Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley is a White House correspondent for NPR News. He reports on the policy and politics of the Obama Administration, with a special emphasis on economic issues.

The 2012 campaign is the third presidential contest Horsley has covered for NPR. He previously reported on Senator John McCain's White House bid in 2008 and Senator John Kerry's campaign in 2004. Thanks to this experience, Horsley has become an expert in the motel shampoo offerings of various battleground states.

Horsley took up the White House beat after serving as a San Diego-based business correspondent for NPR where he covered fast food, gasoline prices, and the California electricity crunch of 2000. He reported from the Pentagon during the early phases of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before joining NPR in 2001, Horsley was a reporter for member station KPBS-FM, where he received numerous honors, including a Public Radio News Directors' award for coverage of the California energy crisis.

Earlier in his career, Horsley worked as a reporter for WUSF-FM in Tampa, Florida, and as a news writer and reporter for commercial radio stations in Boston and Concord, New Hampshire. Horsley began his professional career as a production assistant for NPR's Morning Edition.

Horsley earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and an MBA from San Diego State University.

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4:46am

Wed June 20, 2012
Economy

G-20 Leaders Promise To Promote Economic Growth

Originally published on Wed June 20, 2012 8:08 am

Leaders of the world's biggest economies wrapped up the G-20 summit in Mexico Tuesday with a promise to work together to promote jobs. The meeting comes amid worrisome signs of slowing growth in the United States and elsewhere.

3:09am

Mon June 18, 2012
Latin America

G-20 Leaders In Mexico Concentrate On Euro Crisis

Originally published on Mon June 18, 2012 10:39 am

President Obama and other world leaders are gathering in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Monday for the G-20 summit. They're hoping to get some assurances that European governments are getting control of their financial problems before they become a further drag on the global economy.

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10:55am

Fri June 15, 2012
Around the Nation

U.S. To Stop Deporting Some Young Illegal Immigrants

Originally published on Fri June 15, 2012 10:56 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Obama administration is announcing a major change in immigration policy this morning. It affects people who are brought to the U.S. as children illegally. Beginning immediately, these young people can avoid deportation and will be allowed to work in this country. The move could affect as many as 800,000 undocumented residents 30 years old or younger.

Joining us now to talk about the move is NPR's Scott Horsley. He's at the White House. And Scott, who exactly is affected?

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6:51am

Fri June 15, 2012
Politics

In Ohio, Obama Calls For 'Shared Vision' On Economy

Originally published on Fri June 15, 2012 10:56 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

President Obama's Ohio speech yesterday was designed to draw a contrast between his economic vision and Mitt Romney's. It was also meant to argue that the state of the economy doesn't hand his rival the keys to the White House.

NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: As initial unemployment claims ticked up again this week, President Obama said he's reminded every day just how tough things still are for many Americans. But he also expressed confidence that by working together, those challenges can be overcome.

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7:46am

Sat June 9, 2012
NPR Story

Licking Their Wounds, Progressives Regroup

Originally published on Sat June 9, 2012 10:58 am

Transcript

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: And I'm Scott Horsley in Providence. Netroots Nation is part pep rally, part technology seminar, and - this year at least - part postmortem. Netroots Chairman Adam Bonin kicked off the gathering just two days after the Wisconsin vote, which was viewed very differently in this crowd than it was by the audience at CPAC.

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3:02am

Fri June 8, 2012
Election 2012

Will Economy Push Washington To Make A Deal?

Originally published on Mon June 11, 2012 3:03 pm

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images

The Obama administration is searching for a "sweet spot" in economic policy: measures that could increase job growth right now without worsening the federal deficit. That task gained new urgency this month when the Labor Department reported a sharp slowdown in job growth in May.

The challenge could force the president to try to revive his "grand bargain" with Republicans.

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5:53am

Sat June 2, 2012
Politics

Analysts Smell Fear After Lack Of Job Growth

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 2:01 pm

Credit Richard Drew / AP

If unusually warm weather helped encourage job growth earlier this year, May was like a wet, cold rain. A report from the Labor Department on Friday showed that U.S. employers added just 69,000 jobs last month — far fewer than expected.

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4:50pm

Wed May 30, 2012
American Dreams: Then And Now

Obama's Own Story Defines His American Dream

Originally published on Thu May 31, 2012 12:19 pm

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images

NPR is examining what the American dream means to our culture, our economy and our politics. On Morning Edition, we'll explore what Republicans think of the American dream. In this installment, the view from President Obama.

The American dream — the idea that in this country anyone can rise from humble beginnings and succeed — is deeply woven into our national psyche. It's a promise that draws immigrants to our shores. And it's a staple on the campaign trail.

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5:55am

Sat May 19, 2012
Politics

Are 8 Heads Better Than One At Fixing Europe's Debt?

