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How much did Trump’s efforts effect vaccine development? Has Operation Warp Speed done more to help than our government’s pre-existing pandemic response system? Dr. Nicole Lurie of The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations answers questions.Related reading and episodesWhat you need to know about the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccinesVirus cases are surging in the U.S. Is our government better prepared now?A president’s push for an unproven cure

President Trump is reportedly considering pardoning himself and his family for potential future Justice Department charges. Can he do that? And where does recent news of a“bribery-for-pardon” scheme fit into a president's limitations on pardon power?Related reading and episodesThe problems with pardon powerTrump’s view of a unilaterally powerful president goes unchallengedGiuliani? Manafort? Himself? Here’s whom a lame-duck Trump could pardon.

Are Trump's major moves during a lame-duck period unprecedented? Professor Jeremi Suri offers an example from history with lessons for today. Plus, reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb on the implications of Trump's approach to the virus for Biden's incoming team.Related reading and episodesWhat do Trump’s legal threats actually accomplish?Does Trump’s refusal to concede put national security at risk?

Experts are concerned that the president's unwillingness to start a transition threatens our country’s safety by denying President-elect Joe Biden resources and intelligence. Shane Harris explains the risks when a president blocks a smooth transition. Related reading and episodesWhat do Trump’s legal threats actually accomplish?Amid Pentagon upheaval, military officers face a fraught few monthsPressure mounts on state Republicans as lawsuits challenging election results flop

Election Day 2020 is behind us, but the presidential election is far from over.Because of increased vote-by-mail and early voting, vote counts are taking longer than usual this year.The race is very tight. The winner of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency is coming down to vote counts with very thin margins in a handful of battleground states.While counts are still trickling in, President Trump has repeatedly made false claims of election fraud, declared victory in states where votes are still being counted, falsely tweeted that any ballots coming in after Election Day won’t be counted and pledged to get the courts to determine the election outcome.The Trump campaign’s legal team has indeed launched efforts in the courts. His team has started a legal blitz — filing suits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia and requested a recount in Wisconsin.So what do each of these legal moves actually do? Will these suits stop ongoing vote counts? Can they overturn a state’s results? Are they likely to ultimately affect the outcome of this presidential race?And what other potential ways to contest the race does the president have as the rest of this election unfolds?On this episode of the“Can He Do That?” podcast, election law expert Edward Foley explains how the Trump team’s fight in the courts could shape the final outcome.Related reading and episodesWith millions of ballots yet to be counted, here’s where votes are still outElection reveals deeper divides between red and blue AmericaHow an extraordinary election season affects Trump’s reelection chances

As a businessman, candidate Donald Trump said that he was the only person who could deliver major gains for U.S. workers. The stock market and the wealthiest Americans have seen gains during his administration, but at a cost — ever-growing wealth inequalities.Related reading and listening:Will Trump get Americans off of welfare?Jobless claims increase to 898,000, a sign the recovery could be stallingTrump’s Carrier deal fades as economic reality intervenesSubscribe to The Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/chdtoffer

Through his administration’s efforts to weaken agencies, control the flow of information coming out of government and shutter scientific programs, we explore how President Trump has increased divisions in our willingness to accept science-based guidance.Related reading and listening:Does the president have much power to control a viral outbreak?CDC feels pressure from Trump as rift grows over coronavirus responseScience ranks grow thin in Trump administrationSubscribe to The Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/chdtoffer

President Trump has been surrounded by controversies over his rhetoric when it comes to race. Some hoped he would moderate his tone in office, but four years later, the president has inflamed racial tensions more — through both rhetoric and policy.Related reading and listening Will courts let the Trump administration put a citizenship question on the Census?All four living ex-presidents draw a sharp contrast with Trump on systemic racismAllegations of racism have marked Trump’s presidency and become key issue as election nearsSubscribe to The Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/chdtoffer

In the upcoming 2020 election, 35 U.S. Senate seats and 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs. Plus, 44 states with seats in their state legislative chambers are also on the ballot.Many of these races have an impact on the agenda of the next president and the future of the American political landscape.Yes, the makeup of Congress will, of course, affect the way the next president can govern. Parties in control of each house of Congress can help a president carry out his agenda. They can also impede a president from legislative accomplishments.But it’s not just the national-level races that lay the groundwork for a president’s influence. And it’s not just the national-level races that can be influenced by a sitting president or a party’s presidential candidate.The reality is, the outcome of state house races across the country will also end up carrying significant meaning for the future of our electoral landscape. And they might carry more weight for the power of the next president than you’d expect.On this episode of“Can He Do That?” national political correspondent Dave Weigel delves into the details of how 2020 races across the country might influence power inside and outside of Washington.Related reading and episodesHow to vote in your stateHow turnout and swing voters could get Trump or Biden to 270How an extraordinary election season affects Trump’s reelection chances

The 2020 election and its lead-up have not exactly been your run-of-the-mill election season. American elections often face various challenges, but this year that list of challenges is quite long.First, the world is still in the middle of a pandemic. That’s meant that many states have ramped up mail-in voting, added ballot drop boxes or laid out plans for safety measures around in-person voting. But those pivots and new plans have meant some errors and mix-ups. And some of these voting changes have faced legal challenges.Plus, this week, as early voting has gotten underway around the country, voters have endured long lines, hours and hours of waiting and even some technical delays.Keeping track of all of these voting issues, all the stories from around the country about the challenges our electoral system faces this time around, can seem pretty impossible. And understanding which of these pieces matter most to the outcomes of the election can be even harder.On this episode of the“Can He Do That?” podcast, national political reporter Amy Gardner covers the election-related legal battles likely to have the biggest impacts, efforts to mislead voters and the ballot errors that we’ve seen around the country. We also take a look at new voting issues that could come up as Election Day gets closer.And, as the Senate moves to confirm a new Supreme Court Justice, one appointed in the final weeks before Election Day by a candidate on the ballot, we lay out what scenarios could lead the Supreme Court to be involved in the outcome of the 2020 election.Related reading and episodesHow to vote in your stateHow turnout and swing voters could get Trump or Biden to 270What happens if Trump refuses to accept a loss?