
|
| Feb. 1, 2013
Ed Koch and a City on the Brink
Throughout his mayoralty and in the years after, New York's Ed Koch remained the irrepressible and surprising politician who became a nationally-known figure in a way most mayors never do. No one, not even his fiercest political foes, ever doubted his single-minded devotion to his work, or his love for the city.
| |
|
| Feb. 1, 2013
Evangelicals Use Bible to Champion Immigration Reform
National evangelical leaders are coming together in an expansive grassroots effort to pass bipartisan immigration reform, including an easier path to citizenship. These leaders hope to change many evangelicals' minds about immigration through theology.
| |
|
| Feb. 1, 2013
This Week on the Hill: Senate Gang Signs, Hagel's Day and a Surprise Guest
Here is NewsHour's round-up of happenings on Capitol Hill in Washington this week, including the new "Gang of Eight"'s mission for immigration reform, Chuck Hagel's eight-hour nomination hearing for the soon-to-be open defense secretary position and former Rep. Gabby Giffords' appearance at a meeting to debate guns.
| |
|
| Feb. 1, 2013
Hagel Endures Rough Ride at Nomination Hearing
Welcome to the other side of the dais, Chuck Hagel. The former Republican senator from Nebraska faced a barrage of tough questions Thursday, mostly from GOP members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who took aim at Hagel's past comments and votes on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
|
|
| JANUARY
Jan. 31, 2013
Al Gore's 'Future' Tackles Technology, Global Economy, American Democracy
Former Vice President Al Gore's new book, "The Future: Six Drivers of Climate Change," examines major shifts in science, technology, the global economy and democracy. Jeffrey Brown talks with the Nobel Prize winner about his vision of the future, as well as the recent sale of Gore's television network Current to Al-Jazeera.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Al Gore: Public Conditioned to Accept Atmosphere as 'Open Sewer'
Former Vice President Al Gore expressed concern over the power of special interest on the issue of climate change. “The public is lulled into an acceptance of going along with this policy of using the atmosphere as an open sewer,” Gore told the PBS NewsHour.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
News Wrap: Senate Votes to Suspend Debt Limit Until May
In other news Thursday, the Senate voted to suspend the debt limit through mid-May 2013, allowing the government to continue borrowing to pay its bills. Also, American personal incomes hit an eight-year high in December 2012.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Chuck Hagel Defends Record at Confirmation Hearing
Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, nominee for secretary of defense, faced pointed questioning at his confirmation hearing. Fellow Republicans, including Sen. John McCain, interrogated Hagel on his past opposition to the surge of U.S. troops into Iraq. Judy Woodruff reports on the contentious exchanges in Congress.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Hillary Clinton Says Farewell in Final Days as Secretary of State
On her penultimate day as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton made remarks in Washington regarding American democracy and the path ahead for U.S. foreign relations and diplomacy. She emphasized a changing landscape with a broadened set of players.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Process and Prospects for Same-Sex Marriage in Rhode Island
The Rhode Island State Senate is scheduled to vote on a same-sex marriage bill that was passed by the state's House on Jan. 24. Rhode Island is the only New England state that has not yet legalized gay marriage and even with a strong Democrat majority, there has been resistance and the bill's passage is far from secured.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Obama Keeps Up Pressure for Gun Laws, Immigration Reform
As the push for expanded gun control moves forward, President Obama is urging for speedy deliberations on immigration reform legislation and warning he'll get more involved if there is a lag.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Live Blog: Hagel Confirmation Hearing as Secretary of Defense
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., faced questions on possible looming spending cuts at the Pentagon and his support for U.S. ally Israel during his confirmation hearing Thursday to become secretary of defense.
| |
|
| Jan. 31, 2013
Judy's Notebook: My Mom
It's hard for me to write this. But I want to pay tribute to Anna Lee Woodruff, an extraordinary, selfless woman and beautiful grandmother who in her quiet determined way was a role model for her two daughters, and who left a lasting impression on so many who knew her.
