All DC Decoder
Obamacare sign-ups: Is deadline surge to 7 million target possible?Obamacare sign-ups have hit the 5 million mark as the March 31 deadline nears, and 7 million can't be ruled out. But the true measure of the law will be how much people like their new health care.
US and allies slap more sanctions on Russia. Will they work?The move came one day after Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia. The sanctions list approved by President Obama includes Russian government officials deemed crucial to Crimea policy.
Why this week was 'screaming siren' for Democrats. Obamacare effect?A Florida special election this week was touted as a referendum on Obamacare. The Democrat lost. That was only one development that concerns Democrats trying to hold the Senate.
Senators reach jobless benefits deal: why bipartisanship is in bloomThe Senate's deal to extend jobless benefits, announced Thursday, was one of several bipartisanship deals reached this week.
Can House Republicans make Obama enforce laws?House Republicans say President Obama has been derelict in enforcing key laws and are looking pass bills to hold him accountable. But the issue hardly began with Obama.
Did secret CIA whistle-blower leak to the Senate?At issue is how Senate Intelligence Committee staffers obtained portions of a sensitive internal CIA study named the 'Panetta report.' The committee chairman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, mentioned a whistle-blower possibility Tuesday.
Deleted CIA files: Did the Senate committee err in trusting the agency?Allowing the CIA to set up a computer system to be used by Senate committee staff to produce a report about the agency itself created a 'classic case of the fox looking after the henhouse.'
Democratic loss in Florida special election: omen for November?Republican David Jolly won Tuesday's special election for a US House seat. The Florida race was essentially a referendum on Obamacare, and its outcome signals that Democrats don't yet have a strong answer to GOP criticism.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein: the woman who could rein in the CIAThe CIA and senators who oversee it have long had a rocky relationship. But allegations of spying Tuesday could be a 'defining moment,' says Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Mission accomplished? 鈥楩unny or Die鈥� gives Obamacare traffic boost.To hit its enlistment goals, Obamacare needs young Americans to sign up at higher rates than they are doing now. The president's appearance on 'Funny or Die' helped a bit Tuesday.
CIA-Senate dispute 101: 9 questions about who's spying on whom Did the Central Intelligence Agency spy illegally on Senate Intelligence Committee computers? Here are nine questions and answers about a complex story that starts with waterboarding and ends in a secret CIA facility in northern Virginia.
Why Florida's special election really does matterObamacare is on trial, as Alex Sink (D) and David Jolly (R) vie to represent Florida's 13th Congressional District, one of the few tossup seats in the country. Both national parties can learn lessons from the outcome.
Senate holds global warming all-nighter: Why 4 Dems will be no-showsSenate Democrats will talk about the importance of addressing global warming until 9 a.m. Tuesday. But the issue is fraught with difficulties for four Democrats who won't appear.
Rand Paul wins big in CPAC presidential poll. Can he take it to 2016?For the second year in a row, Sen. Rand Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference's presidential straw poll. Sen. Ted Cruz did well, too, showing the strength of anti-establishment Republicans within the GOP.
Ukraine crisis: What鈥檚 the point of US military activity near Russia?The modest US show of force is intended more to reassure new NATO members rattled by the crisis in Ukraine than it is designed to send Russia into retreat with its tail between its legs.
Why Obamacare's March 31 enrollment deadline really can't budgeOther deadlines have slid, but the March 31 date for individuals to enroll in health coverage or face a penalty is the most important of all for Obamacare.
Will more US natural gas to Europe help 'keep Putin in check'? Doubtful.Republicans say faster approval of LNG export terminals could help check the influence of other suppliers, like Russia, and allow Europe to take a tougher diplomatic stance on Ukraine. Energy analysts say that would take years.
Ukraine crisis: What can US sanctions against Russian elites achieve?Under the right conditions, sanctions against individual Russians can be effective over time, experts say. The question, as the US moved Thursday to impose such sanctions amid Russia's Ukraine gambit, is whether such conditions exist.
Jeb Bush in 2016? Barbara Bush backs away from 'no.'Barbara Bush, matriarch of her family's political dynasty, now thinks maybe it's OK for son Jeb Bush to run for president in 2016. But a new poll shows nearly half of Americans would definitely not support a Jeb Bush campaign.
Republicans take small steps toward an Obamacare alternativeRepublican leaders in the House are trying to build support among their members for a Republican alternative to Obamacare. The problem is in deciding what that should be.
