Cross-Examination

• Where was the coke? It was first reported that the cocaine found in the White House earlier this week was located in the library. Since the library can be briefly viewed by tour groups, it was initially insinuated that the cocaine got there via a visitor. Yet it was later reported that the drugs were located in a part of the library that no tour visitors would have had access to. The cocaine location then changed again, next reported to have been found in a “common area.” But that rather broad area reference was further narrowed to a “storage facility in a cubby” where White House staff leave their cellphones. But then the coke local changed yet again, this time moved to the “West Executive entrance” of the White House near where the “Vice President’s vehicle is parked.” So, if it wasn’t Joe’s blow or Hunter’s coke, was it Kamala’s crack? Maybe this is how Democrats plan to get rid of their Harris problem.

• Walensky’s hypocrisy as CDC okays “chestfeeding”: On her way out the door, former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky bemoaned the politicization of science that occurred during the COVID pandemic. She warned of the proliferation of “misinformation,” which was rich given her own politicization of the CDC throughout the pandemic and the agency’s spreading of “misinformation.” Case in point, the CDC recently embraced ridiculous leftist political terminology by offering guidance for men to “chestfeed” babies as opposed to breastfeed. How is this not a deliberate politicization of science? Never mind the truth: the CDC is busy embracing “transgenderism” as if the science of human sexuality being binary has suddenly changed. The truth is that it is Walensky who is guilty of politicizing science.

• YouTube’s gross double standard: Some nudity is fine with YouTube. One won’t get censored by the Google-owned social media platform’s content monitors for posting videos displaying male genitalia. But don’t dare post a video “misgendering” someone or referencing “transgenderism” in a negative light. YouTube labels that “offense” a violation of its “hate speech policy,” for which it will permanently remove the video. Dr. Jordan Peterson recently received this treatment for daring to discuss the issue of “transgenderism’s” negative impact on women. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh has also been a repeat target of the YouTube censors. Walsh referenced TikTok influencer and self-declared “transgender girl” Dylan Mulvaney with male pronouns because Mulvaney is in reality a biological male, and therefore Walsh’s videos were banned. So for YouTube, gross and lewd content is A-OK, but calling out sexual deviancy for what it is is “hate speech.”

• Affirmative action in the workplace: The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling against affirmative action in higher education is not limited to schools. Indeed, in coming to their ruling, the justices pointed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars race-based discrimination for not only schools but also employment. In short, this ruling is a direct shot across the bow of corporate HR departments that have increasingly embraced critical race theory ideology in both their hiring practices and employee “diversity” training programs. The justices noted that any embrace of race-based standards will invariably result in race-based discrimination. As Valerie Capers Workman, who works for the recruiting firm Handshake, contends, “There is no more profound impact awaiting HR and recruiting space than this decision, certainly in the last 15 to 20 years.”

• Is 45% of U.S. drinking water contaminated? According to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, nearly half (45%) of Americans’ tap water is contaminated with synthetic compounds known as PFAS that may cause cancer and other health issues. These “forever chemicals” are so widespread that they were found everywhere from large cities’ public water systems to small towns to even private wells. However, the heaviest concentration of these PFAS in water were found in the urban areas of the East Coast, Great Lakes, and central and southern California. The source of these chemicals is a diverse number of everyday consumer products such as nonstick pans to water-resistant clothing. While the USGS makes no policy recommendations, research hydrologist and the study’s lead author Kelly Smalling said the information “can be used to evaluate risk of exposure and inform decisions about whether or not you want to treat your drinking water, get it tested or get more information from your state.” It seems Camp Lejeune just went nationwide.

• Trust at all-time low: Do Americans trust big institutions? The short answer is a resounding “No!” Since 1979, when Gallup first began conducting its poll of Americans’ trust in our nation’s major institutions, no year has shown a lower level of confidence than today. Just 26% of Americans trust our nation’s major institutions, which represents a 10 percentage point drop from 2020. Americans’ faith in the presidency is at 26%, and Congress now sits at just 8% (throw the other bums out). Meanwhile, those institutions that hold the highest trust are small businesses (65%) and the U.S. military (60%). Law enforcement, public schools, and Big Tech have all hit new lows in public trust. If things don’t change, this does not bode well for America’s future.

Headlines

• Yellen opens Beijing trip by criticizing China on treatment of U.S. companies (The Hill)

• Xi tells commanders to focus on “war preparedness” as Yellen arrives in Beijing (National Review)

• Payrolls rose by 209,000 in June, less than expected, as jobs growth wobbles (CNBC)

• House Freedom Caucus ousts Marjorie Taylor Greene after clash with Lauren Boebert (National Review)

• Oregon Democrats are one step closer to rigging elections with ranked-choice voting (The Federalist)

• Trump aide Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified docs case (Free Beacon)

• FBI doubles down on “ongoing investigation” claim in response to lawsuit over Covenant killer’s manifesto (Tennessee Star)

• Massachusetts senator says sex-change treatments for minors are a “human right” (Free Beacon)

• R&B singer turns national anthem into awful, angry tirade against America (RedState)

• Gay man claims he was set on fire in hate attack; video shows he attacked pregnant woman (Police Tribune)

• NYC aides doctored photo of fallen officer to back up mayor’s story (National Review)

• OceanGate suspends all exploration and commercial operations after Titan implosion (ABC News)

• Wagner boss Prigozhin back in Russia weeks after armed rebellion, Belarusian president says (National Review)

• Policy: Here’s how Congress can end the FBI’s reign of terror (The Federalist)

• Satire: Ben and Jerry announce Native Americans may exchange white man’s scalp for free pint of Chunky Monkey (Babylon Bee)

• Humor: DC police say they may never discover who left bag of cocaine labeled “property of H. Biden” at White House (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.