Romancing the Voter Blocks

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In a presidential race too close for predictions, voting blocs are more important than ever. In Michigan, both parties are courting Arab Americans, while in New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton is returning checks from American Muslims. In Florida, the Latino vote used to be a lock for the GOP, but now Puerto Rican Democrats are giving Cuban-American Republicans a run for their money. Today, representatives from several voting blocks help us consider how the campaigns target one group without alienating another, and who's getting left out. Newsmaker: Deregulation of the communications industry was supposed to bring competition to local phone service and cable TV. AT&T was the company that offered the promise of better service at lower rates. Mark Cooper, Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America, assesses the recent breakup of AT&T, the structure of the industry, and its potential for consumer abuse. Reporter's Notebook: Six months after losing two major missions to Mars, NASA has ambitious new plans to find out if there's ever been life on the planet. Donna Shirley, Assistant Dean of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, and former Mars Program Manager at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, previews upcoming missions to search for water, "biopsy" the planet's surface, and ultimately bring pieces of the Red Planet back to Earth.
In a presidential race too close for predictions, voting blocs are more important than ever. In Michigan, both parties are courting Arab Americans, while in New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton is returning checks from American Muslims. In Florida, the Latino vote used to be a lock for the GOP, but now Puerto Rican Democrats are giving Cuban-American Republicans a run for their money. Today, representatives from several voting blocks help us consider how the campaigns target one group without alienating another, and who's getting left out.
  • Newsmaker: Deregulation of the communications industry was supposed to bring competition to local phone service and cable TV. AT&T; was the company that offered the promise of better service at lower rates. Mark Cooper, Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America, assesses the recent breakup of AT&T;, the structure of the industry, and its potential for consumer abuse.
  • Reporter's Notebook: Six months after losing two major missions to Mars, NASA has ambitious new plans to find out if there's ever been life on the planet. Donna Shirley, Assistant Dean of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, and former Mars Program Manager at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, previews upcoming missions to search for water, "biopsy" the planet's surface, and ultimately bring pieces of the Red Planet back to Earth.

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney