'Islamic State attacks from Afghanistan into Iran and now Russia should be wake-up calls'

'The ISIS attack on Moscow should be a wake-up call to the US'

Kevin Carroll at The Dispatch

It would be a mistake to "coldly dismiss" the Islamic State attacks in Russia last week and Iran in January because these "murderous" strikes targeted U.S. adversaries, says Kevin Carroll. The attacks in Russia, where 143 concertgoers died, and an Iranian memorial service showed the Islamist extremist group is "capable of and committed to launching mass-casualty terrorism from its Afghan sanctuary." These tragedies targeting civilians should serve as a reminder that America is "vulnerable," too.

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'The coming electricity crisis'

The Wall Street Journal editorial board

President Joe Biden keeps sounding "alarms about a climate crisis that his policies can't do much about," says The Wall Street Journal editorial board. His media cheerleaders play along while "ignoring how government climate policies are contributing to a looming electric-grid crisis that is more urgent and could be avoided." America's power demand is soaring thanks partly to new artificial intelligence data centers and the "government-driven electric-vehicle transition." Maybe the press will "notice when more blackouts arrive."

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'Trump's Bible grift is going to backfire'

Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post

Former President Donald Trump might regret "hawking the 'God Bless the USA' Bible to his MAGA supporters," says Eugene Robinson. The venture "might well flop, like Trump Steaks" and his "hideous gold-colored 'Never Surrender' sneakers." The "grift" certainly "deserves to be smitten by a wrathful marketplace." It also could backfire if Trump's fans look inside the Good Book, where they'll "find myriad reasons to forsake their profoundly flawed political hero." As Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets."

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'Evan Gershkovich's year in captivity'

Tom Nichols at The Atlantic

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has now been "held in Russia’s infamous Lefortovo prison for a year," says Tom Nichols. Moscow has accused the Russian-speaking Gershkovich of espionage, the "first foreign journalist charged with that crime by the Kremlin since the end of the Cold War." The allegation is "nonsense," but Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't care. He'll keep taking hostages "as bargaining chips" for Russians imprisoned in the West just to show the world he can.

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