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
Pediatrician Who Works at Hospital With Kid’s Gender Clinic Says Minors Don’t Have Agency to Make ‘Permanent’ Decision on a Tattoo
A mother was recently arrested in New York for allowing her 10-year-old son to get a tattoo. Had the boy instead decided to take puberty blockers because he thought he was a girl, the mother would likely have been praised for supporting her child’s wishes. On Sunday, The New York Times published a piece about…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Democrat on House Financial Services Committee Hired FTX Crypto Kingpin’s Brother
A Democrat who sits on the House Financial Services Committee hired the brother of the head of the bankrupt cryptocurrency company FTX, potentially raising ethical questions. Gabe Bankman-Fried, the younger brother of FTX CEO Samuel Bankman-Fried, went to work in January 2019 for Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill. Casten, then a freshman congressman, was named that…Roman Jankowski -
- Opinion
7 Facts Biden Ignored About Social Security in His Speech to Florida Retirees
President Joe Biden claimed that Democrats will protect Social Security and that Republicans threaten its future in a speech Tuesday in Hallandale Beach, Florida. But the “reality” Biden portrayed is misleading and undermines Social Security’s future. Social Security’s future is not secure. The program is running out of time and money, and recent increases in…Rachel Greszler -
- News
Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act Is About Protecting Minors, Experts Say
The battle over “gender transitions” for minors is playing out in dozens of American states. Some states are seeking to ban cross-sex hormones and transgender surgeries. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, hopes to make his state a “magnet” for minors seeking those interventions. Arkansas state Rep. Robin Lundstrum, a Republican, introduced the Save Adolescents From…Gillian Richards -
- Opinion
Better Late Than Never: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Unaccountable Funding Scheme Ruled Unconstitutional
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is “completely off the separation of powers books.” So wrote the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in a decision last week holding that the bureau’s independent funding mechanism was unconstitutional because it violated Congress’ exclusive power to appropriate federal funds. The decision heralds trouble ahead for this…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
‘Every State Needs to Pass a Law’ Like This, Detransitioner Says of Arkansas SAFE Act
Two men and one woman who underwent experimental medical interventions in pursuit of a transgender identity told The Daily Signal that they support Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, arguing that it is necessary to protect children from the horrors they themselves experienced. The SAFE Act prohibits anyone from performing controversial transgender medical interventions on…Tyler O’Neil -
- News
‘Massive Fiduciary Breach’: Missouri Pulls $500M Worth of Pension Funds From BlackRock’s Control
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced on Tuesday that the state’s pension fund is selling all of its assets that are managed by BlackRock, a move that will divest up to $500 million from the asset manager. The Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System is withdrawing its assets from BlackRock’s control because the state believes that…Jack McEvoy -
- Opinion
Central Bank Digital Currencies: Potential Financial Catastrophe in Search of a Problem
The White House released a framework recently on regulation of digital assets that included a call for the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department to continue behind-the-scenes efforts to impose a government-run cryptocurrency known as a central bank digital coin. A central bank digital coin would be one of the most authoritarian—and one of the most…Peter St. Onge -
- Opinion
Social Security’s 8.7% COLA Will Protect Retirees From Inflation, but Will Hasten Program’s Insolvency
The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that beneficiaries will receive an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment next year. That’s good news for seniors today who—like all other Americans—are struggling with rising costs, but it comes at the expense of a diminished Social Security system for current and future retirees. Social Security is funded by current workers’ payroll…Rachel Greszler -
- News
Physician Assistant Sues Hospital for Religious Discrimination Over Transgender Stance
First Liberty Institute filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a physician assistant who was fired in 2021 from University of Michigan Health-West after she sought a religious exemption from referring patients for sex-reassignment surgeries and hormone interventions. According to a Wednesday press release from First Liberty Institute, Valerie Kloosterman worked at Michigan Health for…Gillian Richards -
- Opinion
‘Stigma’ Prevented California Health Officials From Closing Bathhouses Amid Monkeypox Spread
San Francisco and California state health officials knew monkeypox was spreading through gay or bisexual men who went to bathhouses and international festivals but hesitated to create a “stigma” by communicating these details and closing such venues, according to emails obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project. Much of the internal communication between and among San Francisco…Roman Jankowski -
- Opinion
The Breakdown of the Social Contract
Why is there so much division in America, and how is our society breaking down? R.R. Reno, editor of First Things and author of “Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West,” joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the obligations of the elites, marijuana, and the future of religion…Katrina Trinko -
- News
House Oversight Panel to Consider Demanding Financial Details of Biden Family Business Deals
House members will go on record Tuesday about requiring President Joe Biden’s administration to provide documents related to overseas business dealings by his son Hunter Biden and other family members. The House Oversight and Reform Committee will consider a resolution proposed by ranking member Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., to push the president to hand over…Fred Lucas -
- News
Colorado’s Democratic Governor Raised Special-Interest Tax Benefits, Breaking Campaign Promise, New Report Says
A new report by the Independence Institute claims that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, expanded special-interest tax benefits during his first term, breaking promises he made on the campaign trail. The report asserts that despite promising to cut tax loopholes, Polis instead signed bills increasing them by nearly $640 million. “To win votes in 2018, Jared Polis…Douglas Blair -
- News
California Politician Says State Should Imitate China, Europe, Not Texas, on Electric Vehicle Mandates
California’s electric vehicle mandate should align with Europe and China rather than other states such as Texas and Mississippi, a member of California’s air quality board said as it recently voted to ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. What California does to require residents to purchase…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
To Tame Health Care System ‘Monster,’ Do These 3 Things, Pediatrician Says
America’s health care system operates like a big business. Doctors and hospitals are overwhelmed with red tape, which takes time away from the patient-provider relationship. For the health care system to put patients first again, Dr. Marion Mass says it must “cut the glut, open the books, and make everybody play by the same rules.”…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Big Government Socialism Is Destroying America. Newt Gingrich Explains How You Can Help Save Us.
Joe Biden campaigned for president in 2020 as a practical politician with a moderate record. He promised to unite America under a Biden presidency. The former senator and vice president even said: “There will be no blue states and red states with me.” More than 18 months into the Biden administration, America is witnessing a…Rob Bluey -
- Opinion
‘Inflation Reduction Act’ Is Euphemism for Big Government Socialism, Higher Prices
In the midst of a recession, with inflation eating away an average of $6,800 in purchasing power from the incomes of families with two workers, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act would impose tax increases, manipulative federal subsidies, and price controls on every American family. The bill would deepen the growing recession, continue to depress household…Daren Bakst -
- News
‘Elmo Wants to Be an Upstander to Racism’: ‘Sesame Street’s’ Racial Justice Curriculum Begins With Infants
The nonprofit behind the iconic children’s show "Sesame Street" has created a “racial literacy” curriculum to expose young kids and their parents to key tenets of “anti-racist” ideology. “Coming Together” by Sesame Workshop began in 2020 and is made up of videos, handouts, and children’s books for parents to teach their kids the “ABC’s of racial…Reagan Reese -
- Opinion
Defending Marriage Is ‘Social Justice for Children’
As the U.S. Senate debates the “Respect for Marriage” Act, a social scientist said politicians must understand that preserving the time-honored definition of marriage is necessary to establish “social justice for children.” The House of Representatives passed the misnamed bill, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and define marriage as any union “valid in the…Ben Johnson