Jennifer Harper

Inside the Beltway: A fancier ‘Meet the Press’ still in third

Audiences loyal to NBC's "Meet the Press" know that it is not the austere, heavyweight program it was in the days of the late Tim Russert, or the 10 other moderators that preceded him.

October 30, 2014

Condoleezza Rice endorses Joni Ernst

It is not surprising that Condoleezza Rice has taken a shine to Joni Ernst. The former Secretary of State has endorsed the Republican hopeful for the U.S. Senate seat in Iowa - who also is a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard with some significant experience. She served as a company commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom, overseeing convoys through Kuwait and into southern Iraq throughout 2003, and her political philosophy remains in the can-do realm.

October 30, 2014

Inside the Beltway: The chicken**** heard around the world

In a week fraught with distressing news, the press leaped to cover a report from Atlantic Magazine claiming an anonymous "senior Obama administration official" called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "chicken****." In the industrial-strength pantheon of contemporary expletives, that particular word does not see a great deal of use in popular song and story. But no matter. Atlantic's national correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg went on to write that "another senior official" agreed with this assessment, then detailed the implications.

October 29, 2014

Rick Perry warns of a ‘crisis of competence in America’

"The greatest problem of all is that in the face of these troubles so many serious challenges, we don't have the leadership to deal with it. We are experiencing a crisis of competence in America, and the people know it," says Texas Gov. Rick Perry

October 29, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Sarah Palin flirts with a run for office

It has been six years since Sarah Palin stepped onto the global stage in a sleek suit and a pair of Naughty Monkey high heels as an Alaska governor turned vice presidential hopeful ready to tear up the Republican campaign trail with running mate Sen. John McCain. The nation has been through much since then, as have Mr. McCain and Mrs. Palin, who nevertheless remain on public radar. Mrs. Palin still rattles the landscape; particularly when it comes to her many critics.

October 28, 2014

Four Civil War battlefields get $2.2 million for their upkeep

A quartet of significant Civil War battlefields are getting some protective help - $2.2 million worth, and none of that coming from tax payer funds. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis has announced the new grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help preserve land at Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania, and the Manassas, North Anna, and Rappahannock Station battlefields in Virginia.

October 28, 2014

Iowa insiders convinced it’s ‘all systems go’ for a Chris Christie presidential run

Gov. Chris Christie takes his Jersey-style star power and fundraising prowess to Florida, Connecticut and yes, to Iowa in the next 72 hours, marking his fourth trip to the state this year. Mr. Christie was in Des Moines only 72 hours ago, helping Gov. Terry Brandstad celebrate his 68th birthday. Iowa insiders are convinced this is a true sign that Mr. Christie is running for president in 2016.

October 28, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Election prediction ‘encouraging’ for certain Republicans

Pollsters predict that the Grand Old Party will take back the U.S. Senate on Nov. 4. Strategists, meanwhile, are also predicting it could be by a microscopic margin, with many warning the GOP to proceed with care and prudence. FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe has his own forecast for the midterms - more fiscal conservatives and a vibrant liberty caucus, he says.

October 27, 2014

America not in a state of Ebola hysteria quite yet: Study

No, America is not in a state of Ebola hysteria quite yet. Though National Institutes of Health infectious disease director Dr. Anthony Fauci, describes the nation’s reaction to Ebola as "an epidemic of fear," cultural evidence makes it clear that there’s concern, yes, but panic, no.

October 27, 2014

Money trail: President Obama jets off to seven campaign events in six states

Democrats may be leery of President Obama's dwindling approval ratings but are certainly eager for his fundraising. Mr. Obama - who is masking annoyance and appears game - will journey to a half-dozen states for the cause. So fire up Air Force One, and keep it idling.

October 27, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Tea party ‘remains a powerful force’: Gallup

Though the news media and partisan critics continue to declare that the tea party is dead and irrelevant, a major pollster appears to disagree.

October 26, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Ronald Reagan’s real rendezvous with destiny

Five decades ago, Ronald Reagan delivered a speech titled "A Time for Choosing" that shook up Republicans and introduced the nation to then-presidential hopeful Barry Goldwater. It was a visceral, telling moment. "I think it's time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers," Reagan told the 1964 Republican National Convention, later framing the Grand Old Party's ultimate journey as "a rendezvous with destiny." The Grand Old Party got a little grander that day.

October 23, 2014

George Washington’s official apple brandy goes on sale - $150 a bottle

There an autumnal link 'twixt president and spirits. On sale Friday at George Washington's Mount Vernon, it's - of course - George Washington's Apple Brandy, an assertive libation double-distilled in copper pots heated by wood fires then aged in "toasted" barrels for two years. The meticulous craft distillers behind it all used the same varieties of apples that George used: Hewes Crab, Roxbury Russet, and Newtown Pippin. So huzzah.

October 23, 2014

Inside the Beltway: ‘Big Three’ broadcast networks ignore midterm elections

The ever watchful analysts at the Media Research Center have caught the "Big Three" broadcast networks — ABC, NBC and CBS — playing some serious hooky. Now that Democrats are struggling to gain a foothold in the upcoming midterm elections, the network don't seem to be much interested in covering the horse race.

October 22, 2014

John Bolton continues steadfast support for ‘national security candidates’

Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, John Bolton remains a stalwart support to national security candidates who stand for strong defense and a sturdy U.S. presence on the global stage.

October 22, 2014

It’s no illusion: Loyal conservatives really only trust Fox News

Political differences are pronounced when it comes to choice of news sources. Conservatives remain fiercely loyal to Fox News, liberals cuddle up to National Public Radio and The New York Times. Ideology plays a pronounced role in the phenomenon, according to an extensive new survey and analysis of "political divisiveness" among Americans released by the Pew Research Center.

October 22, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Ebola Czar Day One: Mr. Klain’s debut

Political point man or medical manager? That is the persistent question for Ron Klain, who officially begins his tenure as the nation's "Ebola response coordinator" on Wednesday.

October 21, 2014

Liberals more likely than conservatives to dump a friend over politics, study shows

Politics brings out certain petty behaviors in people, particularly those who frequent Facebook and Twitter. To like, or not to like, to friend — or horrors — unfriend? A retweet can be a personal matter, indeed. Politics and ideology play a pronounced role in the phenomenon, this according to an extensive survey and analysis of "political divisiveness" among Americans released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. The study found that liberals are more likely to dump a friend than conservatives over partisan leanings alone.

October 21, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Monica Lewinsky to America: ‘Here we go’

She has become a media presence. That would be Monica Lewinsky, who has shed her previous public identity as the White House intern who had a dalliance with former President Clinton in favor of a 41-year-old with serious press credentials. She is now a columnist for Vanity Fair, a public speaker and a social media wrangler. Miss Lewinsky joined Twitter on Monday and secured 34,000 followers in the space of three hours

October 20, 2014

Poll: Motivated, ferocious conservatives twice as likely as liberals to vote

Conservatives are twice as likely as their liberal counterparts to go to the polls Nov. 4. No really. "Although overall turnout among the public is likely to be around 40 percent, 73 percent of those who hold consistently conservative attitudes are likely to vote in the midterm, as are 52 percent of those with mostly conservative views," reports the Americans Trends Panel, a substantial new gauge of the upcoming midterm election by the indefatigable Pew Research Center.

October 20, 2014