Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
In 2014, the public learned from whistleblowers that government employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, kept “secret waiting lists” to hide long waits for care at their facilities. Dozens of veterans died waiting for care as a result. Since that watershed, there has been a torrent of revelations about misconduct…
The abortion pill has been around for years and has become a highly common form of abortion. Now, it appears an antidote medication has arrived, and it is already saving hundreds of babies. The abortion pill (mifepristone, more commonly known as RU-486) has been shown in a new systematic review of literature to be effective…
As Congress and the president move toward consensus on tax reform, one key reform should remain the centerpiece of any plan that moves forward: making investment expenses tax-deductible. When conservatives discuss corporate tax reform, we have two primary goals: 1) Lower the corporate tax rate as low as possible, if not eliminate it entirely. 2)…
The Senate Armed Services Committee hosted a hearing last week on defense nuclear acquisition programs and doctrine. Gen. Robin Rand, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, offered a robust defense of the United States’ follow-on intercontinental ballistic missile. He argued that extending the life of the currently deployed Minuteman III ICBMs would not…
Editor's note: Some of the most compelling emails and comments in recent days were about Fred Lucas' report on the Christian family barred from a Michigan farmers market for its views on marriage and Genevieve Wood's commentary on ESPN's mischaracterizing its own audience survey. Have a look.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Fred Lucas’ story on Michigan…
President Donald Trump made helping the “forgotten man” a key theme of his presidency from the get-go. The challenge for Trump is how to aid the forgotten man by shrinking the programs and institutions that left him behind to begin with while moving toward policies that will help him thrive in the 21st century. One of…
“Fake news” has become a widespread accusation, but what does it actually mean? Is it something that’s been invented out of whole cloth, like H.G. Wells’ planetary invaders? Different definitions abound, but I submit that fake news, at its core, is reporting in which the journalist selectively chooses and ignores facts, and interprets or paraphrases…
Religious tests for holding public office are banned in the Constitution and go against the very core of the American tradition. But you wouldn’t have learned that on Wednesday listening to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as he questioned Russ Vought, the nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. His questioning of…
In a huge political upset, Britain’s Conservative Party has failed to secure an overall majority, falling just short of the 326 seats needed in the 650-seat House of Commons. Prime Minister Theresa May will now lead a minority government. The Conservatives will rely on the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party to remain in…
The federal government currently wields a tremendous amount of power over the citizens of the United States, far more than the Founders intended. One manifestation of federal overreach is civil asset forfeiture. This practice allows the federal government to confiscate the wealth of its citizens upon the mere suspicion of wrongdoing. The IRS, not content…
A key element of the Reagan Doctrine that ended the Cold War was the delivery of the right speech at precisely the right time. In June 1987, 30 years ago this month, President Ronald Reagan took his freedom offensive to Berlin where he directly challenged the Kremlin, proclaiming, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The…
Supporters of the Paris Agreement have expressed considerable angst over President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the climate agreement last week. Regardless of the merits of that decision—although for the record, Heritage Foundation analysts recommended that the U.S. withdraw—Trump should not have had to make that call. The Paris Agreement had all the hallmarks of…
Terrorist travel just got a little bit harder, as selected visa applicants are now being asked to turn over their social media information to State Department officials. While this new process is only expected to impact 0.5 percent, or 65,000 of the 13 million annual visa applications to the U.S., it still presents questions of…
The desire to “bring the boys home” after war’s end is deeply engrained in the American psyche. Americans tend to get impatient with long-lasting military commitments overseas and like to see an end in sight. It is an understandable and noble impulse, and reflects the deep connection many Americans feel with family, friends, and neighbors…
It might seem strange to see a headline stating that the U.S. attorney general has stopped the Justice Department from robbing the public, but that is exactly what Attorney General Jeff Sessions just did. In a memorandum dated June 5 that was directed to the head of each component of the Department of Justice and…
America’s current financial regulatory system, begotten by some of the most liberal minds in this country, has consistently limited the ability of banks to serve their customers. It has forced community banks to bend to the will of an ever-expanding bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., for nearly a decade. What was this financial regulatory system that…
Senators on Capitol Hill recently introduced the Back the Blue Act of 2017 with the laudable objective of supporting public safety officers. While that intention is noble, the bill unfortunately omits something crucial: the ancient element of crime known as “mens rea” (Latin for “guilty mind”). Mens rea distinguishes between tragic accidents, or innocent mistakes,…
Great Britain is set to hold a “snap” election on Thursday. Currently, the conservative Tories hold power in Parliament, but are being challenged by the Labour Party in what could be a hotly contested race for power. The Conservative Party is expected to win, but if Labour prevails, British leadership would undergo a dramatic shift….
It has been a long time coming for the Financial CHOICE Act. This bill, which will pass the House on Thursday, is the culmination of an idea that has germinated across the country since the disastrous market crash of the late 2000s and the subsequent bailouts, overreaching, and misguided federal legislation. That idea is simple:…