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Shutdown! Do You Care?
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Shutdown! Do You Care?

The government is “shut down.” Media call this a “crisis.” A “crisis [with] no deal in sight,” says Fox News. Reuters says it’s a “key risk to U.S. stability.” But when I look around, I see business as usual—families raise children, workers work, people play music … The media act like government is the most important part of life. It isn’t. Fortunately, most of life, and the best of life, happens outside government. Yes, we need government. Limited government. Enough to keep us safe. But most of life doesn’t depend on what goes through D.C. Most of life thrives without government, often, despite government. During shutdowns, government tells “nonessential” workers not to come to work. But if they’re nonessential, why do we employ them? The shutdown is certainly a problem for the 1.4 million federal employees currently working without pay or furloughed. But they will likely get paid once government’s back in business. That’s what happened before. The media claim flights are delayed because of Air Traffic Control staffing shortages. CNN writes, “Delays spread to major airports across the country, as the government shutdown impacts travelers.” But many of these delays happen because government runs Air Traffic Control, and government management isn’t good. In other places (airports in Canada, the U.K., Germany, Australia), Air Traffic Control is privately run. A Government Accountability Office report found that private systems lead to fewer delays. Even security screenings work better when they’re private. At San Francisco’s airport, security lines move faster, and passengers told me, “The screeners are nicer!” They’re nicer and faster because in San Francisco (also Kansas City and some smaller airports), private companies handle security. The TSA even acknowledges that private screeners are better at finding contraband. So why does government do these things? It shouldn’t. Private operators are better because they must compete. Competition makes everybody sharper. Succeed, or you get fired. But government never fires itself. It’s why its incompetent government workers stay incompetent. It’s also why the Pentagon flunks audits and uses outdated computers. Shutdowns are supposed to show how vital government is. Instead, they show the opposite. Now, some farmers complain that they’re not getting government support checks. But why should farmers get taxpayer funding in the first place? Politicians said it was needed to “save family farms,” but it doesn’t. It mostly subsidizes big agribusiness. Some claim America needs government aid to “guarantee the food supply.” But we don’t. Fruit and vegetable growers get nothing from Washington. There’s no shortage of tomatoes, peaches or green beans … We should take a chain saw to much of government. Consider government inspections of foods. We’re told to be glad U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors are considered “essential” and will stay on the job to keep us safe. But meat is safe not because of bureaucratically mandated inspections but mostly because of competition. Food sellers have a reputation to uphold. If their food poisons us, people won’t buy from them. As a result, today’s food producers take more safety measures than government requires. One told me they employ a thousand more safety inspectors than the government demands. Stories like that rarely get coverage. Politicians, gathered in D.C., are easy to report on. Journalists lazily obsess about them because they’re easy to interview. It’s impossible to cover millions of individuals pursuing our own interests. But it’s we who make America work. Not bureaucrats bickering in D.C. Media pundits will continue to act as if shutdowns are a crisis, but they’re not. We’ve “survived” shutdowns before, and we’ll “survive” this one. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Shutdown! Do You Care? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Anti-Fascists in Cutesy Animal Costumes Are Warm and Cuddly, According to NYT, WaPo
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Anti-Fascists in Cutesy Animal Costumes Are Warm and Cuddly, According to NYT, WaPo

