NEWS AND OPINION:

Ronald Reagan was a major talent in Hollywood who went on to become a very popular and productive president. He still appears to be popular and productive.

None other than Deadline.com — a precise and often demanding industry source — reported Sunday that the movie “Reagan” has brought in $23.2 million since its release on Aug. 30 — and ranks fifth on the national top-10 list of current movies.

“‘Reagan’ defies negative reviews and holds strong in the box office top 5,” reported Forbes.com on Saturday.

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Veteran actor Dennis Quaid — who plays Reagan in the movie — agrees.

“Do you get some of the kick out of the fact that critics really don’t love this movie, but people have gone bananas for it? On the customer side, the viewer side, they’re crazy about this movie. I mean, there’s quite a gulf there,” “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream noted in a conversation with Mr. Quaid.

“We had the largest gap in cinema history between critics and audiences; 98% of the audience loved the movie. And I think it was 19% or 20% of critics liked the movie. The rest not only panned it, but basically attacked it. So, I guess we must be doing something right,” the actor replied.

HOLA, KAMALA

President Trump’s reelection campaign has released a spirited campaign message of interest to Hispanic voters, complete with some appealing Latino music.

Mr. Trump even demonstrated a few dance moves during the 30-second outreach.

“Hispanic Americans have been left behind by the failed policies of the Harris-Biden Administration. Kamala Harris is trying to bring the same failed Communist policies of big government, price controls, censorship, and political lawfare from Cuba and Venezuela here to the United States of America,” Jaime Florez said in a written statement.

He is the Hispanic communications director for the Trump campaign — and Hispanic outreach and communications director for the Republican National Committee as well.

“President Trump will protect the American Dream and make life affordable again for our families. During Hispanic Heritage Month and every day until the election, Team Trump is working hard to bring this winning message to Latinos across our country,” Mr. Florez said.

Find more information at latinos.donaldjtrump.com.

BLUE POWER

The Las Vegas Police Protective Association has some news. It has endorsed former President Donald Trump in the presidential race.

“The association, one of the largest in the country, represents over 4,000 commissioned officers with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and the City of Las Vegas,” Mr. Trump’s campaign said in a written statement.

“Law enforcement officers and associations across the country know President Trump is the only one who can make America safe again,” the campaign noted.

“We cannot continue this trend for another 4 years. Your police officers need help and that help is in the form of President Donald Trump. He is the voice and leadership that we desperately need to keep our community safe. He has always supported us, and now it’s time we support him,” said Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.

His statement was also shared with Inside the Beltway by the Trump campaign.

The aforementioned association, by the way, was incorporated in 1947 and currently represents active and retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department police and corrections officers, plus Las Vegas city and court marshals.

IVY-COVERED HALLS

Things are complicated all over the place.

Consider that Chadron State College recently announced its intent to create a “Tim Walz Day” on the campus. The school is located in Chadron, Nebraska — a county seat in the Great Plains region of the state.

“The intent is part of an effort to improve the school’s name recognition. Mr. Walz is an alumnus of the Nebraska school. Mere hours after learning about the move, however, the mayor of Chadron reportedly shut down the initiative,” Campus Reform, a student-written publication, said in an analysis released Friday.

In comments made to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Chadron Mayor George Klein stated that he opposed the proposal because “the city of Chadron needs to stay out of politics, Chadron is a conservative town.”

SCIENCE CORNER

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a “pandemic preparedness research network” to conduct research on high-priority pathogens most likely to threaten human health.

The goal is to develop effective vaccines.

“Currently, many of the diseases caused by these pathogens have no available vaccines or therapeutics, and investing in this research is key to preparing for potential public health crises—both in the United States and around the world. NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) expects to commit approximately $100 million per year to fund the program, pending the availability of funds,” NIH said in a statement.

“The Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness network — that’s ReVAMPP for short — will focus its research efforts on ‘prototype pathogens,’ representative pathogens from virus families known to infect humans, and high-priority pathogens that have the potential to cause deadly diseases,” the federal health agency said.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, the need for robust pandemic preparedness is evident,” Dr. Jeanne M. Marrazzo, NIAID director, said in a written statement.

POLL DU JOUR

• 91% of U.S. adults say the American economy is important when determining whom they will vote for in the presidential election.

• 87% say inflation is important in determining their vote.

• 79% say protecting American democracy is important in determining their vote.

• 77% cite health care.

• 77% cite crime and safety.

• 70% cite the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

• 66% cite gun violence.

• 64% cite appointments to the Supreme Court.

• 61% cite abortion.

• 51% cite the war between Israel and Hamas.

• 50% cite race relations.

SOURCE: An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted online Sept. 11-13 and released Sunday.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X at @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.