Obama talks about racism, drops the 'n word'

President Obama says the legacy of slavery and racism still hangs over the nation, speaking in an interview in which he drops the "n word."

"Racism, we are not cured of it," Obama says in a newly released podcast with the comedian Marc Maron.

"And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say n----r in public," the nation's first African-American president adds. "That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior."

Last week's killings at African-American church in Charleston, S.C., prompted the discussion about race and gun control that was taped during Obama's recent trip to Los Angeles.

From The Associated Press:

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

"The president said while attitudes about race have improved significantly since he was born to a white mother and black father, the legacy of slavery 'casts a long shadow and that's still part of our DNA that's passed on.'

"Obama also expressed frustration that 'the grip of the NRA on Congress is extremely strong' and prevented gun control from advancing in Congress after 20 children and six educators were massacred in a Connecticut elementary school in 2012.

"'I will tell you, right after Sandy Hook, Newtown, when 20 6-year-olds are gunned down, and Congress literally does nothing -- yes, that's the closest I came to feeling disgusted,' he said. "I was pretty disgusted.'"