Jennifer Harper

Inside the Beltway: Stop Hillary PAC raises $1.4 million, draws 827,000 supporters in year

One group has looked askance at a presidential bid by Hillary Rodham Clinton for almost a year. And they're still not ready for Hillary. Indeed, the Stop Hillary PAC is approaching its first anniversary and reports a few numbers that suggest the public is unnerved as well. The "Stop Hillary" clan now claims 827,000 supporters and has raised $1.4 million for their cause. The organizers have been frank about their mission since founding the group last May — and they have a single focus to prevent Mrs. Clinton from reaching the White House.

April 6, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Step aside: Rand Paul goes presidential

Not long ago it was Gov. Scott Walker who was the presidential man of distinction as he bounded on the Republican stage, grass-roots appeal and leadership prowess on full display. Then it was Sen. Ted Cruz's turn, upstaging his rivals by being the first to declare formally that he is running for president, followed by relentless campaigning that included 10 stops in two states on Easter weekend alone. And now comes another man — a Kentucky lawmaker ready to rumble.

April 5, 2015

Ronald Reagan’s Easter and Passover message to the nation, April 2, 1983

From archival sources, here's what Reagan said on Easter weekend, over three decades ago.

April 3, 2015

Easter: 80 percent of Americans celebrate it, spending $16.4 billion on the necessities

Some cheerful numbers to consider this weekend: 80 percent of Americans will celebrate Easter, providing a $16.4 billion bump to the economy - the average celebrant spending $141 on candy, food, flowers, decorations, gifts and apparel. So says the National Retail Federation. Yes, there’s a poll. On Easter Sunday, 58 percent will gather with friends and family, 54 percent cook a holiday feast, 51 percent will go to church.

April 3, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Obama’s Iranian nuke deal raises Republican hackles

Press and pundits continue to tip and sway over the news that a preliminary deal has at last emerged from the Iran nuclear talks. But is it a done deal? Republican lawmakers are not buying it.

April 2, 2015

Obama makes first visit to Utah as president: ‘It’s about time’ say the locals

President Obama is bound for Utah on Thursday, his destinations include Salt Lake City and Hill Air Force Base, where he'll "deliver remarks on the economy." Details from the White House are few. The folks out that way are taking cryptic note of the visit. "Utah will become the second-to-last state the president has visited while in office. It's about time.," notes one editorial.

April 2, 2015

Inside the Beltway: The Cruz conservative strategy worked

A bodacious announcement, monumental follow-up speeches and relentless campaigning appear to have paid off for Sen. Ted Cruz. He's got "big momentum," according to Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, which gauged the outcome of the Texas Republican's news announcement last week that he would run for president.

April 1, 2015

Fox News is the most watched cable news channel for the 159th month in a row

Fox News is the top cable news channel for the 159th month in a row, according to new Nielsen numbers. That means rivals have not topped the network for over 13 years.

April 1, 2015

Smart phones have appeal for texting, not conversations in the U.S.

Given the choice, Americans would rather text than take a phone call. They spend 26 minutes every day tapping out their messages. Elsewhere on the planet, the average time spent text messaging is under five minutes.

April 1, 2015

Inside the Beltway: New York Times debuts ‘one-sentence stories’

Those who fret that the news media has become fragmented and frantic should brace for this: "The New York Times has developed a new form of storytelling to help readers catch up in seconds on Apple Watch. One-sentence stories, crafted specially for small screens, will provide the news at a glance across many Times sections, including Business, Politics, Science, Tech and The Arts," the news organization announced with hip brevity on Tuesday.

March 31, 2015

Iran nuclear talks cause ideological rifts in political parties, disapproval among conservatives

As the deadline for nuclear talks with Iran looms, 49 percent of Americans approve of the U.S. negotiating directly with Iran over its nuclear program, 40 percent disapprove says a Pew Research Center poll. "There are deep ideological divisions," the poll says, reporting that 72 percent of liberal Democrats approve of the negotiations, while 62 percent of conservative Republicans disapprove of them.

