"Gun-control laws are big over-promisers. Amid a mess of emotional argumentation, few people ever actually do the thinking about what a given measure is going to accomplish in the real world.

"You wouldn't know it from the Left's reaction to this decision, but this is not going to cause an explosion of crime. Believe it or not, criminals don't usually draw attention to themselves by applying for licenses to carry concealed.

"Meanwhile, we already know how to control gun crime -- we were succeeding at it during the late 1990s, all the way up through about 2014. The solution is to throw the book at all violent and repeat criminals. Stop making deals with them and go for maximum sentences wherever possible, even while showing appropriate mercy toward nonviolent and first-time offenders.

"If you're not willing to do that, then there is no gun control measure on Earth that can save the people you are so intent upon misgoverning."

Read the entire article here.

"Mocking climate-change warriors for their private jets and yachts, far-flung vacation homes, and chauffeured SUVs has become routine among jaundiced observers of the world's increasingly numerous environmental conferences. Such mockery hasn't had the slightest effect on the conferees' conspicuous consumption of the miraculous products of Western innovation and capitalism. The celebrities and climate ministers continue to enjoy their fabulous lifestyles in plain view, confident in the cardinal rule of all environmentalism: one's own activities are always important enough to be exempt from any environmental limits. Only the other person should have to sacrifice.

"The young people currently professing mental breakdowns about the imminent destruction of the earth spread their trauma to one another through their most up-to-date smartphones -- devices that require precious metals extracted from environmentally catastrophic Third World countries and server farms that suck up vast amounts of energy. These climate neurotics expect their meals to be delivered to them in disposable containers, since cooking is too onerous. Whether their delivery man drives a car or rides an energy-consumptive electric bicycle is of no interest. They expect their groceries and their Amazon purchases to be delivered in a matter of minutes, no matter the vast complex of warehouses and trucking routes needed to cater to their ever-rising demands for maximal convenience. They, too, order bottled water by the caseload, since America's pure tap water -- one of the great triumphs of urban planning -- is too banal, and besides, who knows what undetected carcinogens may lurk in it? If any one of these hysterical, mostly female activists has ever given up something that she views as even remotely necessary to her comfort, there is no record of such sacrifice. Environmental renunciation is a tautology: one gives up only what one is prepared to give up and nothing more.

"But the greatest hypocrisy comes from politicians like Biden, who mouth climate-change platitudes until the moment reality threatens to put those platitudes into practice -- with all of their real-world costs. Politicians don't do real-world costs; they do politics."

Read the entire article here.

"To say there's a disconnect between many journalists and the public they serve is a gross understatement, according to a new in-depth survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

"Per Pew, 65 percent of the nearly 12,000 journalists surveyed say the media do a solid job of 'covering the most important stories of the day' and reporting news accurately. But a solid majority of the American public at large has the opposite view, with just 35 percent feeling the same way. That's a 30-point perception gap.

"When asked if journalists perform well when 'serving as a watchdog over elected leaders,' 52 percent of journalists agreed. But the number dropped precipitously again when the general public was asked, with less than 3 in 10 agreeing with the assessment.

"When asked if journalists manage and correct misinformation consistently, 43 percent of those in the industry said yes, while just 25 percent of the general public agreed."

Red the entire article here.

"According to two sources, around the time of Russia's late February invasion of Ukraine, a cyber unit of Russia's GRU military intelligence service again conducted targeting-reconnaissance operations against a major U.S. liquefied natural gas exporter, Freeport LNG.

"U.S. LNG exports have long been a priority concern for Russia, viewed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a means for the United States to undercut Russia's domination of the European gas market.

"On June 8, Freeport LNG suffered an explosion at its liquefaction plant and export terminal on Texas's Quintana Island. The damage suffered means the facility is not expected to resume major operations until late 2022. The June 8 disruption had an immediate impact in spiking already soaring European gas prices and has reinforced Russia's ability to hold gas supplies to Europe at risk in retaliation for the European Union sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine. U.S. LNG futures have fallen significantly since the explosion."

