DC Decoder

Everything we know about Edward Snowden and the NSA...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:46:08 -0400

Everything we know about Edward Snowden and the NSA leak

Actually, Americans aren’t shrugging over NSA surveillance

Edward Snoden: Who is he, and what kind of life is he leaving behind?

Edward Snowden leaks: why Obama has a political cushion

Photos (top) Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, speaks to The Guardian newspaper on Sunday in Hong Kong. The Guardian/AP

Gen. Keith B. Alexander, commander, US Cyber Command and director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service listens while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 12, before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Charles Dharapak/AP

How much did IRS spend filming ‘Star Trek’ spoof?

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:32:42 -0400

How much did IRS spend filming ‘Star Trek’ spoof?

Obama’s approval ratings slide: Scandals taking...

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:08:27 -0400

Obama’s approval ratings slide: Scandals taking toll?

Cartoon: Gary Varvel

Would a US ‘drone court’ to authorize drone strikes...

Tue, 28 May 2013 13:44:34 -0400

Would a US ‘drone court’ to authorize drone strikes be a good idea?

Cartoon: Dave Granlund

Obama’s scandal-plagued second term: Our latest...

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:48:22 -0400

Obama’s scandal-plagued second term: Our latest on Benghazi, the IRS tea party scandal, and the Justice Department’s probe of Associated Press phone records.

Why IRS investigation is already Obama’s Watergate - and Benghazi, too

Obama administration targets Fox News reporter in ‘chilling’ echo of AP probe

Might Obama fire Attorney General Eric Holder?

Photos: (Top) President Barack Obama speaks under an umbrella held by a Marine as a light rain falls during a news conference Thursday at the White House. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Second-term curse? The burst of controversy out of the IRS and...

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:27:09 -0400

Second-term curse? The burst of controversy out of the IRS and Justice Department, in addition to lingering GOP pressure over Benghazi, has sidelined attention to President Obama’s agenda.

Why Benghazi talking points make US government seem like Dunder Mifflin

White House reaction to IRS scandal: Too little, too late?

Obama’s ‘juice’ squeezed by scandals?

Cartoons: (top) Stuart Carlson (left) Gary Varvel

Photo: President Barack Obama walking from the Oval Office in Washington May 9. Carolyn Kaster/AP

IRS tea party scandal and political fallout: Lawmakers on both...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:09:18 -0400

IRS tea party scandal and political fallout: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are vowing to hold people accountable and explore legislative changes to ensure the IRS mends its ways after singling out tea party and other conservative groups.

IRS tea party scandal is ‘un-American’ and a ‘travesty,’ lawmakers fume

IRS tea party scandal: How bad for Obama?

IRS tea party scandal unlikely to fade as Congress plans investigations

Photos: (left) The Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. Susan Walsh/AP

President Obama gestures during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Monday, at the White House in Washington. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Immigration reform: 3 reasons it’s got its best chance...

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:21:18 -0400

Immigration reform: 3 reasons it’s got its best chance yet

Immigration reform has been snarled in partisan gridlock for years. But after losing 7 in 10 Hispanic votes in 2012, not all Republicans – in Congress and on talk radio – are mounting an all-out war on reform legislation.

Immigration reform: When is family reunification also ‘chain migration’?

Marco Rubio, immigration reform, and 2016: the big risk

Photos: (Top left) Demonstrators calling for immigration reform marched to the Minnesota State Capitol on May 1. Jim Mone/AP

(Top right) Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida speaks on an immigration reform legislation April 18, on Capitol Hill in Washington. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Immigration advocates gather outside the Senate Judiciary Committee room on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 22. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Roe v. Wade: Six questions about the state of abortion rights...

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:34:57 -0400

Roe v. Wade: Six questions about the state of abortion rights today

Graphic by Rich Clabaugh/The Christian Science Monitor

Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:59:11 -0400

Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s stockpile

Presidential Parenting: Three takes on President Obama’s...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:58:49 -0400

Presidential Parenting: Three takes on President Obama’s strategy to prevent his daughters from getting tattoos.

There’s a loophole in Obama’s tattoo plan, says a newly tattooed mom

Obama daughters: Tattoos for Dad, too. Will that gambit work?