| |
|
| Jan. 30, 2013
Obama's Immigration Push to Test Limits of Bipartisan Framework
In his call for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration system on Tuesday, President Obama was at once signaling the importance of the issue to his second term agenda and testing how much pressure the bipartisan framework being developed in the Senate could withstand.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
In Some States, Political Ads Take Aim at Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel
Political ads both on TV and in newspapers have been launched against Chuck Hagel, nominee for Secretary of Defense. Judy Woodruff talks with New York Times reporter Jim Rutenberg about who may be behind the campaigns and what affect they may have.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
Defense Department Budget Will Be Major Questioning Point for Nominee Hagel
Confirmation hearings will soon begin for former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, tapped to replace Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense. Hagel will likely face sharp questioning, especially about the Pentagon's budget crisis. Kwame Holman reports on the defense department's budget shortage.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
News Wrap: Judge Approves BP Oil Spill Settlement Worth $4 Billion
British Petroleum agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter and other charges. The company will also pay four billion dollars in criminal penalties in connection to the 2010 Deep Water Discovery oil spill in the Gulf Coast. Senator John Kerry, D-Mass. is confirmed as secretary of state, replacing Hillary Clinton.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
Obama Embraces Bipartisan Senate Blueprint for Immigration Reform
President Obama endorsed a bipartisan immigration plan crafted by eight senators, but that blueprint may face 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.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
Obama Says 'Now Is the Time' for Comprensive Immigration Reform
At a high school in Las Vegas, President Obama outlined his vision for comprehensive immigration reform, insisting that "now is the time" for action while embracing a bipartisan plan detailed by the so-called "Gang of Eight" senators.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
Obama Immigration Speech Expected to Call for Legislation
President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks at 2:55 p.m. ET Tuesday on immigration reform from Del Sol High School in Las Vegas. Obama is expected to speak on the need for the U.S. to fix its broken immigration system, embracing a renewed effort to tackle the issue by a bipartisan group of senators.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
Two Takes: Advocates React to Immigration Reform Proposals
With immigration reform in the spotlight this week, the NewsHour wanted to hear from people who have worked in the trenches on the issue over the last few years. We hosted an advocate who leans liberal and one who leans conservative to get their take on the new bipartisan push from Senators on Capitol Hill and President Obama.
| |
|
| Jan. 29, 2013
Rubio Leads Charge to Sway Conservatives on Immigration
The dynamics of the push to pass true immigration reform through Congress have all the makings of a political melodrama. Much of the reporting out Tuesday focuses on the uphill battle ahead and 2016 presidential ambitions -- with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as the focal point.
| |
|
| Jan. 28, 2013
News Wrap: President Obama Talks Gun Violence Prevention With Police Chiefs
In other news Monday, President Obama met to talk about gun violence with police chiefs from Aurora, Colo., Oak Creek, Wis., and Newtown, Conn., sites of the three worst mass shootings in 2012. Also, a $50 billion dollar disaster aid measure for victims of Hurricane Sandy moved towards final approval in the Senate.
| |
|
| Jan. 28, 2013
Bipartisan Group of Senators Offers Outline of Immigration Reform
A bipartisan group of eight senators will unveil a blueprint Monday aimed at achieving immigration reform in the next year, just as President Obama prepares to mount a legislative push of his own with a speech in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
| |
|
| Jan. 25, 2013
Shields, Brooks on Obama's Second Term and Hillary Clinton's Exit From State
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk to Jeffrey Brown about what's ahead for President Obama's first 100 days during his second term, an identity crisis for the Republican Party, John Kerry's vision for foreign policy at his confirmation hearing and Hillary Clinton's legacy at State.
| |
|
| Jan. 25, 2013
News Wrap: Obama Chooses Foreign Policy Adviser for New Chief of Staff
In other news Friday, President Obama selected his foreign policy advisor Denis McDonough to replace Jack Lew as White House chief of staff. Meanwhile the Defense Department began eliminating 46,000 Pentagon jobs held by temporary civilian workers, in response to mandatory spending cuts expected to take effect March 1.
| |
|
| Jan. 25, 2013
Court Rules Recess National Labor Relations Board Appointments Unconstitutional
A federal appeals court ruled President Obama's appointments to the National Labor Relations Board made during a congressional recess were unconstitutional. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Steven Greenhouse of The New York Times for more on how the ruling could weaken presidential power to make recess appointments going forward.
| |
|
| Jan. 25, 2013
Background Checks Don't Threaten Second Amendment, Biden Says
Vice President Biden said that a proposal to require background checks on all gun sales won't endanger second amendment rights.
