Washington Politics & News
The Daily Signal covers Washington state politics with reporting on progressive Seattle policies, rural-urban divides, tax debates, and political divisions between Western and Eastern Washington.
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opinion
Washington Sets the Stage for Another Financial Crisis
My 13-year-old son told me at the dinner table the other day that Franklin Roosevelt was one of America’s “greatest presidents” because “he ended the Great Depression.” He’s usually a good student, so I checked where he got this tripe, and sure enough, the fairy tale was right there in his American history book. The textbook tells kids that the New Deal ended… -
news
Washington Post Reporter Convicted in Iran, Reigniting Republican Criticisms of Nuclear Deal
Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian was convicted in Iran on espionage charges after being detained in Tehran for more than a year, Iranian media reported Sunday. The verdict sparked immediate backlash from U.S. lawmakers, reviving GOP-led charges against President Barack Obama’s signature Iran nuclear agreement. Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin of New York, Peter Roskam of Illinois,… -
news
21 Questions With Washington Florist Who Refused to Serve Gay Wedding
Barronelle Stutzman, more commonly known as the “Washington florist,” came under fire this year for refusing to make flower arrangements for a gay couple’s wedding. Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Wash., cited her Christian religious beliefs about marriage. After she was labeled a “bigot” by those who oppose her, The Daily Signal sat down with… -
opinion
Washington Gimmickry Protects Planned Parenthood
One of the reasons Washington works so well for the well-connected is because opaque congressional procedures often determine the real policy outcome well in advance of the actual policy debate. This afternoon will provide yet another example of such duplicitous maneuver. The House will vote on a rule to govern debate on a seemingly innocuous… -
news
‘Everything Is Just Going Crazy’: Washington Gears Up for Pope Francis’ Visit
According to Joshua Gonnerman, a doctoral student in historical theology at the Catholic University of America, it’s been anything but business as usual on campus for the past few weeks. “I honestly wouldn’t describe it as much as a buzz or an energy so much as an insanity,” Gonnerman, who has a ticket to attend… -
opinion
Personal Trainers Next on Washington’s Over-Regulation List?
When Andrew Killion opened District Crossfit in 2010, he was training a few handfuls of people in a converted auto garage. Today, Killion oversees one of the largest Crossfit gyms in Washington, D.C., with six full-time employees—called “coaches” in the Crossfit lingo—who help more than 400 members sweat their way through daily workouts in a… -
news
The Washington Post’s Questionable Claim About a Community Health Center
The Washington Post published a questionable claim about a community health center in a story about an Ohio Planned Parenthood clinic. In a story published Tuesday titled “Planned Parenthood is a symbol. This is the reality of one Ohio clinic,” a Washington Post reporter shared anecdotal stories about a day she spent at a Planned Parenthood clinic… -
opinion
What’s Missing From the Washington Debate on Criminal Justice Reform
There has been a lot of talk lately on Capitol Hill about criminal justice reform, and it is expected that both the House and the Senate will take up the issue now that Congress is back in session. Rumor has it that behind-the-scenes discussions are taking place to try to forge bipartisan, bicameral compromise on… -
news
At Home With Dave Brat: Conservative Who Ousted Eric Cantor Sees Little Change in Washington
GLEN ALLEN, VA.—Rep. Dave Brat is weaving his way through a crowd of businessmen and women at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, stopping to shake hands and say hello to nearly all of the 50 attendees who’ve come to watch him speak. To those observing the Republican congressman, it seems as if he knows nearly… -
news
In Washington State, Thousands of Kids Aren’t Returning to School
As charter school teachers in Seattle are showing up to work despite a court’s ruling their schools unconstitutional, public school teachers in the city are on strike, leaving 53,000 students at home for the first few days of the 2015-16 school year. “There’s a big irony here right now in Seattle,” said Liv Finne, director… -
opinion
The So-Called Republican Majority Is Advancing Only Washington’s Priorities
The American people elected a Republican majority to the U.S. Senate believing that a Republican majority would be somehow different from a Democratic majority. Unfortunately, the way the current Senate operates, there is one party, the Washington party. Senate leadership consists of the Mitch McConnell-Harry Reid leadership team. They operate as a team. They support… -
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… -
opinion
225 Years Ago Washington, DC, Was Founded: Here’s Why It Will Never Become the 51st State
It’s that time of the year again: U.S. House Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is ramping up her efforts to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state in the Union. Her bill, which would create the state of New Columbia from the existing District of Columbia, is the latest in a long line of legislative proposals with the… -
news
What the Newest Addition to the Washington Nationals Can Teach Us About Conservatism
Baseball fans should be on the lookout for a new addition at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., later this week. Ladies & gents, please meet the newest #Nats Racing President: Calvin Coolidge! Welcome to The Show, Calvin. pic.twitter.com/ZWox6RpSYB — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 1, 2015 Calvin Coolidge will join five other former U.S. presidents in… -
opinion
Exclusive: Ted Cruz on the ‘Age of Cronyism’ in Washington
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sat down for an exclusive interview with The Daily Signal to talk about what he describes as the “age of cronyism” in Washington. From the backroom deals being made to push through President Obama’s trade agenda to the fight over the Export-Import Bank, sugar subsidies and the ongoing battle to repeal Obamacare,… -
news
Ted Cruz: ‘Washington Fairness’ Is ‘Hammer the Little Guy, Help the Big Guy’
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spoke out today against the cozy relationship between lawmakers on Capitol Hill and corporations’ lobbyists, or what he calls the “Washington Cartel.” He criticized lawmakers with open “ears and wallets” for appeasing special interests while hurting U.S. taxpayers. “Let me explain to you how it works: A bill is set to… -
opinion
Let America Fix the Highways Washington Broke
Congress has a particularly bad habit of bailing out federal programs without addressing the underlying problems that caused failure in the first place. This round, we’re punting the ball on the Highway Trust Fund. However, this time is different. We have a common-sense solution to reform our nation’s transportation policy, modernize America’s outdated transportation infrastructure… -
news
What Do Millennials Want From Washington? A Panel Examines
Washington, D.C.—“There’s a moment coming where we realize it’s on us, that there’s no one coming to save us, that this is not, ‘the adults are coming to fix things,’” said Rock the Vote President Ashley Spillane, alluding to a not-so-distant 2016 election. “I think that that’s coming … and hopefully we will see a… -
opinion
The Dirty Secret of How Washington ‘Balances’ the Budget
For the first time in more than five years, Congress has passed a budget plan. The plan would balance the budget by 2024—but only if Congress were to enact additional enabling legislation that would actually accomplish the savings included in their budget. That’s a huge “if.” This is one of Washington’s dirty secrets. Members of… -
opinion
Cartoon: Washington’s Transportation Spending
Heritage's Michael Sargent wrote about the Highway Transit Fund earlier this week: Transportation funding could hit a dead-end at the end of the month. On May 31, the Highway Trust Fund’s authorization to pay for the nation’s highway and mass transit projects will expire. Even worse, the fund is running a $13 billion cash flow…