Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va.—Blasting as “fundamentally un-American” the seizure of assets from citizens, a state lawmaker wants to rein in police powers in Virginia. Virginia law currently allows police to seize property without even a hearing. State Delegate Mark Cole, a Republican from Spotsylvania, has introduced legislation to be taken up in the General Assembly next January that…
RALEIGH, N.C.–For Republicans, “ground zero” is the state where the party’s fortunes in the Senate could be won or lost. And for a Republican Party that has traditionally struggled to match the Democrats’ ground game, “ground zero” is also the volunteer-driven campaign offices dotted throughout that same state. “This is ground zero in America,” said…
A group of horseback riders and grassroots activists rode into Washington, D.C., last week after traveling nearly 2,800 miles from the California coast to raise awareness about the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to revoke their grazing rights and the federal government’s extensive ownership of land and natural resources in the West. The group, which calls…
A dispute between the Republican research firm America Rising and a Wikipedia editor named “Jehochman” has triggered a debate about editing Wikipedia pages during political campaigns. Jonathan Hochman, founder of an Internet marketing and technology firm in Cheshire, Conn., is the man behind Jehochman. In his spare time, Hochman monitors potential conflicts of interest and controversial edits on the free encyclopedia….
Martha Boneta says a regional conservation group has trespassed repeatedly on her small farm in Paris, Va., about an hour outside Washington, D.C. Boneta says the group, the Piedmont Environmental Council, has attempted to drive her off the farm through overzealous zoning enforcement, unwarranted and overly invasive inspections and an IRS audit she says was…
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Chuck Todd this morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the World Health Organization was to blame for not adequately preparing U.S. hospitals for cases of Ebola in the United States. Watch the video clip to find out what went wrong. >>> Meet the New…
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee is calling on “every pastor in America” to send their sermons to Annise D. Parker, the Houston mayor who is under fire for demanding pastors hand over their sermons to the government. Huckabee is also asking Americans across the nation to send Parker copies of their Bibles. “I hope she gets thousands…
MADISON, Wis.—A Milwaukee County prosecutor who authorized pre-dawn, paramilitary-style raids on the homes of conservative activists last year has significantly expanded his department's armed investigative force in recent years, an investigation shows. It’s all part of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm’s drive to start his own police force and expand his power, according to Milwaukee County Sheriff David…
No bloviating: It was an exchange you don’t want to miss. On “The Daily Show” the other night, host Jon Stewart and Fox News giant Bill O’Reilly went at it over “white privilege,” the idea that whites—especially white men—continue to have an advantage over all other races. Stewart probably wasn’t expecting the facts that came next,…
Total deportations by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement shrunk by 15 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to a new report by the Center for Immigration Studies. Continuing a trend from last year, immigration enforcement activity by ICE officers has declined across the board in areas such as deportations and arrests, with some numbers dropping by…
An Oklahoma student has sparked outrage about federal school lunch guidelines after taking a picture of her meager lunch. Kaytlin Shelton’s lunch consisted of a few slices of lunch meat, a slice of cheese, two small packages of crackers and two pieces of cauliflower. The lunch is particularly small for Shelton, 17, who is eight…
White House reporters are testing a system to circumvent White House involvement in the distribution of press “pool” reports. As The Daily Signal previously reported, Obama administration officials have come under fire recently from journalists who accuse them of delaying and altering the reports. “No one should ever assume that the White House is approving or…
Move over, flash mobs. Mass Mobs are here. Inspired by flash mobs, groups of Catholics have started Mass Mobs, an effort to gather the faithful to a specific church via social networking to attend Mass together. “This group is bringing back the community,” says the Rev. Ravi Marneni of St. Francis D’Assisi. Mass Mobs have popped…
President Obama today turned to a trusted lawyer and political operative to become the nation’s “Ebola czar,” charged with managing the effort to contain the deadly virus. Obama’s pick, Ron Klain, oversaw implementation in 2009 of what proved to be the president’s largely ineffective $800 billion economic stimulus package while chief of staff to Vice…
A House committee today released a letter showing government regulators pressuring an Ohio bank to terminate all relationships with payday lenders. “[W]e have generally found that activities related to payday lending are unacceptable for an insured depository institution,” wrote Anthony Lowe, regional director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, wrote in the letter dated Feb….
Conservatives are more likely to vote than liberals in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new poll released by The Pew Research Center. Seventy-three percent of respondents who said they are “consistently conservative,” and 52 percent of those who are “mostly conservative” reported that they are likely to vote in the election. Meanwhile, 58…
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Politico that the GOP could win one third of the black vote in 2016 by promoting “criminal-justice reform, school choice and economic empowerment.” In a phone interview with Politico, Paul said: If Republicans have a clue and do this and go out and ask every African-American for their vote, I think…
AirBNB can easily help travelers find unique locations to stay such as castles, villas and igloos. Places to stay in New York, however, might be more difficult to find. AirBNB is an online service that connects property owners with renters. Renters can search among AirBNB’s hosts for places to stay while traveling. On Thursday, New…
RICHMOND, Va. — Thirsty for jobs and good times, the city of Richmond is vowing to build a brewery on the James River. The estimated $36 million tab includes $5 million from Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s “Opportunity Fund.” If approved by the City Council, most of the money will be raised with a general revenue bond,…
California’s beleaguered Obamacare exchange is once again in the crosshairs of a state senator who is demanding answers following reports that millions in contracts never went out to bid and instead were awarded to friends of the agency’s director. Sen. Ted Gaines, who also is the GOP candidate for state insurance commissioner on the November…