| |
|
| Jan. 25, 2013
This Week on the Hill
It was a busy week on Capitol Hill. Barack Obama was sworn in twice for his second term as president (once ceremonially and once for real) and Republicans gave in unilaterally on extending the debt ceiling.
| |
|
| Jan. 25, 2013
Senate Approves Bipartisan Filibuster Reform, but Changes Are Modest
Democratic senators failed Wednesday to end the power of their minority party colleagues to halt legislation, with Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reaching a deal to (slightly) change the filibuster's rules.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
Vice President Biden Finds New Venue to Talk Up Proposed Actions on Gun Violence
A week after President Obama unveiled a sweeping list of proposals to address gun violence, Vice President Biden hosted a Google+ Hangout with Hari Sreenivasan to talk to Americans and answer questions on the gun debate. NewsHour political editor Christina Bellantoni weighs in on where the gun fight stands in Congress.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
Confirmation Hearings Begin for Secretary of State Nominee Sen. John Kerry
In the wake of outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's testimony on the Benghazi attack, her presumptive successor Sen. John Kerry begins confirmation hearings. Kwame Holman reports on the proceedings and Jeffrey Brown talks with two former presidential national security advisers, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Stephen Hadley.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
News Wrap: Obama Announces Two Nominations for Heads of Regulatory Agencies
In other news Thursday, President Obama nominated former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Also, the U.S. Senate agreed to limit the use of filibusters, including restricting time spent debating bills and nominations.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
Biden: Limit on Magazine Rounds a Bigger Priority
In a Google Plus hangout Thursday moderated by the NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan, Vice President Joe Biden addressed many issues about gun safety, from an assault weapons ban and background checks to armed guards in schools and mental health resources.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
A 'Fireside Hangout' to Discuss Gun Violence With Vice President Biden
Hari Sreenivasan moderates a Google Plus "fireside hangout" with Vice President Biden on gun control issues. Learn more about how you can submit a question for the vice president to be answered in the live discussion scheduled for 1:45 p.m. ET Jan. 24.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
John Kerry Faces Senators' Questions at Confirmation Hearing
On Thursday morning, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., returns to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he chaired, but this time he'll be sitting in front of the dais and answering senators' questions at his confirmation hearing as secretary of state.
| |
|
| Jan. 24, 2013
Battle Over Gun Legislation Heats Up
On Thursday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will introduce a ban on assault weapons. The legislation would ban the sale, transfer, importation and manufacture of assault weapons, as well as ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
| |
|
| Jan. 23, 2013
A Look at GOP Congressional Priorities as U.S. House Forgoes Debt Ceiling Fight
The U.S. House voted to extend the nation's debt limit for another three months. Can the Republican party use fiscal issues to regain its footing? Gwen Ifill talks with Susan Page of USA Today and Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report and Roll Call.
| |
|
| Jan. 23, 2013
Boehner Gets Conservative Support for Debt Ceiling Plan
House Republicans will move forward with a vote Wednesday on a plan that would suspend enforcement of the country's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit until May 18, pushing off what likely would have been a bruising fight in the next couple of weeks with potentially harmful consequences for the economic recovery.
| |
|
| Jan. 22, 2013
Wayne LaPierre Responds to Obama's Inaugural Address
Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, responded Tuesday to President Barack Obama's second inaugural address. LaPierre criticized the president for using language that he says demonizes his opponents, including Republicans and the NRA.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Jan. 22, 2013
U.S. Air Force Band Gives Honor to President, Motivates Military
After weeks of planning, hundreds of members of the U.S. Air Force Band and Honor Guard stationed in the Washington, D.C., area are set to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to play for President Barack Obama during the 2013 Inaugural parade.
