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
3 Times Previous Presidents Closed the Southern Border
On three past occasions, presidents temporarily closed the southern border, something President Donald Trump threatened Monday to do permanently. Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan both closed the border over drug-related issues that halted entry from Mexico into the United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson, shortly after taking office amid crisis, closed the border after… -
opinion
4 Problems With the New Climate Change Report
If you’re like me, you’re happy the White House released the latest version of the National Climate Assessment on Black Friday. Publishing the 1,700-page report the day after Thanksgiving saved me from unwanted dinner conversations about our planet’s impending climate doom. But if your aunt calls you up this week spouting claims of mass deaths,… -
news
What I Saw During a First Look at the White House Christmas Decorations
"American Treasures" is the theme of the White House's 2018 Christmas decorations. Crafted by first lady Melania Trump, the decorations stunned once again, with nearly 30 Christmas trees and over 14,000 red ornaments. The Daily Signal was on hand Monday to have a first look at this year's theme. The @WhiteHouse is sparkling for the… -
news
Research From Latest US Climate Report Tied to 2 Major Democratic Donors
It’s been repeated throughout the media that global warming could wipe out one-tenth of the U.S. economy by 2100. Now it’s a top-line finding of a major government climate report, but based on a study funded by groups affiliated with two major Democratic donors. The oft-repeated claim also stemmed from a global warming projection that’s… -
news
Protesters March After Alabama Police Admit to Killing Wrong Man in Mall Shooting
Protesters marched in Alabama to demand answers after police confessed that they shot and killed the wrong man after a mall shooting near Birmingham on Thanksgiving Day. Authorities shot and killed 21-year-old Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., who they initially maintained was the shooter, before admitting Friday that he was not the gunman who perpetrated the attack. They said they… -
opinion
New York Times Reveals Painful Truths About ‘Sex Change’ Surgery
In Sunday’s New York Times, Andrea Long Chu writes a heartfelt and heartbreaking op-ed on life with gender dysphoria. Titled “My New Vagina Won’t Make Me Happy,” the op-ed reveals painful truths about many transgender lives and inadvertently communicates almost the exact opposite of its intended argument. Next week, Chu will undergo vaginoplasty surgery. Or, as… -
opinion
The ’60s Radicals Won the Culture War
Fifty years ago this year, the ’60s revolution sought to overturn U.S. customs, traditions, ideology, and politics. The ’60s radicals eventually grew older, cut their hair, and joined the establishment. Most thought their revolution had fizzled out in the early 1970s without much effect, as Americans returned to “normal.” But maybe the ’60s, not the… -
opinion
Plastic Straw Ban Crusades Are About Progressive Virtue Signaling, Not Practical Solutions
The anti-straw movement has come to the nation’s capital. The District of Columbia recently passed legislation that would enforce a ban on plastic straws, among several other similar utensils. The law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, with enforcement mechanisms—such as hefty fines—being implemented in July. As Tristan Justice reported in The Daily… -
opinion
We Hear You: Coming to America, Birthright Citizenship, and Climate Alarmism
Editor's note: The Daily's Signal's audience was touched by foreign correspondent Nolan Peterson's account of his wife's introduction to America. The issue of birthright citizenship also drew many a comment to lead off this week's mailbag. Remember to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Nolan Peterson’s words and his military service, along with… -
opinion
Podcast: UPenn Law Professor Says Radical Feminism Has Made Women ‘Dumber’
Has “radical feminism” been bad for women? University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Amy Wax argues a resounding yes. “Radical feminism has had a baleful influence on college campuses, and on women’s education, in all sorts of ways,” she said. “It’s really made them dumber.” In this week’s edition of The Daily Signal’s “Problematic Women”… -
opinion
Podcast: The History of Thanksgiving
What actually happened at the first Thanksgiving? And how did our memory of it, over the centuries of American history, get tinged with a bit of “fake news”? Tracy McKenzie, author of “The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About Loving God and Learning from History,” joins us to discuss in this special Thanksgiving… -
opinion
The Surprising Story of the First Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a special day in this country, not just because of the turkey and football and relatives, but also because of the historical memory that lies at the heart of it. The story of the Pilgrims and the Indians is our national story, which means we’d better get it right. To do that, we… -
opinion
States Show ‘First Step Act’ Is Pro-Cop, Pro-Borders, and Pro-Criminal Justice Reform
The package of criminal justice reform proposals endorsed by President Donald Trump is not “soft” on crime. It’s tough on injustice. And it’s about time. Known as the “First Step Act,” the legislation confronts the titanic failure of the federal government’s trillion-dollar war on drugs by reforming mandatory minimum sentences, rectifying unscientifically grounded disparities in… -
news
6 Memorable Clashes at Presidential News Conferences
President Donald Trump and CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta have their own styles that may seem outside the lines of “decorum” to some. But presidential duels with reporters aren’t unique to the current president or any network. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a new set of rules for journalists Monday evening… -
news
Climate Scientist Says Global Warming Not Among the ‘Real Problems’ Behind California Wildfires
Despite what Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown and environmentalists say, man-made global warming is not a big factor in the wildfires raging across California, according to a veteran climate scientist. University of Washington climate scientist Cliff Mass, no skeptic of global warming, said blaming California’s deadliest wildfire on a changing climate “has little grounding in… -
opinion
The Fruits of College Indoctrination
Much of today’s incivility and contempt for personal liberty has its roots on college campuses, and most of the uncivil and contemptuous are people with college backgrounds. Let’s look at a few highly publicized recent examples of incivility and attacks on free speech. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his wife, U.S. Transportation Secretary… -
opinion
The Left Tears Down Churchill, Ignores His Actual Record on Racism
There are many reasons I pity today’s younger generation of Americans. Among them are: —The unconscionable debt we are leaving them. —The obliteration of male and female as separate and distinct categories—and the sexual confusion that is left in its wake. —The emasculation of men and the de-feminization of women. —The undermining of the value… -
opinion
Hollywood’s One-Sided Narrative on ‘Conversion Therapy’
Hollywood is presenting only one side of the debate over counseling for those who experience unwanted same-sex attraction, and it is seeking to silence those who can offer help to the struggling. Recent films like “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” and “Boy Erased”—both based on true stories—tell the stories of individuals who had negative or… -
opinion
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Amazon, Brags About Keeping Walmart Out
As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio rolls out the red carpet for half of Amazon’s new “HQ2” in Long Island City, he’s doubling down on his efforts to block another big company from getting a bite of the Big Apple: Walmart. “Walmart does not belong in New York City,” de Blasio declared on… -
opinion
5 Reasons to Go See ‘Instant Family’
I walked out of the theater surprised after viewing the new movie “Instant Family,” starring silver-screen heavyweights Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as foster parents. It was not what I expected. The film features Wahlberg as Pete and Byrne as Ellie, an upper-middle-class married couple who decide on a whim to foster three children—Lita, Juan,…