The Patriot Post Digest 1-2-2020

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The Patriot Post Digest 1-2-2020
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest

Jan. 2, 2020 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/67649-mid-day-digest-2020-01-02
THE FOUNDATION

“I will not believe our labors are lost. I shall not die without a hope that light and liberty are on a steady advance.” —Thomas Jefferson (1821)

https://patriotpost.us/fqd/67647-founders-quote-daily-2020-01-02
IN TODAY’S EDITION

A look back at Trump’s record provides hope for 2020.1
Bad actors on the world stage still present challenges.2
Daily Features: More Analysis3, Columnists4, Headlines5, Opinion in Brief6, Short Cuts7, Memes8, and Cartoons9.

IN BRIEF

The Trump Administration’s Record Bodes Well for 202010

The new year is always a good time to reflect on blessings of the past and hope for the future. In that spirit, here’s a highlight reel of good stuff resulting from the Trump administration’s policy achievements.

Jobs are plentiful. The White House says seven million jobs have been created since Donald Trump’s election. Record numbers of Americans are employed, and wages are rising as employers compete for workers. The headline unemployment rate is at its lowest in 50 years, with minorities in particular enjoying the fruits of this labor.

The stock market has continued to break records, yielding benefits for the investment and retirement accounts of more than half of all Americans. The Dow Jones average rose 22% in 2019, while the S&P was up 29% and the NASDAQ climbed 35%. When Trump was elected, the market was pretty volatile, and New York Times economist Paul Krugman predicted, “If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is never.” Boy was he ever wrong.

Consumer optimism is reflected in year-end retail sales. Gary Bauer notes11, “Retail sales surged 3.4% over last year, led by record online spending. The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a critical time for the economy. According to Reuters, sales during these few weeks can account for up to 40% of all annual sales for many retailers.”

Regulations reduced. Economic growth comes when government gets out of the way, contrary to the “stimulus” philosophy of the last administration. The White House says, “Since taking office, President Trump has rolled back nearly 8 regulations for every new one, saving American taxpayers more than $50 billion in the process — with bigger savings still to come.” That includes rolling back a lot of his predecessor’s environmental controls. The Daily Caller reports12 that Trump “nixed nearly 100 environmental regulations during his first three years in office.”

Not only has Trump cut red tape, he’s been slow to add new regulations. According13 to The Washington Times, “The Trump administration issued the fewest new regulations during 2019 than in any year since the government began keeping track more than four decades ago.” All three of the lowest regulation totals belong to President Trump.

Judicial appointments. Not all of Trump’s success has been economic. An astounding 20% of the federal judiciary is now composed of Trump appointments after the Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed 187 of his nominees. For the pace of that success, Republicans at least owe a wink and nod to former Democrat Senate Leader Harry Reid, who nuked the filibuster for judges in 2013. Judges were a big reason for millions of conservative votes in 2016, and Trump has delivered.

Defeating terrorists. After Barack Obama fomented the rise14 of the Islamic State, Trump has spent three years fighting back. It hasn’t been free of controversy, but it’s hard to argue with success like the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi15.

Other gains include military funding and rebuilding, immigration policy, and — we hope — trade.

Not bad for a guy Democrats are hell-bent on impeaching. 2020 is, of course, an election year and Americans will choose whether or not they want to stay this positive course.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/67646-the-trump-administrations-record-bodes-well-for-2020-2020-01-02

Top Foreign Threats Facing the U.S. in 202016

As we enter a new year and a new decade, Americans were reminded anew that our old geopolitical foes still present a significant threat to our nation and our way of life. In Baghdad, Iraq, the U.S. embassy was attacked by Iran-backed “protesters” angered at President Donald Trump’s authorization of air strikes against the Iran-backed terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah — a jihadi group that had killed an American civilian contractor. Trump was quick to send in the U.S. Marines to secure the embassy and prevent another Benghazi fiasco. He also warned, “Iran killed an American contractor wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible.”

Iran continues to be provocative in an effort to get Trump to back off his crippling sanctions, while the regime continues its pursuit of building a nuclear weapon. Thus far, Trump has avoided being pulled into a war with Iran, but as the Iranians get more desperate, expect an increase in the number of attacks against U.S. interests and allies.

At the same time, North Korea has once again ramped up its saber-rattling, with Kim Jong-un claiming to possesses a “new strategic weapon” while also suggesting he will end the moratorium against testing long-rang missiles. For the moment, Trump seems content to hold the line on sanctions while continuing his charm offensive. He continues to avoid offering any heated criticism of Kim while effectively calling on Beijing’s puppet17 to uphold the denuclearization agreement “he did sign.”

Finally, the ongoing trade war with China18. There was some recent positive news, as the White House announced that a “phase one” deal agreed to last month would be signed on January 15. The deal would cancel a new round of $156 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods as well as slash current tariffs on another $120 billion in goods. While it is undeniable that the trade war has hurt certain sectors of the U.S. economy, it has been necessary to fight against Chinese cheating. However, this fight is far from over, as Beijing would love nothing more than to see Trump lose his reelection bid with an aim to continue its unfair trade practices.

In short, as 2019 passes into 2020, there are some things that haven’t changed and will require continued American vigilance.

https://patriotpost.us/articles/67648-top-foreign-threats-facing-the-us-in-2020