Thanks for listening to the NPR Politics Podcast.

NPR Music's Tiny Desk isn't just any old office desk.

It's become a stage for artists like Adele, John Legend, Casey Musgraves, The National,

and of course, T-Pain without auto-tune.

If you're an undiscovered musician, you could play there too.

Just submit a video to the Tiny Desk contest for a chance to launch your path to start

them.

Find out how to enter at npr.org slash Tiny Desk contest.

Goat We Good.

It's the NPR Politics Podcast and Happy New Year.

This is our first weekly round up of 2016 and I almost can't believe I'm saying it.

This is the year we've been talking about for a year and it's finally here.

And people are actually going to start voting soon.

As a result, the race for president has gotten a lot more intense.

But before we get to that, and President Obama's executive actions on guns and a certain

candidate's interesting choice of footwear, introductions.

I'm Tamara Keith, White House correspondent for NPR.

I'm Sam Sanders, campaign reporter.

And I'm coming to you from Drisly Foggy, but nonetheless, pretty beautiful, Ames Iowa

today.

I'm Don Gagne, National Political correspondent.

And I'm with Don in Iowa and I'm Susan Davis and I cover Congress.

...