Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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opinion
The Replication Crisis and ESG’s Throne of Lies
“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.” -Ronald Reagan, “A Time for Choosing” For more than two decades now, a handful of academics, led by John Ioannidis, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, have been documenting what has come to… -
opinion
No, Iran and China Are Not ‘Winning’
For years, much of the American media has operated under a peculiar assumption: that the best way to confront adversaries such as China and Iran is to accommodate them. If the United States applies pressure, the narrative quickly becomes that America is overextended, losing leverage, or somehow empowering its enemies. That narrative has resurfaced during… -
opinion
It’s on Us to Choose How to Use Our Freedom
Coincident with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence is the 250th anniversary of the publication of “The Wealth of Nations.” The full title of Scotsman Adam Smith’s book, published in 1776, is “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.” One might… -
opinion
Lying, Amorous Federal Judge Likely Committed a Federal Felony
News broke earlier this week that a sitting federal judge in the Southeastern United States committed a host of outrageous acts, for which the judge received the ridiculously light punishment of a private reprimand. (Bloomberg Law reports that the judge is Eleanor Ross, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of… -
opinion
Clemson Hires New President. What Does This Mean for DEI on Campus?
Last fall, Clemson University officials announced the end of a sordid list of diversity, equity, and inclusion “commissions.” But news of DEI’s death at the college may be premature: The school’s board of trustees hired a new president with a checkered past of applying racial preferences. Are the trustees and administrators serious about civil rights… -
opinion
Colombia, the US, and the New Hemispheric Vision
As Colombia nears a momentous election decision on May 31, conservative Abelardo de la Espriella vaults to the lead in polling and prediction markets. Known as “The Tiger,” he channels much of the energy and philosophy of another Latin American populist-right renegade, Javier Milei, who similarly uses lion imagery and themes in his campaigns. De… -
opinion
China’s Complex Economic Ties With Niger
China’s economic relationship with Niger is becoming deeper and more complicated. As of May 2026, Beijing expanded zero-tariff treatment to imports from 53 African countries with diplomatic ties to China, excluding only Eswatini, which recognizes Taiwan. For Niger, a junta-led landlocked state that needs both outside financing and export revenue, that offer comes at a… -
opinion
The Debate Over the Women’s Museum Was Never About Women
“House Democrats oppose a bill for a Smithsonian women’s history museum.” This is not a sentence I ever expected to read. Aren’t Democrats supposed to be the feminists? The champions of inclusion? The self-appointed defenders of the “disadvantaged”? And on top of that, they are the ones who pushed for the women’s museum to begin… -
opinion
Netflix-WB Deal: Not Dead Yet?
In late January, the Oversight Project released “Fedflix,” an interim report about Netflix’s suspicious relationship with law enforcement and the intelligence community. Our report highlighted how Netflix has a board of directors largely made up of highly partisan Democrat operatives and donors; pushes programming with LGBTQ+ content to children; and produces content that has been… -
opinion
Young Adults Are Returning to Faith, but Will It Last?
A few weeks ago, The New York Times reported on a new trend of young adults returning to or joining the Catholic Church, despite decades-long cultural attacks on that institution from political and cultural elites. The article quotes Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozanski of St. Louis, who said, “In our age of uncertainty, and in our age of great… -
opinion
Britain’s 7-Step Program to Ruin
Out of about 5,000 seats up for vote in Britain’s recent local council elections, the ruling Labour Party lost 1,100 in its worst-ever result, while the new Reform UK Party gained 1,300. A major factor was migration. Here are seven steps successive governments took that led to that being such an issue. 1. Let mass… -
opinion
RGGI Will Cost Virginia Billions—Just Like It Cost Pennsylvania
Virginians were promised affordability. Instead, they’re getting an energy agenda that risks making electricity more expensive and less reliable. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has consistently sided with the climate-policy wing of her party even when its proposals threaten higher energy costs for consumers. One such proposal is rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In 2023, Virginia… -
opinion
Powell’s Federal Reserve Mess Is Now Warsh’s Problem
New Chair of the Federal Reserve Kevin Warsh walks straight into a professional buzzsaw. Though he now occupies one of the most influential and prestigious posts in America—and indeed the world—his daunting assignment may be among the most difficult in government in recent decades. The difficulty of Warsh’s task flows first from the abject failures… -
opinion
What Every Graduate Should Aim For
Many of today’s graduates are about to make the same mistake Matthew Emmons made during the 2004 Olympics. It’s commencement season for high school and college seniors. The future may be unknown, but graduates know what they want in their future—money. A 2025 poll by Harvard Political Review asked young Americans to identify their important… -
opinion
How George Washington’s Farewell Address Fulfilled the Declaration of Independence
Welcome to the first in our series, Landmark Speeches in American History. Over the next several months, we will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with articles by prominent authors about how some of the greatest speeches in our history—by celebrated orators like Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.—honored the vision of our founding… -
opinion
The Christian Lifestyle Is the Pentecost Lifestyle
Pentecost ought to remind us of our identity and renew our trust that God is always with us. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostles all gathered together in a building’s upper room, worried and confused about how to move forward. Then the Holy Spirit came rushing forth upon them (Acts 2:2). They were immediately… -
opinion
After Years of Weaponizing Shareholder Voting, Will the Big Three Escape Accountability?
Are investors in “passive” index funds being misled about how shares held in those funds are being voted? After providing some relevant background below, I argue that failing to properly disclose the active voting of passive fund shares could violate consumer protection provisions, anti-fraud provisions, or other related provisions covering deceptive practices. When it comes… -
opinion
When Political Violence Becomes Acceptable, It Becomes Inevitable
A society that begins to excuse political violence should not be surprised when political violence multiplies. Once you create a moral framework in which violence is not merely understandable but righteous—once you argue that certain institutions are so corrupt, so “murderous,” that the people who participate in them deserve to be killed—you are no longer… -
opinion
News Aggregators’ Left-Wing Bias Reinforces Political Ignorance
The other day, a young lady got on the elevator and promptly whipped out her smartphone and began scrolling. “Excuse me,” I said, “can I ask you where you get your news?” She said, “You mean like news about what’s going on in the world?” “Yes.” “Oh, TikTok.” This reminded me of a dinner conversation… -
opinion
The Steyer Smear
Billionaire Tom Steyer used his money to attack a lone climate researcher. Roger Pielke Jr.’s research on climate and disaster policy wins awards and is cited by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “My views are entirely mainstream,” says Pielke. “My work is cited by all three working groups of the IPCC. There’s…