America

President Trump is due to deliver remarks aboard the not yet commissioned super-carrier U.S.S. Gerald Ford, docked at Newport News, Va. The focus of his speech is expected to be promote his vision and plan for the nation's military buildup.

During the campaign he promised a surge in military spending as part of his campaign to make America great again. This week, the White House announced it would be adding $54 billion (£43 billion) to the defence budget – about a 10 percent increase.

Donald Trump may soon find himself on the receiving end of a "visa war" that could have dire consequences for trans-Atlantic travel and European tourism. On Thuesday, EU lawmakers voted to force Americans to apply for visas when traveling to Europe in response to Washington refusing to allow all Europeans to travel to the States visa-free.

Via George Friedman and Jacob Shapiro of MauldinEconomics.com,

Via Ted Galen Carpenter of The Strategic Culture Foundation,

Via John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute,

You can’t have it both ways.

You can’t live in a constitutional republic if you allow the government to act like a police state.

You can’t claim to value freedom if you allow the government to operate like a dictatorship.

You can’t expect to have your rights respected if you allow the government to treat whomever it pleases with disrespect and an utter disregard for the rule of law.