Jennifer Harper

Catcalls annoy and offend - but do they warrant arrest?

Americans agree that the street corner practice of catcalling is bad, and a harassment. Then there's the nature of the offense. "Should the police give tickets or even arrest people who make catcalls?" a poll asks.

August 18, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Democrats: Prepare to batten down the hatches

It's not just political factors that suggest Democrats will not do well in the midterm elections, now 11 weeks away. Public dissatisfaction is also coming into play. A new Gallup poll finds that 76 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in the nation. A mere 22 percent are satisfied — which is exactly what the level was in 2010, the year of another midterm election when Democrats lost 63 seats in the U.S. House alone.

August 17, 2014

‘Witch hunt’: Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal rush to defend Rick Perry after indictment

Defenders of Texas Gov. Rick Perry are stepping forward following his sudden indictment Friday on two felony counts of abuse-of-power charges, relating to the governor's efforts last year to obtain the resignation of a Travis County district attorney.

August 16, 2014

Gridiron diplomacy: American football comes to China, and a billion potential fans

It's football diplomacy, and even Steve Forbes is impressed. The onetime presidential hopeful is amazed that a few U.S. entrepreneurs have brought the gridiron to China, where the potential sports audience could number a billion people, he says.

August 15, 2014

Inside the Beltway: What the press learned in Ferguson

The two reporters who were arrested and detained during riots in Ferguson, Missouri, quickly took to the airwaves to share their experiences in visceral style — and that's exactly what the news industry expected them to do.

August 14, 2014

David Gregory bids a sudden farewell to NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’

Gregory out, Todd in. Rumors about a major change at NBC's "Meet the Press" floated through the news cycle for hours before host David Gregory himself made the announcement.

August 14, 2014

Conservative author continues to defend his work, and the Reagan legacy

An ongoing cultural grapple and a lawsuit over Ronald Reagan's historical legacy continues, pitting a conservative author against a mega-publisher and media critics who claim the disagreement is a 'fake controversy'.

August 14, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Rick Perry takes on the ‘narcoterrorists’

A thousand National Guard troops were called to deploy to the Texas-Mexico border to wrest control of the immigration crisis — but over twice that number have shown up to volunteer for the mission. "I called for a thousand soldiers. Twenty-two hundred of you have already said, 'Here am I. Send me.' I also tell people, this is Texas, what do you expect?

August 13, 2014

‘National security’ candidate: Former CIA officer runs for U.S. House seat in Texas

He is a former clandestine officer who's gone into Lone Star politics. That would be conservative Will Hurd, who has joined the list of "national security" candidates who've caught the notice of John Bolton. Indeed, Mr. Hurd is challenging Democrat Rep. Pete Gallego in the 23rd District of Texas, which includes much of the Mexican-American border, in a pivotal area where voter support is much coveted by the GOP.

August 13, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Ben Carson’s pledge of allegiance

Run, Ben, run? The question is a staple whenever Ben Carson makes one of his calm broadcast appearances, thoughtfully answering queries about his potential White House intent, his new One Nation political action committee and the intense grass-roots support that has produced a separate unofficial super PAC with $8 million in donations and 17,000 volunteers. Now the simple are-you-running question has gone to the next level. It's got legs.

August 12, 2014

Mission almost complete: 73 percent of the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile now destroyed

Almost three-fourths of Syria’s chemical weapons have been destroyed. A round of respectful cheers, please, for the military and civilian specialists aboard the U.S. container ship MV Cape Ray, tasked with neutralizing the 620 tons of chemical materials, 24 hours a day since July 7, according to the Defense Department.

August 12, 2014

60 percent of Americans don’t trust the federal government with their ‘personal information’

Maybe it can be blamed on alarming media coverage, maybe not. A new Harris poll finds it can be tough to trust anyone with your personal information these days. Harris finds that 60 percent of Americans don't trust the federal government to handle their information confidentially and securely - a sentiment that has grown by eight percentage points in the past year alone.

August 12, 2014

Inside the Beltway: EPA is declared a ‘rogue agency’

But it seemed like such a good idea at the time: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was founded with much fanfare and good will in 1970, when green thinking and eco-mindedness was a righteous thing indeed.

August 11, 2014

The next ‘House of Cards’? Political insider pens Capitol Hill novel

An eager young guy goes to work for a member of Congress, falls wildly in love with a staffer from the opposing party and discovers an illegal human smuggling cartel along the Southern border that's got A-list Capital Hill protection. Mystery ensues, hardball politics erupts and things get odd and dangerous in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol, circa 1985. A John Grisham novel? No, it's a Roger Fleming novel, and it's got a potential "House of Cards"-style series written all over it.

August 11, 2014

Inside the Beltway: The grass grows dangerous

Legalized marijuana could produce some unintended public health and policy problems. Concerned psychologists are speaking up, so much so that the topic earned its own forum at the American Psychological Association's annual convention, which ended Sunday. What lurks for grass lovers? Mental decline, poor attention and memory, plus decreased IQ, they say.

August 10, 2014

Inside the Beltway: ‘Terrorist’ a foreign term among broadcasters

Historically speaking, the United States has deemed the Palestinian group Hamas "terrorists" for some 17 years. But American broadcasters? They are skittish about the T-word, say analysts from the Culture and Media Institute.

August 7, 2014

America loves tell-alls: 60 ‘best sellers’ on the Clintons written since 1992

There are three books on the current New York Times top-10 bestseller list that that have something to do with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Those who seek to write a best seller - or even just a snappy paperback with a cool cover - might consider penning something on the Clintons, for better or worse. The numbers back this idea up.

August 7, 2014

Pork torque: Bacon-fueled motorcycle takes to the road — and Sturgis

Switch grass has some competition in the bio-fuel department. The Hormel Company has built the world's first motorcycle that runs on organic biodiesel fuel made from converted bacon grease. No, really. The "Driven by Bacon" project is rolling - the tricked out, formerly diesel-powered bike is bound for Sturgis, South Dakota - site of the behemouth gathering of motorcycles, and now underway.

August 7, 2014

Inside the Beltway: Help yourself to some deep-fried politics

"If you get tired of mudslinging in the pigpens and fast-talking from the carnival barkers at the Iowa State Fair, you'll have plenty of chances this month to take refuge with the politicians," advises The Des Moines Register, which has drawn two dozen politicos to grab a microphone, jump upon a straw-strewn stage at the fair and speechify for 20 minutes or so.

August 6, 2014

Free markets, limited government a ‘natural disinfectant’ to corruption

Some conservatives are done with cautious reactions and ready to rumble. Their culture has changed, and there's disinfectant involved. "Our times do not call for timid, poll-tested solutions. They call for a bold agenda that delivers opportunity for all but favoritism to none," declares a new conservative policy agenda, a project of Heritage Action for America, the feisty grassroots offshoot of the Heritage Foundation.

August 6, 2014