| |
|
| Jan. 22, 2013
Obama Outlines Incomplete 'Journey' in Sweeping Start to Second Term
President Obama took a place in history Monday as the second commander in chief to take the oath of office four times, and his inaugural address was a forceful defense of the role of government in solving problems.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Shields and Brooks: More Sure-Footed Obama Lays Out Long Game
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk to Gwen Ifill about the content and tone of the 2013 inaugural address, including President Obama's mentions of climate change and social programs, and a greater sense of resolution and progressivism in his delivery.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Merchandising the Inauguration
A large part of celebrating the inauguration of a president is buying souvenirs. The second inauguration of President Obama was different as vendors lined the streets of downtown Washington, D.C., hoping to make a sale.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Familiar Faces at the Inauguration
Familiar Faces at the 2013 Inauguration of Barack Obama
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Inauguration Goers on Memorable Moments from Obama's Speech
In his second inaugural address, President Obama spoke of an ever changing America. He weaved in references from Abraham Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence to Martin Luther King Jr. Here some reactions from Americans and foreigners who witnessed the address in Washington D.C.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
The Inauguration's Other Side: Activists Talk Back
activism along the parade route
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Great Expectations for Obama's Second term
There were approximately a million less people in attendance at this year's inaugural ceremonies for President Barack Obama than four years ago, but everyone we talked to had high expectations as he embarks on his second term.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Inauguration 2013 Highlights
President Obama is sworn into a second term in office on Jan. 21, 2013. View highlights of the inaugural festivities.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Beyonce Performs the National Anthem at President Obama's Inauguration
Beyonce Knowles sings the national anthem at President Obama's second inaugural ceremonies held on the west front of the U.S. Capitol on Inauguration Day.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Taking the Oath: Officers Vow to Keep Inauguration Safe
Officers from across the country take an oath to protect those coming for the Inauguration.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Art of Compromise: First MLK Holiday Was Result of 15-Year Effort
It was rare site. Members of Congress standing on the grounds of the White House Rose Garden joined together in song. The occasion: President Reagan signing into law a bill that honors Martin Luther King Jr. with a federal holiday. But passing a bill to honor the civil rights leader had been anything but a harmonious effort.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
President Obama: 'Our Journey Is Not Complete'
In his second inaugural address, President Obama spoke of an ever changing America. He weaved in references from Abraham Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and throughout the speech, the president emphasized how the strength of America came from collaborating and working together.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Politics and Poses: Yoga Ball 2013
The D.C. yoga community will host its first inauguration ball on January 20, 2013.
| |
|
| Jan. 21, 2013
Obama Looks to Bridge Political Divide With Second Inaugural
Nearly one day into the official start of his second term, President Obama Monday will stand again before the nation to deliver a sweeping overview of how he hopes the next four years will play out.
| |
|
| Jan. 20, 2013
Club of 16: If You Thought Getting Elected the First Time Was Hard...
When he retakes the oath of office Monday, President Barack Obama will join an exclusive club. Obama becomes the 16th of the nation's 44 presidents who've been re-elected to serve as commander-in-chief for two consecutive terms.
| |
|
| Jan. 20, 2013
Ben's Chili Bowl: Half-Smokes, Whole Moments
Hungry visitors wait patiently to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl, Washington D.C.'s historic landmark for half-smokes and chili. Legends like Nat King Cole, Bill Cosby and President Obama have all frequented Bens.
| |
|
| Jan. 20, 2013
If You Thought Getting Elected the First Time Was Hard ...
Serving a second term has become the measure of a successful presidency, but no magic formula has emerged on how to govern during the first four years to ensure that the country wants a president back for more. Meet the men who have succeeded.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Political Retreats, Manti Te'o and Lance Armstrong
The politics of sport and the sport of politics -- this is the essence of the Doubleheader with syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks. This week: what really happens at political retreats, Manti Te'o's bizarre tale and an ironman confesses.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Obama's New Term, Gun Control and Culture in America
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks talk with Jeffrey Brown about the week's political news, including President Obama's executive actions on gun control, the future of gun culture in America, resolving the debt ceiling fight in Congress and the president at the beginning of a new term.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
News Wrap: U.S. House Plans Vote on Debt Ceiling
In other news Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on raising the debt ceiling. Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Republicans want an interim measure to provide three months of borrowing authority. The government may reach the current debt ceiling limit by mid-February.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
Insider Tour of the Capitol's Crypt with Sen. Chuck Schumer
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Affairs takes NewsHour behind-the-scenes to see the U.S. Capitol's crypt, the last location President Obama will enter Jan. 21 before going outside to address the nation during the 2013 inauguration ceremonies.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
From Carter to Obama: Covering Inaugural Addresses with The NewsHour
When it comes to inaugurals, the circumstances often outweigh the event. The weather is cold, the incoming presidents and their families all seem to have mastered the same genteel wave and the speeches are largely ceremonial. Here's a review of NewsHour's coverage of presidential inaugurations from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
DC's Hot Spots for Food, Politics and Fun
Visiting Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration? NewsHour political editor Christina Bellantoni gives an insider's guide to sites that are off the beaten tourist path. She visits the best places to get grub, meet the the locals and rub elbows with some real politicos.
