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
Former Top Obama Official Says Operation Choke Point Had ‘Collateral’ Consequences
One of President Barack Obama’s former top Justice Department officials behind Operation Choke Point said Thursday the program had “unintended but collateral consequences” on banks and U.S. consumers. “Unfortunately, as the investigations continue, so too have one of the unintended but collateral consequences of such vigilance: mass de-risking,” wrote Michael J. Bresnick, who previously served as…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Economic Literacy Can Counter Socialism
Economics is one field of study that, for the most part, has not been driven off the railroad tracks by politically correct leftists steering college coursework toward progressive ends. The wasted time spent breeding resentment toward America and teaching students how to feel offended has yet to seep into most economics curricula. Perhaps preventing that…Patrick Tyrrell -
- Opinion
Obama’s Misuse of Special Operations Forces Has Led to Larger ISIS Threat
President Barack Obama is misusing our most elite forces. Since the onset of the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), The Heritage Foundation has called for a greater use of American Special Operations Forces (SOF). This includes Navy SEALs and Army Rangers. Special Operations Forces are designed to conduct high-end politically charged warfare, and to…Steven Bucci -
- News
Judiciary Chairman Accuses Democrats of ‘Charade’ on Supreme Court
A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing turned into a slugfest Thursday as Republicans and Democrats traded jabs over the GOP’s blockade of President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court. Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, accused Senate Democrats of allowing “raw politics to infect the process” by stirring up a frivolous partisan fight. “Everybody knows any nominee…Philip Wegmann -
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State Environmental Officials Say Obama’s EPA Has Overstepped Its Authority
The Environmental Protection Agency has overstepped its legal authority by imposing a regulatory agenda on the states, environmental officials at the state level testified Wednesday to a Senate committee. Randy Huffman, cabinet secretary at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, testified that the EPA’s flood of environmental regulations since President Barack Obama took office…Natalie Johnson -
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Mike Lee: D.C. Politicians Trying to Take Advantage of Flint Crisis
The Virginia Tech professor who discovered toxic lead levels in Flint’s drinking water said he finds a federal aid bill for the Michigan city “disappointing.” Marc Edwards, an environmental and water resources engineer, told C-SPAN’s Washington Journal in an interview aired last week that the legislation does little to help Flint. Worth more than $100…Philip Wegmann -
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Senate Judiciary Chairman Gives Obama a Lesson on the Constitution
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, used his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference today to remind grassroots activists that it’s not just President Barack Obama who gets to decide the next justice on the Supreme Court. “The Senate has its own authority to consent or not consent,” Grassley told the CPAC crowd. “There are separation…Daily Signal Staff -
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Republicans on Judiciary Committee Slam Door on Any Obama Supreme Court Nominee
All Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee promised Tuesday to block any candidate nominated by President Barack Obama to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. In an open letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the 11 Republican senators said they plan “to exercise our constitutional authority to…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Flashback to 1992: When Democrats Halted a Republican President’s Judicial Nominees
If Senate Democrats get their way, Republicans won’t follow their example. That is, Senate Republicans in 2016 won’t act as Democrats did when they blocked court confirmations in 1992. Twenty-four years ago looked a lot like the inverse of today. On the eve of a presidential election, there was a Republican in the White House and…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Conservative Lawmaker Calls for More ‘Compassion’ on Social Issues
Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., addressed the elephant in the room: Conservatives, he said, aren’t doing well on the social issues. “I’m not going to paint a rosy picture,” Walker said Wednesday at the 2016 Conservative Policy Summit, hosted by Heritage Action for America. He added: Our culture has been inundated and continues to be inundated…Kelsey Bolar -
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Here’s How Mike Lee and Jeb Hensarling Say Congress Can Fix the Federal Government
Standing beneath a painting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Jeb Hensarling unveiled their Article I Project to revitalize Congress. Appealing to the memory of the Founders pictured, the Republican duo said Wednesday their project is meant to encourage the legislative branch to reflex old constitutional muscles and to reassert…Philip Wegmann -
- News
This Tax Treaty Would Authorize the Automatic Sharing of Americans’ Financial Information With Foreign Governments
In November, lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a number of seemingly innocuous tax treaties, which typically pass with little to no fanfare. However, buried among the eight tax treaties passed by the Senate panel is one that could have significant consequences for Americans with foreign bank accounts, as well as foreigners who…Melissa Quinn -
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Obama Judicial Nominee Who Accused Reagan of ‘Bigotry’ Faces Confirmation Vote
President Obama’s nominee for a federal judgeship in Minnesota accused the Reagan administration of “bigotry” in her writing for the prestigious UCLA Law Review in 1989. Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Wilhelmina Wright, who is expected to win Senate confirmation to federal District Court in her state next Tuesday, wrote the accusation shortly before graduating Harvard Law…Philip Wegmann -
- News
IRS Won’t Ask Nonprofits to Collect Social Security Numbers
On Thursday, the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department withdrew a proposal that would give nonprofits the option of collecting personal information, including the Social Security numbers, from its donors. A critic called the government’s decision to abandon the proposed rule “a huge victory for American democracy.” “This is a huge victory for American…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Was This Top North Korean Official Assassinated?
North Korea announced Wednesday that its most senior official in charge of inter-Korean relations died in a car accident. Kim Yang-gon was head of the United Front Department of the ruling Korea Workers’ Party, a member of the North Korean Central Committee and alternate member of the Politburo. He had most recently negotiated with senior South…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
Most Senior Citizens Haven’t Fully Paid for Their Medicare, Social Security Benefits
Have senior citizens really “paid for” the Medicare and Social Security benefits they enjoy in retirement? Many believe so. But for the vast majority, the answer is – unequivocally- No. Federal entitlement payroll taxes and general revenues finance Medicare and Social Security benefits on a “pay–as-you-go” basis, meaning today’s workers’ taxes fund today’s retirees. Workers’…Robert Moffit -
- News
After Racial Incidents, Ithaca Students, Faculty Express ‘No Confidence’ in College President
Weeks after the University of Missouri’s president resigned in the wake of protests following racially charged events, the faculty and staff at New York’s Ithaca College have expressed no confidence in its own president because of his response to a handful of race-related incidents. The faculty at Ithaca College on Monday cast overwhelming votes of…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Cartoon: Einstein’s Theory of Insanity
Mike Gonzalez wrote earlier this week on the president's national address: At his national address Sunday night, President Barack Obama lectured Americans at length on the evils of Islamophobia. That is a lofty sentiment, no doubt, but the harangue did strike many as disproportionate. After all, on this score Americans can already be rightly proud….Glenn Foden -
- Opinion
After Hearing Oral Arguments, Legal Expert Thinks Abigail Fisher Should Win in Racial Discrimation Case
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in what is likely to be one of the most controversial cases of the current term: Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. At issue is whether universities should be allowed to use racial preferences in their admissions programs. It’s the second time this case has made its way…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Hears Case on Racial Preferences in College Admissions. Again.
It was “déjà vu all over again” as Yogi Berra would have said, at the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday, with protesters outside the court and race agitators like Al Sharpton leading the crowd, as the justices heard the case of Abigail Fisher for a second time. Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Fisher’s…Elizabeth Slattery