March 31, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Terri Schiavo, Jeb Bush 10 years later, and the implications for 2016

Tuesday marks a decade since the death of Terri Schiavo, who became a global symbol for pro-life and disability rights for those who followed her family's 15-year struggle to keep her alive following a brain injury. She was 41 when she succumbed to dehydration after a feeding tube was removed following a court order, much media coverage and a public battle between her parents and her husband, who served as guardian. Schiavo has not been forgotten. Her life will be celebrated at a national memorial Mass in Philadelphia on Tuesday, followed by an evening awards event to raise support for the medically vulnerable. Archbishop Charles Chaput of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will celebrate the public Mass, the event will be hosted by independent media maven Glenn Beck.

March 30, 2015

Ben Bernanke to write a blog with the Brookings Institution ‘when the spirit moves me’

"When I was at the Federal Reserve, I occasionally observed that monetary policy is 98 percent talk and only two percent action," observes Ben Bernanke, who served as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. The economist may encounter a different landscape now that he's agreed to write a blog for the Brookings Institution, where he is a fellow.

March 30, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Obama’s grade hurt by Bowe Bergdahl, Iran talks

Time for transparency, perhaps? Veteran pollster John Zogby advises President Obama to "get out in front of critics" and explain why the U.S. has, as many critics put it, "caved" on the Iran negotiations, backing off on close scrutiny of the nation's developing nuclear infrastructure. Then there are the complexities of Bowe Bergdahl, and his transition from a released prisoner to a soldier charged with desertion. There are some positive aspects to Mr. Obama's current status, though. Mr. Zogby, who grades the president every week, says that Medicare expansion in some states plus stable favorability rating are good news for the White House.

March 29, 2015

Termite menace: Hybrid swarm of destructive species set to invade Florida

It's not hurricanes and high water that is threatening Florida. It's termites. Two of the most destructive species of the termite kingdom are now swarming simultaneously in South Florida - and scientists are worried. The Asian and Formosan subterranean termite clans are about to meet, mate and produce an unprecedented number of feisty hybrid offspring - hundreds of thousands of alates, or winged males and females.

March 27, 2015

The RIght Side Forum: What’s next with conservative host Armstrong Williams

"The Right Side Forum," an hour-long conservative live news and talk show hosted by columnist Armstrong Williams, will ask this question on its next broadcast: "Ayatollah Khomeini declaration: Death to America". His guests are attorney Alan Dershowitz and national security expert Frank Gaffney.

March 27, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Presidents, prime ministers, how much money do they make?

There are currently 2,089 billionaires and 16 million millionaires in the world, according to several excruciating studies by the China-based Hurun Report, the Global Wealth Report and Forbes — with several analysts already predicting that the first trillionaire is in the making. Money does not always equal power, however. Compared with the planet's high-rollers, world leaders are not necessarily cruising in the financial fast lane. Using a variety of data sources ranging from Business Inside to China Daily, Forbes contributor Niall McCarthy now reveals the world leaders with the highest salaries.

March 26, 2015

Hillary, Jeb favorites for 2016, oddsmakers say; Cruz, Biden long shots

Paddy Power, one of Europe's largest online betting concerns, has offered the odds on 66 potential hopefuls from both sides of the aisle.

March 26, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Obama takes another golf weekend, this time to Florida

Just a brief bulletin, then we'll move right along. Time to fire up Air Force, because President Obama is off to the Treasure Coast of Florida this weekend, specifically Palm City. The local press is attentive, reporting that Mr. Obama will play a few rounds at the Floridian National Golf Club. Yeah, well. Rather than prattle on about the cost of operating Air Force One ($206,000 an hour), here's the description of the course, just for the heck of it.

March 25, 2015

Global warming, climate change: Less than a third of Americans are worried, Gallup says

Less than a third of Americans are now concerned about global warming and climate change: 32 percent fret about those environmental factors says the annual Gallup Environmental survey, released Wednesday. Naturally, there's a partisan divide: 13 percent of Republicans are concerned about global warming and climate problems, compared to 52 percent of Democrats.

March 25, 2015