Jennifer Harper

Study accuses Hollywood of waging genuine ‘war on women’ through TV violence

A new study from the Media Research Center cites some Hollywood hypocrisy when in comes to popular TV programming. Though studio management and stars alike speak out against issues domestic violence, the programming doesn't back up the sentiment. The research revealed 129 acts of violence against women in one week of primetime TV shows. "It's just lip service. Hollywood sells violence against women as entertainment on practically every drama on network television," writes Kristine Marsh, who covers cultural issues for the watchdog group.

February 11, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Where’s Hillary Clinton - and why is she hiding?

The Republican National Committee is fretting about Hillary Rodham Clinton's absence from the public arena at the moment. "We've noticed it. You've noticed it: Hillary Clinton is hiding," the committee notes in a public memo. "Potential Republican presidential candidates are out in public, speaking to voters, and sharing their ideas. But Hillary Clinton is nowhere to be found." Their point has resonated. Others parse the who, what, when and where of it all. "Come out, come out wherever you are," writes the Weekly Standard's Daniel Halper. "Where in the world is Hillary Clinton? Over the past several weeks, she has been behaving like a reclusive third-world dictator," declares Washington Free Beacon editor Andrew Stiles.

February 10, 2015

Smart phone nation: Americans now spend five hours a day - on their phones

We are close to our phones. Maybe too close. Americans are now spending an average of 4.7 hours a day on their smart phones – blabbing, texting, socializing, doing business. And the U.S. leads the list of nations in phone use, this according to new findings from Informate Mobile Intelligence, a Seattle-based research group that tracks and measures consumer use. Phoners in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico spend the least amount of time on their device - about two hours a day.

February 10, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Brian Williams: Now comes the collateral damage

Alas. The questionable claims of a popular anchorman on the nation's leading broadcast news network has taken its toll: preliminary Nielson ratings reveal that the number of viewers for NBC Nightly News dropped by 36 percent after revelations that newsman-in-chief Brian Williams fibbed about a few things while on the job.

February 9, 2015

Obama on track to have ‘the most polarizing presidency on record’: Gallup

Partisan sentiment appears to be reaching extreme levels in the 24/7 news environment. In the six years President Obama has been in the White House, an average of 79 percent of Democrats gave him a positive job review, compared with 9 percent of Republicans.

February 9, 2015

Inside the Beltway: News flash: Brian Williams stars in his own cliffhanger

To put it delicately, NBC News anchorman Brian Williams is now on career hiatus, saying he is "presently too much a part of the news" to be the nightly point man after his claims of facing down a dramatic attack in the skies over Iraq were proven false. The fact checkers are still at work, parsing Mr. Williams' role in Hurricane Katrina and other significant moments. Meanwhile, he is indeed a part of the news, as revealed by headlines:

February 8, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Ronald Reagan: Relevant and revered on his 104th birthday

Friday marks what would have been Ronald Reagan's 104th birthday — not forgotten by those who continue to revere and appreciate what he stood for.

February 5, 2015

Donald Trump buzzes presidential radar: Inside the Beltway

The catchy phrase "Run, Trump, run" has been part of voter vernacular for quite some time. Indeed, an eager sector of the American public still equate Donald Trump with the White House, and still harken to his messages, whether it's a simple "You're fired" or this, tweeted Wednesday afternoon: "We're worried about waterboarding as our enemy, ISIS, is beheading people and burning people alive. Time for us to wake up."

February 4, 2015

A bill to better FOIA: Darrell Issa, Elijah Cummings seek ‘a presumption of openness’ in America

Reps. Darrell Issa of California and Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland have introduced legislation to shore up the Freedom of Information Act, simply known as "FOIA" among journalists seeking information. The FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2015 would "establish a presumption of openness" in America, while improving electronic accessibility for pertinent information, the lawmakers say.

February 4, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Scott Walker the victor in Drudge poll - but loser on press coverage

It is a huge contrast: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is the emphatic victor so far in the Drudge Report's online poll gauging the chances of 13 Republican presidential hopefuls. Mr. Walker is currently winning almost half the votes, and many have been tabulated since the survey was launched some 48 hours ago.

February 3, 2015

National Association of Manufacturers CEO hits road to promote American exceptionalism

Some uplifting business news for a change? Applause for American know-how? Yes, indeed. National Association of Manufacturers president and CEO Jay Timmons has begun a nationwide tour that actually lauds and supports the idea of American exceptionalism. Beginning with Indianapolis, he'll visit 10 major manufacturing hubs in the next three weeks.

