"Few policy proposals are as routinely irrelevant as so-called common-sense gun-control measures -- and seemingly, the less relevant they are, the more passionately their advocates support them. The three proposals that the Left always calls for -- prohibitions of purchases by people on the watch list; ending the alleged gun-show loophole; universal background checks -- usually have nothing to do with the shootings they are meant to stop. They are a trinity of non sequiturs.

"Consider the Orlando and San Bernardino killers. They weren't on the terrorism watch list when they bought their guns; they didn't go to gun shows to get them; and they all passed background checks. Democrats could have passed their preferred legislation on all these matters long ago, and it wouldn't have discomfited these monsters in the least. ...

"Everyone understands and feels the impulse to do something after the horror of Orlando -- and we should do all we can to crush ISIS and thwart its sick propaganda and recruitment campaigns -- but gun control simply isn't a good tool for fighting terrorism."

"For years now the Obama administration has been regaling us with stories of our great success in 'degrading and destroying' the Islamic State terror group -- but according to CIA Director John Brennan, nothing could be further from the truth.

"Five days after the Orlando terrorist atrocity, Mr. Brennan testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the most blunt way, describing a failure of the Obama administration that can only be described as monumental. Even as the president was out touting our supposed continuing success against ISIS or ISIL, other names for the Islamic State, Mr. Brennan contradicted him on every point, and in every way.

"This is especially remarkable for an administration that has been clearly mired in Group Think illustrated in part by the fact that rarely, if ever, has a cabinet official personally and directly contradicted not just the narrative of the White House, but the words of the president himself.

"'Our efforts have not reduced the group's terrorism capability and global reach,' said Mr. Brennan, who then went on to warn of more attacks on the scale of Paris and Orlando."

"Tighten your seat belts because the U.S. economy is in for another frightening bumpy ride that Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen calls the 'new normal.'

"That means we're facing a prolonged period of much slower job creation and painfully anemic economic growth in the middle of a deeply divisive presidential election.

"In a downbeat assessment of the economy's prospects, the Fed again postponed raising interest rates in the face of weakening economic data that is teetering on the edge of another recession. ...

"And the Fed doesn't expect the Obama economy to do much better over the next two years."

"In the wake of the worst mass shooting in US history, the search for ISIS's role in the carnage has focused on whether the group directed or merely inspired the attack, but the terror in Orlando shows that we're missing the point.

"The truth is that ISIS is creating a new role for themselves, not as the director who maps out the plans, or even the actors who carry it out, but rather as the producers of terror who ensure that operations are a success by attracting the right cast, providing a rough draft of the script, and ensuring publicity after the fact. ...

"Orlando brings up a new specter of fear for Americans. Instead of trained ISIS operatives slipping into our country to form sleeper cells, we must now confront the reality that 'lone wolf' attackers are far from alone when we consider the world of training and online inspiration at their fingertips.

"ISIS has found a way to bring the fight to us, and it is more crucial than ever that we find a way to effectively counter their online propaganda before they recruit others."

"A future president needs to ask Congress for a declaration of war against all jihadi organizations that threaten to attack the United States, our military, our citizens or our interests. No phony limits, such as just declaring war only on ISIS or al Qaeda (names change). All violent jihadis who target us, now or in the future, are mortal enemies.

"Why formally declare war? It brings focus, unleashes resources, eases our self-defeating rules of engagement, clarifies laws and, critically, changes mind-sets. It lets us cull the political generals and replace them with fighters and gets the lawyers off the battlefield.

"We need to use whatever military tools are required and employ them with resolve and without second-guessing those who fight. The best way to save lives, military and civilian, is to kill those you need to kill as quickly as possible."

Read entire article here:

"ISIS ... has learned the West's true vulnerability. A free society simply can't police everyone at once, and a relentless propaganda campaign aimed at radicals worldwide will yield jihadists who are ready to kill with any and all weapons available. The Paris attacks were conducted in a nation with far tighter gun controls than any state in the United States, and it resulted in more than twice the casualties of Orlando. Europe has suffered more than the U.S. in spite of its restrictive legal regime. The virus is spreading.

"The gun-control debate is nothing more than a destructive distraction. Is there a single viable gun-control proposal of the last decade that would keep a committed jihadist from arming himself? Indeed, the gun-control debate keeps us from focusing on the true danger: a terrorist movement that's learning how to attack a free society. It keeps us from focusing on the terrorists' capabilities and motivations. It keeps us from asking the very hard questions about how to defeat a movement that's based not just in a jihadist army that takes and holds territory but also in an ancient religious idea that has never gone away."

"The U.S. can no longer treat the Islamic State, a resurgent al-Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations as distant enemies. Islamic terrorists' war on us has returned to American shores, and it will continue here as long as we refuse to exercise the tactics necessary to stamp it out. ...

"Orlando, like Paris and San Bernardino and London and Madrid and countless other attacks, is an attack on a way of life, painstakingly built up over centuries, that cares first and foremost for freedom. Now more than ever the West must uphold that way of life -- and take the fight to those who seek to destroy it."

"An explosive report released Thursday suggests that Google manipulated its search engine to boost Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton by burying unflattering stories about her.

"A video posted by SourceFed, a news and pop-culture website, accused Google of attempting to boost secretly Mrs. Clinton'€™s candidacy. ...

"The allegations by SourceFed, whose YouTube page shows 1.7 million subscribers, come on the heels of an Internet scandal involving allegations that Facebook manipulated its 'trending topics' section to omit conservative-friendly stories."

"Employment: The economy has 'turned the corner,' we keep hearing. We'€™re now in a 'solid' jobs recovery, still others repeat. Funny how just a single month's data can alter the narrative.

"Unfortunately for the narrative, May's jobs report showing just 38,000 jobs created -- vs. a consensus Wall Street estimate of 160,000 new jobs -- was so far under trend that it can only be one of two things: a complete fluke, or an ominous sign that the economy is starting to seriously sputter. We're betting on the latter. ...

"Making things still worse, median family income in April stood at $57,243, still 0.6% below its level of 2000 -- a shocking indictment of Obama's policies built on massive regulation of the economy (Dodd-Frank, EPA), cheap money (Fed zero interest rates), interference in free markets (minimum wage and housing), and the takeover of one whole sector of the economy by the federal government (ObamaCare).

"Anyone who expresses surprise at the current economic doldrums just isn't paying attention."

"Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are different in many ways, but perhaps never more so than in their approach to punctuality. While Clinton is habitually hours late, Sanders almost always sticks closely to his campaign schedule.

"So it was a surprise to see Sanders show up 40 minutes late to his speech at Tuesday night's election rally in Santa Monica, Calif. He was reportedly caught up in watching election returns back in his Los Angeles hotel room; the uncharacteristic delay seemed to reveal a man grappling with a momentous decision. Should he stay, or should he go?"