The soulful folk song, born in the low country of South Carolina, has migrated from representing strength and power in togetherness to reflecting weakness and wimpiness. Somehow, it's morphed into a cynical code word.

President Obama asked Congress on Friday to give him the power to consolidate certain U.S. agencies. Doing that, he says, will reduce the number of federal jobs and make government more efficient. No president has had this kind of authority since Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

Ten years ago, Michael Rezendes and The Boston Globe colleagues broke a clergy sex abuse cover-up in the Boston Archdiocese. Host Michel Martin speaks with Rezendes about his investigative work. (Advisory: This segment may not be suitable for all audiences.)

In the decade since The Boston Globe broke the story about the cover-up of pedophile priests in the Boston Archdiocese, countless Americans have shared their stories of clergy abuse. Bob Hoatson is a former priest who was abused as a teen by church leaders. He speaks with host Michel Martin. (Advisory: This segment may not be suitable for all audiences.)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won a tough fight to strip most public-sector unions of their collective bargaining rights. He now faces a recall effort. In Indiana, politicians want to exempt nonunion employees from paying dues when working alongside union workers. Host Michel Martin speaks with journalists from the two states.

Maybe even if it weren't a general-election year, President Obama would still be proposing that Congress give him the power to merge federal agencies to make the government smaller and more efficient. But it is an election year and the president's proposal gives him a way to counter GOP charges that he's a big-government Democrat.