Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
news
Atlanta Paying Fire Chief It Fired Over His Christian Faith $1.2M Settlement
The city of Atlanta said Monday it will pay $1.2 million to a former fire chief following a federal court ruling in December that found some city policies that led to his firing are unconstitutional violations of First Amendment freedoms. Kelvin Cochran, a former fire chief who was fired in 2015, said he was dismissed from his… -
opinion
When I First Realized America Is Exceptional
I moved to California from New York City in 1976. The founder of what was then America’s largest Jewish retreat center, the Brandeis Institute (not affiliated with the university), Dr. Shlomo Bardin, asked me to work as his assistant. He was 75 years old; I was 25. One weekend the next year, he announced to… -
news
Rutgers Reinvites Critic of Radicalism After Canceling Speech
Rutgers University last week canceled a speech against radicalism by investigative journalist Lisa Daftari in the face of a growing outcry from student groups who called her views Islamophobic. But Monday, a Rutgers spokesman told Campus Reform that it had reinvited Daftari to campus earlier in the day and offered four possible dates in November. The… -
opinion
The California-Wide Web? Why Sacramento Can’t Go Its Own Way on Net Neutrality
California is quickly becoming the regulation capital of the world. At a time when Washington is trying to rein in its quarter-million regulators, Sacramento is busy imposing new restrictions and mandates faster than ever. Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law perhaps the costliest regulations of all; namely, network neutrality rules on California broadband… -
opinion
The Fighting Spirit of the US Navy
Oct. 13 marked the 243rd birthday of the United States Navy. The Navy has grown and evolved dramatically from that first “swift sailing vessel” of the Constitutional Navy. Today, the Navy’s fleet of 286 ships and submarines is the most capable and powerful naval force in the world. The identity and traditions of the Navy… -
news
Movie ‘Gosnell’ Cracks Top 10 at Box Office
A movie about Kermit Gosnell, the late-term abortionist in Philadelphia who went to prison after being convicted in connection with the deaths of three babies, hit the Top 10 films at the box office over the weekend. “We were [No. 10] on Friday and Saturday, but slipped back to 12 on Sunday,” Phelim McAleer, who co-produced… -
news
Biological Male Wins World Championship Event in Women’s Cycling
A biological male who identifies as a transgender woman won a women’s world championship cycling event Sunday in California. Rachel McKinnon, an assistant professor of philosophy at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, won the women’s 35-39 age bracket at the 2018 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles. McKinnon, representing Canada, bested Carolien Van… -
news
NBC Corrects Misreporting of Trump’s Comments on Lee, Grant
NBC News issued a correction Sunday of its reporting on President Donald Trump’s comments about Civil War generals, acknowledging that the president did not describe Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as “incredible.” NBC News did not include Trump’s comments in full when it incorrectly reported that the president called Lee “incredible” during a speech Friday… -
opinion
Media Misses: Reporters Refuse to Recognize Leftist ‘Mob’ Rule
The Democratic Party has a new face and that is mob rule—but the mainstream media seems to conveniently ignore that. Plus: CNN’s Brooke Baldwin won’t even say the “M” word. If the tea party was harassing people out of restaurants and blocking the doors of the Supreme Court, do you think the media would ignore… -
news
Rescuer Says Hurricane Damage Like ‘Third World Country War Zone’
A member of the rescue group Cajun Navy, walking CNN through some of the devastation from Hurricane Michael in Callaway, Florida, said the area looked like a “Third World country war zone." “The only way I can explain it through my eyeballs is a Third World country war zone,” Jason Gunderson said Thursday on CNN's "New… -
opinion
Right Side of History: Why We Need More Pro-American Books and Movies
“The Right Side of History” is a podcast dedicated to exploring current events through a historical lens and busting left-wing myths about figures and events of America’s past. On this week’s episode, hosts Jarrett Stepman and Fred Lucas discuss the importance of historical fiction and why it’s a component of America’s soft power. In particular,… -
opinion
A Rape Survivor Just Won the Nobel Peace Prize. ‘Feminists’ Are Nowhere to Be Found.
As feminists were busy peddling their “War on Women” narrative in the U.S., Yazidi sex slave survivor Nadia Murad was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting a real War on Women in the Middle East. Nadia was honored for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war,… -
opinion
Yes, Democrats, It’s a Mob
Former Attorney General Eric Holder believes that Michelle Obama was wrong when she famously advised, “When they go low, we go high.” Rather, he told Democrats at a gathering in Georgia, “When they go low, we kick them.” If Holder had been honest, he would have said, “When they win a presidency via the constitutionally… -
opinion
The Daily Signal Podcast: Canadian Hospital Targets ‘Sick Kids’ With Assisted Suicide
A Toronto hospital unveiled a new plan for how to terminate the lives of terminally ill kids—with or without parental consent. Monica Burke joins us to discuss the disturbing development. We also discuss a landmark ruling for religious liberty in Britain. We also cover these stories: Kanye West meets with President Donald Trump and sounds… -
news
White House to Push Pro-Growth ‘Tax Reform 2.0’ in Senate
President Donald Trump will be pushing for more tax cuts—dubbed “Tax Reform 2.0”—in the Senate, his chief economic adviser said Thursday. Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said “there’s a lot of good, positive things” in Tax Reform 2.0, a package of three bills that have cleared the House. Two passed in September;… -
opinion
I Watched ‘Gosnell.’ Here Are My 5 Takeaways.
After I saw “Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer,” I was disheartened—and at same time, incredibly thankful. I’m thankful because finally, the horrific true story of Kermit Gosnell, the late-term Philadelphia abortionist who went to prison after being convicted in connection with the deaths of three babies, is being told. But I’m depressed… -
opinion
Celebrating the Men and Women in Blue: A Visit to the New National Law Enforcement Museum
A public block party and a “Run for the Badge” 5K race Saturday will mark the opening of Washington’s newest museum: the National Law Enforcement Museum. Eighteen years in the making, this splendid underground facility sits in Judiciary Square just across the street from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, itself a majestic site containing… -
opinion
On the Street: Should Celebrities Get Involved in Politics?
In light of pop singer Taylor Swift’s controversial Instagram post on the Senate race in Tennessee and rapper Kanye West’s visit Thursday to the White House, we wanted to know what people think about Hollywood celebrities and pop stars weighing in on politics. Are Americans too easily influenced by the opinion of famous people? We… -
opinion
Climate Alarmists Admit They Want to Dismantle Our Free Enterprise System
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is warning that the dire costs of climate change are going to be here sooner than we think. The planet is close to reaching its alleged 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold, and civilization only has 11 years to fix it. Oh, yeah, and the solution is to tear… -
opinion
Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Are a Role Model for School Choice
Who would you rather have choose your child’s school—a politician or a bureaucrat? If you answered “neither,” you’re in good company with the conservatives in Arizona who passed a law last year that allows any of the state’s K-12 students to apply for an Empowerment Scholarship Account. In so doing, Arizona policymakers put parents in…