The strange alliance between John Boehner and liberals
Is House Speaker John Boehner a liberal plant?
Washington thinks entitlements are the problem. Maybe they’re the answer.
Washington spends most of its time fretting over the problems Social Security and Medicare could cause for the budget. But two new reports underscore the problems they might solve for the country.
Teach for America’s teachers are besting their peers on math, study shows
A randomized evaluation finds the teacher recruitment program improves math scores for students, regardless of ability.
Calm down, Joe Klein: Reports of the small business exchange’s death are greatly exaggerated
Yes, the Obama administration did delay part of the law due to logistical challenges. No, that doesn't mean the whole law is doom and gloom now.
America’s taxes are the most progressive in the world. Its government is among the least.
Compared to peer countries, the U.S. taxes the rich quite heavily. But it doesn't spread what money it collects as equitably.
WonkTalk: Ezra’s not sure the jobs number will stick
Between the jobs report and the preview of the president's budget, WonkTalk is packed with real live news today. For instance: Will that 88,000 number stick?
You can’t escape this flowchart, in one flowchart
Click on this and you'll be trapped forever.
If Wall Street beats Dodd-Frank, it could be the worst thing that ever happens to them
The idea that the only way to end too-big-to-fail is to break up the big banks is gaining force in Washington. So next time a Wall Street bank blows up...
The March jobs report, in seven charts
We break down the first post-sequester jobs report in all its underwhelming glory.
Federal court rules emergency contraceptives needs to be sold over the counter
Describing the restriction as "a strong showing of bad faith and improper political influence," a federal district drug has directed pharmacies to allow minors to buy the morning after pill without a prescription.
Today’s jobs report is a disaster. But why?
Why was job growth so weak in March? We look at the possible culprits, and what the report could mean for the Fed.
Wonkbook: Obama’s budget will start in the middle. But where will it end?
Obama's third offer from December is, in this set of negotiations, his first offer. The question is what his final offer will be.
Will the sequester’s cancer cuts get fixed?
Members of Congress want the Medicare to reverse the sequester cut. Medicare says it can't. So what happens now?
The best sentences we read today
"I mean, dude, we're so ahead right now."
10 shocking things you probably didn’t know about central banking
I traveled the world to research the global central bankers. Here are some of the more unusual and surprising things I learned.
Rush Limbaugh is wrong: The sequester does cut Medicare
Lots of readers have questions about whether the sequester actually included Medicare cuts. Here's what the law that created the sequester says.
WonkTalk: The sequester’s impact on cancer patients
Ezra Klein and Sarah Kliff discuss why cancer clinics are turning away thousands of Medicare patients.
A Bluth family reunion
In honor of Netflix's very important announcement—that it will release a 15-episode series of Arrested Development on May 26—it only feels appropriate to post this reunion of the cast, hosted by the New Yorker last fall.
This map of America’s female mortality rates is pretty terrifying
"It is striking and discouraging," David Kindig and Erika Cheng write, "To find female mortality rates on the rise in 42.8 percent of US counties, despite increasing medical care expenditures and public health efforts."
Readers respond to the $1,206 toenail clipping
Health-pricing horror stories, unnecessary ER visits, unexpected charges, and a doctor's bemused perspective.
U.S. tax code isn’t as progressive as you think
Once you take state and local taxes into account, the U.S. tax system doesn't hit the top one percent all that much more than the middle-class.
Methane leaks are undermining the shale-gas boom. Here’s how to fix that.
Natural gas is only effective in tackling global warming if we can minimize methane leaks. A big new study shows how it can be done.
People who marry young are happier, but those who marry later earn more
Shockingly, whether or not you should marry young depends on what kind of marriage, and life, you want to have.
Wonkbook: This is what sequestration looks like
Today's top 5 stories: 1) the sequester is getting real; 2) immigration reform looks to accelerate; 3) should we let people buy into Medicare?; 4) financial regulators look beyond the banks; and 5) has gun control stalled out?
The best sentences we read today
Designer babies, gun background checks, and other favorite phrases from the day.
Cancer clinics are turning away thousands of Medicare patients. Blame the sequester.
Oncologists say the reduced funding, which took effect for Medicare on April 1, makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs while staying afloat financially.
Here’s a simple, 60-second primer on Bitcoin
Everyone's talking about Bitcoin, the digital currency whose value is soaring and now stands at around $1.6 billion. But what is it, exactly?
WonkTalk: What Obama’s brain map tells us about the state of U.S. science
Sarah and I discuss Obama's new brain-mapping initiative and what it says about the state of U.S. science.
Why South Carolina won’t follow Arkansas’s Medicaid lead
"It's Medicaid but more expensive and complicated," South Carolina Medicaid director Tony Keck says. "There's no other way to look at it."
