Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
America is becoming a major liquefied natural gas exporter. According to the latest statistics, the U.S. liquefied natural gas exports quadrupled from 0.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day in 2016 to 1.94 billion in 2017. Of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports last year, 53 percent went to Mexico, South Korea, and China, with…
China’s Ministry of Commerce sent trade officials to Washington this week at the invitation of the United States. This is a welcome respite from all the talk of a trade war between the two countries, but we are still far from an armistice. While the talks between Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen and…
Two thousand years ago, St. Paul found himself blinded by a bright light on the road to Damascus. The dramatic experience led him to stop persecuting his opponents and to take up new beliefs. Today, many former leftists are taking their first steps on their own road to Damascus, and the right is not doing nearly…
An environmental scientist who writes a column for The Guardian has claimed that my video on climate change “spreads climate denial misinformation” to millions of viewers on Facebook. Not so. Here is my point-by-point rebuttal to Dana Nuccitelli’s claims in the British newspaper based on my video, which has attracted more than 8 million views and…
A groundswell of opposition from churches, pastors, and ordinary citizens in California may have delayed but ultimately could not prevent the passage of AB 2943 by the California Senate on Aug. 16. The bill itself, dubbed by some as the “Must Stay Gay” bill, is a perfect storm of leftist political correctness that attacks free…
Taiwan and the United States have always been natural partners. Both are committed to free markets, the rule of law, and democracy. Yet due to China’s constant and growing impositions, the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has not reached its full potential. The two nations have enjoyed a long history of economic cooperation, but there is much more…
America enjoys levels of wealth and prosperity never before experienced in world history. For that, we can thank capitalism. But capitalism is not doing so hot among the young. According to the latest Gallup survey on views about capitalism and socialism, more Americans aged 18 to 29 are positive about socialism (51 percent) than about capitalism…
Nations who are party to the Arms Trade Treaty are holding their fourth annual meeting this week in Tokyo, Japan. I’m attending the meeting as a representative of The Heritage Foundation. Supposedly, the purpose of the treaty is to apply humanitarian standards to the international arms trade. Actually, the treaty is a pointless talking shop…
The Environmental Protection Agency has a new rule out—and unlike a rule from the Obama era, this one is friendly to coal producers. But The New York Times is reporting it could lead to more premature deaths per year. We sit down with Heritage Foundation expert Nick Loris to get the straight scoop. Plus: Facebook…
With the continuing hysteria about Donald Trump’s presidency, a few questions come to mind. The first: Can a bad man become a good president? The second: Does one’s being a good man guarantee he’ll be a good president? Third: Does having a good president require a good man? Is there any evidence of Lord Acton’s…
When the issue of workplace sexual harassment and assault becomes political, something has gone terribly wrong. Something has gone terribly wrong with the individuals leading that fight, and something has gone terribly wrong with the organizations backing it. So is the case for the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, established to advance the #MeToo movement….
All New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had to do was stick to the script of his prepared speech on economic development in Lake Saranac, New York. Instead, Cuomo shared a story Aug. 7 of how he once found a bald eagle’s feather on Lake Saranac and took it home, where it has remained to this…
Tuesday marked 50 years since the Soviet Union—along with troops from the Warsaw Pact nations—on Aug. 21, 1968, invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the period of political liberalization that became known as the Prague Spring. Reflecting on this sullen anniversary, we remember the bravery of the people of Czechoslovakia—now, the nations of the Czech Republic and…
The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, did Americans a favor last week. He provided that which is most indispensable to understanding anything: clarity. “America … was never that great,” he announced. In one sentence, the governor revealed the left’s true view of America. This is rare—because leftists are masters at hiding what they really…
Houston schools will offer free meals to all students this year, but there’s no guarantee that will help more families who are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, which struck a year ago this week. Nearly all Houston students were eligible for subsidized free meals last year, so this move just expands an already sizable federal…
Repealing the 17th Amendment, which would end the direct election of U.S. senators and return the power of appointing senators to state legislatures, is a popular idea among many conservatives. They argue that giving state governments a more formal and direct representation in Congress would resuscitate constitutional federalism, which has been adversely affected by the Progressive…
Pretty much everyone says they believe in human dignity, yet in 2018, some of our most contentious debates center on the basic question: Who really possesses that dignity? Dan Darling has a new book out on this very subject and we interview him. Plus: The polarizing comedian Michelle Wolf loses her Netflix show. We also…
A new metastudy by Serbian think tank Libek confirms that countries wishing to increase their economic growth—and reap the many rewards that come from doing so—need to focus on advancing the economic freedom of their people. Libek looked at 92 scholarly research studies that considered the relationship between economic freedom and economic growth. Eighty-six of…
In a Wall Street Journal editorial last week, Sen. Tom Cotton offered tepid support for prison reform measures in the FIRST STEP Act, which the House passed in late May with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Arkansas Republican said the bill contains “some flaws,” but has “worthy goals.” The FIRST STEP Act is designed to enhance public safety…
When Thomas Jefferson appointed Albert Gallatin to be secretary of the treasury in 1801, Federalists expected the worst. They had just lost the presidency for the first time, in an election so sharply contested that it took 36 ballots in the House of Representatives to make Jefferson president. They had also lost their majority in…