All DC Decoder
- Abortion report card: Half of states get an 'F' from activist group
Access to abortion has been whittled back, NARAL Pro-Choice America says in its annual report. But 12 states still deserve an 'A,' and elections can be pivotal in battleground states like Virginia.
- Congress unveils $1.1 trillion spending bill: four things it tells us
Congress closed the loop on the budget deal reached in December, unveiling a bill that delineates how $1.1 trillion will be spent. Here's four things we learned.
- Presidential nominations exhibit A for dysfunctional Senate
Senate approval of presidential nominations is a flashpoint in the growing dysfunction and partisan gridlock in the Senate. On Monday, the issue spilled over to the US Supreme Court.
- Obamacare youth enrollment lower than expected. Why the optimism?
Obamacare needs young Americans to sign up to help offset the costs of less-healthy enrollees. According to a new report, their numbers are low. But experts view the data with optimism.
- Has bridge scandal put an end to Gov. Christie's White House dream?
Until now, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie led the pack of Republican 2016 presidential hopefuls, and he was running neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton. But the bridge scandal could end all that.
- Chris Christie bridge scandal: Did press conference save his future?
A contrite Chris Christie fired a top aide, and issued apologies after learning of his associates' involvement in causing a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J., last September.
- Will Obama's 'promise zone' program really help the poor?
Presidents have launched such 'place-based' programs before, but it's not clear how effective initiatives like Obama's 'promise zones' have been at lifting the poor communities they're intended to aid.
- Fifty years after 'war on poverty': Who's poor now? (+video) Fifty years after the advent of the “war on poverty,” the lives of low-income Americans have improved on many fronts even as the US faces persistent challenges, led by the prevalence of single-parent households. Here are four yardsticks to measure American poverty, then and now.