Jennifer Harper

Whoops: Congress gets the nation’s lowest rating for honest ethical standards

The U.S. Congress is on the naughty list in the last week before Christmas - they're at the very bottom of the public's rating for honest and ethical standards, this according to a new Gallup poll. At the tip top of the roster: the nation's nurses.

December 20, 2014

Tech experts warn of an escalating cyber ‘arms race’

Now that the first cyberwar is underway, the IT experts are taking a close look about the particulars. And with every war comes weaponry, and predictions that privacy technology must keep up with aggressive hackers. It's a reality of the "knowledge economy" - where business and enterprise is fueled by data at lightening speed, and often personal data at that. But it’s complicated. Even the United Nations is laboring on a resolution to put before the General Assembly that calls upon nations to "respect and protect a global right to privacy." Is it possible?

December 19, 2014

Inside the Beltway: A cyberwar with aftershocks, collateral damage

Americans are now trying to fathom that the nation is in a multidimensional cyberwar following North Korea's strategic hack attack on a Hollywood studio, prompting the cancellation of an upcoming film, with an estimated loss of $200 million in revenue alone.

December 18, 2014

Creche over sleigh: Majority of voters still see Christmas as a religious holiday

Though Christmas is a beloved holiday for many reasons, a new survey finds that 56 percent of Americans view Christmas as primarily a religious holiday, while 21 percent view it as a cultural holiday — and 22 percent say it’s a little of both.

December 18, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Obama’s Cuba relations decision the latest fury-maker

It's like clockwork. The White House does something monumental without much notice or protocol, the press goes crazy and the critics bristle with rage. Here we go again, courtesy of President Obama's sudden decision to put the U.S. and Cuba on speaking terms — negotiating a prisoner release and normalizing relations that have been broken for five decades. This sort of thing seems to be happening every week in the era of the mighty presidential pen and phone.

December 17, 2014

Ben Carson, midway through a trip to Israel - sees the realities of the Holy Land

Ben Carson is midway through a significant trip to Israel to see the Holy Land for himself - including the spiritual, political and security-minded factors that are realities for the nation. His journey includes a visit to Nazareth, Galilee and Bethlehem - along with tours of the Gaza strip, terrorist tunnels, a military base and Hadassah Medical Center

December 17, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Not ready for Jeb Bush - not ready for Clinton Vs Bush either

News that Jeb Bush is "actively exploring" a 2016 presidential run titillated the press — some red meat for journalists already weary with the strategic indecisions of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mitt Romney. But not everyone is thrilled about Mr. Bush's intent. "Another Bush versus another Clinton? Vomit," declared Media Research Center founder Brent Bozell in his own counter tweet.

December 16, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Americans side with the CIA on the Senate report

The Senate decision to release a report on CIA interrogation methods is more controversial than the actual contents of the report itself.

December 15, 2014

Inside the Beltway: 2014: ‘Year of the Lie’ and Mr. Trump goes to Washington to talk politics

Alas, the past 12 months have been a truth-optional time period, some say. 2014 was, in fact "the year of the lie." That pronouncement comes from New York Post culture critic Kyle Smith, who reveals his rationale: "Bowe Bergdahl. The IRS's missing e-mails. Lena Dunham. 'Hands up, don't shoot.' Jonathan Gruber. GM and that faulty ignition switch. Andrew Cuomo and that anti-corruption commission," the journalist says. "2014 was the year when truth was optional. 2014 was the year when convenient fabrication was the weapon of choice for celebrities, activists, big business and politicians."

December 14, 2014

Starstruck society: Geminid meteor shower lit up two hemispheres - with more to come

"It's the most wonderful time of the year - for spotting a Geminid meteor," noted NASA, referring to the 2014 Geminid meteor shower which peaked on Saturday evening, through early Sunday. They will still be visible for up to two weeks - so don't stop looking up. And they will be traveling at 22 miles a second, incidentally.

December 13, 2014

They flew 24 million miles: World War II-era Civil Air Patrol awarded Congressional Gold Medal

At long last, a Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to the founding members of the Civil Air Patrol, which began operation under the Office of Civilian Defense on Dec. 1, 1941. Using civilian aircraft and their own money, the unpaid volunteers provided essential support to the U.S. Army and Navy, including armed convoy and antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

December 11, 2014

Inside the Beltway: What else CIA director John Brennan said to the press

"Our partnership with Congress is crucial. In my view, there is no more important oversight relationship than the CIA relationship with its intelligence committees, particularly because we do so much of our work in secret that Congress serves as a critical check on our activities, closely monitoring the agency's reporting and programs when the public cannot," CIA Director John O. Brennan told reporters in the lead up to a press conference addressing the Senate Intelligence Committee Report.

December 11, 2014

Fed-up Americans take political gridlock personally: 86 percent say nothing can be done

Politicians who think that Americans overlook the constant, stubborn impasse on Capitol Hill are kidding themselves. The public takes it to heart: 71 percent report that the problem of political gridlock is "very important to them personally," this according to a new Associated Press poll released Wednesday. Sadly enough, another 86 percent say there's nothing that can be done about it. And the most cited reaction to the current political climate is "disappointment," the survey found, followed by "frustration."

December 11, 2014

Inside the Beltway: $1 trillion spending bill: ‘If you fund it, you own it’

The giant $1.8 trillion omnibus spending bill now stretched out like a walrus in the halls of Congress has spawned mixed reviews. Some observers say the 1,603-page legislation is a marvelous creature — ample evidence that Republicans and Democrats can play nice and do something good together. Others see the bill as a dangerous beast making threatening noises and waving its 100 or so policy riders at onlookers — like that potential funding for President Obama's amnesty plans, for instance.

December 10, 2014

Ivy League law students now too ‘traumatized’ over Ferguson to take exams

It is a new educational phenomenon: Ivy League law students at three major universities - Columbia, Harvard and Georgetown University - are now exempt from taking final exams if they feel "traumatized" by the grand jury decisions made in Ferguson and New York City. The students are also being offered counseling if they need it. A few professors with impressive credentials now have a few questions.

December 10, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Sheriffs and senators speak out against amnesty

Law enforcement and lawmakers: 50 sheriffs arrive in the nation's capital Wednesday to demand that Congress address porous, dangerous U.S. borders — and the woes that go with them.

December 9, 2014

The $10.5 million Draft Ben Carson PAC opens a N.H. office — it’s ‘just the beginning’

The same group that has already rounded up 23,000 volunteers for Ben Carson and raised $10.5 million for his potential White House campaign are upping their ante. The National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, an independent political action committee formed to draft the retired neurosurgeon and author has opened a 1,700-square-foot "Draft Ben Carson for President Victory Center" in Manchester, New Hampshire.

December 9, 2014

Complaints about a federal land grab continue - even the burro lovers are annoyed

Complaints about a federal lands package that was recently tucked away in the massive National Defense Authorization Act continue to accumulate from conservation and recreation groups, policy experts and lawmakers. Even the horse and burro people are perturbed.

December 9, 2014

A heathcare analyst speculates on Jonathan Gruber: Will he ‘wiggle out?’

Will it be sedate and serious, an uncomfortable spell on the hot seat or news we can use? Many wonder what will be on the agenda when Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber appears before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to explain his comments about the "stupidity" of American voters, among many things.

December 8, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Republicans still trust the police

A complex Gallup poll finds that a hefty majority of Republicans have "a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in police": 69 percent of white Republicans and 67 percent of "nonwhite" Republicans back law enforcement — compared to 57 percent of Americans overall, 61 percent of all whites and 46 percent of all nonwhites.

December 8, 2014