Ron Elving

Issues of vanity aside, the mask has become an emblem of submission to experts, to officialdom — to Washington. By the same token, the refusal to wear a mask becomes another badge of defiance.

We discuss the president's upcoming rally in Tulsa and his response to a politically bruising week.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton's book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, is scheduled to come out next week and has already begun shipping.

The tone of his forthcoming book, The Room Where It Happened, suggests the diary of a tutor who has endured many frustrating months with a spoiled and inattentive pupil who ignores his lessons.

Statues and flags may not do physical harm to anyone or suppress anyone's vote. But they meant something to the people who put them up, and they have meaning for people who see them today.

We take a look at the May jobs numbers, the president's use of the military against protesters, and where ther Republican National Convention might take place.

Even in calmer times, Trump has spoken of having military parades in Washington, such as on his Inauguration Day or the Fourth of July, in the style of those held by the French on the Champs d'Elysee.

The New Yorker journalist says Putin and Trump were elected president without really wanting the job. They ran "not for president but for autocrat" and did not expect to settle for anything less.

In the convention host cities of Milwaukee and Charlotte, people are wondering: As much as they wanted to host these events, is the price too high in terms of residents' exposure?

Joe Biden apologizes for remarks he made on a Friday morning radio show popular with black millennials; President Trump continues to contradict CDC guidelines on the coronavirus.

Congress has another huge coronavirus economic relief plan. Meanwhile, a former U.S. health official warns of a shrinking window of opportunity to deal with the pandemic before winter.

NPR's Ron Elving talks about the historic U.S. unemployment rate, and the Justice Department's move to drop its criminal case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Masks were in evidence when senators returned to work, and the Supreme Court heard oral arguments remotely. But facewear appears out of fashion at the White House, at least for public events.

NPR's Ron Elving and Scott Simon talk about Joe Biden's response on MSNBC to a sexual assault allegation against him. Plus, the latest on President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the extraordinarily volatile environment of this pandemic-election year, even a nightmare economy may not be as fatal for the incumbent as it would have been in the past.

As COVID-19 takes over the political conversation, Americans' ambivalence about science — and "experts" in general — is likely to come to the forefront.

On reopening the economy, defunding the WHO and adjourning Congress, the president's style — aggressive strides forward in rhetoric, then a more realistic step back — was on display.

We take a look at the president's plan to reopen the U.S. and push for an economic recovery while the number of infections and fatalities continue to climb.

The virus is disproportionately affecting people of color, primarily in densely populated cities. This is where the urban-rural rift also comes into play — and, consequently, a political one.

It was another week of conflicting messages from the White House about the coronavirus crisis.