Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Genevieve Wood wrote about Planned Parenthood and the media in her column earlier this week: In the case of the unfolding scandal involving the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, much of the mainstream media have fallen for the old line, “Nothing to see here.” And now we find out perhaps one reason why is…
Late Wednesday, the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) banning the Center for Medical Progress from releasing video of a meeting with three StemExpress employees at a restaurant last May, potentially violating fundamental First Amendment precedents that bar prior restraints on speech. The Center for Medical Progress (CMP), a group of…
The Senate is attempting to move forward with allegedly non-controversial legislation, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015, which, according to proponents, contains no “poison pills.” But for anyone who wants to swallow a strong dose of government intervention and anti-market energy policy, this bill is chock-full of poison pills. Like the last two major…
The Internet is an incredibly powerful force for commerce and free expression. The same reasons that so many people value the Internet, however, lead a number of governments to fear it and seek to control it. Since the early 1990s, when the modern Internet was born, the U.S. has sought to preserve the open, dynamic…
In yet another example of government waste, Washington maintains a $111 million program that sells information that is mostly available for free on the internet. The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) charges users for access to government information and services. Government agencies and the general public can purchase subscription access to government reports, distribution of…
With every new terrorist attack, the inevitable question we all end up asking is “why didn’t anyone see it coming?” Even with the increased experience of terrorism around the globe, there is still no clear answer for how and why someone becomes motivated to commit these heinous crimes. In recent congressional testimony, FBI Director James…
In the case of the unfolding scandal involving the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, much of the mainstream media have fallen for the old line, “Nothing to see here.” And now we find out perhaps one reason why is that Planned Parenthood has hired a major crisis PR firm to make sure the news…
What do you do when you can’t persuade the American people to embrace your values? You use government coercion to impose those values on people. And you get rich corporate elites to lobby government on your behalf. That’s what’s taking place right now in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage. Last…
The Afghan government has reported that Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar died at a hospital in Pakistan two years ago. The Taliban has not yet officially confirmed the reports, but most evidence points to their veracity. There had been growing speculation over the last several months that Omar was dead since he had not…
We often boast about having attained some unimaginable redefinition of ourselves and our nation. How odd, then, that someone born 210 years ago today could understand us with more clarity and depth than we understand ourselves. Back in 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville accurately foresaw both much of what ails us and our remarkable uniqueness and…
Fifty years ago, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation creating the nation’s two largest federal health entitlements, Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare was created as a social insurance program for seniors and those with disabilities. It is financed primarily by payroll taxes collected during a recipient’s working life, and secondarily by personal…
At a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Secretary of State John Kerry was asked why the administration did not submit the Iran nuclear agreement to the Senate for its advice and consent as an Article II treaty. Kerry responded that the agreement wasn’t treated as a treaty “because you can’t pass a treaty…
For eight consecutive weeks, tens of thousands of people have flooded the streets in Guatemala and Honduras to protest government corruption in what Hondurans are calling “marcha de las anatorches,” or March of the Torches. The protests are a positive step for Hondurans and Guatemalans to keep government officials accountable. Accusations of bribery and tax…
Turkey, a NATO member, conducted multiple airstrikes over the weekend in both Syria and Northern Iraq. Here’s what you need to know from Luke Coffey, Margaret Thatcher fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a U.S. Army veteran. Q: Whom is Turkey fighting, and where have they launched air strikes? A: Turkey says it is fighting…
In early July, Bangladeshi police arrested a dozen members of al-Qaeda’s branch in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS). The arrests bring the emerging al-Qaeda threat in Bangladesh to the forefront and underscore the importance of U.S. engagement with the country. The 12 suspects were arrested in three separate raids in Dhaka by the Rapid Action Battalion…
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State (IS), the Daesh—these are various names given to the Islamist extremists whom nearly everyone has heard of by now. At the start of this year’s Aspen Security Forum, FBI Director James Comey noted, “ISIL is…
Justice Samuel Alito joined Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol for a 90-minute conversation about life, baseball and a few recent Supreme Court decisions. Alito expressed concern about what “liberty” means following the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause, which prohibits the deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process…
The debate over the revelation of the referral to the Justice Department of Hillary Clinton’s email activities as Secretary of State missed several important points, particularly the preferential treatment she has been given so far. Any other federal employee found to have discussed high-level, sensitive government business in her personal emails, including possibly classified materials,…
After multiple tries, the U.S. Supreme Court will have the opportunity next term to overturn an outdated ruling from a 1977 case, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. Previously, the Court ruled against public school teachers who didn’t want to pay dues to a union. The Supreme Court has recently made clear that government employees…
For the last 30 years start-ups have been steadily declining as a share of total businesses in the U.S. This is especially worrisome given that start-ups account for most of the new job creation in the economy. Entrepreneurship is a key source of innovation in our economy, as well as an important factor driving productivity…