Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
It was a heck of a Christmas for David Fairchild and his wife, Clara Peterson. They found out they were about to lose their new health insurance. “Clara was listening to the news on Iowa Public Radio and that’s how we found out,” Fairchild says. They went to their health plan’s website that night. “No…
A group of conservative leaders has a message for Congress: Remember what voters told you in November. “The message from voters was an emphatic rejection of President Obama’s policies,” says @RichardViguerie The “Citizens Mandate From the November 2014 Election” provides Congress with marching orders and vows to hold lawmakers accountable if they fail to heed…
HERSHEY, Pa. — Mitt Romney may not have support from Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. But Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah is on board with a potential third run from the 2012 Republican presidential candidate. Speaking with reporters today at the joint Republican retreat in Hershey, Penn., Chaffetz, a Romney supporter, endorsed another White House…
HERSHEY, Pa. — Just one day after the House of Representatives passed legislation rolling back several of President Obama’s immigration policies, GOP lawmakers from both chambers of Congress are expressing skepticism about whether the bill will win approval in the Senate. “We want to give our members an opportunity to vote and express their opposition…
Military support for President Obama is at its lowest point since he took office. According to a new poll, since 2009, Obama has incurred a 57 percent drop in his approval rating by military personnel. At the same time, Obama’s support among the civilian population is improving, as his overall approval rating jumped five points…
Pope Francis spoke out on last week’s terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, suggesting there should be limits to freedom of expression, especially when dealing with insults to religion. “If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch,” Francis said, according to numerous press reports….
More families moved out of Ohio than moved into the state last year, according to reports from three of the nation’s largest moving companies. While each company’s records show only a small subset of all relocations across state lines, their annual reports offer a glimpse at interstate migration before the release of the U.S. Census…
A government advisory committee will soon issue its recommendations for the 2015 dietary guidelines to the federal agencies. And this year, it’s weighing environmental concerns along with nutritional needs. “You’re going to have kids eating what’s best for the environment, not what’s best for them,” says @DarenBakst The U.S. Department of Agriculture calls these guidelines…
Despite significant opposition from a group of Republican senators, the Department of Defense announced yesterday that five detainees would be transferred from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to Oman and Estonia. “The detainees that remain at Guantanamo are the worst of the worst, and their continued release will only further damage our national…
The Obama administration Friday will begin carrying out the first major initiative in its policy to normalize relations with Cuba, most significantly, making it easier for Americans to travel to the island. Among the new U.S. regulations: American citizens can bring home small amounts of Cuban cigars. Under new Treasury and Commerce Department regulations announced…
A new political startup has studied the potential 2016 presidential field—and those who donate to them. Researchers at Stanford University started Crowdpac, a website that not only analyzes a candidate’s voting record and statements but their history of political donations as well. The founders of Crowdpac say that combining these factors provides a more accurate picture…
How does your state regulate the abortion industry? One pro-life group has released a map to help you find out. “The abortion industry should … not be allowed to keep profits high and standards low,” says @CharmaineYoest. Americans United for Life released the “2015 Life List” this week, ranking all 50 states based on their…
Move over Republican Study Committee. There’s about to be a new conservative group in town. Just two months after the 172-member organization elected Rep. Bill Flores of Texas as its new chairman, a group of nine lawmakers decided to split from the RSC and form its own conservative caucus. The group doesn’t yet have a name,…
CULLMAN, Ala. — The University of Alabama may have not proven such a bully on the football field this year, taking it on the chin against Ohio State in the national playoff semifinal. But it may yet flex its muscle in state politics. While Bama and 75 other Football Bowl Subdivision teams played postseason games…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An unelected board of 11 people in this city soon will decide whether to grant $9.5 million in tax incentives to the IKEA corporation. Company officials want to open their first store in Tennessee and are asking city and county officials for that much government assistance through its first 11 years of operation. The…
Another gun seller says his firearms business was forced to shut down its bank account as a result of the government’s secretive initiative known as Operation Choke Point. This time, he’s offering audio recordings to prove it. Mike Schuetz is a former state employee who worked as a probation and parole officer for eight years…
The GOP-led House voted today to undo major portions of President Obama’s immigration policy, including his recent executive actions and an earlier program that allowed immigrants who entered the country illegally as children—a group known as Dreamers—to stay. In voting 236-191 to pass a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security through the end of…
The FBI has arrested an Ohio man for allegedly plotting an “ISIS-inspired” attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to ABC News. The FBI said agents arrested Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, in Ohio as he allegedly was taking the final steps toward traveling to the nation’s capital to carry out the plan. ABC reports that government…
Retailers in the gun industry told The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness this week that they’re being discriminated against by payment processors that prohibit the use of their systems for online—and some in-store—sales of firearms, ammunition and certain accessories. The news prompted a full segment last night on Fox News’ “The Kelly File.” Watch the clip…
Toward the end of Jon Stewart’s on-air interview last night with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the comic suggested tea party conservatives would reject policy ideas in his new book, “American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone.” Rubio, who is mulling a run for president next year, would have none of it.  The Florida Republican rebuffed…