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
Bureaucrats Want to Make a Woman With a Grass Allergy Grow a Lawn. She’s Fighting Back.
Carl and Janice Duffner are in federal court challenging a law in St. Peters, Missouri, that requires them to grow grass in their yard, even though Janice Duffner is allergic to grass pollen. The ordinance requires residents to grow turf grass on at least 50 percent of their yard or face potential penalties of up… -
opinion
Creating a ‘Right to Literacy’ Won’t Ensure Children Learn to Read
Is recognizing a “right to literacy” the solution to improved reading outcomes in America? Groups in at least three states think so. There are currently lawsuits in Michigan, New Mexico, and California seeking to establish that school districts have violated a student’s “right to literacy” by providing inadequate learning conditions and insufficient school funding. The… -
opinion
Podcast: California Not Happy With Trump’s Regulation Rollbacks
On today’s edition of The Daily Signal podcast, Ginny Montalbano and Daniel Davis interview Heritage Foundation economist Nick Loris, who focuses on energy, environmental, and regulatory issues, about proposed regulation rollbacks in California. Loris discusses the Trump administration’s move to try to loosen fuel-efficiency and emissions regulations for cars and light trucks put into place… -
opinion
No, Regulations on Air Conditioners Will Not Lead to More Jobs
Industry groups are ramping up efforts to have President Donald Trump send the Kigali Amendment—a change to the Montreal Protocol—to the Senate for ratification. The amendment would phase out affordable refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators for much pricier ones. That’s good news for the patent holders of the new refrigerants and the heating… -
opinion
Media Misses: Sarah Huckabee Sanders and CNN Saga Continues
We break down the top media moments this week—and plenty of misses. CNN’s Jim Acosta made waves this week when he complained about his experience at a Trump rally in Tampa, Florida, saying he felt like he “wasn’t in America anymore.” But it didn’t stop there. Acosta questioned White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders,… -
opinion
America’s Often-Neglected Armed Service Celebrates Its 103rd Birthday
With the Coast Guard celebrating its 103rd birthday on Saturday, Aug. 4, now is a perfect time to honor one of the most versatile armed services of the U.S. military. While many people think of the Coast Guard as mainly saving lost boaters and arresting drug smugglers at sea, its duties and missions are much… -
opinion
July Posts Record Employment but Slower Than Expected Jobs Growth
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July employment report fell short of expert predictions, reporting a gain of only 157,000 new jobs, while at the same time reporting a drop in the unemployment rate to 3.9 percent from 4.1 percent last month. While the job gains in July were lower than anticipated, the numbers from May… -
news
One Year After He Was Nearly Killed, Scalise Is Still Receiving Assassination Threats
A man who promised to put some “lead” into House Minority Whip Steve Scalise was arrested and charged Thursday with interstate communication of a threat, The Daily Caller News Foundation has confirmed. The man, 63-year-old Carlos Bayon, was charged by criminal complaint with interstate communication of a threat. Bayon left Scalise a message on June 30… -
news
Filmmakers Bringing the Story of ‘Serial Killer’ Abortionist Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ to Big Screen
The dark and disturbing true story of an infamous Pennsylvania abortion doctor now serving a life sentence in prison is coming soon to a theater near you. It’s a film that has taken four years to give birth to. Kermit Gosnell was sentenced in 2013 to life in prison for first-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, illegal… -
opinion
What It’s Like to Be a College Conservative in 2018
Being an active conservative on today’s college campus is no casual decision. Depending on the college, it can be costly, tiring, and infuriating, and exhausting. But it’s worth it. Since the beginning of my freshman year at Gettysburg College, I have served on the executive board of Young Americans for Freedom, the conservative activist group… -
opinion
8 Years Later, the Damage of Dodd-Frank Continues to Mount
President Donald Trump signed into law the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act on May 24 to, among other things, provide exemptions to smaller banks from several Dodd-Frank Act regulations. But although regulatory relief is welcomed, there is still a great deal of red tape to cut and revisions to make to permanently… -
opinion
The Consequences of Philadelphia’s ICE Decision
Listen here to the full podcast, which features an interview with Hans von Spakovsky on Philadelphia’s decision to stop sharing arrest data with ICE or read the lightly edited transcript of the interview below. Plus, we discuss The New York Times’ hiring of a journalist with a history of racist tweets toward whites, and these… -
news
Trump Administration’s Fuel Economy Proposal Bucks California in Bid to Spur New Car Purchases
American consumers who want safe, affordable vehicles will find new models with improved technology becoming less costly if a federal rule amending standards for fuel economy and emissions goes into effect, Trump administration officials said Thursday in announcing the proposal. California has been permitted to set its own auto emissions standards under a federal waiver…. -
opinion
Our Pilots Deserve Absolute Air Superiority. They Need the F-35.
America’s history is filled with far too many instances where our military personnel were forced to rely on extraordinary bravery and sacrifice to make up for having inadequate and obsolete weapons and equipment. While we honor such dedication to duty, we owe our military better. That is why there should be serious concern about any… -
news
Problematic Women: Hollywood Creates Fox News Movie—but What About Harvey Weinstein?
? Hollywood is producing a new movie detailing the downfall of former Fox News chief Roger Ailes—but where are the films on NBC’s Matt Lauer and Hollywood’s Harvey Weinstein? Former Olympic skier and gold medalist Bode Miller and his wife, Morgan, open up about losing their 19-month-old daughter in a tragic drowning accident, and Meghan… -
opinion
‘No Taxation Without Representation’ Is Dead. Here’s How Congress Can Revive It.
“No taxation without representation.” It was the rallying cry of the American Revolution, and to this day remains printed on the license plates in Washington, D.C. Sadly, this important principle was recently swept away by the Supreme Court. In June, the court decided in Wayfair v. South Dakota to toss out a 25-year-old ruling that… -
news
Teen With Terminal Cancer Forgives Cyberbullies as He Fights ‘Culture of Death’
In March, 16-year-old Jeremiah Thomas was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive bone cancer. Since then, he has battled chemotherapy, radiation, a collapsed lung, paralysis, and, unfortunately, many social media trolls. But Jeremiah also has forged an unlikely partnership with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and forgiven those who taunt him. With perhaps only weeks left to… -
news
Trump ‘Most Pro-Black President,’ Pastor Says in White House Meeting
President Donald Trump touted the booming economy and efforts at prison reform Wednesday as he met with inner-city pastors at the White House. “We have increased and created 3.7 million jobs since Election Day. African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates have reached the lowest levels in recorded history,” Trump said during the meeting with 11 pastors…. -
opinion
New Report Shows Government Gave DACA Protection to Thousands of Criminals
Historian Jacob Burckhardt once warned against being deceived by “terrible simplifiers.” If he hadn’t died in 1897, you might be tempted to think he was writing about defenders of President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The left consistently characterizes all DACA recipients as though they were innocent, law-abiding Phi Beta Kappa college… -
opinion
Tunisia Is Showing Democracy Can Work in the Arab World
While violent civil conflicts have prevailed elsewhere in the Middle East since the Arab Spring of 2011, Tunisia has pursued a transition to democracy without bloodshed. In 2014, the country made massive strides, adopting a new constitution, and then holding its first full parliamentary and presidential elections under that constitution. As with any young democracy,…