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Decoder Wire Suddenly, Joe Biden is everywhere. Are prospects for a 2016 run improving? (+video)

Vice President Joe Biden is leading the gun-control task force and also recently sealed the fiscal-cliff deal. It's possible that his old-school, backslapping style of politicking may be coming back in vogue.
Biden meets with gun safety and victims groups, 'critically important' to act

The meeting was part of a series Biden is holding this week to build consensus around proposals to curb gun violence after the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn. Twenty school children were killed.
Mariah Carey on 'Idol' and more: A preview of winter TV

Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj come to 'American Idol,' 'Downton Abbey' returns for a new season and other TV shows to check out this winter.
Obama's 'in your face' cabinet picks: why he chose Chuck Hagel, John Brennan

President Obama officially nominated Chuck Hagel for Defense secretary and John Brennan for CIA chief Monday. Each brings a unique view of the organization he would lead.
'West by West': 20 stories from Jerry West's autobiography

Basketball great Jerry West's autobiography is rife with revelations about the legend.
Slimmed farm bill reveals waning influence of agriculture

The 'dairy cliff' may have been avoided, but what was once a half-trillion-dollar bill full of subsidies for farmers was slimmed down to a no-frills extension. The once all-powerful farm interest may have lost its pull.
Beyond the 'cliff': Why spending cuts are next on the agenda (+video)

The just-concluded fiscal cliff deal answered most questions about taxes, for now, but until Obama and Congress address spending cuts, the federal deficit problem has not been solved.
House speaker vote: John Boehner wins reelection after tough few weeks (+video)

John Boehner's reelection to a second term as House speaker followed failed negotiations with Obama, a divisive fiscal cliff vote, and a bashing over delays in relief aid for superstorm Sandy.
How Obama won and lost in 'fiscal cliff' deal

President Obama would have looked incompetent if the nation had gone over the fiscal cliff. But now he faces three more cliffs early in 2013, and those could limit his scope.
New laws on New Year's Day, from gay marriage to ‘Caylee’s Law’

While much attention has been paid to the ‘fiscal cliff’ and the federal legislation behind it, thousands of new state laws took effect more quietly at the start of 2013.
'Fiscal cliff': How far apart are the sides now on tax cut deal?

Both sides have appeared to come closer together on Bush-era tax cuts, but many other issues remain, and Senate majority leader Harry Reid still isn't saying much publicly.
Obama keeps up the pressure as Senators Reid and McConnell negotiate 'fiscal cliff'

President Obama appeared on 'Meet the Press' Sunday as Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell tried to work out a last-minute deal to avoid plunging over the 'fiscal cliff.'
Fearful of ban, frenzied buyers swarm gun stores

The phones at gun shops across the country are ringing off the hook. Demand for firearms, ammunition and bulletproof gear has surged since the massacre in Newtown, Conn., that took the lives of 20 schoolchildren and six teachers and administrators.
Three (thin) reasons why Congress could yet avoid the fiscal cliff

A deadline, the promise of a House vote on whatever the Senate can produce, and a sharp reaction on Wall Street boost prospects that gridlocked lawmakers will act to avert at least some aspects of the fiscal cliff by Jan. 1.
Obama, Congress struggle toward fiscal cliff deal

On Friday President Barack Obama met with congressional leaders once again to try negotiating a budget deal. Obama said he walked away from the meeting 'optimistic.'
'Fiscal cliff' meeting at White House: Will it be 'Lincoln' moment for Obama?

Many Senate Republicans say that with Congress deadlocked on averting the fiscal cliff, it is up to Obama to force a deal. The lesson from the movie 'Lincoln,' they say, is 'the president has to lead.'
Will GOP's 'Plan B' push Obama closer to 'fiscal cliff' deal?

House Republican leaders hope to pass their own 'fiscal cliff' bill Thursday. But Obama and Senate Democrats are solidly against the plan, which could leave the sides no nearer a deal.
Chapter & Verse The rifle: Its history and its place in the future

Historian Alexander Rose chronicles the history of a ubiquitous and deadly weapon.
Change Agent How renewable energy is rescuing US schools from budget cuts

Educators across the country are finding millions of dollars in savings through cheap and simple forms of renewable energy. Since 2003, one school district has cut more than $7 million in energy costs. That equates to 45 teaching positions.
Cover Story Jailed without conviction: Behind bars for lack of money

About 10 million people are jailed each year for crimes large and small. Most – two-thirds of the 750,000 in jail on any given day – stay long periods without conviction at great cost to the public and to themselves because they can't afford bail.
Fiscal cliff: Obama, Boehner speak frankly (+video)

As the battle over the United States' 'fiscal cliff' continues, President Obama and Representative Boehner spoke directly at the White House on Thursday.
Decoder Wire Debt ceiling debate twist: Sen. Mitch McConnell filibusters himself

Yes, another debt-ceiling debate is looming, and the Senate's attempt to deal with the issue Thursday involved complex legislative machinations that appeared to backfire on Mitch McConnell.
Why did Sen. Jim DeMint quit the Senate? (+video)

Tea party hero Sen. Jim DeMint will head the conservative Heritage think tank, and some say freedom from party politics could make him an even bigger player on the right.
Decoder Wire Rand Paul slams Ashley Judd as too liberal for Kentucky. Is he right? (+video)

Actress/activist Ashley Judd has adopted causes that, however worthy, are national as opposed to Kentuckian in scope. Sen. Rand Paul (R) talked about her activism in a radio interview Wednesday.
Decoder Wire Ashley Judd for Senate: Could she win? (+video)

Charlie Cook’s Political Report website lists actress/activist Ashley Judd as a possible Democratic nominee in the 2014 Kentucky Senate race. But so far, she hasn't given a definite 'yes' to running.