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Meghan McCainbecame a regular panelist onThe View in 2017. Frequently sparring over political issues with fellow panelists Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and especially Joy Behar,McCaindoes not waiver from her conservative stance regardless of who agrees or disagrees with her.

Though there have been other co-hosts on the show in years past that lean to the right, McCain feels she is the first genuine Republican to serve on the panel.

When McCain was offered the job at the daytime talk show, she was hesitant at first. I didnt want to join, she told author Ramin Setoodah for his book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View. I thought it looked like there was so much turnover. It wasnt the iconic show I watched when I was in college.

Her dad, the late Senator John McCain, encouraged her to accept the offer since he was a fan and friend of Goldberg. I originally said no when they asked me, and my dad convinced me to do it, she revealed.

Finding her footing with her fellow co-hosts took some time for McCain when she started on the long-running show. The core people have been here a long time, the View panelist noted. It feels like youre joining a new club that doesnt want new members. That was the hardest part.

Apparently ABC execs planned well when they brought McCain on the team. According to Setoodahs book, the 2017-2018 season saw a definite spike in viewership with ratings at its highest in four years with the addition of McCain.

McCains willingness to be vocal on her conservative leanings have definitely made an impact on The View, and she has no intention of lightening her tone. Seeing an increase in political awareness, the talk show co-host credits the countrys interest in politics as what is driving the shows success.

I think everyone is more interested in politics, the television personality said. Young women are different now than when I was younger. Everyone is involved, civically engaged, and informed. I think thats also why the show is doing well.

While her bouts with liberal Behar have become legendary and possibly another reason why more people are tuning in, McCain insists that they both enjoy their frequent debates. I love sparring with her, she said of Behar. Were like boxers; we punch gloves and then were out.

While the show has had co-hosts in the past that would fall under the conservative umbrella, McCain feels that her success on the show is due to her being The Views first genuine Republican.

I think the reason I worked and other Republicans didnt is because Im the first real Republican they hired, McCain told Setoodah, adding a reference to a former vocal conservative. Yes, I think Im more of a Republican than Elisabeth is.

Setoodah commented in his book that McCain was in no way dissing former co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, of whom McCain is a professed fan. The political pundit was just clarifying her firm stance as someone who grew up in the political space.

I was born in this environment. I dont want to be a Democrat, she said. I think there were a lot of people they hired that are in the mushy middle, or they are Republicans who are ashamed of being Republicans or they are intimidated.

Commenting on previous panelists, McCain felt that some have been less definitive on their views. Nicole Wallace switched parties, she said. Candace Cameron was a social conservative.

With a pivotal presidential election around the corner, McCain is clearly in her wheelhouse speaking on the subject and is sure to be a fixture at The View for quite some time.

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'The View:' Why Meghan McCain Says She's the First 'Real Republican' Hired for the Show - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Updated March 14 at 2:20 p.m.: Revised to include additional statements from members of Congress.

WASHINGTON Six Texas Republicans voted against the coronavirus relief package that sailed through the House early Saturday morning.

The sweeping legislation includes free testing for COVID-19 for people without insurance, as well as paid sick leave, $1 billion in food aid, extended unemployment benefits and other measures to help Americans affected by the spreading virus.

Freshman Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, called it welfare that would do more harm than good an assertion that prompted Democrats to accuse him of pulling a political stunt that puts Texans at risk.

The House approved the bill 363-40, with the vast majority of Texans in both parties voting for it and touting the $2.2 billion it provides for prevention, preparedness and response.

Roy, along with Reps. Lance Gooden of Terrell, Brian Babin of Woodville, Michael Cloud of Victoria, Louie Gohmert of Tyler and Randy Weber of Friendswood, were among the 40 Republicans who opposed the bill.

Gooden said he voted no because he and other lawmakers were given only a few minutes to read a bill at midnight.

I dont wish to disparage any House members as they hail this bill as a positive step forward, he said in a statement. Im not here to rubber-stamp Nancy Pelosi or anyone elses work without proper vetting."

