Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'administration'

Making Changes At The CIA

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST

The CIA under the Bush administration has been plagued by allegations of secret prisons, rendition and intelligence failures. Obama has selected someone without intelligence experience — Leon Panetta — as the agency's new head. Will an outsider be able change the CIA?

Phillipe Sands Considers A Legacy Of 'Torture'

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:56:00 EST

In his 2008 book, Torture Team, British Lawyer Phillipe Sands accused the Bush administration of condoning harsh interrogation techniques.

Obama Appoints Officer To Oversee Spending

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama announced Wednesday the latest appointees to his administration, including an officer to oversee government spending — a position that will take on new importance with the $300 billion dollar stimulus package.

Obama Eyeing CNN's Gupta For Surgeon General...

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:17:00 EST

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, is reportedly in talks to become the Obama administration's surgeon general. Gupta worked on health policy as a White House fellow in the 1990s.

Obama Seeks Congressional Support On Economy

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama says the economy is sick and getting worse. Obama spent his first day back in Washington on Capitol Hill urging congressional leaders to work quickly on a massive economic stimulus package. He also said his administration will post the plan on the Internet.

Obama Taps Panetta To Head CIA

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:46:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama will bring former Clinton administration official and federal budget expert Leon Panetta, 71, back to Washington to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Obama plans to fill the other top intelligence post with a military man: retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair.

Former Attorney General Griffin Bell Dies

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:49:00 EST

Griffin Bell, attorney general in the Carter administration, has died at age 90. He had suffered from pancreatic cancer. Bell arrived at the Justice Department in 1977 in the wake of the Watergate scandal, and his impact is still felt.

A Look Ahead To The New Congress

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) talks to host Guy Raz about the agenda of the new Congress, his move up in the congressional hierarchy and his changing role from battling against a Republican administration to pushing the Obama agenda.

Balance Of Power Swings To Liberal Legal Group

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:27:00 EST

The past eight years were a good time to be in the Federalist Society. Members of that conservative legal group occupied every level of the Bush administration. Now that the Democrats are ascending, a different group may find similar influence in Washington.

What Obama Team Might Face In Gaza

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:38:00 EST

Robert Malley, director of the International Crisis Group's Middle East program, and Martin Indyk, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, discuss the possible challenges faced by the incoming Obama administration in the Middle East.

Californians Play Big Role On Obama's A-Team

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:00:00 EST

California may have some major political clout with Barack Obama's new administration. The president-elect has appointed Californians to key positions, and the state already has muscle on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other members of the California delegation, will head half a dozen powerful congressional committees. All of this means California is back on the Washington "A" list.

Economists Duke It Out Over Stimulus Plan

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:00:00 EST

Economists often disagree about ways to solve economic problems. Two economists duke it out in a boxing match of words. In one corner, a supporter of the incoming Obama administration's stimulus plan who says government spending is essential to create jobs. In the other corner, an economist who believes taxpayers — not the federal government — should decide where to spend a trillion dollars of the nation's economy.

Gaza Conflict: 1 More Thing For Obama's To-Do List

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:05:00 EST

The conflict in Gaza presents a challenge for the incoming Obama administration, which already was facing a packed Middle East agenda. Leslie Gelb tells Steve Inskeep that the question now is whether the situation in Gaza will make it harder for President-elect Barack Obama to keep his campaign promises of active peacemaking between the Israelis and Palestinians. Gelb is a former state and defense department official and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Obama Encourages Health Care House Parties

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama wants his supporters to host "health care house parties" to provide input into how his administration should fix what ails the nation's health care system — and to further his grassroots organizing movement.

As Bush Term Ends, The View From Africa

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

Morning Edition is speaking this week with thinkers and scholars overseas about the transition from the Bush presidency to the Obama administration. We turn now to Africa. Renee Montagne talks with Veronique Tadjo, an author, poet and painter from Ivory Coast. She teaches in Johannesburg, South Africa, and gives workshops across Africa.

As Violence In Gaza Worsens, What Can Obama Do...

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:08:00 EST

A Bush administration spokesman has called on Hamas — the Islamist organization that controls the Gaza Strip — to stop firing rockets into Israel and "agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire." Is there anything President-elect Obama can do to change the dynamic in the region?

Next Year's Health Care Issues

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Host Liane Hansen talks to NPR Health Policy Correspondent Julie Rovner about the important health issues ahead for the new administration and Congress in 2009.

Orchestra Spreads Classical Music In Bolivia

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:16:00 EST

A movement is brewing in Bolivia. It has nothing to do with political turmoil that's plagued the South American country. Instead, classical music is in the air. A little-known but up-and-coming orchestra is spreading the sounds of Bach and Beethoven across the administrative capital La Paz, and even into some of Bolivia's most forgotten places.

How Will Faith Play Into Obama's Administration...

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:08:00 EST

Host Alex Cohen talks with Kevin Eckstrom, editor of Religion News Service, and David Kuo, former deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, about how President-elect Obama plans to utilize the initiative. Cohen also talks with Lori Lipman Brown, the director of Secular Coalition for America, about the role secular values will play in the next administration.

Bush Issues More Pardons Before Holiday Vacation

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

President Bush issued 19 more pardons Tuesday. When it comes to clemency, presidents have absolute power. Congress and the courts cannot overrule them. There's intense speculation that Bush might issue last-minute pardons to officials of his own administration.

On Obama's Team, Ex-Clinton Staffers Get Do-Over

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:01:00 EST

As Democrats get ready to take their second chance at power in 16 years, Barack Obama is calling on many of the same people who served in the Clinton administration. But those officials now have experience they didn't have in 1992 — and it's showing in the way the transition is going.

Gov. On Auto Bailout: 'Not Just About Michigan'

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:04:00 EST

After the Bush administration approved a short-term bailout plan, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued a statement that called the loans "a recognition by the administration that the nation's fragile economy simply cannot sustain the human and economic toll of further massive job loss."

Landing A Job In Obama's Administration

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Guest host Alison Stewart talks to Derrick Dortch, president of The Diversa Group, a career consulting firm, about how to land a federal job in President-elect Barack Obama's administration.

The Long Labor Of Willard Wirtz

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

Host Scott Simon talks with former Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz, who came to Washington during the Kennedy administration. He reflects on his career, his memoirs and life at 96.

Q&A: A Bailout For GM And Chrysler

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:25:00 EST

Bypassing a reluctant Congress, the Bush administration says it will loan $17.4 billion to U.S. automakers, tapping the $700 billion approved for the rescue of financial companies. The companies have until March 31 to come up with viable survival plans.