Political News
Reports on political developments, legislation, and leadership. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative analysis of American politics.
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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
• Justice Samuel Alito warned the Federalist Society on Thursday that Congress could defund the Supreme Court and halt its operations. • Alito told more than 1,000 attendees that preserving judicial independence is essential to maintaining the Constitution adopted in 1789. • His remarks came after Democrats won Congress while some lawmakers proposed court expansion,… -
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… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Charlie Kirk Was MAGA’s Secret Weapon—and the Midterms Proved It
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. Jack Fowler: Victor, yesterday, as I sent you last night, a topic. It was an article by Christopher Rufo in City Journal, and… -
news
Democrats Score Another Big Win Week After Election Day
Summary Scott Colom became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in deep-red Mississippi since 1982. His victory prompted congratulations from the state’s GOP governor late Wednesday night. “Congratulations to Senator-Elect @scott_colom. I hope to collaborate as we continue our very important work to support Mississippi families, grow jobs and wages for our… -
news
Trump Directs Vance to Settle Issue Other Than Iran War
President Donald Trump directed Vice President JD Vance to focus on fighting fraud in Democrat-run states instead of ending the Iran war. “I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S.,” Trump said Thursday… -
news
Big Government Can’t Solve Affordability Problems, Conservatives Warn
Summary OXON HILL, Md.—High prices are driven by the government and won’t be solved by incoming Democrat majorities in Congress, said conservative leaders. “It’s college textbooks. It’s higher education. It’s government health care. It’s the things that government is so intertwined with when you look at facets of the economy,” said Jonathan Williams, president and… -
news
Libertarian and Conservative Debate Government’s Role in the Common Good
OXON HILL, Md.—A libertarian and a conservative agreed that government does not create the common good, but split over how it should regulate pornography. In a debate at The Heritage Foundation’s conference The Forum, Randy Barnett, a libertarian constitutional law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and Andrew Walker, a conservative dean of the theology… -
House Freedom Caucus Demands Long-Promised Conservative Reforms Before Dems Bring Chaos
Summary THE WASHINGTON STAND—House Freedom Caucus members delivered three tough-minded messages during a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday that was by turns somber about the midterm election disaster for Republicans and pugnaciously determined to spend every remaining moment of the 119th Congress enacting conservative reforms. The House Freedom Caucus is the tip of the conservative… -
news
Muslim Texas Democrat Files Bills Promoting Muslim Heritage, Halal School Meals
Just a week after a blue wave hit the Lone Star State, a Muslim state representative has filed multiple bills ahead of the 90th legislative session that would implement Islamic practices and holidays. Democrat state Rep. Suleman Lalani, an immigrant from Pakistan who represents Texas House District 76, which encompasses Fort Bend and Harris counties, filed several bills… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s Economy Is on the Verge of a Major Boom
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. I’d like to talk very briefly about the current economy. We’re in a very Orwellian situation…