Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Trash truck for Trump? Unlikely symbol of support will reportedly cruise in inaugural parade
A garbage truck with a most interesting history will roll down the streets of the nation's capital during President Trump's inaugural parade. So says Kyle Olson, founder of The Midwesterner, a Michigan-based investigative news site. Published January 13, 2025
CBP continues minding the border, makes major drug bust
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Pharr International Bridge intercepted $21.2 million in methamphetamine concealed within a shipment manifested as tomatillos," the OFO advised in a report released Saturday. Published January 12, 2025
Survey details the religions of the members of Congress
As the 119th Congress gets underway, some meticulous new research from the Pew Research Center reveals that Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives in the 2025-27 congressional session. "That's down from 88% in the last session and 92% a decade ago," the research said. Published January 9, 2025
Fiscal-conservative group warns Congress against budget gimmicks
"The budget resolution that Congress will write in the coming weeks should do just that. Budgets are meant to provide a blueprint for federal finances, but unfortunately they have more often been used recently as 'shell' resolutions simply intended to allow for the fast-track reconciliation process to bypass the filibuster in the Senate," advises the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan organization focused on the nation's fiscal matters. Published January 8, 2025
Political humorists have almost all their fun by attacking the right
The major networks' late-night shows still lean liberal, according to Newsbusters.org, a conservative media watchdog affiliated with the Media Research Center. Published January 7, 2025
Donald Trump called the peacemaker the world needs
"Trump is the right man to walk us back from the brink of nuclear war," wrote Cliff Sims, who served as special assistant to then-President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018, and deputy director of national intelligence for strategy and communications from 2020 to 2021. Published January 6, 2025
Johnson keeps speaker title with assist from Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson drew some energetic press coverage following his reelection on Friday. The media had plenty to say about the Louisiana Republican. Here's a few headlines from the last 48 hours. Published January 5, 2025
Republican ‘Revolution’ underway in new field — voter registration
Here's a new phrase to consider: "The Republican voter registration revolution." It comes to us from Shane Harris, an Ohio-based writer and political consultant who spells out the particulars in a report released Thursday by the Association of Mature American Citizens, an interest group with 2 million members with a mission of being "guided by the vision of our nation's Founders." Published January 2, 2025
Essayist details similarities between Reagan, Trump electoral victories
"With the calendar almost set to turn to 2025, Americans are beginning to look forward to a new year and all the opportunities it may bring. Like the landslide victory of President Ronald Reagan a generation ago, President-elect Donald Trump's historic political comeback is ushering in a new era of hope for the American people. For the first time since Trump's last go-round in the White House, the country seems optimistic for the future," writes Andrew Shirley, a political speechwriter and columnist for AMAC Newsline, a publication of the Association of Mature American Citizens. Published December 26, 2024
Trump gave 2019 Christmas message while lighting National Christmas Tree
"In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree. Later that night, African American community centers held an outdoor worship service on these grounds. And during that service, the Washington Monument was illuminated with a beautiful cross, a powerful reminder of the meaning of Christmas," then-President Donald Trump said at the tree-lighting ceremony near the Washington Monument on Dec. 5, 2019. Published December 24, 2024
C-SPAN launches new branding campaign: Democracy Unfiltered
"Just in time for the new year, C-SPAN unveils new branding: Democracy Unfiltered. The tagline reflects what's new in America in 2025: A new presidency, a new Congress, a new moment in politics -- plus C-SPAN's enduring commitment to transparency and the belief that an informed public is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy," the network said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway. Published December 23, 2024
Scalise details achievements of the Republican-led House
"Over the past two years, the Republican majority in the House has worked tirelessly to counter the Biden-Harris Administration's disastrous, crisis-causing policies, fighting for hardworking families who are struggling under the weight of these failures. With every bill we passed, House Republicans sought to preserve freedom, strengthen our economy, keep communities safe, and hold the government accountable - demonstrating from the beginning what a unified Republican government could accomplish," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, said Siunday. Published December 22, 2024
Liberal bias continues in coverage of Trump, his Cabinet nominees
"While polling demonstrates a majority of Americans approve of President-elect Trump's handling of the transition process, the coverage by broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC has been almost uniformly negative," wrote Bill D'Agostino, an analyst with Newsbusters.org, a conservative media watchdog. Published December 19, 2024
Gimenez calls out lack of Coast Guard capabilities in the Arctic
"We are reviewing the progress -- or lack thereof -- of the Coast Guard's Polar Security Cutter program and discussing strategies to ensure the successful completion of this vital acquisition effort. This issue is of paramount importance -- the United States must be able to operate effectively in the Arctic to safeguard our nation's security and strategic interests in this rapidly changing region," said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Florida Republican. Published December 18, 2024
Public more optimistic about Trump policies now than after 2016 win
"Just over half (53%) the public feels optimistic about the policies Trump will pursue over the next few years, while 45% are pessimistic. These overall results are similar to public expectations when Trump was about to start his first term in 2017 (50% optimistic and 43% pessimistic), but there has been a notable shift in intensity among the president-elect's fellow partisans," says a new poll from Monmouth University released Tuesday. Published December 17, 2024
Scalise unveils the week’s work on Capitol Hill
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has released "The Leader's Floor Lookout," the always interesting weekly legislative schedule on Capitol Hill. This particular list has our esteemed lawmakers in both chambers of Congress considering 32 bills of many sorts. Here's a sample of what's on the to-do list: Published December 16, 2024
World War II group holds Battle of the Bulge anniversary memorial
Lest we forget, the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge -- a defining and historic event of courage and resilience in World War II -- is Monday. The ever-vigilant Friends of the World War II Memorial will mark the day at the National World War II Memorial in the nation's capital. Published December 15, 2024
A change in mood
President-elect Donald Trump is having a helpful influence on the nation. The public is daring to think that maybe, just maybe, things are going to be all right. Published December 12, 2024
Mystery drones make headlines
The topic of "aliens" -- as in extraterrestrials -- led the trends on X on Wednesday. Some 44,400 posts mentioning aliens appeared by late afternoon, along with 5,838 posts centered on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. One state in particular was part of this phenomenon: New Jersey, site of recent mystery "drone activity" in the last week. Published December 11, 2024
Most Americans want to leave politics behind for the holidays
"The majority of U.S. adults (83%) agreed that the holidays are a time to forget our political differences. This remains true across the political spectrum; 82% of adults whose preferred candidate lost the election agreed, as did 84% of adults whose preferred candidate won," the American Psychological Association said in a new report released Tuesday. Published December 10, 2024
