Inside the Beltway: The Polish Connection

He’s looking North: Rep. Patrick Meehan, chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence, reports that out of the 4,000-mile-long northern border between the U.S. and Canada, only 32 miles have an “acceptable level of security,” this according to a 2011 report by the Government Accountability Office. The Pennsylvania Republican journeys to Buffalo, N.Y., to examine a threat that doesn’t get half as much publicity as the U.S.-Mexico border. Mr. Meehan wonders instead whether the Department of Homeland Security’s international agreements can ensure “actionable intelligence” to combat threats to the U.S. Are the neighbor nations working together?

The lawmaker is going local here. Among the witnesses: Daniel J. Neaverth Jr., commissioner of Emergency Services for Erie County, and James Voutour, sheriff of Niagara County; both in New York. There’s more maple leaf diplomacy at work, though. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosts a symposium Tuesday titled “Canada: The Northern Light,” heralding the nation as “a vital economic partner of the United States, from the Keystone XL pipeline to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. On hand to make nice and have lunch: Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber.

POLL DU JOUR

• 83 percent of black Americans and 52 percent of Hispanic-Americans say they are registered voters.

• 73 percent of blacks and 55 percent of Hispanics say religion is important in their lives.

• 67 percent of black Americans and 39 percent of Hispanic-Americans say they are Democrats; 3 percent of blacks and 13 percent of Hispanics say they are Republicans.

• 54 percent of blacks and 50 percent of Hispanic say they are politically moderate.

• 26 percent of blacks and 25 percent of Hispanics say they are liberal; 18 percent of blacks and 21 percent of Hispanics say they are conservative.

• 13 percent of blacks and 17 percent of Hispanics are independents; 12 percent of blacks and 27 percent of Hispanics have no political preference.

Source: A Public Religion Research Institute survey of 810 black American adults and 81 Hispanic-American adults conducted June 14-23 and released Friday.

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