| |
|
| Jan. 18, 2013
Obama's Approval Ratings Rise, Campaign to Reform as Advocacy Group
President Obama will begin the final weekend of his first term with support among Americans at its highest levels since he took office in 2009, but voters have high expectations for what he can deliver in a second.
| |
|
| Jan. 17, 2013
Obama's Strategy on Guns: Less Compromise, More Confrontation
Still three days from the start of his second term, President Obama on Wednesday unveiled his comprehensive plan to address gun violence, making clear that his strategy for pushing his legislative agenda would involve a little less compromise and a little more confrontation.
| |
|
| Jan. 16, 2013
News Wrap: Secretary Ken Salazar Announces Departure From Interior Department
In other news Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced plans to step down from his position in March. During his four years working for the Obama administration, Salazar pushed for greater conservation and renewable energy.
| |
|
| Jan. 16, 2013
President Obama's Gun Violence Executive Actions
On Wednesday, President Obama signed a series of 23 executive actions aimed at stopping what he called, "the epidemic of gun violence in this country." Find that a list of those executive actions here.
| |
|
| Jan. 16, 2013
President Outlines Executive Actions for Gun Control
President Obama announced today his intention to use executive action to promote the most stringent regulation of guns since the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was signed into law in 1994. Standing on stage with Vice President Biden, the president sounded resolute as he ticked off the recommendations of the gun violence task force.
| |
|
| Jan. 16, 2013
What Do You Think of Obama's Gun Control Agenda?
President Barack Obama outlined on Wednesday his intention to use executive action toward gun control legislation. We want to hear from you. Do you think gun control and restriction is a necessity to the country's safety, or is it an attack on your Constitutional rights?
| |
|
| Jan. 16, 2013
Obama Set to Announce 'Comprehensive' Gun Control Agenda
President Obama on Wednesday will lay down his blueprint for a mix of executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, the opening elements of a debate expected to dominate conversation in Washington.
| |
|
| Jan. 15, 2013
Talking Tech Trends With Harper Reed, Obama Campaign's Former CTO
Harper Reed's place in political history was cemented by his role as chief technology officer for the Obama re-election campaign. When he dropped by NewsHour, we talked about his other interests.
| |
|
| Jan. 15, 2013
California Gov. Jerry Brown Makes Tough Choices to Balance State Budget
Gov. Jerry Brown has been able to turn in a balanced state budget for California by pushing for tax increases on the wealthy, hiking sales taxes for everybody and cutting many state services. But detractors have said Brown used fiscal tricks to achieve the balance. NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports.
| |
|
| Jan. 15, 2013
Obama to Announce Proposal for Restricting Availability of Guns, Ammunition
One month after a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., the White House and various State legislatures forge ahead with proposals for legislation to strength gun control laws and penalties. Judy Woodruff reports on the unveiling of different measures to stem gun violence nationwide.
| |
|
| Jan. 15, 2013
Straight Talk From California's Jerry Brown
California Gov. Jerry Brown is riding high. The 74-year-old Democrat has achieved a kind of political miracle: He has balanced the state's budget for the first time in 15 years.
| |
|
| Jan. 15, 2013
Frontline Discussion: 'Inside Obama's Presidency'
On Inauguration Day next week, Barack Obama will officially begin the final chapter of his presidency. Ahead of all the pomp and circumstance, FRONTLINE is looking back on the president’s first four years in office, with Inside "Obama’s Presidency," premiering tonight.
| |
|
| Jan. 15, 2013
White House Gun Proposals Expected This Week
President Obama is set to receive Tuesday a list of recommendations from Vice President Biden detailing possible ways to reduce gun violence and within days is expected to go public with a comprehensive plan that contains legislative elements as well as executive action.
| |
|
| Jan. 14, 2013
Fundraising Rules Change for 2013 Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies
Unlike the 2009 Inauguration, when there were strict limits on big money donations, the Presidential Inaugural Committee for 2013 plans to accept unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations. Judy Woodruff talks to Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times and Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press about the new rules.
