Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Washington has succumbed to another diplomatic mirage: the Russian promise of a limited pause in the intensifying war in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that they had agreed to an arrangement to “accelerate and expand” deliveries of humanitarian aid to starving civilians in besieged areas, to be…
In yet another egregious case of civil asset forfeiture abuse, Michigander John Gutowski was forced to spend years fighting the government to reclaim over $250,000 in seized assets. Even after dropping criminal charges against him, prosecutors refused to return his property unless he agreed to let them keep $15,000 of his hard-earned money. What was…
Some may think Congress has given up on taking further action against the Iran deal, but in a video interview with The Daily Signal, Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., says it’s not time for lawmakers to give up. Since the deal was officially recognized by President Barack Obama, Iran’s behavior has remained antagonistic, including the seizure…
Poor George Washington. His birthday, spontaneously celebrated since the revolution and formally declared a holiday in 1879, has slowly morphed into the insipid Presidents Day you’ll hear about Monday. Washington, the “indispensable man” of the revolution who was rightly extolled for being “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his…
This Valentine’s Day, skip the chocolate and flowers. If you really want your spouse to be happy, the best thing for your relationship may be to celebrate Valentine’s Day by going to church and praying together. A new study—released just in time for National Marriage Week and Valentine’s Day—suggests that attending church with your significant…
Washington, D.C., public schools consistently underperform relative to the rest of the country, while having the highest per-pupil revenue in the nation. Clearly the “spend more” model has not been working for the families of Washington, D.C. D.C. revenue exceeds $29,000 per pupil every year, while graduation rates hover at about 64 percent and only…
The fundamental problem with the 2016 primary “debates” among presidential candidates (especially Republicans) is that they are not debates—they are news conferences sanctioned by the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National Committee. As long as the TV and cable networks and other news organizations are in charge, we are going to have “gotcha” questions, arbitrary…
The Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, has released a second report on Operation Fast and Furious that questions whether other law enforcement agencies within the Justice Department have implemented the inspector general’s recommendations that were intended to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made. This…
Kim Holmes wrote earlier this week on the president's budget plan. President Barack Obama’s $4.1 trillion budget plan is out. Alas, it’s more of the same. It calls for raising taxes but does nothing to rein in the nation’s out-of-control debt, which is estimated to exceed $19 trillion. You would think that Obama knew better….
This is National Marriage Week, and it is fitting that the week ends with Valentine’s Day. After all, commitment of marriage vows provides the foundation for the lasting love that is heralded in the holiday greeting cards. Sadly, throughout the past 50 years, marriage rates have plummeted, while the rates of cohabitation among couples have…
Last month, I reported that the Obama administration was resisting a bipartisan push to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. But now, that pressure has produced results. First, a bit of background. The administration is reforming the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which sets out what defense items are subject to the stringent…
President Barack Obama released his final budget this week. It’s a budget that embraces the spending agreement Obama negotiated with outgoing House Speaker John Boehner last year. Republicans in Congress will make the next move. And it’s important that Congress not bless the Boehner-Obama spending agreement in its budget. The Boehner-Obama budget-buster passed Congress with only 79…
Did you hear about the new bill that California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law? Under penalty of whopping fines, the new law orders the abortion giant Planned Parenthood and every other abortion facility in the Golden State to post a prominent notice in their waiting rooms, or give the mothers written or digital…
This February is the 225th anniversary of Alexander Hamilton’s and Thomas Jefferson’s famous 1791 debate—carried on in President George Washington’s cabinet—over the constitutionality of Hamilton’s proposed Bank of the United States. It might seem strange to call such an anniversary to mind. After all, we usually celebrate our great moments of national agreement (like the…
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly passed a resolution referring to the Islamic State (ISIS)’s killing of religious minorities under its control as “genocide” in the Middle East. Now, it is the United States’ turn to act. In its resolution, the parliament recognized that “religious and ethnic minorities, such as Christian (Chaldean/Syriac/Assyrian, Melkite, and Armenian), Yazidi, Turkmens, Shabak,…
The American people are concerned. Worries surround the Visa Waiver Program, the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe, and the ever increasing number of domestic terror plots. A recent Gallup poll lists terrorism as the number-one concern of Americans. While most Americans want to see more homeland security protections, it is critical they understand that…
President Barack Obama’s $4.1 trillion budget plan is out. Alas, it’s more of the same. It calls for raising taxes but does nothing to rein in the nation’s out-of-control debt, which is estimated to exceed $19 trillion. You would think that Obama knew better. The dangers are plain to see. Without some check on social…
The folks running Twitter may be too young to have heard of George Orwell, or perhaps they simply do not care that their new advisory council sounds frighteningly Orwellian. Either way, the brand new “Twitter Trust and Safety Council” seems like a board ready to censor comments in deference to political correctness. It doesn’t help…
In a recent New York Times op-ed, Linda Greenhouse takes the Supreme Court justices to task for the “startling” action of asking the Obama administration to address whether its deferred-action immigration program violates the Take Care Clause of the Constitution. The Take Care Clause is the president’s duty to “take Care that the Laws be…
After a year of debate in the New Jersey state legislature, young entrepreneurs in the state finally have the right to shovel snow without fear of legal consequences. Right before the historic blizzard of 2016, Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill into law removing the need for, of all things, a license to shovel snow….