Pelosi and the White House announced the deal late Friday after negotiations between House Democrats and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The GOP-controlled Senate will return to work on Monday and address the package.

President Donald Trump blessed the deal, tweeting on Saturday: "Good teamwork between Republicans & Democrats as the House passes the big CoronaVirus Relief Bill. People really pulled together. Nice to see!"

On Friday afternoon, Trump declared the coronavirus a national emergency, freeing up billions in dollars in emergency aid to battle the pandemic.

Texas lawmakers in both parties embraced the deal.

Our country is at its best when we work together through times of crisis, and today, Congress acted in a bipartisan way to combat the spread of coronavirus and bring real relief to our workers and communities, said Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas.

Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, lauded the bill, saying that the American people expect and deserve a comprehensive, coordinated response to the coronavirus.

But Roy and others criticized the process as rushed and complained about the substance of the bill.

I voted no because this bill will cause more harm for more Americans than the good it purports to offer, Roy tweeted early Saturday after the vote, complaining that "we were given a take-it-or-leave it bill with zero chance to amend it or debate it. ... Despite it being well-intentioned, it puts onerous burdens and mandates on main street employers, while picking winners and losers by carving out big business!

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has targeted Roy as he faces former state Sen. Wendy Davis in the fall, blasted him for grandstanding.

Hes not taking the health and safety of his constituents seriously, said Avery Jaffe, spokesman for the House Democrats campaign arm. While Democrats and Republicans came together to address this outbreak, Chip Roy is once again coming apart pulling political stunts and proving that when Texans need him the most, hell always choose political games over their health and safety.

On the House floor shortly before 1 a.m., following passage of the bill, Gohmert called the speedy vote sad.

This is no way to handle billions and billions of dollars when were trying to help people, he said.

Babin, Cloud and Weber all made similar arguments in separate statements, voicing concern about the vote being rushed.

Three Texas Republicans did not vote: Reps. Kenny Marchant of Coppell and Pete Olson of Sugar Land, who are both retiring after this term, and John Ratcliffe of Heath, near Dallas, who was recently nominated by Trump to serve as director of national intelligence.

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Six Texas Republicans oppose coronavirus relief deal that sailed through House; Chip Roy called it 'welfare' - The Dallas Morning News

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Philip Rivers spent more than a decade picking apart the Indianapolis Colts and irritating their fans.

On Wednesday, hell become their new quarterback.

The longtime Chargers star agreed to a one-year contract with Indy on Tuesday, according to a person who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be officially announced until Wednesday.

General manager Chris Ballard has now filled two major offseason needs in two days adding an eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback to the roster less than 24 hours after acquiring Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in a trade with San Francisco.

What the Colts are getting with the 38-year-old Rivers is a 16-year veteran, coming off a season in which he had his fewest touchdown passes, 23, since 2007 and his most interceptions, 20, since 2016. It was one reason the Chargers decided not to bring back the franchises career passing leader.

In Indy, Rivers will be reunited with coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni. Reich was the Chargers quarterbacks coach in 2013 and the offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. Sirianni spent five seasons in San Diego, two as quarterbacks coach.

The move also completes a strange cycle.

The New York Giants selected Rivers with the fourth overall draft pick in the 2004 draft then made a draft-day swap with the Chargers for Eli Manning, whose older brother, Peyton, was still starring in Indy. Twice during Rivers tenure, he played on teams that eliminated the Colts from the playoffs.

And it will almost certainly rekindle memories for Colts owner Jim Irsay, who was a teenager when his fathers team dealt then-39-year-old quarterback John Unitas from Baltimore to San Diego in 1973. That turned out to be the final season for Unitas, a Hall of Famer who died in 2002.

The Colts believe Rivers can last at least that long.

Rather than using the No. 13 pick in Aprils draft to bring in a new young gun, they dealt it to the 49ers for Buckner and then continued negotiating with Rivers agents.

