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
Nattering Neocons of Negativity
Earlier this week, my colleagues Tony Kinnett and Tim Kennedy visited Hawaii to report for The Daily Signal on the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. Their trip coincided with President Joe Biden’s head-scratching island adventure, which did little to restore confidence with Hawaiians after his callous “no comment” quip about the disaster days… -
opinion
The Washington Post Is Clueless
A front-page story on Aug. 21 in The Washington Post sounds a false alarm: “American democracy is cracking. These forces help explain why,” by Dan Balz and Clara Ence Morse. The analysis is incoherent, betrays constitutional ignorance, and misunderstands the purpose of government—not majority rule but justice secured through checks and balances and separation of… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Chip Roy Moves to Grant Veterans Access to Innovative New Health Care Option
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Rep. Chip Roy announced he would introduce a bill Friday to give veterans more freedom in their health care options and enable them to access an innovative new form of health care. "All too often, veterans are forced to wait to receive the medical care they have earned," Roy, a Texas… -
opinion
Davis-Bacon Act: End It, Don’t Amend It
The Department of Labor on Aug. 8 finalized an 812-page rule that contains more than 50 significant changes to the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act. Instead of modernizing and improving this deeply flawed law, those changes double down on its shortcomings. Such massive changes make a bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. Bob Good, R-Va.—the Repeal… -
opinion
Hawaii Locals ‘Universally Angry’ About Federal Response to Maui Wildfires
The town of Lahaina, Hawaii, looks like it’s been “bombed,” The Daily Signal’s Tony Kinnett says after visiting fire-devastated areas on the island of Maui. Kinnett, investigative columnist for The Daily Signal, spent five days on the ground in Lahaina and elsewhere on Maui. Where government officials have failed, he says, locals have stepped up… -
news
Key Takeaways From the First 2024 Republican Primary Debate
Eight Republican presidential candidates took to the stage in Milwaukee on Wednesday night for the first debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle. The Republican candidates who participated in the Fox News-hosted debate were North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina… -
news
6 Highlights of Trump’s Debate-Disrupting Interview With Tucker Carlson
Former President Donald Trump addressed the disputed 2020 election, his mounting legal problems, and the potential for “civil war” during a wide-ranging interview with former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson, released Wednesday night. Trump, the nation’s 45th president and current front-runner for his party’s nomination, opted against participating in the first Republican primary debate… -
news
Media Giant Gannett Sued for Allegedly Discriminating Against White Employees
The largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., Gannett, was hit with a class-action lawsuit Friday that alleges its diversity efforts discriminated against non-minority employees. Current, former, and prospective Gannett employees filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging the company’s “Reverse Race Discrimination Policy” discriminated against “non-minorities” on the basis… -
news
11th Circuit Reinstates Alabama Law Protecting Minors From Gender-Transition Hormones
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Monday vacated a preliminary injunction against Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which had blocked the section of the law protecting minors from puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The unanimous decision denied that the law “amounts to a sex-based classification” and found no “constitutional right to… -
opinion
From Land Acknowledgements to Zombie Lies, Biden’s State Department Pushes Divisive Diplomacy
The House version of the State Department’s foreign operations appropriations bill calls for defunding the agency’s various special envoys, representatives, and coordinators unless expressly authorized by law or confirmed by the Senate. Congress is right to scrutinize and prune these proliferating, expensive, and often redundant “special” offices. One of these positions is the State Department’s… -
opinion
Interest Rates Are Soaring, Raising the Alarm for a Painful Reckoning for America
Someone with a million dollars of credit card debt probably wouldn’t celebrate if his interest rate skyrocketed. Yet some analysts are touting rising interest rates on America’s trillions of dollars of long-term debt as a good sign for the U.S. economy. Are they right? Are rising long-term interest rates a good thing? Certainly not for… -
opinion
Biden’s Hostage Deal Would Boost Iran’s Threats
The Biden administration reportedly has reached a deal to free five Iranian-American hostages held by Iran, in what may be the prelude to an even worse agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. Under the reported deal, the United States would secure the five hostages’ release by releasing an unknown number of Iranian agents or sanctions violators… -
opinion
Storm Warning in California Shows How Easy It’s Become to Panic Americans
I am writing this column on a beautiful sunny day in Southern California. It is a Monday in mid-August, so it is not a national holiday, yet in Los Angeles County, where I live, all the schools and all government offices are closed. Why? Because, for the past week, the National Weather Service, state and… -
opinion
Cal Thomas: Debate Questions I Would Ask the GOP Candidates
Wednesday night’s GOP primary debate in Milwaukee for the Republican candidates for the presidency will be more a Q&A session than a classic debate, but that’s OK. Viewers will have a chance to take the measure of the men—and woman—who wish to become president. Each candidate brings something to the table, so imagine if we… -
news
Hawaiians Respond to Biden’s ‘Despicable’ Maui Wildfire Comparison
KIHEI, Hawaii—President Joe Biden on Monday compared the horrific fires in western Maui to a kitchen fire in his house during which he “almost lost” his “‘67 Corvette.” Locals condemned the comparison, saying it belittled the disaster that likely claimed over a thousand lives and caused billions of dollars worth of damage to local business… -
news
HAWAII ISLANDERS: Ignore Jason Momoa and Come Visit Maui
KIHEI, Hawaii—In the aftermath of the horrific fires that rapidly swept across western Maui, destroying the town of Lahaina and possibly killing over 1,000, fellow Hawaiians have spared no expense to come to the aid of the suffering and homeless. The Daily Signal witnessed Maui businesses plastered with signs advertising drives of almost every kind… -
news
California Library Silences Speaker for Saying Men Shouldn’t Be Allowed in Women’s Sports
A California librarian kicked out female rights advocate Sophia Lorey for “misgendering” biological men who identify as transgender during a speech Sunday, according to a video of the incident. Lorey, a member of the California Family Council, an organization that advocates fairness in women’s sports and parental rights, was speaking at an event entitled “Forum on Fair… -
opinion
Take ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Seriously
You don’t need a college degree to understand what’s happening in our country. Oliver Anthony, the Virginia songwriter and singer behind the viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” didn’t even finish high school. But his song is the most intelligent political commentary of the year. [The viral song debuted Monday at No. 1 on… -
news
‘So Many Are Afraid to Speak Up,’ Sage Steele Says of Leaving ESPN
Sage Steele was an 11-year-old girl watching the 1984 Olympics when she decided to become a sportscaster. Some 39 years later—16 of them with ESPN—the mom of three is leaving the sports network that made her vision a reality. When people ask why she would leave ESPN, Steele is blunt: No one should have to… -
opinion
‘Punch in the Gut,’ Afghanistan Veteran Says About Seeing Taliban Takeover
Aug. 15 marked two years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan after a nearly two-decade war. For James Hasson, co-author of “Kabul: The Untold Story of Biden’s Fiasco and the American Warriors Who Fought to the End” and an Afghanistan veteran, seeing the Taliban takeover “was a punch in the gut.” “And I…