Jennifer Harper

Inside the Beltway: Scott Taylor, former Navy SEAL sniper, slams Obama, Hillary Clinton in new book

In bookstores Monday: Here comes "Trust Betrayed: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the Selling Out of America's National Security," by Scott Taylor, a former Navy SEAL sniper with a visceral point to make.

February 22, 2015

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett’s new inspirational film ‘Little Boy’ gets big buzz

Arriving at the nation's theaters in April, the upcoming inspirational film "Little Boy" has accrued some famous fans. Set in World War II, home-front America, the movie follows the saga of a diminutive 7-year old boy and his quest to see his father home safely from the front lines. "It takes courage to believe," the lad is told at one dramatic point.

February 21, 2015

Snowstorm from space: The NASA photo of the East Coast, from 200 miles up

The Siberian Express, the Arctic blast, the polar vortex, Winter Storm Pandora -- even weathermen are running out of descriptions for the winter weather now gripping a big chunk of the U.S. And now we know how big and relentless it is, courtesy of a NASA satellite photo released Saturday, from a satellite 200 miles above Earth. The space agency's official words: "Looks like the states have been sitting in a freezer." The weather is now blamed for the deaths of 22 people in several states.

February 21, 2015

Hollywood stars thank Spielberg more than God during Oscar acceptance speech: Study

For the 87th time, Hollywood elite will gather for the Academy Awards, where winners thank all the folks who helped them along the way — and only occasionally thank God.

February 20, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Is Hillary Clinton too boring to be president?

Should she choose to run for president in 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton could emerge assertive and possibly combative — but it's tricky. Noisy interludes can have unpredictable results with public figures; Americans are still mulling Mrs. Clinton's "What difference does it make?" moment during her testimony about Benghazi. But there are those who say it makes no difference.

February 19, 2015

Elizabeth Warren named ‘Porker of the Year’ by taxpayer watchdog

It may not play well in Peoria or anywhere else should she enter the White House race. Populist favorite Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been named the 2014 Porker of the Year by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a frugal-minded watchdog group that monitors lawmakers, offices and agencies. The Massachusetts Democrat won the title over six other nominees in a public poll, with 34 percent of the vote.

February 19, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Democrats ready for strategy session

Heard of the Pelosi Cocktail? You have to order the drink to find out what's in it, of course — and that thought makes a perfect lead-in to this burning question. Will the much ballyhooed "autopsy" of what went wrong for the Democratic Party during the 2014 midterms be released when Democrats gather for their winter meeting on Thursday? That was the plan.

February 18, 2015

Dr. Seuss returns: New book to be published from long lost manuscript and artwork

It's been a quarter century since the last Dr. Seuss book was published. But his widow and a former secretary revealed Wednesday that they made a startling discovery: The pair found a box filled with an original manuscript plus artwork by the beloved children's author in the old office space of his California home. And voila. A new book titled "What Pet Should I Get?" will be published by Random House Children's Books, to be released July 28.

February 18, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Scott Walker inherits the ‘Mitt Romney vote’

The catcalling press continues to trail after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, hoping to make an issue over his lack of a college diploma, among other things. But no matter. Mr. Walker's grass-roots appeal and business acumen have made him the victor in a new poll of Iowa voters who rank him top dog among 2016 GOP contenders.

February 17, 2015

First time in 98 years: Omaha Steaks to offer ‘chef grade artisanal’ vegetables

Move over filet mignon, porterhouse and ribeye. Make way for the beets, leeks, pea tendrils, baby carrots, microgreens and even edible flowers. Omaha Steaks, long the mail-order domain of American meat lovers, will now carry five different designer collections of veggies for the home cook, with prices beginning at $99 for 10 pounds, delivered "straight from the soil to the door."

February 17, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Russia heads a list of U.S. enemies: Here comes the Cold War, Part II

Culture watchers have reported for years that there is a persistent nostalgia in Russia for the Cold War and the old Soviet Union. Americans haven't forgotten it either, but it's not nostalgia they're feeling.

February 16, 2015

Mount Rushmore: 21 percent of Democrats would add President Obama

Leave Mount Rushmore as is, say most Americans. They are content with the monumental likenesses of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt - carved on a mountain in South Dakota. But 21 percent of Democrats - one in five- would like to see President Obama join those presidents some day. Meanwhile, 16 percent of Republicans say Ronald Reagan should be the next portrait to be added. So says a new poll from Rasmussen Reports released Monday.

February 16, 2015

Golf, balmy weather: President Obama’s weekend holiday in review

For those curious about complicated itineraries, here's where President Obama went this weekend, with a return to the nation's capital scheduled for Monday evening.

February 16, 2015

Inside the Beltway: John Podesta’s extraterrestrial regret before leaving as White House adviser

An interesting cultural moment, even for the nation's capital. Outgoing White House adviser John Podesta tweeted 10 regrets about leaving his position, and this was the last entry on the list: "Finally, my biggest failure of 2014: Once again not securing the #disclosure of the UFO files."

February 15, 2015

Ted Southern, Brooklyn artist, to design NASA spacesuit for civilian travelers

NASA has always attracted visionary thinkers with a practical knack. The tradition continues: The space agency has tapped the skills of Ted Southern, a Brooklyn artist with a can-do attitude and some commercial mojo — perfect for a space race that has become sharply competitive in a global marketplace.

February 15, 2015

On Valentine’s Day: 75 percent of Republicans say they are ‘currently in love’

There are many polls out there for Valentines Day, mostly about flowers, candy, jewelry and how much people spend. Then there is the Fox News poll that includes a partisan breakdown about sentiment. Turns out that 69 percent of all American voters say they are "currently in love." That includes 75 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of independents, 62 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of tea partiers.

February 12, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Bush, Walker, Christie, Jindal get ruthless media scrutiny

It happened to Mitt Romney, and Jeb Bush too. And now Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker joins the ranks of Republican presidential contenders whose carefree school days have come under scrutiny by the journalists who want to prove — well, something or other.

February 12, 2015

Unisex returns: ‘Androgynous’ colors, progressive design dominate upcoming fashion

It's not 50 shades of gray quite yet. Just in time for New York Fashion Week comes this news from Pantone - the industry organization which sets professional color standards for all design industries: "The fall 2015 palette is rooted in multi-faceted, androgynous colors that can be worn to portray effortless sophistication across men's and women's fashion; it is the first time we are seeing a truly unisex color palette," says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

February 12, 2015

Inside the Beltway: President Obama plans a California fundraiser - and a Palm Springs weekend

One more time, he is California bound. We know it's time to fire up Air Force One for a West Coast mission. Indeed, President Obama journeys to Palo Alto, California on Friday to address the Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University — then it's on to San Francisco for a private Democratic National Committee fundraiser with tickets priced from $10,000 to $32,400. But wait. The holiday weekend looms.

February 11, 2015

Not a coronation just yet: Progressive poll says Elizabeth Warren bests Hillary Clinton

Democratic voters want a campaign not a coronation. A new poll from the MoveOn.Org and YouGov reveals that 82 percent of likely Iowa caucus goers and 75 percent of likely New Hampshire primary voters want Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016. The Massachusetts Democrat has already said she's not particularly interested, but that has not deterred her devoted fan base from asking her to take on Hillary Clinton, long deemed the dominant favorite by pollsters and pundits alike.

February 11, 2015