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
Podcast: What the March for Our Lives Was Really About
Kids converged on D.C. over the weekend to protest school shootings and guns, yet the most effective policy solutions went unmentioned. Jarrett Stepman, who went to the march, joins us to share his observations and discuss why students aren’t really the ones driving this movement. Plus, we discuss President Donald Trump’s new actions against Russia,… -
opinion
I Went to the March for Our Lives Protest. Here Are My 7 Takeaways.
Tens of thousands of protesters—and maybe more—gathered in Washington, D.C., and around the country Saturday to protest in favor of gun control. The demonstrations, called the March for Our Lives, featured children calling for an end to gun violence and ultimately stricter gun control laws. The Daily Signal hit the streets to observe the event… -
opinion
A Message From Parkland You Didn’t Hear at March for Our Lives
Warning: This video contains profanity. Thousands of people gathered Saturday in Washington, D.C., and around the nation for anti-gun rallies spurred by the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. But not everyone from the Parkland community supports the anti-gun rhetoric on display at the March for Our Lives protests…. -
opinion
In the War Against Faith-Based Adoption Agencies, Children Lose
I’m a lawyer. I confess that math was never my strong suit, and I figured that law school would keep me safe from it. I did, however, pick up on some of the more basic concepts—like greater than or less than, and more versus less. Surely, we can all agree on the basic math supporting the following statements: For the… -
opinion
Due Process Rights Could Make a Comeback in Tennessee Thanks to This Bill
Americans pride themselves on a commitment to due process rights. We hold criminal defendants “innocent until proven guilty,” and believe that everyone should have his day in court. Yet, thanks to civil forfeiture laws, many innocent people have had their cash and property seized without ever being charged with a crime, and with few legal… -
opinion
Podcast: John Bolton’s Ascent and How the White House Is Courting Millennials
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will become President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser next month. On today’s show, we bring you highlights from his interview with The Daily Signal last month. Plus, we have clips from our exclusive interviews from the White House with Ivanka Trump, Kellyanne Conway, and Mercedes Schlapp. They talk about… -
opinion
Podcast: Interviews With Trump’s Cabinet Secretaries From the White House
Today’s episode is brought to you straight from the White House, where a millennial engagement forum was held. The discussions focused on the economy, free speech, and the opioid crisis. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stopped by to talk to The Daily Signal about the record low unemployment… -
news
College Rejects Ben Shapiro Speech on Anniversary of Hate Crime Hoax
A private college in Minnesota refused to allow conservative author and commentator Ben Shapiro to speak on the anniversary of a hate crime hoax at the school. The Turning Point USA chapter at St. Olaf College attempted to invite Shapiro to speak April 23, but the campus administration shut down the proposal, citing the date… -
opinion
Tax Reform Is Boosting Take-Home Pay for Millions of Americans. Here’s the Proof.
For a nation accustomed to instant gratification, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a winner. Before President Donald Trump even signed the bill, companies were announcing employee pay raises, bonuses, and increased investments to grow their businesses and bring operations back from overseas. Among the first out of the gate was AT&T, which said… -
opinion
Congress Piles Up Massive Debt, Putting Tax Cuts at Risk
Fiscal restraint is dead in Washington, and no one seems to care. The March omnibus spending deal follows through on an agreement to spend significantly more over the next two years than any Obama-era spending cap increase. Such a dramatic departure from fiscal sanity is reckless. The now-certain return of trillion-dollar deficits threatens to undermine… -
opinion
Parkland-Style Shootings Are Devastating but Highly Unusual
It’s time to get serious about school safety. Nearly 20 years separate the horrible tragedies at Columbine High School in Colorado and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In that time, too little has been done to make our schools safer. That’s why our grieving nation is again searching for a solution. If… -
opinion
‘Chappaquiddick’ Depicts a Ted Kennedy Marked by Complexity and Guilt
History is filled with Democratic scandals that often provoke the reaction, “If a Republican had done that … ” Chappaquiddick is not such an example. The incident, in which Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., allowed 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne to die while trapped in his Oldsmobile, likely belongs in its own category: “If any politician… -
opinion
Maryland Bill Seeks to Drive Out Airbnb, Other Hotel Competition
Over the last decade, short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO have expanded and provided an economic boom to many communities. Yet several localities are pursuing onerous zoning rules and other regulations that would restrict short-term rental activity. For many homeowners, short-term rental provides a critical source of additional income to help them pay… -
opinion
Podcast: California City Rejects Sanctuary Policies
Los Alamitos, California, is on a collision course with Sacramento over sanctuary policies. Are we about to see a legal showdown? We discuss with David Inserra, Heritage Foundation security and immigration expert. Plus: The Austin bombings appear to be over, a pro-life Democrat survives an Illinois primary, and YouTube censors gun safety videos. -
news
This Millennial and Navy Veteran Sets a New Course to Protect the Land of the Free
The leader of a libertarian student group who overcame pushback from his Massachusetts community college says the experience helped him become a better advocate for free speech. “The answer isn't to restrict other people's free speech,” Jeff Lyons, a Navy veteran who just received his associate’s degree in history and government from Bunker Hill Community… -
opinion
Airbnb May Not Be Good for Hotels, but It’s a Boon for Everyone Else
Cities, counties, and states waging a war against short-term rentals by imposing hefty fines and burdensome regulations on hosts and booking platforms, such as Airbnb and VRBO, should reconsider their heavy-handed approach. A new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that the presence of alternative lodging options financially benefits travelers,… -
opinion
The Real Reason We Have Mass Shootings
One of the unavoidable tragedies of youth is the temptation to think that what is seen today has always been. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in our responses to the recent Parkland, Florida, massacre. Part of the responses to those murders are calls to raise the age to purchase a gun and to have… -
news
Scott Pruitt Will End EPA’s Use of ‘Secret Science’ to Justify Regulations
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will soon end his agency’s use of “secret science” to craft regulations. “We need to make sure their data and methodology are published as part of the record,” Pruitt said. “Otherwise, it’s not transparent. It’s not objectively measured, and that’s important.” Pruitt will reverse long-standing EPA policy allowing regulators… -
news
Trump: Sanctuary State Places ‘Innocent Americans at the Mercy of Hardened Criminals’
Mary Ann Mendoza was enraged that the illegal immigrant who killed her son—police Sgt. Brandon Mendoza—wasn’t deported for a crime committed in Colorado two decades earlier. “They are not sanctuary cities, they are outlaw cities,” @SenTomCotton said. Though she wrote a letter to President Barack Obama after her son’s death in 2014 expressing her concern,… -
opinion
These 5 Horrible Bureaucrats Beat the Clock and Kept Their Pensions
The firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe days before his retirement was a rare case of justice. Both the Justice Department inspector general and the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility found that “McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor—including under oath—on multiple occasions.” Even one Democratic politician conceded…