Politics Audio/Video - NPR

Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try the alleged Sept. 11 conspirators in federal courts has elicited sharply divided responses from Capitol Hill, the American public and victims' families. Holder says his decision is driven by evidence, not politics.

Setting up a historic year-end debate, the Senate Democratic leader introduced long-awaited legislation to reshape the nation's health care system. The measure aims to cover 31 million uninsured Americans over 10 years.

Food safety legislation that would strengthen FDA's powers is on the verge of going to the Senate floor, but it's unclear if the proposal can become law as Congress focuses on health overhaul.

Attorney General Eric Holder told senators Wednesday "failure is not an option" in the prosecution of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Holder explained his rationale to bring Mohammed and four other terrorism suspects to the U.S. for a civilian trial.

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd on Wednesday became the long-serving member of Congress. He took that record from Carl Hayden, a seven-term Senator from Arizona who represented the state for 20,773 days. Jack August, executive director of the Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest, talks about Hayden's long political career.

The House has passed an optimistic bill reflecting many liberal aspirations for health care overhaul. The Senate's final bill is expected to be introduced mid-November. Here's a look at the key details — such as the shape of the public option, how to fund the bill, and abortion language — and where the chambers might clash.

Senator Majority Leader Reid may soon unveil his health bill, if he can wrangle his recalcitrant caucus to let him bring it to the floor.

More than half the improper federal spending described in a White House report was traced to problems with Medicare and Medicaid.

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and Republican vice presidential candidate, is now a best-selling author. Palin's book, Going Rogue, made the best-seller list before it was released. She's planning a book tour that will only stoke her meteoric political celebrity. But to what end?

The 70-29 vote limited debate over the qualifications of U.S. District Judge David Hamilton of Indiana, and assured his elevation to the Chicago-based appeals court. Sixty votes were needed to end the filibuster, but confirmation requires only a simple majority of the 100-member Senate.

To sell Congress and others on the idea of taking bold steps to curb global warming, President Obama casts his arguments in terms of job creation. Many environmental activists say they wish he'd do more to push the "green" agenda.

Just one day after its release, Sarah Palin's new memoir, Going Rogue, is already on its way to the bestseller lists. Pundits are combing the book for signs of the former vice presidential candidate's political ambitions — and prospects. NPR's Congressional correspondent Andrea Seabrook gave it a read.

Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman has withdrawn his concession in the close 23rd District Congressional race as New York election officials begin counting paper ballots.

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate who narrowly lost the special election in NY 23 — and who conceded the race on election night — has now withdrawn his concession.

Sarah Palin is back in the full media glare, plugging her freshly released memoirs with appearances on Oprah Winfrey's show, ABC and Fox, as well as a book tour. But senior Washington editor Ron Elving says in an analysis that it's far from clear whether her goal is to help the GOP get back in the game or to rebuild her own image.

There's been a significant rhetorical shift in the way President Obama and his congressional allies refer to their health care overhaul. Critics say the shift exposes a key flaw in their plan: It forces change on insurers, but not physicians.

A national poll shows public opinion has hardened and remains about evenly split on the prospect of a health overhaul.

President Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao agreed to cooperate in a number of issues ranging from climate change to nuclear weapons. During more than two hours of closed-door talks, Obama is said to have described human rights as a core bedrock principle for the U.S. He also urged Hu to restart talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader.

The last two Illinois governors were able to remain in office long after they were tainted by federal corruption investigations, but the state's voters may soon get chance to throw governors out of office much more easily. A recall amendment will be on the Illinois ballot, but critics say recall is not the real political reform the state needs.

A 41-year-old federal worker explains how her insurer denied coverage of her medically necessary abortion under decade-old rules enacted that resemble a current proposal for health overhaul.

While President Obama is in Asia, his lieutenants are struggling to enact the centerpiece of his domestic program: overhauling health care. The Senate is poised to take up the measure this week, but Republican leader Mitch McConnell warns that no one should expect passage anytime soon.

There's a special primary election next month in Massachusetts for the seat left open when Sen. Edward Kennedy died in August. The blue state is widely expected to elect a Democrat to succeed the liberal titan, who held the seat for 47 years. But it's been hard for the Democratic candidates who want to replace him to emerge from Kennedy's legacy.

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin launches a media tour Monday to promote her memoir, Going Rogue. What will the book — and book tour — mean for Palin's political future?

The Senate votes Tuesday on whether to end a Republican filibuster of President Obama's first judicial nominee. So far, the White House has little to show for the president's efforts to make sure candidates won't raise objections at the Senate level.

The United States is limiting its goals in Afghanistan and demanding better accountability from that country's underperforming leader, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, and she tied additional U.S. civilian help to results from Kabul.

President Obama arrived in China on Sunday, as part of his eight-day tour of Asia. NPR's Scott Horsley talks to host Guy Raz about what President Obama is expected to discuss with Chinese leaders, as well as a report on the president's talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and Iran's nuclear program.

At the end of October, President Obama signed a bill into law which will increase the budgets of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities by $12.5 million each. Host Liane Hansen speaks with NEH Chairman Jim Leach about the increased funding and how he views the role of the humanities in today's political life.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has blocked the public release of any more pictures of foreign detainees abused by their U.S. captors, saying their release would endanger American soldiers.

The Obama administration may buy a near-empty prison in rural northwestern Illinois to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay along with federal inmates, a White House official said Saturday.

The United States isn't the only government in the world that's spending money to stimulate its economy. Since the start of the recession, China has been spending some of its vast foreign reserves on a long series of capital and infrastructure projects.

British author Martin Jacques witnessed the decline of the British Empire over his lifetime. He predicts that Americans will have a similar experience as the power of the United States declines in the coming years, yielding to an ever more powerful China. He discusses his new book, When China Rules the World.

President Obama is vowing to strengthen U.S. ties to Asia in an effort to address global challenges such as climate change and the spread of nuclear weapons. Speaking in Tokyo Saturday, Obama also tried to sell renewed relations with Asia as a key to U.S. job growth.

Tammy Duckworth has felt the effect of war. Five years ago she was flying combat missions in Iraq when her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. She lost both of her legs and partial use of one arm. But she didn't lose her will; after recovering from her injuries, she ran for Congress and served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs. Today she's assistant secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. ...

This week saw charges for the man alleged to have gone on a shooting rampage at Ft. Hood. President Obama headed to Asia and the House passed health care legislation. Host Scott Simon reviews the week in the news with NPR Senior News Analyst Dan Schorr.

President Barack Obama pressed on with his mission to repair America's global standing, telling Asians he was determined to engage them as equal partners in the economy, diplomacy and security.

Observers say the ultimate impact of the House abortion amendment could be to change abortion from being a procedure routinely covered by most private insurance plans to a procedure routinely excluded — even in cases of medical emergency.

William Jefferson, a former Democratic congressman from Louisiana who famously stashed cash in his freezer, was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for taking hundreds of thousands in bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.

Senior White House Counsel Greg Craig will leave his post and will be replaced by Bob Bauer. Craig has faced growing criticism over the difficulties in closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Democrats recently came to terms with a lobbying force of unexpected influence in the health care debate: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Though the group has nary a lobbyist on its payroll, it successfully pushed for an anti-abortion amendment to be added to the House health overhaul bill.