The Post does paint a disconcerting picture of fewer job openings, slower wage growth, and lackluster progress for people “in the prime of their working years,” all while there’s a European debt crisis and the Chinese economy is slowing down. Over all of it, we’re told, looms “Trump’s trade war.”

This doesn’t quite sink to the level of fake news, but the Post is most definitely regurgitating the Democratic National Committee’s talking points. Democrats’ best hope for retaking the White House in 2020 is a recession, and they’re pushing for one in every way they can.

A few points about trade. It is true that tariffs hurt some sectors of the economy while arguably aiding others. It is also true that many Republicans — and even more so the conservative commentariat — are (accurately) warning about the cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Trump called himself “the Tariff Man,” and he generally advocates tariffs as sound trade policy. “Tariffs are a beautiful thing when you are the piggy bank,” he insisted today. GOP orthodoxy for decades has been just the opposite, and many Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump’s tariffs both as genuine disagreement and as political cover when they hear from constituents hurt by those tariffs. It’s interesting that Trump isn’t blowing that political cover with Twitter tirades, but there’s no question he’s upsetting the status quo apple cart.

Oh, and by the way, Trump didn’t start this trade war — China did decades ago. Whether his chosen tool will rectify the problem remains to be seen, but he’s at least confronting Beijing’s Red leaders, which is something no one else in Washington was willing to do.

Finally, the economy is all about confidence. Tax cuts and deregulation vastly improved confidence for businesses and consumers, while tariff fights — particularly as portrayed by the media — depress that confidence. It’s almost impossible for the short-attention-span, 24/7-news-cycle crowd to maintain a strategic perspective about the long-running economic issues at play here, but the American economy is quite resilient. The problems didn’t manifest overnight and they won’t be fixed that quickly either.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63527?mailing_id=4323&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4323&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body  

Mexico also reportedly agreed to significantly overhaul asylum protocols so as to require applicants to take permanent refuge in the first safe country in which they arrive. Should this asylum overhaul go into effect it would, in theory, stem the flow of migrant caravans through Mexico. Any migrant requesting asylum in the U.S. whose country of origin was south of Mexico would be sent to the closest country of refuge adjacent to their homeland.

Vice President Mike Pence noted the progress, stating, “There has been movement on [Mexico’s] part. It’s been encouraging. The discussions are going to continue in the days ahead.” However, Pence made it clear that Trump has the final say.

As the border crisis only intensifies, May saw more than 132,000 migrants detained after illegally crossing the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is overwhelmed, overworked, undermanned, and bursting at the seams with migrant detainees. With Democrats unwilling to act in any manner to help end the crisis — instead passing an amnesty bill in the House this week — Trump is left to wield one of the few effective tools he has to deal with the problem: tariffs.

While many Republicans and conservatives are rightly concerned over the economic impact of Trump’s tariffs, one question few seem willing to address or even acknowledge is the greater and arguably longer-term economic impact upon the American worker that illegal immigration creates. Clearly, the free market is the best system — so long as everyone is playing by the same rules. Illegal immigration undercuts these rules, cheating American workers and taxpayers. Rectifying such problems is never easy or painless.

Trump’s nationalism is not negative but virtuous in that he recognizes that his primary job is to protect and promote the welfare of Americans above all other nations. This is not an “us against them” message as the Leftmedia fallaciously claims. Rather it is more the attitude of a father prioritizing the needs of his own children over those of others. It is what any nation should expect and demand from its leaders. Democrats object because theirs is a commitment to globalism over nationalism.  

~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63502?mailing_id=4320&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4320&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body  

Speaking with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham from Normandy — with the American cemetery in the background — Trump slammed liar-Pulosi. “I think she’s a disgrace. I actually don’t think she’s a talented person. I’ve tried to be nice to her because I would have liked to have gotten some deals done,” he said, continuing, “She’s incapable of doing deals. She’s a nasty, vindictive, horrible person.”

He wasn’t done, pointing accurately to the scumbag/liar-Hillary Clinton-supporting Democrats who composed Mueller’s team and asserting, “The Mueller report came out [and] it was a disaster for them. … He made such a fool out of himself.” Then he leveled both barrels against Pelosi: “But liar-Nancy Pulosi, I call her ‘Nervous liar-Nancy.’ … liar-Nancy Pulosi’s a disaster, OK? She’s a disaster and let her do what she wants. … I think they’re in big trouble.”

He even slammed her for the rampant homelessness and drug addiction in her San Francisco district, saying, “Ask liar-Nancy, why is her district [having] drug needles all over the place? It’s the most disgusting thing what she’s allowed to happen to her district, with needles, with drug addicts … with people living on the sidewalk.”

