Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
Planned Parenthood Ousts Leana Wen as President
Planned Parenthood removed Leana Wen from her position Tuesday after she had served only 10 months as president. The Planned Parenthood board voted Wen out of her position Tuesday and temporarily replaced her with the co-founder of the progressive Perception Institute, Alexis McGill Johnson, according to The New York Times. McGill Johnson will temporarily serve as… -
news
Deceased Navy Veteran’s Name Cleared in ‘Clean Water’ Case
After being convicted, fined, and imprisoned under the Clean Water Act for digging ponds to protect his Montana home from forest fires, Joe Robertson had his name cleared last week. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Robertson’s conviction in a legal victory that comes posthumously, since the Navy veteran died four months ago… -
news
Murder, Rape, Assault, Burglary: 6 Examples of California’s Sanctuary Policies Leading to More Crimes
Illegal immigrants released by local police in California after their arrests for minor offenses go on to be charged with more serious crimes such as murder, rape, and assault, according to a new government report. Those crimes could have been prevented if these sanctuary jurisdictions had turned over those accused to federal immigration officials for… -
opinion
Trump’s Deplorable Tweets Overshadow How His Policies Benefit Minorities
President Donald Trump clearly enjoys his unfiltered ability to communicate directly with the American people. But because of a racially charged tweet Sunday morning, he’s stirred hurtful memories among minorities and done a grave disservice to himself. Trump’s policies have been welcome news for many minorities in America. Unemployment rates for blacks and Hispanics have… -
news
‘I Can’t Breathe’: No Federal Charges for NYPD in Eric Garner’s Death
The Justice Department decided Tuesday it will not level charges against the New York City police officer responsible for the death of Eric Garner whose last words—“I can’t breathe”—became a rallying call for the Black Lives Matter movement. Police confronted 43-year-old Garner—a black man—in July 2014 when he was alleged to have sold cigarettes individually—a… -
opinion
Red States Could Lose Big Because of the Census, Rep. Mo Brooks Explains
Is it fair to distribute Electoral College votes and congressional seats by counting all people, not just citizens? Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., is suing the federal government because he thinks Alabama will be hurt because of the current methodology of the census. Read his interview, posted below, or listen on the podcast: We also cover… -
opinion
California Public Schools Promote Polyamory for Preteens
The world recently learned that the American Psychological Association promotes “polyamory,” “swinging,” and “relationship anarchy.” Its experts say it’s healthy and ethical. They’re crazy. Leftists who run our nation’s public schools love to hide behind the skirts of the American Psychological Association when it comes to crazy sex ed. So in a recent column I wondered… -
opinion
How Students Have Turned Their Backs on Civil Discourse
More than a half-century ago, Coretta Scott King addressed Harvard University students in the wake of the assassination of her husband, Martin Luther King Jr. She said: Today’s student is a serious-minded, independent-thinking individual who seeks to analyze and understand the problems of our society, and find solutions to these problems, which are in keeping… -
opinion
Podcast: This Liberal’s Been Married to a Conservative for Decades. Here’s Her Advice.
Jeanne Safer, author of the new book “I Love You, but I Hate Your Politics,” joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss how we can maintain relationships with friends and family despite political differences. Safer, a psychologist, should know: While liberal herself, she has long been married to National Review senior editor Richard Brookhiser. “Never… -
opinion
Why Federal Highway Policy Is a Speed Bump Slowing Down Better Roads
Taxpayers from all 50 states pay into the Highway Trust Fund when they fill their tanks with gas or diesel fuel. That sends billions of dollars a year to Washington, which then cuts checks to state governments in the form of infrastructure grants overseen by federal bureaucrats. It’s hard to tell just what shuffling so… -
opinion
This Conservative Group Fought IRS for Years. Now a Court’s Given It a Victory.
Last month, Judge Reggie Walton ruled in favor of True the Vote, a conservative voting rights group that first sued the IRS in 2013. We spoke to Catherine Engelbrecht, the group’s founder, for our June 24 Daily Signal podcast. Below is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation. Virginia Allen: Catherine, you founded True the… -
opinion
This Man Is Facing Foreclosure, $30K Fine Because He Didn’t Mow His Lawn
The city of Dunedin, Florida, wants Jim Ficken’s home. Ficken’s mom died, so he went to South Carolina to take care of her estate. He asked a friend to look after his house. But then the friend died, and no one cut Ficken’s grass. When it grew to 10 inches, Dunedin officials started fining him… -
news
Labor Secretary Acosta Resigns Amid Epstein Controversy
Unable to put to rest questions of his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday after serving more than two years in the position. “A Cabinet position is a temporary trust. I must set aside a part of me that wants to continue my service with thousands of talented professionals… -
opinion
How Technicalities Ended the Census Case
Speaking from the Rose Garden on Thursday, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr accepted that they couldn’t put the citizenship question on the 2020 census. Barr said that the administration would have won the lawsuits, but that “logistical impediments” made it impossible to win the cases in time for the census. For two… -
opinion
A Conservative Vision for Health Care
Top Democrats have moved way beyond Obamacare and are now pushing Medicare for All—a single-payer, government-run program. Surveys show that Americans like the sound of Medicare for All until they learn what it would do. I recently spoke with Grace-Marie Turner, a leading health care expert from the Galen Institute. She unpacked what’s wrong with… -
news
4 Reasons the Left Is So Invested in the Census Debate
President Donald Trump is signing an executive order directing every agency to assist in getting a reliable count of citizens and noncitizens in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, and others agencies that have population data will be required to share with the Commerce Department to get an accurate… -
news
Acosta Defends Role in Epstein Deal
Fending off calls for his resignation or firing, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Wednesday defended his role as a federal prosecutor in Florida more than a decade ago in what is widely viewed as a plea deal with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that resulted in a lenient sentence. He said a federal trial would… -
opinion
Amazon Just Banned My Dad’s Therapy Books, Caving to LGBT Activists
On Amazon, you can buy almost any book written throughout human history—from the Bible to Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” or even a book glorifying pedophilia. As of last week, however, you cannot get any of Dr. Joseph Nicolosi Sr.’s books about leaving homosexuality—because Amazon just banned them all. From 1981 until his death in 2017,… -
opinion
Epstein, Bean, and Buck: The Democratic Donors’ Sex-Creep Club
Well, well, well. “Follow the facts,” Democratic strategist Christine Pelosi now advises fellow liberals in the wake of billionaire and high-flying political financier Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking indictment this week. Some of “our faves” could be implicated in the long-festering scandal, the Pelosi daughter warned, so it’s time to “let the chips fall where…