National

Social Security accounts for about 20 percent of federal spending. As Congress edges toward having to come up with a new spending plan, one argument in favor of cuts is that Social Security amounts to a huge transfer of wealth from the young to the old.

Commentator Frank Deford has some theories about why NASCAR is having trouble expanding its audience.

It's been a year since Hurricane Sandy knocked the mid-Atlantic states for a loop. Scientists say that as sea level rises, such storms are likely to occur more often. But the new, more realistic flood maps could boost flood insurance rates. Will politics trump science?

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, an unlikely scene unfolded as a bust of Winston Churchill was unveiled in Statuary Hall Wednesday. The entertainment: Roger Daltrey. Who? Yes, Roger Daltrey of the 1960s rock band The Who.

President Obama repeatedly said that anyone who likes their current health insurance policy would be able to keep it. But insurers have sent hundreds of thousands of cancellation notices to people who buy their own coverage — and some of them face significantly higher costs to get new policies under the Affordable Care Act.

Humans and other primates have really good vision. One scientist thinks that ability evolved in part to help monkeys and humans quickly recognize venomous snakes. When monkeys see photos of snakes, neurons in a specific part of the brain light up. The neurons respond to photos of the reptiles more than to monkey faces.

We used the testimonies of the biggest contractors involved with the HealthCare.gov application system to create this guide to how the site's various parts work together, and how the complex system for registering you for health insurance is supposed to work.

Winston Churchill's backhanded compliment to Americans — that they'll always do the right thing, after trying everything else — is often repeated by members of Congress. There's no evidence that Churchill ever said it, but don't expect that to stop politicians from quoting it.

In many places, the reverse commute from city homes to suburban jobs is as congested as or worse than traffic going into the city. "It's just exhausting," says one reverse commuter, whose 35-mile drive to Chicago's southwest suburbs can take up to two hours depending on traffic. In cities where reverse commutes are common, transit agencies are trying to help.

Law enforcement agencies across the country subpoena cellphone location data regularly. But civil liberties groups hope a series of state-level legal victories will usher in stronger protections for that often-revealing digital information.