Republicans joined together to stop a vote on the nomination of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to run the new federal consumer protection agency.

Newt Gingrich made a fortune from the businesses he started after leaving Congress in 1999. Washington Post reporter Karen Tumulty explains how Gingrich "transfigured himself from a political flameout into a thriving business conglomerate."

Maria Luna's parents are U.S. residents, but she was born and abandoned in Mexico. Her grandmother brought her to the U.S. at 3 days old. As a teen, she found out she was undocumented, and could not legally work, obtain a driver's license or go to college. She speaks with host Michel Martin as part of Tell Me More's series 'In Limbo.'

Every year, more than half a million inmates return home from prison. And in this economy many face a tough time finding work. That's why the Labor Department has awarded a series of grants to help reintegrate ex-offenders. Host Michel Martin discusses reentry and recidivism with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and ex-offender Jennifer Gaskins.

Predictions that Newt Gingrich's "humane" position on illegal immigration would prove toxic with Republican voters haven't come true — he has continued to surge in the polls. In Iowa, three times as many Republicans say they trust him on immigration versus those who trust Mitt Romney on the issue.

The Obama administration is turning up the heat on Republican Senators who've threatened to block confirmation of Richard Cordray, a former attorney general from Ohio who is the president's nominee to head a new financial watchdog agency. A Senate vote is expected Thursday.