As for her “in prison” comment, Trump added, “It was a horrible, nasty, vicious statement while I’m overseas. … She is a terrible person and I’ll tell you her name — it’s ‘Nervous liar-Nancy’ because she’s a nervous wreck.”

How did liar-Pulosi respond? “I don’t talk about the president while I’m out of the country,” she haughtily pronounced. “That’s my principle.” No, her principle is that the speaker of the House can declare while the president is overseas that she wants to “see him in prison” and then retreat behind decorum when she’s overseas.

Earlier yesterday, Trump gave a memorable and beautiful D-Day speech that even his political opponents applauded. Would we have preferred that Trump hold his tongue in the later interview and observe decorum at such a hallowed site? Absolutely.

But then again, what has decorum gotten previous Republican presidents? Democrats will call Republicans horrible things no matter the timing or venue. Trump punches back twice as hard, which is why he emerged victorious from a crowded Republican presidential field.

Footnote: Former Secretary of State hanoi-John Kerry, who really should be in prison for treasonously collaborating with the North Vietnamese while in France, likewise used the cemetery at Normandy to take a veiled shot at Trump because “facts are being erased from the public dialogue” and for the rise of “elements of fascism.” He, like liar-Pulosi, hid behind decorum, saying, “This is not a place to talk about Democrat or Republican or anything political.” While Democrats politicize everything at the same time as they claim the high ground, Trump wants nothing to do with phony pretenses.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63500?mailing_id=4320&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4320&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body  

Two years ago, the Acting Attorney General asked me to serve as Special Counsel, and he created the Special Counsel’s Office.

The appointment order directed the office to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. This included investigating any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign...
Media Editors:   ~The Patriot Post  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZocSUaUHnBA  

President Trump is understandably frustrated by the crisis at the border. Anyone who watched the video of more than 1,000 illegal migrants sneaking through a hole in a fence near El Paso, Texas — the largest single breach of our border ever recorded — and still says we don’t need a border wall is in denial.

There were more than 109,000 apprehensions at or near the southern border in April — the highest level since 2007. But unlike past border surges, when most of the illegal migrants were single men, the vast majority today are either families with children (58,474 in April) or unaccompanied minors (8,897). Our Border Patrol is not equipped to handle it.

Tariffs are the wrong tool to address this crisis. But Congress has denied Trump the right tools. On May 1, the president asked Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency border security funding — a request that included $3.3 billion for humanitarian assistance at the border but no money for a border wall. It’s been more than a month now, and what has Congress done? Absolutely nothing.

Perhaps his threats will work. A high-level delegation of Mexican officials is in Washington to defuse the crisis. The Mexican economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2019 and showed almost no growth in the fourth quarter of 2018. Mexico cannot afford a trade war with the United States. But if a deal is not reached and Trump goes ahead with tariffs on Mexico, it could also have disastrous, unintended consequences for this country.

First, this showdown with Mexico comes just as we engaged China in a trade war. Unlike his threats against Mexico, which are opposed by many in his own party, Trump’s decision to confront Beijing on its theft of intellectual property, forced technology transfers and barriers for U.S. businesses to compete in sectors of China’s economy has strong bipartisan support. But a trade war with Mexico would undermine the trade war with China.

Imposing tariffs on Mexico would help China maximize pain for U.S. businesses and consumers. Why? China and Mexico provide us with many of the same kinds of products. Right now, many American families and businesses that buy those products can avoid the 25% tax on Chinese products by buying the same kinds of items from Mexico. But, as my American Enterprise Institute colleague Derek Scissors points out, if Trump opens a second front in his trade war, they will now get hit by the same tax on Mexican products. And there are no alternatives because our other major trading partners — Canada, Japan, Germany and Britain — do not make the same products China and Mexico do.

Indeed, Mexican tariffs could be even more devastating for Americans than those imposed on China. Deutsche Bank estimates the tariffs could raise the average price of automobiles sold in the United States by $1,300. Indeed, U.S. and Mexican auto-supply chains are so deeply integrated that many parts cross the border multiple times before they end up in a finished vehicle — which means they would be hit by tariffs multiple times, compounding costs. Ten million U.S. workers’ jobs depend on this supply chain; tariffs would put those jobs at risk, including those of the “forgotten Americans” in the industrial Midwest whose jobs Trump vowed to protect.

And that’s just one industry. Mexico is the United States’ third-largest trading partner, sending us $346.5 billion in goods in 2018. Escalating tariffs over the coming year amount to a massive tax increase on American businesses and consumers. After all the effort Trump expended to pass his tax cuts, why would he turn around and unilaterally raise taxes, putting the economic success he has had at risk?

