Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
The remaining days of the U.S. Export-Import Bank may be numbered, beset as it is by accusations of corporate cronyism, but at least one big-state governor thinks it’s a good idea to start up a smaller-scale version of the federal bank. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes to create what he envisions as the Empire…
“For mainland Chinese who desire freedom and democracy, Hong Kong is like the lighthouse for a boat in the open sea,” Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng says about the unrest in Hong Kong in a brief but moving on-camera prediction to The Daily Signal. Chen, the blind lawyer and scholar best known for exposing…
The stare-down between Hong Kong’s government and pro-democracy demonstrators intensified for a second day after the government pulled out of planned talks. Hong Kong’s government and student leaders of the protests, which began Sept. 28, had agreed to begin talks Friday on the future of democracy in the city. The government canceled the talks after…
Children of various ages assembled at a Christian church in Memphis, Tenn., this week for the first of three “kid only” forums as part of a city-wide effort to diminish adolescent violence. According to the city’s Youth Services Director James Nelson, adults and even local police officers were asked by event organizers to wait outside so the…
In their new book, “The Locust Effect,” authors Victor Boutros and Gary A. Haugen contend the best efforts to help the global poor are thwarted by a “plague of everyday violence” that destroys lives like a “horde of locusts.” According to the authors, the end of poverty requires the end of violence. Violence destroys gains…
CULLMAN, Ala.—Tuscaloosa residents who offer rides to others through the ridesharing service Uber soon could find themselves in handcuffs. A Tuscaloosa city spokeswoman confirmed this week the city will follow through on an ultimatum issued last week and put drivers behind bars for violating Tuscaloosa’s vehicle-for-hire ordinance, a misdemeanor. “The city has decided to step up…
MIAMI—As Election Day nears, absentee ballot fraud will likely be in Florida’s news headlines once again. Carolina Lopez, spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Department of Elections, said staff there can determine if the person requesting a ballot is the one who actually receives it but can’t control what happens to the ballot after that. “It is…
Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India—advocates for children’s rights—will share this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Yousafzai’s fight for girls’ education gained international attention after she was shot by the Taliban for daring to go to school. She has advocated that all girls should be able to do the same. Yousufzai’s father Ziauddin…
To understand Sean Haugh, know that instead of ending his phone conversation with a Daily Signal reporter by saying “Goodbye,” he implored: “Have fun.” Haugh, who begins conversations with a “Howdy,” appears to be a gentle, non-confrontational type who doesn’t fit the persona of a third-party candidate threatening to unhinge a Senate race. Haugh — pronounced…
On a recent episode of TLC’s show 19 Kids and Counting, the message on a pro-life T-shirt was blurred by the network. The show follows the Duggar family, known for their Christian lifestyle. They frequently express their pro-life views. On this week’s episode, one of the Duggar children wore a shirt that reads “I Survived…
In trying to convince voters to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, his Democratic challenger has worked to distance herself from President Obama. In a meeting yesterday with the Louisville Courier-Journal’s editorial board, Alison Lundergan Grimes persistently declined to tell Kentucky voters whether she voted for the president in 2008 and 2012. Grimes previously released an…
Gwyneth Paltrow would like President Obama’s life to be easier. The Oscar-winning actress held a fundraiser Thursday for the Democratic National Committee at her home in Los Angeles, during which she extolled Obama. “It would be wonderful if we were able to give this man all of the power that he needs to pass the…
Employers in the San Francisco Bay Area are adjusting to a new regulation this month that requires them to provide commuter benefits to employees. The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program mandates private, public and non-profit companies with 50 or more full-time employees to offer commuter benefits in an effort to “improve air quality and reduce…
HOUSTON—A federal lawsuit filed by an organizer for Battleground Texas accuses a labor group established by ACORN founder Wade Rathke of instructing an Obamacare navigator to spend time recruiting union members. The complaint echoes decades-old criticisms of Rathke and ACORN that they use federal money meant for services in pursuit of their own labor organizing…
LINCOLN, Neb.—A middle school employee gave teachers training documents advising them not to use “gendered expressions” by calling students “boys and girls” or “ladies and gentlemen,” but to instead use more generic expressions such as campers, readers, athletes or even purple penguins to be more “gender inclusive.” A handout called “12 easy steps on the way…
Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft have expanded to more than 100 cities across the United States, offering an alternative to the traditional taxi. But in this competitive transportation industry, these companies have encountered regulatory barriers and strong opposition from taxi drivers. >>> Uber Fights to Win the Regulatory War The Daily Signal rode with…
The Communists who control China are “many times more dangerous” than the brutal terrorist group ISIS, human rights activist Chen Guangcheng said today in remarks in Washington at The Heritage Foundation. Chen said: I believe that we have underestimated the threat from the Communist regime in China. They are many, many times more dangerous than…
A heartland contest between an embattled Republican incumbent and an upstart challenger could decide whether Democrats lose control of the U.S. Senate Republicans need to net six seats to take over the Senate, and in recent days, Kansas appears to have moved from leaning in independent candidate Greg Orman’s favor to a toss-up that could…
Post by Donald Zolan. An atheist group has demanded that an Oklahoma school remove a poster from its main office–but the school district said “no.” For the last 18 years, a poster based on a painting, “Faith in America” by Donald Zolan, has been displayed in the main office of Kenneth Cooper Middle School in…
Seventh grader Kayla Gillman loves math. She doesn’t love Common Core math. Thanks to Common Core, her Sacramento, Calif., middle school, Turlock Junior High, only offers one one math course for seventh grade students and one math class for eighth grade students. Gillman says it’s not challenging enough, and parents are requesting additional classes that…