Top of the Fold

• Dr. Oz wins Pennsylvania GOP primary: Over the weekend, following a recount in the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary race, Dave McCormick conceded the election to Donald Trump-endorsed TV celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz. “It’s now clear to me with the recount now largely complete that we have a nominee,” McCormick stated. “Tonight is really about all us coming together.” Oz noted that he had received McCormick’s “gracious phone call” and said, “Now that our primary is over, we will make sure that this U.S. Senate seat does not fall into the hands of the radical left, led by John Fetterman.” While Oz is accurate in identifying Fetterman as a leftist radical, the trouble is that Oz himself can hardly be considered a conservative. At best, he may be classified as fiscally conservative, but his stance on everything from “transgenderism” to abortion to guns has long been on the left side of the aisle. As McCormick insightfully observed, Dr. Oz is a “Hollywood liberal.” Should Oz succeed in winning the general election, one wonders if he’ll end up being more of a thorn than an asset to Senate Republicans.

• Overdoses up 700% in Oregon: This story should come as a shock to absolutely no one. Overdoses in the Beaver State have spiked by 700% following voters’ decision to decriminalize hard drugs. In November 2020, Oregonians gave the thumbs up to ballot measure 110, which decriminalized hard drugs like heroin and meth. According to the provision, individuals caught possessing such hard drugs would no longer be arrested; instead, possession of narcotics would simply be treated like a traffic violation. Offenders would receive a citation and be fined up to $100, and that money would then fund drug treatment programs rather than criminal prosecutions. To avoid paying the fine, those cited could have it removed if they called a drug abuse hotline and received a “health assessment.” After a year and a half under the new law, the number of those opting for the drug treatment call has been negligible, while the number of those abusing the hard drugs has spiked. It’s almost as if these drug users don’t want help to get off the drugs. Shocking, we know. “What’s missing in this equation,” says Cascade Policy Institute analyst Rachel Dawson, “is any kind of personal accountability. Many of those who need help won’t seek it out. Drug courts were helpful in this regard because they pushed addicts into treatment which reduced substance use and drug-involved crimes. Officials should consider adding similar ‘teeth’ to this program.”

• Ohio and Louisiana look to harden their schools: In the wake of the most recent school massacre, a couple of states have decided to take some of the more obvious and practical actions to prevent such events from hitting their schools. Ohio just passed a bill that Republican Governor Mike DeWine is expected to sign that will allow teachers to carry firearms. “My office worked with the General Assembly to remove hundreds of hours of curriculum irrelevant to school safety to ensure training requirements were specific to a school environment and contained significant scenario-based training,” DeWine stated as he noted that the recently passed bill would help further this school security agenda. In Louisiana, Republican state Senator Eddie Lambert introduced legislation that would allow teachers to carry firearms on school grounds after they have received specialized training. “You don’t want anybody who is not fully trained in this situation,” Lambert explained. Both Texas and Florida have laws on the books that allow for teachers to be specially trained in order to carry firearms on school property. In Texas, though the law was established in 2013, fewer than 300 teachers have taken part in the program. Following the Uvalde massacre, this may change.

Headlines

• Gas prices have officially doubled since Biden became president (Free Beacon)

• No, this isn’t satire: North Korea is chairing the UN’s Conference on Disarmament (Washington Stand)

• “Honeymoon is over”: Biden’s press office plagued by negative coverage, messaging gaffes (Fox News) | Thirteen times Biden aides cleaned up after his gaffes (Washington Examiner)

• DOJ indicts former Trump adviser Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress (Fox News) | J6 Committee adviser admits no “smoking gun” showing Trump planned riot at the U.S. Capitol (Washington Times)

• Democrat Senator Chris Murphy insists Biden not get involved with bipartisan gun negotiations (Fox News)

• Senator Lindsey Graham unveils plan to help employ veterans to stop school shootings (Daily Wire)

• Texas school shooting victims take action against gunmaker (Reuters) | Police chief had no radio during Uvalde school shooting (AP)

• Buffalo shooting: 911 dispatcher fired after mishandling call (USA Today)

• Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson seen applauding New Zealand’s gun confiscation (Daily Wire)

• Louisiana legislature passes bill to ban mail-order abortion drugs (Lafayette Daily Advertiser)

• Seventy Georgia churches split from United Methodist Church over LGBTQ issues (Fox News)

• Man dressed as a woman throws cake at the Mona Lisa (Daily Wire)

• NFL’s Panthers add gender dysphoric male cheerleader to roster (Daily Wire)

• Multiple MLB Tampa Bay Rays players refuse to wear “Pride Night” logos citing religious reasons (Daily Wire)

• Minneapolis to be first major U.S. city to publicly broadcast Islamic call to prayer on loudspeakers (Not the Bee)

• At least 50 killed in massacre at Catholic church in southwest Nigeria (Reuters)

• Chilean president wants full ban on gun ownership (MercoPress)

• Russia hits Kyiv with missiles; Putin warns West on arms (AP) | Another Russian general killed (Washington Examiner)

• Policy: Fathers: The family component missing from mass shooters’ lives (Daily Signal)

• Satire: Biden watches White House press briefing in hopes of finding out what his policy positions are (Babylon Bee)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.