More than 80 years later, Pearl Harbor still worth remembering

NEWS AND OPINION:

Is it important to remember the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941? Yes. Of course.

“Pearl Harbor and World War ll is the line in the sand between the Old World and the New World. America was changed radically and forever. We were ’Fortress America’ walled off by two giant oceans before Pearl Harbor — isolationism ratified by the bipartisan Neutrality Acts. But the nation was internationalist during and after the war,” presidential historian Craig Shirley said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

He is the author of five books on Ronald Reagan along with “December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World,” a bestseller published in 2011 by Thomas Nelson.

“FDR and Winston Churchill quite literally saved the world from left wing Nazism and chauvinistic Japan. But the world changed in other ways. Before World War II, anybody above the rank of Second Lieutenant was denigrated through such books as ’All Quiet on the Western Front’ and other popular literature,” Mr. Shirley said.

“But during and after the war, men like George Patton and Douglas MacArthur became revered. The workplace changed for women and Blacks. After World War II, the only two countries that had planes in the air were America and England — hence English became the official language of the air, and this continues today,” Mr. Shirley said.

WEATHER OR NOT

Is a white Christmas in store for the nation?

“Bitterly cold air has spread across much of the northern and eastern United States this week, but AccuWeather expert meteorologists say a pattern change on the horizon could lead to milder air and less snow on the ground before the holidays,” a report released Thursday by AccuWeather said.

“It’s been a cold start to December for much of the eastern half of the nation. Don’t expect the cold to stick around too much longer. We expect a pattern shift in mid-December with a change from a cold Polar air mass to a milder Pacific air mass, especially for the central and eastern United States,” Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s lead long-range forecaster, said in a written statement.

“This can lead to snow melt for many areas that received snow at the start of the winter season, not leaving too much snow around just before Christmas,” he said.

Stay tuned. AccuWeather will issue the official 2024 white Christmas forecast in mid-December.

In the meantime, the organization’s meteorologists have reviewed cold-weather records to determine which major U.S. cities have the highest odds of experiencing a white Christmas.

“Historical data from 1991-2020 shows that none of the 25 most-populated cities in the United States have much more than a one-in-three chance of getting an inch or more of snow on the ground on Christmas morning,” AccuWeather said.

APPLAUSE FOR KELLY

The Heritage Foundation has offered some formal congratulations to former Sen. Kelly Loeffler. The Georgia Republican was just appointed to lead the Small Business Administration in President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming administration.

“Kelly’s inspiring journey, from growing up on a farm in Illinois to building a successful career in business and public service, is a testament to her dedication, hard work, and passion for the American Dream,” Kevin Roberts, president of the foundation, said in a written statement shared with the Beltway.

Small businesses, he said, are struggling under high taxes, excessive regulations and anti-growth policies.

“Her unwavering commitment to faith, family, and hard work will undoubtedly continue to drive her as she leads the Small Business Administration in empowering small businesses across the country,” Mr. Roberts said.

FOXIFIED

In the week of Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, Fox News aired 98 of the top 100 cable news telecasts, drawing an average of 2 million viewers in prime time and 1.4 million between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“For the week, Fox News Channel crushed CNN by 407% with total day viewers and 577% with primetime viewers, and crushed MSNBC by 293% with total day viewers and 334% with primetime viewers,” the network said in a written statement released Thursday.

And the rivals’ specific numbers: In prime time, MSNBC drew a daily average of 595,000 viewers, while CNN pulled in 411,000. During the daytime viewing hours, MSNBC had an average audience of 454,000 while CNN had 332,000 viewers.

A pair of weekday shows also had noteworthy numbers.

Harris Faulkner’s “The Faulkner Focus” earned an daily average audience of 1.8 million while “The Story With Martha MacCallum” drew 1.7 million. Both programs outpaced NBC’s “Today With Hoda and Jenna” (1.5 million), ABC’s “GMA3” (1.3 million, “NBC News Daily” (also 1.3 million) and CBS’ “The Talk” (1.2 million).

“The Five” continues to be the most popular show on Fox News with 4.1 million viewers during the week, followed by “Jesse Watters Primetime” (3.5 million); “The Ingraham Angle” (3.1 million) and “Special Report With Bret Baier” (2.9 viewers).

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POLL DU JOUR

• 32% of registered U.S. voters said they were “very satisfied” with the choice of presidential candidates in the 2024 election.

• 20% of registered voters said they were “fairly satisfied” with the choice of candidates.

• 22% of registered voters said they were “not too satisfied” with the choice of candidates.

• 25% of registered voters said they were “not at all satisfied” with the choice of candidates.

• 1% had no answer.

SOURCE: A Pew Research Center poll of 8,072 registered U.S. voters conducted online or by telephone Nov. 12-17 and released Dec. 4.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X HarperBulletin, on Facebook @Harperuniverse. Contact her at jharper@washingtontimes.com