Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: Trump needs a whistlestop train tour instead of a GOP convention
All aboard the Trump Train. For real. Perhaps President Trump should opt for an authentic whistlestop-style convention, touring several states on a private rail car, as six other presidents have done before him. Published June 8, 2020
Tim Scott introduces the George Floyd-Walter Scott Notification Act
Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, has reintroduced the Walter Scott Notification Act, legislation he introduced in 2015 following Walter Scott's death in a police encounter. The bill requires states that receive federal funding for law enforcement to report specific details of such events. Published June 8, 2020
The majority of Americans say Donald Trump is a conservative: Poll
Though some may puzzle over President Trump's ideology, two thirds of both Republicans and conservatives are under the impression he is conservative. So do a majority of Democrats. Published June 8, 2020
Inside the Beltway: Gavin Newsom releases Hollywood from quarantine
When the coronavirus pandemic first took hold of the nation, Hollywood's creative types wondered how long it would be before they could build the health crisis into plots for TV shows and movies. Then came the production shut-downs which affected all broadcast and cable networks and film companies; late night talk, soap operas, game shows, dramas, comedies -- all ground to a halt. Published June 7, 2020
Black Voices for Trump coalition praises President Trump’s support for African Americans
Black voters are beginning to realize that the Democrat Party has never prioritized their interests, and I am confident that there will be historic African American support for President Trump in November," said Katrina Pierson, an adviser to President Trump's reelection campaign. Published June 6, 2020
Inside the Beltway: Evangelical pastors determined to rally 25 million faith voters
Churches may have closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Members of the clergy have been very busy, however -- especially a trio of evangelical pastors determined to rally the 25 million Christian voters who sat out the last presidential election. Published June 4, 2020
Inside the Beltway: The stock market soars amid riots and pandemic
It is an odd and telling political moment. Former presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and former White House advisor David Axelrod were among those who recently went to social media and shared an image of a darkened White House as riots raged in 147 cities around the nation. They clearly suggested that President Trump was within, doing nothing to quell the crisis. Published June 3, 2020
Barack Obama addresses nation Wednesday in live town hall following the death of George Floyd
Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday afternoon will hold a livestream town hall from his foundation's website to discuss the recent public unrest following the death of George Floyd last week. Published June 3, 2020
Stock market soars despite coronavirus pandemic and ongoing public unrest
It is not all bad news this week. Several reports now cite an emerging trend which suggests the stock market has not been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and recent public unrest. Published June 3, 2020
Inside the Beltway: Television networks push outrage over Trump, not the burning of a church
In a time of national emergency, the major broadcast networks continue to undermine President Trump and his administration as they try to quell continuing public unrest over the death of George Floyd. Case in point: ABC, CBS and NBC devoted a combined total of 69 seconds of coverage pertaining to the attack on historic St. John's Church, which stands just across Lafayette Park from the White House. The structure had been set afire, defaced and vandalized by protesters Sunday night. Published June 2, 2020
Red berets, no weapons: Guardian Angels vow to protect New York City around the clock
A volunteer crime prevention organization that got its start patrolling New York City subways forty years ago has hit the streets once again. The Guardian Angels have vowed to patrol the city aruond the clock, determined to quell the riots and looting which followed the death of George Floyd. Published June 2, 2020
Inside the Beltway: Caution: The headline version of riots
There is no doubt that George Floyd's death and the riots which followed in 147 cities nationwide proved to be a deeply disturbing series of events for every American, and likely for those in other nations which consider the U.S. to be the bulwark of freedom and sanity. Published June 1, 2020
Inside the Beltway: Interest group calls for protection of journalists on riot duty
Journalists have been in harm's way before. They were embedded with the U.S. military in recent wartime conflicts, most notably in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some 800 journalists went to Afghanistan in fact, toting gas masks and learning to report on that war for better or worse. Some members of the media were asked by the Pentagon to attend a military-style boot camp to prepare them to cover a war in Iraq, this after troops complained of having to wait for "flabby, unfit journalists to keep up with them," noted The Guardian in 2002. Published May 31, 2020
Face masks and isolation rooms: Los Angeles reveals a 43-page plan to reopen schools
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the Los Angeles County Office of Education has released a master strategy for re-opening public schools when the time comes, and it is not a minimal, bare bones project. The plan is 43 pages long. Published May 30, 2020
Inside the Beltway: ‘Glorious’: Kayleigh McEnany receives praise as White House press secretary
She has been on the job since April 7. That would be Kayleigh McEnany -- age 32 and the 31st White House press secretary -- who took charge of this challenge in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, and as the news media directed unprecedented and intense hostility toward President Trump. Published May 28, 2020
Inside the Beltway: President Trump, Winston Churchill named ‘defenders of Western civilization’
A book with a notable comparison: "Trump and Churchill: Defenders of Western Civilization" by Nick Adams has just been published, sizing up the two high-profile, distinctive leaders who appear to have nothing in common. Both, however, upset the "prevailing politics" of their respective eras in similar fashion. Published May 27, 2020
Activists call for climate change to be listed as cause of death on death certificates
The environmental cause just took an unusual new turn. Published May 27, 2020
Inside the Beltway: The prospect of germ terrorism has arrived
It is a possibility that world leaders may not want to address quite yet -- but the topic of viral terrorism has now entered the global discourse. Published May 26, 2020
Coronavirus upstages election as Americans heed pandemic, not politics: Report
President Trump and Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden now have an unexpected competitor. The presidential election is now playing second fiddle to the coronavirus on the public stage according to new research. Americans are more interested in the pandemic than politics. Published May 26, 2020
Inside the Beltway: Biden has ‘reelected’ Trump
Democratic presidential hopeful Joseph R. Biden's "you ain't black" remark to black voters who would consider voting for President Trump -- uttered four days ago in an interview with nationally syndicated radio host Charlamagne tha God -- is still rattling the political landscape and prompting some to suggest Mr. Trump could benefit, despite Mr. Biden later apology. Published May 25, 2020