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Jennifer Harper

Jennifer Harper

A graduate of Syracuse University, Jennifer Harper writes the daily Inside the Beltway column and provides additional coverage of breaking national news, plus long-term trends in politics, media issues, public opinion, popular culture, Hollywood foibles and “eureka” moments in health and science.

She has been a frequent broadcast commentator on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, C-SPAN, Voice of America, Citadel Broadcasting, Talk Radio Network and other news organizations. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Ms. Harper grew up in Texas and arrived in Washington in time for Watergate -- and has been tracking the political and media landscape ever since.

She is an active member of the American Federation of TV Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild. She has won 14 journalism awards during her years at The Washington Times.

To read Jennifer Harper's Inside the Beltway columns, click here. Contact her at jharper@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Jennifer Harper

President Obama and his family will leave Washington Friday for their Christmas vacation in the Aloha State. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Obama’s Hawaii countdown now underway

Maybe the rest of the nation can't believe that the Christmas season is well underway, but not so the White House. President Obama has four days until he says "aloha" and departs for sunny skies and balmy breezes for a while. Gleaned from his official schedule for the week: Published December 13, 2015

The Geminid meteor shower will peak on Sunday night; here's a previous display as a single meteoroite streaks across the aurora borealis in Norway. (Image courtesy of NASA)

Geminid meteor shower predicted to be a mighty big show on Sunday

Those who find wonder and good cheer in the prospect of a major meteor shower are in luck this weekend. The Geminid meteor shower peaks on Sunday and into the wee hours of Monday; under ideal circumstances, viewers could see 100 shooting stars an hour. Some glow white, others appear yellow, green, or blue. Geminid meteoroids hit earth's atmosphere traveling 78,000 mph, this according to NASA, which has called the Geminids the "900-lb gorilla of meteor showers" in years past. Published December 12, 2015

In this Dec. 3, 2015, photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Forum in Washington. Trump says he is calling for a "complete and total shutdown" on Muslims entering the United States. Trump says in a statement released by his campaign Dec. 7 that his proposal comes in response to the level of hatred among "large segments of the Muslim population" toward Americans. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Not just the GOP: Almost half of the public supports Trump’s ban on Muslim immigration

More research now finds that Republicans side with Donald Trump's immigration proposals for Muslims. A new Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday finds that 66 percent of likely Republican voters favor a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States until the federal government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists from coming here. Published December 10, 2015

Jeb Bush has released a video biography as the Republican rivalry grows more intense on the campaign trail. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Jeb Bush gets some showbiz

A little something to watch as the 2016 presidential campaigns get shrill: "The Jeb Story," a 14-minute video biography of Republican hopeful Jeb Bush, which has some stirring moments and maybe one too many predictable images of grass-roots America and Iowa cornfields. Published December 9, 2015

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton may have an asset or liability in her husband, former President Bill Clinton. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Hillary Clinton holds 18 fundraisers in 5 days

It could be a record: Between Monday and Friday this week, there will be 18 fundraisers in a dozen states for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign. Sometimes she appears in person, sometimes former President Bill Clinton is there on her behalf; even former Clinton adviser James Carville is joining in the effort. Published December 7, 2015

A new super band-aid developed by engineers at MIT can be embedded with electronics and medication (Melanie Gonick/MIT)

Engineers design super ‘band-aid of the future’ loaded with medication, sensors, lights

It's got temperature sensors, LED lights, electronics, medication and it stretches. Behold, it's the "band-aid of the future," according to the mechanical engineers who designed it. The "smart wound dressing" contains temperature sensors, semiconductor chips and tiny reservoirs of medicine embedded in a flexible, almost rubbery hydrogel which stretches over even tricky areas like elbows or knees. Published December 7, 2015

At 110, Frank Levingston is the oldest living World War II veteran, in the nation’s capital Monday to mark Pearl Harbor Day and visit the White House. (Image courtesy of KPLC TV)