Now, presumably, Rivers will replace Jacoby Brissett as the Colts opening day starter.

Brissett started 15 of 16 games last season after replacing the retired Andrew Luck in August. The Colts went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

But from the moment of Lucks sudden departure through last months NFL annual scouting combine, Ballard continued insisting the Colts were all-in with Brissett.

It now appears Brissett will be the odd man out in Indy and could even be on the move. He was acquired in a deal with New England just before the 2017 season.

And with Tom Brady leaving New England, there is speculation the Patriots could be in the market for an experienced arm who has played in the system. The Chargers, meanwhile, are expected to join the Brady sweepstakes.

But with the quarterback carousel spinning wildly Tuesday, Rivers found a place to settle down and continue to pursue that elusive Super Bowl ring.

Indy has one of the leagues top offensive lines, a strong ground game that proved it could win last season and an improving defense that will get even stouter with Buckners arrival. Plus, hell be working with Reich, a creative play-caller and former NFL quarterback who watched Rivers use his unique throwing motion to complete 4,908 of 7,591 passes with 59,271 yards, 397 touchdowns and 198 interceptions.

Rivers ranks sixth in league history in completions, yards passing and TD passes and seventh in attempts and is 123-101 as an NFL starter. He hasnt missed a start since 2005.

Related

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Report: Colts agree to 1-year deal with QB Philip Rivers - Waterbury Republican American

Again, they insisted that austerity was essential because government debt was an enormous threat to America. But they lost all interest in deficits as soon as one of their own occupied the White House. Trump inherited a $600 billion deficit; hes blown that up to $1 trillion and hardly a single Republican in Congress has expressed dismay.

How much have Trumps deficits boosted the economy? Well, theyre poorly designed stimulus; the biggest item was tax cuts for corporations, which corporations used to buy back stock rather than to expand their businesses or raise wages. But while the Trump stimulus probably didnt deliver much bang per buck, it involved a heck of a lot of bucks.

And Trumps economy also gets a lift from the fact that Republicans have ended the de facto economic sabotage that prevailed throughout the Obama years.

Incidentally, the experience of the past three years also refutes two of the main arguments used to justify the disastrous turn to austerity after the financial crisis claims that deficits would hurt confidence and lead to a sharp rise in interest rates. None of this has happened.

So how can Democrats run against Republican fiscal hypocrisy? Not by warning about the dangers of deficits thats both wrong on the substance and politically ineffective, because nobody cares.

They might do better by pointing out that while Trump has rushed to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy, he has been shortchanging the future. Ignoring his campaign promises, he has done nothing to raise much-needed spending on infrastructure. And despite its obvious indifference to budget deficits, his administration seems determined to deprive children of the adequate health care and nutrition they will need to become productive adults.

And theres an important lesson for Democrats going beyond this election namely, how to deal with what Ive called the Very Serious People, centrists who spent years insisting that government debt was the most important issue of our time (and also believing, or pretending to believe, that Republicans were sincere in their supposed concern about debt).

The V.S.P.s have gone oddly silent under Trump funny how that works but theyll surely be back if Democrats retake the White House. But they have no idea what theyre talking about, and never did. If and when they re-emerge, Democrats should ignore them.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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Republican Cynicism May Win Trump Re-election - The New York Times

The number of Republican women in the U.S. House declined in the past decade and many statehouses dont fare much better. Standing in contrast is the rising number of Democratic women elected to office.

It is a sentiment that doesnt sit well with some Utah women.

Thats ridiculous, said Enid Mickelsen, the first female Republican from the Beehive State elected to the U.S. House.

She served one term starting in 1995. No women from Utah, Republican or Democratic, are serving in Congress now. In Utah, one of the most conservative states in the nation, the Legislature includes 16 Democratic women and 10 Republican women.

Those stats cloud reality, argues Kari Malkovich, a Woodland Hills city councilwoman and first vice president of the Utah Federation of Republican Women. She said a more accurate snapshot would include the GOP women involved at all levels of government.

