Mara Liasson is a national political correspondent for NPR, and a contributor to FOX News . Regular NPR listeners will often hear her stories and reports on Morning Edition and All Things Considered . She covers politics and policy from Washington, DC — focusing on the White House and Congress — and also reports on national political trends. She’s in town for a few days because last year she was named a Florida Gulf Coast University Presidential Fellow. While she’s here, she’ll be meeting

Last fall, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring the voting rights of to up to 1.4 million former felons in the state who have completed all terms of their sentence. The authors of the amendment’s language said it was designed to be self-executing , which means the legislation is immediately effective without the need of intervening court action. Currently, state lawmakers are considering bills that would demand fines and fees in the effort to restore voting rights.

We'll meet Dr. Bruce MacFadden , he is the first director of the University of Florida’s Thompson Earth Systems Institute which was launched Dr. MacFadden, a distinguished curator in vertebrate paleontology who has done work across the globe, directs the new institute in its effort to increase public knowledge on the earth’s natural systems. By using current research, the Thompson Earth Systems Institute aims to explain just how the systems work and how they interconnect. The UF College of

Dr. Bruce Bennett from the RAND Corporation , a think tank that aims to improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis, is a senior international and defense researcher. Dr. Bennett has visited the Korean peninsula more than 100 times. He joins us through Skype to expore the current status of North Korea. We will discuss the importance of three generations of one family leadership, the country’s military capacities and its future plans. Dr. Bennett will be in Naples on Tuesday,

The Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary ’s Director Emeritus, Ed Carlson, began his career at the sanctuary the day after he graduated high school. Since then, he served as the sanctuary’s director from 1983 to 2012. Carlson has seen the sanctuary transform over 50 years of working there. He joins us in studio to reflect on the ways the sanctuary has changed since his time starting there. He'll be giving a talk on Friday, March 29 called "Ramblings of an Old Audubon Warden" that will kick off the

We’re just three months into 2019, but already our regular Thursday “Arts Edition” installments of the program have showcased a broad cross section of Southwest Florida’s musical talent through live in-studio performances. Given that we are in pledge week and that we will be foregoing our regular arts edition program this week to sit down with NPR National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson on her visit to the region , we’re wrapping up today’s show with a look back at some of the great music

Harmful algal blooms like red tide and blue-green algae produce toxins that can be harmful to humans. This is known. What’s not known with certainty, is exactly how harmful they can be, and how far they’re able to travel through the air. Back in November a researcher from Florida Gulf Coast University, Dr. Mike Parsons , started collecting data on where the airborne toxins produced by the blue-green algae -- or cyanobacteria -- were showing up. His initial findings didn’t produce much clarity,

The city of Fort Myers’ public art collection dates back to 1913 and today includes 68 outdoor artworks. These pieces serve as familiar landmarks for local residents, but many who pass by them regularly don’t know much about their rich history and the meanings behind them. We’ll embark on a closer exploration of public art in Fort Myers and the importance of public art with the city’s public art consultant, author, historian and journalist Tom Hall . We’ll also speak Eric Feinstein who created

Southwest Florida-based singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer and arranger Kyle Anne Duggan performs live in studio! She’ll be featured in the final installment of this season’s “ Noteworthy Showcase: Songwriter Stories ” at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers March 22.

In the wake of the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, we’re zeroing in on religious persecution. The attacks killed 50 people, 29 remain hospitalized, and the first funerals take place today. Also, today is Purim . The Jewish holiday celebrates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an advisor to King Xerxes of Persia. The account is recorded in the biblical story of Esther . Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani and Rabbi Nicole Luna join us in the studio. Imam Mohamed of the Islamic