Cross-Examination

• Good news: “Sound of Freedom” may reach $100 million: After two weeks in theaters, and in the face of a Leftmedia smear campaign, the movie “Sound of Freedom” is expected to hit the $100 million mark in ticket sales this week. Indeed, the campaign against the film starring Jim Caviezel appears to have backfired, as its second week saw audience numbers increase by 37%. This is significant. As the head of theatrical distribution for Angel Studios Brandon Purdie observed, “There have only been 10 wide release movies in box office history that have had a 2nd weekend increase greater than 35% over their opening weekend.” He added: “All of them did it at Christmas. Angel Studios is the only Studio to do this in the summer blockbuster season with SOUND OF FREEDOM.” Impressive.

• Summer’s heat could damage EV batteries: Every product has its positives and negatives, which is why in a free market system, those products that beat the competition do so by better meeting the needs of the consumer. It is only when the heavy hand of government steps in to squelch competition that the consumer loses. While electric vehicles may be the right choice for some consumers, they are clearly not for everyone, nor should they be. One of the drawbacks to EVs is the ironic fact that they are much more negatively impacted by the climate than are gas-powered vehicles. Hot weather can wreak havoc on EV batteries, leading to overheating that can shorten the life of batteries. This reality further limits the already limited EV, as a litany of new behaviors are required for owners in order to prevent overheating on hot days, including avoiding rapid charging, using the air conditioner, and keeping a lower overall charge on the vehicle. In other words, it’s probably not the vehicle to use for summer vacation travel.

• Federal court upholds Oregon’s anti-2A law: A Donald Trump-appointed judge has upheld Oregon’s draconian anti-Second Amendment gun control law as constitutional. Measure 114 bans magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and requires a permit to purchase a firearm, but these constitutional infringements were declared by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut to be in line with “the nation’s history and tradition of regulating uniquely dangerous features of weapons and firearms to protect public safety.” In her ruling, Immergut dubiously argued that mislabeled “large-capacity” magazines “are not commonly used for self-defense, and are therefore not protected by the Second Amendment.” The Second Amendment exists not primarily for personal self-defense but rather for citizens’ defense against a tyrannical government, which of course makes the “high-capacity magazine” claim absurd. This case will likely be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• SPR replenishment could take decades: In order to push his extreme anti-fossil fuel agenda while at the same time making a show of supposedly combatting record-high gas prices weighing against Democrats in the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, Joe Biden tapped into the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). He used more than 211 million barrels in what amounted to a mostly fruitless effort to bring down prices at the pump, and in so doing he drained the SPR to its lowest level in almost 40 years. Currently, the SPR contains just 346 million barrels, which would only provide 18 days of supply in a major crisis situation. Now, former DOE SPR manager John Shages explained that refilling the reserve is not only costly but also a time-consuming affair. “It could take decades,” Shages observes. How again has Biden made America safer?

• The science is settled? A new study is challenging the previous view of the age of the universe. The current broadly accepted age of the universe is some 13.8 billion years. However, if the findings of recent research are accurate, then the actual age of the universe may be nearly double the current accepted estimate. According to Rajendra Gupta, theoretical physicist from the University of Ottawa, “Our newly-devised model stretches the galaxy formation time by … several billion years.” That would make the universe closer to 27 billion years old. Meanwhile, some assert the science on climate change is “settled” and claim that we can determine what the earth’s temperature will be in 100 years. On the other hand, they deny that gender is settled science even though a man is still a man no matter how he may “identify.”

• Your tax dollars at work: The Biden administration’s disgraced cross-dressing former Department of Energy official Sam Brinton, who got himself fired for stealing $3,670 worth of a woman’s luggage from a Las Vegas airport, did so on the taxpayers’ dime. Brinton was on a three-day trip to Las Vegas when he swiped that lady’s luggage. The travel was supposedly for official government business and cost a total of $1,951.50. What that government business was in Las Vegas is not clear. Meanwhile, Brinton has thus far avoided any prison time for his baggage thievery, even though he also was charged with stealing a woman’s suitcase in Minneapolis as well.

Headlines

• American soldier detained by North Korea after crossing heavily-fortified DMZ border (Fox News)

• Biden transition team was tipped off the night before planned FBI interview with Hunter, whistleblower testifies (National Review)

• White House advisor pounds podium defending “foundational, sacred obligation” to fund military abortions (Fox News)

• Trump says DOJ sent him target letter in January 6 probe, signaling he is about to be indicted (Free Beacon)

• Georgia Supreme Court denies Trump bid to quash Fulton County investigation (The Hill)

• Soros-funded DA says her job has “no impact on crime” (Free Beacon) and that families of murder victims are unable to “appreciate the work we do” (RedState)

• Algebra 1 effectively eliminated from Harvard-area middle schools because too many white and Asian students were taking it (Blaze Media)

• Iowa judge temporarily blocks six-week abortion ban (NBC News)

• PBS accuses GOP of “screwing up’” the military for “culture war” (NewsBusters)

• More Millennials think “misgendering” should be a crime, new poll shows (Townhall)

• Snow White and the Seven… Politically-Correct Companions? First pictures of new live-action remake of Disney classic shows stand-in princess walking with diverse band of merry men and women after row over using dwarf actors (Daily Mail)

• Ken Ham’s Ark Encounter is sponsoring the rain delays at Cincinnati Reds baseball games (Not the Bee)

• Policy: The new censorship: How the establishment Left embraced government control of digital speech (City Journal)

• Humor: Biden blames White House cocaine on black guy who lived there before (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.