Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
The results are in. When it comes to economic freedom, Hong Kong takes the gold, with Singapore following closely behind and New Zealand rounding out the top three in The Heritage Foundation’s 2015 Index of Economic Freedom. The annual index, now in its 21st year, is a guide for measuring improvements in 186 countries’ economic…
Just how comfortable with public displays of affection are the men and women who would be president? A look at their social media accounts today is one way to find out. On Valentine’s Day, the Democrats and Republicans thinking about setting their hearts on the White House next year didn’t exactly steam up Twitter with sweet nothings for their…
One day after launching an investigation that could delay Loretta Lynch’s confirmation to be attorney general, a Republican senator is raising more questions about her role in a money laundering settlement involving a global bank, terrorists and drug cartels. Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, negotiated a settlement in December 2012 with…
Last week, President Obama outlined his budget proposal for fiscal year 2016. It includes an increase in defense spending over the next 10 years to keep pace with inflation but falls short of the level proposed by The Heritage Foundation. After a 25 percent reduction in annual spending over the past six years, Heritage's Diem Nguyen Salmon…
London Mayor Boris Johnson, on a visit to Washington, D.C., today, praised former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential frontrunner. Johnson, who appeared at a Politico event hosted by Mike Allen this morning, heaped praise on Clinton, whom he met earlier this week in New York. Their meeting included foreign policy topics ranging from…
Sen. Marco Rubio is attempting to end Operation Choke Point—for good. The Florida Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate introduced legislation yesterday that would completely defund the Justice Department program while protecting gun sellers and manufacturers from future attempts to eradicate the industry. “It has become clear that the FDIC and the Department of Justice…
Debate over the future of the Export-Import Bank is beginning to ramp up on Capitol Hill again. Today, the House Financial Services Committee rejected an amendment that would have forced the panel to formally consider reauthorization of the bank. Three Democrats on the committee—ranking member Maxine Waters of California and Reps. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin…
A group of conservative members of Congress are urging Senate Republicans to stand their ground in the high-stakes standoff with Democrats over funding the Department of Homeland Security and rolling back President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. “I would strongly encourage … Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hold the line on this,” said Rep. Mark…
Conservative lawmakers are raising questions and voicing concerns about President Obama's request to use of military force against the Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS or ISIL. At today’s Conversations with Conservatives, a Capitol Hill event organized by The Daily Signal, several members of Congress said they were uncertain about the Authorization for Use of…
Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee for attorney general, is facing questions about why she let multiple bank employees who funneled millions of dollars to the Iranian government, Middle Eastern terrorists and Mexican drug cartels walk away without criminal prosecution. Sen. David Vitter, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today launched an investigation into the…
Democratic commentator Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who rose and fell quickly in the 2004 presidential race, sounded this morning like he thinks a college degree should be a prerequisite for holding the top job in the White House. Dean said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s three and a half…
The Republican National Committee held its third annual Black Republican Trailblazer Awards luncheon at the historic Howard Theater on Howard University’s campus yesterday. The event recognized the recent success of black leaders in the Republican Party. The event, hosted by CNN’s Tara Setmayer Love and TV One’s Roland Martin, honored three Republicans: Sen. Tim Scott…
MIAMI—When Sebastian Arcos steps back to evaluate President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba, he tries to forget his own experiences with the Castro regime. But it’s difficult for Arcos to have a clean perspective because the Cuban government’s imprints are all over his life—he spent a year in prison, and was kicked out…
President Obama is calling on Congress to pass a three-year authorization of war against ISIS, also known as the Islamic State or ISIL. The draft request, formally called an Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF), came almost six months after the president began launching attacks against ISIS—first in Iraq, then in Syria. The president’s proposal…
Located just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, a local food kitchen in Washington, D.C., is changing the way people think about food distribution to those in need. Its success has lawmakers taking note. Yesterday, the D.C. Central Kitchen played host to two House Republican leaders and a Missouri congressman. They were there to promote the…
Utah is considering legislation that would mandate out-of-state online retailers to collect Utah sales taxes or obtain a license to continue selling their products in the state. Utah state Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, the incoming president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, supports bill, arguing that online retailers should have to collect the same…
More than 500,000 people enrolled in health plans offered by nonprofit insurance companies created under the Affordable Care Act. And with the co-ops receiving an average of $108.7 million from the federal government, taxpayer-backed funding per enrollee topped $17,000. Twenty-three co-ops received a total of $2.5 billion from the federal government and enrolled more than…
For more than 15 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has resisted releasing data from two key studies to the general public and members of Congress. Government regulators used those studies to craft some of the most expensive environmental rules in U.S. history. When skeptics within the federal government questioned and challenged the integrity of the…
During a recently-released interview, President Obama told Vox that the culprits of an attack in Paris were “a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.” Last month, a gunman identified as Amedy Coulibaly took hostages in the Jewish deli Hyper Cacher in…
In a move that surprised some Republicans in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters his chamber is “stuck” in its standoff with Democrats over funding the Department of Homeland Security. He put the onus on the House of Representatives to come up with a solution. “I think it’s clearly stuck in the Senate,…