All Decoder
- Want to hear Obama sing the blues? Best chance is tonight on PBS.
At a recent White House blues concert, which airs on PBS Monday night, President Obama joined the guest artists for a few bars. When did the White House first become a musical venue?
- So much money, so few lobbyists in D.C. How does that math work?
Spending to lobby the US government has almost tripled since 1998, but numbers of registered lobbyists have barely budged. How the work gets done without the scarlet 'L' of lobbyist registration.
- Why you should stop calling today Presidents' Day
True, many refer to today's national day off as Presidents' Day, but federal law actually lists the holiday as Washington's Birthday.
- Why Abraham Lincoln's birthday isn't a federal holiday
President's Day celebrates Abraham Lincoln, right? Nope. There is no 'President's Day.' It's actually legally known only as 'Washington's Birthday,' leaving Old Abe out the cold.
- How to get House and Senate bills to match up on payroll tax cut?
A conference committee on the payroll tax cut meets Wednesday to try to resolve differences between House and Senate bills. It's the old-fashioned way of coming to agreement, used for barely half the bills in the last Congress.
- Florida primary: Why it's one of the last few winner-take-all states
States like to have a big prize to dangle before candidates during the nominating season, as is the case with the Florida primary. But the Republican Party has been pushing for a more proportional system for allocating convention delegates.
- Election 101: Who are Florida primary voters, and how are they different?
In Florida, only preregistered Republican Party members can vote in the GOP presidential primary. That’s different from South Carolina and New Hampshire. Here's a look at the various types of elections.
- The other Martin Luther King Jr. holiday: how it's observed
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, established in 1994, is meant to be a day of personal action in Dr. King’s memory – as its boosters say, a day on, not a day off.
- Super PAC windfalls: How deep pockets are funding the 2012 election
A 'super PAC' endorsing Newt Gingrich recently received $5 million to help boost his 2012 election campaign. But the former House speaker isn't the only candidate to benefit from super PAC money.