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
IRS Rehires 213 Employees Ousted for Falsifying Documents, Avoiding Taxes, Other Offenses
The Internal Revenue Service rehired 213 employees who ducked taxes, falsified documents, were convicted of theft, or made unauthorized use of taxpayer data, an inspector general’s report says. The Office of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which also first discovered the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups in 2013, examined the agency’s hiring from January… -
opinion
White Supremacist Violence Has No Place in America
Note: The following is a transcript of remarks delivered by President Donald Trump at the White House. I’m in Washington today to meet with my economic team about trade policy and major tax cuts and reform. We are renegotiating trade deals and making them good for the American worker. And it’s about time. Our economy… -
opinion
White Supremacists Will Not Tear America Apart. We’re Better Than This.
Note: The following is based on an official statement released by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. It’s tragic and heartbreaking to see hatred and racism once again mar our great nation with bloodshed. Heidi’s and my prayers are with the loved ones of those killed and injured in the ongoing violence in Charlottesville. The First Amendment… -
news
Why Wonder Woman Is a Problem for Feminists
Every week, The Daily Signal’s new Facebook show, “Problematic Women,” shines a spotlight on strong conservative women, current events, and the hypocrisy of the “feminist” left. With Bre Payton of The Federalist joining us in the studio, this week’s episode takes on Hillary Clinton’s plans to preach, the infamous Google memo, and a liberal Princeton… -
news
1 Dead, 9 Seriously Injured as Car Slams Into Pedestrians at White Nationalist Rally
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—One person is dead and nine are seriously injured after a vehicle plowed through a group of people Saturday near a demonstration by self-proclaimed white nationalists who were met by counterprotesters. Police later announced a total of 35 rally-related injuries and the names of two Virginia State Police officers killed when their helicopter went… -
opinion
Clothing Suppliers Want Free Trade, Not Protectionism
A recent study shows that anti-trade rhetoric in the nation’s capital is worrying U.S. executives who represent clothing brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers. This rhetoric should concern the rest of us, too. According to this U.S. Fashion Industry Association study, the “protectionist trade policy agenda in the United States” has emerged as the industry’s single… -
opinion
WalletHub Gets It Exactly Wrong on Tax Incentives. Cronyism Is Not the Answer.
A new list that ranks states on the ease of starting a business puts Nevada at a dismal 35th using dubious methodology that drives down the state’s ranking. The culprit? “Nevada issues fewer incentives for businesses than many other states,” explained WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. “Incentives were analyzed because they promote collaboration between state governments and… -
news
Must-See Moments of the Week: ‘Fire and Fury’
It was a busy week in and outside the nation’s capital. The mainstream media says that President Donald Trump’s “fire and fury” statement was just too tough, Denmark’s “Hug a Terrorist” program hopes to stop the spread of extremism, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., teaches teens how to plan for a political revolution. We broke… -
news
Why This Veteran With Terminal Brain Cancer Opposes Legalizing Assisted Suicide
A veteran is using his personal experiences to battle both physician-assisted suicide and terminal brain cancer to protect other patients. “In 2014, when I was diagnosed with a terminal form of brain cancer, the doctors gave me four months to live. They basically told me to go home and enjoy the time I had left,”… -
news
Woman Tangles With State Government Over Airbnb Licensing Rules
Pennsylvania has shut down a small-business owner for helping others post on Airbnb, the website for renting short-term guest rooms in private residences. Sally Ladd filed suit against the state after receiving notification that she would need a real estate license to continue helping others manage Pocono Mountains properties online. The licensing necessary requires more than… -
opinion
Is the Conservative-Libertarian Alliance Worth Preserving?
That conservatives and libertarians could set aside their profound philosophical differences to join forces is a testimony to the seriousness of the communist threat in the post-war era. That they remain allied nearly three decades after the fall of the Soviet Union is a testimony to communism’s continuing grip on the conservative imagination—and to the… -
opinion
Interest Groups Threaten Arizona Children’s Access to Educational Options
After their lawsuit failed to block Arizona families from choosing how and where their children learn, district school interest groups are trying again to stop parental choices in education. The Arizona teacher’s union and school board association filed a suit in 2011 trying to keep children in their government-assigned schools, even if the child was… -
news
5 Biggest Screw-Ups by The New York Times So Far This Year
After The New York Times reported that the newspaper had “obtained” an unpublished government draft of a climate change report some feared President Donald Trump would suppress, it turned out the draft has been available online for eight months. In light of this oversight Monday, which the Times since issued a correction on, here is a list of… -
opinion
This Young Violinist Inspired Venezuelans to Stand for Freedom. Now He’s Rotting in Prison.
One of the stories coming out of Venezuela that has simultaneously saddened and inspired has been that of Wuilly Arteaga, a talented young violinist who grew up in the poorest part of Valencia, Venezuela's third largest city. Wuilly taught himself violin and won a place in one of Venezuela's youth orchestras that are part of… -
opinion
Why the Crisis in Yemen Matters to the United States
For years, Yemen has been one of the world’s poorest countries. Today, its economy is on the verge of collapse, infectious disease is rampant, and competing factions pose an existential threat to the country. A civil war has left Yemen in what some are calling the world’s “largest humanitarian crisis to date.” After the Arab… -
news
Betsy DeVos: I Should Have Decried Ravages of Racism Much More Forcefully
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said Wednesday that she “should have decried much more forcefully the ravages of racism in this country.” In an interview with the Associated Press, DeVos walked back a comment she made in February in which she suggested that historically black colleges and universities were “pioneers” of school choice. “When I talked about it… -
news
Congress Falls Short of Accomplishing Goals at 200-Day Mark
President Donald Trump is turning up the heat on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get back to work and deliver on the promises Republicans made to the American people. Provoked by McConnell’s complaint about Trump’s “excessive expectations,” the president tweeted three times in the span of 24 hours that he means business. Mitch, get… -
news
Anti-GOP Protesters Take Their Message to Congressman’s Front Door
About a dozen protesters, slamming Republicans’ agenda on health care, gathered at the front porch of a Minnesota congressman’s house Wednesday morning to voice their displeasure using chants and signs. “We are here because our Medicaid matters, our Medicaid matters,” the protesters chanted outside the front door of the home of Rep. Jason Lewis, R-Minn. Stephen… -
opinion
Environmentalist and Labor Groups Have Bashed NAFTA. Here’s Why They Are Mistaken.
As the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare for next month’s North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, several environmental and labor groups have slammed the agreement, calling for an overhaul of NAFTA priorities. However, many environmental groups continue to attack the trade agreement. Environmental groups claim that NAFTA has contributed to pollution in member countries…. -
news
Freedom Foundation Drains Union Membership Rolls by Promoting First Amendment
Union leaders in Washington state who plotted to undermine a U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning mandatory union dues are now seeing the other end of that boot in the form of free speech activism and diminished membership. “What a favorable Supreme Court ruling really means is that our work is just beginning,” @FreedomFdtn’s Brian Minnich…