Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
So what is going on with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl investigation? And what role, if any, does the White House have in this potential criminal case? In the last 24 hours, Fox News contributor retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer said two sources told him Bergdahl “will be charged with desertion.” Respected NBC Pentagon reporter Jim “Mik”…
One step forward, two steps back. That sums up the Obama administration’s proposed lease plan for oil and natural gas drilling. The proposal includes the mid- and south-Atlantic regions, which had been blocked from energy exploration. But any new areas of exploration are just making up for areas lost in 2010, and the president’s plan…
The Congressional Budget Office’s new Budget and Economic Outlook includes some interesting projections regarding Obamacare. CBO director Douglas Elmendorf is testifying on the report at a Senate Budget Committee hearing Wednesday and hopefully some of these projections will be questioned: 1. Enrollment. The CBO projects that 12 million people will obtain coverage on the ACA’s…
Three prominent anti-slavery activists and opposition politicians in Mauritania were sentenced to two years in prison earlier this month. Biram Dah Abeid, the runner-up in the 2014 presidential elections, was convicted on charges of “belonging to an illegal organization, leading an unauthorized rally, and violence against the police”—along with one of his aides Bilal Ramdane, and…
In the midst of his recovery from a serious accident at his home in Nevada, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has gotten some more bad news: the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the felony conviction of Harvey Whittemore, a big financial supporter of the senator. According to the Ninth Circuit’s opinion, which was released…
As National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month comes to a close, Congress is turning its attention to combatting human trafficking. New estimates suggest that as many as 35.8 million people are victims of human trafficking. Renewed attention on this international crisis is necessary if the U.S. is to continue to lead global anti-trafficking efforts….
Japan’s economic freedom score is tied for the second highest it’s ever been since the Index of Economic Freedom was first published more than 20 years ago. Scoring a 73.3, Japan ranks 20th in the world for economic freedom, an improvement over the previous year’s rank of 25. It continues to rank sixth among countries…
LAS VEGAS—Supposedly, the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which took effect Christmas Eve, is no big deal. But people who work in the business of manufacturing, importing and exporting firearms are concerned about the treaty and what it means for them and their industry. I talked to several last week at the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor…
There is no single formula for overcoming challenges to economic development and maintaining economic dynamism, but one thing is clear: Around the globe, governments that respect and promote economic freedom provide greater opportunities for innovation, progress and human empowerment. The 2015 Index of Economic Freedom, released today, tracks policy developments affecting economic freedom across the…
What do Yosemite and Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have in common? Not a whole lot, but that isn’t stopping the Obama Administration from linking the two in a massive land grab attempt to prohibit American energy development. The Obama administration is calling on Congress to designate more than 12 million acres in Alaska as…
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell has unveiled a major initiative to push Medicare physicians and other medical professionals out of fee for service (FFS), which pays based on specific services rendered, and into alternative payment models (APMs). Before deciding that all Medicare providers must abandon Medicare fee-for-service, the Obama administration should make sure…
The recent decline in gas prices has not only left a little more cash in Americans’ pockets, it has contributed to a sizeable increase in economic output. According to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) annual report, Budget and Economic Outlook, the decline in oil and gas prices that occurred between August and December of 2014…
Recently, a variety of policymakers and pundits have warned that failing to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) because of the President’s executive action on immigration would have a negative impact on U.S. security. Congress has been warned repeatedly not to treat our security as a “political volleyball.” DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, invoking the…
The Obama administration will soon propose raising taxes on middle-income families struggling to save for college–at a time when college costs are higher than they’ve ever been. For years, families have been using 529 college savings accounts. Once you invest after-tax dollars in these accounts, the money grows tax-free and you can withdraw the initial…
The new Congressional Budget Office report released today shows deficits and debt rising over the next decade, despite a short-term improvement in the 2015 budget year. The report contains several pertinent facts concerning spending, taxes, deficits, and debt, including these five: 1. Spending is going up. Spending in 2025 will be $2.5 trillion higher than…
Over the weekend, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law two pieces of bad legislation. These policies will saddle religious organizations and employers with a choice of complying with coercive laws that force them to violate their religious beliefs and organizational missions, or staying true to their beliefs in defiance of unjust laws….
Two gatherings of activists and donors over the weekend, the Iowa Freedom Summit on Saturday and the Freedom Partners event in Palm Springs on Sunday (also dubbed the Koch primary by the media because of its ties to the fiscally conservative wealthy donors Charles and David Koch) featured several would-be Republican presidential candidates. Already the…
What was the outcome of the Greek election over the weekend and why were these elections important? The recent elections in Greece have sent shockwaves across Europe. A far-leftwing party, The Coalition of the Radical Left, commonly known as Syriza, won the most seats but not enough seats for an absolute majority. Within hours Syriza…
Lawmakers in Washington have plenty of work ahead of them this year, so the temptation to punt on everything but the “hot” issues will be strong. Here’s one they should tackle without hesitation: tax reform. It’s long overdue. One glance at the tax code, and you won’t be surprised to learn it’s been nearly 30…
At almost the same time that protesters mad about the Citizens United decision were disrupting the start of the Supreme Court’s session on Wednesday, the White House issued a “Statement from the President” condemning the decision on its fifth anniversary. And once again, President Obama repeated the same false claim about “foreign corporations” that he…