NEWS AND OPINION:
ABC’s daytime news and opinion show “The View” is now in the news itself. The program still has not found a replacement for Republican Meghan McCain, who left the program in August.
It is apparently a struggle, at least according to coverage in the last 24 hours:
“‘The View’ struggles to find a Republican host,” reported Politico. “‘The View’ mocked over a report that the show is struggling to find a new Republican host,” noted Fox News. “‘The View’ is struggling to find a permanent conservative host,” said Business Insider.
The discussion spilled onto Twitter.
Ed Morrissey, senior editor of HotAir.com, suggested that ABC producers should have more than one GOP female on the team.
“Maybe they should have two, which might make the cast more stable and also more balanced. Turning one GOP woman into an isolated piñata certainly doesn’t work for recruitment,” Mr. Morrissey tweeted.
“They don’t actually want a conservative. That’s why this search is proving so difficult,” observed Karol Markowicz, a New York Post columnist.
“Before taking off for the holidays, the ladies of the View said they’re tired of the rotating cast of republican women but the show can’t find its conservative ‘unicorn,’” tweeted Tara Palmeri, co-author of Politico’s daily Playbook.
Dan Gainor, vice president of the Media Research Center — a conservative press watchdog — also had a say: “The people who run ‘The View’ are anti-conservative lunatics,” he declared.
The daily show has featured some conservative Republican women on a rotating basis since Ms. McCain’s departure, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson and former Rep. Mia Love of Utah.
$20.5 MILLION FOR THE BIG APPLE
The U.S. Treasury Department announced Tuesday that it has awarded the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice $20.5 million in “federal commitments” to support its efforts to reduce gun violence among youth.
The awards are part of Treasury’s Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act program and include a project grant of $17,595,000 with an additional $2,639,250 grant to pay for the cost of an independent evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
“Gun violence is a horrific problem in this country, and it’s never more tragic than when young people are involved,” Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement.
“Obviously, addressing this issue will require many different solutions, but one that the Treasury is proud to support involves community efforts to intervene with at-risk youth,” Ms. Yellen noted.
TRACKING THE UNVACCINATED
Pollsters have tracked public opinion about COVID-19 vaccinations. The U.S. Census is also tracking the phenomenon and has released the results of a “Household Pulse Survey” conducted online Dec. 1-13 among 61,000 U.S. adults, and included in an in-depth analysis released Tuesday.
“The Centers for Disease Control reports that as of December 14, roughly 85% of adults ages 18 and over in the United States had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine but 15% remained unvaccinated. Who are the unvaccinated and why are they choosing not to get a COVID vaccine?” wrote Lindsay M. Monte, a survey statistician for the federal agency.
“They were younger, on average, than those who had been vaccinated. Roughly 75% of the unvaccinated were under age 50. Among the vaccinated, less than half were under age 50. About half reported that they were concerned about possible side effects of the vaccine. About 42% reported that they ‘don’t trust the COVID-19 vaccine,’” Ms. Monte said.
Trust was a factor in the poll, which offered to let people give multiple reasons for hesitancy.
It found that 35% of the unvaccinated “don’t trust the government” and 32% believe they don’t need a vaccine in the first place. Another 28% plan to wait and see if the vaccine is safe, 23% question whether the vaccine will protect them, and 22% don’t think COVID-19 is “that big a threat.”
Another 8% said their doctor had not recommended the shot while 2% were both concerned about the cost, and agreed it was difficult for them to get the vaccine. And what about the survey itself?
“The experimental Household Pulse Survey is designed to quickly and efficiently deploy data collected on how people’s lives have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Data collection for Phase 3.3 of the Household Pulse Survey started on December 1, 2021 and is scheduled to continue until February 7, 2022,” the Census Bureau said in a public guide to the survey.
AN EYE ON BONGINO
A conservative stalwart has attracted the attention of The New Yorker.
Dan Bongino is the subject of a very lengthy profile by staff writer Evan Osnos, who examined Mr. Bongino’s upbringing, background, profession and other topics too numerous to examine here.
Published Monday, the story is titled “Dan Bongino and the Big Business of Returning Trump to Power.” A secondary headline advised: “The Secret Service agent turned radio host is furious at liberals — so he’s trying to build a right-wing media infrastructure in time for 2024.”
“Bongino’s combative style has made him a star of talk radio, where he occupies the time slot once held by Rush Limbaugh,” noted an even smaller headline.
There was, however, a handy overview of Mr. Bongino’s career history.
“He now commands a Fox News program on Saturday nights, a podcast that has ranked No. 1 on iTunes, and a Web site that repackages stories into some of the most highly trafficked items on social media. In recent months, according to Facebook data, his page has attracted more engagement than those of the Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal combined,” wrote Mr. Osnos.
POLL DU JOUR
• 72% of U.S. homeowners would consider at least one home improvement project in the coming year.
• 52% would redo a bathroom with such amenities as heated floors and free-standing bathtubs.
• 46% would remodel their kitchen, including pizza ovens, new appliances and quartz countertops.
• 31% would add or improve on an office space; 23% would finish and refine a basement or an attic.
• 21% would add an “accessory dwelling unit” or guest house.
Source: A survey of 2,000 U.S. homeowners conducted by Zillow Group and Realmhome.com Nov. 1-30.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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