Mara Liasson

Political Takeaways: Headaches For The White House

Mara Liasson — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. President Obama will give a speech this week outlining his plans to make his counterterrorism policies more transparent. The address comes after a week that the Obama White House spent on the defensive trying to contain political fallout from multiple controversies. The IRS has been targeting conservative and Tea Party groups that applied for tax-exempt status, and the Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had secretly obtained the phone records of its journalists.

Obama Moves Aggressively Into Damage Control Mode

Mara Liasson — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:07:00 +0000

President Obama is in the middle of a series of scandals. But are they serious enough to undermine his second term? Veterans of past Washington scandals assess the potential for political peril, and what the president can do about it.

With Texas Trip, Obama Tries To Steer Focus Back To Economy

Mara Liasson — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:54:00 +0000

President Obama turns his attention back to his economic agenda Thursday when he travels to Austin, Texas, where he will visit a technology high school and a company that makes the machines that make silicon chips.

The White House says the trip is part of Obama's Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour. It also appears to be an effort by the president to get back to the issues Americans care most about.

It has been a difficult spring for Obama. He couldn't get Congress to work with him to stop the automatic spending cuts of the sequester or to enact wider background checks for gun sales.

Political Battle Over Health Law Starts Next Chapter

Mara Liasson — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:41:00 +0000

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

It's one of the basic lessons in school - how a bill becomes a law - sounds so finite. Of course the part they don't always teach is how the political debate over a law can just keep going. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is now the law of the land.

What's Next In The Gun Control Debate?

Mara Liasson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Gun-control groups are regrouping after a bill to tighten background checks for gun sales failed to overcome a filibuster last week in the Senate. The failure was not only a stinging defeat for President Obama, it was also a setback for the new players in the debate.

Immigration Proves A 'Rubik's Cube' For Many Republicans

Mara Liasson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:30:00 +0000

While an immigration overhaul has drawn support from church groups, business, labor and even former opponents, there's still deep opposition — mostly centered in the Republican Party.

The last time a president tried to pass a comprehensive immigration overhaul was in 2007, and George W. Bush's fellow Republicans in Congress killed his bill.

Sen. Rand Paul Tries To Repair GOP's Image With Minorities

Mara Liasson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:15:00 +0000

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

In recent elections the Republican Party has struggled to find much support among African-American voters.

Is Caroline Kennedy Qualified To Be Ambassador To Japan?

Mara Liasson — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:26:00 +0000

President Obama is expected to name Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, ambassador to Japan. The job has been critical to U.S. trade and business interests with the world's third largest economy. But Kennedy has no prior experience in government or business.

Brain Mapping Project Could Help Find Cures For Alzheimer's, Epilepsy

Mara Liasson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:03:00 +0000

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

Today, President Obama announced a new $100 million initiative to map the human brain. NPR's Mara Liasson reports the White House is predicting the project could eventually help find cures for diseases like epilepsy and Alzheimer's.

MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: The BRAIN in the BRAIN Initiative stands for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. Mr.

Proposition 8 Case Has High Political Stakes For Both Parties

Mara Liasson — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

We'll learn what the court decides to do about DOMA and California's Proposition 8 sometime this summer. Its options vary widely. But no matter what the result, there will be political implications.

NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson joins us to walk through some of them.

And, Mara, first, let's talk briefly about this really sea change in public opinion now in favor of same-sex marriage. Could the court reverse that tide in any way?

MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: No, the court cannot reverse that tide.