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
‘75% Incompetence’: Dem Ex-Lawmaker Rips California Leaders’ Wildfire Failures
PALOS VERDE, Calif.—Years of policy failures, bookended by insufficient preparation in the days leading up to the California wildfires, laid the groundwork for historic destruction, former California state Rep. Mike Gatto says. “When the history of these fires are written, people will conclude that it was 25% the weather and 75% incompetence and poor management,”… -
opinion
A Well-Deserved Takedown of the California Political Class
Actress Sara Foster captured the rage of many Angelenos who have watched their city burn from the Palisades to Altadena in one social media post: “We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted… -
news
Family Who Sang Hymn in Midst of California Wildfire Rubble Praises God for 36 Years in Home
When Peter and Jacqueline Halpin evacuated the home they lived in for 36 years due to the Eaton wildfire, they had no idea they would never see it again. The Halpins evacuated their Altadena, California, home on Jan. 7 due to the incoming Eaton fire with nothing but the clothes on their backs, some paperwork,… -
news
How Trump Responded to the New York Sentencing
Just 10 days before his second inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump’s designation as a convicted felon became official Friday in a New York court. New York Justice Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning no jail time, fine, or other penalty. Such a sentence means it will not likely interfere with Trump’s duties as… -
opinion
Freshman Texas Lawmaker Fights to Enshrine ‘Remain in Mexico’ Migrant Policy Into Law
Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas., introduced his first bill in Congress on Thursday, legislation intended to reinstate President-elect Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy regarding would-be immigrants. The bill would restore a policy from Trump’s first term that required all asylum-seekers coming through Mexico to remain there until their asylum hearing in an American court…. -
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
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
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
New Catholic Archbishop of Washington Opposes ‘Massive Deportation’
What some see as a shot across the bow aimed at President-elect Donald Trump, Pope Francis announced Monday that left-wing Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego would be the next archbishop of Washington. McElroy, 70, will succeed the retiring archbishop, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, who shepherded the more than 600,000 Catholics who… -
opinion
At Washington Post, Democracy Dies in Historical Revisionism With Whitewash of Failed Biden Presidency
In The Washington Post’s self-righteous telling, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” It says so every day, right there below the paper’s masthead. But democracy also dies in historical revisionism, of the sort found Dec. 29 in the Post’s front-page lead story, directly below the masthead and across five columns, titled plaintively: “Joe Biden’s lonely battle to… -
news
Wisconsin to Probe How 193 Absentee Ballots Went Uncounted
The top election oversight body in the battleground state of Wisconsin kicked off 2025 by launching a bipartisan investigation of uncounted ballots in the state’s capital city. Election integrity advocates say that’s a good first step. The Wisconsin Elections Commission—equally split with Republicans and Democrats—voted 6-0 on Thursday to investigate why the city of Madison… -
opinion
How McCormick Won Pennsylvania’s Senate Race
It is just after 9 p.m. on election night in an oversized suite on the 24th floor of downtown Pittsburgh’s Fairmont Hotel. All the couches and cushioned chairs have been placed along the wall and replaced by around a half dozen campaign staffers working at desks, or makeshift desks, watching data start to pour in… -
news
FBI Identifies Texas Man as Bourbon Street Attacker
THE CENTER SQUARE—The FBI has identified the driver of a truck that plowed into a crowd of people celebrating New Year's on Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 35. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, rented the F-150 Lightning truck, the FBI said. Alethea… -
news
Fani Willis Booted From Trump Case in Georgia
A Georgia appeals court on Thursday disqualified Fani Willis, the scandal-plagued prosecutor leading a racketeering case against Donald Trump and his 2020 campaign supporters. The appeals court left the criminal charges in Georgia stemming from the 2020 presidential election in place but booted Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and determined that a new prosecutor… -
news
Ohio’s Solicitor General Credits Heritage Internship for His Conservative Principles
Ohio’s lead government attorney for appeals cases is this year’s recipient of The Heritage Foundation’s Distinguished Intern Alumni Award. T. Elliot Gaiser, tapped late last year as the 11th solicitor general of Ohio, interned 10 years earlier at Heritage. Derrick Morgan, Heritage’s executive vice president, presented Gaiser with the award Dec. 9 at the… -
news
‘Breath of Fresh Air’: Washington Post Admits More Data Needed on ‘Gender Transitioning’ Minors
In a significant shift away from reflexive support for minors undergoing “gender transition” procedures, The Washington Post editorial board published an op-ed on Sunday that called for more robust scientific research to be conducted to determine the health outcomes of puberty blockers and hormones on children. The Post, considered among the most preeminent outlets of the legacy… -
opinion
Trump’s George Washington Moment
Months before the November election, a research study with which I was involved asked respondents which of 10 historical presidents they wished were in the Oval Office today. To prevent “recency” bias, we kept the list to former presidents whose legacies are largely defined: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore… -
news
Battleground Michigan Set to Debate Citizen-Only Voting Initiative
Lawmakers in Michigan—one of the most fiercely contested battleground states in the 2024 presidential election—will consider an amendment to the state Constitution to ensure that only citizens vote. Michigan state Rep. Bryan Posthumus, the No. 2 Republican in the House as floor leader, says that next month he will propose a constitutional amendment requiring prospective voters…