Inside the Beltway: Pearl Harbor remembrance more important than ever

Monday marks the 74th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to be recognized from coast to coast at myriad events both big and small, from a chapel service at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington to commemorative aircraft flyovers in Texas to a rifle salute aboard a World War II-era destroyer docked in Boston. Published December 6, 2015

Armstrong Williams, moderator and host of The Right Side Forum

The Right Side Forum with Armstrong Williams looks at District of Columbia gun laws this week

The Right Side Forum, an hour-long conservative live news and talk show hosted by columnist Armstrong Williams, this week will address District of Columbia gun laws. His guests will be Leon Spears, president, and owner, DC Conceal Carry; Brian Bucksell, private investigator, the Bucksell Group, LLC; Clinton Gates, a private security specialist, and Charles Yarbaugh, president, Precision Tactical Training & Consultants, LLC. Published December 4, 2015

Many Americans leaned on their faith in the wake of Wednesday's mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Prayer shaming and the media assault on faith

The moment the New York Daily News proclaimed "God Isn't Fixing It" following the San Bernardino shootings, other news organizations raced to belittle Republicans whose first reaction was to pray for the victims rather than launch into a policy speech. Published December 3, 2015

Devoted fans of Donald Trump are "hungry for leadership" at a Florida campaign stop. (associated press)

Inside the Beltway: Donald Trump, the Kevlar candidate

Even the pollsters now wonder if Republican front-runner Donald Trump is made of Kevlar, Teflon or maybe tempered steel. Despite the efforts of an unfriendly news media and hostile political operatives, Mr. Trump continues to best the competition on both sides of the aisle. Trump is Trump; he is a candidate who ignores polls and embraces candor, humor, nerve, verve and occasional bombastic insults. Republican voters stand by him. Why is this? Published December 2, 2015

Philanthropist and major GOP donor Sheldon Adelson (Associated Press) **FILE**

Inside the Beltway: Republican Jewish Coalition stages a mighty presidential forum

It's not a debate, but it's mighty close. Every single GOP hopeful arrives in the nation's capital Thursday for the Republican Jewish Coalition's daylong presidential forum. Staged in the venerable Ronald Reagan Building just two blocks from the White House, the sold-out event has drawn all the heavy hitters. Published December 1, 2015

A man visits the Climate Generations Areas, part of the COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 in Le Bourget, north of Paris.  (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Greenwashing, hot air and 300,000 tons of CO2 are byproducts of the Paris climate talks

That pesky carbon footprint. No matter how they spin it, the 190 global leaders now gathered in Paris to talk about climate change can't escape their own carbon footprints left by their aircraft and ground transportation. The United Nation's' own Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change itself says that such transport accounts for 23 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and the percentage is expected to increase. Published December 1, 2015

Donald Trump in front of the mighty 16-inch gun turrets of the battleship USS Iowa during a campaign stop in September. (Associated press)

Inside the Beltway: Donald Trump: Pro-gun, or not really?

Is Donald Trump "really pro-gun?" asks Tom McHale, author of several consumer gun guides, and a contributor to OudoorHub, a sports news site. He notes that while Mr. Trump has a concealed carry permit in New York, he also donated $584,850 to Democrats, the Clinton Global Initiative and Rahm Emanuel's campaign for Chicago mayor. The candidate also publicly supported a ban on assault weapons at one point. Published November 30, 2015

In this undated handout photo of a polar bear taken in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. More than two-thirds of the world's polar bears will be killed off by 2050 - the species completely gone from Alaska - because of thinning sea ice from global warming in the Arctic, government scientists forecast Friday. (AP Photo/Subhankar Banerjee, File)

Poll numbers confirm the GOP remains the party of climate skeptics

Over 150 heads of state have gathered in Paris before an exceptionally friendly news media to discuss the horrors of climate change. President Obama and Al Gore are among the throng, and alarmism is in the air. Not among Republicans, who remain confirmed skeptics about global warming, and the role humanity plays in it all. Published November 30, 2015