NEWS AND OPINION:
The New York Times has just revealed its latest best sellers list. Two Fox News stalwarts now occupy the top spots of this elite and heavily influential list. Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett, author of “The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump,” is ranked No. 1 on the Times’ non-fiction list.
“This is a story of corruption,” the author writes, providing a fact-based claim that the FBI investigation of Mr. Trump is without legal merit. The role of the press is not overlooked.
“Throughout the Trump presidency, the media has obsessed over ’collusion’ without defining it. They assumed it was a crime that surely must exist buried somewhere in the vast body of dusty lawbooks,” Mr. Jarrett said in the epilogue.
He faults “media malpractice” and says the press has “squandered credibility, its only currency.”
And the book is now No. 1. Such cultural victories do not escape President Trump, who tweeted congratulations to Mr. Jarrett, calling the book “hard work from a brilliant guy,” and “the real story of the rigged witch hunt.”
The nation must be primed for such observations, however.
Mr. Jarrett is followed on The New York Times bestselling nonfiction list by Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro, author of “Liars, Leakers and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy.”
It’s good news for conservative publishers as well.
Mr. Jarrett’s book was published by Broadside Books, the conservative imprint of HarperCollins that represent Dennis Prager and Derek Hunter. Judge Jeanine Pirro’s book was published by Center Street, the conservative imprint of Hachette Book Group, which also represents Newt Gingrich, Michael Savage and Kurt Schlichter.
Both Judge Pirro and Mr. Jarrett’s books have dominated Amazon sales as well.
TRUMP TAMES THE BLUE WAVE
President Trump is an indefatigable campaigner. For the third time this week, Mr. Trump heads off to yet another jumbo grass-roots rally — and yes, it’s personal.
He’s already gone to Tampa, Florida, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in the past three days. This time Mr. Trump journeys to Lewis Center, Ohio, on Saturday — about 15 miles north of Columbus. Interest was so great among Trump fans that organizers had to move the event to a larger venue to accommodate the demand. This marks his 23rd rally in the Buckeye State and the fifth rally in the Columbus area in recent years.
Mr. Trump is on an intense midterm mission, on hand to support conservative GOP state Sen. Troy Balderson, who is vying with Danny O’Connor, a Democratic official Franklin County, in a special election for a House seat. Mr. Balderson also has the endorsement of Ohio Gov. John Kasich, so that is helpful; several polls indicate the pair are running neck and neck in popularity.
There is much on the line here.
The bout is “the next big test of the Democrats’ promised ’blue wave’ in the suburbs of Columbus that could indicate just how strong Democrats will be in November with college-educated, affluent voters,” says The New York Times, which has taken a cryptic look at this special election.
It’s complicated. Ohio voters who were purged from state voting rolls in the last seven years will be allowed to cast ballots in this special election, which is Tuesday. The city of Columbus also is suing Mr. Trump and his administration for what the city and other plaintiffs say is an “unconstitutional sabotage of the Affordable Care Act,” according to The Columbus Dispatch.
AN ACCOLADE FOR THE NRA
The National Rifle Association knows how to organize and conduct a major public event. There’s no doubt about that. The NRA’s annual meeting in May drew more than 87,000 guests and 800 exhibits, seminars and workshops — the largest event on record, to date, and one deemed by organizers as a “Second Amendment celebration.”
Both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were on hand to address the crowd.
Such feats don’t go unnoticed.
The annual meeting has been named among Trade Show News Network’s top 25 fastest-growing shows in the U.S. This bustling industry group keeps tabs on some 25,000 large scale global events, and will formally present the NRA award at an annual gathering next week in Louisville, Kentucky.
“It marks the fifth time in six years the NRA annual meetings have earned the award, demonstrating not only the strength and vibrancy of the event, but that of the NRA and the firearms industry, as well,” notes the NRA.
Plans are already set for next year. The 148th NRA meeting is scheduled for April in Indianapolis.
DIETARY NEWS OF NOTE
“Animal rights activists have long encouraged Americans to adopt a plant-based diet by becoming vegetarians (abstaining from eating meat) or by becoming vegan (rejecting all animal products). However, fewer than 1 in 10 Americans adhere to such diets, with 5 percent in the U.S. now saying they are vegetarians and 3 percent reporting they are vegans,” notes a new Gallup poll.
And the ideological breakdown: 11 percent of liberals, 3 percent of moderates and 2 percent of conservatives are vegetarians. The poll also found that 5 percent of liberals, 1 percent of moderates and 2 percent of conservatives are vegans.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
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POLL DU JOUR
• 35 percent of Americans say they are “happy” with their job; 30 percent of Republicans, 34 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats agree.
• 29 percent say they are “neither happy or unhappy” with their job; 27 percent of Republicans, 32 percent of independents and 26 percent of Democrats agree.
• 22 percent are “very happy” with their job; 35 percent of Republicans, 16 percent of independents and 20 percent of Democrats agree.
• 8 percent say they are “unhappy’ with their job; 4 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of independents and 8 percent of Democrats agree.
• 6 percent say they are “very unhappy” with their job; 4 percent of Republicans, 7 percent of independents and 6 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted July 29-31.
• Follow Jennifer harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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