68 One of the President’s highest priorities was tax reform – a critical component of insourcing the defense industrial complex to North America. For budget reasons, the President was persuaded to try to repeal Obamacare first. Repeal efforts were time consuming and ultimately not successful. • Obamacare Set To Drive New Wave Of Hospital Bankruptcies • Paul: McConnell Doesn’t Have the Votes, Insurance Companies ‘Gamed the System’ Despite the healthcare experience and complex budget negotiations throughout the year, the administration and Republican Congress were able to pass a tax reform bill before year-end, achieving a dramatic drop in the corporate tax rate and paving the way for significant corporate repatriation of cash. The S&P closed the year with a return slightly above 20%. • Treasury Secretary: Pass a Tax Bill or Markets will Tank • Tax Reform Moves Forward As House Adopts Senate’s $4 Trillion Budget Resolu- tion • American Oligarchs Are Plotting the Big- gest Heist in U.S. History • GOP Tax Bill Slashes Rates for Corpora- tions and Wealthy with Smaller Benefits for Middle Class • Here are the Details of the Final GOP Tax Bill • Senate Approves Major Tax Cuts in Victo- ry for Trump The United States has long been a food exporter, with far greater food production capacity than it needs for the American population. US lead- ership has worked hard to engineer oil and gas self-sufficiency over the last two decades, becom- ing a net energy exporter in 2017. Following a wave of advancements in robotics and automa- tion and the success of globalization at reducing union size and power, tax reform was an im- portant step to facilitate the return of trillions in profits and operations from abroad. • Where Manufacturing Is Thriving In The US • Making it in America: Revitalizing US man- ufacturing • Where is Technology Taking the Economy? The Realities of the Distributive Era This anticipated shift of capital and operations and the publication of a new National Security Strategy contributed to the ongoing unwind- ing of economic interdependences with Russia, China and some of the G-20 nations as described in our Story #4. • The BRICS Build Independent Systems The first year of the Trump administration was marked by the constant question of who and what is really in charge. Senator Schumer said that the CIA ran the gov- ernment, not the President • Schumer warns Trump: Intel officials ‘have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you’ Netflix’s House of Cards implied the Bohemian Grove was in charge. • House of Cards Shows Bohemian Grove Human Sacrifice Concerns grew throughout the year that the Neocons and the Israeli Lobby had entirely too much influence. Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was particularly persuasive that dual citizenship with Israel was a serious problem in both Congress and the Executive Branch. • 2nd Quarter Wrap Up – Enforce the Constitution with Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney • Has The Israel Lobby Destroyed Americans’ First Amendment Rights? • Sanctions – A Conversation with Dr. Cynthia McKinney Another serious flaw in the Trump administra- tion’s performance was addressing the budget. Dr. Mark Skidmore’s survey of HUD and DOD documentation from fiscal 1998 to 2015 found $21 trillion in undocumentable adjustments – a trillion more than the outstanding official debt of the US government. IV. NEWS TRENDS & STORIES