Conservative News
The Daily Signal delivers conservative news with reporting, analysis, and commentary on the values and policies shaping America.
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news
Over 6 Million Americans Drop Off Food Stamps Under Trump Presidency
Roughly 6.3 million Americans have dropped off food stamps since President Donald Trump’s first month in office. Data from the Agriculture Department shows 6,268,285 individuals have left the food stamp program since Trump took office. In February 2017, the first month after Trump took office, 42,297,791 persons were participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As of… -
opinion
Memo to Teachers Unions: Charter Schools Clearly Benefit Students
When Morgan Waldrop started high school, academics weren’t much of a priority. “It wasn’t even a goal of mine to be at the top of my class,” Waldrop says. But when she became pregnant, her goals changed. “Focusing on my schoolwork was focusing on my son so that I could provide a future for him,” she says. Starting in… -
opinion
12% of Judiciary Is Empty
The Senate will soon return from its August recess. What kind of judicial-confirmation progress should we expect during the rest of the 116th Congress? Senate Democrats are sure to claim that the so-called “Thurmond Rule” requires the confirmation process to shut down early next year. Here’s a close look at this claim; it’s not a rule, and it… -
opinion
Michigan Brothers Push Back Against Town’s Retaliation in Christmas Tree Farm Fight
When your favorite tool is a hammer, every project looks like a nail, and apparently, a similar rule holds true for local government. When said government’s favorite tool to get its way is threatening residents with ruinous, unconstitutional fines, its response to every problem is to threaten them with even larger, more ruinous—and more unconstitutional—fines…. -
opinion
Meet 17-Year-Old Conservative Activist Described as ‘Left’s Youngest Nightmare’
CJ Pearson says he has been conservative since second grade. Now a senior in high school, Pearson has gained national attention for his conservative activism. On today’s episode of The Daily Signal Podcast, Pearson, 17, shares why he is fighting back against left-wing policies. Listen to the full episode or read a lightly edited transcript below…. -
news
Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap Renews Hopes for Peace Deal
KYIV, Ukraine—A prisoner exchange Saturday between Ukraine and Russia marked a key step toward renewed peace talks between the two nations, which have been locked in a low intensity conflict for five years. In all, 70 prisoners changed hands, 35 from each camp. The move, which the Red Cross oversaw, was among the most significant… -
news
Big Labor Said to Exploit ‘Weakness’ in State Laws Despite High Court Ruling on Dues
Labor unions are working with allies in state legislatures to counteract a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated mandatory union dues and fees for government employees, according to a new report from a free-market think tank. In June 2018, the high court ruled that “agency shop” laws requiring nonunion government employees to pay the union violate… -
opinion
We Hear You: An Immigrant Couple Explains the Unfairness of Amnesty
Editor's note: This week we feature two letters that really grabbed our attention, from readers with compelling personal perspectives on the U.S. immigration system. Pull up a chair, and remember to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I couldn't agree more with Genevieve Wood in her recent commentary headlined “4 Keys to the… -
opinion
Liberals Propose First Gun Grab Since Lexington and Concord
One wishes the media would stop using absurdly lazy phrases like “mandatory gun buybacks.” Unless the politician they’re talking about is in the business of selling firearms, it’s impossible for him to “buy back” anything. No government official — not Joe Biden, not Beto O’Rourke, not any of the candidates who now support “buyback” programs… -
opinion
Our National Interest and the South China Sea
It’s difficult to explain how a country goes about defining its national interests. Sure, we know the policy processes. We know the considerations. Interests in borders, war, and peace are easy to understand. But why are other, more abstract interests, such as American concern for the freedom of navigation in a far-flung place like the… -
opinion
Delaying Tariffs Is Not the Answer to China’s Trade Practices
For the past two years, President Donald Trump has argued that China was paying the cost of the trade war. Following a delay in some of the tariffs from the latest round in the dispute with China, however, the president has acknowledged for the first time that tariffs have an impact on American families. “What… -
opinion
If California Relies on Obama School Discipline Policy, It Will Put Students at Risk
California legislators seek to expand a law that limits a teacher’s ability to keep order in the classroom. Surveys find opposition to such loosened policies, and research demonstrates that ideas such as these may put students at risk and even limit student achievement. The provisions also dredge up painful questions about the relationship between recent… -
opinion
Trump Should Use UN Meeting to Champion Religious Liberty
Heads of state will flock shortly to Turtle Bay for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. They have no better opportunity to highlight perhaps the most important human rights issue of our times— religious freedom. President Donald Trump ought to take concerns over this most basic of human liberties center stage at… -
opinion
Why the Right to Bear Arms Is an Individual Right
Does the Second Amendment protect an individual right to gun ownership, or is it a collective right that can and should be heavily regulated by the state? In light of recent debates about mass shootings and gun control, that argument—which has been at the heart of many conversations about gun control—was fleshed out by Sens…. -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of State Calls on Iran to Act Like a ‘Normal Nation’
KYIV, Ukraine—Outlining potential prerequisites for relief from U.S. sanctions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran must act like a “normal nation.” “They need to change, they need to become a normal nation. When they do that, we can see a brighter future for the Iranian people,” Pompeo told The Daily Signal in an exclusive… -
opinion
Government Shouldn’t Force Teachers to Use Transgender Pronouns
A high school teacher in Jacksonville, Florida, faced criticism and disciplinary action because a transgender student asked him to refer to the student by female pronouns, although the student was born male. The teacher refused. A heated e-mail exchange between teacher and student prompted the high school to implement extra training to make sure the… -
opinion
It’s Lights Out for Obama-Era Bulb Ban That Would Have Curbed Consumer Choice
The Department of Energy announced this week that it’s withdrawing the Obama administration’s energy-rationing mandate for certain lightbulbs. Opponents criticized the rule change, arguing that the move would be bad for consumers and the climate. The reality, however, is that families and businesses will be better off, and the change will have a negligible impact on… -
opinion
Cuccinelli Schools Media on Immigration, Welfare, and Freedom
The left-wing media are having a field day distorting acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli’s comments regarding the famous poem emblazoned on the base of the State of Liberty. Discussing the Trump administration’s new “public charge” rule, an NPR host asked Cuccinelli whether the poem’s words “give me your tired, your poor”… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Pompeo Affirms US Still Rejects Russia’s Seizure of Crimea
KYIV, Ukraine—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed the Trump administration’s rejection of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine and seizure of Crimea, telling The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview that last year’s U.S. rebuke of Russia’s actions stands. “We made very clear our position with respect to the Russian role there in Ukraine,” Pompeo said… -
opinion
America’s Children Need Universal School Choice Now More Than Ever
What social institutions have the most immediate and strongest impact on a child’s development and well-being? According to researchers for the Pew Charitable Trust’s Economic Mobility Project, it’s the child’s family circumstances, with schools ranking as the second-most important factor. In the U.S., family circumstances and schools are closely linked, because most cities and counties link schooling to housing….