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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Through God, This Mississippi Boys School Is Working to Heal the Racial Divide
GREENWOOD, Mississippi—Thomas McMillin Howard, known as “T. Mac,” describes Greenwood, Mississippi as a “backwards place.” And sadly, most people who’ve visited would agree. Separated by a bridge where the black population tends to live on one side, and the white population mostly lives on the other, Greenwood has struggled to reconnect with its racially segregated…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Podcast: Half of Millennials Would Prefer to Live in Socialist or Communist Country
https://soundcloud.com/dailysignal/the-daily-signal-podcast-master-mixdown On today’s podcast we discussed how the emerging facts about Devin Kelley, the shooter at the Texas church, make it clear he never should have been able, under current law, to obtain a gun in the first place. We also looked at a new survey that shows half of millennials prefer socialism or communism…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Senate Confirms 5 Trump Judicial Nominees in Strong Week for Rule of Law
The Senate confirmed five new federal judges this week, bringing President Donald Trump’s total to date to 13 jurists. The Senate voted to confirm Amy Barrett from Indiana to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Joan Larsen of Michigan to the 6th Circuit, Allison Eid of Colorado to the 10th Circuit, Stephanos Bibas of…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
Scathing Report Reveals ICE Directive Encouraging Agents to Seize Property for Financial Gain
In a shocking report last week, The Intercept—an investigative reporting outlet—released portions of an internal government manual detailing how and why federal agents should seize cash and property using powerful asset forfeiture laws. From what we’ve seen of the manual, called the “Asset Forfeiture Handbook” and used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations arm, the…Jason Snead -
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The Special Ops Mission in Niger Was Routine and Common. Stop Politicizing It.
The loss of four special operations soldiers in Niger is a tragedy. We grieve as a nation, rightly, whenever we lose any of the brave young men and women who serve in uniform. That said, politicians and news media are turning the event into a farce. Having served as an Army Green Beret for 28 years,…Steven Bucci -
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Trump Says Congresswoman ‘Fabricated’ Story About His Call With Special Forces Widow
President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused a Florida congresswoman of misrepresenting the nature of his phone call to the widow of a special forces soldier who was killed in Niger last week. Trump claimed Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who was with the wife of deceased Army Sgt. La David Johnson at the time of the…Will Racke -
- Opinion
McConnell Wants to Ditch the Blue Slip for Judicial Nominees, and He’s Right
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., supports an important step toward fixing the backlog of judicial nominations that are piling up in the Senate. McConnell told The Weekly Standard that blue slips—the practice of asking senators from a nominee’s home state for their opinion before the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing—should no longer be…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
There Should Be No Religious Tests for Judicial Nominees
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke Monday on the Senate floor about the case of Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a hearing, Democrat Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Dick Durbin of Illinois, brought up the religious beliefs…Sen. Jeff Flake -
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Trump’s Decision to Ban Venezuelan Government Officials Was Long Overdue
The president took long-needed action on Sunday when he put in place travel restrictions on a number of high-profile Venezuelan officials. As part of ban, which targets eight countries, these representatives and their relatives will no longer be allowed to obtain U.S. tourism or business visas. This move should not be interpreted as a ban…Ana Quintana -
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein Defends Comments on Judicial Nominee’s Faith
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Sunday defended her controversial statements about one of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. Amy Barrett, Trump’s nominee for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was questioned about her Catholic faith by Feinstein at a confirmation hearing Sept. 6. “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s a concern,” Feinstein…Casey Ryan -
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University Presidents Defend Trump Judicial Nominee Questioned About ‘Dogma’
Two presidents of prestigious educational institutions have come to the defense of a Catholic nominee for an appeals court after she was questioned by a United States senator about her faith during a Senate confirmation hearing. In two separate letters, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, and Christopher L….Rachel del Guidice -
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How to Stop Democrats From Stonewalling Judicial Nominees
Oregon’s two Democratic senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, have announced they will seek to block the confirmation of 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Ryan Bounds. Last week, the senators announced they will not return blue slips to Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, for Bounds, whom President Donald Trump nominated to a…Elizabeth Slattery -
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Trump Continues to Remake the Federal Judiciary
President Donald Trump submitted another slate of judicial nominees to the Senate Thursday, naming candidates to the powerful federal appeals courts based in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, California. The White House announced that Trump has named Gregory Katsas to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the nation’s second most powerful judicial…Kevin Daley -
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Al Franken Obstructs Judicial Nominee Because He’s ‘in the Mold’ of Thomas and Scalia
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., seems determined to block a judicial nominee from his home state. On Tuesday, Franken announced his intent to obstruct Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras, the president’s nominee to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, by refusing to return Stras’ blue slip. Why jam up the confirmation of a well-respected state…Tiffany Bates -
- Opinion
2 Democrat Senators Show Hostility to Religion in Questions for Judicial Nominee
“Do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?” is an unusual and inappropriate question for a senator to ask a judicial nominee. In fact, the Constitution forbids it. But that didn’t stop Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., from probing Notre Dame Law professor Amy Coney Barrett about her faith. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. D-Calif., also chided Barrett for…Tiffany Bates -
- Opinion
Trump Can Aid the Irma Relief Effort by Issuing Special Waiver
As Hurricane Irma bears down on Puerto Rico, home to 3.4 million U.S. citizens, President Donald Trump should prepare the way for a rapid relief and rebuilding effort by issuing an emergency waiver of the Jones Act. The Jones Act (formally the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) requires that all shipping between U.S. ports be…Salim Furth -
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Florida Democrat Election Official Admits Noncitizens, Felons Voting
A veteran Democrat chief election official in Florida has conceded in court that noncitizens and felons possibly voted, in a case that could have national implications for how localities clean up voter rolls. Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes is defending her office against a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Rights Union, a conservative…Fred Lucas -
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Conservatives Push for Democrats to Stop Obstructing Trump Judicial Nominees
Conservatives are launching a campaign to put pressure on Democrats and counter what they view as the obstruction of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. “This is an issue that has energized the American people in a unique way last November,” Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, told The Daily…Rachel del Guidice -
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CIA Veteran Sees Russian Connection to 2 Groups Opposing Fracking, Pipelines
Some environmental activists who pressure politicians to halt production of natural gas are acting as “agents of influence” on behalf of the Kremlin and Russian energy interests, according to a retired CIA officer’s analysis of the money trail. “We cannot allow foreign interests to deliberately manipulate our energy industry,” Rep. @LamarSmithTX21 says. As they lead…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
The Growing Racial Divide Within Black Lives Matter
After the events in Charlottesville and Boston of recent days, expect Black Lives Matter to be both energized as a movement and for the broader left to double down on race as a means to achieving radical social upheaval. Yet even as the movement regains steam with a focus on the physical dismantling of statues…Anne Sorock