NEWS AND OPINION:
Border encounters are not always human.
A round of applause, please, for the agriculture specialists at U.S. Customs and Border Protection — who have monitored over 1 billion cut-flower arrivals since Jan. 1. The challenge? They must search the leaves, stems and blossoms of all these leafy arrivals for pests and diseases that could harm the U.S. agricultural and floral industries.
“Increased shipments of flowers make this a very busy time for CBP, but our agriculture specialists are ready and able to meet this demand while safeguarding our nation against agricultural threats,” said Troy A. Miller, the senior CBP official performing the duties of the commissioner.
Consider that in 2023, CBP inspected more than 352 million mixed bouquets, 76 million roses and 75 million chrysanthemums. These numbers have increased in 2024, the agency said.
“As of Feb. 13, agriculture specialists have cleared more than 1.1 billion cut flowers, intercepting 1,830 insects and pests, with 877 that could have potentially introduced diseases into the United States. The top three ports for flower imports are Miami, New York, and Otay Mesa, California,” the CBP said in a report released Wednesday.
BOOKED UP
Fox News Books — the active publishing imprint for Fox News Media — will release its 10th book on April 16. The title is “Love, Mom,” and the author is Fox News medical contributor and mother of three, Dr. Nicole Saphier.
She has gathered a collection of powerful first-person stories from a variety of mothers.
“As a mom, it is an honor to share not only my story, but the inspiring stories from the most extraordinary moms that I know. Some are a part of the Fox News family, others are from personal and professional interactions, and some from our amazing viewers. Each story celebrates the strength, compassion, and unwavering resilience that all moms embody,” Dr. Saphier, who is also a radiologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
Contributors to the new book include such familiar Fox News faces as Ainsley Earhardt, Rachel Campos-Duffy, Janice Dean, Kayleigh McEnany, Martha MacCallum, Jennifer Griffin, Sandra Smith and Carley Shimkus.
Fox News Books was founded in 2020, and most of the resulting books have either placed on bestseller lists or reached No. 1 on Amazon. The imprint has sold more than 2.5 million copies of books by the network’s regulars — including Pete Hegseth, Shannon Bream, Harris Faulkner, Johnny Joey Jones and Jimmy Failla.
EXPANDING THE REACH
Slowly but surely, the New York Young Republican Club is spreading the GOP word in the Big Apple and beyond. The club — founded in 1856 — has just launched the Queens Caucus in the borough of the same name.
“Under the leadership of chairman Stefano L. Forte and vice chairwoman Alexis Winters. This dynamic caucus — poised to be the largest in our club’s history — has already secured a significant victory for New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino and collaborated with rising stars and city leaders,” the organization said.
“Our mission is clear: we will mobilize and energize conservatives across Queens — from Astoria to Whitestone to Far Rockaway. We aim to build a hub for Republican and conservative young people to connect, socialize, volunteer, and make a difference,” Mr. Forte said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
They are an influential group. None other than a beaming former President Donald Trump was the special guest at the group’s 111th annual gala in mid-December.
“With you at my side, we will finish the job of making our country great again, once and for all,” Mr. Trump told the jubilant audience at the time.
GERALDO ON THE MOVE
Longtime broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera has a new home.
NewsNation announced Wednesday that he has joined the cable news channel as correspondent-at-large, “effective immediately,” and set to appear across the network’s daytime and primetime programming.
“Geraldo is a legendary journalist whose talent and experience is unrivaled in the industry,” said Michael Corn, the president of news at NewsNation.
“We look forward to him joining the network and providing our viewers with his one-of-a-kind analysis,” he said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
Mr. Rivera is an Emmy and Peabody award winner who has spent five decades working in the TV industry.
TRUMP ON THE CALENDAR
It’s an event that could thrill Republicans and conservatives but exasperate the news media, Democrats and liberals.
Fox News prime-time host Laura Ingraham will present a town meeting with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Airtime is 7 p.m. Eastern.
The one-hour event will focus on the domestic and foreign policy challenges facing the nation and solutions for addressing them.
“It will also explore the potential that a new coalition of voters will have on the presidential election and the shift in polling among minorities toward former President Trump. Additional topics will include the former president’s ongoing legal battles, the remaining primaries, his potential vice-presidential pick and other news of the day,” the network said in an advance notice for the presentation.
The timing is good. The town hall will take place at a grand auditorium with an audience and their many questions just days before the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24.
POLL DU JOUR
• 50% of U.S. adults say it is “very important” for the Congress to “increase border restrictions.”
• 26% say it is “somewhat important” for Congress to increase border restrictions.
• 8% say it is “not very important” for Congress to increase border restrictions.
• 5% say it is “not at all important” for Congress to increase border restrictions.
• 11% are not sure about the issue.
SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll 1,671 U.S. adults conducted online Feb. 11-13.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin and Facebook @HarperUniverse.