The “fact-checkers” who pick apart President Donald Trump on a daily basis took exception to this recent presidential overstatement: “Portland [Oregon] is burning to the ground, it’s insurrectionists all over the place.” PolitiFact instructed that there’s a few arson convictions, but all the protests are “largely confined to a two-block area” outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Those two blocks can be brutal. The Washington Post wrote a front-page story on Oct. 13 lamenting the “right-wing influencers” around the protests, and reality bubbled up: “But at night, the scene often turns violent, with leftist demonstrators exchanging blows with counterprotesters, at times shoving or spitting on federal law enforcement officers, lobbing fireworks, and attacking conservative influencers and journalists.” That’s right. Conservative journalists get assaulted. Nick Sortor was even arrested after being assaulted. Post reporters Robert Klemko and Joshua Partlow admitted the Portland police “have largely held back, stepping in sporadically to make targeted arrests, rather than clearing the block, to the frustration of federal authorities.” Aaron Schmautz, head of the local police union, was quoted: “When you have city officials encouraging people to break the law, the politics betray the outcome.” Contrast these facts with the propagandistic coverage of the Oct. 13 New York Times. On the front page came this saccharine blurb: “The Sass Menagerie: To contrast the president’s dark talk about Portland, Ore., protesters are wearing colorful animal suits.” Inside the paper, under colorful pictures of cutesy anti-fascists, the headline was “In Inflatable Animal Costumes, Protesters Are Keeping Portland Weird.” Online, the headline was also playful: “Among Portland Protests, It’s Frogs and Sharks and Bears, Oh My!” The first paragraph from Times reporters/publicists Anna Griffin and Aaron West: “Animal costumes are the new black.” For Antifa. Get it? Under video of protesters blowing bubbles, the Times gushed: “In Portland 2025, whimsy and merriment have replaced the masked anarchist look of 2020.” While Team Trump describes the protesters “as cruel, violent extremists bent on overthrowing the government,” they’re apparently losing the PR battle. “The scenes of colorful, oversize animals dancing to pop music under the stern gaze of federal agents in riot gear has altered the national conversation about the protests.” That was the only use in this story of the word “extremist.” As usual, the ideological labels are missing—no uses of “leftist,” “socialist,” “progressive,” or even “liberal.” The protesters weren’t anti-anything. The only “anti-” came in a mention of the liberal Anti-Defamation League. The only use of “Antifa” came in quotes, as in a White House “round table on ‘Antifa’ Wednesday.” There were no Republican sources or “right-wing influencers” or police union leaders quoted. The only sources promoted by Griffin and West were four leftists wearing inflatable costumes—or in one case, a “chicken onesie”—and a leftist journalism professor. Whitney Phillips is the author of the colorfully titled new book “The Shadow Gospel: How Anti-Liberal Demonology Possessed U.S. Religion, Media, and Politics.” One blurb gushes it’s “essential reading for understanding the systematic demonization of liberalism prevalent today.” Griffin made a Times video recently claiming the protests were “very peaceful.” It was headlined “How Portland Is Reacting to Trump’s National Guard Threat.” That’s what the “left-wing influencers” of our media are presenting. Their favorite protesters aren’t a “threat,” even as they attempt to block law-enforcement operations. Their side is wearing adorable, inflatable costumes. Newspapers like The Times love to preach about crumbling “democratic norms,” but when Trump is elected president, attempts to restore law and order during violent protests are the “threat.” Deportations are the “threat.” Everything sounds upside-down and backward when they write the “news.” COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Anti-Fascists in Cutesy Animal Costumes Are Warm and Cuddly, According to NYT, WaPo appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Donald Trump, Peace President
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Donald Trump, Peace President

This week, I had the opportunity to visit the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, to hear President Donald Trump speak. Trump, who had just brokered a ceasefire deal involving the release of all 20 living Israeli hostages from Hamas—without a full Israeli withdrawal, and with a stated commitment by Hamas, backed by erstwhile allies like Qatar and Turkey, to disarm—was met with ecstatic applause. Calling out his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump stated, “We’re not gonna go into a war, but if we do, we’re going to win that war like nobody has ever won a war before. We will not be politically correct … I think, you know, as you mentioned, Bibi, before, ‘Peace through strength.’ And that’s what it’s all about.” Indeed it is. Critics of the Trump administration have claimed that President Joe Biden’s ceasefire plan from 2024 was similar to the ceasefire achieved by Trump. That’s absolutely untrue. Biden’s plan involved a pullback of Israeli forces from “all populated areas of Gaza,” in exchange for an unspecified number of living hostages; phase two would involve a complete end to hostilities, which would involve the release of the remaining hostages. The proposal did not include the disarmament of Hamas. Trump’s plan, by contrast, committed Hamas and its allies to return of all hostages, living and dead, in phase one; Israel would not be forced to withdraw from all populated areas (in fact, Israel currently continues to militarily control some 53% of the Gaza Strip); only after phase two, with the demilitarization and disarmament of Hamas, would Israel pull back fully from Gaza. In short, Trump’s plans contained immediate deliverables—and those deliverables came in the form of Israeli hostages, who were returned to their families. Those deliverables were made possible not only because of Trump’s negotiating acumen but because between Biden’s proposal and Trump’s, the situation on the ground changed: Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, and utterly decimated Hezbollah’s offensive capacity, including via the most highly targeted anti-terror attack of all time—the famed beeper operation; Israel’s destruction of Hezbollah capacities led indirectly to the collapse of the Syrian regime, which in turn made the Syrian border safer for Israel; Israel shattered Iran’s nuclear capacity, with the assist of Trump’s daring Operation Midnight Hammer; Israel performed continuing operations in Judea and Samaria to degrade Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s terrorist operations there; Israel made clear, by striking Hamas leadership inside Qatar, that it would target its enemies anywhere they were found. Much of that situational change between June 2024 and October 2025 was due to Netanyahu’s stalwart leadership and the extraordinary performance of the Israeli defense community. But without Trump supporting the Israeli moves, it would have been difficult if not impossible to reach the end of the war in such victorious fashion. And that’s why Trump received a hero’s welcome in Israel. Trump has always been a peace president, because the only way to achieve peace is strength. Geopolitics is an arena of force—and only the credible threat of its use can bring people to the table. The oft-repeated saw that peace cannot be won on the battlefield is just as false as it is hackneyed. Peace can only be won on the battlefield—because only through victory can the conditions for peace be achieved. A preliminary peace is no peace at all. It is merely a hudna, a waystation on the road back to war and terrorism. So, what comes next? Given Hamas’ attempts to reconsolidate control of the areas of the Gaza Strip from which Israel has withdrawn, it is doubtful that phase two will ever come into play. Will Arab and Muslim nations supply a peacekeeping force to make the Strip quiescent and finally stop Hamas’ murderous reign? If not, how will an interim government ever take power? These questions remain open. But one thing is certain: The same strategy that brought home Israel’s hostages will be the only strategy that ensures eventual prosperity not just in Gaza but in Ukraine and in other hot spots around the globe. That strategy is Peace Through Strength. And there is no substitute for it. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Donald Trump, Peace President appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Texts, Trump, and More: 4 Key Takeaways from  Virginia’s Attorney General Debate
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Texts, Trump, and More: 4 Key Takeaways from Virginia’s Attorney General Debate

Virginia’s Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares kicked off the Thursday debate referencing text messages in which his Democrat opponent Jay Jones wished death on a political rival.  Jones responded in his opening remarks on the controversy that has plunged the third-tier race on this year’s Virginia ballot into the national spotlight, asserting he “deeply, deeply” regrets the messages about wishing death on former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, and Gilbert’s children. Here are the key takeaways from the debate held at the University of Richmond. 1. Ashamed, Embarrassed, Sorry “I am ashamed. I am embarrassed, and I’m sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert. I’m sorry to his family. I’m sorry to my family,” said Jones, a former member of the state House of Delegates, during the debate. “And I’m sorry to every single Virginian. I cannot take back what I said, but you have my word that I will always be accountable for my mistakes.” After Gilbert extended condolences over the passing of Democrat Del. Joe Johnson in 2022, Jones texted Republican state Delegate Carrie Coyner that he would prefer to shoot Gilbert instead of murderous dictators Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot. He went on to double down and assert that “public policy only changes when policymakers feel pain themselves, such as that felt by parents when their children die from gun violence.” 