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
This Committee Could Try to Bail Out Private Pensions With Taxpayer Funds
The Bipartisan Budget Act made headlines earlier this month for raising federal spending caps by $300 billion over just two years. What is less well known is that it created a committee that could potentially bail out private union pensions with taxpayer funds to the tune of half a trillion dollars. That figure, $500 billion,… -
news
Americans Warm to Trump’s Tax Cuts
A majority of Americans now support the tax cuts passed by Republicans in Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump at Christmastime, a new poll finds. The poll conducted by The New York Times/SurveyMonkey found that 51 percent say they approve the tax cut, while 46 percent say they disapprove. The survey results… -
opinion
The Grit of Lincoln and Churchill at War
"All his life he was a man of extraordinary personal courage," wrote biographer William Manchester of Winston Churchill. "During raids he would dart out after close hits to see the damage. Sometimes he climbed up to the roof and squatted there on a hot-air vent, counting the Heinkel 11's as the searchlights picked them up…. -
opinion
Where Kosovo Stands After 10 Years of Being a Republic
The Republic of Kosovo, a young democracy in the Balkans, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its independence on Feb. 17. Kosovo’s president, Hashim Thaci, in his speech commemorating the occasion, expressed pride in his country’s notable accomplishments, emphasizing that “the trends are positive, and that should motivate us all to move forward.” The U.S.-Kosovar relationship has… -
news
Billy Graham’s Final Message, Shared by His Son
Franklin Graham shared a final message from his father, renowned evangelist Billy Graham, after his death Wednesday at 99. The son recounted in USA Today his father’s 70 years of ministry spreading the message of the Gospel around the world from crowded stadiums during his signature crusades to intimate personal meetings with heads of state. He also… -
opinion
Problematic Women: Can You Be a Conservative and a Feminist?
In the wake of one of the country’s most deadly school shootings, Americans are engaged in a heated debate over the Second Amendment. A gunman left 17 people dead Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Students are speaking out about their emotional trauma, and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch went face-to-face… -
opinion
Podcast: Conservatives Gather at CPAC
The Daily Signal went to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, where attendees heard from Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Ted Cruz, and other leading conservatives. The Daily Signal sat down with gun rights expert John Lott, former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, technology policy expert Roslyn Layton, and National Young Americans for Freedom… -
opinion
Debunking the Corporate Stock Buyback Boogeyman
Americans are now experiencing the benefits of tax reform. Employers are sending less of our paychecks to Washington, millions have received unexpected bonuses, and businesses of all sizes have increased investment in the U.S. economy. Despite the good economic news and significant tax cuts for more than 80 percent of Americans, some wish to focus… -
news
Florida House Passes ‘In God We Trust’ Bill for Schools in Response to Massacre
The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday requiring all public schools to prominently display the nation's motto, “In God We Trust,” somewhere on campus. The state House passed the bill in the wake of the recent massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland amid mounting cries for legislative solutions to gun violence,… -
news
American Media Fails the Public, Conservative Critics Argue
How much of a problem is “fake news,” really? According to a discussion on the issue at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, the U.S. media environment is in poor shape and has damaged its reputation with Americans. Among other things, the panel moderated by WMAL radio host Larry O’Connor talked about media coverage… -
news
US, Microsoft Lock Horns in International Legal Battle Over Privacy Rights
Microsoft is preparing to defend itself against the federal government at the Supreme Court in a case that could have a dramatic effect on Fourth Amendment privacy protections and international relations. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Feb. 27 in United States v. Microsoft Corp. The case challenges a decades-old communication law,… -
news
Transgender Activists Conduct ‘Giant Experiment’ on Children, Author Says
Transgender ideology is doing irreparable damage to children’s mental and physical well-being and the consequences may be irreversible, a Heritage Foundation scholar warns. “People who are suffering are not receiving the care they deserve,” Ryan T. Anderson, a senior research fellow at the leading Washington think tank said Wednesday in remarks there introducing his new… -
opinion
Right Side of History: It’s Time to Listen More to the Words of Frederick Douglass
“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, a contributor to The Daily Signal, and Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal’s White House correspondent, discuss the life and legacy of… -
opinion
Russian Aggression, Rising Crime Rates Could Factor in Swedish Elections
When Swedes go to the polls in September, it will be with a backdrop of increasing crime and renewed concern over Russian aggression. In January, a man at a train station on the outskirts of Stockholm died after picking up a discarded grenade, which he mistook for a toy. In August 2016, an 8-year-old British… -
news
Mixed Reviews for Jennifer Lawrence’s Vow to Pursue ‘Nonpartisan’ Role
Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence says she will take a year off to help “fix our democracy,” but her claim that her political activism will be nonpartisan is being greeted with some skepticism. Lawrence told TV’s “Entertainment Tonight” last week that she will take a sabbatical from acting to work with Represent.Us, a self-proclaimed bipartisan, grassroots… -
opinion
Podcast: Making Background Checks More Effective
The Heritage Foundation’s Ted Bromund joins the podcast to discuss ways Congress can improve background checks, as well as the U.N.’s effort to regulate ammunition. We also discuss why the Olympics are so political. Plus: Billy Graham, revered evangelist and spiritual adviser to 13 U.S. presidents, has died at 99. We take a look at… -
opinion
Why Robots Will Not Put Us Out of Work
A recent article in The Guardian dons the foreboding title “Robots will destroy our jobs—and we’re not ready for it.” The article claims, “For every job created by robotic automation, several more will be eliminated entirely. … This disruption will have a devastating impact on our workforce.” According to an article in MIT Technology Review,… -
news
Trump Pushes ‘Bump Stock’ Ban Before Meeting With Florida Students, Teachers
President Donald Trump called for a ban Tuesday on devices that enable guns to fire more rounds more rapidly, one day before he was scheduled to meet with students and teachers from the high school in Parkland, Florida, where a rampaging former student shot and killed 17 and wounded 14 others. “We must move past… -
news
In Estonia, US Fighter Pilots Train for Next War With ‘One Hand Tied Behind Their Backs’
TALLINN, Estonia—At a bombing range in Estonia, U.S. fighter pilots are training to fight a far more technologically sophisticated adversary than they’ve faced in war zones like Afghanistan, Syria, or Iraq since 2001. And they’re training to do so without relying on America’s vaunted technological dominance in air power. “We’re dropping just old-school, dumb bombs,”… -
opinion
Podcast: Responding to the Transgender Moment
Ryan T. Anderson of The Heritage Foundation joins us to discuss his new book on transgenderism, threats to parental rights, and why transgender ideology doesn’t hold up to logic. We also discuss Robert Mueller’s decision to indict 13 Russians, the new popularity of tax reform, and Elon Musk’s dream of an East Coast speed machine.