Why Syria Is More Complicated Than Libya
The Arab spring has brought large-scale protests and violence to at least half a dozen countries in the past three years. Until now, the U.S. has only intervened militarily in one of them — Libya.Now,...
View ArticleObama's Sudden Shift On Syria
Transcript WADE GOODWYN, HOST: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Wade Goodwyn. Rachel Martin is away. Syrians and the world have spent the last week bracing for a U.S. attack on Damascus that...
View ArticleSyria Puts Obama's Multilateralist Philosophy To The Test
President Obama has come home from the Group of 20 summit with essentially no more international support for a strike on Syria than when he left the U.S.He spent the last three days in Sweden and...
View ArticleWhite House Takes Stock Of Financial Crisis Five Years Later
Five years ago this week, Lehman Brothers collapsed, and America's financial crisis began. On Monday morning, President Obama will mark the anniversary with a speech in the White House Rose Garden. The...
View ArticleObama's Passing Up Chances To Turn On The Charm
President Obama isn't known as a schmoozer like Bill Clinton or a back-slapper like George W. Bush. But he does know that a personal touch can woo allies and soften adversaries.Right now, domestic and...
View ArticleIn Washington's Fiscal Tango, Obama's Lacking A Dance Partner
Top White House aides constantly refer to a "civil war" in the Republican Party.They sometimes use the phrase with near delight, reveling in the tensions that threaten to pull apart the GOP. But for...
View ArticleObama's Shift In Rhetoric Helping Democrats Stick Together
President Obama has been railing against Republicans in Congress nearly every day this week."One faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government shut down major parts of the...
View ArticleFor Obama And Boehner, No Sign Of Thaw In Frosty Relationship
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have had five years of fights and negotiations to learn how to work together.The relationship has had ups and downs. Today it's as sour as it's ever...
View ArticleRaids Project Presidential Power Amid Shutdown's Gridlock
The American system of government was built on gridlock. Yet even by that standard, this past week has demonstrated new levels of immobility.So the special forces operations carried out in Libya and...
View ArticleWould The U.S. Be Better Off With A Parliament?
There are many reasons for the gridlock in Washington. Some are recent developments, as the U.S. becomes more politically polarized. Others are structural, built into the American political...
View ArticleWhy Obama Shouldn't Worry About His Lousy Poll Numbers
President Obama's poll numbers have hit just about the lowest point of his presidency.They started sinking after the Obamacare website's miserable debut last month. Now, only around 40 percent of...
View ArticleHow Obama's Response To NSA Spying Has Evolved
A team of surveillance experts on Wednesday delivered preliminary recommendations to the White House on whether and how to amend U.S. spying policies.President Obama appointed the Review Group on...
View ArticleObama Shifts To Foreign Policy Goals During Second Term
The White House has been fighting to prevent the disastrous rollout of the health care law from defining President Obama's second term. While that struggle continues, another story is unfolding this...
View ArticleBad To Worse: Iran Deal Strains Obama-Netanyahu Relationship
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the most prominent critics of the U.S. deal with Iran. While President Obama calls the agreement a breakthrough, Netanyahu calls it a "historic...
View ArticleAs HealthCare.Gov's Deadline Approaches, What Will Be Ready?
Transcript ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Ari Shapiro. Tomorrow is judgment day for healthcare.gov. The Obama administration has repeatedly said that by November...
View ArticleParty Like It's 1799: Traditional Cider Makes A Comeback
Feeling extra American this week? Wanna keep that post-turkey glow going? Well, how about a very American beverage: cider?We're not talking about the hot mulled stuff that steams up your kitchen, or...
View ArticleWhite House Cites Pre-Existing Condition Case From Its Own Ranks
It's Day 4 of the White House's new messaging push for the Affordable Care Act. Today the goal is to tell the stories of people with pre-existing conditions who are now entitled to coverage under the...
View ArticleObama: World Lost A Profoundly Good Man In Nelson Mandela's Death
President Obama addressed the nation Thursday after news that former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela died, saying the world lost an influential, courageous and...
View ArticleWhite House Invites All To 'Gather Around' A Holiday Tradition
Every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, almost 100 volunteer decorators show up at the White House. They spend the next five days stringing garlands and hanging ornaments, making the White House...
View ArticlePresident Obama's Rocky Year Falls Far Short Of Ambitions
President Obama heads to Hawaii on Friday. He goes there for Christmas every year and always talks about how good it is to get away from Washington. This year, that's likely to be especially true.It's...
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