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Jennifer Harper

Jennifer Harper

jharper@washingtontimes.com

Jennifer Harper wrote the daily Inside the Beltway column for The Washington Times.

Articles by Jennifer Harper

Conservative watchdog Newsbusters.org reports that, in his first 100 days in office, President Trump has been at the mercy of "the most hostile press treatment of any incoming American president." (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: President Trump plays ‘crazy card’ like a fox

Hostile news organizations and pundits are fond of describing President Trump in extreme terms, often calling him unpresidential, unorthodox and aggressive -- and from the moment he took office. Critics are not comfortable with his candid Twitter missives; they are insulted when he does not dutifully telegraph his plans to one and all. But this is a complicated world.

April 19, 2017
Host Bill O'Reilly of "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel, poses for photos in the set in New York, in this Oct. 1, 2015, file photo. There was no immediate response from Bill O'Reilly's bosses Wednesday, April 19, 2017, to escalating reports that the Fox News Channel personality will lose his job following accusations he had harassed women. New York magazine said that Rupert Murdoch and his sons James and Lachlan, who run Fox parent 21st Century Fox, had decided that O'Reilly was out and executives were planning the exit. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Bill O’Reilly out at Fox News Channel

Longtime host Bill O'Reilly is leaving the Fox News Channel, departing his prime-time program which has been the top-rated cable show in that time slot for the past 18 years.

April 19, 2017
President Trump's approval rating have hit 50 percent, says a new Rasmussen Reports poll. On Inaguration Day they were at 59. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: The positive outcome of Trump’s steel-clad tactics

Half the nation's voters now approve of President Trump according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll which finds that, indeed, 50 percent of likely U.S. voters applaud his job performance. It is the first time Mr. Trump's ratings have been in the 50s in almost a month, the pollster says, noting that his positive numbers have ranged as high as 59 percent since Inauguration Day.

April 17, 2017
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, also known as "The Mother of all Bombs" or MOAB, was dropped on an ISIS target in Afghanistan on Thursday. #MotherOfAllBombs trended on Twitter, too. (U.S. Air Force)

Inside the Beltway: Mother of All Bombs lands right in the media

The news media is always poised to deploy its own bombs on select targets. There was authentic hubbub, however, when word emerged that the U.S. had dropped a 30-foot, 21,600-pound, GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) on an ISIS target in Afghanistan.

April 13, 2017
A new book ready to hit store shelves takes the reader inside Hillary Clinton's ultimately doomed bid for the presidency. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Judgment call: Hillary’s 2016 campaign was ‘doomed’

There's a stark new judgment call on the 2016 election in a forthcoming book, and the title tells all: "Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign." Authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes detail the former Democratic presidential hopeful's efforts to win the White House in a story that amounts to a brutal close-up.

April 12, 2017

Inside the Beltway: Limbaugh predicts Trump’s border wall will become a tourist destination

President Trump has vowed to build a "big, beautiful wall" between the U.S. and Mexico to curtail illegal immigration. His fans love this campaign promise - his critics tear it to pieces. Practical penny-counters shudder over the idea -; diplomats shrug. Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh still believes the border wall is a possibility, and now adds an interesting dimension to it, based on Mr. Trump's capacity for surprise and innovation.

April 11, 2017
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has launched a petition against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, asking the tycoon to pay his workers "adequate" wages. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Inside the Beltway: Bernie Sanders joins a ‘Fight Back Tour’

The Democratic Party is still trying to maneuver heartland values into their corner as the 2018 midterm elections loom. There's some fancy footwork going on. Democrats appear to be claiming ownership of those very values, which were articulated with great authenticity and genuine verve by President Trump during his successful White House campaign.

April 10, 2017
President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017, after the U.S. fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria Thursday night in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: Trump’s red line

One president now gets to pick up after another's mess. President Trump's surgically accurate bombing in Syria has brought him accolades from around the globe, and from unexpected sources on both sides of the aisle. Even a few journalists stepped up to approve.

April 9, 2017
The meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping at scenic Mar-A-Lago could yield some rather interesting moments. (Associated Press)

Media gets the jitters over Trump’s historic meeting with Xi Jinping

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two world leaders have a 24-hour encounter in scenic Palm Beach, Florida, which begins Thursday and could yield significant, possibly historic developments and some fascinating cultural moments. And, of course, the mainstream media is at the ready, pacing back and forth and hoping things go awry in this gorgeous setting.

April 5, 2017
Rush Limbaugh is shown in this undated publicity photo.

Inside the Beltway: Media abandons ‘sacred principles of journalism’ to stop Trump

Voters are hard pressed to unravel two concurrent political dramas, both with dire connotations. At their most basic, there are claims that the Obama administration surveilled President Trump's 2016 campaign - and counterclaims that there was communication between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Both scenarios are subject to spin by pundits and news media.

April 4, 2017
First lady Melania Trump in her official White House portrait released Monday. (White House)

Inside the Beltway: 92% of Republicans ‘extremely proud’ to be American

It is a happy finding for the GOP: A new Gallup poll reveals that 92 percent of Republicans are "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American. Things are not so fervent among Democrats on the patriotic meter: 67 percent said they were proud, along with 73 percent of independents. Among all Americans, the number was 75 percent.

April 3, 2017
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre decried the "organized hatred" aimed at President Trump since his election in November. (Associated Press)

Inside the Beltway: L.A. Times ‘nearly hysterical’ over Trump, calls him a train wreck

Media analysts wonder just how far the news media will go in their efforts to undermine President Trump. Well, they will go pretty far. National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre recently noted that "organized hatred" is unprecedented against the new administration -- "amplified by a national media that has thrown out the rules of journalism and has become a part of the mob."

April 2, 2017
Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Major trade group urges Senate to support Gorsuch nomination

The merchants like him: The Retail Industry Leaders Association has publicly urged the Senate to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch -- calling him "eminently qualified." The trade organization represents 200 retailers, manufacturers and service providers who account for $1.5 trillion in annual sales.

March 31, 2017