Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
What is the property tax rate in your state? A new map from the Tax Foundation has the answer. The Tax Foundation, a non-partisan research think-tank based in Washington, D.C., notes that states tax property in a variety of ways and that the rates listed are the “effective rate” paid by the taxpayer. Jared Walczak, a…
Since mid-July, after a series of undercover videos showed high-ranking Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of tissue from aborted babies, the organization has been under the microscope. To learn more about the allegations surrounding Planned Parenthood’s abortion practices and the fallout that has ensued, watch this video. >>> Watch the Undercover Videos From the Center for…
In 2015, it is hard to imagine a time when women were not allowed to vote. But in early 1920, as the Roaring Twenties jumped into full swing, the only newfound freedom women enjoyed came in the form of bobbed haircuts and rising hemlines. Then, on August 18, the 19th Amendment was ratified. For the…
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, a key Democrat in the upper chamber, announced his opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran today, becoming the second Senate Democrat to do so. “I have looked into my own soul, and my devotion to principle may once again lead me to an unpopular course, but if Iran…
A Kentucky judge has granted a temporary stay to a county clerk so that she doesn’t have to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples while her case is appealed. The Daily Signal’s Ken McIntyre recently reported that Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has objected to issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the Supreme Court’s…
ABC, NBC, and CBS have “censored” their coverage of undercover videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, according to an analysis conducted by the Media Research Center. The Center for Medical Progress’s undercover videos depict Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of fetal organs at the organization’s affiliates. Planned Parenthood has denied profiting off…
Crystal Willis-Blount, a birth mother and a rape survivor, says that she and her daughter are not “talking points” for pro-choice politicians. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Willis-Blount said that at 14, she was placed in an advanced math class with older students. One day, a fellow student lured her into an empty…
MARIUPOL, Ukraine—A mortar killed Daniel Kasyanenko on a battlefield in eastern Ukraine. He was 19 years old. He died on Aug. 6, almost six months after the Feb. 12 cease-fire. He was one of 18 Ukrainian soldiers to die in a 10-day stretch from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10; 98 Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in…
Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are investigating how Planned Parenthood is using the federal funds that the organization receives. Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent letters to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Planned Parenthood President and CEO Cecile Richards inquiring about Planned Parenthood’s “potentially…
Republicans are happier and more stable in their marriages than Democrats, according to a study released Monday. W. Bradford Wilcox, a prominent sociologist at the University of Virginia, released the analysis finding that Republicans are more often married, less likely to be divorced, and happier in their marriages than Democrats. Forty percent of Democrats between…
When Nasrin Kholghy opened the letter from the city of Glendale, Colo., in April, it transported her back to another country in another time. The letter notified Kholghy of an upcoming city council meeting. There, Glendale’s leaders would be voting to approve the use of a tool that would give them the power to take…
Under a deal requiring Iran to curb its nuclear program, the United States and the broader international community will lift sanctions on Tehran imposed over several decades. The Obama administration has said the deal will give Iran relief from nuclear-related sanctions, and not impact other sanctions aimed at Tehran over its sponsorship of terrorism and…
Arkansas and Utah have become the fourth and fifth states to block or partially block taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, following a series of undercover videos depicting senior executives discussing prices for fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood spokespersons have condemned the Center for Medical Progress, the pro-life organization behind the videos, as “anti-choice extremists” and…
MARIUPOL, Ukraine—Thunderstorms hovering over the Sea of Azov caught the setting sun, turning orange and then pink. A cool end-of-day breeze kicked up. Later Sunday night in downtown Mariupol when the artillery started, the booms and flashing lights over the rooftops looked like lightning and sounded like thunder. To the trained ear, however, the sounds…
Fifty-three years ago today, the eyes of the world turned to East Germany as an 18-year-old’s suffering became an international symbol of cruelty. Peter Fechter, just 18 years old at the time of his death in 1962, was fatally shot down by East German border guards as he attempted to cross into West Germany during the…
Two leading pro-life organizations released a map today intended to showcase the thousands of community health care clinics that could step in for Planned Parenthood if it were to lose federal funding. The map adds to a heated conversation about whether stripping Planned Parenthood of its $500 million annual taxpayer dollars would hurt women’s health…
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—In a battle of political wills in Rhode Island, local voters so far have held their ground against efforts by union leaders and state officials to make them pay more for fire and rescue services. State lawmakers and local activists who side with the voters, however, see the situation as an ongoing threat to…
Family and friends of a Christian cake designer hope to help him with a fundraising campaign after a Colorado court ruled Thursday that he must create cakes for same-sex weddings despite his religious beliefs. “Cake artist” Jack Phillips has said his bakery, Masterpiece Cakeshop, has lost more than a third of its receipts since he…
CLEAR LAKE, Iowa— Democratic presidential candidates spoke at a historic rock and roll landmark here Friday night, with each using the Iowa Wing Ding dinner to lay out their policies. #WingDing dinner 2015 pic.twitter.com/6XvHPLQvWO — Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015 Guest speakers were former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland…
ALDEN, Iowa—The Environmental Protection Agency needs to “roll back” regulations, said former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina Thursday evening at a town hall meeting a few miles outside of the “best town by a dam site.” “The regulations that the EPA is rolling out now will destroy livelihoods. They will increase the cost of…