Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba yesterday swept headlines, marking a new policy issue for the 2016 presidential race. Many of the rumored hopefuls swiftly reacted to the president’s plan, establishing their positions for 2016. Democrats The Democrat contenders showed unanimous support for Obama’s plan, praising the president’s efforts to open U.S.-Cuban relations for…
A parody movie about a plan to kill North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un has gained more publicity than it bargained for—so much so that Sony canceled the movie’s release. After threats of terror attacks in theaters and ongoing cybersecurity problems for Sony, theaters began pulling the film. After Sony made the announcement to halt the…
Sen. Marco Rubio has come out swinging at President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba. The Florida Republican called it a “concession to tyranny.” Rubio, a Cuban-American, deemed the move a “disgraceful” setback for both Americans and Cubans, writing in the Wall Street Journal that it marks a global “victory” for oppressive regimes. The entire…
In a race that pitted two close friends against one another, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., has decided not to pursue the chairmanship of the Senate Budget Committee, leaving Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., as the panel’s new leader. “My good friend Mike and I have been close since we both entered the Senate together 18 years…
Washington is routinely accused of spending your tax dollars frivolously, but $349 million toward a project that may never be used? “All you’ve done is go around in a damn circle, like a dog chasing his tail,” says a project foreman. The Washington Post exposed the multimillion-dollar NASA construction project, saying it built a $349 million laboratory…
Elizabeth Blaine, a 10-year-old from New Jersey, doesn’t like Common Core. Why? “Because it stinks,” the fourth-grader told school board members Monday night in Montclair, N.J., during a meeting on the national standards. Silencing everyone in the room, Blaine was critical of the assessment group known as PARCC, arguing that she should have the option…
In his first-ever media interview, the military chaplain who was punished for making references to the Bible during a suicide-prevention seminar last month says he was simply doing his job. “What I had tried to communicate with my audience is that depression can be conquered, depression can be overcome, and there are a myriad of…
Kentucky is not a right-to-work state, but one of its counties soon may be. Local officials in Warren County are to vote Friday on a measure that would remove the requirement that workers in some jobs must join a union and pay union dues as a condition of employment. A first reading of the measure…
CNN’s Jake Tapper hosted a contentious panel discussion about the future of Cuba in the wake of President Obama’s decision to unilaterally chart a new course in U.S. relations. The Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow of international studies, debated The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and Julia Sweig, director for Latin American studies at the Council…
The man who waterboarded 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is standing by the CIA’s controversial enhanced interrogation program, saying the intelligence agency and its agents “had to do our duty.” In an interview with Daily Signal senior independent contributor Sharyl Attkisson, James Mitchell, a former Air Force psychologist, shared his thoughts on the controversial Senate…
U.S. aid worker Alan Gross was released this morning after spending five years in a Cuban prison. Today’s prisoner swap marks just one piece of President Obama’s plan to normalize relations with Cuba after decades of hostility. >>> Cuba Frees American Contractor in Prisoner Swap American Alan Gross released in prisoner swap with Cuba; Obama…
The National Children’s Study has been canceled despite almost 10 years of work and $1.3 billion of funding after a National Institutes of Health working group concluded that the project was flawed and too expensive to continue. Researchers and children’s health advocates now fear that while funding for smaller projects will continue in 2015 with…
The Cuban government today freed American contractor Alan Gross after five years of captivity, in a negotiated agreement that signals an overhaul in U.S. policy toward the island. Gross, 65, boarded a U.S. government plane with his wife, Judy, and three members of Congress and arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just before noon. President…
Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen met with several left-leaning groups last month to discuss monetary policy. Now, several conservative organizations are asking for the same opportunity. “Conservatives cannot sit back and allow liberals to have sole voice with the Federal Reserve System,” says @Lonegan Twenty representatives from more than a dozen conservative groups hand-delivered their…
PITTSBURGH — In a sparsely populated township in western Pennsylvania, one ecosystem is attempting to enter a court battle in its own name. In Grant Township, Pennsylvania General Energy wants to convert one of its fracking wells into a waste disposal well. It received a permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March. Township…
Ohio Gov. John Kasich will sign a bill to limit how municipalities can use red light and speed cameras, said his spokesman, Rob Nichols. “We don’t have the bill yet, so I don’t have a sense of timing,” he wrote in an email. “But the governor will sign it.” Senate Bill 342 was passed by…
Jeb Bush has long advocated for all 50 states to adopt Common Core national standards. Now that the former Florida governor has all but confirmed his plans to run for president in 2016, the issue threatens to overshadow his likely campaign. Bush’s name, matched with consistently high polling numbers among potential 2016 Republican candidates, makes…
Facing a series of tough questions from Fox News’ Bret Baier tonight, Sen. Ted Cruz defended his actions over the weekend to force a Senate vote to defund President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. “Every single Senate Democrat is now on record supporting the president’s unconstitutional amnesty,” says @SenTedCruz The rare weekend session drew complaints…
Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership must do what is necessary to rid the nation of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, the Pakistani Taliban), the group claiming responsibility for today’s abominable attack on a Pakistani school that left more than 100 children dead. Nine TTP gunmen stormed the Army Public School and Degree College in Peshawar Tuesday…
As the 113th Congress draws to a close, Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah are facing harsh criticism from colleagues for supposedly opening the door to confirmation of presidential nominees — a claim Lee’s office said is “a complete fabrication.” Through a series of procedural moves, Lee and Cruz tried…