All Decoder
‘Nationalist’: A president takes a mantle, then shows he means itIs a nationalist simply the opposite of a globalist? Our reporter looks at the term’s various meanings, and what President Trump may be communicating when he uses it.
Three questions raised by Roy Moore's runoff winThe former state Supreme Court justice's victory in Alabama's GOP runoff is at once a blow to President Trump, who had endorsed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, and also a validation of Trumpian outsider politics.
Trump and the Democrats: How day-time drama enraged GOP viewersTrump’s sudden affinity for deals with Democrats Schumer and Pelosi has aggravated raw divisions in his own party. It may even force a long-building final confrontation between GOP activist and establishment factions.
Special counsel appointed to investigate Russia-Trump ties: Three key questionsThe presence of former FBI Director Robert Mueller III at the head of a semi-independent probe should provide structure and restore some measure of order to the investigation. Some questions ahead.
Why a thorough investigation of Russian election meddling is still possiblePractically speaking, at issue right now are two very different approaches to a new a Russia investigation effort.
Will GOP's tax reform prove easier than health care?Republicans are likely to be more unified on tax cuts than on health care, but President Trump and Speaker Ryan still face formidable challenges to push their package through.
Trump, Russia, and the seriousness of smokeAs reports of contacts with Russia emerge, the president's denials and counterattacks create the impression that the administration has something to hide.
The (semi) secret history of Trump’s Andrew Jackson portraitJackson, a populist outsider, was the first president to employ a full-time artist, who operated in a manner not unlike the White House photographers of today.
Trump isn't the first president to distrust US intelligenceKennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford all resented the CIA, but they learned to work with it when unexpected crises hit.
Five things we learned this week about Trump’s agendaFrom overhauling Medicare to loosening bank and climate regulations, President-elect Trump has no shortage of proposals – either his own or from other Republican leaders.
Did FBI save Hillary Clinton – or sink her?FBI Director James Comey's announcement Sunday that there would be no investigation of Hillary Clinton closes the immediate issue, but it is likely to reverberate long after Election Day.
How undecided voters could spring a surprise this electionAn unusually high percentage of Americans still haven't made up their minds about whom to vote for. In a close presidential race, those votes could be decisive.
How will history judge James Comey’s email revelation?The verdict on the FBI director's actions may depend on what the emails reveal – and who wins the election.
Why haven't Clinton WikiLeaks emails caused more uproar?People seem to be seeing what they want to see in the latest batch of emails, making the net effect of their release relatively minor.
Trump poised to reshape GOP, no matter whatHouse Speaker Paul Ryan's brand of small-government conservatism might be evolving in ways that echo beyond Donald Trump.
The roots of Donald Trump’s anti-intellectualismTrump has taken anti-wonkiness to new levels, and his high level of support echoes populist sentiment of yesteryear and follows a decades-long slide in trust in traditional institutions.
Why don't third parties succeed in US? Maybe it’s the law.Duverger’s law is a political theory that says democracies with single-member legislative districts and winner-take-all voting tend to favor a two-party system.
Campaign 2016 is divisive: What it says for the futureAs the GOP becomes whiter, older, and more religious, Democrats become more diverse, younger, and less religious. The next president faces a daunting challenge bridging that gap.
Trump's and Clinton’s favorable ratings are awful. Here’s why.Structural factors rooted in America's partisan divide help make the Democratic and GOP candidates the least-liked in modern polling.
For Hillary Clinton, stealth may be bigger problem than healthThe Democratic presidential candidate repeatedly seems to reveal as little as possible to the public. Is she too lawyerly for her own good?
