Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
Last night, President Barack Obama appeared on the Colbert Report for an interview with Stephen Colbert. They discussed several topics, such as the midterm elections, the jobs report and the Keystone pipeline. On the online “Extended Interview,” Colbert asked a pointed question alluding to Obama’s use of executive power. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert…
Two years ago General Dynamics, one of the biggest federal contractors, reported a quarterly loss of $2 billion. An “eye-watering” result, one analyst called it. Diminishing wars and plunging defense spending had slashed the weapons maker’s revenue and left some subsidiaries worth far less than it had paid for them. But the company was already…
Politics are frozen. Budgets are tight. But business purchases by the Department of Health and Human Services have doubled to $21 billion annually in the last decade and are expected to continue rising. HHS is now the No. 3 contracting agency, thanks to health-law spending combined with outlays for computer upgrades and Medicare’s drug program…
The Ferguson I experienced was a far cry from the images we see on TV and online. Among the charred remains of businesses destroyed during the Nov. 24 riots, joggers passed while families enjoyed a mild sunny morning. I will never forget the smells that emanated with each breeze. It was a burning smell, as if…
Each year, residents of Washington, D.C., enjoy an abundance of Christmas celebrations unique to the nation’s capital. From “The Nutcracker” ballet at the Kennedy Center to the enormous wreaths hung outside Union Station, Washington offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Christmas season. Since the tradition was begun by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923, the lighting…
CORNISH TOWNSHIP, Minn. — Developers of a proposed 10-turbine wind farm that has come under fire from dozens of residents have denied alleged permit violations and reaffirmed plans to proceed with the controversial project, newly filed documents with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission reveal. Indiana-based WESCO Wind blamed construction delays on the project, which has been…
Senior officials at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation actively sought to crack down on legal businesses that the Obama administration – or the officials themselves – deemed morally objectionable, a new congressional report finds. Released today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the 20-page investigative report details how the FDIC worked closely with the…
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is going up against one of his closest friends in the U.S. Senate for the plum post of Budget Committee chairman — a matchup that could determine, in part, the policy agenda as Republicans take control of the upper chamber next month. Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Budget Committee,…
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has drafted legislation to prohibit the federal government from “mandating, incentivizing or coercing” states to adopt the national education standards known as Common Core, The Daily Signal has learned. The intent of Vitter’s bill is to enable states to more easily exit the national standards, which more and more parents and educators…
President Obama once delivered a “profanity-laced tirade” in an off-the-record session with reporters when he wasn’t happy about media coverage, according to retired ABC News correspondent Ann Compton. In an interview with C-Span, Compton said that in the last year she had seen “Barack Obama really angry twice:” Both were off-the-record times. One, profanity-laced where…
The nation’s “Ebola czar,” Ron Klain, plans to move back to the private sector less than five months after being tasked to oversee the government response to the possible spread of the deadly virus. Klain is president of Case Holdings, an investment firm, and general counsel for Revolution, its venture capital group. “Ron agreed to…
Why did Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal withdraw his support for Common Core national education standards and tests? In the hot seat yesterday on “Fox News Sunday,” Jindal — a potential 2016 presidential candidate — explained to host Chris Wallace what led him to change his position and whether the move was politically motivated. >>> How…
Ahead of the release of a report detailing anti-terrorism actions taken by the Central Intelligence Agency during his two terms in the White House, former President George W. Bush yesterday called the men and women who work there “patriots” and any findings that diminish their work “way off base.” The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected…
Two state labor officials have publicly acknowledged there are ample opportunities for “community organizers” and labor unions to partner with government agencies to enforce workplace laws and regulations against American businesses. Speaking at the Center for American Progress last week, California Labor Commissioner Julie Su and Terri Gerstein, labor bureau chief for New York’s attorney general,…
Under President Obama, government officials are aggressively enforcing the law against employers who fail to pay the minimum wage, deny overtime compensation and misclassify workers as contractors. That was the central message Labor Secretary Tom Perez delivered before an audience of approximately 100 attendees last week at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C….
Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson today issued a warning to journalists covering the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and encouraged them to look at the evidence presented before accusing police officers of being motivated by race. Attkisson today discussed Brown and Garner’s cases on Fox News’ “Media Buzz.” Both men, who were unarmed, died…
Former President George W. Bush today said that in the six years since he’s left the White House, Russian President Vladimir Putin has become more of a “zero-sum type thinker.” Bush, who attempted to mend relations with Putin during his presidency, spoke about how the Russian president’s thinking has evolved in an interview with CNN’s…
In his first interview since ousting incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu in Saturday’s runoff election for U.S. Senate in Louisiana, Rep. Bill Cassidy said his win is the “exclamation mark” on the message voters sent to Washington on Nov. 4. Last month’s midterm elections saw Republicans take control of the Senate and capture the largest majority in the House…
Seventy-three years ago today, on Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, an act that plunged the nation into World War II. The surprise attack that Sunday lasted less than two hours but killed more than 2,500, wounded about 1,000 and ruined 318 American ships and airplanes. Today…
President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense will need to penetrate the White House’s tight inner circle of national security and foreign policy advisers to influence the president’s decision-making, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said yesterday. In an interview with The Daily Signal within hours of Ashton Carter’s nomination, McCain said he isn’t convinced the veteran…