Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian have spent the past 18 years doing "oppo" work: the tedious and delicate task of going through public documents about political candidates. The two have co-authored a new book titled "We're with Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics," which is peppered with anecdotes about wrangling these files from obstructionist clerks — but never reveals the names of any of their clients.

Now that Iowa’s critical caucus is over, attention turns to the nation’s first primary. A predominately Republican state, New Hampshire primary has held many surprises in the past, such as John McCain's overwhelming victory over George W. Bush in 2000. Former Utah Governor John Hunstman has almost solely focused on New Hampshire over the past months, and spent Tuesday evening campaigning in the New England state instead of Iowa.

In light of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and several international partners are preparing to implement sanctions against Iran if new questions about its nuclear ambitions go unanswered.

Mitt Romney lost the New Hampshire GOP primary to John McCain in 2008, but he's hoping 2012's primary will be different. Romney received a key endorsement from the granite state's former governor, John H. Sununu. New Hampshire will hold the first presidential primary in the nation in January after the Iowa caucuses. While Romney continues to be the front runner in the GOP race, support for the former Massachusetts governor remains tepid at best. With a history of modified positions and the albatross of "Romneycare," the Massachusetts health care reform legislation that served as a model for President Obama's health care reform, hanging around his neck, many in the GOP base question Romney's conservatism.

Many months after a man in Tunisia set himself on fire to protest his country's lack of a viable democratic government, some 90 percent of eligible voters in the country cast their votes on Sunday. Over 4.1 million people cast their ballots in the first democratic election from the nation that ignited the Arab Spring. Early signs show that the once banned Islamist Ennahda party is leading, possibly indicating a shift for the secular nation.

Though he never affirmed his intent to seek the Republican nomination for president, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ended all speculation that he may run yesterday. "Now is not my time," Christie said in a nationally televised news conference. The decision surely left many Republicans disappointed. With many feeling doubtful about the Republican candidates, and President Obama's approval rating dropping, is this the perfect time for an independent candidate to jump in?

With a state motto like "Live Free or Die," you might expect that New Hampshire has a fair number of independent voters. That’s what prompted Anna Sale — reporter for It’s a Free Country, the politics website of our co-producer WNYC — to report from there. Sale has been on the road speaking to independent voters across the country, in an attempt to gauge which direction this large and crucial demographic is leaning as we approach the 2012 presidential election. She’s spent the last few days in New Hampshire, focusing on how Republicans and Democrats are attempting to capture the independent vote there.

The youngest sister of Thailand’s ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra is poised to become the country’s sixth leader in under five years. Introducing herself to our partner the BBC as "just a simple lady, and a lady that will be willing and sincere to help the country," Yingluck Shinawatra is Thailand's president-elect following Sunday's elections, which gave a resounding win to the Puea Thai political party. 

Robert Gates will step down as Secretary of Defense this week, with Leon Panetta taking over. Panetta will have a lot on his plate, starting with the start of U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan later this week. Noel King, managing producer for The Takeaway, looks at what obstacles are in store for Panetta as he begins his reign as Defense Secretary. 

President Obama will meet with Congressional leaders to try and come to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling, or face going into default. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, looks at the economic effects this on-going debate could have if a conclusion is not reached soon. 

Republican presidential hopefuls debated last night in New Hampshire, one of the early states that is important to win in the primaries along with Iowa. The two states are the first to hold presidential contests. The influence of Iowa and New Hampshire have made candidates pander to those states' needs, which can be markedly different than the needs of the majority of the United States. David Leonhardt, economics columnist for The New York Times explains.

The GOP will see it's first major debate with all its prominent players in New Hampshire today. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum are all expected to participate. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, is most interested in how Bachmann and Santorum try to "out-conservative" each other to gain the following of those who don't support Mitt Romney. A topic that will surely be a key part of the debate will be the poor state of the economy. A set of key economic indicators is set to be released this week. Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, is expecting retail sales to fall, and a stock market finishing down for six weeks in a row is certainly not helping either. 

In 2008, much was made about how the Obama campaign’s mastery of social media helped catapult a young, relatively unknown senator into the White House. But three years later, voters are harnessing the power of social media not to put candidates into office, but to "throw the bums out." Recall elections have gone viral, and angry voters throughout the country are using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to drive recall efforts against unpopular politicians.

Egyptians approved a referendum on constitutional changes over the weekend and ushered in a new era in the country, which will begin with parliamentary and presidential elections. The old ruling party and the Muslim Brotherhood seem to have the advantage heading into elections, but that could all change in an instant.

Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) announced his pending retirement yesterday, saying he would not run in the 2012 election. The announcement came to the obvious relief of many of his colleagues — Sen. Ensign is currently being investigated for an alleged affair with a former staffer. But he's not the only lawmaker planning to sit out the coming election; seven others have also announced plans to get out of politics, or at least, government. Joining us to talk about the other lawmakers who are retiring, and how that may challenge party strategy, is Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich. 

After weeks of political anticipation and unrest over a disputed election, Ivory Coast now seems thoroughly on the brink; of what, no-one is quite sure. 

The West African country of Ivory Coast has been on the brink of civil war since incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo lost November’s democratically held elections to Alassane Ouattara, by 8 percent of the vote. With the backing of the nation’s army and much of its population, Gbagbo has refused the UN's ultimatum for a “last chance” to peacefully step down.

On January 9th, Southern Sudan is scheduled to vote on whether to break away from the North and form a separate nation. So far over three million people have signed up to vote, with about 96 percent in favor of secession. This referendum is part of a 2005 peace agreement between the North and South, but tensions in the North about oil reserves are high, and the South continues to struggle with basic humanitarian needs. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof explains what's at stake — and whether a vote with such high stakes can go off without a hitch.

News on Kenyan elections that sparked violence in 2007 and early 2008 was delivered today in the Netherlands. The disputed elections left 1200 dead and over 500,000 displaced, and now, the International Criminal Court is trying to indict some of the people many see as responsible, including high-profile politicians. Tensions have risen in the wake of the move, but some are seeing the effort from the Hague as a move towards much-needed justice in Kenya. We're joined now by Kevin Mwachiro, reporting for our partner the BBC in Nairobi.

Haitians want change. They have been struggling to physically rebuild their society in the aftermath of the earthquake. This weekend, they will attempt to do some political rebuilding, as well. The country is set to vote for a new president, 99 deputies and 20 senators this Sunday.

Supporters of Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi say she may soon be released from house arrest. In a place where many reporters have been banned, it's hard to know exactly what is happening, but sources are telling our partners at the BBC that documents authorizing the leader of the National League for Democracy's release have been signed.