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
Retraction of 13 ‘Glowing’ Disaster Reports Throws Light on Dysfunction of Bureaucracy
Another bureaucratic fiasco simply reinforces why the nine most terrifying words in the English language are still: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” The number of declared national emergencies—and how much we spend on them—is rising, yet one of the agencies tasked with handling national emergencies has been particularly opaque about its… -
news
After Legally Receiving Food Stamps, This Millionaire Is Trying to Change the System
Rob Undersander, a retired engineer in Waite Park, Minnesota, wasn’t eager to go public about being a millionaire, but he wanted to expose a loophole that would allow wealthy—or at least those not needy—to qualify for food stamps. So, in June 2016, he filled out an application form at the Stearns County social services office,… -
news
Hidden Clue on Website Belonging to Ilhan Omar’s Sister Adds to Evidence About Marriage History
Rep. Ilhan Omar swore under oath in a 2017 divorce filing that she hadn’t seen her husband Ahmed N. Elmi in six years and didn’t know anyone who might be able to locate him—yet he appears to have designed a website for Omar’s sister this year, according to data hidden in the source code of… -
opinion
A Sign of Hope From the 9th Circuit
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals used to be the closest thing Democrats had to a sure thing. Chock-full of activists, the West Coast bench has been so wildly out of step with the law that it used to hold the distinction as the “most reversed” appeals court in the country. Now, after three… -
opinion
The Border Crisis Is Getting Worse. Why Are Democrats AWOL?
America is facing an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration, but it seems House Democrats would rather block every proposed solution than act to fix the border. It’s time for them to do their jobs. Our southern border is facing a massive wave of immigration, mostly comprised of migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras seeking… -
opinion
Antitrust Lawsuit Against Qualcomm Is Unjust Government Overreach
Every so often, a case comes along that screams government misuse of power. The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc. is just such a case, and thus warrants scrutiny. The commission’s action was questionable from the start, based entirely on conjecture and allegations raised by antagonistic competitors—China’s Huawei included. Even the Department of… -
opinion
True the Vote Took on the IRS and Won. Its Founder Explains Why It Matters.
On today’s episode of The Daily Signal Podcast, we feature an interview with Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote. She explains how her organization took on the IRS and won an important victory in court. “There is power in speaking out,” says Engelbrecht. “There’s power in telling the truth boldly … even if it… -
opinion
College Costs Are Out of Control. Here’s What Can Be Done.
American colleges and universities are failing in one of their most basic missions: to equip students with the tools they need for a career. Many students graduate ill-prepared to earn a living and pay off the debt they’ve accumulated getting their degrees—40% of those who start college don’t finish within six years. Additionally, students are… -
opinion
What the UK’s Orwellian Gender Policy Gets Wrong About Men and Women
The British government has adopted a concerning new policy regulating speech. The New York Times reports a new policy banning the use of “harmful” gender stereotypes in advertising—yes, private ads. The U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority announced last week that it will “ban ads that connect physical features with success in the romantic or social spheres;… -
opinion
Vermont Poised to Let Kids, Not Parents, Make Gender Decisions
Most schools can’t give a child an aspirin without getting a parent’s OK. But in Vermont, kids are about to get a whole lot more than Tylenol. Under a new rule, they’ll be able to get entirely new bodies—in some cases, without ever calling home. If you thought the war on parents’ rights was bad… -
opinion
The Problem With Ocasio-Cortez’s Shameful Ignorance of History
“The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is what they are.”—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. In April 1944, two Slovakian Jews named Alfred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba escaped from Auschwitz and provided two of the first eyewitness accounts of the horrors of the European concentration camps. Both men had been rounded… -
opinion
What Was Iran Thinking in Shooting Down a US Drone?
U.S.-Iran tensions just reached a new level: Iran shot down an American drone. In today’s episode, we unpack the situation with Tom Spoehr, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense and a former Army general. Plus: Days after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., compared U.S. migrant detention centers to Nazi concentration camps, a Polish… -
news
US Sanctions Send Iranians to Northern Iraq Looking for Work and War
SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq—When Iran’s economy began to collapse last year under U.S. sanctions, Iranian computer programmer Mohsen Heidari decided to look for work in Iraqi Kurdistan. “It’s impossible to support my family, anymore, living in Iran,” said Heidari, who is from the Iranian city of Kermanshah. “Coming here was my last option,” Heidari said of the… -
opinion
This New York Man Got Arrested After Defending His Own Home
All too often, advocates of strict gun control promise that more complex and convoluted laws will save lives without imposing a serious burden on the right of law-abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional rights. Their argument simply doesn’t hold up. Their gun control laws fail not only to address how actual criminals get their firearms,… -
opinion
7 Justices Split 5 Ways in Deciding Peace Cross Doesn’t Have to Go
The Supreme Court decided 7-2 Thursday that a 40-foot cross erected on government land in Bladensburg, Maryland, as a memorial to those from that community who died in World War I is not an unconstitutional “establishment of religion.” The influence of this decision on future Establishment Clause cases is unclear, however, because the seven justices… -
news
Peace Cross Honoring War Dead Can Stay, High Court Rules
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Thursday that a cross-shaped war memorial on public land in Maryland doesn’t violate the Constitution. In the case of American Legion v. the American Humanist Association, the atheist group had sued seeking removal of the 40-foot Peace Cross in Prince George’s County—just outside Washington, D.C.—contending that the World War I… -
news
Left-Wingers Pile on Chuck Todd for Calling Out Ocasio-Cortez
MSNBC host Chuck Todd sparked a left-wing backlash by criticizing Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s rhetoric on immigration enforcement. Ocasio-Cortez drew criticism after saying the U.S. is running “concentration camps” on the southern border. “That is exactly what they are. They are concentration camps,” Ocasio-Cortez said Monday in an Instagram Live video, referring to migrant detention centers. “The… -
opinion
To Whip Congress Into Shape, Withhold Their Pay
Many lawmakers seem to think they deserve a pay raise. When House Democrats and Republicans began negotiating a congressional pay increase earlier this month, Democrats seemed to support it, as did some ranking GOP members. Critics then voiced open opposition, and House leaders swiftly pulled the bill—though House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., maintains the… -
news
Young Democrat Booed for Opposing Slavery Reparations at House Hearing
A day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he is against making reparations to the descendants of slaves, an award-winning author called out the top Republican during a House hearing on such compensation. Some in the hearing Wednesday booed when another writer, also black, opposed reparations. “For a century after the Civil War,…