| |
|
| Jan. 14, 2013
Obama Steers Second Term Agenda Towards Government Debt, Gun Violence
President Obama called on Republicans to "act responsibly" and raise the nation's debt ceiling before March when the U.S. is expected to breech its borrowing limit and possibly default on its debt. Judy Woodruff talks to the Wall Street Journal's Carol Lee and Politico's Jake Sherman about Obama's plans for the federal deficit.
| |
|
| Jan. 14, 2013
Deep Divisions Persist in Fight Over Debt Ceiling
President Obama's next clash with Congress over spending and the debt may be one month away, but the administration is already setting parameters for the conversation that signal any agreement would be difficult to achieve.
| |
|
| Jan. 11, 2013
Shields, Brooks on Trillion Dollar Coins, 'Zero Dark Thirty,' Hall of Fame Woes
In this installment of the Doubleheader, New York Times columnist David Brooks and syndicated columnist Mark Shields talk trillion dollar coins, "Zero Dark Thirty," and who the Baseball Hall of Fame did not elect into its ranks. Plus, a drubbing for Shields over his BCS wager.
| |
|
| Jan. 11, 2013
Shields and Brooks Discuss U.S. Mission in Afghanistan, Cabinet Nominations
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the week's top news with Judy Woodruff, including the Obama-Karzai talks on the future of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the integrity -- and insularity of Obama's cabinet nominees, plus the latest on gun control.
| |
|
| Jan. 11, 2013
Biden Moves Ahead With Gun Plan Despite NRA Objections
Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that there was an "emerging set of recommendations" coming from the groups he has been meeting with as part of an effort to reduce gun violence in the country and that he planned to deliver his recommendations to President Obama by Tuesday of next week.
| |
|
| 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?
| |
|
| Jan. 10, 2013
News Wrap: Biden Prepares Recommendations on Curbing Gun Violence
In other news Thursday, Vice President Biden met with sporting groups and the NRA as part of his preparation of a set of recommendations for curbing violent gun crimes and mass shootings. Also, new border violence has sprung up between India and Pakistan in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
| |
|
| Jan. 10, 2013
Obama Taps Chief of Staff Jack Lew to Be Next Treasury Secretary
Jack Lew has been White House chief of staff and budget director, and, as Jeffrey Brown reports, is now in line to become the center of President Obama's economic team as Treasury Secretary. Judy Woodruff talks to Julianna Goldman of Bloomberg News and Jared Bernstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
| |
|
| Jan. 10, 2013
Judy's Notebook: Getting What We Want
It was just this week when my 91-year-old aunt in Oklahoma said to me by phone, "You can't have everything you want in life." Her statement could also be intended for Washington officials, consumed with a determination now to have their own way, apparently no matter the consequences.
| |
|
| Jan. 10, 2013
Obama Continues Cabinet Reshuffle, Taps Lew for Treasury
As budget director, Jack Lew served as one of the Obama administration's key negotiators during the fight over raising the debt ceiling in 2011. As chief of staff, he helped broker an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff. And with a series of fiscal hurdles ahead, President Obama has chosen Lew to head the Treasury Department.
| |
|
| Jan. 9, 2013
News Wrap: Obama Plans to Nominate Chief of Staff Lew to Treasury Position
In other news Wednesday, President Obama is ready to nominate Jack Lew as his new Treasury secretary. Lew currently serves as White House chief of staff and played a critical role in recent budget deal negotiations. If confirmed by the Senate, Lew would replace Timothy Geithner, who plans to step down at the end of the month.
| |
|
| Jan. 9, 2013
Gun Control Efforts Begin Heating Up
This week marks a pivotal moment in the effort to curb gun violence, with Vice President Biden, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others mounting campaigns to seize on the urgency of the issue.
| |
|
| Jan. 8, 2013
A Call for Action Against Gun Violence on Anniversary of Giffords Attack
In response to mass shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., former congresswoman Gabby Giffords announced plans to launch a new PAC that would balance the influence of the gun lobby, galvanizing efforts for a comprehensive plan against gun violence. Judy Woodruff talks to Colorado Public Radio's Megan Verlee.
| |
|
| Jan. 8, 2013
From the NewsHour Archives: Storied Journalist Richard Ben Cramer
"What It Takes: The Way To The White House" has been called "the book that defined modern campaign reporting," and it is Richard Ben Cramer's legacy. The author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist has died at age 62.
