Jennifer Harper

Inside the Beltway: Harleys in China

A noisy cultural moment, and a lucrative one: China has embraced Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Witness the fact that 1,000 Chinese Harley lovers recently roared into Qian Dao Lake, Zhejiang Province, decked out in black leather, skull masks and Viking warrior helmets. Or no helmets. The Beijing-style bikers were there to celebrate the 110th birthday of the iconic, all-American brand.

May 16, 2013

Inside the Beltway: And in summation …

"These are the tactics of the Third World." — Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican,on the combined effects of the Benghazi matter, the Justice Department seizure of Associated Press phone records and the IRS probe of conservative groups, before the Senate.

May 15, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Rules a la Rumsfeld

America is not what is wrong with the world. If you expect people to be in on the landing, include them in the takeoff. You get what you inspect, not what you expect. If you're coasting, you're going downhill.

May 14, 2013

Inside the Beltway: AP plays hardball

News coverage was swift and straightforward following revelations that the Justice Department secretly had obtained two months worth of phone records from The Associated Press, an action the wire service President and CEO Gary Pruitt deemed an "unprecedented intrusion" and "serious interference with AP's constitutional rights to gather and report news," in a letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. made public on Monday. Those are fighting words from Mr. Pruitt, the former CEO of news syndicate McClatchey Co., who has been on the job just over a year.

May 13, 2013

Original Mother’s Day: No candy, no flowers as proclamation urged ‘display the flag’

So much for fancy flowers, champagne brunches and new electronic devices.

May 11, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Target practice

"Grab this gun before Obama does." And so advises Rep. Steve Stockman, who is raffling off a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, which he describes as "almost impossible to find in stores and the No. 1 firearm on the gun banners' wish list."

May 9, 2013

Priest conducts Catholic service to name 45 aborted babies found in Gosnell clinic

They are no longer "Baby A" and "Baby B," whose tiny remains were found in milk jugs and plastic boxes in an abortion center.

May 9, 2013

Inside the Beltway: An eye on Benghazi

"Terrorists murdered four Americans, we demand the truth," reads a terse new petition for White House transparency on the Benghazi attacks, organized by the American Center for Law and Justice and signed by 77,000 people. "President Obama: With continually changing stories and inaccurate accounts, the American people have been misled. Terrorists attacked American soil —; our embassy — we need the truth and accountability," the petition says.

May 8, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Rand Paul’s big show

It's never too early raise the curtain on a 2016 presidential play. Sen. Rand Paul knows his lines and will command the political stage in Iowa on Friday — and in New Hampshire on Monday.

May 7, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Park Geun-hye shows backbone

"We will make them pay," South Korea President Park Geun-hye said of the fate of North Korea should it launch an attack of any size or scope on her nation, to CBS News.

May 6, 2013

Inside the Beltway: LaPierre’s summation

"Today, the National Rifle Association is a record 5 million strong. Even as thousands of Americans join our cause every day, the media and political elites denigrate us. They cringe at the sight of long lines at gun shows. They mock Americans who are buying firearms and ammunition at a record pace. They scorn and scold the NRA. They don't get it, because they don't get America."

May 5, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Mucho mucho

"The Obama administration spent between $2.52 million and $2.77 million for hotel rooms and rental cars during the president's 2012 trip to Mexico for a G-20 summit," proclaims Britain's Daily Mail. "Government travel documents available online show that the State Department contracted with a travel agency to spend between $1,889,383 and $2,078,327 on hotel rooms alone, for the President, the Secret Service, and the rest of the State Department and White House staff and VIPs."

May 2, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Ted Cruz control

As Americans mull their disgust with Congress and the White House, one lawmaker is getting positive buzz. That would be Sen. Ted Cruz, who is striking a presidential pose, and in these times, it's never too early.

May 1, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Crew comes home

They were last airborne on July 19, 1967: the four-man Navy crew from the USS Hornet that took off in an SH-3A Sea King helicopter to rescue a downed pilot in Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam. Hit by anti-aircraft gunfire, the helicopter crashed and the men never returned. Nearly 46 years later, the pilot and his crew will be united again for a final time.

April 30, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Schwarzenegger’s immigration

When he is not starring in action movies or promoting fitness, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a bona fide wonk — and the namesake of the University of Southern California's Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Yes, the Schwarzenegger Institute, where the motto is "advancing policy not politics."

April 29, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Out there

"If the Congress won't do it's job, the people will," declares the Citizens Hearing on Disclosure, set to take off in the main ballroom of the National Press Club on Monday. Disclosure? Are we talking health care here, or gun control? No, we're talking extraterrestrial. Of course, the nation's capital may seem like another planet at times, but no matter.

April 28, 2013

O snap! President Obama, Conan O’Brien dish out jokes at WHCA dinner

It was a cast of thousands on a very crowded set: For the 99th time, the White House Correspondents' Association dinner has come and gone on a tide of tuxedos, talking points and a certain license to be daring, minus the political risk.

April 27, 2013

White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2013: ‘Controlled demolition’ with Conan, Bon Jovi and the NRA

It's become oddly fashionable to bash the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, the giddy juxtaposition of journalists, Hollywood celebrities and strategically-minded operatives that arrives in the nation's capital each spring, just like the circus. Critics claim the annual event has become commercialized, off-message and unbecoming.

April 27, 2013

Inside the Beltway: Dinner bashing

It's been all the rage this week to bash the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Multiple accounts now claim that the giddy juxtaposition of journalists, Hollywood celebrities and notorious operatives has become commercialized, off-message and unbecoming. Yeah, well. Close to 3,000 "correspondents" will be vying for attention Saturday night as the network cameras roll and the Makers Mark bourbon stylishly flows at myriad cocktail events. And yes, there were only 11 attendees when the event was first staged 99 years ago.

April 25, 2013

Inside the Beltway: The persistence of protest

Pomp and circumstance, esteemed guests, historical moments — none of that much matters to the many noisy protesters on hand for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on Thursday.

April 24, 2013