Finally, a trade war gives House Speaker Nancy Pulosi, D-Calif., an excuse not to move on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Pulosi does not want to give Trump a victory by passing his trade agreement. Now she can blame any delay on Trump.

Are there other tools Trump might use besides tariffs? Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, suggested “imposing a fee on the billions of dollars of remittances that annually leave the United States to Mexico, which only encourage illegal immigration and don’t help the U.S. economy.” Let’s hope it does not come to that and that Trump cuts a deal and the whole crisis blows over. Because a two-front trade war would be devastating to the U.S. economy. China is our real adversary. Mexico is not.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/opinion/63427?mailing_id=4315&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4315&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body  

While we honor the brave men of D-Day, let us also honor the great sacrifices and victories achieved 77 years ago this week at the Battle of Midway. While not readily accessible for visitors like the shores of Normandy, Midway turned the tide against the evil Axis power in the Pacific Ocean and proved the value of new tactics.

For starters, the battle showed the value of intelligence work once deemed “ungentlemanly.” In the 1920s and 1930s, code-breaking was looked down upon. In 1929, then-Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson shut down the “Black Chamber” — a forerunner of today’s National Security Agency — with the moralistic pronouncement that “Gentlemen don’t read each other’s mail.” (Sound familiar to anyone who followed the smearing of Gina Haspel and other American heroes in the military and intelligence community?)

Well, the reason America had a fighting chance at Midway was because of the heroic work of Joe Rochefort, who broke Japanese naval codes and was “reading their mail.” That bought Admiral Chester W. Nimitz enough time to not only send reinforcements to Midway, but to also come up with a way to ambush the Japanese, who had hoped to ambush American carriers rushing to Midway’s defense.

But that is not the only reason we should remember Midway. The battle was a near-run thing, partially because American forces had been caught by surprise at Pearl Harbor, but also because of decades of neglect. The “Two Ocean Navy,” coming from legislation passed in 1938 and 1940, was mostly still under construction. American faith in the arms-control agreements of the 1921 Washington Naval Treaty and the 1930 London Naval Treaty proved to be wrongly placed.

The Marines were also building up, but had already fought with legendary courage at Wake Island, being hung out to dry by the McClellan-esque duo of Frank Jack Fletcher and William Pye.

It was at Midway where the United States Navy, already hit with devastating losses and crippled by a unilateral adherence to arms-control treaties that a potential adversary flouted, managed to turn the tide. Much is made of the “five minutes” where SBD Dauntless dive-bombers fatally wounded three Japanese carriers, but that was made possible by the earlier string of attacks by torpedo planes, including Torpedo Squadron Eight, which suffered the loss of all but one of the personnel who carried out its attack.

When the Battle of Midway was over, the Japanese Navy had lost four aircraft carriers, the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu, along with the heavy cruiser Mikuma. The United States Navy had lost the carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann. It shifted the balance of power in the Pacific and halted Japan’s advances. It was a truly important event in our history, but try finding it in any textbook used in our schools today.

These days, Midway is part of a National Monument, administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service. While the Navy commemorates this battle, it rarely draws the attention that D-Day does, and in many ways, America has suffered for it. Our Navy today is in desperate need of hulls in the water, while potential adversaries are building forces. Ensuring that we have a strong navy is important for our country — and one way to make sure we are prepared is to know about our history.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63399?mailing_id=4313&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4313&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body  

I invite you to learn more about D-Day in my column, “D-Day at 75: Two Flags and a Son’s Promise Kept.” Take time to view D-Day — Freedom Is NOT Free.

To mark the occasion, President Donald Trump spoke today at Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. He said, “We are gathered here on Freedom’s Altar. On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of Liberty. Today, we remember those who fell, and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization. … 9,388 young Americans rest beneath the white crosses and Stars of David arrayed on these beautiful grounds.”

Appropriately, Trump noted, “More powerful than the strength of American arms was the strength of American hearts.”

On Memorial Day just past, I offered this advice to those who genuinely want to demonstrate their gratitude to all who paid the highest price for their Liberty and those who want to thank active-duty and veteran military personnel today for the freedom they have, and continue to defend, at great cost: Strive to be, first and foremost, an American citizen worthy of their sacrifice.

Watch composer John Williams’ moving “Hymn to the Fallen” while taking a visual tour of the only real estate Americans kept after WWII — just enough land to bury our dead. Listen to Taps at Arlington National Cemetery.

