U.S. Intelligence Agency News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of intelligence operations, surveillance controversies, and the role of U.S. agencies in national security and civil liberties.
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- Opinion
Physician-Assisted Suicide in Hawaii Is an Attack on All of Us
Earlier this month, Hawaii became the sixth state in the U.S. to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Proponents of the law hail the move as a step toward “death with dignity,” but this could not be further from the truth. Physician-assisted suicide is a direct attack on human dignity. Every human life has value, not because of…Monica Burke -
- News
Senate Confirms 3 Key Trump Administration Officials, 3 More Judges
After months of lagging in confirming President Donald Trump’s nominees for top executive branch posts, the Republican-led Senate helped the president staff up with a former Reagan administration appointee at the Labor Department, a top deputy at the Environmental Protection Agency, and a new balance of power on the National Labor Relations Board. The Senate…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Bungling Judicial Precedent, Federal Court Upholds AR-15 Ban
Last week, a federal judge for the District Court for Massachusetts granted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the state’s prohibition of so-called “assault weapons,” such as the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Judge William Young held that the AR-15 and similar weapons aren’t protected by the Second Amendment, because they were originally designed for military…Amy Swearer -
- News
This California College Welcomes Propagandists for Venezuelan Socialism
A women-only college in California continues to host Venezuelan propagandists, with two government officials scheduled to speak Tuesday for the failed socialist regime. Scripps College in Claremont, California, invited Venezuelan Consul Generals Jesus Chucho Garcia and Antonio Cordero to address “coups and imperial wars,” “African solidarities,” and Venezuela’s plan to create a “new society rooted in…Rob Shimshock -
- Opinion
Racial Disparities Don’t Simply Boil Down to Discrimination
I don’t mind saying that this column represents a grossly understated review of “Discrimination and Disparities,” just published by my longtime friend and colleague Thomas Sowell. In less than 200 pages, Sowell lays waste to myth after myth not only in the United States but around the globe. One of those myths is that but…Walter E. Williams -
- News
‘Definition of Tyranny’: Interim Director Asks Congress to Fix Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Trump administration is urging Congress to reshape a consumer agency crafted by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., before it is used as a tool for “tyranny.” The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "is far too powerful, with precious little oversight of its activities,” the agency's acting director, Mick Mulvaney, said Monday in a public statement. “The power…Thomas Phippen -
- Opinion
Obama EPA Officials Protest Scott Pruitt’s ‘Secret Science’ Reforms. Here’s Why They’re Wrong.
Should the public be allowed to know how bureaucrats develop policies that have major impacts on our lives? Or should we simply be left in the dark? That seems like a silly question, right? Hopefully, the answer is obvious. For some though—including Gina McCarthy, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator from the Obama administration—transparency seems…Daren Bakst -
- News
Special Counsel Says Trump Aide Knowingly Communicated With Former Russian Spy
Former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates was in contact just before the 2016 election with a man he knew to be a former Russian spy, according to a document filed Tuesday by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office. The revelation comes in a sentencing memorandum filed about Alex van der Zwaan, a London-based lawyer who pleaded guilty in…Chuck Ross -
- News
US Joins Growing Coalition in Expelling Russian Officials Over Poisoning Incident
At least 26 countries have expelled Russian citizens in retaliation for Russia’s alleged involvement in a nerve agent attack against a former double agent and his daughter in Salisbury, England. President Donald Trump moved to support British Prime Minister Theresa May by approving the expulsion Monday of 60 Russian diplomats or intelligence officers from the…Ginny Montalbano -
- Opinion
‘Problematic Women’: Special Edition From the White House
On a special edition of “Problematic Women” from the White House, The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness and The Federalist’s Bre Payton take on John Oliver’s targeting of Vice President Mike Pence’s daughter’s new children’s book, Jim Carrey’s attack on Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ appearance, and Hillary Clinton’s excuses for her inflammatory comments last week. We also discuss the…Bre Payton -
- News
Democrat Conor Lamb Clinches Pennsylvania Special Election
In a race determined by hundreds of votes out of about 228,000 cast, the Republican candidate for a Pennsylvania district conceded Wednesday to his Democratic opponent. Democrat Conor Lamb announced Wednesday night that his GOP opponent, Rick Saccone, had called to concede the Nov. 13 election in the Pittsburgh area district. “Just got off the…Amber Randall -
- Opinion
Pennsylvania’s Special Election Is a Wake-Up Call. Here Are 2 Lessons for Conservatives.
I’m perplexed why many in Republican circles are rationalizing and dismissing the gravity of the Democratic victory in the recent special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th District. My sentiments are more with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is cautioning Republicans to view this as a wake-up call to a possible disaster in the fall elections…Star Parker -
- Opinion
4 Questions Lawmakers Should Ask Trump’s Trade Officials in Hearings This Week
Following weeks of not-so-free trade policies from the White House, members of Congress will soon have an opportunity to probe the administration on policy as well as the processes for imposing unilateral tariffs. The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees will hold hearings this week on the Trump administration’s trade agenda, where two of…Tori K. Smith -
- Opinion
Why We Should Appreciate Andrew Jackson, Despite His Flaws
President Donald Trump hosted an event in the Oval Office in November to honor three Navajo code talkers who served during World War II. Characteristically, he made news when he referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as “Pocahontas” because of her contested claim of Native American ancestry. Also raising eyebrows was the fact that a…Richard Lim -
- News
7 Big Takeaways From That Special Election in Pennsylvania
Little more than 600 votes out of more than 227,000 cast separate the top two candidates in the special election for a House seat in Pennsylvania, as Democrat Conor Lamb maintained a slim lead over Republican Rick Saccone, with no official winner. #BREAKING: With 100% precincts reporting, Democrat Conor Lamb has 113,111 votes and Republican…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Students, Forget DC Marches. Instead, Look at the Failures of Your Own School Officials.
Here is my homework assignment for all the fist-clenching, gun control-demanding teenagers walking out of classrooms this week (and next week and next month) to protest school shootings: Ask not what the rest of the country can do for your local school’s safety; ask what your local school boards and superintendents have been failing to…Michelle Malkin -
- News
In Blow to Trump, Democrat Poised to Win Close Pennsylvania Special Election
Democrat Conor Lamb appears to have captured a tight victory in a special election for a Pennsylvania U.S. House seat. But the final verdict still hinges on absentee and provisional ballots. As of Wednesday morning, the Associated Press is not calling the race. However, Lamb has declared victory, as has the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee….Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
America Is the Best Place in History for Racial Minorities
At the City College of New York in the late 1930s, my father, an Orthodox Jew, wrote his senior class thesis on anti-Semitism in America. He delineated common realities of the era, such as Jews’ admission to law firms, country clubs and colleges being denied or restricted, and various other manifestations of popular and institutional…Dennis Prager -
- Opinion
Kansas Republicans Are Standing Up to Transgender Lies, Protecting Kids From Harm
In 1856, a new political party held its convention in Philadelphia. They called themselves “Republicans.” As violent skirmishes in “bleeding Kansas” foreshadowed civil war, the delegates took their stand, resolving that “it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the territories those twin relics of barbarism—polygamy, and slavery.” This…Eric Teetsel -
- Opinion
The Military Is Relying Too Heavily on Special Ops Forces. Mattis Must End That.
At a recent special operations symposium in Tampa, Florida—home of the U.S. Special Operations Command—a senior Marine commander said he was concerned that America was too often going to the special operations “well” to address its military challenges. Unfortunately, he is correct. Lt. Gen. William Beydler, the commander of Marine forces for all of the…Steven Bucci