Cross-Examination

• House passes debt ceiling deal: Despite more than 70 Republican defections, Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to get the debt ceiling deal he brokered with a stubborn Joe Biden passed in the House on Wednesday. With the majority of Democrats and Republicans voting in favor, the legislation is headed to the Senate, where it is expected to pass with relative ease. As is the nature of compromise, no one gets everything they want, and the Republicans in the Freedom Caucus sharply criticized the deal for failing to garner enough of their spending-cut demands. In the end, however, it’s a win for McCarthy, who forced Biden to the negotiation table, and frankly it’s also a win for the Freedom Caucus Republicans who voted against it, as they can trumpet their opposition to their constituents, even as the government avoids debt default.

• Pence and Christie will run for president: The Republican presidential primary field will get bigger, as two more familiar faces are set to jump in next week. Former Vice President Mike Pence will announce his bid on June 7 in Des Moines, Iowa. Pence’s entry has long been anticipated, as he has been doing the ground work for months in the early primary states. In a somewhat unexpected development, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is also reportedly set to join the race next week. Christie’s entry will be interesting given that he has been the most vocal Trump critic among those currently in the Republican field. With his chances of winning the nomination being slim, perhaps his rationale is simply to act as an attack dog against Trump in favor of other leading contenders. Or perhaps Christie is looking to build his political stock for a position in a Republican administration.

• GOP Rep. Chris Stewart announces retirement: The Republicans’ slim House majority just got slimmer, as six-term Utah Representative Chris Stewart announced his resignation yesterday. The 62-year-old Stewart is leaving to care for his wife, who is suffering with undisclosed ongoing health issues. His exit will leave House Republicans with just an eight-seat majority. However, the seat is considered safe for Republicans, as Stewart won his district last year by over 30 points.

• Pro-life activists attacked outside Planned Parenthood clinic: Police in Baltimore are investigating an assault against two pro-life activists that happened outside a Planned Parenthood clinic. Last week, 73-year-old Mark Crosby and 80-year-old Dick Schaefer were confronted by a man who proceeded to attack them. Crosby was beaten so badly that he remains in the hospital, while Schaefer received a cut on his hand. The president of the Baltimore County Right to Life chapter, Jay Walton, noted, “For years, Mark has prayed in front of the Planned Parenthood in Baltimore City to let the scared, young abortion-minded women know that they are loved, that their baby is loved.” No word as to whether the FBI is investigating this as a hate crime.

• Biden’s DOJ going to bat for Manchin: West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin is currently trailing in the polls well behind his GOP challenger, current Governor Jim Justice. Cue the rescue squad — at least that’s what National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Tate Mitchell is claiming after the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit against Justice alleging “unpaid civil penalties.” “Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has gone totally rogue,” Mitchell charged. “Democrats weaponizing the federal government to attack the family of a Republican Senate candidate is a complete abuse of power.” The suit is against the Justice family, who were once wealthy coal barons, and it asserts that they and their companies have violated over 130 federal laws and regulations and in so doing pose “health and safety risks to the public and the environment.”

• Biden’s sex assault accuser moves to Russia: During the 2020 election campaign, Joe Biden was accused by a former Senate aide, Tara Reade, of sexual assault. The story never really went anywhere due to the mainstream media dismissing her claim as dubious. Believe women, indeed. Well, the latest strange twist to the Reade story is her decision to “flee” to Russia. On Tuesday, Reade was interviewed by alleged Russian spy Maria Butina, now a journalist, claiming that she had run for her life. “I just didn’t want to walk home and walk into a cage or be killed, which is basically my two choices,” Reade claimed. She went on to talk about how American elites are the reason behind the “aggressive stance” between Russia and the U.S. Reade’s claims are obviously being used as pro-Russia propaganda, but it’s strange enough to make one wonder if her Biden sexual assault claims were all a Russian hoax and she has now been recalled home by the FSB. (Okay, okay, we’re kidding.)

Headlines

• FBI admits file on Biden “criminal bribery scheme” is real (Daily Wire)

• Whistleblower disclosures allege FBI procedures not followed in Hunter Biden investigation (CBS News)

• Nearly 10,000 photos from Hunter Biden’s laptop hit the web (Fox News)

• Trump attacks Kayleigh McEnany, prompting rebuke from the Right (Daily Wire)

• Tim Scott blasts Joy Behar over claim he “doesn’t get” racism: “Dumbest, most offensive thing” (Fox News)

• Twitter cancels deal with The Daily Wire to stream “What Is a Woman?” over “misgendering,” will label film “hateful conduct” (Daily Wire)

• University of Colorado equates “misgendering” to an “act of violence” (Campus Reform)

• Border app releases almost 80,000 foreign nationals into U.S. in last four months (Daily Wire)

• TikTok creators’ financial info, social security numbers have been stored in China (Forbes)

• 7th grade boy who sued over “two genders” T-shirt hits roadblock in court (Daily Wire)

• Alabama expands ban on “trans” athletes to include college teams (AP)

• Pentagon cancels drag show at Nevada Air Force Base as Pride Month begins (National Review)

• University of North Carolina med school renounces its own DEI framework (Fox News)

• Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down two pro-life laws (Daily Wire)

• Self-described “pro-life” Republican governor signs bill making Nevada safe haven for abortion tourism (Daily Wire)

• The medical field is erasing its own COVID-era history (Hot Air)

• Humor: Chick-fil-A now training white employees to say “My privilege” (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.