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
It’s a Myth That Financial Markets Have Been Deregulated in Past Century
Why do I write so much about the myth that financial market deregulation caused the financial crisis? Because that false narrative has spread so far and wide. Even some folks who are otherwise friendly to free markets have bought into it. So here’s one more shot: financial markets were not deregulated in any meaningful way… -
opinion
Report: Social Security Administration Paid Nearly $50 Million to Dead Representatives
The Social Security Administration hasn’t had a great summer. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently reported that the Social Security Administration (SSA) paid $46.8 million to deceased individuals who had, prior to their death, been acting as financial representatives for Social Security recipients. This report comes just a few weeks after the OIG identified… -
news
Free Health Exams Offered to Special Olympics Athletes at Summer Games
Last week, 6,500 athletes from 165 nations traveled to Los Angeles to compete in the 2015 Special Olympic World Summer Games. “These Games change the lives of people around the world who are mistreated and excluded because they’re ‘different,’” Patrick McClenahan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Games Organizing Committee, said in a statement…. -
news
22 Moments From the 2015 Special Olympics
The first International Special Olympics was held in 1968 in Chicago, thanks to the work of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, in order to highlight the talents and abilities of those with intellectual or physical disabilities. Forty-seven years later, the Special Olympics boasts 6,500 athletes hailing from 165 countries to compete in numerous sports and events. This year, there… -
news
Planned Parenthood Official Suggests ‘We Alter Our Process’ to Harvest Tissue
A fifth undercover video released this morning shows Planned Parenthood officials allegedly discussing the harvesting of organs from aborted babies, adding to growing allegations that the organization illegally profits off the sale of this tissue. The video, which is graphic, also raises questions as to whether Planned Parenthood doctors alter their abortion methods to harvest… -
opinion
The Social Cost of Carbon: It’s Not What You Think
The social cost of carbon (SCC) is a metric that the Obama administration uses to justify increased regulations across the energy sector of the economy. It is derived using various statistical models that try to measure the extent and impact of climate change. Any statistical model, however, is based on assumptions and must be critically… -
opinion
D.C. Politicians Have Promised Seniors Trillions in Unpaid Benefits
Medicare is still in trouble. The Medicare Trustees just issued their 2015 report. Like last year’s report, it says that the Hospital Insurance trust fund will enjoy a few years of surpluses, followed by deficits, ending in insolvency in 2030. The trustees’ report is a bracing corrective to the complacency and demagoguery that often mar… -
news
DNC Chair Won’t State Difference Between Democrats and Socialists
DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz can’t tell the difference between a Democrat and a Socialist. WATCH! Posted by Fox & Friends on Friday, July 31, 2015 Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is the chairwoman of the Democrat National Committee, refused to answer the difference between Democrats and Socialists when appearing on MSNBC program Thursday. “The more… -
opinion
Experts Agree: Islamist Terrorism Has Officially “Gone Viral”
The threat posed by Islamist terrorism continues to grow both at home and abroad, according to a panel of experts that met at The Heritage Foundation on July 22. The rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) has resulted in a surge in terrorist activity across the Middle East. Just as strikingly, it has also prompted… -
opinion
5 Takeaways from Obama Officials on the Iran Deal
Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the (deeply flawed) Iran deal with Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, and Secretary of Treasury Jacob Lew. In preparation for the hearing, The Heritage Foundation published 15 questions the administration needs to clarify. A majority of senators’ questions touched upon… -
opinion
The Different Social Visions of Liberals and Conservatives
The index before you is more than a book of statistics—more even than a diagnosis of America’s economy and culture. It is first and foremost a corrective to a misguided way of thinking about society that too often holds sway in American politics. >>> Read The Heritage Foundation’s 2015 Index of Culture and Opportunity, which… -
opinion
The Deal’s Financial Lifeline: How Much Iran Will Pocket
One of the most troubling elements of the Iranian nuclear deal is the financial lifeline it throws to Tehran by lifting the punitive economic sanctions slapped on it because of bad behavior on atomic affairs. While estimates vary, we’re talking about Tehran pocketing well north of $100 billion—as a start—on “implementation day,” the point at… -
opinion
Here’s Why the Recent Proposals to Fix Social Security Disability Won’t Solve the Shortfall
The House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing last week on “Promoting Opportunity for Disability Insurance Beneficiaries” to discuss, among other measures, a benefit-offset policy for Social Security disability payments. A benefit-offset policy is expected to increase the earnings and disposable income of disability program beneficiaries, while increasing program costs as the disability… -
news
Scott Walker: Those Born After 1967 Are ‘Ready for Reform’ on Social Security, Medicare
Before Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became an official candidate for president, he told reporters that he would give detailed plans on entitlement reform once he started his official run. While we wait for that speech, Walker did provide a solid hint during an interview with The Daily Signal conducted in Iowa back in April. “I… -
opinion
Greece Disaster Shows Unavoidable Consequences of Socialism
The Greek citizens have rolled the dice and voted overwhelmingly to reject the “austerity” referendum. This was a way for voters to stick a finger in the eye of their creditors. The left around the world has responded to the vote with thunderous applause—and is selling the results as a vote for “the little guy.”… -
news
D.C. Council Debates Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide
Washington, D.C., may be the next location in the U.S. to approve physician-assisted suicide legislation, providing adults with terminal illnesses and less than six months to live medication to end their lives. On Friday, D.C. Council members held a hearing to discuss the future of this legislation in D.C. and Maryland. The bill was introduced… -
news
3 Tough Questions the Eurozone Will Face Over Greek Financial Crisis
All eyes are on how the eurozone will respond to Greece’s debt crisis. On July 5, Greek voters overwhelming rejected a eurozone deal that would have re-imposed austerity measures on Greece. Following Greece’s referendum, an emergency summit of the eurozone’s 19 finance ministers was called to consider whether Europe will provide additional financial relief to… -
opinion
An End to Colleges’ Racial Discrimination in Admissions?
The U.S. Supreme Court has an opportunity to finally get rid of racial discrimination in college admissions. The court agreed this week to review, for a second time, Abigail Fisher’s case against the University of Texas at Austin in its new term this fall. This comes at a time when racial preferences in college admissions,… -
news
In Under 2 Minutes, Here’s What You Need to Know About Greece’s Financial Crisis
The world has its eyes on Greece right now, as the country’s financial crisis has hit a peak after more than five years of instability. Greece is on the brink of defaulting on a $1.8 billion payment to the International Monetary Fund, which was due at midnight on Wednesday. On Sunday, July 5, Greek voters… -
opinion
Judicial Activism From Supreme Court on Marriage. Here’s How to Respond.
Today is a significant setback for all Americans who believe in the Constitution, the rule of law, democratic self-government, and marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The U.S. Supreme Court got it wrong: It should not have mandated all 50 states to redefine marriage. This is judicial activism: nothing in the…