Political News
Reports on political developments, legislation, and leadership. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative analysis of American politics.
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opinion
The Media Defines ‘Hardliners’ on the Right, Never Left
Stephen Miller’s appointment as White House chief of staff came with one very routine adjective: “hardliner.” To elitist media operatives, that is defined as “anyone who dramatically disagrees with us.” Take this Nov. 7 Associated Press headline summarizing Miller’s positions: “In his words: Stephen Miller is an immigration hardliner and a bombastic critic of Democrats.”… -
news
The Left Wants a Different Speaker: 1.2 Million Sign Petition Against Jeffries
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was a shoo-in for speaker of the House after Democrats claimed the majority for the 120th Congress. While he doesn’t face competition yet, the newly elected progressive candidates may try to tap their pick instead. An online petition has accumulated nearly 1.2 million signatures urging House Democrats to pick a… -
news
‘Treasure Trove’ of Russia Hoax Records Remains Under Wraps, GOP Senate Chairs Say
Time is running out to declassify a “treasure trove” of records proving government weaponization against President Donald Trump, two outgoing Senate chairmen said. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on Thursday published a letter to Trump seeking the release of the records that he ordered… -
exclusive
WATCH: A Prescription for a Battered GOP: Return to the People, Break With Special Interests
Summary OXON HILL, Md.—Following the significant losses in the midterm elections, Republicans across the country are searching for where the party went wrong, how to make the best of the next two years with Democrats in the majority, and how to come back stronger in 2028. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, sat down with the Daily… -
breaking
SCOTUS to Hear Case on Trump Asylum Policy
The Supreme Court will consider President Donald Trump’s restrictions on asylum at the southern border. The Trump administration asked the high court to overturn an appeals court ruling that found his executive order restricting asylum applications was illegal. The restriction has remained in place during the litigation. The administration argues it can deny any asylum to… -
news
How a High School Dropout Wants to Give America an ‘Unfair Advantage’ Over China
OXON HILL, Md.—Cheap energy can give the United States an “unfair advantage” over foreign adversaries, the founder of a nuclear energy startup said Thursday. “One of our main goals at Valar is to give the United States an unfair advantage in energy cost. If you’re gonna go into a fight, especially geopolitical fight, I would… -
news
Lutnick to Testify in Senate After Nvidia CEO Affair
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will testify before the Senate Banking Committee after a top tech executive’s scandal raised questions about China’s access to sensitive U.S. technology. “He proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before Congress,” Commerce spokeswoman Kristen Eichamer told the Daily Signal on Friday. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stepped down on Thursday after reports that… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Democrats’ Hegseth Impeachment Gambit BACKFIRES
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Sami Winc: So, Victor, I do know what they’re going to do. They are going to, apparently, from what they talk about, impeach… -
analysis
Beyond the Byline: The Day Impeachment Came for Pete Hegseth
A War Department official walked over to two reserved seats in the Pentagon press briefing room and flipped over the place cards: the names of Penelope and Brian Hegseth, the secretary’s parents. Reporters started to whisper. In just a few minutes, War Secretary Pete Hegseth would take the podium for his first press conference since… -
news
Alito Warns Congress Can ‘Turn Off the Lights’ at Supreme Court
Summary Justice Samuel Alito warned that Congress “can turn off the lights at the Supreme Court” through its control of the funding process. Alito spoke to Federalist Society members on Thursday, just more than a week after Democrats gained majorities in Congress and some members have issued subpoena threats to justices. “Congress can turn off… -
news
Muslim Sen.-Elect El-Sayed to Take Oath on a Quran
Summary The first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate says he will take his oath of office in January on a Quran. “Which Quran, we’re not sure,” Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., told NPR’s Leila Fadel Thursday. “I mean, Thomas Jefferson had a copy of the Quran. So when Keith Ellison was sworn in to Congress,… -
news
Schumer Challenged for Senate Majority Leader
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced he is challenging Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the role of Senate majority leader. “In this election, Americans called on us to unrig an economy rigged against working people & fueled by political corruption,” Van Hollen wrote on X. “To deliver, we need new leadership. This isn’t about any… -
exclusive
SCOOP: HHS Saves $2 Billion by Cutting Biden-Era Regulation
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families is publishing a new final rule on Friday that will save the federal low-income childcare program more than $2 billion. The final rule, “Restoring Flexibility to Support Head Start Program Access,” removes the Biden-era mandate for wage equality between… -
news
Treasury Secretary Shares ‘Best Protection’ Against AI
OXON HILL, Md.—Tech companies have done a “horrendous” job pitching the benefits of AI to the American people, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday. “The SI, the large language labs that are creating it, and the companies and the folks building the data centers have done a horrendous, terrible job explaining the value proposition to… -
China Experts React to Nvidia CEO’s Alleged Affair with Chinese Spy
OXON HILL, Md.—Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s alleged affair with a Chinese spy should cause the United States to rethink its export control policy, China experts said. “It’s good news what happened today because it does clarify things,” said Piero Tozzi, senior director for China policy at the America First Policy Institute, on Thursday. “I think… -
analysis
Texas Democrats File Bills Proposing Sweeping Gun Restrictions
Summary Texas Democrat lawmakers have filed at least 23 firearm-related bills ahead of the 90th legislative session, proposing restrictions on firearm purchases, new background-check requirements, and the implementation of red-flag laws. The proposals also include measures targeting firearm possession by sex offenders, increasing criminal penalties for certain firearm-related offenses, and expanding local governments’ authority to regulate… -
news
Fox News Had a Better Election Night Than Republicans
Summary Fox News had a far better election night than the Republicans. The cable news network’s primetime coverage of the midterm elections swamped its cable competition, while also topping CBS News. “Fox News Democracy 26,” co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, peaked with 4.6 million viewers during the 9:00 p.m. ET hour Nov. 3…. -
news
House Conservatives Give Leadership a Blueprint to Deliver the GOP Agenda Before It’s Too Late
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of some of the most conservative members on Capitol Hill, has a plan to deliver on voter ID, codify President Donald Trump’s border security policies, pass a final reconciliation package with defense spending, cut spending to reduce the debt, and more. With a long list of goals, the group is also calling on members to… -
news
Conservatives Want Trump to Rethink Legal Immigration
OXON HILL, Md.—Conservatives urged President Donald Trump to adopt a stricter legal immigration policy, including disqualifications for saying criticism of Islam is hate speech. At The Heritage Foundation’s Forum on Thursday, Center for Renewing America Executive Director Wade Miller; Immigration Accountability Project President Rosemary Jenks; former Virginia state Del. Nick Freitas; and Center for Immigration… -
news
Scott Jennings, Spencer Pratt Break Down GOP Midterm Losses
OXON HILL, Md.—Republicans lost the 2026 midterms because they failed to engage skeptical voters, said conservative commentator Scott Jennings and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt. “We lost because we’re just failing at competently explaining anything to anybody,” Jennings said on Wednesday at The Forum, The Heritage Foundation’s conference for conservatives. “We got out-argued…