All DC Decoder
Gun control 101: Do Americans often use firearms in self-defense?Good guys with guns are the best protection against armed criminals, gun rights groups say. But there is little data to corroborate that claim, and the data that does exist varies widely.
Immigration reform: a bid to attract workers who will boost the economyImmigration reform is foremost a social issue, but it has big economic implications. Exhibit A is a measure that, looking forward, aims to attract immigrants whose skills mesh with the US needs.
Sarah Palin vows to fight on without Fox News gigSarah Palin has parted ways with Fox News, but says, 'we haven't begun to fight!' even though polls show declining support for the tea party movement. In particular, she promises to 'shake up the GOP machine.'
Why Fox News dropped Sarah PalinAfter John McCain picked Sarah Palin out of relative obscurity to be his vice presidential running mate, she became a political force of nature. Since then, however, her star has lost its luster within the GOP, and she鈥檚 parted ways with Fox News.
Social Security and Medicare: Do you get back what you pay in?People who pay into Social Security and Medicare their whole working lives are often told by politicians that they've 'earned' these retirement benefits. Here's why that's not necessarily so.
Could North Korea hit the US with a missile?Assessing North Korea's military capabilities has taken on new urgency in the face of renewed threats from the Pyongyang regime. Some question how big the threat really is, but concern still exists.
FocusDebt ceiling: With debate on hold, where is US economy headed now?With the debt ceiling's threat no longer imminent, the US economy appears to be stuck in neutral, waiting to be pushed forward or back. Here are head winds and tail winds competing for influence.- House passes 'no budget, no pay' bill, but is it unconstitutional?The legislation calls off the debt ceiling fight, for now. 'no budget, no pay' also requires both chambers of Congress to pass a budget resolution by April 15, or forgo their salaries until they do. But the 27th Amendment may stand in the way.
Debt-ceiling deal holds hope of ending Beltway brinkmanshipHouse Republicans have used debt ceilings and 'fiscal cliffs' as political levers partly because Democrats in the Senate haven't passed a budget plan in three years. Now, that will change.
Support coalesces around GOP's temporary fix to debt ceiling crisisThe Obama White House said Tuesday it will not oppose a GOP-led House plan to raise the national debt ceiling for 90 days. Many firebrand fiscal conservatives, too, appear willing to go along. But the plan carries risks for both parties.
Inauguration 2013: Most presidents don't invite a poet ... for a reasonRichard Blanco, who speaks at Inauguration 2013, will be only the fifth poet to speak on Inauguration Day. Even John Kennedy was wary that a poet, Robert Frost, would shine so bright as to 'detract' from his own address.
Inauguration Day Bibles: how presidents choose, and what that revealsPresident Obama will have two highly symbolic Bibles at his Inauguration Day swearing-in ceremony: one used by Abraham Lincoln and another from the family of Martin Luther King Jr.
Obama鈥檚 second term: Can he work with Congress?Approval ratings for Congress may have plummeted, but President Obama will find he鈥檚 going to need to work with the lawmakers he spent much of his reelection campaign railing against.
Gun control 101: Why is Obama pushing for new gun research?A key part of President Obama's plan to rein in gun violence is his push to kick-start fresh gun-control-related research by federal agencies. Republicans have blocked such research in the past.
So if the US really hits the debt ceiling, then what?The negative effects of hitting the debt ceiling could be mitigated by setting priorities for bill-paying, conservatives argue, but financial markets could still consider the US to have defaulted.
Gun debate 101: How would this assault-weapons ban be different?President Obama's gun plan calls for a tougher version of a 1994 ban on assault weapons. Here's a primer on how it might work and what effects it might have.
Gun debate 101: Time to ban high-capacity magazines?President Obama proposes banning high-capacity magazines in a bid to make mass shootings less likely. But gun rights advocates worry that the ammo ban is a sleeper provision that will, ultimately, make many handguns illegal, as well.
Gun debate 101: Time for 'universal' background checks on buyers?Expanded background checks may well be among Vice President Biden's recommended gun policy reforms in response to the Newtown school shootings. They'd be aimed at closing the 'gun show loophole.' Here's what that would mean.
Debt-ceiling showdown: 4 reasons it's not a replay of 2011 In 2011, Congress and President Obama went to the brink of government default when congressional Republicans balked at raising the nation's debt ceiling. The spring of 2013 appears to have another debt ceiling fight in store. Here are the top four things that have changed.
Tax reform: If both parties love it, why doesn't it go anywhere?A speech by the an oil industry lobbying group Tuesday showed how interest groups are influencing the process, worried that they could be the big loser in tax reform.
