In Today’s Times
- The President Obama who emerged Monday is different from the one who took office four years ago. Richard W. Stevenson writes that while Mr. Obama has faced an exhausting series of crises and political problems at home and abroad since taking office in 2009, the improved state of the economy and the winding down of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq offer him “the opportunity to master his own presidency.†The president’s speech on Monday outlined the liberal values that will shape the policy he will present over the next month through his State of the Union address and his budget.
- President Obama placed great emphasis on the environment, energy and climate change during his Inaugural Address, but Mr. Stevensn and John M. Broder write that the White House is tempering expectations for how Mr. Obama will prioritize the issue in his second term as he grapples with gun control, immigration and the federal budget. Taking a lesson from his first term, Mr. Obama is considering administrative steps to act on climate and energy issues and sidestep opposition in Congress while building public support for reform, instead of pushing a big legislative vehicle.
- Renewing his oath of office on Monday, President Obama opened his second term articulating a progressive vision for government to a crowd of supporters that stretched from the Capitol to the Washington Monument, Peter Baker writes. After a speech that spanned gay rights, the environment, equality and opportunity, the Obamas attended two balls before calling it a night.
- Elsewhere in The Times’s inauguration coverage! , Elisabeth Bumiller wrote a diary of the day’s unscripted events, Sheryl Gay Stolberg captured the crowd, and Monica Davey explored the uncertainty and anxiety in Springfield, Ill., where Mr. Obama first announced his plans to run for president.
Happening in Washington
- At 10 a.m., the National Association of Realtors will release a report on existing home sales for December.
- At 10:30 a.m., the president, the vice president and their wives will attend the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service at the National Cathedral. At 9 p.m., they will attend the Staff Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washingtn Convention Center.
- At 11:30 a.m., members of the House of Representatives will discuss the debt limit and their agenda for the 113th Congress during a “Conversations With Conservatives†event in the Rayburn House Office Building.
- Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate will hold various events to mark the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, including a blogging day and a vigil at 5 p.m. in front of the Supreme Court.