| |
|
| Jan. 8, 2013
Hagel Nomination to Face GOP Challenge
Republicans are certain to explore former Sen. Chuck Hagel's past statements about Israel and his votes against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran when he comes before the committee for his nomination hearing.
| |
|
| Jan. 7, 2013
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the Deficit, Gun Rights, Legal Immigration
As part of our series of conversations with new members of Congress, Judy Woodruff talks to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Son of a Cuban immigrant, Cruz discusses his opposition to certain immigration reform policies, his reaction to the Newtown shootings and his views on the fight in Washington over spending and the deficit.
| |
|
| Jan. 7, 2013
Health Care Spending Increases but Rate Slows With Recession and Economy
While health care spending rose in 2011, it did so only slightly due to the recession and slow overall economic growth. Ray Suarez talks to Health Affairs' Susan Dentzer about the dichotomies of health care spending, including why there has been a slowdown in health care spending when personal out-of-pocket costs have increased.
| |
|
| Jan. 7, 2013
Major Banks to Pay $8.5 Billion in Settlement Over Housing Foreclosure Abuses
Ten major banks in the U.S. have agreed to $8.5 billion for wrongful foreclosures on homeowners during 2009 and 2010 at the height of the housing crisis. Margaret Warner talks to Guy Cecala of Inside Mortgage Finance and Diane Thomson of the National Consumer Law Center about the improper foreclosures and who will get the money.
| |
|
| Jan. 7, 2013
News Wrap: Hillary Clinton Returns to Work After Illness, Blood Clot Scare
In other news Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returned to work at the State Department after being treated for a blood clot found in her head. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad proposed an end to violence, calling for national reconciliation, but dismissed rebel fighters as "murderous criminals."
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Jan. 7, 2013
Obama Set to Name Hagel, Brennan to Top Positions
On Monday, Mr. Obama will nominate Vietnam War veteran and former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska to serve as secretary of defense and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to serve as CIA director.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
Shields and Brooks on Sandy Relief, Fighting Irish
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join us for the first Doubleheader of 2013.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
Shields and Brooks on New Year's Predictions, Budget Fights, Chuck Hagel
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the week's top political news with Judy Woodruff, including the likely nomination of Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense, the failure of the latest budget deal to address larger fiscal problems and Washington's inability to make tough choices.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
Firestorm of Criticism for Cabinet Nominee Front-Runner Chuck Hagel
From pro-Israel groups to gay rights advocates, vested interests are already weighing in on speculated nominees for positions in President Obama's cabinet. Ray Suarez reports on the criticism leveled against Chuck Hagel, one of the front-runners for defense secretary.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
Last Jobs Report of 2012 Shows Slow Growth, Looming Economic Uncertainty
The December jobs report showed positive but slow growth, while worries of imminent recession were calmed by the passage of a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff." Is the economy moving in a positive direction? Jeffrey Brown talks to public media journalists about economic concerns for the coming months.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
Taxpayers Say 'Cliff' Deal Doesn't Go Far Enough to Boost Economy, Reduce Debt
After a protracted battle that culminated in dramatic votes in the wee hours of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the White House and Congress finally agreed upon a deal that kept the country from falling over the the so-called "fiscal cliff." The day after the deal was approved, the NewsHour asked taxpayers to weigh in.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
Barack Obama Officially Elected President: An Electoral College Primer
Breaking news: The next president will be Barack Obama. The U.S. Congress certified the presidential election Friday by counting Electoral Votes, part of a long procedural tradition with few quirks and moderate excitement.
| |
|
| Jan. 4, 2013
U.S. Debt Ceiling: Costs and Consequences
The United States has always been able to raise its debt limit in a timely fashion, and many economists assert that a failure to do so in early 2013 would plunge the government into default and precipitate an acute fiscal crisis. A Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder explains more.
| |
|
| 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.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
Judy's Notebook: Burden of a Generation
As I watched the drama leading up to the Senate and House votes this week on the so-called fiscal cliff, my mind kept turning to young people.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
What 'Cliffs' Lay Ahead for Congress in Resolving Other Budget Deal Aspects?