Two 90-year-olds race the 100-meter dash
These two are far, far better at running than I'll be at anything if I make it to 90.
The case for expanding Social Security, not cutting it
New America Foundation is proposing a big new expansion of Social Security, instead of the usual ideas for cuts. Why? The existing retirement system is broken.
Obama: ‘Braaaaaains.’ Partha Mitra: ‘Whoa there, buddy.’
We talk to Partha Mitra, a neuroscientist at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, about his concerns about the Obama administration's BRAIN project.
Has Tesla made electric cars affordable? Not exactly.
Under a "revolutionary" new financing scheme, Tesla claims its Model S electric cars can be had for just $500 a month. The actual price, though, is likely twice as much.
The Republican plan for replacing Obamacare doesn’t replace Obamacare
Obamacare is trying to solve the problem of too little insurance. The Republican ideas are trying to solve the problem of too much insurance.
Wonkbook: Gay marriage hasn’t won, but its opponents have lost.
It's become popular to say that gay marriage has actually "won." At Bloomberg View, Josh Barro brushes this away as glib triumphalism.
The best sentences we read today
"But even Sony makes far more money today out of selling life insurance than it does out of making electronics."
Expensive batteries are holding back electric cars. Can that change?
Is there a Moore's Law for batteries? Do we need big breakthroughs in chemistry? Or will small incremental improvements do the trick?
In 2011, only 15 senators backed same-sex marriage. Now 49 do. UPDATE: Now 51!
Support for same-sex marriage in the Senate has grown exponentially.
Why Amazon bought GoodReads
When all is said and done, in the world of books, Goodreads is just about as influential as Facebook.
WonkTalk: Ezra vs. Twitter
In today's WonkTalk, Brad and I talk through my war on Twitter, and some possible peace agreements.
NASA’s most famous climate scientist is retiring. Here’s a look back at his work.
James Hansen has been speaking out about the dangers of global warming since the 1980s. He's now retiring to focus on climate activism full-time.
The case of the $1,206 toenail clipping
The hospital did a single toenail clipping. The bill is $1,206. Welcome to America's health-care system.
Who will be the next Fed chair? Here are Wonkblog’s odds.
Ben Bernanke's term is up in 10 months. Here are the Wonkblog odds on who will replace him.
How insurers flipped a Medicare pay cut into a pay raise
Private health plans put lots of pressure on the feds to increase their rates. Medicare made a big policy change, allowing them to do just that.
The confused debate over Obamacare and insurance premiums
Will Obamacare increase premiums in some states? Yes. Will it cut costs for the people on it? Yes. Does this debate make much sense? No.
One of these 9 people will lead the World Trade Organization
The most important trade body in the world needs a new leader. Here's who's in the running.
North Dakota’s only abortion clinic isn’t going anywhere
"Because North Dakota already has some of the most restrictive laws, I couldn't imagine it would go this far," says Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo.
Wonkbook: H-1B visas will run out in five days
Want evidence of our broken immigration system? Here's some.
The best sentences we read today
"More than half of the rivers previously thought to exist in China appear to be missing."
The problem with Twitter
Nick Beaudrot gave up Twitter for Lent. But now Lent's over. So is he excited to fire up the old Tweetdeck? Nope. And I see his point.
Seven things you learn driving the length of the Keystone XL pipeline
Some fascinating excerpts from our colleague Steven Mufson's new book, "Keystone XL: Down the Line."
Most Americans think teen pregnancy is getting worse. Most Americans are wrong.
Teen births are at their lowest rate since the 1940s. Most Americans have no idea that we're actually in the midst of a a big public health success story.
Six lessons from the Post’s awesome budget charts
Have you seen the Post's new budget interactive? It's great. And here are six things it taught me.
Readers have questions about Obamacare’s penalties. We have answers!
"I am thinking what I need to do to comply with this insurance (Obamacare)," one Wonkblog reader writes. "Not one site provides an explanation that I don't need a specialist to figure out."
Wonktalk: Are we all doomed?
According to David Stockman, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has doomed us all to a Mad Max-like dystopia of guns and canned good. Or maybe not.
A baby otter’s squeaky check-up
Baby otter check-ups are, unsurprisingly, much more adorable than person check-ups.
The nihilism of David Stockman
David Stockman and I both have books about central banking coming out this week. We come to exact opposite conclusions.
This is the Republican Party’s biggest problem
Here's something unusual: Democrats, independents, and Republicans all agree about what's wrong with the Republican Party.
The simple, boring reason why disability insurance has exploded
There are now roughly 8.8 million Americans receiving federal disability benefits, a number that has doubled since 1995. One big reason? Simple demographics.
INTERACTIVE: All the budget plans in one chart
Have trouble keeping track of all the budget proposals floating around? Let this chart set you straight.
