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
Lawfare Isn’t Beaten—in France or America
Elections are supposed to be decided at the ballot box, not in the courtroom—unless you’re French or, in this country, a liberal. What a judge in France has just done by disqualifying Marine Le Pen from running in that nation’s next presidential election is what Democrats dream of doing here. The controversial populist was ahead…Daniel McCarthy -
- Opinion
SNAP Shouldn’t Subsidize Slurpees
Even Chicken Little would be exhausted trying to keep up with what Democrats claim President Donald Trump wants to do. Just look at the news. On Tuesday, Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., said that Republican cuts to SNAP “are the difference between life and death for the many in the communities that we serve.” SNAP is…Victor Joecks -
- News
Republicans Fend Off Democrat Bid to Seize Florida House Seat
Republican Randy Fine emerged triumphant Tuesday in a special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, The Associated Press projects, putting an end to speculation that the district could flip and hand Democrats a seat in Congress. The race received national attention and millions from Democrat donors who sought to send a message about their party’s…George Caldwell -
- News
Nationwide Injunctions Pose ‘Potential Constitutional Crisis,’ Warns Gingrich
A House panel heard Tuesday from experts about curbing the ability of district court judges to impose nationwide injunctions, which have been a thorny problem for President Donald Trump’s agenda. “This is not new, but it is not old. For 180 years of our nation, there were no such injunctions,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, the…Fred Lucas -
- News
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Quits House Freedom Caucus
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna announced in a letter on Monday that she would be resigning from the conservative Republican House Freedom Caucus. While praising the conservative caucus’s chairman, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., as a “model of integrity” with a “gentlemanly approach,” Luna, R-Fla., took issue with the conduct of some unnamed members of the caucus….Jacob Adams -
- Opinion
It’s All Lawfare: Everyone but the Cronies Get Cheated, Mistreated by Big Government
Not to get all Old World on you, but the Oxford Dictionary defines “lawfare” thusly: “Legal action undertaken in order to exert power or control, esp. as part of a hostile campaign against a particular country or group.” In New World parlance? Author Malcolm Feeley in 1979 published a tome with a title that best…Seton Motley -
- News
GOP House Leadership Still Pondering Next Role for Returning Stefanik
At a Tuesday morning press conference, Republican leadership in the House indicated they’re still not sure what role Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will play after the withdrawal of her nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations and her return to Congress. The rising star gave up much of the influence she gained over the…George Caldwell -
- News
Bill Amending Oklahoma’s Anti-ESG Law Dies
A bill in the Oklahoma Legislature to amend the state’s three-year-old anti-ESG law died last week after criticism that it would water down efforts to avoid public investments in companies boycotting oil and gas companies. ESG is an acronym for environmental, social, and governance-based investing. Oklahoma’s 2022 Energy Discrimination Elimination Act bans state investments with…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
SATIRE: 10 Things Trump Will Rename This Week
After President Donald Trump’s great success renaming the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley, the president is preparing to declare he has the sole power to rename anything he wants. The Daily Signal was added to a group chat called “Top Secret Renaming Small Group” by a Snapchat user, in which the Trump administration discussed…Moira Gleason -
- News
Elon Musk’s ‘Mind-Blowing’ Chart Shows How Many Noncitizens Have Social Security Numbers
Elon Musk revealed a “mind-blowing chart” Sunday claiming millions of noncitizens are receiving Social Security numbers from the U.S. government. At a town hall meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Musk displayed a bar chart showing a steady increase from fiscal years 2021 through 2024, topping more than 2 million Social Security numbers issued to noncitizens…R.E. Wermus -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Group Equips Parents to Lobby Lawmakers to Follow Trump’s Edict on Girls Sports
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A conservative organization for parents is equipping them to challenge their elected representatives who are defying President Donald Trump’s executive order protecting women’s sports. The American Parents Coalition will send parents a form they can send to their legislators urging them to adhere to Trump’s directive keeping biological males out of…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
The Left’s Imaginary COVID-19 ‘Reckoning’
When I first came across Jonathan Chait’s new Atlantic piece, “Why the COVID Reckoning Is So One-Sided,” I assumed the answer would be that Democrats had been the ones relentlessly and tragically wrong about virtually everything during the pandemic. No such luck. In Chait’s telling, the Left remains uncannily open-minded, always striving for truth, while…David Harsanyi -
- Opinion
NPR and PBS Are Begging for Mercy. They Don’t Deserve It.
NPR and PBS used to justify their unjustifiable taxpayer funding by telling people that poor children would be harmed if their educational programming was cut. Then, in 2015, “Sesame Street” got a private deal with HBO, and a stream of educational content came online. Now, the mantra is that without public broadcasting, there will be no advance warning systems…Mike Gonzalez -
- News
‘MAHA’?: New Jersey Democrat Introduces ‘Caffeine Safety’ Labeling Bill
Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. introduced the Sarah Katz Caffeine Safety Act at a press conference Monday, a bill that would require labels showing caffeine levels on beverages. Joined by the parents of children who have died from cardiac episodes after consuming highly caffeinated drinks, Menendez, D-N.J., said his bill fits with the “Make America Healthy…George Caldwell -
- News
Tesla Owners Not Connected to DOGE or Musk Are Acceptable Victims, According to 31% of Democrats
A surprising number of Americans approve of the rash of violence against Teslas amid Elon Musk's work helping President Donald Trump with the Department of Government Efficiency. Self-identified atheists, Democrats, young people, and supporters of the policies of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are the most likely to approve of the violence and the least likely…Tyler O’Neil -
- News
Illegal Alien Accused of Raping, Killing Maryland Mother Gets Pretrial Hearing
The illegal alien accused of killing Maryland mother Rachel Morin walked, shackled, into the Harford County, Maryland, courthouse on Monday for a pretrial hearing. Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez faces a number of charges in Morin's death, including first-degree murder and first-degree rape. “Rachel Morin is another victim of the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration,” Rep. Michael…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Congressional Republicans Seek to Slap Down Activist Judges, Curtail Universal Injunctions
Activist judges have courted disaster with abusive nationwide injunctions to stop policies they don’t like. Unlike the executive and legislative branches, the courts have only their reputation to give them power. With the recent spate of overzealous universal injunctions, some prominent members of Congress are threatening to intervene. It was only a matter of time….Jarrett Stepman -
- News
Pete Hegseth Announces He Is Ordering Equal Standards for Men and Women in Combat Roles
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will issue a memo setting equal standards for men and women in combat roles across the armed services, he announced on X Monday. The memo aims to implement the same set of standards for all service members involved in combat, regardless of sex, Hegseth said on X. Hegseth said the…Wallace White -
- News
Oversight Project Announces Independence From Heritage Foundation
The flagship investigative and oversight department of The Heritage Foundation is breaking off from the conservative think tank to become its own entity. With “strong support, partnership, and backing of The Heritage Foundation,” The Oversight Project will now be its own 501(c)(4) organization, according to a statement Monday from the Washington-based think tank. “The…Virginia Allen -
- News
Euro-Lawfare? France Bans Nationalist Candidate From Running for Office
A French court banned the leader of France’s conservative nationalist party—Marine Le Pen—from running for public office for the next five years after her embezzlement conviction. Le Pen lost the 2022 French presidential election to current President Emmanuel Macron. The sentence, which also includes a partially suspended four-year prison sentence, disqualifies her from running for…Fred Lucas