President Barack Obama vowed Thursday during a trip to Mexico to continue pushing for new, tighter gun control rules in the United States, saying his proposals’ recent defeat in Congress was “just the first round.”

Speaking following a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, whose country has been ravaged by gang violence supported in part by gun trafficking into Mexico, Obama vowed to return to the issue of gun control in the United States.

Henry Romero / Henry Romero / Reuters

President Barack Obama and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto speak during a news conference after attending a bilateral meeting at the National Palace in Mexico City May 2, 2013.

“The last time we had major gun legislation, it took 6, 7, 8 tries to get passed,” Obama said at a press conference following his meeting with the Mexican president. “Things happen somewhat slowly in Washington, but this is just the first round.”

Democratic leaders in the Senate were forced to shelve a bipartisan proposal expanding background checks for firearms sold online and at gun shows when it failed to receive the requisite 60 votes to survive a filibuster threat. The measure’s Democratic proposal, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, has vowed to fight to bring that proposal back up for another vote.

And in an article published Wednesday, the proposal’s Republican author, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, suggested that politics were afoot in many GOP senators’ decision to oppose the package.

“There were some on my side who did not want to be seen helping the president do something he wanted to get done, just because the president wanted to do it," Toomey told local newspaper editors.

Congress is away from Washington this week for a scheduled recess, but the issue of guns has followed members back to their states and their districts. Gun control advocates have aired ads targeting key senators for their votes in their respective states, and Democratic groups have trailed New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte throughout her state this week to put public pressure on the first-term senator for her vote during public town hall meetings.

The president and his allies are relying on the fact that public opinion is largely on their side when it comes to the specific gun proposals being floated by the administration.

“When you've got 90 percent of the American people supporting the initiatives that we put forward … I believe that eventually we're going to get that done, and I'm going to keep on trying,” he said. 

This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 6:37 PM EDT

President Barack Obama said that he was “comfortable” with new federal regulations making emergency contraception available to women and girls over the age of 15, but said more study was needed to see whether it was safe to allow access to the "morning after" pill for girls younger than that.

Following news on Wednesday that the Justice Department would appeal a federal judge’s ruling requiring pharmacies to make emergency contraceptives available without a prescription to women of all ages, the president deferred to his Justice Department’s decision to appeal the law.

“The rule that’s been put forward by the FDA, Secretary Sebelius has reviewed. She’s comfortable with it; I’m comfortable with it,” he said.

On Wednesday, the FDA agreed to lower the age limit to 15 for sales of "Plan B One-Step," and to make the emergency contraceptive available in the general aisles of stores instead of behind the pharmacy counter.

“My suspicion is that the FDA may now be called upon to make further decisions about whether there’s sufficient scientific evidence for girls younger than 15,” Obama explained at a press conference during a trip to Mexico. “That’s the FDA’s decision to make. That’s Secretary Sebelius’s decision to review.”

But the president strongly backed the current rule, too.

“I’m very comfortable with the decisions they've made right now, based on solid scientific evidence, for girls 15 and older,” he said. 

This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 6:27 PM EDT

A Republican congressman from Alaska on Thursday used a slur referring to immigrants, particularly Mexicans, in an interview with a public radio station in his home state.

Amid a hot-button debate in Washington over how to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, Rep. Don Young, a 21-term lawmaker, referred to immigrant workers as "wetbacks" — a term that could threaten to inflame the debate about immigration reform.

"My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," Young said in an interview with radio station KRBD. He was discussing the number of jobs that have been made irrelevant due to advances in automation. 

"It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine," Young added.

While the veteran congressman wasn't referring directly to immigration reform, his remarks certainly cut against the broader Republican effort to repair the party's dismal image with Latino voters.

Becky Bohrer / AP

U.S. Rep. Don Young addresses a rally in front of the state Capitol on Thursday in Juneau, Alaska.

"Wetback" is a derogatory term for migrant workers, particularly Mexicans or Mexican-Americans who now reside in the United States.

In a statement, Young said he "meant no disrespect" in using the word.

“During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California," the statement said.

"I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.

“Migrant workers play an important role in America’s workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship. America must once and for all tackle the issue of immigration reform.” 

This story was originally published on Fri Mar 29, 2013 1:30 AM EDT