When President Joe Biden took his seat behind the Resolute desk hours after his inauguration Jan. 20, he wasted no time in dismantling key pieces of the Trump administration’s policy with 17 executive orders, proclamations, and memorandums. Some laid out the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, halted construction of the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, ended the so-called “Muslim travel ban,” extended a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic, recommitted the United States to the Paris climate accords, and revoked construction permits for the Keystone XL pipeline.

One of WORLD Magazine’s slogans since the 1990s has been “Sensational facts, understated prose.” Many publications, though, practice angry overstatement—and, starting in 2005, Erick Woods Erickson became known as a master of the form. He was editor in chief of RedState and then a political contributor to CNN and Fox News. At age 45 Erickson, still lively but less militant, concentrates on his popular Atlanta talk show: This month brings his 10th anniversary on radio station WSB. Here are edited excerpts of our Dec. 9 interview. 

As education commissioner for the state of Connecticut, Miguel Cardona worked to support in-person learning, renewed existing charter schools, and tried to improve education for non-English-speaking students. As President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Education, he will coordinate the administration’s efforts to reopen most schools across the country in the administration’s first 100 days. On Tuesday, Biden announced his plans to nominate Cardona, who will replace outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Days of tumult in the United States coincided with formidable days for Europeans. On Election Day, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a Nov. 2 terror attack in the heart of Vienna that killed four people and wounded more than 20. Austrian investigators have identified more than 21 suspected accomplices in what could have become a far deadlier attack. 

President Donald Trump had not made a public appearance since his hospitalization with COVID-19 ended Oct. 5—until Saturday. Hundreds of people, many of them wearing masks, gathered on the South Lawn of the White House to hear the president speak from the Blue Room balcony. For 18 minutes, he spoke to a mostly Latino and African American audience about his support for law enforcement.

President Donald Trump stepped out of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in a black SUV Sunday to wave to supporters who had gathered outside the clinic. Secret Service agents inside the vehicle donned masks and other protective gear. The short trip caused some concern as Trump is still infected and contagious after he tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday.

At the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order to ensure all babies born alive “no matter their circumstances” receive proper medical care. In a prerecorded speech, the president told attendees that protecting babies “is our sacrosanct moral duty.”