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
California Transportation Policy Is Not for the Free
MIDLAND, Texas—Here in Texas oil country, your Uber is more likely to be a pickup than a Prius. Daniel, who works in the oil pipeline business when he’s not driving for Uber, picked me up from Midland International Air & Space Port in his Chevy Silverado. Born in Midland Memorial Hospital and raised in Midland,…Diana Furchtgott-Roth -
- Opinion
A Hysterical Hit Job on Florida’s History Standards
As someone who has taught American history in a Florida school, I’ve followed with particular interest the controversy over the state’s curriculum regarding the so-called “benefits” of slavery. The way this issue has been demagogued is nothing short of outrageous. Florida officials last year created a working group “to review the state’s education standards relating…Simon Hankinson -
- News
On the Ground at State Fair: Iowans Want Change in 2024
DES MOINES, Iowa—Attendees at the Iowa State Fair are eager for change during the next presidential election. Many of the fairgoers lean to the right, The Daily Signal learned this week, and want a candidate that will focus on fixing the economy and strengthening the U.S. southern border. Located right outside the state capital of…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Vetoes Overridden: NC Legislature Protects Gender-Confused Minors, Parental Rights, and Women’s Sports
The North Carolina Legislature held a veto override bonanza Wednesday, enacting at least five bills over the objections of Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat. Among them were bills to protect minors from the harmful effects of irreversible gender-reassignment procedures, guarantee parental rights in education, and clarify that women’s sports are for women. HB 808 makes it…Joshua Arnold -
- Opinion
$17 Minimum Wage Would Exacerbate Rising Prices, Pushing Up Child Care Costs by 20%
As families are trying to cope with rising prices and declining real wages, a proposal from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., to increase the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour would drive up costs, especially for child care. According to my original analysis, based on data regarding child care wages…Rachel Greszler -
- Opinion
Biden’s ‘Manufacturing Boom’ Is Manufactured Malarkey
Is America really in a manufacturing renaissance? Far from it. U.S. manufacturing is hemorrhaging, and the numbers the Biden administration uses to claim otherwise are bought. Rather than address the problem, the White House is playing shell games with the economic data to gaslight Americans. It turns out that the manufacturing boom is manufactured, with…EJ Antoni -
- Opinion
How Country Music Speaks for Everyday Americans
Taylor Swift may be the hottest ticket this summer, but her listeners don’t share her country roots. That space has been captured by a series of anthems singing the blue-collar blues, songs that are a lot closer to—and a lot more correct—about what is bugging everyday Americans. American music has always been an echo chamber…James Carafano -
- Opinion
5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Dismantle the Federal Bureaucracy
In America, we’re supposed to have three branches of government and a robust system of checks and balances. What we’re not supposed to have is an unaccountable fourth branch of government that is impervious to the changes promised by winning presidential candidates. Yet, thanks to the idea that government should be run by supposedly nonpartisan,…Spencer Chretien -
- News
Did ABC News Bow to Pressure From Climate Activists on Headline on Maui Wildfire Story?
ABC News on Tuesday updated an article on the Maui wildfires in Hawaii ruling out climate change to clarify that it isn’t the “entire” cause of the conflagrations. The original report Monday by Julia Jacobo, Samantha Wnek, and Ginger Zee, titled “Why climate change can’t be blamed for the Maui wildfires,” received considerable backlash from…Tony Kinnett -
- Opinion
FINALLY: DC May Face the Music for Its Blatant Black Lives Matter Double Standard
During the summer of 2020, the nation’s capital city didn’t just allow Black Lives Matter protesters to spray-paint public property with their message; Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser actively joined the protest by directing staff to paint the words “Black Lives Matter” on a street across from the White House, rebranding a section as Black…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
The Highly Dangerous Georgia Indictments
This week, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched a 98-page missile directly into the heart of American politics. That missile was a 41-count indictment charging former President Donald Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators with violation of the Georgia version of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act—acts in furtherance of a conspiracy to commit…Ben Shapiro -
- Opinion
Losing Guatemala as a Critical American Ally
Elections have consequences. They can either benefit a nation or lead to disastrous outcomes. On June 25, Guatemala held its first round of the presidential election, and the results ended disastrously for this historically conservative Central American country of 17 million people. The results also do not bode well for America, as the current government…Meredith Bernal -
- Opinion
CNN Beclowns Itself Pushing Gibberish ‘Neopronouns,’ ‘Nounself Pronouns’
CNN wants you to take “neopronouns” seriously—so much so that on Saturday, it published an 1,800-word-long “Guide to Neopronouns.” The article promotes pronoun activist Dennis Baron’s 2020 book, “What’s My Gender?” If you’ve never heard of “neopronouns” before, that’s because it’s unlikely you’ve ever met anyone who uses them—or ever will. “What is a neopronoun?” you might…Joshua Arnold -
- News
GO WOKE, GO BROKE: Target Feels the Pain Amid ‘Pride Month’ Backlash
Target's second-quarter sales fell for the first time in six years amid backlash to the company's LGBTQ "Pride Month" merchandise. April 29-July 29 sales at stores open for at least one year dropped 5.4%, including a 10.5% decline online, CNN Business reported. The company cut its annual sales forecast. Even the retail giant's foot traffic…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
The Case for Intelligent Design, With Stephen Meyer
Science and the theory of intelligent design go hand in hand, says Stephen Meyer, author of the book “Return of the God Hypothesis.” The “God hypothesis,” Meyer says, is the “idea that the postulation of a transcendent intelligence, who is also active in the creation, provides a better explanation, causal explanation, for the origin of…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Destruction of Rule of Law in Fani Willis’ Georgia Star Chamber
The attack on the First Amendment and the very structure of the American legal system by the Star Chamber of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis is a profound assault on our democratic republic and the rule of law. There’s no other way to characterize the politically partisan indictment of former President Donald Trump…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Deadly Hawaii Fires Are Result of Political and Policy Failures—Not Climate Change
Hawaii has suffered through one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent American history. Predictably, the left-wing political and media narrative-making machine has sought to turn the Hawaii fires into another lesson about climate change. The facts draw a drastically different picture. The extent of the damage on the island of Maui isn’t fully…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
Appeals Court Upholds Pro-Life Activists’ Claim DC ‘Selectively’ Enforced Statute to Arrest Them But Not BLM Protesters
A federal appeals court ruled 3-0 Tuesday that the Washington, D.C., District Court had wrongly dismissed pro-life activists' lawsuit accusing the city of violating their First Amendment rights. The city had arrested pro-life activists for chalking a message on the sidewalk while permitting Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters to mark property without consequences. During the…Katelynn Richardson -
- Opinion
Why Are More Americans Than Ever Committing Suicide?
The New York Post reports: About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data suggests suicides are…Dennis Prager -
- Opinion
House GOP Investigates State Department Grants Promoting Atheism Abroad
The Biden administration, which came under fire earlier this year for an internal FBI memo targeting anti-abortion Catholic activists as “potential” domestic terrorists, is facing new questions from top House Republicans over its decision to fund a program promoting atheism overseas. Rep. Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and…Susan Crabtree