NEWS AND OPINION:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents continue their vigilant and often heroic activities on the southern U.S. border.
This is just one account recently released by the federal agency, citing agents on patrol near Del Rio, Texas on Jan. 27.
“At approximately 6:45 p.m., agents encountered a group of migrants entering the country illegally through the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass. The agents recognized two subjects were having difficulty crossing the river and attempted to throw flotation devices toward them but were unsuccessful in reaching the migrants. The agents observed one individual growing weaker from the force of the current and decided to enter the water to save the migrants,” the report said.
“Using ropes to remain secured to each other, one agent remained on shore while two agents entered the water and advanced toward the migrants. As they approached the subjects, one migrant lost her footing and went farther down river. The agents were still able to reach both migrants and pulled them to safety on the U.S. riverbank,” the account noted.
“The lengths our agents go through to save a life has no bounds. I am humbled to be counted among these men and women. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last that a life is saved because they put theirs on the line,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens said in a statement.
‘TIME TO ACCEPT’ COVID
So we’re getting used to the continual presence of a pandemic? Could be.
“Americans continue to be concerned about the spread of Covid, but the vast majority say it is time to accept it as part of life,” says a new Monmouth University poll released Monday.
“A majority of the public continues to support some preventative measures, such as facemask and social distancing guidelines, but not others, such as workplace vaccine mandates. Also, faith in the ability of President Joe Biden and the federal government to get a handle on the pandemic continues to fade amid persistent opposition from nearly 1 in 5 American adults to getting vaccinated,” the poll analysis said.
“Fully 7 in 10 Americans (70%) agree with the sentiment that ‘it’s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives’ — including 78% of those who report having gotten Covid and 65% of those who say they have not been infected. The main difference in the sense that it is time to move on is due to partisanship — ranging from 89% of Republicans and 71% of independents to 47% of Democrats,” the analysis noted.
The Monmouth University Poll of 794 U.S. adults was conducted Jan. 20-24.
GREENE ADVANCES VANCE
Bestselling author and military veteran J.D. Vance is on a quest to win the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio now held by retiring Sen. Rob Portman. Mr. Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” has gotten a boost from a significant lawmaker.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she is “proud” to give the nod to Mr. Vance.
“At this pivotal moment in America, we need courageous patriots like J.D. Vance fighting for us. JD understands what we are up against and he is not afraid to stand up as a proud conservative. He will always fight against the woke authoritarianism our opponents want to impose,” the Georgia Republican said in an endorsement statement shared with “Inside the Beltway.”
“J.D. is a true America First Patriot who puts people over politicians and believes in taking action, rather than just talking a big game on television. I have no doubt he will always be a proud warrior for our America First values in Washington,” Mrs. Greene declared in her endorsement, advising that Mr. Vance is now engaged in a “fight to save Ohio.”
THE TRUMP AFTERMATH
How are things in the Lone Star State following former President Donald Trump’s rally there Saturday night?
“Trump’s rally in Conroe showed he still has a hold on Texas Republican leaders. Speaking before Trump at the rally, two of the most pro-Trump state leaders, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, made clear they want the former president to run again,” reports the Texas Tribune.
They weren’t alone in their sentiments.
“The Republican Party of Texas now is no longer that weak and compromising party. We are the bold party of Donald Trump and will stay that way,” noted Matt Rinaldi, chair of the Texas GOP, according to the Tribune report.
REPUBLICANS PUSH BACK AT THE CDC
Six Republican members of Congress — a group that includes two physicians — are pushing back against coronavirus-prevention guidelines for children issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The CDC has consistently failed to consider the crushing impact its COVID-19 policies have had on our nation’s children. We have long known transmission among children is low and symptoms are mild for most of them. Yet, the CDC has refused to follow the science. Rather, it has blindly tried to prevent infection at all costs, sacrificing our children’s mental, physical, and emotional health,” the group advised Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the federal agency.
The letter cited the damages from remote or hybrid learning, isolation policies, masking regulations, “logistical nightmares” for parents and other matters.
“America’s children are paying — and will continue to pay — the price for the CDC’s decisions for years to come,” the lawmakers advised.
“There is no question, as we enter the third year of this pandemic, CDC’s guidelines and policies have failed to factor in — let alone prioritize — children’s social, emotional, and educational development. In fact, CDC is undermining its own credibility as it continues to jeopardize an entire generation’s development,” they said.
The signers are House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, plus Reps. James Comer, Jim Jordan, Mark E. Green, Nicole Malliotakis and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
POLL DU JOUR
• 16% of U.S. adults say that the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court bench should be “increased”; 3% of Republicans, 10% of independents and 35% of Democrats agree.
• 53% say that the number of justices “should stay the same”; 78% of Republicans, 52% of independents and 36% of Democrats agree.
• 4% say the number of justices should be “decreased”; 3% of Republicans, 5% of independents and 4% of Democrats agree.
• 26% are not sure about the issue; 16% of Republicans, 34% of independents and 24% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: A YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 26-27.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
