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It’s been an explosive week of evidence at the Covid inquiry. Government by WhatsApp and chaotic scenes at Downing Street.

Amol and Nick discuss how badly the UK handled Covid and whether a different approach would have fundamentally altered the response and outcomes of the pandemic.

Joining them in The Today Podcast studio is Louise Casey, who spent nearly 20 years in the civil service and who has run a range of inquiries, . She tells Amol and Nick what she made of her time working with the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

And Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, emeritus professor of statistics at Cambridge University, takes us through the data. Just how badly did Britain really do?

Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme.

If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.

The producers are Tom Smithard and Stephanie Mitcalf. The editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Studio direction from Mike Regaard.

Note: This audio has been edited to include a fuller answer.

Sharon is joined by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to hear directly from the Republican Presidential candidate ahead of the presidential debate. In a time of cold wars, culture wars, and economic unknowns, Burgum makes the argument that it’s time for the federal government to refocus its priorities. Burgum also took the position that it’s time to “get away from the celebrity President and get back to the idea that the President is an operating job, and needs to focus on the job description.” Burgum and Sharon discuss how the Republican nominee will need to win over some political independents, who often fall into the category of the exhausted majority. Gov. Burgum explains why he believes his experience in both the public and private sectors make him the ideal candidate to do just that.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Governor Doug Burgum

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.