Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
GOP Whip Emmer Blasts Tim Walz: ‘Challenged Human Being’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, and he’s sure to be grilled on “sanctuary city” policies in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Daily Signal spoke with Walz's fellow Minnesotan, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who spared few words in criticizing a governor he views…George Caldwell -
The ‘Californication’ of Virginia’s Power Grid Brings Increased Costs, Less Reliability
There are things that strike our equilibrium when they fail us even if we intellectually know that they shouldn’t. The lights going on when we flip a switch is one of those things, and in Virginia, the governor and General Assembly are trying to address a dire report on the fragility of the commonwealth’s electricity…Joe Thomas -
Arkansas Ends Food Stamps for Junk Food
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The state of Arkansas received approval Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ban the purchase of both soft drinks and candy with food stamps. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has signed a waiver enabling Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to ban unhealthy foods from Arkansas’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the…Jacob Adams -
House Democrats Brand Trump’s LA Riot Response ‘Unlawful,’ ‘Reckless’
Three high-ranking House Democrats from New York on Tuesday condemned President Donald Trump for his deployment of the military to restore law and order in riot-torn Los Angeles. At a House press conference, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y.; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairwoman Grace…Jacob Adams -
Hegseth Fires Back at Democrats’ Criticism of Sending Troops to LA
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday sharply criticized Democrats who accused the Marines and the National Guard of being ill-equipped to respond to the riots in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon deployed about 700 Marines to respond to the riots against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles. That followed…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
Smithsonian Vows to Be ‘Free From Political or Partisan Influence’ Amid Trump’s Bid to Oust Liberal Gallery Director
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—The Smithsonian issued a statement Monday saying that it controls its personnel decisions after President Donald Trump announced in May that he was ousting National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet. The Smithsonian said in the statement that all of its personnel decisions “are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with…Ireland Owens -
Heritage Foundation Sues Airbnb in Continuing Battle Against Politicized Corporations
It’s well-documented that corporate America in recent years took a hard left turn, and The Heritage Foundation continues to battle back and depoliticize business. Heritage filed a lawsuit against Airbnb earlier this month after the company excluded a Heritage proposal from its annual shareholder meeting. Heritage, an Airbnb shareholder, filed its proposal for the housing…Carrie Sheffield -
‘Tarred and Feathered’: Johnson Talks Consequences for Newsom Amid LA Riots
House Speaker Mike Johnson responded Tuesday to a question of whether he thinks California Gov. Gavin Newsom should face legal consequences for his actions as Los Angeles is consumed by anti-deportation riots. “That’s not my lane, I’m not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested, but he ought to…George Caldwell -
Anti-ICE Protests Spread Coast to Coast
Anti-immigration enforcement protests that begun in Los Angeles on Friday have spread to more U.S. cities, including San Francisco, New York, Dallas, and Austin, Texas. Monday evening marked the fourth straight night of protesting and rioting against the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles, and the first night of similar protests…Virginia Allen -
RFK Jr. Removes All 17 Members of Vaccine Advisory Committee
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of a key committee that assesses and recommends vaccines. Kennedy wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal Monday saying he was “taking a bold step in restoring public trust by totally reconstituting the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.” “We are retiring…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
10 Things I Saw at Washington’s WorldPride Parade
Washington, D.C., was the host of the WorldPride Parade on Saturday. Here are some of the people and things I witnessed as I covered the event for The Daily Signal. 1. Corporate Presence Many companies in the hospitality or travel industries had floats in the parade. Some of these companies included United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels,…Quinn Delamater -
Hegseth Sends Marines to Augment National Guard to Quell LA Riots
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday evening that he is sending 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles “to restore order.” “We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers—even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth said, criticizing the California governor following the irruption of anti-immigration enforcement riots in LA on Friday. The Marines…Virginia Allen -
Will the LA Riots Be Repeated Across the Country?
As the National Guard seeks to quell riots against enforcement of federal immigration law in Los Angeles, Republicans and Democrats are finding themselves in fierce debate, with Democrats contending that President Donald Trump is addressing a “manufactured crisis,” but with Republicans calling for immediate order in the streets. After protests began Friday against U.S. Immigration…George Caldwell -
House Eyes 3 Bills to Overrule DC Government
In a major rebuke to measures passed by the District of Columbia city government under home rule, the House of Representatives will consider three bills this week that would repeal local laws passed by the D.C. Council. One of the bills seeks to repeal a local law that gave illegal aliens and other noncitizen D.C….Jacob Adams -
Who Organized the LA Anti-ICE Protests That Escalated Into Riots?
When anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agitators took to the streets in the Los Angeles area over the weekend attacking officers, setting cars on fire, and looting, they drew attention to the left-leaning activist groups that may have helped instigate the riots. Three major organizations have come under increased scrutiny: the Coalition for Humane Immigrant…Tyler O’Neil -
Gavin Newsom’s ‘Reckless’ Surrender of LA to Foreign National Riots
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. This weekend we saw rioting in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement for its efforts…Victor Davis Hanson -
Democrats: From Loving Medicaid Work Requirements to ‘We’re All Going to Die’
According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Republican plans to tighten Medicaid a little bit are not just unwise. They will trigger mass murder. Due to its comparative fiscal sanity, Schumer rechristened the Trump/GOP “One Big, Beautiful Bill” as the “We Are All Going to Die Act.” Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Schumer…Deroy Murdock -
‘If You Shoot Me, You Better Shoot Straight’: Maxine Waters Taunts National Guard in L.A.
As Los Angeles rioters engaged in violence against law enforcement, while others blocked traffic or burned cars, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., focused her attention on taunting the deployed National Guard troops in the city. “What are you all going to do? Are you going to shoot some kids?” Waters, 86, who has represented part of…Fred Lucas -
Democrats Attempt to Turn Texas Blue
Leftist billionaire George Soros is in pursuit of the long-sought political “white whale” for Democrats: finally turning Texas blue. Soros is pouring millions into a super PAC called Texas Majority PAC to flip the state in the 2026 midterms and beyond. He donated $1 million this past April and $2.1 million in 2024. Texas is…Jacob Adams -
New Zealand’s Step in the Right Direction
In April, New Zealand announced it aimed to nearly double defense spending to reach 2% of its gross domestic product in the next eight years—a step that marks a major shift in New Zealand’s national security strategy. While a member of the Anglosphere “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, New Zealand has not sufficiently funded its defense…Adam Kurzweil