U.S. Retail Sales Post Biggest Gain in Six Months

Reuters reports that “U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in May as consumers bought motor vehicles and a range of other goods,” according to the Commerce Department. The strong retail report accompanies news ranging from the jobs market to manufacturing and trade in suggesting the U.S. economy is regaining momentum this quarter.

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In MarketWatch, Jeffry Bartash writes that the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits is at its lowest level since 1973. “The rate of layoffs nationwide fell for the third straight week, indicating no deterioration in a rock-solid labor U.S. market in which work is easy to find,” he explains.

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In the Washington Examiner, Gabby Morrongiello reports that President Trump’s approval rating jumped following his North Korea summit, according to a new poll by Monmouth University. “Seventy-one percent of voters approved of the historic meeting in Singapore earlier this week, which produced a joint statement promising ‘complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula’ and lasting peace in the region.”

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USAID Administrator Mark Green writes in The Wall Street Journal that help is on the way for Christians in the Middle East. “At the direction of the president and vice president, USAID is now redoubling its effort to swiftly deliver and distribute the aid that Iraq’s persecuted religious communities desperately need. The delays must end, and they will,” Green says.