2. What Would Lincoln and Jefferson Say? The attorney general said this shows who his opponent is.  “We have seen a window to who Jay Jones is, and the way he thinks of people that disagree with him,” Miyares said. “Abraham Lincoln said, the character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching, but now we know what he was doing in the dark.” After referencing the 16th president earlier in the evening, the attorney general also referenced Virginia’s own Thomas Jefferson, the third president. “One of my favorite quotes came from Thomas Jefferson. It is this. I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.”  Miyares said, “In every autocratic regime, the people in charge always think ideas matter more than people.” 3. Fighting Crime Miyares was proud of the overwhelming support of state law enforcement organizations, such as the Fraternal Order of Police and numerous sheriffs.  “Every single major law enforcement association in the state of Virginia has not just endorsed me, Jay, they have said you need to drop out, and I find it a little bit stunning that today you say one of the pillars of your public safety platform is protecting children,” he said. He added, “If you were truly sorry, you would not be running for this office because you disqualified yourself.” He highlighted his record fighting crime.  “I said I was going to work with law enforcement instead of against law enforcement, which we did,” he said. He added, “I promised that we would prosecute repeat violent offenders, which we have by launching Operation Casefire, because we were saying that 5% of felons were committing over 50% of our violent felonies. The result, a dramatic reduction in a murder rate, and in our ceasefire cities, reductions of murder’s high as 60%.” 4. Suing Trump Several times when talking about his own anti-crime record, Miyares stressed that Jones never prosecuted a case. At one point, Jones responded, “If you’re going to prosecute a case, you should prosecute the president.” Jones spent most of the evening debate pledging that if elected he would use the office to sue President Donald Trump’s administration, as other Democrat state attorneys general have done. He criticized Miyares for not doing so.  “The stakes of this race are too high for it to be about anything else because when Donald Trump fires workers, defunds our schools and levies tariffs to destroy our regional economies, sends armed troops into cities and defunds law enforcement, he has a willing cheerleader here in Jason Miyares, who will not step up to sue,” Jones said. “Where other attorneys general have fought to protect their state’s resources and values and institutions, Jason hasn’t done them.”  Miyares said he “calls balls and strikes,” and noted he has sued both the Biden and Trump administrations. He further said Jones is focused on Washington, not on Virginia. The post Texts, Trump, and More: 4 Key Takeaways from Virginia’s Attorney General Debate appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Trump, Crime Loom Large in New York Mayor Debate. Here Are 4 Key Moments.
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Trump, Crime Loom Large in New York Mayor Debate. Here Are 4 Key Moments.

Three candidates debated for the first time Thursday night in New York’s mayoral race. The election has garnered a significant amount of attention this year given the stakes involved. Current Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race at the end of September, leaving just three major candidates standing. The frontrunner candidate is Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-avowed socialist who catapulted to an improbable, but decisive victory in the Democrat primary. Facing him is the man he defeated in that primary, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo—who is running as an independent—and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican. Sliwa was the founder of the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit group that aims to prevent crime. Here are 4 takeaways from Thursday night’s debate. Does Experience Count for Much? Cuomo focused on his experience as governor of New York as a decisive factor in his favor compared to his opponents. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was quick out of the gate to contrast front-runner socialist Zohran Mamdani’s lack of experience with his own decades in politics at Thursday’s mayoral debate. pic.twitter.com/z77iILa250— New York Post (@nypost) October 17, 2025 “He has literally never had a job,” Cuomo said of Mamdani. The former governor said that the mayor’s office is “not a job for a first timer.” He pointed to the possibility of a serious crisis like 9/11 or a pandemic as a reason that New York couldn’t take a chance on the young candidate. