Huckabee: Trump supporter of faith
President Donald Trump isn't well-versed in Bible verses, but he's a great friend of people of faith, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told religious activists recently.
"I don't think Donald Trump could find John 3:16 in a marked New Testament. I've said that to him before, so I'm saying it [only] now. I don't claim he's a biblical scholar, but he has a respect for those of us of faith to a point that he has doggedly fought to make sure that our rights aren't trampled upon," Huckabee told My Faith Votes CEO Jason Yates during a virtual town hall meeting.
Huckabee is honorary chairman of My Faith Votes, a nonprofit group committed to achieving "the largest voter turnout among Christians in every election in America," its website states.
During the town hall meeting, Huckabee cited Trump's support for Israel and his defense of religious freedom, saying Trump has "doggedly fought to make sure that our rights aren't trampled upon" by "heavy-handed" government officials.
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Huckabee appeared from his home in Florida.
"I've been at my house. I haven't left my house in almost six weeks. I've got all my grandkids here," he said.
Wearing a "Huckabee" baseball cap, he conceded that he needs to see a barber.
"I'm like a lot of people during the stay-at-home quarantine. I really could use a haircut," he said.
During this appearance, Huckabee expressed support for social distancing and other steps that were taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
If they had failed to act, they might have placed millions of lives in peril, he noted.
"I have confidence in the president. I have confidence in the people around him at the highest levels that there's no way they would have done the things they did to shut down virtually the entire economy had they not been genuinely alarmed," he said.
Hutchinson bests Trump in survey
When it comes to handling the pandemic, Arkansans give higher marks to Gov. Asa Hutchinson than to President Donald Trump, according to a poll by the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public's Policy Preferences Across States.
Overall, 66% of Arkansans favored Hutchinson's covid-19 response; 53% backed Trump's response.
Of the 483 respondents, 22% strongly approved of Hutchinson's handling of the crisis while 44% approved; 21% neither approved nor disapproved, 10% disapproved and 3% strongly disapproved.
The poll, conducted April 16-26, had an error margin of plus or minus 6%.
Arkansans also gave Trump favorable marks for his coronavirus response: 28% strongly approved, 25% approved; 16% neither approved nor disapproved, 14% disapproved and 17% strongly disapproved.
Overall, 482 Arkansans shared their views about Trump. The error margin was listed as plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Asked how much they trust Trump to do "the right thing to best handle the current coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak," 32% of Arkansans said "a lot"; 30% said "some"; 13% said "'not too much"; and 26% said "not at all."
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was trusted "a lot" by 18% of Arkansans; "some" by 29%; "not too much"' by 24%; and "'not at all" by 29%.
The survey was conducted by researchers from Harvard University, Rutgers University and Northeastern University, and is posted at http://www.kateto.net/COVID19%20CONSORTIUM%20REPORT%20April%202020.pdf.
Pandemic upends interns program
The coronavirus pandemic has hampered plans for U.S. Sen. John Boozman's annual summer internship program.
"We have had to cancel the first half," the Republican from Rogers said in an interview last week.
The fate of the second half is in limbo.
Last year, roughly two dozen Arkansas college students participated in the program, officials said. The first group works from late May through June. The second begins in early July and finishes in early August.
Most of the interns work on Capitol Hill, though a few are assigned to Boozman's district offices.
In addition to assisting with constituent service work and other tasks, the students typically tour the Capitol, the White House and the Pentagon.
Speakers with Arkansas ties -- ranging from White House officials and lawmakers to lobbyists -- address the students.
"The young people that participate look forward to [the internship] so much, and we as a staff really look forward to having them. These are very bright, motivated young people. ... It's sad that they won't be able to participate," Boozman said.
The pandemic also resulted in the cancellation of the Senate page program for the spring semester, Boozman said.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (501) 908-5204 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.
SundayMonday on 05/03/2020