All DC Decoder
- For now, Bergdahl and Benghazi push Obamacare into the background
Republicans were poised to make Obamacare the big issue of the 2014 midterms. It still could be. But the Benghazi probe and Bowe Bergdahl prison swap are now likely to be major issues, too.
- Bergdahl-for-Taliban swap: why Pentagon officials think it's not a bad deal
The Bergdahl-for-Taliban swap is under fire from Republican lawmakers and commentators. But Taliban leaders' release does not pose that great a threat to US troops, Pentagon officials say.
- Bowe Bergdahl video: Why did Taliban release it now?
The message in the Taliban video of Bowe Bergdahl's release was triumphal (if misspelled): 'Don't come back to Afghanistan.' Such videos are a staple of Taliban propaganda.
- Why Democrats are cheering over Mississippi primary
Tea party Republican Chris McDaniel barely leads Sen. Thad Cochran in the Mississippi primary, with the race perhaps heading to a June 24 runoff. If Mr. McDaniel wins, Democrats hope he could implode like other tea party candidates have.
- Will Mississippi video scandal cost tea party a Senate scalp?
Sen. Thad Cochran and tea party-backed Chris McDaniel are tied in polls going into Tuesday's primary. Mississippi is the tea party's best chance at defeating an incumbent GOP senator this year.
- Major EPA carbon emissions cuts: How they could affect the economy
The EPA's proposed rules aim to lower carbon emissions to fight climate change. The energy industry is angry about the cuts, but by many measures, the economic impact could be light.
- Bowe Bergdahl release 101: four reasons Republicans are irked by POW case
Republicans say they will hold hearings into the prisoner swap that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, suggesting President Obama broke the law and compromised national security. Are the concerns valid, or is this just election-year politics? Here is a closer look at the charges.
- Obama climate change plan 101: What's in new EPA rules?
The EPA has unveiled new rules to cut carbon emissions from power plants. It's President Obama's attempt to significantly add to his legacy on climate change. What will the new rules do? A point-by-point look at the essentials.
- Republicans slam Obama over Bowe Bergdahl swap. Why he won't care.
Republicans are suggesting President Obama might have conceded too much in winning the freedom of prisoner of war Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. But the president has shown he is unafraid of going into gray areas of foreign policy.
- Obama's Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap: Was it illegal?
President Obama is supposed to give Congress advanced warning of Guantánamo detainee transfers. In the swap that freed Bowe Bergdahl, he didn't. Why? It has to do with 'signing statements.'
- Obama set to limit power plant carbon emissions. GOP pushes back
On Monday, the EPA is expected to set the first carbon pollution limits on existing US power plants. In this ongoing fight with the GOP, President Obama is emphasizing health benefits.
- Why Congress targets mental health, not gun control, after mass killings
The UC Santa Barbara killings revived calls for more aggressive federal action on gun control. But in Congress, the emphasis is on mental-health fixes to stem violent attacks. Here's what the House is considering and why.
- Veterans Affairs chief Eric Shinseki quits. Will that solve VA's problems?
In the end, combined pressures resulting from mismanagement at VA health facilities proved too much for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to withstand. President Obama accepted his resignation Friday.
- Obama delays executive action to ease deportations. Why?
President Obama has already used executive action to cut back on deportations of undocumented immigrants in 2012. He was poised to do it again, but didn't. At least, not yet.
- Texas GOP runoff: five take-aways from big tea party wins
Tea party wins in the Texas primary broke a string of losses. It's important, given the size of the Texas delegation in Congress, and it confirms that Sen. Ted Cruz is the 'president' of the tea party.
- What Cabinet 'musical chairs,' and Julian Castro pick, say about Obama
Obama is tapping Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio to run Housing and Urban Development and HUD Secretary Donovan as budget director. The choices show the president's goals of diversity and management skill for top administrators.
- USA Freedom Act 101: How far did House go to rein in the NSA?
The House passed a sweeping bill Thursday to end the NSA's bulk data collection of Americans' phone metadata. The USA Freedom Act had bipartisan support and White House backing. You'll want the answers to these five questions.
- Is 'ageism' at heart of shocking video against Mississippi senator?
In Texas and Mississippi, where a senator's bedridden wife is in the news, questions about candidate age are cropping up. Young challengers say 'it's time for new blood,' but everyone knows what they mean. And sometimes they say it out loud: Age matters.
- House Democrats to join new Benghazi probe. Prudence, or worry?
Democrats had threatened to boycott a new House panel to investigate the Obama administration's handling of the deadly 2012 assault on US posts in Benghazi, Libya. On Wednesday, they relented, citing need to keep check on GOP.
- Rand Paul thumps Obama nominee over US drone strikes on Americans
Rand Paul takes to the Senate floor Wednesday to oppose the nomination of David Barron to a US appeals court, citing one of his signature issues: the use of military drones to target Americans.