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
The Food and Drug Administration’s Invisible Victims
Among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s responsibilities are approval and regulation of pharmaceutical drugs. In short, its responsibility is to ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs. In the performance of this task, agency officials can make two types of errors—statistically known as the type I error and type II error. With respect to… -
news
Senate Passes Trump-Backed Criminal Justice Reform Bill
The U.S. Senate passed a criminal justice reform bill backed by President Donald Trump on the Senate floor Tuesday night. The bill, titled the “First Step Act,” includes both prison and sentencing reforms, in which many Republicans had been pushing to pass before Democrats take control of the House on Jan. 3. The vote was 87-12. One failed amendment in the bill… -
opinion
What Would Actually Be Affected in a Government Shutdown
“Government shutdown.” Probably no two words strike more fear in the hearts of Washington politicians. The fact that another shutdown is imminent is a sign of how dysfunctional Washington’s budgeting process really is. What was once an orderly process where timelines were largely met has morphed into a political game plagued by brinkmanship and out-of-control… -
news
2 Students Explain Why They Defended Teacher Fired Over Transgender Pronouns
Two high school students say they organized a walkout in support of a teacher fired for not using pronouns preferred by a transgender student because they thought they should speak out on a cause they believe in. “When I wanted to speak out about this, I just found this a great opportunity,” Forrest Rohde, a… -
opinion
No Surprise Boy Scouts Headed for the Ash Heap
The erosion of what many Americans once believed were the foundations of our country continues apace. They include, but are not limited to, overspending and debt (personal and national), never-ending wars, uncontrolled borders leading to massive immigration with no time for or expectation of assimilation, and political divisions that grow wider by the day. It’s… -
opinion
Where Government Needs to Focus for Bill Gates and Others to Advance Nuclear Innovation
Sen. Lisa Murkowski and several other senators reportedly met last week with Microsoft’s Bill Gates to discuss nuclear energy. Referring to the meeting, the Alaska Republican lawmaker said: [Gates] is focused on issues related to a warming climate, and I think he has come to appreciate that if we’re really going to work to reduce… -
opinion
Putting the Arrest of Huawei Executive Into Context
While President Donald Trump was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South America about two weeks ago to resolve outstanding trade issues, authorities in North America were arresting the daughter of a Chinese telecommunications titan on fraud charges. For many in Washington, China’s government is a common denominator that links these two issues. However,… -
opinion
Americans Want Paid Leave, Until They Realize They Have to Pay for It
Fully 74 percent of Americans say they support a national paid family leave program that would provide workers with 12 weeks of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for their own or a family member’s illness. But not if they have to pay for it. That’s according to… -
news
Martha McSally Will Be Appointed to John McCain’s Seat
Arizona Republican Rep. Martha McSally will be appointed to John McCain’s former Senate seat after Republican Sen. Jon Kyl announced he is resigning from the U.S. Senate at the end of December. Gov. Doug Ducey announced in a Tuesday statement that McSally will be taking the seat. This comes as McSally lost her Senate bid to Democratic Sen…. -
news
The Threat That Surrogate Parents May Pose to Children’s Well-Being
Children’s needs should come before adult desires in marriage and other domestic partnerships, advocates of children’s rights argue. For starters, it’s good for a child to know who his mother and father are, college professor Melissa Moschella said at a recent event focused on surrogate pregnancies held at The Heritage Foundation’s headquarters on Capitol Hill…. -
opinion
Left Embraces Trump’s Ex-Lawyer Despite History of Deception
The left has a new hero: former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. In recent days, Democrat politicians and the media have glommed onto Cohen, who has turned quickly into a harsh critic of President Donald Trump. Cohen recently pleaded guilty to committing campaign finance violations while working for Trump. After a federal judge sentenced him to… -
opinion
New York’s War on Faith-Based Adoption Providers Is Only Hurting Children
State officials have issued New Hope Family Services in Syracuse, New York, an ultimatum: Violate your religious beliefs, or stop serving kids in need. Unless the faith-based adoption provider stops placing children only in homes that have a married mother and father, the state has threatened to stop its adoption services immediately. New Hope has… -
news
Fact Check: ‘More Republicans Voted for the Civil Rights Act as a Percentage Than Democrats Did’
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro claimed on a Dec. 3 episode of his podcast that, compared to Democrats, a greater percentage of Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “More Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act as a percentage than Democrats did,” he said on the show. Verdict: True While the landmark act received a… -
opinion
The Right Way to Overhaul Our Health Care System
One thing most Americans agree on is that our health care system needs an overhaul. Some people believe the answer is more money from Washington and bureaucratic agencies making sure everyone is following the rules. Others suggest we should import the kind of government-run models they have in Europe and Canada. A third option would… -
opinion
The Top Conservative Books of 2018
On today’s show, we discuss the Conservative Book Club’s top books of 2018 with Chris Malagisi, host of the Conservative Book Club Podcast. We’ll hear his recommendations for last-minute Christmas gifts for your friends and family (see the full list below). We also take a look at “Top 5 Dumbest Liberal Books” of the year. Also on today’s show:… -
opinion
Media Misses: The Double Standard Is Real
The double standard is real and that was evident this week when Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” used incredibly vulgar language to describe Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Brzezinski took to Twitter to “apologize.” Totally agree with you -SUPER BAD choice of words .. I… -
news
What Ben Carson Expects From the House’s New Democratic Majority
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson says he can work on key urban issues with some Democrats in the new House majority that takes over in January. “There are many other Democrats that will work with us,” Carson told The Daily Signal. “This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is about empowering… -
opinion
Why PolitiFact’s Winner of the ‘Lie of the Year’ Award Is Misleading
This week, the allegedly unbiased fact-checkers at PolitiFact awarded their “Lie of the Year” award to the “online smear machine” that attempted “to take down” the survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “The attacks against Parkland’s students stand out because of their sheer vitriol,” the piece explains. “Together,… -
opinion
The Next Congress Should Do Some Spring (Criminal Code) Cleaning
Have you ever asked yourself how many federal criminal laws there are on the books in this country? Perhaps not, as that might be a question only criminal law scholars and lawyers ask themselves. But it is an interesting inquiry, because nobody knows the answer. That’s right. No one—not even the federal government—is certain of… -
opinion
Electromagnetic Pulse Would Devastate Our Power Grid. Here Are 3 Steps We Must Take Now.
The Air Force released its 2018 Electromagnetic Defense Task Force report last week, which concluded that an electromagnetic pulse—generated either by a nuclear weapon or solar flare—could cripple systems that rely on the electromagnetic spectrum. The report echoes a recent Heritage Foundation assessment that warns the United States is ill-prepared for such an event. Solar…