Trump allows transition to begin, but his baseless efforts to sow doubt continue
Plus, 86,000 covid patients are hospitalized today in America, and House Democrats reckon with their diminished majority.
Nov 24, 2020•12 min
The Daily 202's Big Idea
Start your day with the news you need to know and insights you can’t get anywhere else. Every weekday morning, The Washington Post brings you an insider’s view of the biggest stories of the moment.
Episodes
AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine has lower efficacy than rivals but might prove more helpful
Plus, President-elect Joe Biden picks Tony Blinken to be his secretary of state, and Israel's prime minister visits Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Nov 23, 2020•12 min
Trump puts democracy through a stress test
Plus, the CDC recommends against traveling or gathering for Thanksgiving, and the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department go to war with each other.
Nov 20, 2020•15 min
With coronavirus death toll passing 250,000, governors urge people to stay home for Thanksgiving
Plus, President Trump maneuvers to delay the final vote count to sow doubt about his loss, and a former Green Beret pleads guilty to spying for Russia.
Nov 19, 2020•14 min
Trump purges a top DHS official for telling the truth about the election
Plus, Pfizer completes its vaccine trial with more promising data, and the military has a missile breakthrough that might protect us from North Korea.
Nov 18, 2020•13 min
Trump poised to slash troop levels in Afghanistan – and reportedly asks for options to attack Iran
Plus, Georgia’s Republican secretary of state says he faces GOP pressure to discard legitimate ballots, and President Trump races to auction off drilling rights in ANWR before President-elect Joe Biden can stop it.
Nov 17, 2020•16 min
As U.S. passes 11 million coronavirus cases, Republicans claim mandate to oppose restrictions
Plus, police arrest 21 people amid violent clashes between Trump supporters and opponents in D.C. And President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran is failing.
Nov 16, 2020•14 min
Trump checks out, ignoring public duties, as coronavirus surges and firing spree continues
Plus, President-elect Joe Biden considers Hillary Clinton for UN ambassador. And the German couple behind Pfizer’s vaccine does not even own a car, but now they're billionaires.
Nov 13, 2020•10 min
Biden’s pick for chief of staff is the ultimate Washington survivor
Plus, President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team works around President Trump’s blockade, and Trump’s lawsuits challenging the election results continue to flounder.
Nov 12, 2020•14 min
Biden hopes to name several Cabinet nominees by Thanksgiving
Plus, the Supreme Court sounds ready to uphold the Affordable Care Act, and President Trump installs three more White House loyalists in top Pentagon jobs.
Nov 11, 2020•13 min
Barr weaponizes the Justice Department to investigate Trump’s baseless fraud claims
Plus, the secretary of defense's termination underscores President Trump's insistence on absolute fealty, and Pfizer’s vaccine could be cleared by mid-December.
Nov 10, 2020•14 min
Trump appointee refuses to sign key letter allowing Biden's transition team to get to work
Plus, the U.S. will surpass 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases later today, and President-elect Joe Biden announces his coronavirus task force.
Nov 09, 2020•13 min
President-elect Joe Biden calls this ‘a time to heal’ as he reads a Catholic hymn in victory speech
Joe Biden, the man who was once the country’s youngest senator, will become the country's oldest president.
Nov 08, 2020•15 min
Biden takes lead in Georgia and Trump’s margin narrows in Pennsylvania
Plus, an angry dispute erupts among House Democrats, and Democrats could still win Senate control with two Georgia runoffs.
Nov 06, 2020•13 min
Biden is on a path toward victory after wins in Michigan and Wisconsin
Plus, Joe Biden's performance with Latinos shows how the Democratic establishment has taken them for granted, and Democrats fail to flip any state legislative chambers ahead of redistricting.
Nov 05, 2020•12 min
With the presidency on the line, Trump wants judges to stop Pennsylvania from counting ballots
Plus, Republicans are clinging to their Senate majority, and several House Democrats unexpectedly go down.
Nov 04, 2020•12 min
Trump and Biden focus on the North, but the South could determine an early winner
Plus, governors ready the National Guard for potential post-election unrest, and another top Trump adviser bluntly contradicts the president on the coronavirus.
Nov 03, 2020•14 min
Biden plans to pick a very diverse Cabinet if he wins
Plus, Joe Biden focuses on Pennsylvania while President Trump hit 5 states on Sunday, and Trump supporters grow more aggressive with presidential encouragement.
Nov 02, 2020•15 min
Coronavirus cases surge in every battleground. It did not have to be this way.
Plus, both President Trump and Biden are seeking to shore up support from Latino voters, and Trump takes gray wolves off the Endangered Species list, putting them in danger of going extinct.
Oct 30, 2020•14 min
America’s hospitals are under attack by Russian-speaking hackers
Plus, Hurricane Zeta roars inland after slamming New Orleans, and President Trump formalizes one of the most sweeping public lands rollbacks in American history.
Oct 29, 2020•15 min
Coronavirus test result for World Series winner shows no one is safe
Plus, 70 million Americans have already voted, and millions of your tax dollars are flowing into President Trump’s pockets.
Oct 28, 2020•14 min
Justice Barrett gets right to work and may decide on more election cases soon
Plus, the coronavirus spreads like wildfire into some of our nation's untouched areas, and rioting shakes Philadelphia overnight after police kill a black man.
Oct 27, 2020•15 min
Pence determined to maintain schedule after five aides test positive, irrespective of CDC guidelines
Plus, a new wave of covid cases is straining resources nationwide, and eleven are arrested after fights erupt between a pro-Trump caravan and protesters in Manhattan.
Oct 26, 2020•12 min
Biden’s oil gaffe and Trump’s subdued performance in final debate unlikely to change race
Plus, President Trump issues a sweeping order to remove civil service protections for federal workers, and Russia continues to pose a more potent threat for election interference than Iran.
Oct 23, 2020•13 min
Trump mulls firing FBI director, as DNI accuses Iran of election interference
Plus, the CDC expands its definition of who is considered a ‘close contact’ for contact tracing purposes. And Barack Obama makes his 2020 debut on the campaign trail with a blazing critique of his successor.
Oct 22, 2020•14 min
Biden and Trump prepare very differently for final debate
Plus, Mitch McConnell warns the White House against making a stimulus deal before the election, and records show President Trump paid more tax to the Chinese government than income tax in the U.S.
Oct 21, 2020•12 min
As Trump attacks Fauci, coronavirus case numbers keep rising
Plus, the Justice Department indicts six Russian intelligence officers in several high-profile cyberattacks, and a 4-4 Supreme Court split on a voting case shows why confirming Amy Coney Barrett is such a huge deal.
Oct 20, 2020•13 min
Trump has failed to keep the Islamic State under control, as attacks continue across Africa
Plus, red-state governors resist measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, even as cases surge, and a federal judge strikes down Trump's plan to slash food stamps for 700,000 unemployed Americans.
Oct 19, 2020•13 min
Trump defends retweeting conspiracy theories in abrasive town hall
Plus, coronavirus hospitalizations are rising in most states, and President Trump was warned that Rudy Giuliani was the target of a Russian intelligence operation.
Oct 16, 2020•13 min
Videos show conservative activists coordinating with White House aides behind closed doors
Plus, as Amy Coney Barrett finishes her time in the hot seat, Democrats acknowledge she’ll be confirmed. And the Treasury Secretary says a coronavirus relief deal seems very unlikely before the election. Read the full article: Videos show closed-door sessions of leading conservative activists: ‘Be not afraid of the accusations that you’re a voter suppressor’...
Oct 15, 2020•14 min