Professor of Government at Harvard University
Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and author of The Vanishing Voter: Involvement in an Age of Uncertainty
PROFILE
Thomas Patterson
Guest
FROM Thomas Patterson
To the Point
Parties Gear Up for Legal Battle The latest polls show Republicans picking up steam among likely voters, meaning that more races for the Senate and Congress could be closer than ever. With the possibility of more challenges at various stages of the electoral process, both parties are mobilizing thousands of lawyers. Republicans are concentrating on possible fraud, Democrats are focused on access, and the federal Department of Justice is sending 800 lawyers to 65 cities in 20 states. How long will it take before we know who’s in charge on Capitol Hill? Will challenges and delays damage confidence in American democracy? We hear about possible challenges to voter ID, electronic voting and absentee ballots.
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?