Cross-Examination

• Economic freedom hits new low under Biden: Americans’ economic freedom has hit its lowest level since The Heritage Foundation first launched the annual national global comparison review back in 1995. With this latest economic freedom index, a few key conclusions are evident. Both national and global economies have taken a downturn. A notable shifting of position has occurred with the top 10 world economies, and the U.S. economy no longer cracks the top 10 or even the top 20 world economies — it’s now the 25th freest economy. China has dropped to 154 out of 176 total countries for economic freedom, its lowest ranking on the index ever. Finally, the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda is leading the U.S. economy in the wrong direction on the freedom index. Fewer stifling government regulations and a greater embrace of personal responsibility leads to greater economic freedom.

• FDA green-lights dangerous home abortion drug: Abortion absolutists were incensed when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with many Democrats condemning the decision as an attack against women’s rights and Joe Biden crying that “it put the health and lives of women across this nation at risk.” Well, the Biden administration seems intent on ensuring that Biden’s claim comes to pass, as the Food and Drug Administration recently green-lighted the abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex) for at-home use without the requirement of physician supervision. Mifepristone has been classified by the FDA as a high-risk drug since 2011 due to “serious safety concerns,” as it can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. However, in a move that follows the politics while ignoring the science, the FDA bent its own safety rules so Biden can make a dangerous abortion drug available for women to use unsupervised in their own homes because he “cares” about their health. Meanwhile, Big Pharma is high-fiving Biden’s FDA.

• Buttigieg gets probed: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who is conveniently AWOL every time the country faces a major transportation-related crisis, is being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General over his frequent use of the Transportation Department’s private jets. The IG was alerted to Buttigieg’s travel behavior by the government watchdog organization Americans for Public Trust, whose executive Caitlin Sutherland pointed out: “Everyday Americans have faced unprecedented flight cancelations and disruptions, but Buttigieg has continued to fly private, even on a Coast Guard plane and even when commercial options were readily available.” Fox News reports that Buttigieg has taken at least 18 Federal Aviation Administration jet flights since he’s been the secretary. Buttigieg’s office claimed that those private FAA flights were taken because they were cheaper than chartering commercial flights. Maybe those FAA flights were due to Buttigieg having trouble booking flights on Southwest to “get away.”

• Manchin sides with GOP against DC crime law: Thanks to the Democrat senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, Republicans are on the cusp of repealing Washington, DC’s dangerous lax-on-crime law. Indeed, the law is so bad that even DC’s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser attempted to veto it. With 31 House Democrats crossing the aisle to vote with Republicans against the law, Manchin was unequivocal in his decision: “I don’t support it. I mean, I want to put people away, I don’t want to let them out. … I would vote to rescind it.”

• Eco warrior Greta Thunberg protests “clean energy” wind farm: Is Greta Thunberg really focused on the climate, or is this really all about Greta? The 20-year-old activist chained herself to the entry of Norway’s Ministry of Energy on Monday to protest wind turbines in the country’s arctic region. You see, the wind farm crosses over land used by the Sami indigenous people for their reindeer herds, and they want it torn down. The wind farm continues to operate despite a 2021 ruling from Norway’s Supreme Court that it violated Sami rights. “Indigenous rights, human rights, must go hand-in-hand with climate protection and climate action,” Thunberg explained. It “can’t happen at the expense of some people” because “then it is not climate justice.” Evidently, if you are of a certain minority ethnicity and object to renewable energy, then Thunberg’s alarmist demands don’t apply. But how dare the rest of us even question the wisdom of eschewing all fossil fuels in favor of renewables and nothing else.

• Smithsonian erases women: The Smithsonian’s new American Women’s History Museum that will be built in Washington, DC, will not only feature women but also men who identify as women. According to interim director Lisa Sasaki, the coming museum will include “transgender women” (biological men who say they are women) due to the Left’s “inclusivity” dogma. She ironically states, “From the DNA of this museum, there has been a desire to be inclusive.” Evidently, that scientific biological identifier that distinguishes between male and female — DNA — will be excluded because “inclusivity.” If anyone can be a “woman” in the Smithsonian’s view, then why build a museum to “women”? One wonders if all the restrooms in the new museum will be marked as “women’s.” It would certainly be in keeping with the Smithsonian’s “inclusivity” concerns.

Headlines

• Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid as city battles crime epidemic (NY Post)

• SCOTUS conservatives cool to Biden’s student loan cancellation plan (Daily Wire)

• FBI Director Chris Wray refuses to say what role feds played in January 6 riot (Daily Wire)

• FBI director says origin of COVID pandemic “most likely” a lab “incident” in Wuhan (The Hill)

• Biden admin finally bans TikTok on government devices (Free Beacon)

• Murderers’ era: Roughly half of homicides going unsolved in U.S. (Daily Wire)

• Biden taps Julie Su to lead Labor Department (Roll Call)

• Mortgage demand from homebuyers drops to a 28-year low (CNBC)

• Lawsuit: New York teacher “forced” and “manipulated” fifth-grader to become transgender, causing suicidal ideation (Fox News)

• Oregon puts gas generator into governor’s mansion despite “transition away” from fossil fuels in homes (Epoch Times)

• Policy: A legal reckoning on student loan forgiveness (National Review)

• Satire: Fauci jealous as China getting all the credit for creating COVID (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.