NEWS AND OPINION:
Just opened, fired up and now underway on the banks of the Potomac River, just a few miles from the nation’s capital is the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC.
As usual, the event is a doozy, and staged at a site overlooking the water. The immense speaker’s roster includes 101 high-profile people who will each have a say in the next 72 hours.
The event is formally billed as “the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world.” This will mark the 50th year for this significant get-together — which was founded in 1974 by the American Conservative Union and counted none other than Ronald Reagan as the primary speaker that year.
That speaker’s list includes, among many others, former President Donald Trump, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Argentine President Javier Milei, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, talk radio host Mark Levin, Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and My Pillow founder Mike Lindell.
Find more information — and watch the proceedings live at CPAC.org.
MEANWHILE IN COLUMBIA
After staging four events in the Palmetto State this week, the Donald J. Trump for President Campaign reveals it also will host an Election Night Watch Party on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.
The event will be staged at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds — home to a 9-acre midway and buildings as large as 40,000 square feet. This is friendly territory.
The campaign also revealed that 15 current or former South Carolina sheriffs are endorsing his campaign for the presidency.
“In total, President Trump has received 182 endorsements from South Carolina’s staunchest conservative leaders, along with more than 250 Grassroots Leaders who announced their support last June,” the campaign said in a written statement.
MEANWHILE ON CAMPUS
Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia, is planning to implement an open-carry policy on campus.
“The shift in policy comes after the West Virginia legislature passed the Campus Self-Defense Act, which goes into effect on July 1 and allows residents who have a concealed carry license to carry pistols on campus,” according to Campus Reform, a student-written news organization.
“There are 12 exceptions to the law where concealed carry would be prohibited on college campuses, including child-care facilities on campus, K-12 events on campus, events in a stadium or arena containing over 1,000 people, residence halls, and patient-care areas,” Campus Reform said.
Fairmont State University Chief of Staff Brian Selmeski told the news organization that the school is “not trying to convince anybody that this is a good thing to have campus carry or a bad thing. We’re trying to ensure compliance, safety, security, and transparency.”
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed the law on March 1, 2023.
“I’m proud to sign the Campus Self-Defense Act which will strengthen 2nd Amendment protections in West Virginia,” Mr. Justice said at the time.
“West Virginia now joins 11 other U.S. states, including Texas and Utah, that have had this legislation for years. I’ve always said I will do everything I can to protect West Virginia’s 2nd Amendment rights, and with this law, West Virginia will continue to be a national leader. I sincerely thank the Legislature for passing this bill overwhelmingly and the National Rifle Association for their support,” the Republican governor said.
ZELENSKYY SPEAKS
Some programming of note: Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier will present an exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Thursday’s edition of “Special Report,” which airs starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
The exchange marked the first time Mr. Zelenskyy has been interviewed at the front lines of combat since the war started on Feb. 24, 2022. It took place less than a mile and a half from Russian military positions.
“Baier will speak with the president about the two-year anniversary of the war, the debate in Congress on additional funding to Ukraine and the latest developments in the ongoing conflict. He will also travel with the president as he receives a military briefing, presents medals to some of his troops and visits wounded soldiers in the hospital,” Fox News said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
In addition, Mr. Baier will focus on fellow Fox News correspondents who have covered the war from the start. He will honor his colleagues Benjamin Hall, Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra Kuvshynova, who were hit by a Russian projectile in the early days of the conflict. The attack killed Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova and seriously injured Mr. Hall.
On Friday, “Special Report” will focus on the impact of the war through interviews with Ukrainians who are living in it.
POLL DU JOUR
• 36% of U.S. adults say President Biden does not deserve any credit “at all” for the recent upturn in the U.S. economy; 73% of Republicans, 36% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.
• 14% overall say the president does not deserve “much” credit for the upturn; 14% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.
• 26% overall say the president does deserve “some” credit for the economic upturn; 7% of Republicans, 23% of independents and 45% of Democrats agree.
• 22% overall say the president deserves a “great deal” of credit for the upturn; 3% of Republicans, 16% of independents and 44% of Democrats agree.
• 2% overall don’t know; 2% of Republicans, 4% of independents and 0% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: A Monmouth University poll of 902 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 8-12.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at [email protected].