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"It is not just gasoline prices pummeling family budgets. The price of electricity is climbing rapidly. In March alone, the average residential price for electricity jumped 4.6% over February's rate. This was much more than expected and suggests an unusually large annual increase.

"Although consumers pay more for electricity, the service they are getting is growing less reliable. A recent assessment by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) reveals that more than half of the country is at an elevated risk or high risk of energy shortfalls this summer -- shortfalls that could lead to blackouts and brownouts.

"There are a number of reasons for NERC's findings. Generator retirements, coal supply constraints, the intermittent nature of wind and solar energy, insufficient electric transmission, demand growth, cyber threats and weather events are all factors.

"President Biden's ill-conceived 'incredible transition' is making the first four of these factors worse. The NERC official who led the assessment said at a news briefing that the 'pace of our grid transformation is a bit out of sync' with the realities of the current grid."

Read the entire article here.

"President Joe Biden and his administration insist the southwest U.S. border is closed and federal immigration laws are being enforced.

"But since Biden took office, more than 3 million people have been encountered/apprehended entering the U.S. illegally from over 150 countries, according to Customs and Border Patrol data. And that number doesn't include so-called 'gotaways,' the term used for those crossing the border illegally who evade capture.

"CBP doesn't report the number of gotaways publicly, but Border Patrol agents who spoke to The Center Square said they total more than a million since Biden took office, setting the total number of border crossings at more than 4 million.

"In 17 months, those entering the U.S. illegally total more than the individual populations of 23 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia."

Read the entire article here.

"The American Petroleum Institute, the country's biggest oil and natural gas trade association, has sent the White House a suggested, 10-step plan to lower oil prices -- amid record-high costs at gas stations.

"Institute CEO Mike Sommers' recommendations include lifting restrictions on drilling on federal land, streamlining permitting processes, advancing new energy infrastructure projects and eliminating supply-chain bottlenecks.

"'Your administration has restricted oil and natural gas development, canceled energy infrastructure projects, imposed regulatory uncertainty, and proposed new tax increases on American oil,' Sommers said."

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"More than half of Americans are dipping into their savings, borrowing money or going into debt just to cover their expenses, according to data from the National Retail Federation (NRF).

"Consumers are facing a rise in costs across all categories from everyday goods to groceries and gas 'as we continue to face the highest rate of inflation in decades,' according to the nation's largest retail trade group.

"In a recent survey conducted by the NRF, 47% of consumers said they have been switching to cheaper alternatives when looking for household necessities as they try and navigate the challenging economic environment."

Read the entire article here.

"Half of Americans in a new Gallup poll say they would rate the overall state of moral values in the U.S. as poor, a record high, according to the survey giant.

"The poll released on Wednesday found that 50 percent of respondents rate the state of moral values in the country as being poor while 37 percent rate it as being only fair and 12 percent see it as good. One percent said they rate it as excellent.

"The last time respondents rated the state of moral values in the U.S. similarly was back in 2018, when 49 percent of those polled said it was poor.

"The dismal view of moral values is largely driven by Republicans polled, 72 percent of whom rated moral values' state in the country as being poor."

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"The US and European real estate markets are experiencing a downwards shift in prices as buyers fall away, according to the global chief investment officer of Hines, one of the largest closely held real estate investors in the world.

"Prices have fallen by about 5% to 10% compared to a year earlier in some areas, according to David L. Steinbach, with Europe following a trajectory set in the US. 'I think we're in for a rough few months,' he said. 'This year is going to be choppy water.'

"Businesses are re-examining expansion plans in light of higher costs, Steinbach said in an interview in Abu Dhabi. Rising interest rates are feeding through into higher funding costs, further dampening demand, he added.

"'Higher inflation is without a doubt making its way into private real estate,' Steinbach said. 'The bidding pools are becoming thinner.'"