How Hard Can It Be? How Hard Can It Be?
Rating the Nation puzzle for difficulty
May 8, 2014 / Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto
Keep a Reporter Out of Jail Keep a Reporter Out of Jail
The United States government is insisting that New York Times reporter James Risen reveal a confidential source—or go to jail.
May 8, 2014 / NationAction
States Move to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Domestic Abusers States Move to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Domestic Abusers
The NRA quietly approved bills that would prohibit convicted abusers from possessing firearms, after years of opposing such legislation.
May 8, 2014 / Steven Hsieh
What’s Behind Rand Paul’s Israel Feint? What’s Behind Rand Paul’s Israel Feint?
The noted liberatarian-isolationist is making a bid for support from the Israel lobby, but it’s not going well.
May 8, 2014 / Bob and Barbara Dreyfuss
Has Putin Blinked? Has Putin Blinked?
If so, perhaps a diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine crisis is in sight.
May 8, 2014 / Bob Dreyfuss
Stephen Cohen: Putin Is Afraid of Civil War in Ukraine Stephen Cohen: Putin Is Afraid of Civil War in Ukraine
A situation that would draw Russia and NATO into a hot conflict.
May 8, 2014 / Stephen F. Cohen
Does Judge Rudolph Randa Have a Conflict in the Scott Walker Case? Does Judge Rudolph Randa Have a Conflict in the Scott Walker Case?
His judicial assistant is married to a top lawyer for Walker’s gubernatorial campaign.
May 8, 2014 / George Zornick
Does Egypt’s Resurgent Labor Unrest Pose a Threat to Sisi’s Power? Does Egypt’s Resurgent Labor Unrest Pose a Threat to Sisi’s Power?
For months, strikes and other protests have crippled a number of industries. But the new militancy is fragmented and has confined itself to economic grievances.
May 8, 2014 / Sharif Abdel Kouddous
Did Congress’s Best Plan for NSA Reform Just Lose Its Teeth? Did Congress’s Best Plan for NSA Reform Just Lose Its Teeth?
A bill considered among the strongest of several competing bids to curb government spying has passed a major legislative hurdle—but not without significant trimming.
May 8, 2014 / Zoë Carpenter
Will the State Department Torpedo Its Last Great Program? Will the State Department Torpedo Its Last Great Program?
Long advertised as a flaship program for American cultural diplomacy, the Fulbright Program is now facing devastating budget cuts.
May 8, 2014 / Ann Jones