Jennifer Harper

Media unleash round-the-clock Obama-mania

President Obama's inauguration became a dream come true for the media, which often are all dressed up with nowhere to go.

January 20, 2009

Inaugural emotions take hold

The presidential inauguration of Barack Obama will be remembered as a pivotal day for America, but its significance may take years to sort out.

January 19, 2009

Inside Politics Weekend: Days of yore

On this day in 1803, Thomas Jefferson requested funding from Congress to finance the Lewis and Clark expedition — a whopping $2,500 for the 50-member "Corps of Discovery" that surveyed territory that would ultimately comprise the Louisiana Purchase.

January 18, 2009

Obama to take over TV screens

Is it the world's moment?

January 16, 2009

Churchgoing linked to lower suicide risk

Going to church helps prevent suicides, according to research released Thursday.

January 16, 2009

Obama dinner serves red meat to ideologues

The lefties are mystified. So are a few of the righties.

January 15, 2009

What will history have to say?

Whether his critics like it or not, President Bush will have his permanent place in history, and the dynamic is already in motion.

January 15, 2009

Grace, mettle define first lady

She has eyes as blue as bluebonnets - and enough grace, sincerity and composure to fill up the entire state of Texas.

January 15, 2009

Obama breaks bread with conservatives

The lefties are mystified. So are a few of the righties.

January 14, 2009

Children happy with spirituality

The spiritual lives of children has come under close scrutiny by two different sets of researchers who reached the same conclusion. Spirituality is a good thing for youngsters, a positive influence.

January 12, 2009

Inside Politics Weekend

Experts wonder: When President-elect Barack Obama gets to the White House, does it mean that America has entered a post-racial era?

January 11, 2009

Media ends Bush battle; round two: Palin

One battle ends, another begins. His job done, President Bush will abandon the major press spotlight in 11 days. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's match in the media arena has just begun, however.

January 9, 2009

U.S. teen birthrate rises, reversing trend

Teenage births have increased in the U.S. for the first time in 14 years, according to numbers released Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics.

January 8, 2009

That new-car smell? Coconut

Palms down, it could be the must-have automobile option for the conscientious.

January 7, 2009

Health put on hold in sickly economy

A tough economy has created a health hazard of its own.

January 6, 2009

Inside Politics Weekend

Prepare thyself. The press is going to get lofty indeed as we approach Inauguration Day. So just for old times' sake, let us consider the goof factor which at least made the endless 2008 presidential campaign bearable.

January 4, 2009

Palin fires pit bull-with-lipstick salvos

Alaska has a new form of wildlife -- Gov. Sarah Palin, who has turned into a mama tiger, or a grandmama tiger anyway, in defense of her young. ]]>

January 3, 2009

Simple pleasures: Frugality takes hold

The instinct to live large is fading in America, according to the inevitable analyses of what's in store for the nation in 2009.

January 2, 2009

Biggest New Year’s tradition: The kiss

The Big Night. Some of us adore New Year's Eve as a glittering passage from one year to the next; some are vexed by the hats and the hoopla. The annual fete is subject to interpretation.

December 31, 2008

Inside Politics Weekend: Transition, Part 2

The Pentagon has quietly announced that some 250 political appointees from the Bush administration will stay on the job for a while, or at least until their replacements are found.

December 28, 2008