Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
President Obama has not been this mad since last week when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress raising key concerns over the nuclear negotiations with Iran. In response, the White House marshalled as many voices as it could muster to demonize and delegitimize Netanyahu’s address and the concerns he raised….
The U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is like much of the United Nations: it won’t achieve anything, but that doesn’t stop it from holding a lot of meetings. The latest meeting was held in Trinidad last month to prepare, of course, for yet another meeting — the first Conference of States Parties to the treaty,…
In support of the U.S.–China Economic and Security Commission, the RAND Corporation provided a report on the limitations of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Immediately, a chorus of voices was citing the report to show that the Chinese threat was overblown. Time magazine’s Mark Thompson wished that more people would read the report, since…
You’ve probably heard the claim that deficits have been cut in half and are at the smallest level since 2009, implying that the nation has corrected its fiscal course. But that’s not nearly whole story. The Congressional Budget Office’s latest “Updated Budget Projections: 2015 to 2025,” which details spending, revenues and deficits, shows that while…
Does the Constitution require the government to recognize same-sex marriages? With the Supreme Court set to hear arguments this term on cases about same-sex marriage, it’s a pressing question. In February, Ryan T. Anderson, the William E. Simon fellow at The Heritage Foundation, spoke to students and faculty at The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio…
Today Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation making Wisconsin the nation’s 25th right-to-work state. The victory is a historic moment for the growing right-to-work movement. Workers in half the country are now free to stop paying dues to a union they feel is not representing their interests. Despite vehement pushback from union officials, Walker stood with…
2015 marks a milestone in American history. One hundred and fifty years ago, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant and ended the Civil War. Shortly thereafter, Orestes Augustus Brownson (1803-1876), a prominent journalist and philosopher, published “The American Republic,” an erudite defense of the Federal Constitution. As noted in our…
The Daily Signal devoted significant coverage to the congressional standoff over President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Our report last week examining how the GOP’s legislative strategy ultimately failed prompted several of you to share your thoughts: — • — Thanks for writing an in-depth reveal of how Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader…
The year was 1965; the date March 7. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” it was the day brothers and sisters of all walks of life gathered in Selma, Alabama, for a movement that would leave a lasting mark on this country’s history. Motivated by a cause larger than themselves, these brave individuals set out on a treacherous…
Recently, President Obama has trotted out a new line regarding his executive action on immigration: It’s supported not just by the law but by something more majestic…history! In Florida, he confidently repeated the point to MSNBC host Jose Diaz-Balart: “We’re going to be as aggressive as we can, because not only do we know that…
San Franciscans are currently debating a simple question: Should the government respect the right of Catholic schools to be authentically Catholic? San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone thinks so. But eight California senators and assemblymen sent the archbishop a letter last month, saying that his actions in issuing new faculty guidelines “foment a discriminatory environment in…
The world seems to be becoming more dangerous these days. Not so coincidentally, America’s military power continues to decline rapidly. Before considering how and why, here’s a snapshot of what’s happening around the globe: Russia has annexed Crimea, is dismembering Ukraine, is probing the defenses of Northern Europe, and is again casting a covetous eye…
President Obama’s proposed $122.2 billion funding request for the Air Force calls for greater spending in procurement, with particular focus on increasing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets as well as munitions. This emphasis would help address shortfalls in key munition programs being used extensively in the fight against The Islamic State in Iraq and…
(This article was originally published last week, before the Wisconsin state assembly passed right-to-work legislation.) Wisconsin is poised this week to become the 25th “right-to-work state,” ending forced unionization and allowing individual workers to decide if they want to join a union or not. The Wisconsin Senate just recently passed right-to-work, and our sources in Madison…
Any Wisconsinites starting to wonder whether they are living through “The Long Winter,” as described by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will find no comfort in President Obama’s plans to cut the use of our most affordable and reliable sources of energy. Though we may not be relegated to heating our homes by burning twisted bundles of…
At last year’s CPAC Reagan banquet, Stan Evans regaled attendees with tales of the early days of the American Conservative Union. His remarks—oh so accurate, oh so funny, and preserved for posterity on YouTube—conveyed important history lessons. It was typical Stan Evans—communicate serious and important information in a way that kept everyone’s attention and kept…
Putting both countries’ politics aside (talk about heavy-lifting!), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress was essential—if for no other reason than it threw a spotlight on an issue hiding in diplomatic darkness. Few probably realized, especially outside Washington, D.C., that while Netanyahu was speaking to Congress, Secretary of State John Kerry was in…
Earlier this week, we ran a Q&A with Heritage experts Ed Haislmaier and Andrew Kloster about the King v. Burwell case, which was heard by the Supreme Court Wednesday: What is the King v. Burwell case about? The question before the Supreme Court is whether the Obama administration overstepped its authority in issuing an IRS…
In the latest vindication of school choice, on Monday the Alabama Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling by upholding the constitutionality of the state’s Accountability Act of 2013— which created two tax credit scholarships for children trapped in failing schools. As of 2013, individuals have been able to benefit from a tax credit for…
“We can change all the laws we want—but until we change the attitudes and respect for human beings, all this work is for nothing,” said Cindy McCain, head of the McCain Institute’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council, at a recent panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation. Heritage’s Lisa Curtis chaired a panel of experts including Cindy…