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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  • news

    VA Hospital Removes Trump Photo Hung by Veterans
    A Veterans Affairs hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida, is facing questions today for removing photos of President Donald Trump and VA Secretary David Shulkin. (Update: The White House has ordered VA hospitals to hang Trump’s photo.) Fox News’ Ed Henry reported Thursday on “Fox & Friends” that U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and a wounded…
    Daily Signal Staff
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  • opinion

    Trump’s Unique Opportunity to Reform Social Security
    As President Donald Trump is preparing his first budget submission to the Congress, he should consider making Social Security reform a priority. The future of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and disability programs, and their impact on American families, the federal budget, and the economy, are issues too big to ignore. Social Security reform is…
    Jonathan Iwaskiw | Romina Boccia
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  • news

    Suspect in House IT Security Probe Also Had Access to DNC Emails
    Imran Awan—the lead suspect in a criminal probe into breaches of House of Representatives information security systems—possessed the password to an iPad used by then-Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz when DNC emails were given to WikiLeaks, The Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group has learned. Wasserman Schultz resigned the DNC post in the…
    Luke Rosiak
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  • opinion

    Cartoon: National Security Leaks
    Michael Ramirez
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  • news

    Hill Staffers in Security Probe Said to Keep Stepmom in ‘Captivity’ to Access Cash
    Congressional staffers are accused of holding their stepmother in “captivity” with violent threats in a plan to use her to access money stashed away in the Middle East. The staffers are suspected of using their positions to enrich themselves. Days before U.S. Capitol Police told House members that three Pakistani brothers who ran their computer networks may have…
    Luke Rosiak
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  • opinion

    Kansas City Bombing Scheme Becomes First Terror Plot of 2017
    The FBI arrested Robert Lorenzo Hester on Feb. 17 and charged him with planning bombings in Kansas City, Missouri. The FBI said Hester, of Columbia, Missouri, plotted with undercover agents to use pipe bombs, some fitted with nails for maximum damage, to attack a train station and nearby buses. This was the 94th confirmed Islamist-inspired terror…
    Riley Walters
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  • opinion

    Trump’s Defense Proposal Would Boost a Languishing Military
    On Monday, President Donald Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, announced that the administration will seek a defense budget of $603 billion for 2018—“one of the largest increases in history.” Trump said nondefense spending would be cut by an equal $54 billion, “the largest proposed reduction since the early years of the Reagan administration.” The White House…
    Thomas Spoehr
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  • news

    Here’s What Conservative College Students Think About Socialism
    Hundreds of students from across the country traveled to the Washington, D.C., area last week to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference. The Daily Signal asked some of these students their thoughts on socialism, and why they oppose it. Watch our video to hear their thoughts.
    Kelsey Bolar
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  • news

    At CPAC, Panelists Discuss Role Vetting, Assimilation Play in National Security
    Extreme vetting and a border wall are the key issues facing the country under President Donald Trump’s administration—but aren’t the silver bullet solution to immigration, experts and members of Congress said Saturday. “Extreme vetting is something that applies to the refugee side of this debate,” said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., during a panel at the…
    Fred Lucas
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  • opinion

    Trump’s Stellar Pick for National Security Adviser
    Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is a perfect fit for the position of national security adviser, and it is no surprise that his selection by President Donald Trump has delighted many in the defense and national security community. Trump announced Monday night that McMaster will replace Michael Flynn, the retired Army general who resigned a…
    John Cooper | Thomas Spoehr
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  • news

    One Mom’s Fight for Her Special Needs Son in the Age of Obamacare
    For Marjorie Weer and her family, the Affordable Care Act has been both a blessing and a burden. The family of four, who live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, qualifies for a tax credit, and without the financial assistance, their policy would cost more than $1,200 per month. But beyond the financial help, Weer’s experiences…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • opinion

    Senate Democrats Hold Up Cabinet Nominee for Special Interest Bailout
    What does Robert Lighthizer, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. trade representative, have to do with pension and health care benefits for one group of retired coal miners? Nothing. But that hasn’t stopped congressional Democrats from holding up a necessary waiver on Lighthizer’s confirmation by insisting on attaching it to a completely unrelated bill that…
    Rachel Greszler
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  • news

    After Michael Flynn’s Departure, How Trump Can Stabilize National Security Council, Avoid Leaks
    President Donald Trump’s first weeks as commander in chief have been challenged by upheaval within his National Security Council, the White House group tasked with coordinating and implementing foreign policy and counterterrorism strategy. The resignation of Michael Flynn as national security adviser—head of the National Security Council—comes at a time when acute foreign policy decisions…
    Josh Siegel
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  • opinion

    Polls Showing Approval of Dodd-Frank Financial Agency Are Highly Misleading
    With President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans taking steps to undo Dodd-Frank financial regulations, one agency at the heart of Dodd-Frank has become the object of increased attention. That agency is known as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It was created by the Dodd-Frank law passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Those…
    Elizabeth Fender
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  • opinion

    India’s Increased Naval Capacities Are Good for Regional Security
    A key American partner, India, is set to conduct another missile test that will have a wide range of consequences on regional dynamics for years to come. India’s new K-4 nuclear-capable, submarine-launched ballistic missile is expected to have a range of 3,500 kilometers, a serious improvement over its current operational missile of the same kind….
    James Di Pane | Lisa Curtis
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  • opinion

    Court Ruling Against Trump’s Executive Order Shows the Worst of Judicial Activism
    A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has repeated the mistakes made by the district court judge who stayed President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily suspending visas from seven terrorist havens. Both the judge in Washington state and the San Francisco-based circuit court have now refused to recognize the authority of Congress…
    Hans von Spakovsky
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  • opinion

    Defense Leaders Agree: US Military Readiness Is at a Dangerous Low
    This week on Capitol Hill, several top U.S. military leaders from across the armed services presented a sobering case to Congress: U.S. military readiness is the lowest it has been in decades, leaving it unprepared to defend America’s interests at home and abroad. In testimony before the Senate and House Armed Services committees, the vice…
    John Cooper
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  • opinion

    Grand Theft Judiciary? The Senate, the President, and the Supreme Court
    Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., recently accused his Republican colleagues of committing a “crime against our Constitution.” This is a serious accusation, given that all senators are required to swear an oath (or affirmation) that they will “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” So is it reasonable…
    James Wallner
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  • opinion

    Expansion of TSA PreCheck Is Good for US Travelers and Security
    This week, the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program expanded to include 11 new domestic and foreign airlines. With the inclusion of these airlines, the total number of airlines participating in the expedited security process has been brought to 30. The PreCheck program allows passengers to pass through security checkpoints while wearing their shoes, belts, and…
    Garrison Rutledge | David Inserra
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  • opinion

    Trump’s Executive Orders on Financial Regulation Are a Great First Step
    President Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act, and on Friday he signed two executive orders to get that process moving. All Americans should be encouraged by this start, especially since the president is only two weeks into his administration. One of Friday’s executive orders deals with a single Obama administration rule, but…
    Norbert Michel
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