Analysis

President Biden stands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit meeting, Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia.

World News

Chinese balloon punctures Blinken's plans, leaving U.S.-China ties adrift

5:59pm February 04, 2023

by John Ruwitch

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off his trip to China after the discovery of a Chinese "surveillance" balloon over the U.S. It's the latest setback in an increasingly fraught relationship.

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U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy talks to then-Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in the House Chamber during the fourth day of voting for speaker of the House in January.

Politics & Government

Recent infighting raises the question: How conservative is the GOP?

10:25am January 30, 2023

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Republican Party divisions over who would lead the House, debates over the debt ceiling and other conflicts have revived a years-long conversation about what it even means to be conservative.

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Demonstrators burn flares and smoke bombs outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv on June 5, 2020, during a demonstration calling for the interior minister's resignation over corruption suspicion.

World News

Ukraine's fight against corruption isn't new. It's still trying

9:21am January 27, 2023

by Julian Hayda

The Ukrainian government's recent shake-up drew attention to corruption allegations implicating senior officials. Here's a short history of the country's efforts to combat graft.

People shop at Walmart on Black Friday 2022 in Dunwoody, Ga.

What tracking one Walmart store's prices for years taught us about the economy

3:31pm January 26, 2023

Inside our shopping cart is a story of global trade, extreme weather, shrinking packages and rising prices.

For those on Capitol Hill who would threaten a default as a means to compel concessions on policy, the destructive power of default is what makes it makes attractive as a tactic.

Politics & Government

Why we have a debt ceiling, and why this trip to the brink may be different

9:13am January 21, 2023

by Ron Elving

We have been here before. But this time the House's new Republican majority is largely driven by a faction that says it will hold the debt limit vote as a hostage to win policy changes.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen listens to President Biden during an October 2021 meeting with Cabinet members and corporate chief executives to discuss the looming federal debt limit. Two years later, the debt limit is once again an economic threat.

4 ways around a debt ceiling crisis — and why they might not work

1:46pm January 18, 2023

by Danielle Kurtzleben

From an obscure congressional maneuver to a trillion-dollar coin, there are many ideas out there to help the U.S. avoid debt default, but they are untested and have major potential problems.

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Damage is seen at Brazil's Congress one day after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília. The attack was planned by far-right groups on social media, according to Brazilian media and analysts.

The attack on Brazil's Congress was stoked by social media — and by Trump allies

2:10pm January 10, 2023

The similarities are deep: In addition to aiming to subvert an election, some of the same U.S. voices that amplify former President Donald Trump are echoing Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro.

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Signs used for polling stations are seen in a bin at the El Paso County Courthouse during the presidential primary Texas on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

Politics & Government

Democrats' new primary calendar isn't quite a done deal, as complications arise

11:02am January 10, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

Georgia and New Hampshire have asked for extensions to try and meet the Democratic Party's requirements to move into the early voting window, but it's not clear how they can overcome the hurdles.

An America flag flies near the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.

New nation, new ideas: A study finds immigrants out-innovate native-born Americans

6:31am January 10, 2023

by Greg Rosalsky

In a fascinating new study, a group of economists measures the impact of immigrants on American innovation.

Then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters during a news conference following a GOP caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 13, 2019.

Politics & Government

This was supposed to be Kevin McCarthy's moment. Instead, GOP chaos reigns

9:59pm January 04, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

This was supposed to be Kevin McCarthy's moment, one he had contorted himself into political knots to get to.