Jennifer Harper

Inside the Beltway: A first: ‘Republican nominee’ trumps Hillary in 6-state voter poll

That rumored coronation does not appear imminent at the moment. A new survey of likely voters in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia finds that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton actually trails the "Republican nominee" for the office by eight percentage points.

July 15, 2015

Broadcasters all but ignore Planned Parenthood fetal body parts investigation

A close study from the Media Research Center has examined broadcast coverage of an undercover video revealing Planned Parenthood's senior director of Medical Services referring to the practice of selling the body parts of aborted babies. The chilling account went public Tuesday but warranted little attention from the "Big Three" networks in the aftermath. ABC and CBS completely ignored the story while NBC gave it 39 seconds, omitting "damning quotes," according to the analysis.

July 15, 2015

NBC veteran anchorman Lester Holt wins the ratings race, bests CBS, ABC rivals

Five months ago, Lester Holt temporarily took over the NBC Nightly News anchorman's chair following the sudden exit of Brian Williams who was suspended following the discovery that he had made false claims as a newsman. Three weeks ago, Mr. Holt was named the permanent replacement. Nielsen now reveals that the Nightly News is in first place in the ratings race.

July 15, 2015

Inside the Beltway Advice on Iran from the Reagan era: Trust but verify — or else

Skeptical critics of the U.S. nuclear agreement with Iran have deemed the diplomatic deal a historic mistake, a disaster, a catastrophe and a surrender, among many other things. While the toxic fallout continues, one lawmaker recommends the U.S. at least consult the lessons of the Cold War, when finesse, guts and common sense were paramount -- along with a few fully loaded B-52s.

July 14, 2015

How much do TV anchors really make? (Hint: Not all that much)

In past years, the public has heard tell of news anchors like NBC's Matt Lauer who earns $20 million a year, and Katie Couric, now pulling in $10 million from Yahoo News. The multi-million salaries of big name anchors is not the norm, according to an annual survey of current salaries released by the Radio Television Digital News Association, an industry group. The average salary for a news anchor is $83,300, though this can range from a minimum of $14,000 to a maximum of $875,000, depending on market size and other circumstances.

July 14, 2015

New advice for conservatives: ‘Build a fairer, happier, and more prosperous America’

The title says all: "The Conservative Heart: How to build a fairer, happier, and more prosperous America" by American Enterprise Institute president Arthur C. Brooks arrives Tuesday, with a clear mission and much acclaim. George Will, Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Mike Lee are among those praising the new book. It's establishing some new turf for conservatives -- and some pushback against the persistent progressive monopoly as "champions" of the needy and vulnerable.

July 14, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Christians United for Israel draw 5,000 to Washington for summit

Christians United for Israel is now midway through its 10th annual summit in the nation's capital -- a major two-day event that has drawn 5,000 attendees and a wide spectrum of speakers that includes Sens. Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, John Cornyn, and Tom Cotton; Mike Huckabee, John Kasich and Rick Santorum, with video messages from Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

July 13, 2015

Majority of Americans believe in fate: Poll

Horoscopes don't carry as much weight with Americans as the idea of "fate" according to a new survey. A majority, in fact, believe in fate. The world of Leo, Libra, Gemini and the other star signs? Not so much.

July 13, 2015

Moonlite Bunny Ranch ‘legal brothel mogul’ Dennis Hof to run for U.S. Senate as Libertarian

Dennis Hof - a self described "legal brothel mogul, HBO-TV star, best-selling author, successful business entrepreneur and Nevadan" - has joined the Libertarian Party and organized an exploratory committee to run for U.S. Senate. Mr. Hof is very interested in running for Sen. Harry Reid's perch next year.

July 12, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Voters agree with Rick Perry: Get tough on sanctuary cities

He's said it before, and he's said it again. Presidential hopeful Rick Perry is opposed to sanctuary cities, citing the potential for crime should officials overlook the criminals among the undocumented and unauthorized visitors.

July 12, 2015

Flying with God: Most major airports have dedicated chapels

Airports may be harried places. But many house holy places. A meticulous analysis of current FAA data reveals that 60 percent of the nation's largest airports have chapels, according to Aleksandra Sandstrom, a researcher and editor with the Pew Research Center.

July 11, 2015

The Right Side Forum with Armstrong WIlliams focuses on authentic African American manhood

The Right Side Forum," an hour-long conservative live news and talk show hosted by columnist Armstrong Williams, offers a special, one-hour forum broadcast, airing Saturday on News Channel 8 at 10:30 a.m. The topic this week: African American Manhood Today. "There are many African American men who are responsible, productive members of society who help others follow in their footsteps," he comments.

July 10, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Republicans in Hollywood: ‘Some of us have a bigger microphone’

Donald Trump made multiple media appearances this week. But they are overshadowed by the appearance he made Friday before Friends of Abe, a fellowship of Hollywood conservatives founded almost a decade ago by actors Kelsey Grammer and Gary Sinise.

July 9, 2015

Confident Republicans more satisfied with presidential field than Democrats

Republican voters appear to be more optimistic about 2016 than Democrats at this point. A whopping 71 percent of the GOPers report they are "satisfied" with the field of GOP candidates running for president - despite peevish critics who question the number of hopefuls who have thrown their hats into the ring. Only 57 percent of Democrats are satisfied with their respective line-up of candidates.

July 9, 2015

Gallup poll: 67% of GOP, 27% of Democrats say it’s OK for Southern states to fly Confederate flag

In earlier decades, a majority of both Democrats and Republicans said the Confederate flag was more a sign of Southern pride than of racism, and both groups were comfortable with Southern states flying the flag on state capitol buildings, according to a new Gallup poll. This is not the case anymore. There is a stark partisan divide in opinion between the parties, which a Gallup analyst attributes to a shift in the party makeup.

July 9, 2015

Redskins, Confederate flag targeted in crusade against politically incorrect U.S. history

The nation is experiencing a surge in political correctness, ramped up by continued controversy over the Confederate flag and other Civil War symbols, and renewed disagreements over the Washington Redskins team name.

July 8, 2015

Inside the Beltway: The Winnebago vote: Campaigning Scott Walker-style

Forget Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Scooby Bus. Gov. Scott Walker is about to show the competition how to campaign in authentic down-home style once he declares his intent to run for president. Once the Wisconsin Republican makes his announcement, he's got big doings planned -- and we do mean big.

July 8, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Minnesota, Massachusetts: Two state flags now deemed offensive by critics

The Confederate flag is scarce in South Carolina these days. But the cultural backlash against the flag has sparked self-examination in two more states far from the Deep South: The state flags of Minnesota and Massachusetts are under scrutiny by critics for possible inappropriate symbolism.

July 7, 2015

Nancy Reagan celebrates her 94th birthday

Nancy Reagan turned 94 on Monday, complete with a birthday cake trimmed with pink posies, her face aglow with an expectant smile. Social media hummed with well wishes for the former first lady, and observations about her continuing place in history.

July 6, 2015

Inside the Beltway: John Bolton: The ‘only way’ to stop Iran is through military force

There's no evidence that Iran will jettison its nuclear program, according to former State Department missile-counter John R. Bolton, who offers a stark reality check as negotiations between Iran and P5+1 -- the U.S. and five other nations -- drag on. "Iran fully intends to continue its nuclear weapons program and is solely interested in getting free of the economic sanctions. There is no evidence Tehran has made the strategic decision to give up its pursuit of deliverable nuclear warheads," Mr. Bolton tells Inside the Beltway.

July 6, 2015