NPR News

The Russian government said that it was sending two airplanes to Lebanon in an effort to evacuate any of its citizens who wish to leave neighboring Syria.

Russia Today, the official English-language outlet for the country, reports the planes will depart on Tuesday and are expected to carry about 100 Russians.

President Barack Obama delivered his second inaugural speech today. Host Michel Martin explores how his words may have resonated with Americans --those who voted for him and those who didn't-- with two former White House insiders.

People from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for President Obama's second inauguration. The event coincides with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Tell Me More caught up with members of the public to ask for their thoughts about the two men.

Hope and change were two of the watch words of President Obama's first presidential campaign. As he begins a second term, Tell Me More speaks with people gathered in the nation's capital about what they think the next four years will be about.

This year, the presidential inaugural events coincide with the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Host Michel Martin speaks with scholar Clayborne Carson, about how Dr. King may have viewed the historic challenges facing President Obama.

Many people have argued that President Obama's election and re-election were crowning achievements of the civil rights movement. Host Michel Martin explores what makes a social movement a success. She speaks with Linda Hirshman, author of 'Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution' and Marie Wilson, founder of The White House Project.

President Barack Obama faces a number of pressing domestic and foreign policy issues as he begins his second term. A sluggish economy at home, regional conflicts and threats of terrorism abroad and a political stalemate in Washington all pose unique challenges for the president.

As President Barack Obama enters his second term, he leads a country that remains deeply divided on issues from fiscal policy to gun control. Despite the divisions, many Americans maintain a sense of hope for themselves, their towns and the country.

Today, Richard Blanco became the fifth poet to read at the inauguration of a United States president.

The rapper Lupe Fiasco was escorted off the stage at an unofficial inaugural ball in Washington, last night.

As Politico reports, the Grammy-nominated rapper stayed on the anti-war song "Words I Never Said" for 30 minutes. Video posted by Now This News shows Fiasco dropping lines critical of President Obama, before the lights go off and men in black suits escort him off the stage.