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Debt-ceiling showdown: 4 reasons it's not a replay of 2011

In 2011, Congress and President Obama went to the brink of government default when congressional Republicans balked at raising the nation's debt ceiling. The spring of 2013 appears to have another debt ceiling fight in store. Here are the top four things that have changed.

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Kate Middleton and the royal baby's gender: Why some don't want to know

Kate Middleton and husband Prince William are not alone in not wanting to know the gender of their first child. They're part of a group of expectant parents choosing the same thing – some have dubbed themselves Team Green.
Why IRS investigation is already Obama's Watergate – and Benghazi, too (+video)

Since Watergate, every two-term president has had a second-term scandal. First-term mistakes and hyperpartisanship make probes – like those into Benghazi and the IRS – almost inevitable.
Jodi Arias trial: Does her statement about wanting death penalty factor in?

The death penalty phase of the Jodi Arias trial began on Thursday. Jurors aren't supposed to watch news coverage of the case, but experts say information from it often filters in.
With gun violence down, is America arming against an imagined threat? (+video)

A Pew study released Tuesday finds that Americans think gun violence has escalated when in reality it's way down from two decades ago. The violence has dropped, meanwhile, even as gun ownership has increased.
Unhappy with your life? You might be French.

French people consistently rank among Europe's most dissatisfied in surveys, despite having a higher quality of life. Researchers are trying to figure out why.
Decoder Wire Paul Ryan gay adoption: Is his support a big deal?

Paul Ryan: Gay adoption is an idea he now supports, although the former GOP VP candidate still opposes gay marriage. His change of heart is another indication that the political ground on gay rights is shifting rapidly in the US.
Opinion Death penalty: A pragmatic case for repeal

Momentum in the states is shifting toward the repeal of the death penalty. There are practical reasons for this: The death penalty is expensive, it does not work, and it is administered with a clear racial bias. Repealing it is a matter of justice, public safety, and effective governance.
Gun owners talk: Self protection is more complex than 'stand and fight'

Gun owners – including one who is a shooting victim and one who killed in self defense – talk about the logic of their tough decision to carry a gun for self protection: Killing isn't always their first goal. Experts stress the complex responsibility involved in carrying a gun.
Why gun ownership among US women is climbing

Fifteen percent of America's women own guns – a small but pronounced increase from six years ago, a recent poll found. Personal safety is the motivation, but some argue that a gun at home makes women less safe.
The Monitor's View Higher ed and lower jobs: What's needed in the new economy

More jobs rely on intangible qualities rather than measurable goods, knowledge, or skills. Countries and colleges, too, must look to the invisible assets of social, intellectual, and organizational 'capital."
Would change on gays allow Boy Scouts to recapture role in society? (+video)

The Boy Scouts has signaled it may remove a ban on gays that caused a rift within the movement. This could help improve both Boy Scout enrollment and fundraising.
Why Washington and its debt woes eclipse 'jobs' as public's top concerns

The mood shift, which showed up in a new Gallup poll, doesn't coincide with marked improvement in the jobs outlook. Rather, it indicates that Americans are becoming more worried about Washington's management of debt and other fiscal matters.
Debt-ceiling showdown: 4 reasons it's not a replay of 2011

In 2011, Congress and President Obama went to the brink of government default when congressional Republicans balked at raising the nation's debt ceiling. The spring of 2013 appears to have another debt ceiling fight in store. Here are the top four things that have changed.
Briefing A look at America's gun industry

Per capita ownership of firearms in the US has doubled since 1968.
Hillary Clinton hospitalized: Tough end to successful 2012? (+video)

Hillary Clinton has been hospitalized for a blood clot. The setback comes at the end of a very successful year for her professionally.
Polls show movement toward stricter gun control – with major caveats

A new USA Today/Gallup poll taken shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre shows 58 percent of respondents saying they now favor stricter gun laws, up from 43 percent in October 2011.
Geography of joy? Where the world's happiest people live.

Seven of the world's 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America, says a new Gallop survey. Panama is No. 1 on the list. People in 148 nations were asked: Were they well-rested, had they been treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt feelings of enjoyment the previous day.
Opinion Sandy Hook massacre: The NRA's gun 'rights' are a fabrication of modern times

In the wake of Adam Lanza's massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, let's try a grade-school exercise. True or false? For most of US history, Americans had broad gun rights. That's false. Until recently, individual gun rights were severely restricted – with NRA support.
Briefing US gun industry by the numbers

As the debate over gun control rages on, the firearms industry in the United States is thriving. Here are seven key figures.
Sandy Hook: Could shooting be gun-control tipping point?

In the aftermath of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, many are looking to President Obama and lawmakers for signs that tougher gun control laws may be coming.
Obama's other option on pot: Legalize it for everyone?

Under federal law, Uncle Sam could try to block marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado. But there's another option: President Obama could pull the US out of the marijuana wars.
Why did America change its mind about legal marijuana? (+video)

A new poll says that 51 percent of Americans support legal marijuana for recreational use. This comes a month after two states became the first to do just that.
The Monitor's View Pentagon can recover from Petraeus and Allen scandals

The Petraeus affair and the 'inappropriate' e-mails of Gen. John Allen push defense chief Leon Panetta to demand changes in the military's ethical culture. But conduct by the book also needs conduct by a conscience that knows right from wrong.
A bipartisan surge for Obama's second term? Most Americans doubt it.

On eve of Obama's 'fiscal cliff' meeting with Republicans, a new poll shows that only one-third of Americans say his administration will be able to 'heal political divisions' in the US. That's down from 54 percent in 2008.
Opinion What if neither Mitt Romney nor President Obama wins on Nov. 6?

What if we wake up on Wednesday, and find out that in several states the outcome is in doubt, and neither President Obama nor Mitt Romney is the clear winner? America could be heading for court battles that will make Florida in 2000 look like a tussle at the local PTA.