Politics

Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates arrives for a ceremony for FBI Director Chris Wray at the FBI Building in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28, 2017. Yates is considered a potential pick for President-elect Joe Biden's attorney general.

Politics & Government

Who Might Joe Biden Select To Lead The Justice Department?

12:49pm November 19, 2020

by Carrie Johnson

Democrats have condemned what they call inappropriate closeness between the White House and Justice Department in the Trump era. That means picking an attorney general and other personnel is tricky.

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A couple watches the election results at a Republican watch party at Huron Valley Guns in New Hudson, Mich. People watching the results come in saw President Trump outperforming his position in preelection polls.

Politics & Government

Why Were The Polls Off? Pollsters Have Some Early Theories

12:11pm November 19, 2020

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Along with state polls, national polls may have been significantly further off from the election results than in 2016. Many appear to have missed support for Trump and down-ballot GOP candidates.

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Former President Barack Obama speaks at a Biden-Harris drive-in rally in Miami on Oct. 24. In his first interview with Terry Gross, Obama talks about what he misses most about being president and reflects on the turmoil of the Trump White House. Obama's n

Democracy Is 'Strained' But Not 'Broken,' Former President Obama Tells 'Fresh Air'

12:00pm November 19, 2020

by Terry Gross

In his first interview with Terry Gross, Obama talks about what he misses most about being president and reflects on the turmoil of the Trump White House. Obama's new memoir is A Promised Land.

During the transition from President George W. Bush to President Barack Obama, Bush administration officials shared with the incoming Obama administration intelligence about a terrorist threat to disrupt Obama's 2009 inauguration, a threat that ultimately

Politics & Government

History Suggests Delay In Trump-Biden Transition Could Mean Danger

10:00am November 19, 2020

by Brian Naylor

National security experts argue for a smooth transition, which some administrations have accomplished, but any transition between President Trump and President-elect Joe Biden may be rocky.

Todd Anderson is a single dad raising four children in Mackinaw City, Mich. "I'm pretty honest and open with them," he says. "They know we're in a spot right now."

12 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits The Day After Christmas Unless Congress Acts

9:37am November 19, 2020

by Chris Arnold

If Congress doesn't compromise and pass another relief bill, a new study finds a staggering number of Americans will lose a critical financial lifeline as the pandemic worsens.

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Politics & Government

President-Elect Biden Pressures Trump Administration To Authorize Transition

8:16am November 19, 2020

NPR's Noel King talks to Dave Barram, former administrator of the General Services Administration, about the GSA's refusal to officially authorize a transition to the in-coming Biden administration.

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Fourteen auditors began the manual recount of around 71,000 presidential ballots in Macon, Ga., on Friday, part of a statewide recount of about 5 million votes cast across Georgia.

Politics & Government

As Georgia's Hand Recount Concludes, Vote Count Shows Biden Still Ahead

8:49pm November 18, 2020

by Stephen Fowler

Thousands of workers across the state have counted each ballot to ensure that President-elect Joe Biden did narrowly defeat President Trump in the Nov. 3 contest in Georgia.

Foreign threats to the 2020 election looked a lot like Y2K from two decades ago: With high levels of alarm and preparation, the system held off foreign disinformation and cyberattacks.

How The U.S. Fended Off Serious Foreign Election Day Cyberattacks

7:36pm November 18, 2020

Officials feared the worst on Election Day: foreign-inspired disinformation and hacking. It didn't happen. Here's how government and private cyber sleuths helped keep the system safe.

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams left the stage after addressing supporters during an election night watch party in 2018. She accepted her loss but never conceded.

Politics & Government

Trump Hasn't Conceded Georgia. Neither Did Stacey Abrams. What Changed?

5:22pm November 18, 2020

by Emma Hurt

The president's questioning of the election process isn't the first time Georgia voters have heard that. State officials say claims about impropriety — past and present — are false.

Effects Of Leadership Vacuum In Trump Administration On The U.S.

5:18pm November 18, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Garrett Graff, director of the Aspen Institute's cybersecurity program, about the effects of the leadership vacuum in several federal agencies.