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” —John 15:13

On this and every day, please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces now standing in harm’s way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63451?mailing_id=4318&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4318&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body  

President Donald Trump suggested late last year that he was considering expanding ethanol availability as a means of helping farmers hurt by the trade war with China. The EPA first proposed a rule change back in March to make gasoline with higher concentrations of ethanol available year-round.

These higher amounts of ethanol fuel had previously been banned during the summer months because studies found that when the fuel burns at higher temperatures, it can lead to smog, particularly in urban areas. Evidently, the Environmental Protection Agency is unconcerned about such environmental warnings.

Worse, reports The Wall Street Journal, “In addition to the E15 concession, the EPA has mandated a 630-million-gallon increase in the volume of advanced biofuels blended into the fuel supply nationwide. That includes biofuels made from soybeans and sorghum — crops also hurt by tariffs.”

Previous EPA administrators claimed they did not have the authority to allow summer sales of E15, but current chief Andrew Wheeler said this recent move is a reinterpretation of the law. This is government-speak for, “The rules say we can’t. We say we can.”

Wheeler insisted that the changes were not an attempt to appease farmers who have lost sales due to China’s retaliatory tariffs. Instead, according to Wheeler, the rule changes were a fix to a troubled program that will boost sales for farmers and ethanol producers.

Isn’t that the same thing?

Trump needs the Corn Belt to win reelection, and that means keeping the Midwestern states happy. He has already offered $28 billion in direct payments to farmers hurt by Chinese tariffs, which were specifically targeted to hit states that Trump won in 2016. Wheeler can use whatever linguistic gymnastics he likes, but this is about votes and nothing besides. It’s certainly not about concern for Mother Earth.

Ethanol is bad for the environment. It uses vast amounts of water to produce. The drive to plant more corn to make ethanol throws the ecology off balance (as well as market prices for crops), drains nutrients from the soil, and leads to a polluted water table due to the increased use of fertilizers to grow all that corn. Furthermore, there has never been any substantiated evidence proving that the increased use of ethanol has had any positive impact on CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

It has been proven, however, that ethanol use degrades engines and fuel lines faster than regular gasoline, especially in small engines like yard equipment. This, of course, leads to increased maintenance and the need for more parts to make up for the wear and tear. This increased industrial production, which would not otherwise take place, strains the environment to some degree on its own, as does the added waste of worn out parts.

Worst of all, it also starves people as food corn is replaced by higher ethanol-producing corns. People are literally dying around the world due to ethanol.

In short, ethanol is a swamp boondoggle.

With all this environmental damage being caused by ethanol, you would think Democrats would oppose the fuel additive. But they need votes, too. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, one of the dozens of earnest Democrat candidates for president, has said she would go as far as eliminating waivers for small refiners that let gasoline producers skirt ethanol requirements. Just like Republicans, with the exception of Sen. Ted Cruz, Klobuchar and other Democrats will promise whatever it takes to get the support of Iowa voters.

Trump is probably the only person in a position of power who has the intestinal fortitude to call ethanol what it is, a farce and a failure, and do something about it. Unfortunately, he’s done just the opposite. His latest move to double down on ethanol signifies that we’re not going to see an end to King Corn anytime soon.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63400?mailing_id=4313&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4313&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body 

As National Review’s David French observes, “The real story here is darker. It’s the story of how powerful media will combine with big tech to expose a vulnerable man to public ridicule in an era of vicious intolerance.” Similarly, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh notes, “This is a stunning breach of privacy by a company that claims to value its user’s privacy above all else. … This transcends politics. Anyone who claims to value privacy ought to be up in arms. … If [Facebook] can do this to some random meme-maker in the Bronx, they can do it to you.”

This episode is just one reminder of why the Big Tech monopoly is so alarming. In fact, as this was playing out, the Justice Department announced that it would take the lead on any antitrust investigations into Google. There have been growing rumblings of a coming antitrust investigation, and this latest announcement apparently signals that it is immanent.

But Google isn’t the only tech company in the government’s crosshairs. The Federal Trade Commission recently secured the rights to investigate Facebook over whether the social-media giant has engaged in unlawful monopolistic practices, which expands the FTC’s current investigation into Facebook’s privacy-related issues. Also, on Monday, the House Judiciary Committee announced its own sweeping antitrust probe that would be “a top-to-bottom review of market power held by giant tech platforms.”

Given these tech giants’ unilateral rule changes and wildly inconsistent application — not to mention now outing private citizens — it’s putting it mildly to say a commitment to fair play has not been a featured priority.  ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/articles/63410?mailing_id=4313&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4313&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body