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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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… -
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… -
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…. -
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
Former Trump Campaign Aide Pleads Guilty in Special Counsel’s Russia Probe
Former Trump campaign adviser Rick Gates pleaded guilty Friday in a case being prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller. Gates pleaded guilty to conspiring against the United States and making false statements to the special counsel’s office and FBI. He is the fifth associate of President Donald Trump to plead guilty in Mueller’s sprawling investigation,… -
news
McCain Associate Invokes Fifth Over Anti-Trump Dossier
An associate of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself to avoid revealing information to Congress about the so-called Steele dossier assembled to damage Donald Trump in run for the White House. David J. Kramer, a former State Department official, pleaded the Fifth in response to a subpoena… -
news
Judicial Picks Key to Deregulation, Reining in Bureaucracy, White House Counsel Says
Selecting federal judges and limiting government are the “flip side of the same coin,” White House counsel Don McGahn told conservative activists gathered outside Washington. McGahn spoke Thursday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in an interview conducted by Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn. As White House counsel, McGahn is the chief legal adviser… -
news
Mueller Charges Lawyer With Lying About Associate of Trump Campaign Manager
A London-based lawyer who worked with former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort on behalf of the Ukrainian government has been charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with making false statements to federal authorities. Alex Van Der Zwaan lied about his interactions with Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign adviser and business partner of Manafort’s, according… -
opinion
Frederick Douglass Knew That Racial Identity Is No Antidote to Racial Injustice
Frederick Douglass, the greatest of all American abolitionists, possibly the greatest American champion of the cause of equal rights, was born 200 years ago in February 1818. Perhaps the infant Douglass arrived on Feb. 14, as he liked to think, remembering a morning in his boyhood when his mother, enslaved as he was, walked miles… -
news
FBI’s No. 2 Official Steps Down Amid Growing Suspicions by Trump Allies
Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s embattled deputy director, announced his resignation Monday ahead of an anticipated inspector general report and likely release of a memo about the FBI’s conduct and use of a surveillance law on his watch. McCabe reportedly has been “removed” from the bureau’s No. 2 position. McCabe had been the FBI’s acting leader… -
opinion
Problematic Women: Aziz Ansari Raises New Questions for the #MeToo Movement
In this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” co-hosted with Bre Payton of The Federalist, we cover the fallout from the Aziz Ansari story published on Babe.net, the USA Gymnastics scandal and the bravery of the women coming forward to share their stories, a Hollywood celebrity doing something good, and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., “mansplaining” to Homeland… -
news
California Is Officially a Sanctuary State
A sweeping immigration law took effect Monday in California, officially making it the country’s largest sanctuary state. The controversial law, SB 54, passed the state Legislature in September and was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown the following month. It prevents police in California, which has by far the nation’s largest illegal immigrant… -
news
Special Counsel and Russia Probe Seen Likely to Carry On
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign, could fracture in multiple directions during 2018 and take its toll on both men. “There is no upside for firing Mueller. He has not laid a glove on Trump,” @AndrewCMcCarthy says. For Trump, a prolonged… -
opinion
The New York Times Left Socialism’s Role Out of Its Report on Venezuela’s Devastation
Kudos to The New York Times—yes, The New York Times—for running an excellent, detailed story on the mass starvation and economic catastrophe taking place in Venezuela. As the Times notes, Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world, yet is going through a starvation crisis exacerbated and hidden by its own government. Common… -
opinion
Our Special Operations Forces Are Stretched Too Far
America is rightly proud of the incredibly capable and effective special operations forces that serve as the literal point of our military spear. The Army Rangers, Army Special Forces (Green Berets), Navy SEALs, Special Operations Aviation, and other elements are the best in the world. No mission is too tough for these spectacular men and… -
opinion
How Licensing Laws Protect Special Interests at the Expense of Everyone Else
New data compiled by the Institute for Justice shows just how far states have overreached in regulating professions. The report, “License to Work,” shows that 1 in 4 jobs are now restricted by licensing requirements, and that these onerous rules generally do nothing to improve service or protect people. Licensing requirements began as a way… -
opinion
Senate Should Follow House’s Lead in Nixing Special-Interest Loopholes
President Donald Trump is right. Washington is a swamp, infested with special-interest groups feverishly working to keep their place in the capital bog. Our current tax code is the leading example of institutionalized privilege—bought and paid for by lobbyists. The tax code is riddled with privileges—special deductions for manufacturing, credits for everything from research to… -
opinion
I’m a Pediatrician. Here’s What I Did When a Little Boy Patient Said He Was a Girl.
“Congratulations, it’s a boy!” Or, “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” As a pediatrician for nearly 20 years, that’s how many of my patient relationships began. Our bodies declare our sex. Biological sex is not assigned. Sex is determined at conception by our DNA and is stamped into every cell of our bodies. Human sexuality is binary….