Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks during a campaign rally for U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Nov. 1 in Abita Springs, La.
Scott Threlkeld/AP
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NPR's Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep interviews President Obama on Dec. 17 in the Oval Office, where they discussed U.S. involvement in the Middle East and the world as a whole.
Kainaz Amaria/NPR
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Water vapor, which looks like smoke, is seen rising from a power plant near Hengshui in China's Hebei province. In November, President Obama announced a landmark carbon-cutting deal with China — the world's leading producer of greenhouse gases. And the Chinese government has announced plans to cap the use of coal within five years.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
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President Obama told NPR that he thinks the U.S. is less racially divided today than when he first took office.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
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Rep. Michael Grimm speaks to the media last week after pleading guilty to a federal tax evasion charge rather than go to trial. Grimm was accused of evading taxes by hiding more than $1 million in sales and wages while running a Manhattan restaurant.
John Minchillo/AP
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House Majority Whip Steve Scalise speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill as Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers look on.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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Kimmy Denny and her partner, Barb Lawrence of Palm Harbor, Fla., wait outside a court hearing on gay marriage in Miami in July. On Jan. 6, same-sex marriages will be allowed in the Sunshine State.
J Pat Carter/AP
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The sun sets on the U.S. Capitol Building on the National Mall in Washington. On January 6th, Republicans will take over both chambers for the 114th Congress.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
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Target shoppers Kelly Foley (from left), Debbie Winslow and Ann Rich use a smartphone to look at a competitor's prices while shopping shortly after midnight on Black Friday, in South Portland, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
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