Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
-
opinion
Momentum Builds for Criminal Justice Reform
Bipartisan momentum for landmark reform to America’s criminal justice system continues to build both on and off Capitol Hill. Last week, a wide range of policy experts testifying at a congressional hearing made clear the urgency of criminal justice reform. “The time to enact meaningful criminal justice reform is now,” declared Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah,… -
news
Experts: States, Not Federal Government, Should Respond to Disasters
As states rely increasingly on the federal government and on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to come to their aid during disaster scenarios, citizens are put in a more dangerous position and are not being helped in the best manner. This is what a panel of experts concluded during an event at The Heritage… -
news
Florida Family Indicted for Defrauding Export-Import Bank, Costing Government $2 Million
A Florida family has been indicted by the Justice Department for defrauding the Export-Import Bank and other private lenders, which cost the U.S. government close to $2 million. According to the Department of Justice, Guillermo Sanchez, Isabel Sanchez and Gustavo Giral allegedly created fake invoices and shipping documents to obtain a loan from the Export-Import… -
opinion
Brazil: Political Pressure Mounts on President Dilma Rousseff
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her leftist political party, Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), face growing criticism as more details emerge in the Petrobras scandal, a complex scheme in which large construction companies funneled cash to the state-run oil company and then allegedly to the Rousseff re-election campaign. Corruption has long been an obstacle to economic… -
news
13 Facts About John Kasich, the Newest 2016 Candidate
The count is up to 16. Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced his candidacy for president this morning, joining the already diverse GOP field. Here are 13 facts about the latest contender. 1) John Kasich, Jr. is 63 years old and the current two-term governor of Ohio. 2) According to Newsmax, Kasich received a dorm citation… -
news
Meet the 38 Companies That Donate to Planned Parenthood
In the wake of two videos allegedly showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of aborted fetal body parts, Republicans in Congress are working to ensure that Planned Parenthood is stripped of its federal funding. However, it’s not only the government that fills Planned Parenthood’s coffers. According to 2nd Vote, a website and app that… -
news
Viral ‘Humans of New York’ Photo Stirs Emotional Response
“I was 16 when my girlfriend got pregnant,” begins the quote accompanying a picture of a young father and his daughter posted to the Humans of New York Instagram account yesterday. “We went to the abortion clinic on 59th Street. We filled out the papers and everything. Then right before we were called back, we looked… -
news
Mike Needham Predicts Congress Will ‘Absolutely’ Defund Planned Parenthood
Appearing on Fox News today, Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham confidently predicted that lawmakers will defund Planned Parenthood. “You will absolutely see this September that Congress will defund Planned Parenthood,” said Needham. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., among others, has called for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Needham also discussed the second video released today by… -
news
‘They Don’t Have to Bake a Cake for You’: Baker to His ‘Fellow’ Gays and Lesbians
A self-described gay baker named Jesse Bartholomew has come out in defense of Christian bakers who decline to bake cakes for same-sex weddings. In a video he posted on his Facebook page, he said “they don’t have to bake a cake for you.” “I bake wedding cakes for a living, and I cannot tell you… -
opinion
One African Nation’s Crisis of Democracy
Citizens of the small East African country of Burundi are at the polls today to select a president, though the outcome is virtually guaranteed. Two-term incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza is expected to glide to a third term, particularly since the opposition has announced it will be boycotting the vote. At issue for the opposition is… -
news
Planned Parenthood Spent $679,596 in 2014 to Help Elect These Candidates
Planned Parenthood donated $679,596 through its PACs and affiliates to pro-choice candidates in the 2014 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a research group that tracks money in U.S. politics. The Center for Responsive Politics compiled the data using figures released by the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. Here… -
news
New Undercover Video Shows Planned Parenthood Executive Haggling Over Price of Aborted Baby Body Parts
An undercover video was released today allegedly showing a Planned Parenthood senior executive negotiating the price of aborted fetal body parts. The video, released by the Center for Medical Progress, adds to allegations that Planned Parenthood is profiting from fetal tissue donation. It follows the release of an earlier undercover video with another Planned Parenthood… -
news
How an Israeli Hospital Builds Bridges With Syria by Caring for the War’s Wounded
ZEFAT, Israel—An Israeli hospital near the border with Syria quietly has become a sanctuary for Syrians wounded in their country’s bloody civil war. For going on three years, Israel has discreetly treated wounded or injured Syrians, many of whom were brought up to hate the Jewish state. At the front lines of the humanitarian medical… -
news
Surprise! That Urgent Care Center May Send You a Big Bill (Just Like the ER)
Sallyann Johnson considers herself a pretty savvy health care consumer. When she fell and injured her hands and wrists, she didn’t head for an expensive emergency room, choosing an urgent care clinic near her Milwaukee home instead. Before seeking treatment, she asked the key question: Did the center accept her insurance? Yes, Johnson was assured,… -
news
Arthur Laffer Resells His Reagan-Era Tax Cuts to Create ‘Boom of All Centuries’
Arthur Laffer sat at dinner with Ford administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld 40 years ago, sketching his tax policy theory in sharpie on the back of a cloth napkin, declaring that tax cuts would stimulate the floundering economy. The napkin drawing etched Laffer’s name as the intellectual architect of Reaganomics and spurred a… -
news
Texas Mother Arrested Because Her Children Sat ‘30 Feet’ Away From Her in a Food Court
A Texas mother has been charged with abandoning her children after they were found sitting about 30 feet away from her in a food court, according to Houston’s KHOU. Laura Browder was asked to meet a potential employer for a job interview in the food court at Memorial City Mall. Browder was unable to find… -
news
Cuban Embassy in Washington Reopens to Fanfare, Anger
The Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., reopened Monday morning, marking the official end to 61 years of hostility between the Cuban and American governments. Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla was on hand in Washington to raise the Cuban flag as the Cuban and American National Anthems played in sequence. The event was… -
news
Why Lindsey Graham Believes the Iran Deal Supports Terrorism
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa—Sen. Lindsey Graham says the deal the White House cut with the Iranian regime amounts to America cutting a check in the name of radical Islamic terrorism. “The most logical consequence of this deal is that the most radical regime in the region, the Iranian ayatollah and his henchmen, are going to get… -
news
Poll: 59% Believe Businesses Should Be Able to Decline Gay Weddings
Four in ten Americans support and an equal percentage disagree with the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage in June. Asked about the Supreme Court’s decision on Obergefell v. Hodges, 39 percent of respondents said that they agree with the ruling and 41 percent said that they disagree, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. The poll… -
opinion
Why Are Scientists Moving to Certain States?
What motivates top scientists to relocate? A recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper by Enrico Moretti and Daniel Wilson reports that the marginal tax rate on high-income people is a factor. Similarly, the authors find that state corporate income taxes occupy the minds of scientists when choosing a place to live. Moretti and Wilson…