Politics : NPR

House Rejects Debt Limit Increase Without Cuts

May 31, 2011 • House Republicans engineered Tuesday the defeat of their own proposed $2.4 trillion increase in the debt limit. The vote Tuesday was 97-318, far below the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Democrats called the vote nothing more than a "political charade."

What Does The Head Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Do?

May 31, 2011 • President Obama announced his pick for a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Monday: Army Chief of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey. For more on the chairman's role and what Dempsey's selection means, Michele Norris speaks to Peter Feaver. He is a political science professor at Duke University and the author of several books on civil-military relations.

Obama Chooses Ex-Utility Exec, John Bryson, For Commerce Secretary

May 31, 2011 • President Obama has chosen his new commerce secretary. He's John Bryson, former chief executive of Edison International, the large Southern California electric utility. By choosing Bryson, 67, who sits on the boards of Boeing and Walt Disney Co., Obama sends another pro-business signal.

Sarah Palin's Mystery Bus Tour Keeps Rolling (We Guess)

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, center, visits a Civil War-era cemetery, Tuesday, May 31, 2011, at Gettysburg National Military Park. Timothy Jacobsen/AP hide caption

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Timothy Jacobsen/AP

Sarah Palin's Mystery Bus Tour Keeps Rolling (We Guess)

May 31, 2011 • Sarah Palin is two days into her "One Nation"-but-not-a-presidential-campaign bus tour, and the unsuccessful 2008 GOP candidate for vice president continued to give the media the slip Tuesday, checking in at Gettysburg on her SarahPac site but giving no hint of her next stop.

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

Asma Jehangir, a human rights advocate and lawyer in Lahore, Pakistan, is an outspoken critic of the military. Jim Wildman/NPR hide caption

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Jim Wildman/NPR

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

May 31, 2011 • Asma Jehangir, a human rights advocate and lawyer in Pakistan, has sharp words for the country's dominant institution. The military is under pressure from the U.S. following the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound.

Obama Taps Army General To Lead Joint Chiefs

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey pauses before speaking to family members of fallen service members at a Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors seminar. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Obama Taps Army General To Lead Joint Chiefs

May 30, 2011 • If confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Martin Dempsey, an accomplished veteran of the Iraq war, would succeed Navy Adm. Mike Mullen as the president's top military adviser.

Obama Taps Army Leader As New Joint Chiefs Head

May 30, 2011 • President Obama is expected to nominate Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Admiral Mike Mullen.

Facebook Has Powerful Friends; Will Users Suffer?

President Obama, with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaks during a town hall meeting April 20 at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Facebook Has Powerful Friends; Will Users Suffer?

May 30, 2011 • The company owns a huge amount of information about a huge number of people — more than 600 million. As the relationship between the site and the political establishment blossoms, the rules for what the company can do with that information are still being written.

Palin Kick-Starts Bus Tour On Back Of Motorcycle

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin greets some of the thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts and military veterans participating in the Rolling Thunder rally on Sunday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Palin Kick-Starts Bus Tour On Back Of Motorcycle

May 29, 2011 • Wearing black from head to toe, the Republicans' 2008 vice presidential nominee stopped at a thousands-strong motorcycle ride from the Pentagon to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Palin, who is considering a White House run, was joined by her family.

National

Obama Visits Storm-Devastated Joplin, Mo.

May 29, 2011 • On Sunday, President Barack Obama visits the tornado-ravaged city of Joplin, Mo. The death toll from last Sunday's tornado stands at 142, the deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. in more than 60 years. Host Liane Hansen talks with NPR's national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

Who's Afraid Of Ethanol? The 2012 Race Will Tell

Corn is big business in Iowa, which has usually made anything but support for ethanol subsidies off-limits for presidential hopefuls. Steve Pope/AP hide caption

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Steve Pope/AP

Who's Afraid Of Ethanol? The 2012 Race Will Tell

May 29, 2011 • Federal subsidies for ethanol have been sacrosanct in Iowa politics for Democrats and Republicans alike. With the federal deficit a major concern, presidential candidates have been emboldened to take on the issue.

World

David Kay: WMDs That Never Were, A War That Ever Was

May 29, 2011 • In 2004, almost a year after the start of the Iraq War, David Kay resigned his post as the United States' chief weapons inspector in Iraq. Kay said his group had found no evidence that Iraq had stockpiled chemical and biological weapons before the U.S.-led invasion. His findings were at odds with assertions from the Bush administration at the time. Host Liane Hansen talks with Kay about the conflict in Iraq since then.

Europe

Obama Visit Underscores America's European Ties

May 28, 2011 • President Obama meets with Poland's prime minister and other Eastern European leaders on Saturday before closing his weeklong trip to Europe with a press conference in Warsaw. NPR's Scott Horsley looks back at the president's trip.

Rand Paul, Tea Party Ask: What About Privacy?

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a Tea Party Town Hall meeting in February at the National Press Club in Washington. The freshman lawmaker is being hailed by civil libertarians for putting privacy concerns over the Patriot Act back in the spotlight. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rand Paul, Tea Party Ask: What About Privacy?

May 27, 2011 • The freshman senator from Kentucky emerged this week as the prominent voice against Patriot Act surveillance provisions. He battled leaders of both parties to consider the impact of the measure on Americans' privacy.

Politics

House Rejects Debt Limit Increase Without Cuts

National Security

What Does The Head Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Do?

It's All Politics

Obama Chooses Ex-Utility Exec, John Bryson, For Commerce Secretary

It's All Politics

Sarah Palin's Mystery Bus Tour Keeps Rolling (We Guess)

Asia

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

Obama Taps Army General To Lead Joint Chiefs

Obama Taps Army Leader As New Joint Chiefs Head

Facebook Has Powerful Friends; Will Users Suffer?

Palin Kick-Starts Bus Tour On Back Of Motorcycle

National

Obama Visits Storm-Devastated Joplin, Mo.

Who's Afraid Of Ethanol? The 2012 Race Will Tell

World

David Kay: WMDs That Never Were, A War That Ever Was

Europe

Obama Visit Underscores America's European Ties

Rand Paul, Tea Party Ask: What About Privacy?