NEWS AND OPINION:
Another graphic undercover video has been released by the Center for Medical Progress, the seventh in a series of 12 that the pro-life group has produced about the harvest and sale of tissue from aborted fetuses, featuring Planned Parenthood officials and former technicians. Americans may not be witnessing any of it for themselves, however. Close scrutiny from the Media Research Center reveal that major broadcasters are not airing the actual videos; analyst Katie Yoder found that out of a total of 243 hours of recent morning and evening newscasts, NBC, CBS and ABC only allowed one minute and 13 seconds of the original footage — between them.
The practice may have influenced public awareness: A new national Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 63 percent of the respondents had not seen any of the videos. The survey also asked if Planned Parenthood is acting “inappropriately”: 43 percent of the 2,000 respondents said yes.
The pushback continues, meanwhile. Those who oppose the procurement and use of fetal tissue have a clear plan.
“Our legislative strategy in response to this brutal reality is twofold. We will support all aggressive efforts this fall to get taxpayers out of Planned Parenthood’s profit-driven, abortion-centered enterprise. The Senate must also press on with a vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would save lives by literally taking some children off of the table for vivisection after five months,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, director of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, tells Inside the Beltway
“With Hillary Clinton and other national Democratic leaders doubling down on their support for unlimited abortion on-demand, up until the moment of birth, paid for by taxpayers, voters and pundits should expect to see the abortion issue play a major role in the upcoming general election,” Mrs. Dannenfelser continues. “The majority of Americans who support common ground limits will be looking for pro-life candidates who lead on this issue. Meanwhile, Susan B. Anthony List will work hard to ensure voters do not forget who fails to stand for the most innocent among us.”
A HOLLYWOOD SUMMARY OF DONALD TRUMP
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump: A lot people don’t think ‘anchor babies’ are actually U.S. citizens
“He tells me that many in Hollywood are privately voicing their support for him (he won’t say who except to claim one significant name to me, off the record); that the Hillary email drama is ’Watergate on steroids’; that his wife, Melania, 45, will start campaigning for him in late August (her issue if she were first lady would be ’women’s health’); and that, above all, he is a serious candidate. He admires Ronald Reagan, and a bust of the late commander in chief in his office is a business award with Trump’s name on it. If the 40th president was ’The Great Communicator,’ Trump, who rose to prominence not as an actor but by playing himself on TV, is the 21st century version: The Great Entertainer. And right now, it is working.”
— Hollywood Reporter correspondent Janice Min, summarizing the two hours and 30 minutes she recently spent with GOP front-runner Donald Trump in his Manhattan office.
HALF OF AMERICA LIKES TRUMP’S WALL
Donald Trump issued a vigorous, point-by-point immigration policy that included plans for a permanent border wall to control illegal immigration that left Democrats dithering and Republicans cheering.
“A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border,” Mr. Trump said. Americans have taken notice of his proposals, and the majority are agreeing.
“Among all likely voters, 51 percent favor building a wall on the border; 37 percent disagree, and 12 percent are not sure,” says a Rasmussen Reports survey released Wednesday. And the rest: 70 percent of Republicans, 57 percent of independents and 30 percent of Democrats agree.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump holds double-digit lead in N.C.: poll
IN THE MARKETPLACE
“Hillary’s Secret Server Wiper”
— Blue terry cloth hand towel imprinted with Hillary Clinton’s campaign logo, now on sale for $5 through the Republican National Committee. And just for the record, the organization is also selling the official Republican elephant tie for a limited time in red, of course — along with sage green, blue and pale purple. A mug emblazoned with the motto “My kids are RAISED RIGHT” is also part of the GOP swag, found here
THE SANTORUM BLITZ
He’s not done with 2016, no matter where the opinion polls place him.
Rick Santorum visited nine Iowa towns in two days earlier this week. On Thursday, the Republican hopeful journeys to the nation’s capital for an appearance at the National Press Club, where he’ll deliver what his campaign describes as “a major speech on immigration,” followed by a question/answer session fielded by John Hughes, president of the journalists group. C-SPAN will cover the event beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
But then, it’s back to the grass roots. Mr. Santorum almost immediately returns to Iowa, where he’ll visit another seven towns over the weekend, including a guided tour of the Grotto of the Redemption and Mass at Saint Peter & Paul Catholic Church in West Bend, and a “Pints and Politics” town hall in Okoboji.
THURSDAY NIGHT VIEWING
Morton Downey. Jr — the late TV host who set the pace for visceral broadcasts to come — gets the full movie treatment on CNN at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET on Thursday night. Titled “Evocateur,” it is a portrait of Downey’s “bombastic, enigmatic, rule-breaking, format-busting show,” the network says. “Before there was Glenn Beck or Geraldo Rivera or Rush Limbaugh, there was Morton Downey, Jr., who ignited the dawn of ’mad-as-hell and not going to take it anymore’ television with conservative, provocative talk that made him a late night TV folk hero during the late 1980s.”
The production features either contemporary cameo or archival footage of, among others, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Pat Buchanan, Larry King, Sally Jessy Raphael, Richard Bey, Alan Dershowitz, Jerry Springer and Mr. Rivera. The show repeats on Saturday night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Mr. Buchanan sums up the Downey appeal in the film, noting, “It’s a free market. The people obviously want what they’re gettin’, or they’d be gettin’ something else.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 54 percent of Americans say corporation are not doing enough to support U.S. military veterans.
• 51 percent have an unfavorable view of the job the federal government does to support veterans; 23 percent have a “neutral opinion,” 18 percent have a favorable opinion.
• 48 percent say vets are not “prepared to succeed” when they enter the civilian workforce.
• 41 percent say the government must improve health care services for vets, 16 percent cite better employment opportunity, 16 percent cite helping hopeless vets.
• 9 percent say the government should work to reduce the veteran suicide rate, 6 percent say it should provide education benefits and opportunities for vets.
• 34 percent say charities and non-profits are not doing enough to support vets; 23 percent say they are.
Source: A ScoutComms/Ipsos poll of 1,004 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 11-13 and released Tuesday.
• Churlish remarks and casual observations to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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