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
California Inferno Was ‘Preventable.’ Blame Malfeasance of Newsom, Bass for Catastrophe.
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. I'm here in California. I've been a lifelong resident of the state, fifth generation to live in the same house. I had a house in the… -
news
Tennessee Judge Blocks Law Requiring Age Verification for Porn Sites
Does protecting kids from being exposed to pornography suppress the free speech rights of adults? According to U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman of Memphis, Tennessee, the answer is yes. But her opinion may be in the minority. In recent months, at least 19 states have passed laws that require age verification on porn sites to help decrease… -
news
After Controversial Raids in 2024, Changes at ATF Are Likely Under Trump
Under the Biden administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gained new authority, but after a tumultuous year, the agency’s director, Steven Dettelbach, plans to resign before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. In November, the ATF raided the home of Baltimore gun rights activist Mark “Choppa” Manley, but made no arrests or confiscations. Agents… -
opinion
Remembering Jean-Marie Le Pen, France’s Instrument of Right-Wing Populist Discontent
Jean-Marie Le Pen, erstwhile leader of France’s political party National Front (now National Rally), died on Tuesday at the age of 96. For more than 50 years, Le Pen was a mainstay in French politics, known for his outspoken views on limiting immigration to France and Europe. Quick-witted and incendiary, his surprise elevation to the… -
news
Michigan Republicans Vow to Investigate Whitmer Admin Using Panel’s Subpoena Power
Michigan Republicans are seeking accountability for what they consider gross mismanagement and corruption under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, taking advantage of their new majority in the state House of Representatives. On Wednesday, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall gave the Republican-controlled oversight committee broad subpoena power to investigate alleged corruption and incompetence in a state… -
opinion
The Age of Censorship Is Ending
This week, in a stunning volte-face, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would now be revising its censorship policies to accord with his older vision of free speech. Specifically, Zuckerberg committed Facebook to revising a series of standards: reliance on left-wing fact-checkers will end, replaced by an X-like community notes system in which fact-checking will be… -
opinion
Gavin Newsom Has No Credibility on Forest Management
As wildfires engulf Los Angeles, California’s Democrat governor, Gavin Newsom, is facing renewed scrutiny for his record on forest management. As of Thursday morning, multiple wildfires, including the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, are raging across Southern California, leaving at least five dead and burning more than 27,000 acres, Fox News reported. Amid the conflagrations,… -
opinion
Burma’s War Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Catch Washington Off Guard
As war rages in Europe and as Israel confronts adversaries from all sides in the Middle East, Americans would be forgiven not knowing about the yearslong conflict raging in Burma—the world’s longest-running civil war. The violence has ravaged the Southeast Asian nation for decades, and battlefield developments indicate the conflict may be reaching a new… -
news
California Slapped With Lawsuit Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Sanctuary Law
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—A major California city is suing the state over its sanctuary law, arguing that it violates the Constitution and prevents local officials from protecting their community. The City of Huntington Beach filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against SB 54, otherwise known as the California Values Act, which dramatically restricts how local and state law… -
news
Where Does the Money Come From? Elderly Democrats Say Donations Made in Their Names Aren’t Genuine
Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue may have raked in millions through fraudulent donations, according to the testimonies of elderly Americans who said federal election records do not reflect their giving. Eighteen registered Democrats in Connecticut, all over the age of 70, appear to have donated $1.9 million to Democratic causes, including ActBlue, through hundreds of thousands… -
news
Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Portfolio Explodes in Value, Beats Market by Nearly 200%
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi beat the S&P 500 by nearly 200% in 2024, continuing her streak of outperforming the stock index. Pelosi’s portfolio grew 70.9% between Dec. 29, 2023, and Dec. 30, 2024, compared to the S&P 500’s 24.9% return for the period, according to financial data platform Unusual Whales’ 2024 Congress Trading Report…. -
opinion
Jimmy Carter and the Unraveling of American Culture
An essay appeared recently in The Wall Street Journal under the headline “What Happens When a Whole Generation Never Grows Up?” Behavior that has always been understood to define what it means to be an adult is disappearing among America’s younger generations. Institutions always seen as the sinews that define and hold together a society–homeownership,… -
opinion
Renowned Historian Victor Davis Hanson Joins The Daily Signal
If your New Year’s resolution was to discover more astute analysis of politics and current events, The Daily Signal has a treat for you. Victor Davis Hanson, the renowned American historian and political commentator, is joining The Daily Signal as a senior contributor. For years, our audience has loved his weekly syndicated column—and for good… -
opinion
Why America Is in So Much Trouble
Shortly before Milton Friedman’s death in 2006, I had the privilege of interviewing him over dinner in San Francisco. The last question I asked him was: What are the three things we have to do to make America more prosperous? His answer I have never forgotten: “First, allow universal school choice; second, expand free trade;… -
opinion
‘The Great Pandemic Is Coming’: Ex-CDC Chief Warns of Looming Bird Flu Threat
Health officials in Louisiana announced Monday the first bird flu death in the United States. The elderly individual, who had underlying medical conditions, was exposed to the virus from a backyard flock and wild birds. There have been 66 reported cases of bird flu in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control… -
opinion
Jimmy Carter’s Little-Known Role in Political History: Giving Rise to Religious Right
President Jimmy Carter’s personal service to the poor after he left the White House in 1981 is remembered as Christian charity in action. What is not so well remembered is his role, albeit unwitting, in bringing evangelical Christians into the political process. Without Carter—who died Dec. 29 at age 100, and who will lie in… -
opinion
Rise of Illegal Alien Criminal Gangs Prompts Urgent Call to End Sanctuary Policies
The United States is a nation built on the principle of law and order. But today, we face an urgent threat from illegal alien criminal gangs infiltrating our communities and undermining the safety and security we hold dear. The rise of transnational criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua, originally from Venezuela, highlights the chaotic border… -
news
BIPARTISAN: Laken Riley Act Passes With Many Democrat Votes
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass the Laken Riley Act, a bill that prioritizes the arrest of some criminal illegal aliens. Every Republican who voted and 48 Democrats voted in support of the bill, though three GOP members and eight Democrats did not vote. The bill is named after Georgia nursing… -
opinion
DRAIN THE SWAMP: Civil Rights Commission Would Be a Great Place to Start
Given vexing experiences in his first administration, once and future President Donald Trump is well aware of the resistance he will face from the Swamp, the vast horde of left-wing bureaucrats that inhabit the executive branch. They see it as their political duty to impede, resist, and sabotage every policy priority of a Republican president,… -
opinion
Chief Justice Identifies Threats to Judicial Independence—And Maybe Tips His Hand in TikTok Case?
In a new report, Chief Justice John Roberts details several critical concerns that he feels threaten the ability of our judicial system to carry out justice impartially and according to the rule of law. At the end of each year—only hours before a new year begins—Roberts releases his “Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.” Think…