Don Gonyea

WWII Vets Have All But Vanished From The Halls Of Congress

Don Gonyea — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Sen. Frank Lautenberg was buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday. There was a steady rain. Soldiers fired rifle volleys, a bugler played taps and mourners paid their final respects.

The New Jersey Democrat was 89 when he died this week — and his death marked a somber milestone.

For the first time since the end of World War II, there are no veterans of that war in the U.S. Senate. Lautenberg had been the only one remaining.

His military service was a recurring theme in tributes this week.

IRS Inquiries Crossed The Line, Tea Party Groups Say

Don Gonyea — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:35:00 +0000

Tea Party activists are calling for a full investigation, and possibly lawsuits, following revelations that the Internal Revenue Service flagged so-called patriot groups for extra scrutiny in applications for federal tax-exempt status.

Among those claiming unjust and unconstitutional targeting by the IRS is a group called TheTeaParty.net, which bills itself as the largest grass-roots conservative Tea Party organization in the country.

Washington-based attorney Dan Backer, who represents the group, says he does not have a problem with the IRS checking to make sure applicants for nonprofit s

On Recess, Senators Get An Earful Over Failed Gun Vote

Don Gonyea — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Senators whose votes on the gun bill got attention back home have been getting an earful during the recess week, when many are back in their states.

How Will Obama Make His Case On Syria?

Don Gonyea — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000

The U.S. role in the civil war in Syria has been limited to humanitarian aid and nonlethal equipment for the rebels. But that may change with recent revelations about the use of chemical weapons.

Polls show that Americans are still not paying close attention to the conflict, but there is a reluctance to intervene — a byproduct of the experience in Iraq.

President Obama says he's weighing all options. Whatever he decides, he'll have to make a case to the U.S. public.

There are voices in Washington trying to ratchet up the pressure on the White House to do more about Syria.

Presidents Overlook Differences At Bush Center Opening

Don Gonyea — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:17:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The president's appearance at that memorial service came on the same day he joined with all his living predecessors. He met with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, whose presidential library was dedicated in Texas.

A photograph sent out on Twitter, incidentally by former President Clinton, shows the five men in a circle, chatting.

Immigration Debate Puts Farm Workers Union In Spotlight

Don Gonyea — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:09:00 +0000

A new immigration bill is expected to be introduced in the U.S.

Outside the Supreme Court, The Arguments Continue

Don Gonyea — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:06:00 +0000

As oral arguments were beginning Tuesday in the first of two same-sex marriage cases inside the Supreme Court, the steps in front of the court were filled with throngs of what looked to be mostly gay-marriage supporters, spilling out in front of the building and to the other side of the street.

About a half hour earlier, a parade of traditional-marriage supporters had arrived, later headed to a rally on the National Mall.

At the court, some of those who held up signs denouncing gay marriage and warning that God would not approve were overwhelmed by their adversaries, who stood in front of

CPAC Showcases Mix Of Conservative Visions

Don Gonyea — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:14:00 +0000

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference wraps Saturday. NPR's Don Gonyea gives the highlights from the annual gathering of conservatives.

Rob Portman Becomes Only Republican In The Senate To Support Gay Marriage

Don Gonyea — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:39:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, announced today that he's reversing his opposition to same-sex marriage. Portman's op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch makes him the first GOP senator to publicly support gay marriage. He said he made the switch because of a personal family experience. Portman's college-age son told his family in 2011 that he is gay.

In the past, Portman actively supported a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman. He's had prominence in the Republican Party, not just as a senator.

At CPAC, GOP Makes Push For Young Voters

Don Gonyea — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:12:00 +0000

Winning over young voters is one of the biggest challenges facing conservatives. At this year's CPAC, there's an extra push to counter the advantage Democrats have enjoyed with voters under 30 in the past two presidential elections.

Controversies Over CPAC Reflect GOP's Woes

Don Gonyea — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:26:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Every year at this time, some of the biggest stars and activists of the conservative movement gather in the Washington, D.C. area. The big event is called the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. There are speakers, panel discussions, movie screenings and lots of book signings.

Why Republicans Are Out Of Step With Young Voters

Don Gonyea — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:16:00 +0000

Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus has begun a series of meetings with groups that have overwhelmingly gone Democratic in the past two presidential elections.

He's sitting down with Latino and Asian voters and with young people across the country. The youth group is of particular concern to the GOP because voting habits established at this stage could last a lifetime.

College students at Ohio State University were eager to talk about the state of the GOP brand.

Most Republicans Who Signed Support For Same-Sex Marriage Aren't In Office

Don Gonyea — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:24:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

Next month, the Supreme Court will take up a highly anticipated challenge to California's Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage. Today, a group of prominent Republicans weighed in with a legal brief opposing the ban. That puts them at odds with their party's position. But as NPR's Don Gonyea reports, it puts them in line with public opinion.

DON GONYEA, BYLINE: The long-held official GOP position on gay marriage remains in place.

The Man In Black Goes To The County Fair

Don Gonyea — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 10:32:00 +0000

I started out in radio more than 30 years ago. My first job right out of college was as a country-western DJ at WVMO, my hometown radio station in Monroe, Mich.

I have many boxes of cassette tapes stashed in my basement, including one that has a recording from the Monroe County Fair in the summer of 1981. I remember standing there with my microphone. To my right were the grandstands where they do the demolition derby. To my left was this big, silver tour bus.

