Politics and Government

Get ready for a bruising GOP primary battle in Mississippi.

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said Friday he will seek a seventh term in 2014, setting the stage for a contentious contest that pits the Republican establishment against the Tea Party wing.

Like a lot of neighbors who were once close, Minnesota and Wisconsin have drifted apart over time. Their politics and policy directions are now about as disparate as can be.

That's surprising, not just because the two states share a common climate and culture, but because neither party can claim a big majority of the vote in either state.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

President Obama spoke of Mandela last night at the White House, describing the late South African leader as a man who took history in his hands.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: His journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better.

INSKEEP: And Mandela had a powerful influence on President Obama. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

At the start of the year there was widespread expectation among Latinos that 2013 would bring with it a new immigration law. That hasn't happened and immigration activists in North Carolina are frustrated.

The world wants Syria's chemical arsenal destroyed. But so far, no country has offered to do the dirty work on its soil. Over the past week, an alternative has gained ground: Carry out the destruction at sea. The plan taking shape is complicated and untested, but it just might work.

Workers rallied in 100 cities on Thursday to raise awareness for increasing pressure to raise wages. The push comes as 19 cities and states already raised minimum wages. A report from Berkeley economists finds the low-wage fast food jobs are costing taxpayer billions of dollars in public assistance — everything from food stamps to Medicaid.

Congress still has a long to-do list and not much time left. The House hopes to wrap it up next week — just as the Senate returns from a Thanksgiving break. On many lawmakers' lists are efforts to complete a farm bill before milk prices go off the "dairy cliff." That on top of tough budget negotiations.