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’s Next for Trump Administration’s Legal Fight Against California
Is California or the Trump administration going to win on sanctuary areas? J. Christian Adams of the Public Interest Legal Foundation walks us through federal and state issues the case touches on, and how a case waged by President Barack Obama’s administration might have an impact. Plus: We talk about whether video games contribute to… -
news
As Florida Moves to Raise Age for Buying Rifles, Legal Hurdles Remain
Days after President Donald Trump touted possible federal legislation raising the age for purchasing guns to 21, two major retailers were sued for doing so on their own. A 20-year-old man in Oregon sued Walmart and the Dick’s Sporting Goods chain for age discrimination after the two retailers decided to prevent anyone under 21 from… -
opinion
A Lively Discussion on Trade and Protectionism
This will go down in history as the episode of “The Bill Walton Show” where economist John Tamny referred to views I presented as utter nonsense and I called his naïve. No, we haven’t descended into a late-night cable TV news catfight. Anyone who has watched this program for any time knows I could not… -
opinion
This Case Could Help Prevent Congress From Outsourcing Its Power
How much authority can Congress give to the attorney general to effectively write the criminal laws? That’s a question the Supreme Court will address next term in a newly added case, Gundy v. United States. This case goes to the heart of the Constitution’s separation of powers and, specifically, how much Congress can pass the… -
news
Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Sessions’ Anti-Sanctuary Lawsuit
The Justice Department has sued California over provisions of state law that it says inhibit enforcement of federal immigration laws. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, is the first salvo in a new federal effort to aggressively enforce immigration statutes. The suit names California, Gov. Jerry Brown, and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra as defendants. Brown and… -
opinion
Women in Iran Are Standing Up to Oppressive Policies
On March 8, the world will recognize International Women’s Day. This year, the campaign hopes to highlight global gender inequalities and advocate change under the slogan “Press for Progress.” Women across the globe face unique challenges to obtaining the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts. Recent protests over compulsory hijab laws in Iran… -
news
Rubio Champions Bills to Prevent Mass Shootings After Parkland
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has co-sponsored a pair of bills aimed at curbing mass shootings in the wake of the school rampage in his home state in mid-February. “There is widespread support and agreement that we must act now, as soon as possible, to do everything we can to prevent another tragedy like Parkland from… -
news
Soros Chalks Up Another DA Win After Dropping Nearly $1 Million in Texas Race
George Soros has effectively purchased another district attorney’s seat. The left-wing billionaire pumped almost $1 million into a Texas district attorney’s race against a Democratic DA who opposes sanctuary cities, according to campaign filings reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Soros’ preferred candidate, Joe Gonzales, upset incumbent Bexar County DA Nico LaHood in the… -
opinion
Podcast: Before Parkland, There Were Law Enforcement Failures
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office just launched a new site “fact-checking” claims. The Heritage Foundation’s Amy Swearer joins us to discuss the problematic choices of both the Broward County law officials and the FBI that allowed the Parkland shooter to carry out his school massacre. Plus: We look at the misleading school shooting statistic just… -
opinion
Why ‘Sin Taxes’ on Ammo Will Backfire
Sin taxes of all types have unintended consequences. A new proposal to impose a 50 percent tax on ammunition is no exception. Selective sales taxes imposed on certain politically disfavored goods are rife with misuse, rarely achieve their intended outcome, and disproportionately hurt the poor. They also increase government revenue and expand the size and… -
opinion
Now Is Congress’ Prime Opportunity to Act on Nuclear Waste
Congress has pushed through a series of five stopgap measures to fund the government, and is now in final negotiations for a trillion-dollar omnibus spending bill to cover the rest of the fiscal year. For an hour on Monday night, a group of congressmen from both parties and from all across the U.S. took the… -
opinion
New Health Secretary Offers Bold Vision for Reform. But the Devil’s in the Details.
Alex Azar, the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, outlined an ambitious health policy agenda this week in a major address to the national meeting of the Federation of American Hospitals. That agenda is promising, but it is far short of the major legislative changes that will be necessary to reform… -
news
Students Call Conservative Speaker ‘Fascist,’ Say ‘Microaggressions Are Real’
Student protesters sang, “No platform for fascists,” and chanted, “Rape culture is not a myth,” and “Microaggressions are real,” during a Monday speech by feminist scholar Christina Hoff Sommers at an Oregon law school. Protesters at Lewis & Clark Law School interrupted the American Enterprise Institute scholar’s speech on multiple occasions. Sommers reported she was… -
news
Merriam-Webster Adds Slew of Millennial Favorites to Dictionary
Merriam-Webster added 850 words to the dictionary to include more colloquial terms and millennial slang, but it turns out these changes don’t apply to its unabridged dictionary. “The language doesn’t take a vacation and neither does the dictionary,” Merriam-Webster advertises, announcing it added a myriad of words to its online dictionary to keep up with evolving… -
news
Fact Check: What Percentage of Americans Have Concealed Carry Permits?
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie claimed recently on NBC that 8 percent of Americans outside of New York and California have concealed carry permits. Verdict: True The Republican congressman's figure holds up, although permits as a percentage of the adult population for all 50 states is lower at 6.6 percent. Fact Check: Many Republicans, including President Donald… -
opinion
Why American Christians Support Israel
In speeches to fellow Jews around America, I often point out that many American Jews are experiencing cognitive dissonance. The institution Jews most admire—the university—turns out to be the most significant source of Israel hatred in America and the rest of the West. At the same time, the people many Jews most distrust—Christians (especially evangelical… -
opinion
Your Tax Money Makes Planned Parenthood a Political Kingmaker
You might never support a pro-abortion candidate, but what if your tax dollars are? There’s more than a little evidence suggesting that’s exactly what’s happening with government-funded groups like Planned Parenthood. Of course, some would argue that the money is spent on services, but let’s be honest. Those tax dollars are also used to expand… -
opinion
Podcast: Hollywood’s Liberalism on Full Display at Oscars
At the Oscars Sunday night, host Jimmy Kimmel and others made sure to virtue-signal their “woke” bona fides, between jabbing Vice President Mike Pence, promoting the March 24 march in support of gun control, and giving best foreign film to a movie about a transgender woman. (And when best actor Gary Oldman talked about how… -
opinion
A Streetcar Named Disaster
There are few more illustrative examples of government dysfunction and waste than the DC Streetcar. At a hearing last week, the Washington, D.C., City Council reportedly discussed replacing its fleet of streetcars, just two years after the DC Streetcar went into service, even though the Federal Transit Administration generally sets a streetcar’s lifespan at around… -
opinion
Country Music Spurns Mike Huckabee Over Marriage Views, Betraying Countless Fans
Through all of the cultural ups and downs, country music has always been a place conservatives felt welcome. While so many other celebrities started picking up activist causes and shaming fans who held Christian beliefs, Americans could always count on Nashville to stay true to their values (or at least tolerate them). Not anymore. Last…