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, people literally will die,” Cuomo said. Mamdani responded by asking rhetorically, “why would New Yorkers turn back to the governor who sent seniors to their death in nursing homes? That’s the kind of experience that’s on offer here today.” Cuomo said that he followed federal guidelines in his COVID-19 response but acknowledged that people died on his watch. 2. Trump Looms Large The three candidates addressed President Donald Trump, his influence on the race, and potentially the city. Sliwa said that opposition to Trump would be a huge mistake and would hurt New York. He pointed out that several major projects in the city will need federal funding. “If you try to get tough with Trump, the only people who are going to suffer from that are the people of New York City.” Cuomo said that while he is willing to stand up to Trump, Mamdani’s election will mean that the president will take over New York. “If the assemblyman is elected mayor, Donald Trump will take over New York City and it will be Mayor Trump who runs New York City,” Cuomo said. Mamdani said that he would stand up to Trump and would shield illegal aliens from deportation. 3. Israel/Hamas Peace Deal Matters to NYC The negotiated peace deal between Israel and Hamas is a serious matter of contention in a city with over a million Jews, nearly a million Muslims, and frequent anti-Israel protests that have turned violent. Mamdani adjusted the answer he gave in a recent Fox News interview where he refused to say that Hamas should disarm. “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel,” Mamdani said when Fox News’ Martha MacCallum asked the assemblyman if he thought the terrorist group should lay down their weapons. WATCH:Zohran Mamdani is a big advocate for peace in Gaza. But when Martha MacCallum of Fox News pressed him on whether Hamas—the terror outfit currently slaughtering its Gazan critics in the street—should disarm, he demurred. “I don’t really have opinions about the future of… pic.twitter.com/pAdmfLgvqO— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) October 16, 2025 Mamdani said on Thursday, “Of course, I believe that they should lay down their arms.” But he then said that Israel needs to lay down arms too and said he was one of the first public officials to demand a ceasefire in the conflict. Cuomo said that Mamdani’s position on the conflict was unacceptable and that he sided with those who wished to “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani has refused to denounce those who use that phrase. Cuomo said that Mamdani “still won’t denounce ‘globalize the intifada,’ which means kill all Jews.” Sliwa said to Mamdani that “Jews don’t trust you are going to be there for them when they are victims of antisemitic attacks.” Cuomo added, “I agree.” 4. Law and Order Policing and crime were major issues in the debate. Mamdani had said on X in the past that he aimed to defund the police and has called NYPD a threat to public safety, positions he’s since retreated from. Can one of the moderators pretty please simply read Mamdani’s own word back to him when he denies over and over that he never called for defunding the police? pic.twitter.com/gks9PMHWts— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) October 16, 2025 Mamdami said that his plan was to rely on a Department of Community Safety instead of the police to combat crime. “We will have dedicated teams of mental health outreach workers in the top 100 subway stations with the highest levels of the mental health crisis and homelessness,” Mamdani said. Cuomo was critical of Mamdani’s past statements about the police. “Respect the police. They’re not racists,” Cuomo said. “As the assemblyman calls them, they’re not a threat to public safety. As he says, they’re not anti-queer. They are here to protect New Yorkers” Sliwa stood in opposition to both Mamdami and Cuomo on the crime issue. He said that Cuomo’s record on the NYPD as governor was terrible and noted that his parole board released “43 cop killers.” Sliwa also said that Cuomo was far worse on crime than his father, Mario Cuomo, who had also been the governor of New York. “I knew Mario Cuomo. You are not Mario Cuomo,” Sliwa said. CURTIS SLIWA: 'I Knew Mario Cuomo. You Are Not Mario Cuomo'@CurtisSliwa rebukes former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not enforcing the law and allowing ?"43 cop killers back into the street.""Don't say you are pro police." pic.twitter.com/aVkGx1XDzP— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) October 16, 2025 The post Trump, Crime Loom Large in New York Mayor Debate. Here Are 4 Key Moments. appeared first on The Daily Signal.