Obama Economy Stalls

This morning's April jobs report disappointed many economists. It estimated that 160,000 jobs were created last month, but the experts had predicted at least 200,000.

Moreover, the jobs figures for March and February were revised downward by nearly 20,000. And while 160,000 new jobs were added last month, that "good news" is overshadowed by the fact that more than twice that number of people -- 362,000 -- left the labor force last month.

The official unemployment rate, known as the U-3 rate, was unchanged at 5%. That's the number you will hear repeated on the evening news. But the U-6 rate, which many economists believe is a better indicator of economic health because it includes people who are underemployed, stands at 9.7%.

This weak jobs report comes on the heels of dismal first quarter GDP growth -- just 0.5% -- and anemic 1.4% growth in the fourth quarter of 2015. Even worse, it has been reported that Obama will be the first president in history who during his entire administration failed to achieve even a single year of at least 3% economic growth.

Mosques Under Surveillance

When Senator Ted Cruz suggested that it might be prudent to have additional surveillance of Muslim communities and mosques, the media and the Washington political establishment were apoplectic. MSNBC host Joe Scarborough declared that Cruz's suggestion was counterproductive. "What Ted Cruz said yesterday is the exact opposite of what we need to do. It makes us less safe," he said.

NBC reporter Savannah Guthrie implied that Cruz was a bigot, asking, "Is it just the mere fact that they're Muslims, in your mind, means [that] police officers should be securing and patrolling those areas?"

The media's disconnect from reality is truly disturbing. It didn't matter to any of the talking heads that Cruz made this suggestion in the wake of the Brussels attacks, in which Muslim extremists killed 32 people and wounded more than 300.

Their breathless response might be understandable if 9/11, San Bernardino, Fort Hood or a host of other Islamic-inspired attacks had never happened. But those attacks and others did happen. Whether the media realize it or not, radical Islam is at war with the West.

By the way, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told CNN this week that ISIS can pull off a Paris or Brussels-style attack here in the U.S. "They do have that capacity," Clapper said. "That's something we worry about a lot in the United States, that they could conjure up a raid like they did in Paris or Brussels."

Interestingly, the left has been silent regarding this week's announcement by Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the German equivalent of the FBI. According to Maassen, his agency has 90 mosques under surveillance for hate-speech and inciting jihad. And that could be just the tip of the iceberg.

"We are concerned that there are many Islamic mosques in Germany that we also need to examine," Maassen said. "Islamic extremism and jihadism in Germany is not possible without Al-Qaeda and ISIS."

Obviously, Maassen isn't watching MSNBC or reading the New York Times. If he were, he wouldn't be looking for Al Qaeda and ISIS in mosques.

CUFI Washington Summit

Join me in our nation's capital on July 18th and 19th for the 11th annual Christians United for Israel Washington Summit.

This year's Summit features an outstanding lineup of speakers, including:

Pastor John Hagee
Sgt. Benjamin Anthony
Col. Oliver North
Malcolm Hoenlein
Erick Stakelbeck

There will be a Night to Honor Israel celebration featuring Dr. David Jeremiah, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the Summit via satellite.

Register now to lock in reduced rates!

I look forward to seeing you there!