Cross-Examination

• No more drag queen story time for kids in Montana: On Monday, Montana Republican Governor Greg Gianforte signed HB 359, a bill that bans minors from attending sexually oriented shows. The bill explicitly states that “a school or library that receives any form of funding from the state may not allow a sexually oriented performance or drag story hour … on its premises during regular operating hours or at any school-sanctioned extracurricular activity.” And it includes a warning that a minor subjected to such a performance “may bring an action against a person who knowingly promotes, conducts, or participates as a performer in the performance. The minor’s parent or legal guardian may bring an action in the name of the minor for an action commenced under this section.” What Montana has done is officially recognize what has long been the case but what much of the mainstream media has sought to obscure: Drag shows are inherently intended as expressions of gender-bending sexual deviancy. As Gianforte observed, drag shows are “wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially preschoolers and kids in elementary school, to be exposed to sexualized content.”

• No spies to see here: Swalwell investigation closed: California Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell is no longer being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. On Tuesday, the committee announced that it was closing its two-year investigation into Swalwell in regards to his relationship with a suspected Chinese spy. Despite the committee’s determination that “no further action in this matter” was needed, Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) cautioned “that Members should be conscious of the possibility that foreign governments may attempt to secure improper influence through gifts and other interactions.” Swalwell saw the decision as vindication, surmising that “if the intent in bringing the complaint and leveling false smears was to silence me that is not going to happen.”

• Study: “no evidence” that veterans lean toward extremism: No, U.S. military veterans do not have a higher tendency toward embracing radical or extremist ideologies such as white supremacy or antifa. The Biden administration has explicitly sought to give credence to dubious claims that American veterans are more vulnerable to becoming ideological extremists, but a recent study from the RAND Corp. throws cold water all over the allegation. The study found, “There was no evidence to support the notion that the veteran community, as a whole, manifests higher rates of support for violent extremist groups or extremist beliefs than the American public.” In fact, the opposite proved to be the case, as the study found that, on average, veterans were less likely to embrace extremist views than the American public at large. Just 5.5% of veterans held a “very or somewhat favorable” view of antifa compared to 10% of the general public, and just 4% of veterans viewed the Proud Boys favorably, whereas 9% of the public see them positively. When it comes to white supremacy, the percentages are even more stark, as just 0.8% of veterans had a favorable view compared to 7% among the general public.

• IRS really went after journalist Matt Taibbi: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to the IRS on Wednesday seeking answers for the agency’s apparent targeting of journalist Matt Taibbi. Taibbi was one of three journalists whom Elon Musk granted inside access to the Twitter Files that exposed the degree of federal government collusion with social media companies to censor Americans’ free speech. The record shows that the IRS first targeted Taibbi following his first reporting on the Twitter Files and subsequently sent agents to his house the day he testified before Congress. Jordan compared the IRS’s actions against Taibbi to the “infamous targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status” just over a decade ago. Jordan wrote, “The circumstances of the IRS’ visit to Mr. Taibbi’s home as he was testifying to Congress about government abuse and censorship raise troubling questions that demand additional information.” Taibbi has also released a new report in which he states, “When the IRS checks to see if you have a carry permit and visits your home, at a time when they owe you money, it’s time to worry.”

• Deadlier than COVID: On Tuesday, World Health Organization head Dr. Tedros Adhansom Ghebreyesus warned a World Health Assembly forum that despite COVID-19 no longer being a global pandemic, it still remains a threat. Tedros stated: “The threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains, and the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential remains.” No kidding, Sherlock. Tell us something we didn’t know. The fact of the matter is, emerging pathogens have been the case for all of human history. This is not some new or profound insight, rather it is fearmongering designed to promote the “necessity” of the WHO, an organization that has become increasingly compromised as it elevates geopolitical concerns over that of holding to and practicing sound science.

Headlines

• Ron DeSantis officially launches 2024 presidential campaign (Fox News)

• Target confirms “adjustments” to Pride plans after LGBTQ merchandise caused “threats” to employees (Fox News)

• “Nobody imagined it would go on this long”: Report finds Bud Light facing “unbelievable boycott” after Mulvaney controversy (Daily Wire)

• Black Lives Matter is headed for insolvency after plunging $8.5 million into the red (Daily Mail)

• Biden to announce C.Q. Brown as Joint Chiefs chair nominee (Politico)

• Four House Democrats join Republicans to save the truckers (Hot Air)

• Federal court deals blow to ATF pistol brace rule ahead of gun accessory registration deadline (Fox News)

• Social media can put young people in danger, U.S. surgeon general warns (NPR)

• New York governor plans to house hundreds of illegal immigrants on SUNY college campuses (National Review)

• France bans short domestic flights over climate worries — private jet flights still allowed (Daily Wire)

• Policy: Public housing should have work rules, too (City Journal)

• Satire: Wife calls off Target boycott five seconds after walking into Walmart (Babylon Bee)

• Satire: Dodgers replace 7th-inning stretch with chant of “Hail Satan!” (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.