Mara Liasson

President Obama announced that he would take several steps on his own regarding immigration issues — including the tens of thousands of children who have swarmed to the U.S. border in recent weeks.

According to a new NPR poll, in the 12 states with competitive Senate races this fall, only 38 percent of likely voters said they approved of the way the president is handling his job.

The crisis in Iraq has become a political problem for President Obama. Analysts say the White House needs to stop Iraq and Syria from becoming safe havens for terrorists.

This week's stunning defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor came after his internal polls showed him winning — instead he lost by double digits.

Voters in the Cleveland area renewed a tax on alcohol and cigarettes to fund upgrades to professional sports stadiums. A new proposal would require teams to compete for that money by playing better.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his primary election to Tea Party challenger Dave Brat Tuesday night in Virginia. Cantor was widely expected to eventually replace House Speaker John Boehner.

In a surprise result, voters in Virginia's 7th Congressional District have dealt a defeat to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, nominating Tea Party challenger David Brat instead in the GOP primary.

President Obama is signing an executive order Monday, which will expand a loan forgiveness program for college debt. NPR's Mara Liasson looks at the program and the political salience of the issue.

Everything the Obama administration touches seems to set off a political firestorm. The latest involves Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and the prisoner exchange that led to his release by the Taliban.

The most closely watched of Tuesday's primaries was the race in Mississippi, where incumbent Republican Senator Thad Cochran was fending off a challenge from Tea Party-backed Chris McDaniel.

For the first time, the U.S. would regulate the greenhouse gas causing emissions from existing coal plants. The goal is to reduce emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.

A preliminary review by the Veteran Affairs' inspector general has found that inappropriate scheduling practices are a systemic problem. The scandal is a serious political problem for the White House.

When you think about the party that has problems with Latino voters, it's usually the GOP. In 2012, they lost the Hispanic vote by more than 2 to 1, and long-term demographic changes ...

Republican struggles between establishment-backed conservatives and Tea Party rivals are a dominant feature this election season. Georgia had a crowded GOP race that is headed to a July runoff.

In Tuesday's Senate primary in Nebraska, Ben Sasse, a university president and Tea Party favorite, beat former state treasurer Shane Osborn.

Primary season is in full swing. Early on, it appears that the Republican Party establishment is finally having its way and beating Tea Party challengers with ease.

NPR's Mara Liasson interviewed top Democratic ad man Jim Margolis recently as part of her research for a story about political advertising aimed at women.

Much of the interview didn't make the final radio piece, but the picture he painted of the not-too-distant political future was fascinating — and ...

It's only April, but it looks and sounds like October. More than $80 million has been spent on political advertising in only about a dozen Senate battleground states.

About half that amount is targeted at women.

Many ads aimed at women take the most obvious approach: Republicans putting their female ...

In North Carolina's GOP Senate primary, Tom Tillis, the State House speaker, won a big enough margin to avoid a runoff. Republicans are trying to avoid the mistakes of the past 2 election cycles.

Going into midterm elections, this key demographic poses a big challenge for Democrats: getting their most reliable female supporters to become more reliable voters.