College Republicans Offer GOP Advice For Winning Over Their Generation

Don Gonyea — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:52:00 +0000

During President Obama's State of the Union address this week, 14 members of the College Republicans at Ohio State University gathered in a meeting room at their student union on campus in Columbus, Ohio.

The president's speech, which they watched on a giant flat-screen TV, was punctuated with groans, rebuttal, criticisms and sarcasm from this young audience.

Young Republicans Say 'Grand Old Party' Needs To Win Youth Votes

Don Gonyea — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:41:00 +0000

A group of young Republicans at Ohio State University discuss the president's policies, his popularity with their cohort and what the GOP needs to do to win more young votes.

How The Labor Movement Did A 180 On Immigration

Don Gonyea — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:48:00 +0000

The AFL-CIO begins a big push this week to build momentum for comprehensive changes to the nation's immigration laws.

But it wasn't long ago that organized labor viewed illegal workers in the U.S.

For GOP Comeback, Leaders Urge Stepped-Up Outreach

Don Gonyea — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 10:27:00 +0000

In their first big party gathering since Election Day, Republican leaders from around the country met in Charlotte, N.C., this week.

The GOP is promising a great deal of change in advance of the next election, but one area where there will be no change for the party is in its leadership. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was elected to another two-year term.

In his acceptance speech, he cited a simple reason why Republicans failed to win the White House and lost seats in the House and Senate in November.

"I'm no math whiz; I'm an attorney.

GOP To 'Aggressively Court' Minority Voters

Don Gonyea — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:46:00 +0000

GOP leaders are in Charlotte, North Carolina, trying to map out a comeback from the drubbing they took in the November elections. The Republican National Committee says it will not abandon core conservative principles. But party officials are looking to attract Latinos and other minority voters, along with young people.

At Winter Gathering, GOP Asks: Where Do We Go From Here?

Don Gonyea — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:32:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmGO0mV_lfE

Lincoln Memorial A Doubly Powerful Place On Inauguration Day

Don Gonyea — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:21:00 +0000

For many inauguration attendees without tickets to official viewing areas, there was a historic alternative all the way on the other side of the National Mall at the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln is often invoked by President Obama and the memorial's role in the civil rights movement also made it a powerful draw on a day that was not only Inauguration Day, but also Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Taking A Train From Chicago To D.C. For Obama's Big Day

Don Gonyea — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:08:00 +0000

A group of women traveled 18 hours by train from Chicago to Washington, D.C., for Inauguration Day. We hear about why they and others decided to attend this year's festivities, which fall on Martin Luther King Day.

Latino Voters Urge Obama To Keep Immigration Promise

Don Gonyea — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:32:00 +0000

Latino voters were a key to President Obama's victory in November, turning out in big numbers and supporting Obama by more than 2 to 1 over Republican Mitt Romney.

Now, many of those voters say it's time for Obama to do something he did not do in his first term: push hard for and sign a comprehensive immigration overhaul.

Let's start with a group of Latinos — young and old, some U.S. citizens, some not — heading from Florida to Washington, D.C., for Obama's inauguration and for meetings with members of Congress.

For Young Republican, Defying Boehner In Washington Plays Well Back Home

Don Gonyea — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:57:00 +0000

When the rumored rebellion against House Speaker John Boehner's bid for a second term played out last week, the very first Republican to not vote for Boehner was Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., just three names into the alphabetical roll call.

The revolt failed, with fewer than a dozen House Republicans following Amash's lead. Now, the 32-year-old second-term congressman is back in his Grand Rapids-based district for the first time since that drama.

Connecticut Residents Reevaluate Gun Control After Newtown Shootings

Don Gonyea — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:09:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

Tomorrow, the National Rifle Association will hold a news conference here in Washington, weighing in, for the first time, since last Friday's shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Much Of Newtown Heads Back To School After Shootings

Don Gonyea — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, it's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

At the Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, today, there were two more funerals. First, for 6-year-old James Mattioli, followed by a service for 6-year-old Jessica Rekos. They're among the 20 children killed in Friday's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Also today, classes resumed at all Newtown schools except for Sandy Hook.

We're going to hear now about the day's events there. And we'll talk with a U.S.

Children's Shooting Deaths Leave Small Town Numb

Don Gonyea — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 10:38:00 +0000

Newtown, Conn., is still reeling from the shock of last week's shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Sadness is everywhere as the first of many funerals were held Monday. The police investigation continues but most of the big questions about the attack remain unanswered at this time.

Key Part Of Negotiating Is Running Into The Deadline

Don Gonyea — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

To Washington now, where the White House and Speaker John Boehner have less than three weeks to compromise their way back from the fiscal cliff. The issues on the table are huge and complicated by the number of moving parts, from tax rates to budget cuts. Further muddling things is the matter of political clout. The president and House Republicans both claim the election proved voters are on their side. With the holidays upon us, there's a natural incentive to wrap things up.

Tea Party May Be Losing Steam, But Issues Still Boil

Don Gonyea — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:57:00 +0000

The battle over how to avoid the looming cuts and tax increases known as the fiscal cliff is a frustrating one for the Tea Party.

Rice Controversy Raising Ayotte's Profile

Don Gonyea — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:21:00 +0000

Freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire has been standing side by side with colleagues John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina in questioning the Obama administration's version of events about the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September.

It is just the latest in a series of high-profile moments for Ayotte, who is seen as a rising star in a party struggling to win female voters.

For McCain and Graham, both longtime senators, the main focus in the Benghazi story has been U.N.