President Obama laid out his counterterrorism plans, including his policy on the use of drones, at a major speech at the National Defense University on Thursday.

Organizing for Action — a group that formed out of President Obama's re-election campaign — has focused its ire on Republicans it calls "climate change deniers." But some environmentalists are frustrated with the president himself on issues like the Keystone pipeline.

Whether it's Richard Nixon's resignation or Bill Clinton's impeachment, presidents tend to have a tough time during the back half of an eight-year presidency.

NPR's Ari Shapiro joins host Scott Simon to talk about the Obama administration's week. The president was buffeted by revelations that the IRS had targeted Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status and that the Justice Department had subpoenaed reporter phone records. On top of that, Republicans continue to allege that the White House engaged in a cover-up of talking points about the attack in Benghazi, Libya.

President Obama's commencement speeches often seem more about the big-picture state of the union than do his State of the Union addresses, which read like to-do lists. And his assessment of where the country stands and where it's going has changed over the past four years.

His administration has prosecuted six people for giving reporters information about secret national security operations — twice as many cases as all previous presidents combined. Amid criticism from First Amendment advocates, the White House insists it values both press freedoms and national security.

President Obama met reporters briefly on Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, but the American side of the news conference was all about domestic controversies involving the IRS and the Justice Department.

The White House on Wednesday tried to turn the fire hose on two big flare-ups. The administration released 100 pages of emails related to the Benghazi terrorist attacks in Libya, and President Obama announced that the acting IRS commissioner is stepping down.

At a news conference in the White House East Room on Monday, President Obama responded to criticism surrounding the IRS targeting conservative groups and the administration editing talking points about September's terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Syria's civil war is becoming the defining foreign policy challenge of President Obama's second term.

Democrats are using the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas and the Boston Marathon bombings to argue that the government has an important role to play in keeping Americans safe. People who want smaller government say liberals are reaching the wrong conclusions.

While President Obama's time in office has not been defined by terrorist attacks, incidents like the one in Boston have been a regular, painful through line of his presidency. And the Obama administration has been on a steady learning curve when it comes to how to handle its public response.

President Obama delivered a scathing speech from the Rose Garden late Wednesday, in which he excoriated the Senate for failing to pass gun control legislation that would have required more thorough background checks for buyers of certain firearms.

Melissa Block talks to Ari Shapiro about President Obama's remarks after the Senate rejected a proposal to expand background checks before gun purchases.

President Obama addressed the Boston bombings again on Tuesday, saying the FBI was investigating the attacks as acts of terrorism and vowing to find and punish the perpetrators.

This week marked a new step in Michelle Obama's evolution as first lady. In her hometown of Chicago, she delivered one of the most emotional speeches of her career. Obama almost never ventures into the top political controversy of the day, but her role may be changing.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul thinks embracing libertarian ideas is one way the party can be more inclusive. And GOP leaders are starting to think he might be on to something.

Right now, children are central to campaigns on gun control, immigration and same-sex marriage — demonstrating their effectiveness as political messengers. Politicians know that on almost any issue, kids can make an argument more compelling.

During arguments this week at the Supreme Court over gay marriage, Justice Samuel Alito pointed out that the institution is "newer than cellphones or the Internet." That means the language used to describe same-sex relationships is new, too. And even linguists say they're still learning.

Anti-gun violence activists declared Thursday a national day of action. Press conferences and rallies were scheduled around the country, and President Obama held an event at the White House.