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
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,… -
opinion
This Man Has Spent 26 Years Behind Bars for a Crime Someone Else Confessed To
“If it wasn’t for my artwork and God, there’s no way we’d be having this conversation right now.” I’m in Colorado on a three-way phone call with Valentino Dixon, inmate No. 91B1615 at New York’s Wende Correctional Facility, and his 27-year-old daughter, Tina Dixon, a first-grade teacher in Ohio. Faith, family, and drawing—golf courses, jazz… -
opinion
Pompeo Charts a Clear Path Forward for Commerce in the Indo-Pacific
In the coming days and weeks, there’s going to be a lot of analysis of the vision for American economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo laid out at the Chamber of Commerce on Monday. Most of it will be wrong. Pompeo delivered a near-perfect speech. It described America’s strengths and… -
opinion
‘Father of Texas’ Under Fire in the City Named for Him
The war on history continues in Texas. An agency in the city of Austin recently released a memo suggesting renaming numerous streets and roads, removing statues, and generally eliminating references to the Confederacy. But the recommendations from Austin’s Equity Office didn’t stop with Confederate figures. Perhaps most absurdly, the memo suggested renaming Austin because Stephen… -
opinion
Youth Lemonade Stands Continue to Bring Out the Best in Bureaucrats
Another weekend, another lemonade stand shut down. Over Memorial Day weekend, the city of Denver brought us the story of Jennifer Knowles and her three sons’ lemonade stand being shut down. Over this past weekend, the state of New York brought us the story of Brendan Mulvaney, a 7-year-old boy from Ballston Spa in Saratoga… -
opinion
Podcast: Austin, Texas Discovers Its Own Name Is Problematic
In a quest to uproot Confederate names and statues, Austin, Texas, discovered the problematic legacy of Stephen F. Austin, who died before the Civil War. Jarrett Stepman joins us to discuss the latest push to eradicate history. Plus: There’s an uproar at the University of Virginia over hiring a Trump aide to be a one-year… -
opinion
How We’ve Robbed a Generation of Hobbies, Joy, and Creativity
If you ask most young people today if they have any hobbies, you will receive one of four answers: 1. “No.” 2. “What do you mean?” 3. “Yeah. I play video games/watch TV/watch movies.” 4. “Yeah…” and then they may actually cite a hobby. The fourth is the least common. Dan Scotti, lifestyle writer at… -
news
EPA: Key Air Pollutants Drop 73 Percent Since 1970
Americans who value clean air and robust economic growth do not need to make an either-or choice, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s new annual report on air quality. The EPA report released Tuesday finds that between 1970 and 2017, the combined emissions of six main kinds of pollutants decreased by 73 percent even as… -
opinion
New Study Shows Huge Cost of Sanders’ ‘Medicare for All’ Plan
Socialism is expensive. In a new cost analysis, Charles Blahous, formerly a member of the Medicare board of trustees, concludes that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill (S. 1804) would cost a breathtaking $32.6 trillion over 10 years. Given the growing commitment of House and Senate Democrats to this agenda, Blahous’ analysis is… -
opinion
The Crisis in Nicaragua, Explained
Listen above to the full podcast, which features an interview with Ana Quintana on Nicaragua’s crisis and a discussion of a news article that casts a dark shadow on Catholic hospitals in rural areas, or read the lightly edited transcript of the interview with Quintana below. Daniel Davis: Is Nicaragua becoming the new Venezuela? In… -
news
Michigan State Football Star’s Next Uniform Will Be USAF’s, Not NFL’s
Many college football players dream of achieving fame and fortune in the NFL, but Jalen Watts-Jackson, a star defensive back who made the Michigan State University record books, has a different set of goal posts in mind. Watts-Jackson told an MSU athletics blog, Spartan Nation—on the Fourth of July, no less—that he intends instead to… -
news
Twitter Suspends Conservative Commentator Over Her Comments About Extreme Muslims, Transgender Troops
Kathleen McKinley, a conservative blogger and political commentator for a local Fox station in Houston, was surprised Friday to find an email from Twitter announcing her account had been suspended. Twitter listed two tweets that it claimed violated rules against “hateful conduct,” emails that McKinley shared with The Daily Caller News Foundation show. In the first… -
news
Philadelphia Mayor Ends ICE Contract
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Martina White took Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to task on “Fox & Friends” Monday over his decision to end a data-sharing program with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “It’s truly shocking that the mayor was willing to end a contract that was actually helping to keep our community safe,” White said on… -
news
Man Changes Gender to Save on Car Insurance
Geico’s well-advertised 15 minutes to save you 15 percent on car insurance may be one way to save money, but in Canada, one man discovered another way to make his car insurance cheaper. After finding out that if he was a woman he would save 1,100 Canadian dollars on his car insurance, one man decided… -
news
Sean Spicer’s Candid Thoughts on His 6 Months as White House Press Secretary
Watch Genevieve Wood's interview with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer on his new book above, or read a lightly edited transcript of their conversation below. Genevieve Wood: We are joined here at The Heritage Foundation by Sean Spicer, on his new book entitled … And, your first book, right? Sean Spicer: It's my… -
opinion
Sessions: ‘This Department of Justice Is Going to Court Across America to Defend the Rights of People of Faith’
On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a speech on religious liberty. Here are his remarks, as prepared for delivery, about the new task force on religious liberty, the Justice Department fighting for the rights of religious Americans, and what the Trump administration has done to promote religious freedom. Let us be frank. A dangerous… -
opinion
Legislative Prayer Is Still Constitutional
The Supreme Court of the United States recently declined to review two cases on prayer in public settings, leaving “in disarray” the law regarding the place of religion in the public square, to quote Justice Clarence Thomas. The court has long made clear that it is in keeping with the principles of the Constitution to… -
opinion
The Facts About the Individual Mandate Repeal and the Increase in Premiums
It turns out sabotage might be overrated. A new study by the Center for American Progress argues Congress’ repeal of the individual mandate and a proposed Trump administration rule that would expand the sale and renewal of short-term policies will have a devastating effect on 2019 premiums. These acts of “sabotage” mean 40-year-old nonsmokers will…