Malkovich pointed to Republican women serving in city councils and campaigns and executive offices, such as Kirsten Rappleye, chief of staff to the lieutenant governor, and Kristen Cox, executive director of the Governors Office of Management and Budget.

Republican women are not an endangered species, said Kendra Seeley, Utah Republican Party secretary.

About 30 women joined Seeley and the Utah Federation of Republican Women on Monday in the Capitol Rotunda for an event held in reaction to the December opinion piece in The New York Times that described the future of Republican women as bleak. That column, written by Nancy L. Cohen, blames the presidency of Donald Trump for blunting any momentum GOP women had. She warned that his reelection would make things even worse.

The Republican women who gathered in Utah on Monday say thats not the case.

We are refuting that there is a weakness in Republican women, Malkovich said.

If youre just looking at the numbers, Malliga Och, an Idaho State University assistant professor whos researched women in conservative parties, said calling it a crisis is a fair characterization.

But Och said she doesnt think theres an ideological crisis because there are plenty of conservative women who would make brilliant and great legislators, but the problem is that they are not running."

The main hurdle for Republican women is in the primary process, according to Och. The Republican Party doesnt have the same level of proactive recruiting and fundraising efforts directed toward women as the Democratic Party, she said.

Republican Rep. Candice Pierucci said shed like to examine places such as Alaska and Arizona, which have a higher number of Republican women serving in the state Legislature than the national average, to see what can we do better. To get more Utah women in positions, Republicans have to build up our bench like you would with any sport."

Conservative women can and should run," Pierucci said.

If you dont see women in these positions, though, it can be hard to picture yourself in them, Pierucci said. Only two women have been elected to Utahs five statewide executive offices, and just four women have served in Congress, according to the Utah Women and Leadership Project. The last being GOP Rep. Mia Love, who was edged out by Democrat Ben McAdams in 2018.

If youre going to change what comes out of D.C., youve got to change who goes into D.C.," Witt said. And the quickest way to change that is get more Republican women in Congress.

The more women that we can get involved in executive level and legislative level positions to help make those decisions, the better, said Aimee Winder Newton, who is one of two Republican women running for Utah governor, along with businesswoman Jan Garbett.

Jennifer Hogge, Lisa Bagley and Lorraine Brown were a few of the Republican women at the Capitol who said they are seeking seats in the state Legislature. Hogge said shes never run for office before but felt she could use her experience as a teacher to work on education issues.

To get more women on the ballot, Seeley, the secretary of Utahs Republican Party, suggested people must encourage more women to step forward.

Support good women who do run," she said, not just because theyre females, but because you believe in them.

Generally, Republicans try to be careful to avoid identity politics, said Pierucci, who claimed her House seat after the incumbent resigned. Salt Lake County Republican delegates selected her and Gov. Gary Herbert formally appointed her to the post. Shes serving in her first session.

Pierucci wanted people to vote for her based on her credentials, not because shes female, she said.

Thats a point that Mickelsen makes about her race in 1994.

I didnt set out to become the first woman Republican elected to Congress from the state of Utah, she said. I presented myself because I thought I was a good, qualified candidate.

My attitude was always if I do the best job that I can and show people that I am qualified, that helps the next woman coming up behind me."

While theres still more work to do, Mickelsen sees more women in office today than when she ran 25 years ago. And, in the future, more will come," she said.

For Och, the Idaho State professor, part of why Republicans should elect more women is simply fairness, to better represent the population. But another reason is that to have gender equity in government, we cannot just elect one specific kind of woman," she said.

Women are not a homogenous bloc. They have different opinions," Och said. And if we truly believe in this diversity that women bring, we need to elect a diverse body of women to the party, to both parties, and not just pro-life Democratic women, but also more conservative women.

Becky Jacobs is a Report for America corps member and writes about the status of women in Utah for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.

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Utah Republican women say they need to recruit candidates, but they're not in 'crisis' - Salt Lake Tribune