National

It wasn't expected to be this way. Democrats had put lots of Senate races in play, ones not expected to go their way at the beginning of the 2020 cycle.

The new wave appears bigger and more widespread than the surges that happened in the spring and summer — and threatens to be worse.

As the new president sets his priorities, will having an educator as first lady help schools and colleges get what they hope for?

"We're going to count all the votes," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters, a seeming reference to President Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

Raising unsupported claims of voter fraud, Trump has blocked Biden from receiving the intelligence briefings traditionally shared with incoming presidents.

Biden issued his call to protect each other on the same day he announced his coronavirus advisory panel and Pfizer announced major progress on a vaccine.

NPR has taken a look through some of Biden's promises and short-term goals for his presidency, some of which is laid out in a new transition website. Here's what to expect.

The 2020 presidential election has officially hit the highest turnout in more than 50 years.

The U.S., India and Brazil lead with the most cases and account for nearly half of the world count. The U.S. alone is poised to hit 10 million cases as hospitalizations climb.

Record turnout, a president who won't accept the outcome and likely divided government. Beating President Trump may turn out to be easier than governing for Biden.

The shots made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are among 10 possible vaccine candidates in late-stage testing around the world.

The U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus infections a day, frequently breaking records for daily cases.

The election did little to suggest that the country was suddenly less polarized. Trump wrung out votes from areas where he already had a core of support.

Biden now must shift toward action with the looming uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic’s disparate impact on Black Americans and people of color.

Coronavirus cases are surging around the country. How will Joe Biden manage the pandemic differently, once he takes office in January? Expect a more centralized U.S. response.