Politics

Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin is apologizing for comments he made yesterday about rape that touched off bi-partisan criticism and outrage. Akin, who is running for the Senate seat in Missouri held by Democrat Claire McCaskill, told a television interviewer this weekend that women's bodies are able to prevent pregnancy caused by what he termed legitimate rape. Akin now says he made a mistake, but that he wont drop out of the race. Still, republicans from Mitt Romney on down are distancing themselves from him.

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

In the New Testament, the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus walked on water and calmed a mighty storm. Last August, it was where freshman Republican lawmakers went for a late night swim, one of them naked. The revels took place during a fact-finding congressional trip to Israel and the FBI ended up looking into what happened. The story was first reported by Politico and reporter Jake Sherman joins me to talk about it.

Hi, thanks for coming in.

JAKE SHERMAN: Thanks for having me.

If you want to see how much Mitt and Ann Romney consider themselves a team, check out his official portrait at the Massachusetts Statehouse. He's the first governor to request that an image of his wife be included in the painting — he's posed beside a framed picture of her.

By all accounts, the Romneys consult each other on everything. So after a bruising campaign in 2008 that left Mrs. Romney openly disgusted by the process and vowing she would never do it again, it looked like that might be it for Mitt.

After Republican Rep. Todd Akin's inflammatory comments over the weekend in which he blithely minimized rape-induced pregnancies, there are at least two inescapable questions:

1) What impact will his remark have on his U.S. Senate race in Missouri against Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill?

2) And how much will the shockwaves buffet the presidential contest or other races elsewhere?

Since GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney picked Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate, seems all we've been hearing about is Medicare and its future.

No surprise, of course: Ryan is the author of the GOP budget plan that would dramatically remake how the health care insurance program for seniors is managed and funded. He also calls for big changes to Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor, including elderly Americans who have exhausted their means.

Saying that the comments "don't make sense to the American people" and were "way out there," President Obama just weighed in on the controversial remarks made over the weekend by Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., who said in a television interview that "if it's a legitimate rape," it's rare for a woman to get pregnant and therefore want an abortion.

With a few months left before the presidential election, voter ID laws are in limbo in a number of states. Critics say the laws disenfranchise eligible voters, supporters say they prevent voter fraud. Guest host Viviana Hurtado discusses the court challenges and national implications with NPR's Corey Dade and Pennsylvania activist Bob Previdi.

Saying he apologizes for "any embarrassment I have caused for my colleagues and constituents," Kansas Republican Rep.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's listen to the words that made Todd Akin a lot more famous over the weekend. The Republican congressman from Missouri is running for United States Senate. He was probably no better known nationally than the average Senate challenger until he gave an interview to St. Louis TV station KTVI. He was asked why he opposes abortion in nearly all cases, including rape.