Inside the Beltway: The bald eagle population has quadrupled

NEWS AND OPINION:

Some cheerful news, for a change. America’s bald eagle population is “soaring,” according to a new report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Populations of the American bald eagle — the bold national symbol of the United States — have quadrupled since 2009,” the federal agency said in a spirited statement.

“Bald eagles once teetered on the brink of extinction, reaching an all-time low of 417 known nesting pairs in 1963 in the lower 48 states. However, after decades of protection, the banning of the pesticide DDT, and conservation efforts with numerous partners, the bald eagle population has flourished, growing to more than 71,400 nesting pairs,” the agency explained.

Overall, the total bald eagle population reached an estimated 316,700 individual bald eagles in the lower 48 states. For more insight, visit FWS.gov — which also has some very interesting fare on fishing.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies was particularly pleased with the eagle news, and praised such efforts as the State and Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, which provides funds to protect declining fish and wildlife species on a wide spectrum of levels. Reps. Don Young, Alaska Republican, and Mike Thompson, California Democrat, are also circulating a “Dear Colleague Letter” in the House to demonstrate support for the program.

A RONALD REAGAN ALERT

Some news for those who remember that Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. He had only been in office 69 days.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute will host a virtual event featuring five people who were by the 40th president’s side that day. Things get underway at 4 p.m. Pacific; the event will be streamed at YouTube.com/ReaganFoundation.

Find more information at ReaganFoundation.org.

SHANNON BREAM, AUTHOR

Let us recall that Fox News has launched a new Fox News Books division featuring their well-known broadcasters who are also authors. Fox News @Night host Shannon Bream has a new book out Tuesday titled “The Women of the Bible Speak: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today.”

The 256-page book is already in the top-10 titles among all books on Amazon.

“People unfamiliar with Scripture often assume that women play a small, secondary role in the Bible. But in fact, they were central figures in numerous Biblical tales. It was Queen Esther’s bravery at a vital point in history which saved her entire people. The Bible contains warriors like Jael, judges like Deborah, and prophets like Miriam. The first person to witness Jesus’ resurrection was Mary Magdalene, who promptly became the first Christian evangelist, eager to share the news which would change the world forever,” say advance notes for the book.

“In their lives we can see common struggles to resist bitterness, despair, and pride, and to instead find their true selves in faith, hope, and love. In studying these heroes of the faith, we can find wisdom and warnings for how to better navigate our own faith journeys,” the notes add.

Ms. Bream has already hosted a prime-time special on the subject which included input from former TV host Kathy Lee Gifford, Fox News contributor Alveda King and “Duck Dynasty” star Missy Robertson, among others.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

Office Depot announced Monday that it is now offering to laminate COVID-19 vaccination cards for free in stores through July 25.

Find the promotional coupon you’ll need at OfficeDepot.com. Staples is also offering the free service.

THE MEDIA STILL MUFFLES GUN RIGHTS

The recent tragic public shooting of 10 people in a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store brought out the anti-gun sentiment in the “Big Three” networks, says new research.

ABC, CBS, and NBC depicted Republicans, conservatives and gun owners as a “wall of opposition” and “resistance” to gun-control measures, according to an in-depth study of the coverage released Monday by Newsbusters.org, a conservative press watchdog.

“In just four days (March 23 through March 26) of coverage, the networks filled their morning show and evening programs with statements favoring gun control over gun rights by a ratio of roughly 14 to 1,” wrote analyst Geoffrey Dickens.

The three networks devoted 36 minutes and 11 seconds to the “anti-gun rights arguments” and 2 minutes and 31 seconds to gun rights issues, the study found.

The analysis reviewed all statements that took a position on overall gun policy by anchors, reporters, guests and newsmaker sound bites, beginning March 23 — the morning after the Boulder shooting — through the morning of March 26, Mr. Dickens said.

The watchdog also analyzed major coverage of the December 2012 killings in a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school to find that the same networks tilted the content of their coverage 8-to-1 in favor of gun control agendas.

“In the aftermath of the 2016 mass shooting in an Orlando nightclub, the spin was an equally-lopsided 8-to-1. TV coverage of the killings in Las Vegas in 2017 was slanted five-to-one against gun rights, while in the wake of the February 2018 shootings at Parkland High School the networks tilted 11-to-1 in favor of anti-gun activists,” Mr. Dickens wrote.

“And after the 2019 shootings in El Paso, Texas, the networks tilted an even more lopsided 17-to-1 to the Left,” he added.

POLL DU JOUR

• 57% of U.S. adults disapprove of the way President Biden is handling the “situation with migrants and children at the border”; 89% of Republicans, 54% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.

• 57% of U.S. adults overall disapprove of the way Mr. Biden is handling “gun violence”; 86% of Republicans, 56% of independents and 37% of Democrats agree.

• 38% overall disapprove of the way Mr. Biden is handling “the economic recovery”; 75% of Republicans, 36% of independents and 9% of Democrats agree.

• 25% overall disapprove of the way Mr. Biden is handling “the distribution of coronavirus vaccines”; 47% of Republicans, 23% of independents and 8% of Democrats agree.

Source: An ABC News/IPSOS poll of 517 U.S. adults conducted March 26-27.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.