Deadline looms for press looking to cover Republican National Convention

NEWS AND OPINION:

Yes, this really is a presidential election year. The Republican National Committee has officially issued a reminder to journalists interested in applying for media credentials for the national convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on July 15. That’s a mere 105 days away and approaching quicker than most media folks realize.

The absolute deadline for those journalists to obtain credentials also is fast approaching — April 12.

The aforementioned committee, meanwhile, appears very focused on the task ahead.

“During what may be the most important election of our lives, it is the job of the RNC’s Committee on Arrangements to plan a blockbuster, 4-day convention that will be broadcast across the world. We will host upwards of 50,000 guests in Milwaukee, including the delegates who will nominate the next president and vice president of the United States,” the committee said in its formal mission statement for the big event.

“Thousands of delegates and alternates will be selected by all 56 states and territories. They will travel to Milwaukee, WI July 15-18, 2024, to meet and select the Republican Nominee for President. We don’t take this important task lightly, and we cannot wait to share with you the details of this incredible democratic event that is so rich in tradition. Milwaukee, here we come!” the committee advises.

ENCORE PERFORMANCE

“Will Ronna McDaniel land another TV gig?” the Hollywood Reporter asks.

“There is already interest in the former Republican National Committee chair brewing from a couple of cable news outlets. Sources at both Newsmax and NewsNation tell The Hollywood Reporter that they would be interested in pursuing a deal with McDaniel, should she ultimately finalize a separation agreement with NBC News,” the Reporter said.

“McDaniel has been seeking a lawyer to negotiate an exit from NBC, which announced her hire as an NBC News contributor last Friday and reversed course just a few days later after facing backlash from MSNBC stars like Rachel Maddow and the ’Morning Joe’ team, not to mention an on-air rebuke from Chuck Todd on ’Meet the Press’ just minutes after McDaniel’s debut appearance,” the Reporter noted.

A CONVERSATION OF NOTE

Let’s spend a moment with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) — the intrepid World War II-era predecessor of the CIA, the U.S. Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Let’s also consider the OSS Society, a charitable organization that was founded in 1947 and continues to honor the legacy and many accomplishments of the OSS.

The OSS Society will offer the next installment of its unique and much-praised “Oh So Social” Conversation Series at 6 p.m. EDT Wednesday. OSS Society Chair Michael Vickers will interview retired Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland, former commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, about his Rand Institute report, “The American Way of Irregular War: An Analytical Memoir.”

“You will not want to miss this thought-provoking discussion by two of America’s most distinguished national security figures,” the society said in a written statement.

Find information about the event, which will be held online, at OSSSociety.org and check under the “Latest News” category.

STILL CONCERNED

The immigration crisis in the U.S. is continuing unabated according to Tammy Bruce, a political contributor to Fox News and a self-described independent conservative.

“Free hotel rooms. Free prepaid debit cards. Free healthcare. It almost seems as though Democrats want the crisis to continue.  Biden’s actions certainly indicate that. Last month we finally saw the result of Biden’s open border and the success of the incentives offered by blue states,” she wrote in a column for the Association for Mature Americans, a conservative and patriotically-minded interest group.

Ms. Bruce cites current figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection which revealed that 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border under President Biden.

“Taken together, nearly 10 million migrants have crossed into the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration, a record Biden’s critics assert could only be achieved by intentionally refusing to enforce the law,” she wrote.

Ms. Bruce also cited a New York City plan to spend $53 million on a program that offered pre-paid debit cards to the new arrivals.

Former President Donald Trump is also a factor.

“Make no mistake, this is a deliberate policy as the Democrats were shocked by Trump’s success at regaining control of our borders and the immigration process. This catastrophe is by design and meant to not only punish Americans for daring to want secure borders, but appears to be an effort to make it impossible to regain control of the country’s immigration process. It is the ultimate gambit to make America’s sovereignty, and American citizenship, meaningless,” Ms. Bruce wrote.

“Important values, customs, and laws are being crushed under the boots of the Democrats—financial independence gone, privacy gone, censorship thriving, squatting mocks the sanctity of home ownership, classical education destroyed, police abandoned, military unprepared, and now foreign nationals valued more than our veterans, seniors, and disadvantaged,” the columnist noted.

POLL DU JOUR

• 43% of U.S. adults think former President Donald Trump would win the 2024 presidential election if he were the Republican candidate and President Biden were the Democratic candidate.

• 82% of Republicans, 39% of independents and 10% of Democrats agree.

• 47% of men and 38% of women also agree.

• 34% of U.S. adults overall think Mr. Biden would win the presidential election over Mr. Trump .

• 6% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 67% of Democrats agree.

• 35% of men and 33% of women also agree.

• 23% of U.S. adults overall are “not sure.”

• 12% of Republicans, 35% of independents and 23% of Democrats agree.

• 19% of men and 28% of women also agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,594 U.S. citizens conducted March 24-26.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperBulletin.