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
What Can Racial Discrimination Explain?
A guiding principle for physicians is primum non nocere, the Latin expression for “first, do no harm.” In order not to do harm, whether it’s with medicine or with public policy, the first order of business is accurate diagnostics. Racial discrimination is seen as the cause of many problems of black Americans. No one argues…Walter E. Williams -
- Opinion
Finally, a Proposal to Help Disability Beneficiaries Return to Work
A plan to ensure disability insurance isn’t abused has been introduced in Congress. The program could save taxpayers a substantial amount of money and maintain the proper level of funding for the truly needy. The Social Security Disability Insurance program is intended to provide financial assistance for Americans with a work history that have experienced…Romina Boccia -
- Opinion
The Popular Narrative About Financial Deregulation Is Wrong
Americans are being fed a false narrative. As the story goes, in 1999, Congress repealed the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act. The financial sector was free from the watchful eye of federal regulators. Then in 2000, Congress deregulated derivatives, and all of this deregulation resulted in the financial mess known as the Great Recession of 2008. That’s…Norbert Michel -
- News
I Asked Bernie Sanders Supporters If They Identified as Socialists. Here’s What They Said.
PHILADELPHIA—Turns out, Sen. Bernie Sanders supporters refer to communism more than a Fox News guest or conservative confab speaker. Or at least they do when you ask them if they identify as socialists. On Monday night and Tuesday, I chatted with around 10 Sanders supporters, both at the Wells Fargo Center, where all the prime-time speeches…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Why the Save Our Social Security Act Would Hurt the Economy and Drive Down Other Tax Revenues
Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wis., recently introduced the Save Our Social Security (S.O.S.) Act, which includes some practicable and commonsense solutions such as raising the retirement age and using a more accurate inflation measure. Unfortunately, the S.O.S. Act’s faults significantly outweigh its merits. The bill’s most harmful provision is a significant increase in Social Security’s payroll…Rachel Greszler -
- News
Despite Efforts From LGBT Group, GOP Platform Retains Social Conservative Tenets
CLEVELAND—A dramatic effort to change the GOP’s stance on LGBT issues ended with a whimper Monday as the Republican National Convention kicked off officially. The document, adopted Monday on the floor of Quicken Loans Arena, codifies the traditional definition of marriage and denounces the administration’s school bathroom directive. “It’s the most conservative platform we’ve ever…Philip Wegmann -
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Widow Pursues Husband’s Dream of a Special Dog to Help Their Daughter
Glenn Foden had a dream for his daughter, Hannah. He saw Hannah having a canine companion to help her maneuver through her struggles with autism. Foden, an editorial cartoonist for The Daily Signal and other news organizations, began to save for a service dog. But when the conservative cartoonist died unexpectedly in March at age…Faith Vander Voort -
- News
France Is at War, Officials Say After Terrorist Attack in Nice Kills at Least 84
KYIV, Ukraine—At 3:45 a.m. Friday, just hours after a man drove a large truck through a crowd in the French seaside town of Nice, killing at least 84, French President François Hollande made a televised address to the nation. He began by making it clear the attack at the close of Bastille Day, France's Independence Day,…Nolan Peterson -
- News
How the GOP Senate Is Boosting Obama’s Judicial Legacy
Republican senators consistently accuse President Barack Obama of refusing to follow the law and exceeding his constitutional powers. Yet they’ve been unwilling to draw the line when it comes to giving Obama’s judicial nominees lifetime appointments to the federal bench. So far in 2016, the Republican-led Senate has confirmed nine Obama judges. And that number…Rob Bluey -
- News
Social Conservatives Declare Victory on Bathrooms, Marriage in GOP Platform
CLEVELAND—After fending off attempts to change the Republican Party’s official position on LGBT issues and traditional marriage, a coalition of social conservatives cautiously celebrated an early victory Monday afternoon. Before the Grand Old Party picks its presidential nominee formally, a select set of delegates on the platform committee will spend the week staking out Republican…Philip Wegmann -
- Opinion
NATO Designates Cyber as Official Domain for Warfare
While the claim that hackers linked to the Russian government hacked the Democratic National Committee to steal research on GOP candidates certainly grabbed headlines, a more important story on cyberspace was unfolding in Brussels. In a press conference on June 14, NATO Allied ministers formally agreed to include cyber operations in its war domain along…Anna Ferrara -
- Opinion
Social Security Programs Face Depletion in Near Future
Social Security’s programs are in deep trouble. According to the just-released 2016 report of the Board of Trustees for the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds, both programs’ trust funds will be depleted in the near future—old-age and survivors insurance in 2035 and disability insurance in 2023. Trust Fund Depletion Should Congress…Romina Boccia -
- Opinion
Politicians Are Wrong About NAFTA
In 2012, 51 leading economic experts were asked what they thought about the following statement: On average, citizens of the U.S. have been better off with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) than they would have been if the trade rules for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico prior to NAFTA had remained in place. One…Bryan Riley -
- Opinion
CIA Director Affirms Obama’s ISIS Strategy Is Not Working
No, President Barack Obama—we aren’t winning the war against the Islamic State. The head of the CIA, John Brennan, testified on Thursday that, “Despite all our progress against [the Islamic State] on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capacity and global reach.” In fact, the Islamic State, also…Bridget Mudd -
- News
Amid Process Battle, Conservatives Complain of GOP Financial Support of More Liberal Republicans
An LGBT measure threatening the House appropriations process has exposed old fault lines inside the Republican conference while also forging a pragmatic alliance between leadership and conservatives. The amendment introduced by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., doomed an energy and water spending bill before Memorial Day—but only after 43 Republicans bucked the party line to…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Federal Officials Delayed San Bernardino Terrorist Attack Probe
A new report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general concludes that the field office director at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “improperly delayed” investigators from Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting a “lawful and routine law enforcement action” after the San Bernardino terrorist attack last December. Inspector General John Roth conducted the investigation…Sharyl Attkisson -
- News
He Blew the Whistle on a Global Financial Firm, Then Broke Open Swiss Bank Secrecy
This Sunday on “Full Measure,” we have the incredible story of a whistleblower sent to prison after turning evidence against one of the biggest and most secretive banks in the world. Released from prison four years ago, Bradley Birkenfeld is a wealthy man thanks to a record $104 million settlement paid to him by the U.S….Sharyl Attkisson -
- News
Judiciary Chairman: Obama Received More Confirmations Than Bush at This Point in His Presidency
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is pushing back against the idea that the judicial nomination process is broken after being criticized for not holding a hearing to confirm President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. The Senate Judiciary Committee, tasked with checking the president’s power to appoint federal judges, has held hearings for 38 of Obama’s judicial…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
The Myth That Regulation Can Stop Financial Crises
Regulation doesn’t prevent financial crises—a fact that the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act conveniently ignored. Born from the myth that deregulated markets caused the 2008 crisis, Dodd-Frank inserts the federal government into virtually all components of the financial sector. The legislation polices everything from derivatives markets to payday lending, and it…Mollie McNeill -
- Opinion
Private Parties Are Held Accountable for Their Actions: It’s Time Government Officials Are Too
The federal government refused to hold its own officials accountable after the Environmental Protection Agency dumped millions of gallons of toxic water into the Animas River—a blunder that would likely result in a criminal conviction for a private party. Michigan’s attorney general, Bill Schuette, now deserves credit for doing what the federal government didn’t do: file criminal…John-Michael Seibler