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

    According to GQ, 16 of the 20 ‘Craziest Politicians’ Are Republicans

    Are Republicans crazy? Readers of GQ might think so. The January edition of the men’s magazine featured a list of “the craziest politicians of 2014,” naming 16 Republicans, three Democrats, and one county sheriff. Fair? A number of political commentators have said no. Calling out the magazine for engaging in “some serious media bias,” Boston…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    Amid Holiday Travel Rush, Officials Keep an Eye on 1,700 for Ebola

    As travelers prepare to board planes for the holidays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to screen passengers flying into the U.S. for Ebola, even as the media uproar surrounding the deadly virus has faded. Local and state health officials actively monitor about 1,700 persons for symptoms of Ebola, although the number fluctuates daily…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • News

    NYPD Boosts Security Measures, Tells Cadets Not to Wear Uniforms

    The New York Police Department is escalating security measures, telling academy trainees not to wear their uniforms or any other NYPD clothing in public. This recommendation, which follows the deadly shootings of two NYPD officers Saturday, is an effort to avoid copycat attempts, according to ABC’s Good Morning America. Officials told the outlet this morning that the…
    Natalie Johnson
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    • Opinion

    Advancing Economic Freedom, Affirming the Transatlantic Partnership

    BRUSSELS, Belgium—At The Konrad Adenauer Foundation's December 2014 dinner event hosted by Dr. Stefan Gehrold, director of the organization’s office in Brussels, Becky Norton Dunlop, vice president of external relations at The Heritage Foundation and former director of the White House Cabinet office for President Reagan, delivered the keynote address communicating the importance of strengthening…
    Joel Anand Samy
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    • News

    Punished for Referencing Bible, Military Chaplain Tells His Side of the Story

    In his first-ever media interview, the military chaplain who was punished for making references to the Bible during a suicide-prevention seminar last month says he was simply doing his job. “What I had tried to communicate with my audience is that depression can be conquered, depression can be overcome, and there are a myriad of…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • Opinion

    Congress Is Renewing Insane Tax Breaks, Including One for Race Horse Owners

    The legislative process in Washington is often compared to sausage making – something you don’t want to watch.  But Jimmy Dean couldn’t hold a candle to this Congress.  Harry Reid’s swan song is a 1,603-page budget that no one has read. Even worse is this year’s  so-called “tax extenders” bill. This has become an annual…
    Stephen Moore
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    • News

    Cheney on CIA Interrogation Techniques: ‘I’d Do It Again in a Minute’

    Former Vice President Dick Cheney today aggressively defended the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation techniques, pushing back against a report by Senate Democrats that said some tactics used to question detainees in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks amounted to torture. “Torture to me is an American citizen on his cell phone making a…
    Josh Siegel
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    • News

    Military Punishes Chaplain for Referring to the Bible in Suicide-Prevention Seminar

    The Army has disciplined a military chaplain for making references to the Bible during a suicide-prevention seminar last month. A serviceman brought the Judeo-Christian religious content to the attention of an atheist group, which complained about it. Now, the chaplain is fighting back, maintaining he did nothing wrong. The dispute has renewed a debate over the…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    ‘Social Justice Comedian’ Writes Gender-Sensitivity Training Handout for Middle Schools

    LINCOLN, Neb. — Irving Middle School was thrust into the international spotlight this fall simply for following orders. Internal documents show the Lincoln Public School District encouraged school administrators at Irving to train school staff in gender sensitivity, which caused the dustup. During routine summer training, Lincoln Public Schools administrators participated in a breakout session…
    Deena Winter
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    • Opinion

    Embassy Security Remains Problematic as Benghazi Select Committee Convenes Second Hearing

    The House Select Committee on Benghazi convened its second hearing Wednesday focusing on the security of U.S. embassies and other high-risk diplomatic posts. Clearly, security was grossly inadequate in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador, lost their lives in a terrorist attack. The hearing comes as several organizations have revealed persistent problems…
    Helle Dale
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    • Opinion

    Spending Bill: House Caves to Senate on Transportation Funding

    In last minute, high pressure negotiations over spending bills on Capitol Hill, the House often caves to the Senate’s higher, irresponsible levels of spending. On Tuesday, they did it again. This time, they caved with the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2015 spending. Higher spending levels emerged on a variety of programs that merit…
    Emily Goff
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    • News

    Congressman Wants FDIC Officials to Pay for Seeking to ‘Choke’ Legal Businesses

    Senior FDIC officials must be held accountable for banking regulators' “unethical” and “illegal” actions against legitimate businesses that are out of favor with the Obama administration, a congressman with a background in banking said today. In a letter to Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., says he wants a…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • Opinion

    North Korea Cyber Attack on Sony—No Evidence, but Plenty of Capabilities

    The FBI declared on December 9 that there is “no attribution to North Korea at this point” of the massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures for its planned release of a parody film of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Sources close to the ongoing investigations disclosed that Pyongyang remains the principal suspect. Cyber experts concluded…
    Bruce Klingner
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    • Opinion

    New Regulations Set to Backfire, Decrease Financial Stability

    New banking rules set to take effect January 1, 2015, are already starting to prove the law of unintended consequences is alive and well. The main culprit is the new liquidity coverage ratio rule, a requirement that (most) banks hold enough high-quality assets to fund their operations for 30 days during stressed economic conditions. The…
    Norbert Michel
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    • News

    These 7 Revealing Emails Show Federal Officials Scheming to Target Legal Businesses

    Senior officials at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation actively sought to crack down on legal businesses that the Obama administration – or the officials themselves – deemed morally objectionable, a new congressional report finds. Released today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the 20-page investigative report details how the FDIC worked closely with the…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • News

    Bush Defends CIA ‘Patriots’ on Eve of Senate’s ‘Torture Report’

    Ahead of the release of a report detailing anti-terrorism actions taken by the Central Intelligence Agency during his two terms in the White House, former President George W. Bush yesterday called the men and women who work there “patriots” and any findings that diminish their work “way off base.” The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • News

    N.Y. Labor Official Defends ‘Independent’ Investigation After Union Linked to Papa John’s Case

    Two state labor officials have publicly acknowledged there are ample opportunities for “community organizers” and labor unions to partner with government agencies to enforce workplace laws and regulations against American businesses. Speaking at the Center for American Progress last week, California Labor Commissioner Julie Su and Terri Gerstein, labor bureau chief for New York’s attorney general,…
    Kevin Mooney
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    • Opinion

    Few Government-Funded Social Programs Are Ever Tested for Effectiveness

    In a recent blog post, Brookings scholar Ron Haskins identifies five social programs as being highly effective and highlights the Obama administration’s “evidence based” policy efforts to fund effective federal social programs. Unfortunately, these five social programs — Career Academies, Nurse-Family Partnership, Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, Success for All, and Small Schools of Choice —…
    David B. Muhlhausen
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    • News

    Officials Can’t Say How Government-Owned Internet Will Create Jobs

    NASHVILLE — Kimball, Tenn., Mayor Rex Pesnell said broadband Internet in his town of about 1,400 will help economic development, but so far he’s short on specifics. Officials in this small Marion County town recently passed a resolution asking state legislators to reconsider a law forbidding government-owned Internet providers from expanding beyond original municipal lines….
    Chris Butler
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    • Opinion

    More Regulations Undermine Chemical Facilities Security

    What does security at chemical facilities have to do with labor relations? Not much, but lawmakers are considering adding a provision to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) that would connect them. The addition would require a union representative to be present at any meetings regarding chemical security, notes former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy…
    Ellen Prichard
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