No Deal?
 
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with President Trump today to discuss an infrastructure deal.  Infrastructure, if done right, is a good deal all around.  And I don't mean Obama's not-so-shovel ready stimulus projects.
 
Everyone knows we need more and better roads, bridges and airports in the United States.  The construction jobs created by these projects could employ tens of thousands of middle class workers. 
 
Unfortunately, Schumer and Pelosi are in no mood to make a deal.  Before the meeting took place, the Democrat leaders issued a statement including a laundry list of "poison pills" that they know the president could never agree to.  Specifically, they are demanding tax hikes and policies to address climate change. 
 
They want Trump to rollback key elements of his signature tax cuts, which would kill jobs and slam the breaks on economic growth.  And they want radical regulations to address the temperature in 2090.  That's not the way to help small businesses, commuters and construction workers.
 
 
 
Kudos To The FBI
 
I have been pretty hard on the deep state lately, which includes some elements of the FBI's senior leadership.  But I am pleased to give the Bureau credit for its continuing efforts to keep America safe.
 
Undercover agents recently thwarted a terrorist plot by an Army veteran who converted to Islam.  Mark Steven Domingo of Reseda, California, wanted to carry out a terrorist attack in retribution for the New Zealand mosque shooting. 
 
He reportedly considered several targets from police to Christians and Jews before settling on an "alt-right" demonstration.  Thankfully, Domingo was under constant surveillance and was never able to carry out his plans.
 
The Daily Caller also reports that the FBI is investigating the left-wing group Antifa for allegedly plotting an "armed rebellion" at the southern border with the help of Mexican cartels.  Antifa needs to be fully investigated for its threats to free speech and use of violence.
 
 
 
Getting Noticed
 
My work on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is getting noticed.  I pulled no punches during my remarks yesterday on Capitol Hill when discussing China. 
 
For example, I warned that China had appeared in every report the Commission has issued over the last 20 years, putting it in a category all by itself as an "equal opportunity persecutor." 
 
But I also took the U.S. corporate class to task for putting profit before principles, enabling the persecution of minorities and strengthening the communist regime, which is antithetical to everything America stands for -- from free enterprise to religious liberty.  
 
We were told over and over again that trade with China would change China.  Instead it changed us.  Too many "American" businesses became apologists for Beijing's brutality and lobbyists for the communist regime.
 
You can read more of my remarks at Breitbart, the Religion News Service and the Epoch Times.
 
 
 
The Moderates?
 
Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are often portrayed as the "moderates" in the crowded 2020 Democrat primary field.  But are they really?
 
Buttigieg yesterday had lunch with Al Sharpton, who is not exactly known as a "moderating" influence in the Democrat Party. 
 
Last night, he appeared on "The Daily Show" and outlined what he would do on "Day One" if elected president.  He rattled off a progressive wish list:  making it easier to vote, eliminating the Electoral College and "deep structural reforms" to the Supreme Court.
 
In other words, he wants to implement the three things that would enable the left to forever fundamentally transform America. 
 
We'd have millions of illegal aliens and prisoners voting.  We'd do away with the system our founding fathers gave us to ensure that heartland states are not dominated by coastal elites.  And we'd surrender the Supreme Court to left-wing judicial activists.
 
What about Biden? 
 
He kicked off his campaign with a rally in Pittsburgh and delivered a great speech . . . for the Obama years.  He talked about how the economy wasn't working for the middle class, how wages were stagnant and jobs were going overseas. 
 
That's a pretty good description of what things were like the last time Joe Biden was in the White House!  Incredibly, Biden's prescription for "fixing" the economy is . . . you guessed it -- higher taxes and a job-killing $15/hour minimum wage.
 
Under Trump, the economy is growing again.  Wages are up.  Manufacturing jobs are coming back!  Why would anyone want to go back to the Obama/Biden years?