State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- News
Florida School Mourns Football Coach Who Sacrificed His Own Life to Save Others in Mass Shooting
Aaron Feis, an assistant football coach and security guard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was among the 17 killed in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday in a mass shooting at the school, sacrificing himself to save others. The school’s head football coach, Willis May, told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, that he heard directly…Chrissy Clark -
- Opinion
Podcast: The Florida Shooting, Gun Control, Mental Health, and the FBI
The Heritage Foundation’s John Malcolm joins us to discuss the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida. Democrats are already pushing for gun laws, and people are questioning why the FBI didn’t do more after a person with the same name as the shooter posted online about school shootings. Plus: some things you shouldn’t give up for…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Let’s Make Washington Work Like We Do
Last week, Washington, D.C., reminded us it lives by a different set of rules. That’s when Congress passed a spending bill that provided much-needed military funding—but also busted the budget caps that had previously held the line on federal spending. The result? An estimated $1.5 trillion will be added to the national debt, which is…Kay C. James -
- News
In Wake of Florida School Shooting, Trump Calls for Culture That ‘Embraces the Dignity of Life’
President Donald Trump, saying he will travel to Parkland, Florida, following a deadly school shooting there, vowed Thursday to meet with leaders across the country to address school safety and mental health issues. “Each person who was stolen from us yesterday had a full life ahead of them,” @RealDonaldTrump says. “Our entire nation with one…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Horrific Sex Ed Curriculum Is Taking Over in This Virginia County, and Objectors Are Getting Steamrolled
I usually avoid really sick, appalling spectacles. I skip movies like “Saw.” But last Thursday I saw something worse. I went to the sex education committee meeting of the Fairfax County School Board. I have never seen anything as shocking. Understand that I have sat through years of shocking meetings. My day job is monitoring…Austin Ruse -
- News
Former Minnesota Viking Supports Right-to-Life Movement at March for Life
Former two-time NFL All-Pro center Matt Birk voiced his support for the pro-life movement with the rest of his family at the March for Life rally in January. The former Minnesota Viking told the crowd of thousands that if you can’t explain an idea or a concept to a third-grader, “either you don’t understand the…Kyle Perisic -
- News
California Sues DOJ Over Funding Cuts to ‘Sanctuary States’
The state of California sued the Department of Justice Wednesday to force the release of records relating to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ order to withhold funding from so-called sanctuary states. California is one of several sanctuary jurisdictions—but the first state—to file a lawsuit relating to Sessions’ order to tie federal grants to immigration compliance. The lawsuit demands…Anders Hagstrom -
- News
North Carolina Settles With Magistrate It Forced Out for Not Doing Gay Marriages
The state of North Carolina has restored lost salary and retirement benefits to a former magistrate whom officials forced out because she wouldn’t abandon her religious beliefs to perform civil marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. Gayle Myrick won $300,000, including $122,660 in back pay, in a settlement agreement made public Wednesday by her lawyers at…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Podcast: A California City Is Experimenting With Universal Basic Income
What will happen if people are given $6,000 a year … to do nothing? The city of Stockton in California is testing that out. Robert Rector, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation and welfare expert, explains what happened when five U.S. cities tried universal basic income in the ’70s. Plus: The New York Times…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Michigan Approves $360 in Weekly Unemployment to a German Shepherd
A Michigan dog owner was surprised to find out that the state approved his German shepherd for weekly unemployment benefits. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency sent a letter to lawyer Michael Haddock saying that a Michael Ryder was approved to receive $360 a week in unemployment, reports ABC News. The only problem is that Ryder is Haddock’s…Amber Randall -
- News
Texas Committee Votes to Keep Confederate Statue, but Add Anti-Slavery Plaque and Kiosks
A Texas committee voted to keep a Confederate statue, but will add an anti-slavery plaque and kiosks to it, according to a Thursday report. The monument advisory committee in Denton, Texas, voted 12-3 to preserve a Confederate soldier statue but add a plaque and audiovisual interviews bashing slavery and segregation, reported the Denton Record-Chronicle. “I felt…Rob Shimshock -
- Opinion
In Wake of Nassar Assault Scandal, Michigan State Students Choose Wrong Target
Everywhere I go, I carry a Spartans water bottle. I used to hope that someone on the street would yell to me, “Go, Green!” It would be a friendly Spartans cheer reminding me of my home campus, Michigan State University. But now news reports refer to my school every day, emphasizing the horrific sexual assaults…Chrissy Clark -
- News
Florida Could Give 1 in 4 of the Nation’s Felons the Right to Vote
Florida voters will decide next fall whether about 1.5 million felons will regain the right to vote in time for the 2020 presidential election. If state voters approve the ballot question, they will restore the right to vote to nearly one-fourth of the nation’s former prisoners who committed felony offenses, according to the Sentencing Project,…Kyle Perisic -
- Opinion
California Bill Threatens Waiters With Jail for Providing Plastic Straws
Waiters could face criminal penalties for giving straws to customers if a recently proposed California bill goes into effect. California Assemblyman Ian Calderon, the Democratic majority leader of the state Assembly, has introduced a bill into the state’s lower House that would make it a criminal offense for restaurant employees to provide patrons with single-use…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
University of Texas at Austin Nixes Beijing-Funded Propaganda Institute
The University of Texas at Austin has become the latest North American institution of higher learning to reject the idea of a Chinese Confucius Institute on its campus. Confucius Institutes are major elements in the Chinese global propaganda offensive, being offered with millions of dollars in funding to universities and colleges around the world by the…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
We Hear You: The Schumer Shutdown, ‘Dreamers,’ 2 Marches, and California’s Tax Grab
Editor's note: The Daily Signal's readers weren't favorably impressed by the Democrat-driven government "shutdown" that barely outlasted a weekend. Nothingburger or not, it leads our roundup today. Be sure to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Genevieve Wood’s commentary on the government shutdown, politicians would rather have an issue than a solution…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
University of Virginia Betrays the Legacy of Its Founder, Thomas Jefferson
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, which is located in Charlottesville and is dedicated to “the defense of free expression in all its forms,” gives out annual awards called the “Jefferson Muzzles” to individuals and organizations responsible for “especially egregious or ridiculous affronts to free expression.” The center’s first such award…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Hawaii’s False Missile Alarm Exposed Critical Weaknesses. Here’s What Must Be Done.
The false alarm of a missile attack on Hawaii and the completely inadequate civil defense response deserve much more than snickers and head shakes. These problems must be fixed. The fiasco Jan. 13 was indeed caused by a simple human error: A state operations center worker hit the wrong button. That’s easy to fix. A…Steven Bucci -
- News
California Democrats Want Businesses to Turn Over Half Their Tax-Cut Savings to the State
Democrat state lawmakers in California say they want some businesses to give half their tax-cut savings from congressional Republicans’ tax reform package to the state. That’s no way to create jobs and raise pay, conservatives fire back. “It’s typical that Democrats in California see every dollar back in taxpayers’ pocket as a dollar they can…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Licensing Laws Have Long Been a Drain on the Economy. But Florida Could Soon See Reform.
Florida lawmakers are finally addressing the elephant in the barbershop: Floridians must endure 1,200 training hours, pass an exam, and pay a $223.50 fee just to cut hair for money. In the first weeks of Florida’s 60-day legislative session, the state House passed a bill, H.B. 15, to loosen the chokehold that several licensing regulations…John-Michael Seibler