NEWS AND OPINION:
So what was the first official task that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took on after dropping out of the 2024 presidential campaign? It was definitely Florida-centric.
“Today, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted that Florida has been ranked as the number one state to retire, according to a study by WalletHub. The study also ranked Florida number one for quality of life for seniors among all 50 states. Florida continues to attract new residents to Florida because of the state’s favorable tax structure, low crime rate and record economic growth that provides opportunities for Florida families,” the governor’s office said in a news release on Tuesday.
“Florida’s strong economy and low taxes create opportunities for families which is why Florida continues to lead the nation in net in-migration. We are proud to be the top destination for retirement,” Mr. DeSantis said in the release.
NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BIG DAY
Tuesday was a most important 24-hour period for the Granite State. New Hampshire is, of course, home of the first presidential primary election — a title that other states might like to hold. But that’s another story altogether.
Meanwhile, here are a few headlines from the last 24 hours:
“Why the New Hampshire primary is first in the nation” (CBS News); “Election 2024: Nikki Haley aims for an upset over Trump in New Hampshire” (National Public Radio); “Live updates from crucial New Hampshire primary: Haley says voters don’t want a coronation” (USA Today); “New Hampshire Republican primary — what to expect and what it can tell us” (The Guardian); “Haley vows to stay in GOP race as Trump seeks commanding victory in New Hampshire” (The Associated Press); “Nikki Haley vs Donald Trump: Why the New Hampshire primary matters” (Al Jazeera); “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire: Nikki Haley is our choice for the 2024 First in the Nation Primary” (New Hampshire Union Leader); and “Haley and Trump battle for future of GOP in New Hampshire” (Real Clear Politics).
MAKING IT CLEAR
Rep. Chip Roy is a Texas Republican who sees to the needs of the Lone Star State’s 21st Congressional District — home to 807,859 people, of which 267,734 are “Hispanic or Latino of any race,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here are his thoughts on the U.S. border with Mexico at the moment:
“Securing the border is non-negotiable. America’s border is on fire. This is not just a Texas issue, but a national issue,” Mr. Roy said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“The U.S. Senate and President Biden can negotiate watered-down ‘border’ policies all they want — but throwing more money at the problem and handing out more green cards will only make the problem worse. House Republicans passed a strong border security bill last spring — it’s long past time for the Senate to pass it and send it to Biden’s desk. Border security is not up for negotiation,” Mr. Roy said.
ON THE RADAR
The Heritage Foundation will release Wednesday its “10th Index of Military Strength” in an event featuring Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi Republican; Kevin Roberts, the foundation’s president; retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg; Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development; and retired Green Beret Joe Kent.
“Most Americans do not realize the sorry state the U.S. military is in. Following years of overextension, deployments, and a lack of prioritizing defense spending on what is needed to fight and win America’s wars, the military is far from the strong force built by Ronald Reagan to defeat the Soviets,” the host organization said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“The tenth edition of The Heritage Foundation’s Index of U.S. Military Strength makes that clear. With adversaries growing in strength and causing chaos in nearly every corner of the globe, coupled with a new Cold War with China, this weakness only makes the world more dangerous. But American military power can be restored if the urgency is felt, and the right actions are taken now,” the organization said.
FOXIFIED
In the week of Jan. 15-21, Fox News Channel was the most-watched news network in the cable universe, in both the daytime and prime-time hours.
In prime time, Fox News earned an average of 2,1 million daily viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, compared with MSNBC with 1 million viewers and CNN with 543,000. Fox News aired 81 of the top 100 cable news programs that week as well.
The network also dominated coverage of the Iowa caucuses with an audience of 2.9 million. In comparison, MSNBC drew 1.2 million viewers while CNN attracted 873,000.
The standout programs for the week were ”The Five” and “Jesse Watters Primetime,” which each brought in an audience of 3 million viewers.
Late-night funnyman Greg Gutfeld continues to rattle the network competition with an average nightly audience of 2.2 million viewers. By comparison, CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” averaged an audience of 1.7 million, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” brought in 1.5 million and NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” 1.4 million.
POLL DU JOUR
• 12% of registered U.S. voters rate their personal financial situation as “excellent”; 7% of Republicans, 11% of independents and 19% of Democrats agree.
• 11% of women and 14% of men also agree.
• 31% overall say their financial situation is “good”; 23% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 40% of Democrats agree.
• 29% of women and 33% of men also agree.
• 33% overall say their financial situation is “fair”; 37% of Republicans, 34% of independents and 29% of Democrats agree.
• 35% of women and 31% of men also agree.
• 23% overall say their financial situation is “poor”; 33% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 12% of Democrats agree.
• 25% of women and 21% of men also agree.
SOURCE: Harvard University Center for American Political Studies/Harris Poll/Harris X poll of 2,346 registered U.S. voters conducted online Jan. 17-18.
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.