Document mGV1MRQo5JOw8zzBnnMEJazZ

Message From: Sent: To: Subject: Americans for Limited Government [media@limitgov.org] 4/30/2018 1:31:44 PM Abboud, Michael [/o=ExchangeLabs/ou=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/cn=Recipients/cn=b6f5af791al842fladcc088cbf9ed3ce-Abboud, Mic] Trump approach to North Korea seems to bear fruit as the hermit kingdom comes to the negotiating table North and South Korea have agreed to come together in the first real diplomatic breakthrough since the end of the Cold War April 30, 2018 Permission to republish original op-eds and cartoons granted. Trump approach to North Korea seems to bear fruit as the hermit kingdom comes to the negotiating table For nearly 70 years, conflict surrounding North Korea, South Korea, and the United States has put countless lives at risk and left U. S. - Asian relations in a cold limbo. Over the last decade, North Korea has become an increasingly volatile threat, but that changed this year with heightened pressure from the United States. In a historic step, North and South Korea have agreed to come together in the first real diplomatic breakthrough since the end o f the Cold War, setting the path for victory for every actor. First quarter disappoints again at only 2.3 percent growth annualized Sometimes, it can take a while for the economic stimulus o f a tax cut to take root. In 1981, the first year o f the Reagan tax cut, the economy grew ju s t 2.6 percent that year. A year later, in 1982, was the second worst recession in modern history when the economy shrank 1.9 percent. But once the waters had receded, the economy boomed. 4.6 percent in 1983. 7.3 percent in 1984, one o f the highest growth rates in the postwar era. Gohmert: Mueller Unmasked `R obert Mueller's months-long witch hunt into so-called `Russian collusion' continues to spiral out o f control. Despite hundreds o f hours o f non-stop liberal-media coverage, most Americans still know very little about the man behind the probe. Congressman Louie Gohmert has had enough o f the special counsel's abuse o f power, and h e's prepared to `unmask' Mueller's questionable history and total lack o fjudgment spanning decades. " Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00002340-00001 Trump approach to North Korea seems to bear fruit as the hermit kingdom comes to the negotiating tabie By Natalia Castro For nearly 70 years, conflict surrounding North Korea, South Korea, and the United States has put countless lives at risk and left U.S.-North Korean relations in a cold limbo. Over the last decade, North Korea has become an increasingly volatile threat as it has pushed for nuclear weapons, but now that changed this year with heightened pressure from the United States. In a historic step, North and South Korea have agreed to come together in the first real diplomatic breakthrough since the end of the Cold War, setting the path for victory for every actor. For the first time since the physical end of the Korean War, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jongun and South Korean President Moon Jae-in walked between the two territories and committed to a peace negotiation. The meeting preempts a summit between President Trump and Kim which, if successful, could lead to the formal end of the Korean War and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which the two declared to be common goals. The U.S. and North Korea have had a long and troubled history, and no U.S. leader has been able to produce a favorable outcome between the two nations, yet now, international leaders are praising President Trump for his ability to unite the countries. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explained during his April visit to the U.S. that Trump has "successfully forged a mutual understanding" after "very in-depth discussions" on North Korea and has credited Trump with demonstrating "unwavering determination in addressing the challenge" of North Korea. Abe has been a firm supporter of Trump's aggressive approach toward North Korea. Just a few months ago, Kim was threatening missiles against Guam and was rapidly working toward a nuclear-tipped missile force. President Trump responded by threatening to unleash "fire and fury" upon North Korea if an attack actualized. Within weeks, the United Nations Security Council Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00002340-00002 unanimously adopted a new sanctions resolution against North Korea, showing the willingness of Trump to follow through on aggressive steps against the country. This sharply contrasted the actions of the Obama Administration, which took a tempered down, more diplomatic route toward the country. In fact, when Trump adopted this "fire and fury" policy, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served under former President Barack Obama, criticized Trump. Clapper told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," "We need to tone down the rhetoric of regime change and all this. As desirable as that may be, all that does is amp up the paranoia." But this strategy did not amp up paranoia for anyone except Kim Jong-un, which finally allowed diplomacy to be possible. The newly confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently disclosed that he had met with Kim Jong-un in early April to discuss the ending of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. In Pompeo's first press conference, he explained, "We would not be where we are today without President Trump's maximum pressure campaign and the work that has been done all around the world to apply pressure to North Korea... The economic pressure that has been put in place by this global effort that President Trump has led... [Kim Jong-un] to believe that it is in his best interest to come to the table and talk about denuclearization." Pompeo has admitted challenges still lie ahead, as trust with North Korea remains low, but with a serious threat of force from the U.S., resolution can be possible. Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning explained in a press release, "In order to show that they are sincere in their desire for peace, the North Koreans need to release the three Americans still being held hostage by the regime, followed closely by providing a full accounting of the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs and U S. inspectors must be part of the inspection teams throughout the denuclearization process. Once the peninsula is nuclear free, the U S. can begin the process of bringing our troops home from South Korea." The conflict between North Korea and South Korea and the United States is not yet over, but thanks to the efforts by the Trump administration, it has taken a significant step toward resolution. If North Korea is serious about the prospects of peace, the U S. is ready to have its demands met and lead the global effort toward a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. Natalia Castro is a contributing editor at Americans for Limited Government. First quarter disappoints again at only 2.3 percent growth annualized Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00002340-00003 By Robert Romano One of the puzzles of the U S. economy since the turn of the century has been declining economic growth rates, with the economy not having grown above 4 percent since 2000 and not above 3 percent since 2005. To get a good year of robust economic growth, it helps a lot to have a strong first quarter. Unfortunately, 2018 is not shaping up to be one of those years, after only growing at an inflationadjusted 2.3 percent annualized in the first quarter. Now, to get to even 3 percent for the year will require a big bounce back in the second quarter, at about 3.8 percent annualized, where we assume 3 percent growth in each of the remaining quarters for the year. Each quarter that goes by failing to get back on pace, the much more difficult it becomes to reach 3 percent for the year. But it's absolutely doable. There are still further estimates to be made, so it is possible the first quarter could be revised upward. Also, the second quarter will be the first quarter when the Trump tax cuts have fully been realized as the withholding tables were changed in February so perhaps there will be a bump there. However, it should be recalled that in 1981, the first year of the Reagan tax cut, was not signed into law until Aug. 1981. The economy grew just 2.6 percent that year. A year later, in 1982, was the second worst recession in modern history when the economy shrank 1.9 percent. Interest rates were brought to such high levels it stifled investment. Unemployment spiked. Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00002340-00004 But once the waters had receded, the economy boomed. 4.6 percent in 1983. 7.3 percent in 1984, one of the highest growth rates in the postwar era. So, sometimes, it can take a while for the economic stimulus of a tax cut to take root. Right now, it's good for household budgets having the extra money in the bank and don't forget that corporate taxes were cut, too, and hundreds of billions of dollars are being repatriated. But it might not create an immediate stimulus. It could, but it might not. There are of course other factors. The long-term slowing growth has coincided with the globalization of the economy, with production being outsourced. China was granted most favored nation trading status in 2000 and entered the World Trade Organization in 2001. Since then, economic growth worldwide and investment has shifted to emerging markets. Although President Trump has begun getting tough on trade with his recent rounds of steel and aluminum tariffs, the shifting of global supply chains overseas did not happen overnight and production won't shift back into the U S. immediately either. Another factor to consider is the slowing growth of the working age population, which weighs heavily on the potential growth of the economy. The theory here is that the fewer new people who are participating in the economy, the less new money will be spent in the economy, therefore driving growth down. But in that case, the slower economic growth we see today might just be a benign indicator, unless there are reasons you really need robust growth. Here the $21 trillion national debt comes to mind. Without that, you might care a lot less about how fast the economy grows. With it, you have to worry that once again the growth of the national debt is far outpacing the growth of the economy. Consider, right now, the debt to GDP ratio sits at 105 percent. Since 2000 the debt has grown by about 7.4 percent a year, but nominally, that is, before adjusting for inflation, the economy has only grown at about 3.96 percent annually. At those rates, in 20 years, the national debt will be $89.1 trillion, but the GDP only $42.7 trillion, a whopping debt to GDP ratio of 208 percent. Therefore, more robust economic growth should be a national goal. Because the alternative is the debt will very soon be so large we can never hope to pay it back. More immediately, though, there are reasons to be optimistic. Even if the economy slows down in the interim, with the pent-up demand taking root via the tax and deregulation stimulus taking root, we might see a bigger number, sooner or later. Hopefully it's sooner. Stay tuned. Robert Romano is the Vice President o f Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government. ALG Editor's Note: In the following report from Sean Hannity, Louie Gohmert unveils a thorough and well researched report he worked on to dispel the myth that Robert Mueller is infallible: Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00002340-00005 GOHMERT; Mueller Unmasked By Hannity Staff Robert Mueller's months-long witch hunt into so-called `Russian collusion' continues to spiral out of control. Despite hundreds of hours of non-stop liberal-media coverage, most Americans still know very little about the man behind the probe. Congressman Louie Gohmert has had enough of the special counsel's abuse of power, and he's prepared to `unmask' Mueller's questionable history and total lack of judgment spanning decades. In Robert Mueller: Unmasked, the GOP Representative pulls back the curtain and exposes the sordid truth surrounding the special counsel's career. "What I have accumulated here is absolutely shocking upon the realization that Mueller's disreputable, twisted history speaks to the character of the man placed in a position to attempt to legalize a coup against a lawfully elected President," writes Gohmert. Click here for the full report from Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas). Americansfor Limited Government 10332 Main Street # 326None Fairfax Virginia 22030 United States This email is intended for abboud.michael@epa.gov. Update your preferences or Unsubscribe Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 7 ED 002061 00002340-00006