February 3, 2015

The CPAC 2015 speaker list grows: Bozell joins Perry, Paul, Carson and Santorum

The extensive list of speakers at CPAC 2015 continues to grow. Media kingpin Brent Bozell is now among the luminaries who will appear at the four-day event - formally titled the Conservative Action Political Conference - which begins Feb. 25 at the glittering National Harbor on the banks of the Potomac River a few miles south of the nation's capital. Mr. Bozell joins Rick Perry, Sens. Rand Paul and Tim Scott, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, Laura Ingraham, Sen Hannity and Mark Levin, all scheduled to share their observations.

February 3, 2015

It’s not needles: Study pins fear of immunizations on distrust in government

Why are Americans nervous about immunizations? It all hing.es on the public's trust and confidence in government says a new study from Ohio State University

February 3, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Remember that old bumper sticker: ‘Don’t tell Obama what comes after a trillion’

Like the old bumper sticker says, "Don't tell Obama what comes after a trillion." Indeed. Perhaps the White House is under the impression that all American voters will rejoice over President Obama's brand new, 2,000-page budget that includes $4 trillion in spending. That is not necessarily the case. Voters appear to be a frugal bunch. Yes, there are numbers.

February 2, 2015

No more ‘ruling class culture’: New legislation would jettison pensions for Congress

It is part of reforming the nation's capital, says Rep. Ron DeSantis. The Florida Republican has introduced the "End Pensions in Congress Act," legislation that would end pensions for all future lawmakers and those not yet vested into the congressional retirement plan. "The Founding Fathers envisioned elected officials as part of a servant class, yet Washington has evolved into a ruling class culture," says Mr. DeSantis.

February 2, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Jeb Bush inherits Mitt Romney’s negative press coverage

A new Boston Globe profile of Jeb Bush which chronicles his school years has spun off raucous headlines from other news organizations which frame the presidential hopeful as a troubled, pot-smoking bully during his time at Phillips Academy.

February 1, 2015

Unprecedented security: Even Super Bowl officials took ‘active shooter preparedness’ training

Unprecedented security measures for the Super Bowl have earned much attention from the press this week, augmented by plenty of outreach from the Department of Homeland Security about strategic safety measures that will be in place in Phoenix on Sunday. They are prepared. So are the organizers. The federal agency says itd National Protection and Programs Directorate "conducted an active shooter preparedness workshop, training 150 participants, including members of the Super Bowl Planning Committee."

January 30, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Baby boomers turn conservative - a huge voting bloc

The hippies of yore would never believe it. A jumbo-sized Gallup poll now reveals that baby boomers — who once espoused free love, flower power and took to the streets to protest most anything — now constitute a conservative stronghold. Among those born between 1946 and 1964, a sizable 44 percent say they are conservative; a third describe themselves as moderates, and 21 percent are liberal. In comparison, 38 percent of Americans overall are conservative, 36 percent are moderates and a quarter are liberals.

January 29, 2015

Inside the Beltway: Obama spends $6.8 million on Air Force One flights

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation continues to update its ongoing Presidential Travel Study that tallies the cost of President Obama's journeys aboard the magnificent but pricey Air Force One. The president's trip to India and Saudi Arabia brings his grand total to 38 trips to 85 nations — or 150 days spent abroad, the watchdog group says. This particular trip cost tax payers $6.8 million, incidentally, based on the $228,288 per hour price of operating the aircraft. In comparison, former President Bill Clinton made 34 trips to 86 countries, and spent 158 days abroad at this same point in his presidency, while George W. Bush went on 36 visits to 93 countries, for a total of 143 days abroad, also in the same relative time frame.

January 28, 2015

JENNIFER HARPER: Scott Walker: He takes his family with him

Our American Revival: The title suggests camaraderie, patriotism and purpose. It is also the name of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's new political action committee, launched Tuesday and raising the volume on rumors he would run for president in 2016. Well, sure. Mr. Walker has been delicately developing his political brand, starting with "Unintimidated: A Governor's story and a Nation's Challenge," his 2013 memoir. The son of a pastor and an Eagle Scout, Mr. Walker has a lot of heartland in his soul.

January 28, 2015