Jennifer Harper

Inside the Beltway: 81% of Americans say people are too easily offended these days

Culture may seem to be dominated by trigger warning and hypersensitivity. A sizable new poll, however, finds that 81% of Americans agree that "people are too easily offended these days," an opinion that also spans political beliefs.

April 25, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Voter confusion: ‘Don’t Know’ and Joe Biden lead 2020 Democratic field

President Trump might benefit from the huge number of Democrats now seeking the White House. The public appears to be having a hard time sorting out the field, which has now grown to 20 who are ready to run. The sheer volume might drive some frustrated voters to side with Mr. Trump.

April 24, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Surprise motivation: Millennial voter turnout up 79% in midterm elections

Across all demographics, Americans were enthusiastic at the polls five months ago. The midterm elections had the highest voter turnout in four decades according to new Census Department data analysis released Tuesday that said 53% of the citizen voting-age population voted in 2018. According to the agency's records, that's the highest turnout since 1978.

April 23, 2019

Netanyahu plans to name a town in Golan Heights after Trump

Donald Trump could have some new real estate in Israel, in a manner of speaking, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he'd name a town in the occupied Golan Heights after the 45th president of the United States.

April 23, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Democrats now fixate on conspiracy, not collusion

A sizable number of Democrats will not let go of the Mueller report, hoping to reconfigure it as a new and improved device that somehow could impeach President Trump — even though multiple polls now reveal that weary Americans are ready to move on from this media-charged melodrama and say lawmakers should return to the nation's business.

April 22, 2019

Trump offers upbeat message on Earth Day, vows to protect ‘God’s wondrous creation’

On the 49th anniversary of Earth Day on Monday, President Trump emphasized the pride Americans have for their "God-given treasures" and vowed to protect them. The founder of the annual environmental observance offered a dire message, however.

April 22, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Ronald Reagan, the college course

Here comes considerable insight into the 40th president: The University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy will offer a graduate-level course titled "Lessons in Leadership: Reagan," meant to parse the historical and political context of Ronald Reagan's presidency — and how it translates to today's political landscape. The campus has picked an able instructor for the fall offering: that would be presidential historian and author Craig Shirley — who has already penned four books on the Gipper.

April 21, 2019

Easter economics: Americans will spend $18.2 billion, an ‘optimistic’ indicator says retail group

Easter spending is expected to top $18.2 billion this year, the second-highest level on record, according to the National Retail Federation. A total of 81% of Americans will celebrate the holiday.

April 20, 2019

Obsessed liberal analysts trumpet ‘impeachment’ 309 times in 18 hours: Media study

Some liberal analysts can't let go of "impeachment" as an endless but unjustified narrative about President Trump.

April 19, 2019

Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats offer support to cannabis policy summit

The second annual National Cannabis Policy Summit is underway Friday at the Newseum in the nation's capital, featuring the field's business leaders and activists, plus some vigorous support from Democratic lawmakers, and coverage on C-SPAN.

April 19, 2019

Inside the Beltway: News media created fake news, now they manufacture false narratives

Presidents have long been uneasy with the press. Consider that Thomas Jefferson revealed he rarely thought newspapers were worth reading, and was weary of their "wretched guesswork"; the year was 1816. Abraham Lincoln called reporters "villainous" in 1858; Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed America had a "free and sensational press" in 1935; and George H.W. Bush complained in 1984 that reporters covering his vice-presidential campaign existed in a "bullpen seething with mischief."

April 18, 2019

Instant editions: Publishers already rushing Mueller report into book form

Things move very fast in the cultural marketplace. Nimble publishers and news organizations are already rushing to repackage Robert Mueller's 400-page investigation report into book form -- print, audio and kindle editions included.

April 18, 2019

Inside the Beltway: 82% of voters advise GOP to renominate Trump

It is often hard to figure out how the voting public feels about President Trump. Blame that on the press, which has provided a steady stream of negative or manipulative coverage about Mr. Trump since his campaign days. Yet somehow, an overwhelming percentage of voters now advise the Republican Party to stand by Mr. Trump: 82% of all voters agree that the GOP should renominate the president, this according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll.

April 17, 2019

Trigger warnings are virtually worthless and possibly harmful, says new psychology report

They are the favored form of virtue signaling among college professors, feminists and others who say certain images or statements should be accompanied by a cautionary statement for students or activists. The practice may be worthless, however.

April 17, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Media already cries ‘cover up’ on Mueller report

News organizations cannot wait to get their teeth into the Mueller report, due to be released in redacted form on Thursday. Print and broadcast outlets are already salivating though -- providing speculative or wishful reports about the document, so many that Newsbusters.org has tracked the trajectory of these accounts for weeks.

April 16, 2019

Bernie Sanders town hall delivers a ratings bonanza for Fox News

Sen. Bernie Sanders was criticized by fellow progressives for appearing in town hall Monday, broadcast live on Fox News and moderated by co-anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. The viewing public, however, tuned in for the event, which drew 2.6 million viewers.

April 16, 2019

Inside the Beltway: 3-year study finds Republicans say Fox News only credible news organization

Republican trust in the news media has plummeted since 2016 according to a series of Morning Consult polls which tracked public opinions of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio over three years. When the opinion results of each news organizations are averaged, 69% of Democrats find them on the whole to be credible. That drops to 55% among Americans in general.

April 15, 2019

Donald Trump’s favorability up due to increased support from independents and Democrats: Gallup poll

President Trump appears to have a knack for the long march, taking care of business despite multiple challenges from political foes and a hostile media. That could be paying off.

April 15, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Fox News, CNN and the town hall wars

The prime-time public town hall has been a broadcast staple during election years, a showcase for earnest talk, policy declarations, chummy common sense and a nice warm layer of homespun wisdom. The nation is about to get a town hall blitz, as the format expands from its modest roots to a bodacious media entity.

April 14, 2019

Inside the Beltway: Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All would raise taxes by $16.2 trillion

Feel the Bern? It's a stark reality: Sooner or later, somebody has to pay for universal health care. Sen. Bernard Sanders must face this reality now that he has introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2019 - which is certainly guaranteed to be a big applause point on the presidential campaign trail. But the money has to come from somewhere. That's the inconvenient truth.

April 11, 2019