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Why Gas Prices Vary So Much by State
Cross a state line and the pump price can jump, even though the fuel is largely the same. Taxes, rules, and geography explain most of the gap.
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Topic
What Is the National Debt and Who Owns It?
The national debt is the running total of what the federal government owes its lenders. It is held by the government itself, private investors, and foreign countries.
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How a Cabinet Secretary Shapes Everyday Life
The rules a department writes reach farther than any law Congress passes this year.
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What the President Can and Can't Do by Executive Order
An executive order runs the executive branch. It cannot write law, spend money, or survive a court that says it exceeds the president's authority.
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Eugene Bardach Taught Policy Analysis to Admit Its Own Doubt
The field's most practical textbook came from a political scientist who insisted that the best of the feasible is the best you get.
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How Does the Electoral College Work? Electors, 270 and the Popular-Vote Gap
The president is not chosen by the national popular vote but by 538 electors, and the rules that produce that number explain most of what confuses voters.
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Rights and Responsibilities of US Citizens Explained
Civic duties are what the law asks of you; constitutional guarantees are what the law owes you — and the two are not the same thing.