Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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- Opinion
RGGI Will Cost Virginia Billions—Just Like It Cost Pennsylvania
Virginians were promised affordability. Instead, they’re getting an energy agenda that risks making electricity more expensive and less reliable. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has consistently sided with the climate-policy wing of her party even when its proposals threaten higher energy costs for consumers. One such proposal is rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In 2023, Virginia…Elizabeth Stelle -
- Opinion
Powell’s Federal Reserve Mess Is Now Warsh’s Problem
New Chair of the Federal Reserve Kevin Warsh walks straight into a professional buzzsaw. Though he now occupies one of the most influential and prestigious posts in America—and indeed the world—his daunting assignment may be among the most difficult in government in recent decades. The difficulty of Warsh’s task flows first from the abject failures…Steve Cortes -
- Opinion
What Every Graduate Should Aim For
Many of today’s graduates are about to make the same mistake Matthew Emmons made during the 2004 Olympics. It’s commencement season for high school and college seniors. The future may be unknown, but graduates know what they want in their future—money. A 2025 poll by Harvard Political Review asked young Americans to identify their important…Victor Joecks -
- Opinion
How George Washington’s Farewell Address Fulfilled the Declaration of Independence
Welcome to the first in our series, Landmark Speeches in American History. Over the next several months, we will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with articles by prominent authors about how some of the greatest speeches in our history—by celebrated orators like Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.—honored the vision of our founding…Daniel McCarthy -
- Opinion
The Christian Lifestyle Is the Pentecost Lifestyle
Pentecost ought to remind us of our identity and renew our trust that God is always with us. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostles all gathered together in a building’s upper room, worried and confused about how to move forward. Then the Holy Spirit came rushing forth upon them (Acts 2:2). They were immediately…Thomas Griffin -
- Opinion
After Years of Weaponizing Shareholder Voting, Will the Big Three Escape Accountability?
Are investors in “passive” index funds being misled about how shares held in those funds are being voted? After providing some relevant background below, I argue that failing to properly disclose the active voting of passive fund shares could violate consumer protection provisions, anti-fraud provisions, or other related provisions covering deceptive practices. When it comes…Stefan Padfield -
- Opinion
When Political Violence Becomes Acceptable, It Becomes Inevitable
A society that begins to excuse political violence should not be surprised when political violence multiplies. Once you create a moral framework in which violence is not merely understandable but righteous—once you argue that certain institutions are so corrupt, so “murderous,” that the people who participate in them deserve to be killed—you are no longer…Ben Shapiro -
- Opinion
News Aggregators’ Left-Wing Bias Reinforces Political Ignorance
The other day, a young lady got on the elevator and promptly whipped out her smartphone and began scrolling. “Excuse me,” I said, “can I ask you where you get your news?” She said, “You mean like news about what’s going on in the world?” “Yes.” “Oh, TikTok.” This reminded me of a dinner conversation…Larry Elder -
- Opinion
The Steyer Smear
Billionaire Tom Steyer used his money to attack a lone climate researcher. Roger Pielke Jr.’s research on climate and disaster policy wins awards and is cited by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “My views are entirely mainstream,” says Pielke. “My work is cited by all three working groups of the IPCC. There’s…John Stossel -
- Opinion
Democratic Control of Government Means Redefining Religion, Family, and America
Per USA Today columnist Chris Brennan, the Rededicate 250 event, held on the National Mall to rededicate our country as One Nation Under God, violated both our national spirit and our Constitution. Per Brennan, the Christian character of the event, and the Protestant content, flies in the face of the national value of religious diversity….Star Parker -
- Opinion
DIGNIDAD Act Co-Sponsor Makes a Telling Admission
“If we agree as a country that we want 20 million people deported … I will support that decision,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., who is co-sponsoring the DIGNIDAD Act, told the Daily Signal’s Tony Kinnett on Tuesday in an extremely awkward interview. Stutzman must have forgotten the 2024 election. Mass deportations, reminiscent of President Dwight…Josiah Lott -
- Opinion
It’s Time to Save Standard Time
Every March and November, Americans dread the notification in their inbox or on the news to “Remember to change your clocks!” Most of us rely on the adage “Fall back in fall—spring forward in spring” to sort out the confusion of which way the clock is moving. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who…Jennifer Galardi -
- Opinion
Making Government Lean Again: The DOGE Effect
As of Jan. 1, 2026, the Department of Government Efficiency reports $215 billion in savings, or roughly $1,335 per taxpayer. Established in the early months of the second Trump administration and initially led by Elon Musk, DOGE set out to eliminate waste, fraud, and inefficiency in federal spending. Early results suggest those efforts are not…Nicole Huyer -
- Opinion
Is Wokeness Coming to the University of Florida?
Many see the University of Florida as a bastion against wokeness and DEI, but that might soon change; Stuart Bell, formerly president at the University of Alabama, was recently named sole presidential finalist for the University of Florida. Bell brought DEI policies to Alabama upon his arrival in 2015 and radicalized Alabama’s flagship university within five years. Later, when…Scott Yenor -
- Opinion
To Save America, We Must Reconnect With the Founders’ Moral Imagination
Matthew Mehan, author of “The American Book of Fables,” joins Bradley Devlin on a new episode of “Signal Sitdown“ to discuss the “moral imagination” of the Founders and the need during America 250 for the nation to have a “shared memory.” This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Bradley Devlin: Why did you write…Bradley Devlin -
- Opinion
Rep. Chris Smith Shines Spotlight on Communist China’s Live Organ Harvesting
Communist China is producing a real horror show. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., recently convened a special session of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China and solicited stunning testimony from experts and eyewitnesses on the horrific practice of live organ harvesting—hearts, livers, lungs, kidneys, corneas—in Communist China. The unlucky cohort of living “donors”—men and women murdered…Robert Moffit -
- Opinion
How President Trump Can Ensure AI Serves Families and Communities
Anthropic’s Claude Mythos—a frontier artificial intelligence model believed to have uncovered thousands of security flaws in critical digital infrastructure—has prompted the White House to take a harder line on AI guardrails. Several reports indicate that the administration is considering safety testing for federal contractors to address the threats AI systems pose to national security and…Daniel Cochrane -
- Opinion
Raúl Castro’s Indictment and Cuba’s Future
Cubans are no different from anyone else on this earth; God has endowed them with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. For the past 67 years, a pitiless regime, run mostly by one family, has deprived them of these rights, and when they have raised their voices, the regime’s henchmen have thrown…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
Cuba’s Freedom Is an ‘America First’ Cause
Miami-Dade County is home to one of the largest Cuban American communities in the U.S., but this May 20, most Americans will not realize they are observing what was once Cuba’s Independence Day. That matters because Cuba’s story has, over time, become an important part of America’s story. Long before the communist revolution of 1959,…Roberto J. Gonzalez -
- Opinion
America Won’t Lose the AI Race for Lack of Ideas—but We Might Lose It for Lack of Compute
The front line in the fight over AI runs through Utah. In Box Elder County, a remote valley near the Great Salt Lake, residents are fighting a proposed AI data center, which would be one of the largest ever. Some 4,000 people filed formal objections over its water use. Developers pulled their application but say…Jay Richards