Trump to outline efforts to boost rural prosperity during speech to farmers in Nashville Joel Ebert in Tennessean Today, President Donald J. Trump delivered remarks at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee, outlining his agenda to boost agriculture and rural prosperity. "Trump's return to Music City — his second since entering office — will coincide with the release of recommendations from the task force established in April 2017," Joel Ebert writes. The task force's work features five core components, including "enhancing broadband access and commercial connections in the country's rural areas" and "improving quality of life, including addressing opioids." Click here to read more. ------------ In The Wall Street Journal, former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder explains how American workers are already benefitting from the President's tax reform leadership. "The formula is simple: When the economy accelerates, employers compete for employees and wages increase," Puzder writes. "Wage growth doesn't come from government mandates. It comes from policies that get the economy moving." ------------ This afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence announced his upcoming trip to Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, reports Washington Examiner. "At President Trump's direction, the Vice President is traveling to the Middle East to reaffirm our commitment to work with the U.S.'s allies in the region to defeat radicalism that threatens future generations," the Vice President's spokesman Alyssa Farah said. ------------ Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) penned an op-ed in the Rapid City Journal highlighting how tax reform will help families in 2018. "For far too long, Americans have been saddled with high taxes and an overly-complicated tax code," Sen. Rounds said. "As we welcome in this new year, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will provide the tax relief they deserve." ------------ In a piece for the New York Post, Charles Gasparino details how President Trump's economic strategy has unleashed growth. "Trump went out and hired perfectly sane regulators who basically pulled the federal government's boot off the neck of the business community," Gasparino writes.