Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
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…
Recently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced major new regulations on the emissions of methane into the air from oil and gas production. It calls methane a "potent" pollutant and its new rules would require a 45 percent reduction by 2025 from 2012 levels. Most Americans support these new rules, according to polling from environmental…
This speech made history. No State of the Union address in the modern era makes the case more that America stands as strong and resilient as ever. Before the president’s pitch, there were arguments for jettisoning the State of the Union address altogether. Philip Bump at the Washington Post came right out and said it:…
After taking office, President Obama embarked on one of the riskiest experiments in American history. He decided to see what the world would look like if the United States pulled back from its role as guarantor of global stability and underwriter of the international order. Six years later, we know. The more we withdrew, the…
The Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), has become a bitter rival of al-Qaeda, its parent organization. Its leaders represent a new generation of Islamist militants who have broken with al-Qaeda in a power struggle over Syria and the future of the global Islamist revolution. Both groups share…
A critical difference between a politician and a statesman is the ability to use the power of words not to further his own ends but to advance a cause or idea that benefits all. In the 20th century, Winston Churchill–who died fifty years ago today–used words more effectively than any other leader of the free…
On Thursday, a federal district court struck down an Arizona policy barring “DREAMers” from getting state drivers’ licenses. Supporters of President’s Obama immigration policies and his latest plan to provide “deferred action” (i.e., amnesty) for up to five million illegal aliens should not take too much comfort in this ruling, however, because the judge made…
In the State of the Union, President Obama talked about many of the priorities he has for the nation moving forward. But entrepreneurship, it seems, isn’t one of them. In his 6,493-word speech, the phrases “entrepreneur” and “small businesses” each appeared only once. The only time Obama did directly mention helping entrepreneurs was while pledging…
It appears the Environmental Protection Agency has inadvertently admitted it is engaging in an end-run around the regulatory process to push through its overreaching water rule. On April 21, 2014, the EPA and the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed a rule that redefines what types of waters are covered under the Clean Water…
On Sunday, January 25, Greeks will go to the polls to elect a new parliament. (Slightly smaller than Louisiana and with a population roughly equivalent to Georgia’s, the results of these elections are likely to have implications far beyond Athens.) Pre-election opinion polls indicate that the ruling center-right New Democracy Party will be unseated by…
In his State of the Union address, President Obama talked about how to deal with what he frames as unjust income disparity in our nation. Among his responses were proposals to raise taxes on higher income brackets to benefit those with lower incomes. The President once again ignored the role that marriage plays in opening…
From Heritage Foundation's Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield: President Obama’s new tax plan, which he discussed in part in the State of the Union, lays out new proposals that he claims would help low- and middle-income families. These included a new tax credit program for dual-earner families and an expansion of the Earned Income Tax…
The ouster of Yemeni President Mansour Hadi on Thursday is a victory for al-Qaeda as well as Iran, and a major setback for U.S. counterterrorism policy. President Hadi was a key U.S. ally against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the regional franchise of the al-Qaeda network that probably poses the greatest threat to the…
Taken together, the events in recent years threaten to change the U.S. Senate as we know it. Some inside the Senate and outside will cheer these developments. Many progressive organizations continue to demand an end to the filibuster. Whether they will continue this quest can only be surmised. In 2010, just a few months before…
Medicare doctors face a 21 percent pay cut this year. A complex formula called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), a feature of current law, requires that devastating cut. But repeal of that formula to pay physicians would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the nation’s deficits. That is why the House Energy and Commerce…
In a stunning announcement last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Department of Justice would immediately stop “adopting” state civil asset forfeiture cases. Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement came exactly one week after leaders on Capitol Hill called on him to halt the controversial program as a step toward broader reform of the nation’s…
This week China announced its 2014 real economic growth rate. There are two salient takeaways from the report: First, at least officially, the economy continues to slow modestly. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 7.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 and 7.4 percent over the entire year. This is…
In a bold move, Speaker of the House John Boehner this week invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress in March. In response, the White House has expressed annoyance, saying it was not consulted over the decision. But it is the prerogative of Congress to invite whomever it likes…
The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act bans abortions after 20 weeks, except in cases where rape or incest had been reported to authorities. It's a law the majority of Americans actually agree on—with 60 percent of Americans polling in support. But Wednesday night, House GOP leaders canceled the bill's scheduled Thursday vote because of uproar…
President Obama is doing post-State of the Union interviews today with 3 YouTube stars: Hank Green, Bethany Mota and GloZell Green. Watch some excerpts from the trio’s respective YouTube videos in the montage assembled by multimedia company Grabien.