NEWS AND OPINION:
The Republican National Committee continues to track activities on the southern U.S. border under President Biden, and here’s what the organization has to report.
“New data shows 144,571 illegal immigrants were encountered crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in June. For 28 straight months, monthly encounters have been higher than even the highest month seen under the previous administration,” the committee said in a report released Wednesday.
It is titled “Biden’s Broken Border,” by the way.
“With roughly 4,800 daily encounters, this dwarfs the definition of a ‘crisis’ set by Obama administration’s Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who said in 2019 that ‘more than 1,000 encounters a day overwhelms the system.’
June’s 144,000-plus encounters is a 186% increase from the average number of June encounters from 2017-2020,” the report continued.
The GOP report also stated that “7,288 unaccompanied children were encountered. 66,658 illegal immigrants were encountered from countries outside the Northern Triangle and Mexico, showing that Biden’s crisis is global.”
“At least 140 people on the terror watchlist have been encountered trying to enter the U.S. between ports of entry so far this fiscal year breaking the all-time record of 98 set last year. Seven million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since Biden took office,” it said.
‘BIDENOMICS’ TAKES A DIVE
So how is the White House faring amid the nation’s persistent economic woes? The answer: Not so well.
Once again, we turn to the telling numbers.
“President Joe Biden gets mediocre to poor marks on key aspects of the economy despite him recently touting what he calls ‘Bidenomics.’ Only 3 in 10 Americans feel the country is doing a better job recovering economically than the rest of the world since the pandemic,” reports Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
“The needle of public opinion has not really moved. Americans are just not giving him a lot of credit when it comes to the economy,” Mr. Murray said.
“Some indicators suggest the U.S. economy has been recovering better than other countries from the worldwide instability and rising prices brought on by the Covid pandemic. However, just 30% of the American public believes that. In fact, 32% say the U.S. economy’s recovery from this situation is worse than other countries and another 33% say the U.S. recovery is about the same as the rest of the world,” the poll analysis said.
Take a peek at other findings from the survey in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
SCOTT’S PETITION
Sen. Tim Scott is protective of the nation’s greenest acres.
“America farmland is under attack,” the South Carolina Republican and 2024 presidential candidate says in a brief written report shared with Inside the Beltway.
“Chinese companies and individuals own nearly 400,000 acres of land in the United States of America. They’re buying land near our military bases, opening secret police stations in our cities, and flying spycraft in our airspace. We must stop China,” Mr. Scott said in his report‚ which includes a public petition for those who are also on edge.
It is straightforward enough.
“American farmland is under attack! Sign your name to stop the Communist takeover,” the petition advises.
GRANITE STATE GRATITUDE
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has revealed he will not seek reelection after serving four terms in office. His decision has prompted some appreciative comments.
“Thank you governor! Under his watch, New Hampshire has experienced unprecedented economic growth, with low unemployment rates, and a secure Granite State advantage. His relentless efforts to cut red tape, lower taxes, and promote innovation has attracted businesses to our state, providing opportunities for our citizens to prosper and thrive,” said Chris Ager, president of the New Hampshire Republican Party, in a written accolade.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, chair of the Republican Governors Association, called Mr. Sununu “a tireless leader for the Granite State over his four terms as New Hampshire’s Governor, and we thank him for his incredible record of service.”
“Governor Sununu never backed down from a challenge, he made it a priority to deliver balanced budgets, lower taxes, improve education, and address substance use disorders for New Hampshire citizens. And, thanks to Governor Sununu’s leadership, New Hampshire now ranks number one in the nation for personal freedom. I look forward to seeing the work he continues over these next two years,” she added.
FOXIFIED
Fox News Digital — the online outreach of the cable news network — finished the second quarter of 2023 besting its closest competitors in both the time visitors spent at the site and the “views” they accumulated in the process.
“This marked nine consecutive quarters as the top news brand with multiplatform minutes and four consecutive quarters as the leader with multiplatform views,” the network said in a statement.
Fox News Digital closed out the second quarter with some impressive numbers: Visitors spent 9.4 billion total minutes at the site and accumulated a total of 4.8 billion views.
In comparison, CNN visitors spent 5.5 million minutes on site while New York Times visitors spent 3.7 million minutes. And the views? CNN accumulated 3.5 million total views at its site in that period, The New York Times 3.6 million.
Fox News was also the most engaged brand on social media for the 37th consecutive quarter with 90.4 million interactions on major sites according to Emplifi, an industry source. And a few specifics: The network accumulated 22.4 million interactions on Facebook, 57.5 million on Instagram, 10.5 million on Twitter and 610.5 million on YouTube, according to Shareablee, another industry source.
POLL DU JOUR
• 68% of U.S. adults say “things in this country” are off on the wrong track.
• 68% disapprove of the overall job Congress is doing.
• 52% disapprove of the overall job President Biden is doing.
• 52% disapprove of the overall job Vice President Kamala Harris is doing.
• 39% disapprove of the job House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is doing.
• 37% disapprove of the job Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is doing.
SOURCE: A Monmouth University poll of 910 U.S. adults conducted July 12-17.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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