Tucker Carlson, the ratings king

NEWS AND OPINION:

Fox News prime-time host Tucker Carlson may be in the news himself on occasion — or subject to stinging remarks from assorted critics and rivals. Mr. Carlson simply carries on, however, a steady force on both Fox News and Fox Nation, the network’s on-demand streaming service.

He has a new book arriving in August titled “The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism,” to be published by Threshold Editions, the conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster.

The author intends to “memorialize the tolerance and diversity of thought that the media used to celebrate instead of punish in snapshots spanning the 1990s to today,” according to advance editorial notes.

In the meantime, a book focused on Mr. Tucker himself is being readied by major publisher Little Brown according to both Vanity Fair and The New York Post.

The most prominent gauge of the Fox News stalwart, however, is his weeknight program on Fox News. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” indeed airs five nights a week and regularly drives the ongoing news narrative across a spectrum of political opinions. It also continues to dominate the ratings in no uncertain terms.

Mr. Carlson enjoyed an average nightly audience of 3.1 million viewers last week — the highest-rated cable news program in every category, according to Nielsen Media Research. This is a regular occurrence, incidentally.

Meanwhile, Fox News itself bested the entire cable news competition for the 20th week in a row, with an average primetime audience of 2.2 million viewers according to Nielsen. In contrast, MSNBC attracted an audience of 1.4 million and CNN 982,000 during that time. Fox News also outdrew such non-news competition as ESPN (1.5 million) and HGTV (1.1 million).

And a quick note to fans of Sean Hannity, who also hosts a prime-time time show on Fox News. It averaged 2.9 million viewers last week, In addition, Mr. Hannity’s special programming in mid-week — a town hall with former President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — earned an audience of 3.5 million.

NOT HELPFUL FOR THE DEMOCRATS

Well, here’s another survey that suggests things are not going swimmingly at the White House. Here’s what it reveals:

57% of U.S. voters believe that President Biden is not executing the duties of his office.

36% believe Mr. Biden is directing all policy and agenda, and 7% are not sure.

Source: A Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group poll of 1,086 U.S. voters likely to vote in the 2022 midterm elections, conducted June 23-25 and released Monday.

“President Lincoln’s famous refrain that you can’t fool all of the people all of the time has never been more relevant,” observes Mark Meckler, president of Convention of States Action, a nonprofit.

KIM HAS A MOMENT

Rep. Andy Kim, New Jersey Democrat, is donating the suit he wore in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot to the Smithsonian Institute, to be displayed as a historical artifact.

“I wore this blue suit as I cleaned the Capitol after the insurrection, now I just donated it to the Smithsonian. Jan. 6 must never be forgotten. While some try to erase history, I will fight to tell the story so it never happens again,” Mr. Kim said in a tweet on Tuesday — which marked the six-month anniversary of the event.

The Smithsonian itself requested he donate the suit several weeks after the riot, Mr. Kim explained in a follow-up tweet — which inspired myriad reactions, both pro and con.

“I saw myself that night as a caretaker for our democracy and as a result of a caretaker for the Capitol,” the lawmaker told CNN on Tuesday.

ABBOTT TAKES A PRO-LIFE STAND

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called for an “extraordinary” special session of his state’s 87th Legislature that will include consideration of legislation preventing the expansion of chemical abortion drugs in his state by mail or delivery service.

“We thank Gov. Abbott for acting on the will of Texans and spotlighting the lives of the unborn and the safety of women and girls in his shortlist of special session priorities,” said Sue Liebel, state policy director for the Susan B. Anthony List, a national pro-life group.

“The U.S. Senate this year advanced critical legislation to stop the expansion of dangerous chemical abortion drugs but the bill failed in the House. Emboldened by the pro-abortion Biden administration, the radical abortion lobby is pushing to turn every post office and pharmacy into an abortion center. Their recklessness not only threatens countless unborn children, but also places women in danger of potentially life-threatening complications such as severe bleeding, infection, incomplete abortions, or even death,” Ms. Liebel continued.

“Thanks to tireless efforts by Gov. Abbott and all our local allies, Texas is leading a groundswell of pro-life momentum that has resulted in 89 new state-level pro-life laws enacted nationwide in 2021 alone. Washington politicians and the Supreme Court should take note: Americans reject the extreme status quo of abortion on demand through birth,” she said.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

“Celebrate the return of travel,” advises the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has just released information on National Trust Tours for 2022.

These classy, small-scale tours range from “fabled rail journeys” through Wales, England and Scotland aboard the Royal Scotsman to cruises on the Great Lakes, visits to the coast of Vietnam and encounters in the historic Hudson River Valley.

Find some ideas at NationalTrustTours.com/catalogues.

POLL DU JOUR

• 87% of U.S. adults do not view UFOS as a “major threat” to the nation.

• 65% say their “best guess” is that intelligent life exists on other planets.

• 51% say UFOs reported by military personnel are “likely” evidence of intelligent life outside Earth.

• 49% say the federal government is doing a “bad job” dealing with reported UFO sightings.

Source: A Pew Research Center American Trends Panel poll of 10,417 U.S. adults conducted June 14-24 and released June 30.

• Helpful information to jharper@harperbulletin.