NEWS AND OPINION:
The Conservative Political Action Conference — that CPAC, of course — is now underway in the Lone Star State. The cheerful four-day event in Dallas boasts 142 speakers who hail from virtually every political and cultural realm — from Capitol Hill to conservative news media.
There are cause-driven activists, authors, primetime stars, entrepreneurs, journalists, state officials, GOP activists, former Cabinet officials, Republican candidates in multiple midterm election races — and yes, former President Donald Trump.
The double theme for the four-day event is “America Uncanceled” and “Awake, not woke” — a dual concept supported by an expansive agenda that stretches through Sunday.
Among the many topics, according to the master agenda: “A plan to rescue America,” “Biden’s worst nightmare,” “Making woke go broke,” “The best is yet to come,” and “She’s back! An interview with Sarah Palin.”
The sold-out Cattleman’s Ball features Steve Bannon as the keynote speaker. Select merchandise for guests includes hats emblazoned with the theme “Fire Pelosi, Save America.”
Watch this bodacious event live online at CPAC.org.
THE TRIUMPH OF GOP GOVERNORS
Newly released data from the U.S. Labor Department confirms that Republican governors and legislatures are leading the way in getting America back to work. It’s all in the numbers.
“Through June, nine of the top 10 states for jobs recovered since the coronavirus pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and all 10 states have Republican-controlled legislatures,” advises a new analysis of the most recent data conducted by the Republican National Committee.
The top five states for jobs recovered, in fact, are all Republican-led.
The RNC also noted that “12 of the 15 states that have more jobs than when the pandemic hit are Republican-led: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Republican-led states on average have recovered more than 102% of their lost jobs compared to just over 89% for Democrat-run states.”
“Out of the top 20 states with the lowest unemployment rates, 16 are led by Republican governors and 16 have Republican-controlled legislatures. The average unemployment rate for the nation’s 28 states with Republican governors is just 3.0 percent,” the research noted. Among Democrat-led states, that number is 3.8%.
THE PERILS OF PROTEIN
A rather straightforward headline in Scientific American voices the latest climate concern in some circles.
“Eating too much protein makes pee a problem pollutant in the U.S.,” the publication noted in a new analysis.
“In the U.S., people eat more protein than they need to. And though it might not be bad for human health, this excess does pose a problem for the country’s waterways. The nation’s wastewater is laden with the leftovers from protein digestion: nitrogen compounds that can feed toxic algal blooms and pollute the air and drinking water,” the publication advised.
Marc Morano, founder of Climate Depot, a watchdog site on climate-related issues, made note of the warning.
“They will not give up. They will continue to scare you about climate change in every, and any conceivable way. Now when you pee, you are allegedly a human pollution machine that is heating up the planet,” he countered.
“The voiding of your bladder must be curtailed for the sake of the planet! So says ‘The Science’!” Mr. Morano said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway, exclamation points and all.
ANOTHER VIEW ON ‘THE VIEW’
Bryan Griffin, deputy press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, reports that producers from ABC’s “The View” pine for Mr. DeSantis to appear on the daytime show in the very near future.
“The View emailed our office asking for us to arrange an appearance from Governor DeSantis on the show. ‘We would be honored,’ they wrote. Thoughts?” Mr. Griffin tweeted to the governor’s fans on Wednesday.
He got dozens of replies — and here’s just a few.
“No. Don’t appear. Why make them relevant when they are not?” advised one respondent.
“He doesn’t need to do a third rate show,” noted another.
“They’d be honored to attack him, but DeSantis is up for it,” said a third.
“You could tell them he’s busy remodeling his basement right now, but he’d be happy to arrange an interview with them in the Rose Garden in January 2025,” summarized one clever advisor.
Some think Mr. DeSantis has not completely closed the door on the show.
“His office’s response wasn’t a resounding no — but it wasn’t exactly a yes, either,” noted The Wrap, an industry publication, in a brief commentary.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
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POLL DU JOUR
• 55% of U.S. adults disapprove of the way the Supreme Court is handling its job; 24% of Republicans, 56% of independents and 87% of Democrats agree.
• 49% of men and 61% of women also agree.
• 43% overall approve of the job the court is doing; 74% of Republicans, 40% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.
• 48% of men and 39% of women also agree.
• 2% don’t know or have no opinion; 2% of Republicans, 3% of independents and 0% of Democrats agree.
• 4% of men and 0% of women also agree.
SOURCE: A Gallup poll of 1,013 U.S. adults conducted July 5-26.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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