Cross-Examination

• Hunter Biden will plead guilty: In a move that will likely keep him from doing any jail time, Hunter Biden has been charged with and will plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and the illegal possession of a gun. This follows years of a pathetic imitation of an investigation in which Joe Biden’s Justice Department clearly dragged its feet on pursuing any criminal charge against the president’s derelict son. With political heat and public pressure rising over the Biden family’s apparent bribery scandal, combined with the DOJ’s obvious targeting of Donald Trump, it now looks like this action is intended to deflect the growing negative pressure on the agency. However, if it is as it appears, and Hunter gets little other than a slap on the wrist, then the cries over Washington’s two-tiered justice system will only get louder.

• Urban crime on Juneteenth: The official celebration of slavery ending in America was marred by deadly violence in several cities. The fact that the mainstream media has largely ignored these stories — or the race of anyone involved — speaks volumes. In the Chicago suburb of Willowbrook, one person was fatally shot and almost two dozen others were wounded during a “large gathering of people” late in the evening. Meanwhile, during a Juneteenth festival in Asheville, North Carolina, two people were injured in a shooting. St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and many other Democrat-run cities, where violent crime has been rising, all experienced holiday violence. Nationwide, at least 12 died and more than 100 were injured in what CBS calls “mass shootings” over the Juneteenth weekend. The media isn’t saying what race the perpetrators and victims were, but Juneteenth gatherings are predominantly black. In any case, it sure seems odd to celebrate the end of slavery by killing each other.

• The crisis of America’s teens: According to recent polling from the University of Michigan, the troubling rise in teenage depression and suicide coincides with the rise of social media. But first, data from the CDC observes that prior to 2007, the rate of teen suicide had held relatively steady, but from 2007 to 2017 the rate of teen suicide jumped by 60%. Furthermore, the Pew Research Center found that over that same time span, teen depression rates rose by 59%. What UM’s research observes is that the rise in teen depression coincides with the introduction of the smartphone and 24/7 access to social media. Psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge observes, “There’s no question that [social media and screen time] is the primary cause of the increase in teen depression now.” Twenge adds: “It’s by far the largest change in teens’ everyday lives over the past 10 to 12 years. Nothing else even comes close.” The solution is simple: Strictly limit a teen’s screen time. Obviously, that’s easier said than done, but their lives may depend on it.

• Maryland’s woke governor: Maryland Democrat Governor Wes Moore decided to blast parental rights advocates working to get Marxist-based critical race theory books and pornographic books removed from student reading lists. According to Moore, it’s akin to “castrating” kids. He argued that efforts to ban these controversial books from student reading lists is an effort to tell “other kids that they shouldn’t understand their own power,” which is “castrating them.” Ironically, woke leftist ideologues like Moore are the ones guilty of promoting a dangerous and twisted ideology that literally castrates children.

• Teacher snatches crucifix necklace: A middle school teacher in Tennessee issued an apology to a student for infringing on the student’s religious rights. This past April, the teacher in question suddenly and publicly removed a student’s neckless adorned with a cross he was wearing while attending the school’s book fair. Following the incident, the student’s parents contacted the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which in turn sent a letter to the school warning that the teacher’s actions violated the student’s constitutional rights. The school quickly responded with an apology from the administration and the teacher in question to the student and his mother. Anti-religious intolerance can happen anywhere, even in the Bible Belt.

Headlines

• What to expect from John Durham’s congressional testimony this week (Washington Examiner)

• Biden’s DOJ quietly drops five charges against Sam Bankman-Fried (PM)

• Federal judge bars Trump from “disclosing” or “disseminating” evidence in classified docs case (Daily Wire)

• Trump responds to alleged recording of him showing off “secret” government information (ABC News)

• Trump calls NARA “radical left group,” says it could’ve “stuffed” the boxes during Mar-a-Lago document raid (Fox News)

• Trump claims conversation with Putin delayed Russian invasion of Ukraine (Fox News)

• YouTube takes down interview with Democrat presidential candidate for “misinformation” (Fox News)

• Mainstream news outlets want to end Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s primary challenge (NY Post)

• Democrat donor arrested for starting massive fire Democrats blamed on climate change (Free Beacon)

• China in high-level talks for military training facility in Cuba to station troops off U.S. shores (Fox News)

• AT&T closing flagship store in downtown San Francisco (Daily Wire)

• Minneapolis among the worst major cities for crime (Hot Air)

• Remote workers fleeing Dem-run cities, data show (Free Beacon)

• ACLU complains Florida didn’t give murderous rapist “gender-affirming care” before execution (Free Beacon)

• Disney’s new $200-million Pixar film did a belly flop on opening weekend. How can this be, since it features a nonbinary character and talks about racism and xenophobia? (Not the Bee)

• Shut up and play ball: Texas Rangers staying out of the “pride” business (RedState)

• Five Palestinians dead, eight IDF troops hurt in Jenin battle (Times of Israel)

• Policy: The missing context behind “cuts” in fast-growing welfare programs (RealClearPolicy)

• Humor: Biden announces space train (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.