Tuesday’s release of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s annual report is generating a lot of news. I am pleased to see that the report is drawing significant attention to the rampant human-rights abuses of communist China and to the virulent anti-Semitism of the Iranian regime.

I was interviewed by several news outlets and quoted extensively in this Daily Caller report. 

I want to reiterate that while international trade is a good thing for American industries and agriculture, trade with China is not automatically a good thing. In fact, quite often it is a very bad thing that comes with a very steep price.

Far too many of our corporate, cultural, and political elites have forgotten that we’re dealing with “communist China.” And that fact makes a huge difference.

Communist China is a growing threat to our national security, both in terms of espionage and military power. And it should surprise no one that a regime that persecutes Christians and puts millions of Muslims in concentration camps would lie about a deadly virus outbreak.

Why would anyone think we should do business with such a regime?

The same goes for Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran persecutes religious minorities, suppresses political dissent, is the leading state-sponsor of terrorism, and routinely denies the first Holocaust while repeatedly promising a second Holocaust through the “annihilation” of the Jewish state of Israel.

Why would anyone reward such a regime with billions of dollars and trust it to keep its word regarding nuclear weapons?

Speaking of Anti-Semitism…

What is wrong with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio? Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the city was making headlines for a wave of anti-Semitic attacks. Well, Tuesday the mayor threatened the grieving Jewish community of Williamsburg. 

De Blasio tweeted that he was sending police officers to break up the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz, and “even arrest those who gather in large groups.” The mayor blasted the funeral as “absolutely unacceptable,” and even personally showed up to disperse the crowd. 

This is exactly the kind of extremism that Attorney General Barr warned about. And I have to wonder whether the mayor has ordered the NYPD to enforce social distancing at mosques during Ramadan.

Non-Essential & Still Getting Paid

House Democrats made a stunning but revealing reversal Tuesday. They announced that they would not return to Washington, DC, next week. The GOP-led Senate is coming back to do the people’s business, including confirming more conservative judicial nominees. I guess Speaker Pelosi is enjoying her premium ice cream too much.

But it is also revealing for another reason. Just look at the divide across the country today: Red-state governors are moving to reopen their states and get people back to work, while blue-state governors are looking to keep things locked down for as long as possible, prolonging the economic pain and misery. 

The left thinks that tanking the economy is the key to defeating Donald Trump, and Nancy had to fall in line with her party.

Here’s a thought: If House Democrats are so nonessential that they don’t need to return to Washington, why are they still being paid when 26 million Americans are out of work? 

Perhaps our representatives should feel the same pain that the American people are experiencing. I hope voters decided to send a lot of left-wing Democrats to the unemployment line this November!

America Isn’t Broken

There was an incredible event at the White House Tuesday celebrating America’s small businesses. These businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they have borne the brunt of the hardships imposed by the pandemic restrictions. But as more and more states begin to reopen, these businesses will also lead our economic revival.

One of the businesses highlighted at the White House event was Bitty & Beau’s Coffee Shops, founded by Amy Wright. Thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program, Wright was able to continue paying her 120 employees, all of whom have some intellectual and developmental disability. 

Wright was joined at the White House by one of her employees, Michael Huep, who said this:

I love my job, and I’m excited about going back to work. At Bitty & Beau’s, we like to use a phrase called “Not Broken.” That means me and all my amazing coworkers are not broken, and we have lots to offer.  I know the great country of the United States isn’t broken either.

Something else struck me about Michael’s remarks. They were a moving reminder that every human being has dignity and worth. And that the compassion and love we show to people with disabilities is a reflection of the compassion and love that our Creator shows for us despite our flaws.

As Michael Heup was delivering his speech Tuesday, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton released a video about the November elections.

They both demanded socialized healthcare and defended the so-called “right” to destroy innocent unborn children, including unborn children with disabilities. Biden even went so far as to say, “Abortion is an essential healthcare service.”

Virtually everything the left does is meant to continue the carnage of abortion, and Biden also wants you to pay for it. Sadly, it’s people with disabilities like those working at Bitty & Beau’s who are most often the victims of the abortionist’s knife.

The entire abortion culture is based on the notion that some people are broken and therefore expendable. But as Michael Heup says, people with disabilities aren’t broken — and America isn’t broken either.  

America rejected the scourge of slavery, and America is better than abortion-on-demand. I promise to keep working for the day when all our children are welcomed into the world and protected under the law.

Headline of the Day

The Babylon Bee is one of my favorite satirical sites, and this headline shows why: "Judge Dismisses Sexual Assault Allegations Against Biden On Grounds He Is Not A Republican.“

The left’s double standards on so many issues is frustrating, but especially when it comes to sexual assault. Democrats often get a free pass while Republicans get clobbered. But the real story isn’t that the media treats Democrats differently from Republicans. 

It really is all about one thing: A-B-O-R-T-I-O-N. 

Brett Kavanaugh threatened the status quo on abortion. That’s why the left went all out to destroy him. Joe Biden defends abortion. So the left is going all out to protect him.

But I guarantee if Biden suddenly became pro-life, everyone in America would suddenly know Tara Reade's story and the media would use it to destroy him.

Happy Independence Day

Israelis are celebrating their 72nd Independence Day. And millions of Americans are celebrating with them.

In recognizing the modern state of Israel in 1948, President Harry Truman said, "I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have faith in it now.”

Israel was promptly attacked by virtually all of its Arab neighbors. Yet Israel prevailed, only to be attacked again and again and again. To this day, many Muslim states refuse to officially recognize Israel. Iran’s leaders repeatedly vow to destroy the Jewish state.

But in the midst of this hatred, Israel has thrived. It has done so because of God’s blessing, because of the determination of the Jewish people, and with the strong support of the United States of America.