Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
Fifty years ago to the day, a political star was born in America. His name was Ronald Reagan, and he seized the national imagination with a mesmerizing television address titled “A Time for Choosing.” The address was described by political analysts David Broder and Stephen Hess as “the most successful political debut since William Jennings…
President Obama’s executive amnesty policies and failure to enforce immigration laws give conservatives an opening to unite on immigration in a way that appeals to all Americans. By holding to the principles of rule of law and fairness, immigration policy can be firm, fair and in the best interests of citizens and immigrants alike. Comprehensive…
Recently I saw one of those spontaneous events that renews your faith in the patriotism and good will of the American people. It also illustrated their appreciation for the servicemen and women who have risked their lives for our nation. It was in the C Terminal of Reagan National, one of three airports serving Washington, D.C. I…
By many measures the labor market is improving smartly. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.9 percent in September—not far from the level many economists consider typical during normal economic conditions. The number of job vacancies has jumped almost one-fifth since the start of the year, while employers have created 2.6 million net new jobs over…
Iraq’s chemical weapons are back in the news. The New York Times reported that American troops found roughly 5,000 chemical warheads, shells and aviation bombs since the Iraq War began. Then last week The Washington Post reported the Islamic State terrorist group had used chlorine gas against Iraqi police officers. What’s going on? We’ve been…
RICHMOND — When Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s Commission to Ensure Integrity and Public Confidence compiles its legislative agenda, the panel could start by revoking one of his vetoes and resurrecting an ethics bill related to his office. The Governor’s Opportunity Fund has given $199.4 million to new or expanding companies since 1994. McAuliffe this year…
After a dirty and divisive campaign, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil’s leftist Workers Party (PT) was narrowly re-elected last week to a second term over conservative opponent Aécio Neves (with just 51.6 percent of the vote). Apparently President Rousseff, 66, a former Marxist guerrilla, was able to convince a majority of Brazilian voters to overlook…
Ghosts and goblins aren’t the only things causing unease this Halloween. With their children settled into the 2014-15 school year, parents have growing concerns about the impact of Common Core. Here are 10 reasons why Common Core national standards and tests take American education in the wrong direction: Loss of state and local control. Adopting…
Lost in the debate about whether New Jersey or Maine should enact quarantine against a nurse who just returned from treating Ebola patients in West Africa is the law as it pertains to quarantines at the state level. Setting aside the politics of a state government enacting quarantine, or the heavy-handed lectures from the White…
You soon could be paying more when you buy a candy bar. Recently, there was a temporary spike in the price of cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate, likely due to fears connected to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. According to the International Cocoa Organization, an intergovernmental commodity organization, the majority of the world’s…
Earlier this week, The Heritage Foundation hosted the session “Ebola: U.S. Domestic and Foreign Policy Options,” presented by three former colleagues of mine: Dr. Bob Kadlec, Dr. Tevi Troy, and Dr. Tara O’Toole. Together with Heritage researcher Charlotte Florance, they participated in a thoughtful discussion that skipped the hyperbole and instead provided much needed perspective…
On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission sued AT&T—the nation’s second largest wireless broadband provider—for allegedly slowing certain wireless customers’ Internet speeds even though those customers were on “unlimited” plans. AT&T claims it did nothing wrong and had notified customers of the change. The FTC handles these sorts of disputes all the time. Importantly though, the…
On October 29, Serbian news sources reported that the Kremlin planned to open 29 bureaus of Rossiya Segodnya, a Russian state media outlet, in capital cities worldwide. The plan to open the bureaus will augment the Kremlin’s global presence. The increase in media outlets allows Russia to continue to export propaganda intended to influence foreign…
Sen. Tom Coburn’s annual “Wastebook” chronicles the most outrageous government waste—spending that is so frightening that it taxpayers ought to be scared. Halloween is upon us, so what better way to document some of the wackiest examples than with the short horror flick above. “Only someone with too much of someone else’s money and not…
Too busy collecting costume materials to keep up with headlines this week? No worries. We've collected some of the best news photography from this week's trending stories to catch you up before trick-or-treaters come knocking. Last Friday, Hillary Clinton declared that businesses and corporations don’t create jobs. On Oct. 28, she clarified things. Lady Liberty celebrated…
Brittany Maynard, the Oregon woman who made news earlier this month with her plans to die on Nov. 1, has released a new video announcing a change in plans. Maynard, who has terminal brain cancer, still intends to choose when she dies, “I still feel good enough and I still have enough joy and I…
Suggestions have been floated that the U.S. should work with Iran to defeat the growing threat posed by the Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS or ISIL) in Iraq and Syria. Advocates of strategic cooperation claim that Iran and the U.S. share some common national interests in preventing the rise of the Islamic State, which…
Asked recently by CNN what the United States needs most to fight ISIS on the Internet, James Glassman former under secretary of state for Public Diplomacy under President George W. Bush answered, “A commitment to the war of ideas.” Fighting the terrorists on the battlefields in Iraq and Syria will not be enough. We…
Get ready to be inundated with a fresh round of Obamacare propaganda. President Obama’s health care law will be back in the news next month when open enrollment begins Nov. 15. The government is already gearing up to recruit more enrollees. But based on what we know already, the Affordable Care Act isn’t panning out…
Are non-citizens potentially voting in Tuesday’s election? Yes, according to Old Dominion University Professors Jesse Richman and David Earnest, who wrote an article for The Washington Post highlighting their findings: Most non-citizens do not register, let alone vote. But enough do that their participation can change the outcome of close races. Because non-citizens tended to…