
The White House • May 7, 2018
The Day Ahead
• Vice President Mike Pence will address the situation in Venezuela at a meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington.
Watch live at 1:25 p.m. ET.• First Lady Melania Trump will hold a launch event to announce her core initiative as First Lady.
Watch live at 3:00 p.m. ET.One family’s letter to President Trump
President Donald J. Trump was in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, talking with local residents about the impact of his December tax cuts legislation on jobs and wages. As of March, Cleveland alone has gained 3,300 new manufacturing jobs since the Trump Administration took office.
Working families across Ohio—and the Nation—have shared their stories with President Trump in recent months about the effect of tax cuts on their lives. Saturday was no different. Sharlene Thornton, a resident of the Ohio Valley, spoke about the difference several hundred dollars per paycheck can make for families working hard to get by.
“The reason I’m here is because I wrote a letter to you,” she told the President. “And I didn’t really think it was going to be read, but it was. They’re listening,” Mrs. Thornton said to the crowd in Cleveland.
Read Sharlene Thornton’s letter to President Trump.Watch:
The President talks with Ohioans about tax relief and the Trump economy.Unemployment below 4 percent
More good news about the economy broke on Friday ahead of President Trump’s Ohio trip. The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in its April jobs report that the U.S. added 164,000 new jobs last month across sectors, including manufacturing (24,000 new jobs), construction (17,000), and mining and logging (8,000).
The unemployment rate broke below 4 percent for the first time since 2000 with all those new jobs. It also fell far below the pre-recession average of 5.3 percent.
Many groups that have struggled historically are seeing their prospects improve. The African-American unemployment rate hit its lowest average ever recorded, and the unemployment rate for adult women, 3.5 percent, is at its lowest level in more than 17 years.
See what you need to know about the April jobs report.
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Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks
President Donald J. Trump boards Marine One at Joint Base Andrews | May 5, 2018
The White House • May 4, 2018 The Day Ahead
• Today is National Space Day 2018. Learn how President Donald J. Trump is making America a leader in space exploration once again.
• The President travels to Dallas, Texas, to join the National Rifle Association’s Leadership Forum. Watch live at 1:15 p.m. ET.
An Executive Order on Faith and Opportunity
Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order to ensure that faith-based and community organizations have strong advocates in the White House—and throughout the rest of the Federal Government. The signing coincided with the annual National Day of Prayer at the White House.
The order creates a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative within the Executive Office of the President. Among its tasks will be to reduce burdens on the free exercise of religion in America, as well as apprise the Administration of any failures of the executive branch to comply with religious liberty protections under law.
“Across the government, we have taken action to defend the religious conscience of doctors, nurses, teachers, students, and groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor,” the President said yesterday. He added that his “Administration has spoken out against religious persecution around the world.”
Learn more about President Trump’s newest Executive Order.
Watch: Highlights of the President leading the National Day of Prayer 2018.
Introducing Gina Haspel to the American people
Work in the CIA is often quiet and behind the scenes. These public servants are instrumental to safeguarding America’s freedoms, yet they go about their jobs expecting little in the way of recognition or public praise for their sacrifices.
Acting CIA Director Gina Haspel is exactly this kind of patriot. She has displayed dedication throughout her more than three decades of service, and she’s held a number of senior-level posts in the Agency. Most important, she has the type of extensive counterterrorism experience that America needs in its next CIA Director.
President Trump has nominated Haspel to become CIA Director on a permanent basis. The President clearly made the right choice, as reflected by support for Haspel from public officials across the spectrum—including a number of Obama Administration appointees.
See why Gina Haspel is the right woman to lead the CIA.
Go deeper: “One of the most accomplished officers of her generation”
Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks
President Donald J. Trump at the National Day of Prayer | May 3, 2018
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