The U.S. may have averted the "fiscal cliff," but many issues remain in the budget deal passed by Congress. Jeffrey Brown explores what remains unsolved with Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, American Action Forum's Doug Holtz-Eakin and Robert Reich of University of California, Berkeley.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
New Faces, Old Challenges as 113th Congress Convenes
New lawmakers are arriving on Capitol Hill, but the 113th Congress won't be starting with a clean slate. Judy Woodruff reports on unfinished business and challenges ahead for Congress and House Speaker John Boehner.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
Meet the New Congress: Facts and Figures About the 113th
Ninety-four new members will take their seats next to seasoned lawmakers, bringing fresh perspectives and demographics to the makeup of the 113th Congress. Here's a look at some of the most notable figures and facts about the freshman class.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
Barney Frank's Plans for the Future
In an exit interview that aired Dec. 26, economic correspondent Paul Solman spoke with Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who retired from Congress at the end of his term in January 2013. In the last of our series of interview outtakes with Frank, Paul Solman asks him what he plans to do in the future.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
Entrance Interviews: Incoming Senators Look to Tackle Gridlock
Before the new Congress convened on Jan. 3, the PBS NewsHour spoke with a handful of incoming freshman senators. Here is a roundup of those conversations.
| |
|
| Jan. 3, 2013
Introducing Brian Schatz, Hawaii's New Senior Senator
It's been a busy week for Brian Schatz. After being appointed by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, he traveled from Hawaii to Washington on Air Force One with President Obama, started assembling a staff and recorded 20 votes on the Senate floor.
| |
|
| Jan. 2, 2013
How Will Your Take-Home Pay Change?
The Tax Policy Center has projected a percent change from 2012 levels in after-tax income.
| |
|
| Jan. 2, 2013
Divided House Republicans Stall Vote on Storm Relief Aid for Sandy Victims
An emergency aid package to provide relief funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy got stalled in Congress as Republicans insisted on offsetting the $60 billion in aid with spending cuts before voting. Judy Woodruff talks to Roll Call's Steven Dennis and Washington Post's Neil Irwin about the consequences of that decision.
| |
|
| Jan. 2, 2013
Did Your Congressional Representatives Vote for the 'Fiscal Cliff' Bill?
Use our interactive map to see how individual lawmakers voted on the tax plan.
| |
|
| Jan. 2, 2013
How Congress Passed a Plan to Avoid the 'Fiscal Cliff'
Congress stepped back from the brink of financial turmoil after the House passed a tax plan that included the expiration of payroll tax breaks for all and the extension of Bush-era tax cuts for most. Judy Woodruff talks to Roll Call's Steven Dennis and the Washington Post's Neil Irwin about how it will affect most Americans.
| |
|
| Jan. 2, 2013
Barney Frank: How Smart Is Congress?
In an exit interview that aired on PBS NewsHour Dec. 26, economic correspondent Paul Solman spoke with Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who plans to retire from Congress at the end of his term in January 2013.Watch this outtake in which Solman asks Rep. Frank about the intelligence of Congress members.
| |
|
| Jan. 2, 2013
Despite Deal Taxes to Rise for Most Americans
WASHINGTON -- While the tax package that Congress passed New Year's Day will protect 99 percent of Americans from an income tax increase, most of them will still end up paying more federal taxes in 2013.
| |
|
| Jan. 1, 2013
House Passes Deal; Fiscal Cliff Averted
Past its own New Year's deadline, a weary Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation to avoid a national "fiscal cliff" of middle class tax increases and spending cuts late Tuesday night in the culmination of a struggle that strained America's divided government to the limit.
| |
|
| Jan. 1, 2013
Sen.-elect Deb Fischer on Spending, Gun Control and Bipartisanship
A cattle rancher by trade, Sen.-elect Deb Fischer, R-Neb., will be sworn into Congress after an election campaign which surprised many within her own party. Judy Woodruff talks to Fischer about how her experience as a state senator has prepared her for the U.S. Senate, the need to address spending and gun control.
| |
|
| Jan. 1, 2013
Senate Finds Compromise, But Doubt Remains Over House Response
The Senate passed a compromise to address the U.S. budget, but House Republicans complained the bill was too heavy on tax increases and too light on spending cuts. Judy Woodruff talks to WNYC's Todd Zwillich for House response to the bill and whether it is likely to pass when it comes to a vote.
| |
|
| Jan. 1, 2013
NewsHour Correspondents Reflect on Their Favorite Stories of 2012
This past year NewsHour correspondents have covered a lot of ground: from the multi-billion dollar campaign season to the year's wild weather across North America. We asked them to talk about their favorite stories of the year.
| |
|
POLITICS
