NEWS AND OPINION:
Media coverage of smoke was abundant in the last 48 hours, and no wonder. The effect of smoke from Canadian wildfires sparked much press coverage — and no wonder.
There was much to write about. Here are a few headlines from assorted news organizations which surfaced in the last 24 hours:
“New York City air turns orange with the most toxic air in its history” said Fox News.
“New York City air becomes some of the worst in the world as Canada wildfire smoke blows in,” noted CBS News.
“Wildfire smoke is blanketing the Northeast, Californians have some tips,” advised the Los Angeles Times.
“Will your COVID-19 mask protect you from wildfire smoke?” asked Healthline.com.
“Is it safe to go for a run in wildfire smoke?” wondered the New York Times.
“Millions in U.S. are under air quality alerts as Canada wildfires rage,” said CNN.
“Wildfire smoke is choking the Northeast, here are 6 ways to protect yourself,” wrote the Daily Beast.
“New York City landmarks are blanketed in smoke pouring across the Northeast from Canadian wildfires” observed The Daily Mail.
“Smoke delays flights at New York-area airports” noted Newsday.
“Drifting wildfire smoke shows Delaware can’t hide from climate reality,” declared The Delaware News-Journal.
Weather-based news organizations also had a say.
“The worst air quality in 20 years grips New York City. The famous New York City skyline disappeared on Wednesday afternoon as smoke from the Canadian wildfires continued to flow into the region. In the most impacted areas, breathing smoke-filled air is equivalent to smoking 5-10 cigarettes,” advised Accuweather.
“Beyond hazardous: Smoky stranglehold, as air quality reaches dangerous levels,” advised Weather.com, the online arm of the Weather Channel.
FAILING GRADES
The House Budget Committee has compiled a “Budget Report Card” for President Biden, and it’s not pretty.
Mr. Biden received an overall grade of “F” when it comes to his attempts to manage the nation’s economic growth, workplace productivity, deficit spending, regulatory costs, inflation, and wages.
Here are just three of the committee’s findings that contribute to the president’s lousy grade on budget matters:
“The president’s budget proposes the largest sustained deficits in American history, totaling over $17 trillion over the next decade,” the committee report noted.
“President Biden has added $367.6 billion in total new regulatory costs on the economy. This is 68% larger than the combined regulatory costs added under President Trump ($5.5 billion) and President Obama ($213.5 billion) during the same period in their respective administrations,” it said.
“Prices are up 15.3% since President Biden took office, amounting to $1,128 per month of increased costs for the average family of four. Inflation remains over two times higher — and core inflation remains three times higher — now than it did when President Biden took office,” the report advised.
The committee intends to remain vigilant.
“House Republicans will continue our work to hold the President accountable for this inexcusable economic agenda by reining-in out-of-control spending, stopping the Administration’s excessive overreach, and pushing for reforms that will grow our economy,” the committee vowed in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
EVERY VOTE COUNTS
The Republican Party is getting aggressive and proactive when it comes to wooing voters and ensuring they show up at the polls when the time comes.
“Bank Your Vote” has been launched — and it intends to maximize the impact of pre-election voting.
“BankYourVote.com will encourage voters to pledge to “Bank” their vote, which will activate digital reminders from the RNC on all applicable pre-Election Day voting options. Moving towards the 2024 election, the RNC will partner with state parties and campaigns to create pages outlining pre-Election Day voting processes for the 56 states and territories with links to state government sites where voters can request their ballot directly,” the Republican National Committee said in a statement Wednesday.
The committee is prepared for action, boasting “80,000 team members” who stand ready to help the committee’s election integrity operation.
“To beat Joe Biden and the Democrats in 2024, we must ensure that Republicans bank as many votes as possible before Election Day. Because of the efforts to Protect Your Vote in 2022, grassroots Republicans like you should feel comfortable Banking Your Vote in 2024,” advised Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in an enthusiastic written statement.
THE TUCKER NUMBERS
Newly independent broadcast newsman Tucker Carlson has launched a formal online presence titled “Tucker on Twitter.”
The 10-minute presentation featured Mr. Carlson in coat and tie, parsing out political concerns and other timely matters. Titled “Episode 1,” the short commentary went live on Twitter at 6 p.m. on Tuesday — and drew a respectable audience, judging by the numbers.
Mr. Carlson himself has 8 million followers on Twitter. His debut presentation earned some impressive numbers on Twitter. By 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday afternoon, he had earned 202,000 retweets, been liked by 670,000 users and accumulated over 84 million views. Yes, that was 84 “million.”
Whether he can sustain or even increase those numbers will be revealed in the future. As the news folks like to say, Mr. Carlson’s emerging status as an unaffiliated newsman with a promising future is “developing.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 22% of Americans say the economy, unemployment and jobs is the most important problem facing the U.S. today.
• 12% cite crime and corruption; 8% cite immigration; and 8% cite inequality and discrimination.
• 7% cite morality; 7% the health-care system; and 7% the environment and climate.
• 4% cite terrorism and extremism; 4% cite abortion issues, 3% wars and foreign conflicts.
• 2% education; 2% cite public health and illnesses; and 0% cited energy issues.
• 9% “some other problem” and 5% “don’t know.”
SOURCE: A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,056 U.S. adults conducted June 2-5. Respondents were given a list of problems from which to choose.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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