Jeb Barnes, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The idea that Washington, DC is paralyzed by gridlock rests on half-truths about the legislative process and a basic misunderstanding of how contemporary policymaking works.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the press after the House voted to remove her from committee assignments.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Endless filibustering has paralysed the US Senate, and with it all of Congress. Will this form of obstructionism be one of the main challenges facing Biden, as some Democrats fear?
The impeachment trial of Warren Hastings in 1788.
Library of Congress
In the early 19th century, the British – who had invented impeachment centuries before – decided it no longer served its purpose. Instead, they found a more effective way to handle a bad leader.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet Feb. 1 with Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, to discuss a coronavirus relief package.
AP/Evan Vucci
The US Supreme Court is often less insulated from partisan politics than many Americans assume.
The three branches of U.S. government often find themselves in tension.
White House, Eric Kiser; Capitol, John Xavier; Supreme Court, Architect of the Capitol
When presidents have tried to address pressing issues through executive action, members of Congress are quick to ask the courts to step in.
Pro-Trump rioters trying to enter Capitol building. A recent poll showed that up to one-fifth of Americans supported the assault on the Capitol.
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
To repair the public’s dwindling trust in the federal government, politicians must recommit to the impartial cooperation that bolsters political institutions.
On January 14, 2021, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi officially signed Donald Trump’s indictment.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP
Donald Trump is now the subject of a second impeachment trial. Although Democrats were initially optimistic, it is unlikely to succeed given the position of Republicans.
If the Senate acquits former President Donald Trump in the upcoming impeachment trial, there’s an obscure other way to punish him.
iStock /Getty Images Plus
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was first used against Confederate leaders after the Civil War to expel seditionist politicians. Now it could be used against Donald Trump.
Modern presidents, including Trump and Obama, have issued far fewer executive orders than their predecessors before World War II.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Since 1953, the economy has only rarely been in recession when a Democrat was in the White House.
Many of the resolutions and executive orders Trump signed early in his administration reversed Obama-era decisions involving the fossil fuels industry.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Senate Republicans must now decide whether to convict the president — an unlikely outcome. But even if they do, purging Trump from the party will prove more difficult.
On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump addressed his supporters in Washington. Shortly afterwards, thousands of them will forcibly enter the Capitol.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP
In his January 6 speech in Washington DC, Donald Trump urged his supporters to force their way onto Capitol Hill, is a perfect compendium of his inflammatory populist rhetoric.
A video screen displays Donald Trump’s face as he prepares to address a crowd of his supporters.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Kurt Braddock, American University School of Communication
Words have consequences. And decades of research supports the contention that Donald Trump’s words could in fact incite people to mount an insurrection at the US Capitol.
Statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall in New York City.
Getty Images
Removing Trump from office in nine days is virtually impossible. Congress can impeach now and try him later, but this could distract from President-elect Joe Biden’s all-important first 100 days.