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.
-
opinion
What We Need to Do to Make Sure We Don’t Have to Bailout Financial Firms Ever Again
The Republicans will hold a comfortable majority in the U.S. House and, at most, a 55 seat majority in the Senate for the 114th Congress. That’s not a wide enough margin to override a Presidential veto. Still, the Republicans owe it to their constituents to exercise governance. On election night Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated… -
opinion
How the GI Bill Launched a Social Revolution
It’s always heartening when Veterans Day rolls around each November to see our nation pay tribute to those who have served so nobly in our armed forces. We often do it in small ways. My wife and I recently noticed, for example, that a local supermarket had set aside a pair of parking spaces marked… -
opinion
Good News: A GOP Congress Usually Correlates with Booming Financial Markets
It was exactly 20 years ago, in November 1994, that Republicans under the maverick leadership of Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America took over the House of Representatives for the first time in nearly half a century. What may not be remembered is that the GOP sweep continued what became the longest and strongest… -
news
Top Navy SEAL Officials Aren’t Happy With Teammates Spilling bin Laden Secrets
Two high-ranking Navy SEAL officials are scolding any current or former members of the service who would “advertise” their service or “seek recognition” for their actions. A letter signed by Force Master Chief M.L. Magaraci and Rear Adm. B.L. Losey, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, is believed to be a preemptive response to a Fox News… -
news
From In-N-Out Burger to Nilla Wafers, Here’s How Politicians Are Spending Election Night
Some of them went from town to town, campaigning as the clear underdog. Others, not up for re-election, used their political clout to elevate U.S. Senate hopefuls from state to state. A few laid low, allowing tensions on the Left to steer the momentum of the midterm elections. And some went big, spending millions of… -
news
Hong Kong’s Former No. 2 Official Fields 7 Questions on the Future of Her City
As the number of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong dwindles, one of the city’s veteran leaders is a key figure in seeking a compromise with the pro-Beijing camp on how to elect a new chief executive. “It is imperative that the Hong Kong government offer some concession–and a significant one–that can convince the die-hards in… -
news
Social Conservatives Share What’s Behind the Left’s Biggest Misconceptions About Them
Are social conservatives struggling to share their message? At the 2014 Values Voter Summit last weekend in Washington, some conference attendees said that’s the case when The Daily Signal asked them to specify the Left’s common misconceptions about social conservatives—and what they could do to communicate and advance traditional values. -
news
8 Ways the Obama Administration Restricts Access to Information, According to the Associated Press
The Associated Press’ Washington bureau chief is the latest journalist to criticize the Obama administration for failing to live up to its promise of transparency. “Bush was not fantastic,” Sally Buzbee recently told a meeting of journalists. “The [Obama] administration is significantly worse than previous administrations.” Buzbee detailed eight ways the Obama administration is restricting… -
opinion
As Russia’s Aggression Increases, Poland Becomes More Crucial
WARSAW — Quite suddenly, what Poland does and doesn’t do has become crucial to the United States and the Western alliance. As the next-door neighbor of Ukraine and with uncertainty about Russia’s next aggressive move, Poland matters. Adjoining as it does the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — all prime targets of… -
news
Former State Dept. Official: Details of Maxwell’s Benghazi Document Story ‘Ring True’
A State Department whistleblower has come forward to say the details of a former colleague’s account of the sifting of Benghazi-related documents to identify damaging material “ring true.” The Daily Signal reported Monday on Raymond Maxwell, a former deputy assistant secretary at the State Department who says he observed an unusual after-hours session in a basement operations room… -
opinion
How a 4-Year-Old Girl Got This Commercial Rejected By CBS
Last week, CBS Sports caused an outrage when it refused to air a commercial by a local real estate company. The commercial featured the company owner’s 4-year-old granddaughter reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a screen shot with the company’s information. That was the entirety of the clip, which Windermere Real Estate created to… -
news
Benghazi Bombshell: Clinton State Department Official Reveals Details of Alleged Document Review
As the House Select Committee on Benghazi prepares for its first hearing this week, a former State Department diplomat is coming forward with a startling allegation: Hillary Clinton confidants were part of an operation to “separate” damaging documents before they were turned over to the Accountability Review Board investigating security lapses surrounding the Sept. 11,… -
opinion
The Insane Reason This Girl Was Forced Out of D.C. Public Schools
Avery Gagliano — a piano prodigy and truant. Yes, the 13-year-old musical genius, who was chosen to join 11 other musicians from around the world to play in Munich last year, playing this masterpiece… … is also a truant in the eyes of the D.C. public school system. In March, Avery traveled to Connecticut for… -
opinion
Benghazi Eyewitness Stories Contradict Official Account
Eyewitness accounts of the Benghazi attack—broadcast by Fox News over the weekend—have now publicly and directly contradicted the official account as shaped by the State Department, the White House and even the House Intelligence Committee. During a Fox News special that aired over the weekend, three CIA security staffers posted to Benghazi told reporter Bret… -
opinion
Transatlantic Trends: NATO Still Required for Europe’s Defense
The German Marshall Fund announced the results of its annual Transatlantic Trends survey this week, to coincide with the 2014 NATO summit in Wales. The survey results revealed continued support for NATO’s core mission among European and American respondents alike. A majority of those polled believes that NATO is key to securing the territorial integrity… -
opinion
Proof Everyone Needs to be ‘Kneaded’: Photos of a Very ‘Special’ Bakery
This is Bradley Kohler. He’s a 24-year-old adult with Fragile X Syndrome. Fragile X Syndrome is a genetic chromosome disorder that causes mild to severe mental impairment. He's had it since he was seven. These are his parents, Mike and Tempa Kohler. When Bradley was 22, he "aged out" of the Gwinnett School in Georgia. He needed a place… -
opinion
Sharif Government’s Survival Crucial for Democracy in Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan received a boost today when a joint sitting of parliament endorsed his leadership following two weeks of street demonstrations led by maverick politician Imran Khan. Khan, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has joined with Pakistani religious leader Tahir ul-Qadri to demand Sharif’s resignation for alleged vote rigging in… -
news
Pot Business Owners Donate Money to Politicians
It’s probably unusual for political contributors to thank a candidate for taking their money, but that’s what Mike Elliott, executive director for the Marijuana Industry Group, did at a pot-industry fundraiser for Rep. Ed Perlmutter last month. “We really appreciate the fact we can come here and show you how much we appreciate you showing… -
opinion
7 Reasons Why the Current Marriage Debate Is Nothing Like the Debate on Interracial Marriage
Is opposition to same-sex marriage at all like opposition to interracial marriage? One refrain in debates over marriage policy is that laws defining marriage as the union of male and female are today’s equivalent of bans on interracial marriage. Some further argue that protecting the freedom to act publicly on the basis of a religious… -
opinion
Portman Proposes Reforms for Social Security and Medicare
Senator Rob Portman (R–OH) proposed reforms to Social Security and Medicare in The Wall Street Journal last week. Reforms to both programs “can not only help close the debt, it can also create a stronger economy,” Portman argues. He specifically proposes “adjusting Social Security and Medicare’s retirement ages, means-testing benefits for upper-income retirees, and supporting…