Obama’s tattoo plan for the girls: ‘Mommy and me will get the same exact tattoo’

Decoder Wire: Gun control: Three ways supporters are carrying on...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:09:58 -0400

Decoder Wire: Gun control: Three ways supporters are carrying on the fight

Cartoon by Gary Varvel

It’s Tax Day! Do you know where your dollars go? Are your...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:37:17 -0400

It’s Tax Day! Do you know where your dollars go?

Are your taxes fair? Increasingly, Americans say no.

Obama’s tax rate is 18.4 percent. Is that too low for a millionaire?

Tax Day freebies: Curly fries, Cinnabon, and document shredding

Graphic by Rich Clabaugh

How the Deals Get Done in Congress: DC Decoder correspondents...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:17:42 -0400

How the Deals Get Done in Congress: DC Decoder correspondents David Grant and Gail Russell Chaddock profiled two senators who are forces of change, as well as deals that shaped history.

Sen. Tom Coburn: How ‘Dr. No’ helps others say ‘yes’

Lindsey Graham: The senator who revels in the ‘ugly’ issues

Deals that changed history

Photos: (top) Sen. Tom Coburn, R-O.K., reads in his office March 21 in Washington, D.C. Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor

(left) Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (r.), walks through the US Capitol with this aides. Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor

President Eisenhower (r.) receives ideas for a massive highway program in 1955. Byron Rollins/AP

Decoding Obama’s Budget: A sketch of President...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:50:57 -0400

Decoding Obama’s Budget: A sketch of President Obama’s new budget proposal shows a modest amount of deficit reduction

Obama budget plan would cut deficits - but enough?

Cuts to Social Security? What Obama is proposing.

Liberals to Obama: not so fast on Social Security cuts

Photo: President Barack Obama speaks at the Police Academy in Denver last Wednesday. Susan Walsh/AP/File

The US spends twice as much per person on health care as other...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:12:16 -0400

The US spends twice as much per person on health care as other advanced economies, and Medicare is one of the biggest culprits.

Taming Medicare costs: What are the options?

Medicare: Could Rep. Paul Ryan’s reform plan work?

Graphic by Rich Clabaugh/The Christian Science Monitor

Foreign Policy Decoder: The US response to the North Korea...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:50:04 -0400

Foreign Policy Decoder: The US response to the North Korea threat

North Korea: US signals strength, but speaks softly

Amid another North Korea storm, look who’s calm

US jets to Korea: Why sent stealth fighters to the region?

Photo: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (c.) uses binoculars to look at the South’s territory from an observation post at the military unit on Jangjae islet last month. AP Photo

Watch Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as she...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:51:37 -0400

Watch Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as she touches on a variety of topics at this week’s Monitor Breakfast. Learn how student hackers can help counter cyberthreats, why lawmakers want a rating system for border security, and even why Secretary Napolitano doesn’t use email!

Video from CSPAN

The Politics of Gay Marriage: Opinions are changing quickly as...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:23:51 -0400

The Politics of Gay Marriage: Opinions are changing quickly as the Supreme Court hears two cases on gay marriage this week

How close is GOP to changing its stand?

Gay marriage: Why presence of chief justice’s lesbian cousin at court matters

On gay marriage, political ground shifts rapidly: Will Supreme Court take note?

Photos: (Top) Marcus, (l.), and Daniel German-Dominguez stand outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, before the court’s hearing on California’s voter approved ban on same-sex marriage. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Sen. Rob Portman (c.) poses with his family (from left to right) son Will Portman, wife Jane Portman, daughter Sally Portman, and son Jed Portman. Senator Portman is now supporting gay marriage and says his reversal on the issue began when he learned his son Will is gay. Office of US Sen. Rob Portman/AP

Foreign Policy Review: President Obama’s trip to the...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:00:46 -0400

Foreign Policy Review: President Obama’s trip to the Middle East

For Israelis, Obama has finally arrived

Obama and Netanyahu: In Israel, a show of warmth as region heats up

Will Obama’s visit help ‘turn the page’ for Israel and the Palestinians?

West Bank hosts Obama, Gaza sends rockets

As Obama does about-face on settlements, Palestinians question US as ‘honest broker’

Photos: (Top) President Barack Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres are photographed through a window as they are greeted by children waving Israeli and American flags March 20, in Jerusalem. Carolyn Kaster/AP

(Left) President Barack Obama hugs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport Airport in Tel Aviv March 20. Jason Reed/Reuters

President Barack Obama waves to media as he walks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as he arrives at the Muqata Presidential Compound, March 21, in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Carolyn Kaster/AP