Cross-Examination

• Tester will be tested in Montana: Decorated former Navy SEAL and businessman Tim Sheehy recently announced his bid for Montana’s Senate seat up for contention in 2024. The seat currently held by Democrat Jon Tester is vulnerable in a state that has increasingly moved toward Republicans over the last several election cycles. The entrance of Sheehy, who sports an impressive résumé, represents a significant challenge not only to Tester’s political future but also to the Democrats’ chances of maintaining control of the Senate. In making his announcement, Sheehy charged the three-term Democrat with “not representing our Montana values,” contending that it’s time for “a new generation of leadership to rebuild America.” This will be a race to keep an eye on.

• Fox News picks Jesse Watters: As the saying goes, one man’s loss is another man’s gain. Months after Tucker Carlson was surprisingly ditched by America’s leading cable news outlet, Jesse Watters has been chosen to fill the departed host’s 8 PM time slot. In a bit of musical chairs, Watters’s current show, “Jesse Watters Primetime,” will be moved from the 7 PM time slot to 8 PM while Laura Ingraham’s show will move from 10 PM to 7 PM and Greg Gutfeld’s show will move from 11 PM to 10 PM. Since his firing, Carlson has posted several shows on Twitter, receiving high viewership numbers.

• ESG Word Games: Larry Fink, the head of the world’s largest asset management firm, BlackRock, recently declared that he would no longer reference the term “ESG” (environment, social, and governance), contending that it has become “weaponized.” Since several Republican-led states have boycotted BlackRock over its policy of pressing companies into embracing a leftist political agenda specifically regarding climate change and social justice, Fink is seeking to do damage control. BlackRock has effectively been blacklisted by conservatives, and deservedly so. While eschewing the term “ESG,” Fink made it clear that he is not abandoning his ESG agenda, as he argued: “I’m not ashamed [of ESG]. I do believe in conscientious capitalism.” Further demonstrating that he was only seeking to distance himself from ESG terminology, Fink reiterated, “We talk a lot about decarbonization, we talk a lot about governance … or social issues, if that’s something we need to address.” In other words, all Fink is doing is playing word games, as his leftist agenda has not changed.

• Fauci’s new gig: Dr. Anthony Fauci may have retired from his lucrative federal government position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, a position he held for nearly four decades, but he is not retiring. The 82-year-old will be taking up a faculty position at Georgetown University. Fauci explained, “I could do more experiments in the lab and have my lab going, but given what I’ve been through, I think what I have to offer is experience and inspiration to the younger generation of students.” So, will Fauci offer the students at Georgetown a living example of how not to respond to a pandemic?

• Sweden’s nuclear power switcharoo: A popular definition of insanity is to continue engaging in the same behavior while expecting different results. Well, based upon that definition, Sweden clearly has decided to end the insanity. After leaning heavily into the climate activists’ contention that renewable energy sources of wind and solar are the only legitimate clean energy answer, Sweden has decided to scrap its “100 percent renewable energy” goal. The Nordic nation has decided that “a stable energy system” is more important than greenie virtue signaling, therefore Sweden will be reversing course on solar and wind and instead reinvest in nuclear energy. Needless to say, Sweden’s decision to go nuclear will actually decrease its carbon footprint, but that never really mattered to those elites pushing their world control green agenda.

• Meanwhile in NYC… Speaking of greenies, while the Swedes are wising up, the same can’t be said of New York City’s leftist bureaucracy. Fresh off of banning gas stoves, NYC’s Department of Environment Protection is now targeting the city’s pizzerias. The department has concocted new rules aimed at cutting emissions from wood- and coal-fired ovens. In what clearly appears to be little other than a shakedown, the new rules would force pizzerias with wood- and coal-fired ovens that were installed prior to 2016 to install new emission-control devises. The official reason for this business-chilling regulation is to cut wood and coal emissions in the city by 75%. City officials claim that less than 100 restaurants would be affected by this new regulation. But the real question is, what does NYC’s bureaucracy have against Italians? Robbing hardworking Americans of their freedoms in the name of “climate change” is why an increasing number of people are moving out of blue states to the greener, freer pastures of red states.

Headlines

• McCarthy threatens Garland with impeachment inquiry (Axios)

• Hunter Biden is being deposed on Thursday. Here’s what he should be asked under oath. (The Federalist)

• “No!” Biden claims ignorance of Hunter’s foreign business dealings in face of mounting evidence to the contrary (Free Beacon)

• Latest Biden blunder raises eyebrows: “I sold a lot of state secrets” (Daily Wire)

• Poll finds rising tide of voters worried Biden lacks fitness to be president (Daily Wire)

• Kamala Harris receives worst vice presidential rating in NBC News poll’s history (Fox News)

• Prigozhin issues first statement since attempted rebellion in Russia (Daily Wire)

• American Library Association schemes to censor conservatives (Hot Air)

• College allegedly fired biology professor for teaching sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y (Fox News)

• Penn State professor says school forced him to teach English language is “white supremacy” (Fox News)

• Harvard professor who studies honesty for a living accused of faking data (Free Beacon)

• A U.S. recession is coming this year, HSBC warns — with Europe to follow in 2024 (CNBC)

• Policy: Be wary of a wounded Putin (National Review)

• Satire: Pedophile jailed for flashing kids at playground kicking himself for not doing it at pride parade instead (Babylon Bee)

• Humor: Matt Walsh goes on “Jeopardy,” responds to every clue with “What is a woman?” (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.