Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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In His Own Words: Why Coach Kennedy ‘Retired’ After Just One Game
The reason Coach Joe Kennedy decided to resign after his first game back at Bremerton High School following his Supreme Court victory is “pretty simple,” according to him. “It seemed like the right thing to do to retire on my own terms,” Kennedy told The Daily Signal. It was time to “retire” according…Virginia Allen -
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California Passes Bill Requiring Parents to Affirm Kids’ Gender ‘Transitions’
The California State Assembly passed a bill Friday that would require judges in child custody cases to consider whether a parent has affirmed a child’s “gender transition” by making “gender affirmation” an equal part of a child’s “health, safety, and welfare” under state law. Democratic lawmakers’ bill, AB 957, passed the Assembly by a vote…Tony Kinnett -
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DC Judge: ‘Truth’ About Aborted Baby Remains Not ‘Relevant’ to DOJ Case Against Pro-Lifers
A Washington, D.C., judge has refused to allow pro-life activists to show photos of aborted, preemie-sized babies as evidence in court, as well as a video wherein a D.C. abortionist allegedly describes how he would allow babies to die if they survived his abortions. Her refusal pertains to the case of Lauren Handy and four…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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Free Enterprise Is What Will Solve Arkansas’ Used Tire Problem
Arkansas has a used tire problem. Despite a government program set up in 2017 meant to dispose of Arkansas’ used tires while being self-funding, these eyesores—and some argue, health hazards—are literally piling up around the state. This was completely predictable. Yet no amount of failure can convince even the best-intentioned politicians and bureaucrats that when…Jack Spencer -
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Gavin Newsom Addresses Rumors He’ll Run in 2024
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed rumors in an interview clip released Friday that he may run for president in 2024, emphasizing that Vice President Kamala Harris is President Joe Biden’s natural successor. Newsom also insisted that Biden will run again, telling NBC “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd in an interview released Friday: “We…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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Woke Corporations Increasingly Funding ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Employees
The online job search company Indeed has announced it will now cover up to $10,000 in expenses for employees who want to relocate for “gender-affirming care,” a policy that went into effect in July of this year. The financial aid is for staff and their immediate family members who identify, according to Axios, as “gender nonconforming,…Sarah Holliday -
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Yes, It’s Important to Discover How Prince Harry Entered the Country. Here’s Why.
Britain’s Prince Harry may have received “preferential treatment” when granted his U.S. visa, according to Nile Gardiner of The Heritage Foundation. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, publicly admitted to drug use in his recent memoir “Spare,” but it’s not known whether the royal disclosed his drug use on his visa application, an admission that can…Virginia Allen -
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The Unbecoming Behavior of Jack Reed and Elizabeth Warren
Senators returned to a steamy Washington, D.C., this week with temperatures nearing 100 degrees. As warm as it was outside, things were also heated inside the Senate. For six months, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has infuriated his Democratic colleagues by preventing the Senate from rubber-stamping the promotions of high-ranking military officers. The number is now…Robert B. Bluey -
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How Burning Man Became Uncool
This week, the Burning Man festival—a convocation of large groups of men and women seeking sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and other forms of hedonistic bliss—was flooded. It seems that a half-inch of rain swamped the event, which takes place in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, turning the dust to deep and sticky mud….Ben Shapiro -
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The Left Blames Foreign Automakers—Rather Than Criminals—for Car Theft Surge
The Left has found its newest implausible scapegoat for a crime wave that began in 2020; namely, foreign car companies. A recent editorial column in The New York Times, “Kia and Hyundai Helped Enable a Crime Wave. They Should Pay for It,” has been part of a spate of national and local media stories blaming…Jarrett Stepman -
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Pro-Life Activist Appeals Lower Court Decision Denying Her Release From Jail Ahead of Sentencing
The Thomas More Society has filed an emergency motion to appeal a lower court decision that denied pro-life activist Lauren Handy's release from jail ahead of her sentencing. Attorneys with the Thomas More Society filed their motion to appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Wednesday asking to…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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Why America’s Birthrate Is in Decline
In 1960, the birthrate in America was 3.65, meaning most women had between three and four kids. Fast forward to 2000, and the birthrate had fallen to 2.06. As of 2020, the birthrate was 1.6, meaning women now have between one and two children. Factors such as the economy, changes in cultural priorities, and political agendas…Virginia Allen -
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Coach Joe Kennedy Resigns After First Football Game Back Following Court Win; Lawyers Cite ‘Retaliation’ Against Him as Reason
After a Supreme Court victory and being reinstated to his football coaching position, Joe Kennedy has submitted a letter of resignation to the Bremerton School District in Washington state. “We have come to learn of serious allegations of retaliation against coach Kennedy by the Bremerton School District,” Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel at First Liberty…Virginia Allen -
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Sean Spicer Explains Why DC Journalists Actually Support Restricting White House Press Access
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre resumed her regular briefings last week after a light schedule in August. But missing from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room were some of the 442 reporters who lost their credentials because of the Biden administration’s new rules restricting press access. The decision to remove these reporters—including The…Robert B. Bluey -
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‘Wake Up’: Congressman Warns of ‘Genocide,’ ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Against Christians in Armenia
Republican New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith called on his colleagues Wednesday to recognize that 120,000 Armenian Christians living in Nagorno-Karabakh are facing extinction. “Delay is denial,” Smith, who chaired the emergency congressional hearing on Nagorno-Karabakh as co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said in a statement to The Daily Signal. “The Biden Administration must…Mary Margaret Olohan -
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The Poignancy and Power of ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Was Never Political
American songwriting, whether it is folk, rock, or country, has a long history of featuring lyrics and music about the things that inspire the writers. In 1970, after one singer had been performing onstage for only a few months, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert came across him quite by accident. And the experience floored…Salena Zito -
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House Finds ‘Evidence of Collusion’ Between Biden’s VP Office and Hunter’s Business Partners
House Republicans are noting apparent “collusion” between Hunter Biden’s business allies and then-Vice President Joe Biden’s office regarding the handling of messaging about Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, and citing a key date for evidence. Records obtained by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee show that on Dec. 4, 2015, a Biden family business associate suggested…Fred Lucas -
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Massachusetts’ Religious Bigotry Leaves Foster Kids Without Homes
Religious freedom, Congress said unanimously in 1998, “undergirds the very origin and existence of the United States.” Today, however, an obsession with gender ideology is driving governments to ignore the First Amendment, defy clear Supreme Court precedent, and even violate their own laws and regulations to root out those with the “wrong” religious views about…Thomas Jipping -
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‘Neurological’: Rand Paul Questions Doctor’s Diagnosis of Mitch McConnell
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has questioned the credibility of a doctor’s notes asserting that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is in good health, according to comments reported by Politico on Tuesday. McConnell, age 81, has faced several public health scares in 2023, the most recent being when he froze while speaking with reporters in Kentucky…Arjun Singh -
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JRR Tolkien’s Message for the Modern World
J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings,” calls us to be heroic and to sacrifice for one another, according to the author of a new book on Tolkien’s “Sanctifying Myth.” “I’m very glad when I look at the numbers of how many books of Tolkien’s still sell and that almost anything that is…Tyler O’Neil