NEWS AND OPINION:
The airwaves may never be the same again.
A round of applause, please, for nationally syndicated talk radio icon Chris Plante — who debuted Monday night as host of a new Newsmax primetime offering called “Chris Plante: The Right Squad.”
His debut guests included Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican; conservative communications specialist Mercedes Schlapp; and University of Maryland professor and Democratic strategist Jason Nichols.
The nightly show could prove to be a genuine doozy, produced in the Newsmax studio in the nation’s capital and centered on this prime directive: “No topic will be off limits,”
That’s according to a mission statement from Newsmax itself. The pointman in question is ready to roll.
“Newsmax is the perfect place for me and I am fortunate to be jumping in at the perfect time. Newsmax is rising while so many other media - without naming names - are choking themselves to death. My mission is to have fun while getting the truth to the viewers. I’m really looking forward to it,” Mr. Plante told Inside the Beltway in a statement.
“Chris Plante is an award-winning journalist who delivers fact-based news and opinion while keeping the conversation fun and interesting,” said Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, also in a statement.
Indeed, Mr. Plante is a genuine veteran newsman with guts, smarts and spirit who has already won over a vast national radio audience with a daily morning show which underscores American values, can-do spirit, plus carefully calibrated commentary and cultural references.
Mr. Plante’s humor is at times amazing, as is his finesse in taking live calls from listeners on a daily basis via “The Chris Plante Show,” heard on WMAL in the nation’s capital. The show is syndicated nationally by Westwood One to over 100 stations across the nation.
There’s some heritage too. Mr. Plante spent 17 years covering the Pentagon and national security for CNN, and received the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, reporting from the Pentagon. He is the son of famed CBS correspondent Bill Plante,
The new show will also include input from Newsmax veteran Jenn Pellegrino and other regular panelists — and now joins the Newsmax nightly lineup that includes Greta Van Susteren’s “The Record,” “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” and “Eric Bolling: The Balance.”
IOWA GETS CROWDED
Former President Donald Trump is heading towards full campaign mode with one of those traditional visits to the early-voting state of Iowa.
“I am heading to Des Moines this Saturday to rally with the great people of Iowa. Unlike President Joe Biden, I protected Iowa’s First-in-the-Nation caucuses, and always will,” Mr. Trump said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“Every promise I made to the people of Iowa, I fulfilled as your President, and even beyond my promises, I got farmers $28 billion from China. I also saved ethanol, and did more for Iowa than anyone else in history — and will again!” Mr. Trump said, complete with his signature exclamation mark.
The rally itself will be staged at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park in Des Moines. There could be a little touch of political drama afoot, however.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also scheduled to visit the Hawkeye State on the same day, set to appear at Rep. Randy Feenstra’s third annual “Family Picnic” fundraiser in Sioux City and a formal fundraiser in Cedar Rapids later in the day.
WISDOM FOR THE BORDER
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has offered a helpful reality check on U.S. border security at a pivotal time — heralding the House Republicans’ “Secure the Border Act,” which comes up for a vote Thursday.
“We’re seeing over 140 countries represented coming in illegally to our border, and it’s only going to get worse with the end of Title 42. The bill that we brought forward, by the way, are things that President Biden could do today,” the Louisiana lawmaker told Fox News on Monday.
And what are those things?
“End catch-and-release, give our border patrol agents more tools to actually secure the border, reinstate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ protocol and the Northern Triangle agreements,” Mr. Scalise told the network.
“Those are all things that President Biden got rid of right when he became president. He also halted construction of the border wall. The money’s there. He could start building the wall again. He could do all those things on his own, but he won’t because President Biden wants an open border,” Mr. Scalise continued.
He also would like to see Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas take action on border remedies.
“I hope that the secretary finally wakes up and says, ‘Let’s go do it.’ I’m not holding my breath, but we’re going to act. We’re not going to sit on the sidelines while this crisis is already out of control. It’s going to get much worse,” Mr. Scalise predicted.
CAROLE AT THE CAPITOL
Carole King is songwriter, singer and musician — and also a longtime environmental activist. She’s visiting the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to drum up support for the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.
The bill will be re-introduced to Congress on Wednesday by Rep. Jared Huffman of California and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, both Democrats.
Ms. King, by the way, has been calling upon lawmakers for three decades and has testified in front of congressional committees four times, according to her representative. Visit her at CaroleKing.com
POLL DU JOUR
• 49% of U.S. adults agree that climate change is mostly caused by human activity; 22% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats agree.
• 27% overall agree that climate change is mostly caused by natural weather patterns; 46% of Republicans and 13% of Democrats agree.
• 7% overall agree that climate change “is not really happening”; 17% of Republicans and 2% of Democrats agree.
• 4% overall agree that climate change is caused by some other force; 4% of Republicans and 2% of Democrats agree.
• 13% overall don’t know what causes climate change; 11% of Republicans and 8% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: An Ipsos poll of 1,029 U.S. adults conducted April 14-16.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.