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 12:20 pm

Credit Getty Images

Camp David, in the Maryland hills outside Washington, D.C., is usually a place for the president and his family to get away from work, a wooded refuge with a swimming pool, tennis courts and a putting green.

This weekend, though, President Obama is bringing work with him to the camp — along with the leaders from most of the countries with the world's largest economies.

The Group of Eight is meeting in the rustic setting, but the agenda will be all business.

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1:55am

Thu May 10, 2012
Politics

House To Vote On GOP Bill Favoring Guns Over Butter

Originally published on Thu May 10, 2012 8:49 am

Republicans who control the House want to block some $55 billion worth of automatic cuts to the Pentagon budget next year. Instead, they want to cut funding for social programs such as food stamps, Medicaid and Meals on Wheels. It's a choice that has been framed as guns versus butter, and this time, guns are expected to win.

The Obama administration has threatened to veto the legislation, which the House votes on Thursday. But the president is willing to leave the Pentagon cuts in place for now, in hopes of bringing Republicans back to the bargaining table.

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4:00pm

Mon May 7, 2012
Barack Obama

Bid For Congress Was Obama's Political Boot Camp

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 8:26 am

1:41am

Sun May 6, 2012
Presidential Race

Obama: Focus On The Next 4 Years, Not The Last Ones

Originally published on Sun May 6, 2012 8:39 pm

Credit Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP

President Obama says the country has come too far in the last four years to change course now. He kicked off his re-election campaign Saturday with a pair of high-profile rallies in two pivotal states, Ohio and Virginia.

Obama acknowledged the economic recovery still has a long way to go. Yet he argued his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, would move the country backward, not forward.

Unsatisfied With Unemployment

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4:25am

Thu April 26, 2012
NPR Story

Obama To Begin Campaigning In Earnest

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 9:21 am

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

For the president, next week is being billed as the official launch of his re-election campaign. Mr. Obama will be holding rallies in the swing states of Ohio and Virginia. But it would be hard to tell a difference from this week, when Mr. Obama made a tour of college campuses in three other battleground states.

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4:49am

Tue April 24, 2012
Election 2012

Obama Tries To Charm Youth Vote With College Stops

Originally published on Tue April 24, 2012 6:18 pm

President Obama sets off on a two-day tour of college campuses Tuesday to tout a plan to keep student loans more affordable.

The trip is billed as official business, but it has a political flavor. Stops include: North Carolina, where Democrats hold their national convention this summer; Colorado, where Obama accepted his party's nomination four years ago; and Iowa, where his White House campaign was launched in 2008.

All three states are expected to be hard-fought battlegrounds in November.

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6:15pm

Tue April 17, 2012
Governing

If You Hate Tax Day, Just Wait Until Next Year

Originally published on Tue April 17, 2012 6:56 pm

Credit Mary Altaffer / AP

More than 99 million federal taxpayers had filed their returns as of Tuesday, with more than 80 million of those expecting a refund.

People who file at the last minute — and Tuesday is this year's deadline — are somewhat more likely to owe money to the government. And if Congress and the president don't act, next year could see many more Americans paying higher taxes.

That's not because either President Obama or presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney advocate a tax increase for most Americans.

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4:00am

Mon April 16, 2012
Latin America

Sex Scandal, Cuba' Absence Distract From Summit

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. Lynn Neary is in for Renee this week. Lynn, welcome to the program.

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

Good to be here.

President Obama is back in Washington this morning, after a weekend summit in Colombia. The gathering with leaders from throughout the Americas produced some agreement on trade and some disagreement on drug policy in Cuba.

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6:09pm

Fri March 23, 2012
U.S.

Global Health Expert Chosen As World Bank Nominee

Credit Jim Cole / AP

Jim Yong Kim, President Obama's nominee to be the leader of the World Bank, is an unconventional choice. As a global health expert, he's a medical doctor who helped start an international health organization. He currently serves as president of Dartmouth College.

"Despite its name, the World Bank is more than just a bank," Obama told reporters during the White House announcement Friday morning. "It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency."

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4:00am

Fri March 23, 2012
Politics

Obama: 'Brain Power' Key To Curbing Oil Dependency

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

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3:00pm

Thu March 22, 2012
Energy

Obama Pitches Oil And Pipeline In Oklahoma

The second day of President Obama's all-of-the-above energy tour brought him to Oklahoma.

4:00am

Thu March 22, 2012
NPR Story

Obama Showcases His Energy Policy On 2-Day Tour

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

President Obama visits Oklahoma today, talking of speeding construction for a major oil pipeline. Yesterday, he visited a solar panel farm in Nevada. Those were just two of the stops on a presidential effort to defend his energy policies. He's under pressure from Republicans because of rising gas prices.

And we start our coverage with NPR's Scott Horsley.

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