National Security News

The Daily Signal provides reports on national and homeland security issues, including military readiness, intelligence operations, border protection, and global conflicts. Featuring news, analysis, and commentary, this section explores how security policy decisions affect America’s national defense and freedom.
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    • Opinion

    In 1919, Mothers Designed a Cross to Remember 49 Veterans. Now the Supreme Court Will Decide If It’s Constitutional.

    They came from many walks of life, the 49 boys of Prince George’s County, Maryland. Several were laborers like George Washington Farmer and William Lee—one white, the other African-American. One, Ernest Pendleton Magruder, was a well-known surgeon. Another, Henry Lewis Hulbert, a Medal of Honor recipient of a previous war, would again display such bravery…
    Jeremy Dys
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    • Opinion

    Podcast: Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Veterans’ Cross Memorial Atheists Oppose

    The Supreme Court recently announced that it will hear an appeal for a case involving a memorial cross. This large cross stands in an open field in Bladensburg, Maryland, and commemorates the sacrifice of 49 local servicemen who gave their lives in World War I. We talk with Jeremy Dys of First Liberty, the organization…
    Katrina Trinko
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    • Opinion

    Podcast: Sebastian Gorka on the Dangers of Socialism

    On today’s show we feature an interview with Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and author of the new book “Why We Fight: Defeating America’s Enemies—With No Apologies.” Gorka breaks down the most serious threats to American security and how Trump is combatting them. We also discuss how Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings…
    Rob Bluey
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    • Opinion

    Some State Officials Want to Adopt Bernie-Style Health Care. Here’s What It Would Cost.

    Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has not let up in his push for single-payer health care—and some state legislators are matching his proposal. Earlier this year, Sanders introduced a big and comprehensive “Medicare for All” proposal that would create a government-controlled health care system at the national level. The plan has gained momentum among Senate Democrats,…
    Nina Owcharenko Schaefer
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    • Opinion

    China’s ‘Social Credit’ Monitoring: Big Brother’s Frightening New Tool for Repression

    For people living in China, government repression is a fact of life. The country earned a rating of “mostly unfree” in the latest Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom and is judged politically “not free” by Freedom House. Unfortunately, the situation may soon become worse. The Chinese government has unveiled a new program that it…
    Patrick Farrell
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    • News

    In 5 Points, a Former Drug Czar’s Prescription to Combat Opioids and Pot

    America needs leaders who will actively discourage recreational drug use and promote “meaningful prevention” and recovery, a former White House drug czar said in remarks to a Heritage Foundation audience. Public debate over opioid deaths and legalized marijuana could spur real change in how society approaches public health, Robert L. DuPont said in his appearance…
    Troy Worden
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    • News

    Military to Deploy 5,000 Troops to Border

    The Department of Defense is ready to deploy 5,000 members of the U.S. military to the southern border ahead of the potential arrival of thousands of Central American migrants who reportedly plan to bypass asylum offers in Mexico and head straight for the U.S. U.S. officials announced this new number Monday, up from the originally…
    Hanna Bogorowski
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    • Opinion

    Socialism Was Once a Bad Word. So What Happened? Eric Bolling Explains.

    CRTV host and author Eric Bolling recently spoke to The Daily Signal about socialism, the Trump economy, media bias, and the demise of "Never Trump" Republicans. This is a lightly edited transcript of that interview. You can listen to audio of the interview on our podcast. Ginny Montalbano: Eric Bolling, thanks for joining The Daily Signal. You're a…
    Rob Bluey
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    • News

    Ruth Bader Ginsburg Calls Congress the ‘Culprit’ in Polarizing Judicial Confirmation Process

    Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg points the finger at an increasingly partisan Congress for polarizing the judicial confirmation process. Speaking at the federal courthouse in Washington on Wednesday, Ginsburg said a lack of collegiality and bipartisanship among lawmakers was to blame for polarizing the confirmation process for federal judges, The Washington Post reported. Ginsburg…
    Tristan Justice
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    • Opinion

    $1,280 Per Coffee Cup Is a Bad Look. Here Are Some Changes the Military Should Make.

    The Air Force recently came under scrutiny for spending $1,280 apiece on hot cups. The cups have become a symbol of two facts that shape our military: The military needs to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars, and an older military leads to increased costs. The cups in question were being used in KC-10…
    Frederico Bartels
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    • Opinion

    The Empty Promises of Socialism

    What are the costs of adopting socialism? It’s a good question, and one not asked frequently enough. But a new report by the Council of Economic Advisors at the White House does ask the question. The answer? Socialism destroys lives and societies. The historical record is clear: Everywhere it has been tried, socialism has done…
    Patrick Tyrrell
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    • News

    At Bill Signing, Trump Vows to Make ‘Extremely Big Dent’ in Opioid Crisis

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed bipartisan legislation to combat opioid abuse and highlighted the progress made so far in the fight. “Together, we will defeat this epidemic—it’s a true epidemic—as one people, one family, and one magnificent nation under God,” he said. Trump secured $6 billion in federal funding to fight the problem—the most…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    Q&A: How the Military Can Help Secure the Border

    With a so-called “caravan” of several thousand individuals trekking through Mexico and bound for the U.S., President Donald Trump is considering the option of sending U.S. troops to help close the southern border. Here are the basics of how the military can and can’t be used at the border. What laws govern the use of…
    David Inserra
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    • News

    In Defense of Price Gouging During a Natural Disaster

    Thirteen states–Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia–have enacted laws to combat what is seen as price gouging in the wake of natural disasters. Price gouging is legally defined as charging 10 to 25 percent more for something than you charged for it during…
    Walter E. Williams
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    • Opinion

    Giving Away Money Won’t End Poverty, but It Will Destroy Something Special About America

    One of the left’s hot new policy ideas is simply to give money to everyone to end poverty. And of course, California is leading the charge. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., proposed a national plan last week that would give families making under $100,000 a tax credit of $500 per month, which adds up to $6,000…
    Jarrett Stepman
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    • News

    Government Economists Offer Window Into What a Socialist US Economy Would Look Like

    If the United States were to adopt the socialist policies of Venezuela, the move would slash the economy by 40 percent—or $24,000 per year for the average American, according to a report by the president’s Council of Economic Advisers. “Coincident with the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth, socialism is making a comeback in American…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    Why Democratic Senators Won’t Succeed in Attempt to Block Judicial Nominee

    Even with just two months left in this Congress, the Senate Judiciary Committee is still holding hearings for judicial nominations. A hearing Wednesday will include Eric Miller, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, even though his home-state senators, Democrats Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington, oppose him. Murray and…
    Thomas Jipping
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    • Opinion

    What’s at Stake in Rebuilding the Military

    We place a lot of demands on our fine military, and the good news is—at home and in many places around the world—it’s meeting those demands. Now the bad news: We’re wearing it out. After 17 years of continuous combat operations, it’s in desperate need of a rebuild. To be sure, Congress recently provided some…
    Dakota Wood
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    • News

    Obese Americans Pose Growing Risk to National Security

    A new study says a growing threat to national security doesn’t involve China, Russia, or the Middle East: It’s American obesity. Of the 7 out of 10 Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 already disqualified from serving in the military, the report found, 31 percent are disqualified because of obesity. This spells trouble…
    Tristan Justice
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    • Opinion

    How the Judicial Confirmation Process Got So Bad

    The 50-48 Senate vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court was the closest confirmation since 1881, when Justice Stanley Matthews was approved by a vote of 24-23. President Donald Trump may well get another Supreme Court pick before he leaves office and, in the meantime, he can certainly expect aggressive opposition to…
    Thomas Jipping
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