The United States' economy has rebounded and is firing on all cylinders. The country is at full employment and labor shortages loom in many industries. Retail sales are strong and interest rates remain quite low. Inflation, always a concern, is modest and does not seem threatening at this juncture. The Federal tax cuts introduced in 2018 are beginning to be felt with increased wages, business expansion, and healthy returns for stockholders.

These facts and figures dominate the daily news as people pursue their various livelihoods or enterprises.

Is there life anywhere else besides planet Earth? Is it just a matter of time until it is discovered? Will the billions of dollars spent searching for this extraterrestrial life pay off?

The “America First” slogan and actions of President Trump are taking a toll on America’s allies. Recently, a German weekly stated, “Seldom has an American president exploited the country’s economic power to the degree the Trump administration has. Washington appears to be attacking German companies at every opportunity” (Der Spiegel, June 13, 2018).

In recent days, multiple parts of the globe have experienced searing temperatures and devastating fires. Currently, deadly fires have claimed lives, destroyed homes and scorched thousands of acres in California, western Canada, Greece, Sweden, the Netherlands and Britain, and heat is even searing Finnish Lapland above the Arctic Circle.

Contrary to popular belief, the AIDS crisis is still with us. The media seems “comfortable” with the epidemic and thus has paid it little attention over the last decade. In 2016, the most recent year with complete global AIDS statistics, nearly 37 million people were living with AIDS and nearly two million new cases were contracted each year (AIDS.gov).