The Decoded Podcast

Florida’s fight over contentious LGBTQ legislation — the "Parental Rights in Education Bill," dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents — had its genesis nearly two years ago, not in the halls of the state Legislature but in a September conversation between a Tallahassee mother and her 13-year-old teen. Gary Fineout reports.

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On Monday, President Joe Biden released his administration’s new budget proposal. It includes increases in domestic investments and a big boost in military funding. To pay for it, Biden proposed increasing taxes on corporations and the rich — including a new minimum tax on Americans with incomes of $100 million or more. Brian Faler reports.

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The Biden administration has issued ominous warnings about looming Russian cyberattacks. The energy and finance industries are of particular focus, but one of the President's top cyber aides said last week that "We should consider every sector vulnerable." Maggie Miller reports.

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Days after a 424-8 vote to revoke normal trade relations with Russia, the bill's path through the Senate is complicated. Senate Republicans are demanding the legislation be paired with a separate House-passed measure banning Russian oil imports, and Rand Paul has voiced opposition to expanding the Magnitsky Act. Gavin Bade reports.

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A microchip lobbying blitz is happening on Capitol Hill today, and D.C. has pledged to pour billions of dollars into coaxing chip manufacturers back to the U.S. The problem? The money's held up in Congress. Brendan Bordelon reports.

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Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had their sensitive health data breached in 2021, a threefold increase in three years, according to a POLITICO analysis of the latest HHS data. Ben Leonard reports.

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Russia and Ukraine combined provide about 30 percent of the world’s supply of wheat and Ukraine alone provides about 15 percent of the world's corn. Russia's invasion into Ukraine is setting off a global food crisis that might be unprecedented. Meredith Lee reports.

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Ahead of the midterms, Democrats fret that Biden’s inaction on student debt could burn him with younger voters. Michael Stratford reports.

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The furor surrounding transgender youth has been playing out in Texas, but it's not the only state proposing criminalizing gender-affirming care despite opposition from medical experts. Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are increasingly using transition-related medical care as a wedge issue heading into the midterms. Juan Perez reports. 

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The White House asked for $22.5 billion for covid response funds. Last week, Congress put together a bipartisan $15 billion plan. But so far, exactly zero dollars have actually been agreed upon. And even as the administration warns it may need to cancel new orders of Covid-19 drugs as soon as next week and wind down access to testing soon after that, there appears to be no clear strategy from either the White House or Capitol Hill to secure the funds. Adam Cancryn reports.

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