Tax Policy, Deregulation is Energizing the Economy "Last December, President Trump signed the largest overhaul of the federal tax code since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. That legislation offered small businesses a 20 percent tax deduction for the first time in history," Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) writes in the Argus Leader. And "since President Trump took office, more than 1,600 unnecessary regulations have been eliminated, helping to accelerate the pace at which businesses can start and grow." Click here to read more. ------------ "President Trump on Tuesday praised the pilot and crew of a Southwest Airlines plane that was forced to make an emergency landing last month after one of its engines failed," Melissa Quinn reports for the Washington Examiner. "The actions of the crew and passengers of Southwest flight 1380 show the great character of our nation," President Trump said. ------------ The Washington Free Beacon reports that "former CIA director Michael Hayden on Tuesday said President Donald Trump's CIA director nominee Gina Haspel is the 'absolute best choice.'" Cameron Cawthorne writes that "Haspel has worked for the CIA since 1985, and if confirmed, she will be the first female CIA director." ------------ In The Hill, Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) writes that this year's National Small Business Week is different from years past because "small business optimism is at record high thanks to tax reform and other policy changes." Sen. Risch adds that "today's small business owners and American workers are getting the relief they deserve from uncertainty and over-regulation." ------------ CNBC reports that "small business employees saw their wages grow last month at the strongest rate in more than two years, according to a report from human resources firm Paychex." Berkeley Lovelace Jr. writes that "hourly earnings in April increased at an annual rate of 3.25 percent, the best showing since 2016." ------------ Paul Bedard reports for the Washington Examiner that "the backlog of court cases addressing the status of illegal immigrants has reached over one million, prompting Justice and immigration courts to step up efforts to hire more judges, digitize old paper systems and speed up court proceedings." Bedard explains that the backlog in illegal immigration court cases has caused delayed deportation numbers to rise to more than 684,000.