Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
news
House Democrats Approve War Powers Resolution Criticizing Trump’s Killing of Suleimani
The Democrat-controlled House approved a resolution late Thursday aimed at reining in President Donald Trump’s future actions on Iran and condemning him for not notifying Congress before last week’s drone strike that killed an Iranian terrorist leader who was one of the country’s most senior officials. The House adopted the resolution 224 to 194, with… -
opinion
No, Sen. Mike Lee Isn’t Breaking With the President on Iran. But He Has a Point.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is a serious constitutional scholar. He grew up around the law and has a profound respect for the Constitution, its structure and purpose, and in particular, the separation of powers. His father, Rex Lee, was the 37th solicitor general of the United States, from 1981 to 1985. So it is no surprise… -
opinion
A Growing Challenge for America’s Somalia Policy
In the early hours of Jan. 5, the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab attacked a joint Kenyan-American military base in Manda Bay, Kenya, where several hundred American troops and military contractors live and work. The U.S. confirmed that three Americans—one serviceman and two contractors—were killed, several others injured, and some aircraft damaged. Al-Shabaab operates primarily in… -
news
Media Lawyer Explains Why CNN Settlement in Libel Case Is a Big Deal
Will media outlets learn the right lessons after CNN settled in a lawsuit with Nick Sandmann, the MAGA-hat wearing teen who became the center of a widely botched, viral story? “No. They don’t learn.” That was the answer from Charles Glasser, a lawyer who teaches media ethics and law at New York University and the… -
opinion
What’s Next for the US and Iran
Will Iran strike again to take revenge for the death of Gen. Qassim Suleimani? What will Trump’s economic sanctions look like? And what about Iraq’s attitude to all this? Heritage Foundation foreign policy expert Luke Coffey has answers. Read the interview, posted below, or listen on the podcast: We also cover the following stories: Plane… -
opinion
MAGA Hat-Wearing Teen Just Got a Settlement From CNN. Media: Learn Your Lesson.
While the media often portray themselves as noble guardians of the truth who keep a close watch on those in power, the reality is quite the opposite: It is they who are in power and often swoop down to crush the powerless. This was the case in the frenzy surrounding Nick Sandmann, a teenage student… -
opinion
Planned Parenthood Sets New Record for Abortions in a Single Year
It’s been a turbulent last two years at Planned Parenthood, with a leadership shake-up involving the ouster of Dr. Leana Wen as president, and the installment of Alexis McGill Johnson as acting president. But that upheaval didn’t stop Planned Parenthood from having a banner year in providing abortion on demand, as its new report shows…. -
opinion
How the Left Manipulates Language to Defeat Conservatives
In politics, language is central—the words we use, what they mean, and what we want them to mean. As our guest today, The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles explains how the left is a master of language manipulation. Liberals often win political victories by redefining words and rewiring our brains. “The lie of the left that… -
news
Iran Fires 15 Ballistic Missiles at US Forces in Iraq
Iran lobbed more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. military forces in Iraq, mostly at a remote base at al-Assad, the Defense Department said Tuesday night. Iran “just conducted a massive fireworks demonstration in the desert … attacking Iraqi soil. That is unbelievably reckless and provocative,” Jim Carafano, vice president of the Kathryn and… -
opinion
California’s ‘Pro-Worker’ Law Is Killing Jobs Left and Right
If you want less of something, raise its price. That’s the logic behind policies such as cigarette and soda taxes and plastic bag fees. Somehow, policymakers in California thought that by raising the cost of doing business with independent workers, they could make all those workers better off. But now, instead of higher benefits and… -
opinion
Remembering Gertrude Himmelfarb, a Voice of Moral Clarity in a Time of Moral Confusion
America has lost a voice that strongly and consistently provided the road map to steer us away from the political and cultural abyss we currently face. That voice belonged to historian Gertrude Himmelfarb, who died Dec. 30 at age 97. Gertrude spoke passionately about how our most important institutions—families, communities, churches, and private enterprise—must be… -
opinion
How the 2010s Became the Decade of Debt
At the end of 2009, the total federal debt was $12.3 trillion—a staggering amount of money. Now, it stands at an astonishing $23.1 trillion. That’s roughly $180,500 of debt for every U.S. household. It is important for Americans to understand how we got here, and what lawmakers can do to bring back fiscal sanity. Poor… -
news
It’s Iranian Regime, Not US, That Threatens Persian Culture, Pompeo Says
The United States will not target “cultural sites” in Iran for military strikes, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, days after President Donald Trump alluded to doing so and strongly defended the possible move. Iranian cultural sites are not among U.S. targets, Pompeo told reporters Tuesday during a press conference. “Every target that’s being reviewed,… -
opinion
Newsweek Hits a New Low
If decent people working in mainstream American media want to know why many Americans do not trust them and are willing to use the term “fake news” to describe the mainstream media, I offer one of the most glaring examples of a lie in my lifetime. Last week, Newsweek headlined the following: “Conservative Radio Host… -
opinion
Add Iran’s Leadership to the Ash Heap of History
Addressing the British Parliament in 1982, President Ronald Reagan outlined a plan for placing the Soviet Union and Marxism-Leninism on the “ash heap of history.” It is an objective President Donald Trump might pursue against the mullahs in Iran, who are subsidizing terrorism in the Middle East and threatening to export it elsewhere. The latest… -
opinion
Reputations and Respect Are Earned by Action, Not Talk
At the August 2017 gathering of the Aspen Security Forum, one of the prominent security conferences held annually in the United States, a panel discussed the implications of the Trump administration’s emerging Middle East policies. Since the panel was composed mostly of former Obama administration officials, as you would imagine the group was quite critical… -
news
Court Order Stops Texas Hospital From Removing Baby’s Life Support Against Family’s Wishes
A court order Friday prevented a Texas hospital from removing baby Tinslee Lewis from life support until the court makes a final ruling in the case. The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas, granted the baby emergency relief and ordered Cook Children’s Medical Center not to remove Tinslee from life support until the court makes… -
news
New Planned Parenthood Report Shows Increase in Abortions
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America aborted 345,672 babies during the 2018 fiscal year, the organization’s annual report shows. Planned Parenthood’s 2018-2019 annual report shows that the organization performed 12,915 more abortions during the 2018 fiscal year than the organization did between 2017-2018. The nation’s largest abortion provider performed 345,672 abortions between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018,… -
opinion
I Lost My Child Due to a Driver High on Marijuana. Now, This Bill Would Reward Big Pot.
Seven years ago, I got a call every parent fears: I lost my daughter to a driver who was high on “legal” marijuana. With this new pot vaping crisis, I’m worried more parents will lose their children if we don’t stop the growth of the marijuana industry. Across the nation, a growing number of vaping-related… -
news
5 Things to Know About Top Iranian General Killed by US Airstrike
President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike in Iraq on Thursday that killed Gen. Qassim Suleimani, one of the most senior members of the Iranian government. Suleimani, with the rank of major general, headed the Quds Force, the terrorist arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion,…