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
Report Finds Thousands of Noncitizens on Voter Rolls in Virginia
Virginia election officials removed thousands of voters from voter rolls between 2011 and May 2017, according to a conservative legal organization. In a report released Tuesday, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group, found 5,556 voters were removed because they were noncitizens and that one-third of those removed voted illegally. Hans von Spakovsky, a… -
news
California Pushes Forward $400 Billion Universal Health Care Bill
The California Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $400 billion universal health care bill Thursday with no plan to pay for it. The committee passed the bill in a 5-2 vote, sending it to be taken up on the Senate floor next week. The bill, known as the Healthy California Act, was introduced by Democratic state Sen. Ricardo… -
news
The Price of Power
A new report … says you can put a price on success … when it comes to Congress. The report by Issue One exposes the secretive money system in which members of Congress “buy” top spots on the most powerful committees. To raise the money, they often collect from the very interests their committees are supposed… -
opinion
We Hear You: On Memorial Day, Why Americans Don’t Forget to Remember
Editor's Note: To help commemorate Memorial Day, we decided to share some of your comments responding to holiday pieces in recent years from Heritage Foundation national security expert James Jay Carafano and others.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Both my parents served in World War I, my brother and myself in World War II. I missed D-Day, but just by a few days… -
news
How a WWII Veteran Grappled With the Horrors of Combat to Resume Life Back Home
Carl Lavin was in high school when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. At 18, the Ohio native decided to join the Army. From there, his life would be forever changed, as he went on to fight as a foot soldier with the 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. In a new book,… -
opinion
Sharing the Stories of Heroes This Memorial Day
Many nations set aside days to celebrate the end of wars or major battles, and to honor those who fought in them. Memorial Day in America is different in that it doesn’t celebrate veterans—we have a different day set aside for that. This federal holiday was designed to celebrate and honor those who have died while… -
opinion
The Meaning of Memorial Day, From the Civil War On
As we pause this Memorial Day to honor those who died so that we might enjoy the blessings of liberty, here are some facts to remember about the day and some inspiring words from a great president. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, set aside to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War… -
news
Health Cops Now Calling for Regulation of Caffeine
The health police are turning their sights to energy, calling for tobacco style regulations on caffeine and bans on energy drinks for young Americans. Nutrition experts are calling on the federal government to heavily regulate the levels of caffeine permitted in energy drinks out of fear that the beverages are harming public health, particularly the youth. Advocates… -
news
Major Exxon Investor Warns Shareholders Not to Give In to Global Warming Hysteria
An activist-led measure on global warming at Exxon Mobil Corp.’s upcoming annual meeting could financially wipe out the company’s largest shareholders, one long-time Exxon shareholder said. BlackRock and Vanguard Group are toying with the idea of supporting an investor-created proposal that would force Exxon to measure how regulations limiting greenhouse gases could affect the value of the… -
opinion
Trump’s Food Stamp Reform Would Close the Trap of Dependency
President Donald Trump’s newly released budget contains a proposed food stamp reform, which the left has denounced as a “horror” that arbitrarily cuts food stamp benefits by 25 percent. These claims are misleading. In reality, the president’s proposed policy is based on two principles: requiring able-bodied adult recipients to work or prepare for work in… -
news
US Intelligence Leaks Are Threatening National Security. Here’s What the White House Can Do.
Classified information leaks to the media have often been framed as clash between the so-called “deep state” and President Donald Trump. However, Britain’s threat to stop intelligence sharing information with the United States demonstrates the larger problem. “The president has made it very clear going back months that leaks threaten national security,” @PressSec says. The… -
opinion
Trump’s Foreign Trip Sends Strong Message That American Leadership Is Back
President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East and Europe is framing the parameters of his foreign policy style. That style is characterized by forcefully stating American priorities based on strong traditional alliances, religious inclusiveness, and national interest. In his speech to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, Trump called this approach “principled realism.” Unlike the… -
opinion
Key Takeaways From CBO Score of the Republican Health Care Bill
The Congressional Budget Office updated its score of the House-passed American Health Care Act this week, prior to its being sent over to the Senate. This budgetary analysis projects that if passed into law, the bill would reduce the number of insured by 23 million, but would decrease the deficit by $119 billion while also reducing federal… -
news
Students and Faculty Protesters Demand Punishment of College Republicans Chapter
Student and faculty protesters rushed a college administration building Monday calling for the school to punish its College Republicans chapter. Orange Coast College faculty and students protested the College Republicans chapter after the group published emails from OCC professor Jessica Alabi to Orange Coast College President Dennis Harkins. The emails revealed the professor said she would… -
news
Debbie Wasserman Schultz Questions Criminal Probe of Her IT Staffer, Promising ‘Consequences’ for Capitol Police
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz threatened the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police with “consequences” for holding equipment that she says belongs to her in order to build a criminal case against a Pakistani staffer suspected of massive cybersecurity breaches involving funneling sensitive congressional data offsite. The Florida lawmaker used her position on the committee that… -
opinion
Here’s a Smart, Modest Increase in Second Chances for Deserving Ex-Offenders
A simple adjustment in federal law would provide much greater opportunities for young individuals who made some bad life choices but atoned to reintegrate into society successfully and to become productive, law-abiding citizens capable of supporting themselves, their families, and their communities. Reps. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., introduced a bill Wednesday, the… -
opinion
How a Delicate Alliance Defeated Nazi Germany
It was President Franklin Roosevelt who decided on Dec. 31, 1941, that the allies should be called “United Nations” rather than “Associated Powers.” Prime Minister Winston Churchill, anxious to please his American host, quickly agreed. To name the alliance was easy. To sustain the alliance, through years of defeats until victory, required leadership and statecraft… -
opinion
Why the British Terror Threat Will Not Improve Soon
This time it is the northern city of Manchester. At time of writing, 22 were dead and more than 50 injured after a suicide attack at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has claimed credit for the attack, which was carried out by a 23-year-old called… -
opinion
Commission Recommends Changes to DC’s Antiquated Criminal Code
This month, the Washington, D.C., Criminal Code Reform Commission gave Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council a set of sensible recommendations on “modernization of the District’s criminal statutes.” It offers the mayor, council members, the public, as well as Congress and lawmakers in any jurisdiction much to consider. The commission has until Oct. l, 2018,…