President Biden’s campaign message of unity is being tested in Washington during his first full week in office, particularly because Republicans and Democrats don’t seem to agree on what unity means. The scars from the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol are still fresh, a second impeachment trial is looming in the Senate, and Republicans and Democrats are seemingly miles apart from agreeing on a new COVID-19 aid package. Meanwhile, disharmony is evident among members of the GOP as Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz flew to Wyoming to campaign against GOP Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney after she voted to impeach former President Trump. Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, and Senator Mark Warner, spoke with Amy Walter about whether or not Biden’s calls for unity will be ignored.
In 2020, almost 30 states expanded access to absentee ballots and early voting to make voting easier during the pandemic. As a result, states saw a record-breaking number of requests for mail-in-ballots. And while Republicans have historically relied on absentee ballots, former President Trump’s attacks on voting by mail meant that more Democrats took advantage of the early vote option, while many Republicans opted to vote in person on Election Day. Today, Republican state legislators in swing states like Georgia, Michigan, Texas, and Pennsylvania are pushing for new voting restrictions in the aftermath of a Biden win. Grace Panetta, senior politics reporter at Business Insider, describes the unintended consequences of restricting voting rights.
Every ten years, the U.S. government conducts a census that determines how many seats each state will receive in the House of Representatives. This data is used to redraw congressional and state legislative district lines. The most recent census results have been delayed by the pandemic and a legal battle regarding whether or not undocumented immigrants would be included in the final count. Republicans and Democrats have long sought to draw districts in their favor, but tolerance for hyper-partisan gerrymandering has waned considerably over the last decade. Dave Wasserman, House editor for The Cook Political Report, describes where the latest redistricting efforts stand and which states stand to gain additional seats.
The Politics of "Defund the Police"
The Tipping Point for the End of Systemic Racism in Policing
The Future of the Democratic Party
How Social Psychology Influences Political Behavior
How California is Preparing for the General Election During the Pandemic
A Look at Phase One of North Carolina's Plan to Reopen
The Return of Big Government
Social Distancing on the Campaign Trail
How Coronavirus Will Hurt those Attempting to Enter the Workforce
React or Prepare? How to Handle a Crisis
A Primary Election During a Pandemic
How COVID-19 has Changed Small Business
Politics with Amy Walter: Governing, the Economy, and Coronavirus
The Politics of Coronavirus
Super Tuesday and Beyond
EXTRA: Biden Wins South Carolina
The Final Early State
Nevada Goes for Bernie
Extra: Nevada Goes for Bernie
The Nevada Caucus and Beyond
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Science of Happiness
Snap Judgment
The World
Orbital Path
Latino USA