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
America Needs Permitting Reform—With No Gimmicks
America has forgotten how to build, courtesy of a Byzantine permitting process that delays projects for years and often kills them altogether. A new bill could change that, though, and let the U.S. actually start building things again, including badly needed energy infrastructure that would reduce prices. The current paralysis was made painfully evident this… -
opinion
The Hidden Cost of Socialism? The Innovation It Never Creates
Imagine a day without capitalism. You wake up to a decently sized apartment, just suited to fit your needs. Housing is a human right, after all, but penthouses aren’t. But how can you complain? You barely have bills. Food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation aren’t for-profit businesses. They’re common goods. Those are some of the… -
opinion
Remembering Jon Kyl, a Champion for Crime Victims’ Rights
Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl died Sept. 16 at the age of 84. But there is one part of his legacy that is particularly meaningful to me: Jon Kyl was one of the most important champions of crime victims’ rights in America. Kyl understood something fundamental about crime victims. They are thrust into a relationship… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Genocide Hypocrites
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas killers slaughtered 1,200 people, more than two-thirds of them civilians, inside Israel. For the ensuing three weeks, they refused Israel’s demands to turn over the 251 hostages and to surrender the architects of the massacre. No matter—within a day of the attacks, when Hamas gunmen were still fighting Israeli troops… -
news
Panel Discussion Explores the Future of AI Regulation
Virginia is leading the world into the future of artificial intelligence, with many of the state’s 674 data centers (and more on the way) serving as the hardware that provides the memory to drive AI. Data centers are also a growing political concern, with politicians at the local, state and federal levels arguing over what… -
opinion
News or Ad? Texan Ken Paxton Gets Barbecued by Broadcast News
Our elitist media love spreading the buzz when First Lady Melania Trump goes “missing” for a few weeks, but they haven’t noticed Texas Democrat James Talarico vanishing for 12 days in the closing weeks of his Senate campaign. As of this writing, Talarico has no campaign events scheduled before Election Day (save a CNN town… -
opinion
Latin America’s Many Trumps
Latin America is turning right, and it’s a vindication for President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In some ways, the Cold War never really ended in the Western hemisphere: Socialism has haunted the nations of Central and South America long after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the same Cuban regime… -
news
What Prompted a Virginia County to Shut Down 122 Surveillance Cameras?
All 122 Flock surveillance cameras operating in Henrico County will be shut down by the middle of October, making the county the latest jurisdiction in Virginia to cut ties with the license plate reading company. “As a county, we have listened as our residents have shared legitimate concerns about Flock Safety, the proliferation of its… -
news
New Poll: How Likely Young Voters View Islamic Sharia Law
THE CENTER SQUARE—Nearly half of likely young voters, 43%, view Islamic Sharia law positively, according to a new poll. The demographic of likely voters between the ages of 18 and 24 hold a different view than the majority of voters polled of all ages, 57%, who hold a negative view. The poll was conducted by… -
news
What This Bipartisan Plan Would Change About the Senate
A bipartisan Senate duo claims it has the answer to “Save the Senate.” The proposal to eliminate cloture votes, limit dead floor time, increase debate time, and create multiple “fast-tracks” for bills could allow the Senate to pass more legislation. The rule changes, proposed by retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Democrat Sen…. -
analysis
The Media Is Suddenly Less Sure About a Democrat Wave
THE WASHINGTON STAND—After months of flooding the zone with glum predictions for Republicans, there’s been a quiet but meaningful shift in major media headlines. Left-leaning outlets desperate to make the GOP’s demise a self-fulfilling prophecy seem to be subtly hedging their bets against another polling embarrassment. In the last handful of days, even the big… -
opinion
California Public Housing Measure Could Be Used to Confiscate Church Property, Experts Say
THE WASHINGTON STAND—A state law in California ostensibly meant to make it easier for religious institutions and nonprofit colleges to rezone their property for building low-income housing for the homeless is now being used to potentially confiscate church property, according to legal experts in the Golden State. The controversy began in October 2023, when California… -
opinion
The Anti-Trump Media and ‘Economic Pessimism’
In a college psychology course, my class studied an experiment. This is an oversimplification, but experiment went as follows. A group of college students were shown a paper on which a 6-inch line was drawn. The paper was passed to the students sitting around table. They were asked to estimate the length of the line…. -
analysis
He Saw Life After the Berlin Wall Fell. Here’s What He Learned About Socialism.
Summary Rep. Warren Davidson witnessed life in East Germany just weeks after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. In the next Congress, he could find himself serving alongside even more Democrats who embrace an ideology millions of Eastern Europeans rejected when they tore the wall down. Ideas once associated with the Left’s fringe are increasingly… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Becerra and Talarico Vanish From the Campaign Trail
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 Victor Davis Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Sami Winc: Well, let’s turn to the California governor’s race, and Steve Hilton is closing the gap, which was a huge… -
exclusive
Jon Husted, AFP Action Make Final Push Weeks Before Special Election
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Weeks before the election, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is making the final push against former Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, and he’s doing so with continued help from Americans for Prosperity Action. After endorsing Husted in March and releasing a series of ad campaigns since then, AFP Action is continuing to support… -
news
New Journalism Prize to Award up to $10,000 for Original Investigative Reporting
A new competition on Substack for student and citizen journalists is offering up to $10,000 for independent, investigative projects. The Shillman Journalism Prize, founded by award-winning reporters Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, aims to reward young journalists for in-depth, unbiased coverage, something that both said can be overlooked in today’s media environment. “The mainstream media… -
news
Is Becerra Dodging Steve Hilton? Republican Calls Out Rival as Governor’s Race Heats Up
As Republican Steve Hilton touts a narrowing gap in California’s governor’s race, he’s challenging Democrat opponent Xavier Becerra to another debate, accusing him of “backing out” of a Los Angeles Times candidate forum this week. Hilton suggested Becerra’s absence could be tied to a post-debate online poll favoring the Republican candidate. In a video posted… -
breaking
Trump Picks New Press Secretary
The job of White House press secretary has been offered to Katie Zacharia, a White House official confirmed to the Daily Signal Friday. Zacharia will replace Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August to spend more time with her two children. Trump confirmed that Zacharia would fill the post Friday afternoon. “It is my… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: The Cornell 7 Case is What You Get When You Play With Feminism
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 Victor Davis Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Sami Winc: Let’s look at the Cornell 7 first. I know that this is a continuing saga, but recently we had…