All DC Decoder
Romney tax plan: How rich could pay the 'same' and still pay lessRomney promises to make the rich keep paying a constant percentage of all US income taxes. That's very different from asking them to pay a constant share of their earnings.
Why the Benghazi terrorist attack still dogs ObamaWhen it comes up in the presidential candidates鈥� foreign policy debate Monday night, President Obama will have some serious explaining to do about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last month that killed the US Ambassador and three other Americans.
Romney鈥檚 wavering path on abortion. Do voters care?Abortion is a tricky issue for both Romney and Obama campaigns. In polls, a聽plurality agrees that abortion should be generally available. But聽a substantial number want to restrict its availability.
Presidential debate 101: Does Romney want extra $2 trillion for Pentagon?Romney's call for Pentagon spending to be no less than 4 percent of GDP could add $2 trillion to its budget. But Obama's claim that this is money the military doesn't want misses a key issue: civilian control.
Set aside debate over Romney tax math: Is tax reform a good idea?The momentous policy challenge of how to fix America's dysfunctional tax system has been largely obscured by the debate over Mitt Romney's tax math. But there's broad support for tax reform.
Presidential debate 101: Does $25,000 deduction cap make Romney tax math work?At the last presidential debate, Romney floated the number $25,000. According to one analysis, such a cap on deductions would generate $1.3 trillion in revenues, short of the estimated $5 trillion in tax cuts.
Presidential debate 101: In oil drilling spat, did Obama make his best case?A tense exchange between Romney and Obama on oil drilling was perhaps the most contentious of the second presidential debate. Here's a look at what was said, and whether it was accurate.
Presidential debate 101: Does Romney鈥檚 tax math add up?Here鈥檚 a closer look at the tax reform proposals that Mitt Romney discussed during Tuesday night's debate. Do President Obama and others have a point in challenging the math?
Would Romney really dare to tag China a 'currency manipulator'?Mitt Romney said again, during Tuesday's presidential debate, that on Day 1 in office he'll declare China a 'currency manipulator' 鈥� something recent presidents have resisted doing. The aim: to improve prospects for US exports. The risk: that China will retaliate in a most unpleasant way.
Cuban Missile Crisis: the 3 most surprising things you didn't know Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union within a hair鈥檚 breadth of nuclear war. Here are three things that many Americans don鈥檛 know about what historians routinely call 鈥渢he most dangerous moment in human history.鈥�
From the 'Wastebook': robotic squirrels, talking urinals, and CongressSen. Tom Coburn's annual Wastebook comes up with $18 billion of spending that never should have occurred, with an eye to getting Washington priorities back in line. The No. 1 wasteful item: $132 million to run a Congress that won't say no to waste.
Presidential polls: Politics, like Major League Baseball, is numbers-drivenWith 23 days and two important debates before Election Day, the presidential race could see major twists and turns. Here are the latest polling data, including an apparent advantage for Obama among early voters.
Senator prods Gang of 8 to make middle class, deficit-cutting top prioritiesAs bipartisan talks to avoid a 'fiscal cliff' renew this week, a top Senate Democratic leader, Charles Schumer, warns negotiators that any plan that aims to cut taxes on the rich and also cut deficits is 'a trap,' and won't add up.
Mitt Romney to lay out foreign policy, national security agendaFollowing a series of rhetorical stumbles, Mitt Romney is scheduled to lay out his more muscular foreign policy and national security agenda at the Virginia Military Institute Monday. But is it really all that different from President Obama's?
Latest polls: Romney's uphill fight not as steepPublic opinion polls are moving things in Mitt Romney's direction, with one expert聽suggesting that Romney 'has peeled off some of Mr. Obama鈥檚 softer support in addition to gaining ground among undecided voters.'
Mitt Romney gets post-debate boost in the polls. Will it last?Mitt Romney is moving ahead in the first public opinion polls taken since his debate with President Obama. But there are two more debates and a month to go until Election Day, and the race remains close.
Election 2012: top seven super PACs Decoder profiles the seven top super PACs, the organizations that have spent the most trying to influence the elections 鈥� and still have the most money in the bank.
Mitt Romney pitches smaller government: Is his target realistic?While President Obama sees sizable government as fostering economic growth, Mitt Romney wants to cap federal spending at 20 percent of GDP. Is that goal feasible 鈥� and economically helpful?
Presidential debate 101: Is Romney right about $716 billion in Medicare cuts?In Wednesday's presidential debate, the GOP's Mitt Romney cited ill effects from $716 billion in cuts to Medicare contained in Obama's health-care reform law. Here's a look at what fact-checkers say.
Romney zinger: Obama backs 'green' energy losers. Is he right?Romney pans Obama's subsidies for 'green' energy, citing Solyndra and other high-profile failures. Obama has far more green energy winners than losers so far, but his strategy is risky.聽
