Officials in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms’ operation know as “Fast and Furious” apologized for mistakes made and said they would have done things differently if given a second chance.  Those officials told the House Oversight Committee that the investigation was designed to destroy a large-scale arms smuggling operation from Phoenix to Mexico.

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Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the House Judiciary Committee about when he first became aware of the tactics used by the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm's failed sting operation aimed at gun smugglers.

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Peter Hannaford is the author of "Presidential Retreats: Where the Presidents Went and Why They Went There." He spoke at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library about the getaways that have offered the nation's chief executives solace, recreation and privacy.   

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50 years ago, on April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” while being held in prison for his involvement in a city-wide civil rights protest called the Birmingham Campaign. King’s daughter, Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, joins Alabama’s governor, Birmingham’s Mayor and others for the unveiling of a historical marker aside the Birmingham Jail.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham civil rights campaign. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famed “Letter from Birmingham Jail” after being arrested for taking part in the protests. The campaign gained national attention after local officials used dogs and water cannons on kids after they took to the streets in what was known as the “Children’s Crusade.” A panel of authors and historians recall the turmoil of the time, as well as how Birmingham has chosen to remember its past. This event was part of the Alabama Historical Association’s annual conference.

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At the direction of Congress, the voices and experiences from the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20^th century are being documented in an oral history project. This effort is a collaboration of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, the Library of Congress and the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign in Alabama. The protests gained national attention after local officials used dogs and water cannons on kids after they took to the streets in what was known as the “Children’s Crusade.” This event features first-person accounts of the events in Birmingham that spring, including remarks by those who took part in the children’s protest, as well as student leaders of a boycott of segregated businesses. The discussion took place at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. 

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June 10th marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s commencement address at American University, when he called for high-level negotiations with the Soviet Union, a nuclear test ban treaty and an end to the Cold War.  This is a conversation with two veteran journalists, Tom Brokaw and Nick Clooney, on the Kennedy presidency and the significance of his “Peace Speech.”  This program is hosted by American University’s School of Communication and the Newseum, which is featuring two new exhibits on the Kennedy presidency – “Three Shots Were Fired” and "Creating Camelot".

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The National Park Service rededicates Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. As the nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and after a six-year restoration effort, Americans can once again see the house much as Lee knew it.

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Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith moderates a panel on the influence of first ladies within the White House and on their fellow Americans. From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, panelists explore how these women have defined their position and they look at the evolving public perception of their role. This discussion was part of a conference held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was the fourth in a series of gatherings dedicated to the legacies of America’s first ladies. 

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