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.
-
news
Ben Sasse Calls for ‘Ceasefire’ Between Social and Economic Conservatives
A new report by the American Enterprise Institute documents the connection between stable families and economic growth. The authors of the report, titled “Strong Families, Prosperous States,” contend that though the word “economics” comes from the Greek word “oikonomia,” which means “management of the household,” economists “have paid little attention to the links between household… -
opinion
The Insane Amount the White House Is Spending on Standing Desks
The White House reportedly wants to shell out a whopping $700,000 for standing desks. While it’s true that sitting all day long can have adverse health effects and it’s smart business to keep employees healthy, it’s an extraordinary amount of money to pay for something that can be recreated with a free cardboard box. Additionally,… -
opinion
Californians on Insane Water Policy: ‘Whatever’
SACRAMENTO—If California flew a state flag that truly represented its popular culture, it’s possible we’d have not the Bear Flag, but a guy shrugging his shoulders and the word “Quicquid”—Latin for the state’s unofficial motto, “Whatever.” California residents have reacted to the state’s increasingly draconian water cutbacks with the well-known “whatever” spirit. They’ve significantly exceeded… -
news
Why Social Security Benefits Aren’t Rising Next Year
The government announced on Thursday that nearly 65 million Americans will not receive an increase in Social Security benefits next year. The reasoning? Consumer prices have been down over the past year. The following can help break down a couple calculations that measure why Social Security beneficiaries will be without an increase in their 2016… -
opinion
How Social Security’s Current Way of Calculating Cost of Living Hurts Taxpayers
Social Security beneficiaries will not see a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) to their benefits this year. Social Security beneficiaries won’t see a boost in their benefits because there has been no measurable increase in the cost of the basket of goods that is used to calculate changes in the cost of living. In fact, the index measuring… -
news
A CIA-Trained Tibetan Freedom Fighter’s Undying Hope for Freedom
PANGONG LAKE, India—At dawn, the old man stood outside his home on the Indian side of Pangong Lake, thumbing his prayer beads and chanting, “Om mani padme hum.” The sun was rising from behind a wall of Himalayan peaks on the opposite shore, which was Tibet. The old man’s face, which had been darkly tanned… -
opinion
To Avoid 19% Cut in Benefits, Lawmakers Must Overhaul Social Security Disability Program
The trust fund that helps pay for disability insurance under Social Security is on track to run out of money next year, a shortfall that would trigger a 19-percent cut in benefits. To avert these painful cuts, policymakers should overhaul the program by dropping the progressive benefit structure and replacing it with a flat benefit… -
news
Senator Reveals Full Scope of Democrats’ ‘Manufactured’ Judicial Confirmation Crisis
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is pushing back on Democratic charges that the GOP-led Senate has dropped the ball on judicial confirmations under President Barack Obama. Grassley took to the Senate floor Monday after his colleagues confirmed the 314th judicial nominee since the president took office, noting that by this time in 2007, under… -
opinion
How California’s New Assisted Suicide Law Could Especially Hurt the Poor
“My concern is for people who don’t have resources, who don’t have a choice.” “You read about Oregon denying someone a lung transplant, but, ‘Here, you can you have these pills.’” “That’s my fear about what this would become.” That’s what Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat who represents the San Diego area, told the Sacramento… -
opinion
3 Reasons Why Social Security’s Shortfall Could Actually Be $2.6 Trillion Greater Than Expected
The Social Security Advisory Board’s Technical Panel concluded that the Social Security Trustees’ “assumptions and methodologies are basically sound.” But these “basically sound” assumptions understate Social Security’s projected 75 year shortfall by $2.6 trillion compared to the technical panel’s recommended assumptions. According to the trustees, Social Security’s 75 year shortfall amounts to 2.68 percent of… -
opinion
Special Forces Are Great, but They Require a Strong Conventional Military to Operate
Reuters recently reported on a contingent of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel in southern Niger assisting the West African country in its battle against the terrorist organization Boko Haram, which is increasingly raiding into Niger. The contingent is a portion of the approximately 1,000 special operators currently deployed across the continent, part of President… -
opinion
6 Crucial Budget Facts Lawmakers Need to Remember
The end of the fiscal year is here, meaning that Congress is scrambling to resolve a host of important budget issues that lawmakers have ignored all year. Most importantly, they must fund the government for the 2016 fiscal year (which begins on October 1st), and come December, they must address the impending debt ceiling. These… -
opinion
Argument for Giving Law Enforcement Special Access to Encrypted Systems Falls Short
In the continuing debate over whether law enforcement and intelligence officials should have some sort of special access to encrypted communications, officials are arguing that such access is important against “sloppy and stupid terrorists.” Objections have centered on the counterargument that allowing the government some form of special access to encrypted communications and systems would… -
opinion
US Must Leverage Aid to Stop Child Sexual Abuse Among Afghan Security Officials
The New York Times Monday ran a shocking story about the U.S. military condoning child sexual abuse among Afghan security personnel. According to the report, U.S. military officers were told by their superiors to ignore acts of alleged child rape and molestation committed by Afghan police officials, sometimes on U.S. military bases. Adding insult to… -
opinion
Britain’s New Labour Leader Could Destroy the U.S.-U.K. ‘Special Relationship’
Jeremy Corbyn is hardly a household name in the United States, but his election win has raised eyebrows on this side of the Atlantic and has been prominently featured on the pages of The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. With good reason: there is growing nervousness in Washington in… -
opinion
US Spends Far More on Social Welfare Than Most European Nations
The U.S. Census Bureau has released its annual poverty report. Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. has a small social welfare system and far more poverty compared with other affluent nations. But noted liberal scholars Irwin Garfinkel, Lee Rainwater, and Timothy Smeeding challenge such simplistic ideas in their book “Wealth and Welfare States: Is America… -
opinion
Is Socialism on the Rise?
Heritage Foundation expert Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, spoke to Fox News’ Neil Cavuto about the victory of far-left politician Jeremy Corbyn, who will lead the British Labour Party, and what it might mean on the global stage. “What you have seen, certainly, on both sides of the Atlantic is… -
news
New Study: Physician-Owned Hospitals Serve Poorer Patients At Average Rates
Physician-owned hospitals are often vilified in America’s health care system, accused of siphoning the most profitable operations away from other hospitals while leaving them with the sicker and poorer patients. Congress has banned new ones from opening. But an independent study released Wednesday argues physician-owned hospitals have gotten a bad rap. The study, published online… -
news
10 Public Officials Who Defied the Law Over Gay Marriage Mostly Silent on Kim Davis Case
A Kentucky clerk at the center of a national controversy was held in contempt of court and sent to jail for refusing to comply with a judge’s order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But she isn’t the only public official who has defied the law over same-sex marriage. On Thursday, a federal judge… -
news
Will Government Officials Be Held Accountable for Kate Steinle’s Death? Her Family Filed a Lawsuit.
In an attempt to hold government officials accountable for the shooting death of their 32-year-old daughter Kate, the Steinle family filed a lawsuit against three government agencies. The suit alleges that those agencies are in part responsible for Steinle’s death, but experts say the family has little chance at prevailing. "Unfortunately, prior lawsuits against cities…