75 Months of US Jobs Growth, How Trump’s Protectionism Hurts American Consumers, and More

What “radical Islam” really means, the US shouldn’t forget its young minorities, and the value of a good textbook. View this email in your browser [here]. [The Brookings Brief] January 7, 2016 [Brookings on Twitter] [Brookings on Facebook] [Brookings on YouTube] New this week Historic jobs growth under Obama. After 156,000 new jobs were added last month, President Obama will leave office with 75 straight months of employment growth—the longest such streak in American history. [Jonathan Wright explains] how colder-than-normal temperatures suppressed December jobs growth and provides a seasonal adjustment to the official numbers. How protectionism hurts consumers. On top of recent decisions by Carrier and Ford to abandon foreign job relocations, Donald Trump plans to impose a 35 percent import tariff on any firm based outside the U.S. [Dany Bahar explains why] this kind of protectionist trade policy will hurt American consumers by driving up the price of goods. What does it mean to be at war with “radical Islam”? Breaking from past administrations, President-elect Trump and his advisors promise to focus on “radical Islam,” but what does that mean, exactly? [Terrorism expert Daniel Byman traces] the term’s intellectual pedigree and sheds light on what Trump’s use of it will mean for his approach to extremism abroad and Muslims at home. The US should focus on minority youth—not aging whites. After the 2016 election, both Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to serve America’s white voting bloc. [Demographer William Frey urges] leaders instead to make investments in today’s multiracial youth, who will soon become the majority population and whose success in the labor force will fund the old age of white Americans. One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to help students. What if improving student learning was as easy as choosing a better textbook? [The results of a recent California study suggest] choosing more effective textbooks can boost student achievement just as much as hiring better teachers—and at virtually no cost to schools. What our experts are reading [This is a great summary of evidence] on accelerating regional divides by Annie Lowrey. ([@Berubea1]) [This fascinating graphic] reveals what members of the new U.S. Congress believe about God. ([@Shibley_Telhami]) [Thomas Carothers makes a strong case] for reinforcing strategic interests for U.S. democracy promotion. ([@Piccone_Ted]) [Follow Us On Twitter] • [Like Us On Facebook] • [Come to An Event At Brookings][Get The Latest on the Brookings Now Blog] [Share on Facebook] [Share on Twitter] [Share on Email] The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. © The Brookings Institution 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 You received this email because you signed up to receive the Brookings Brief. [Receive the Brief less often] | [Update your subscriptions] | [Unsubscribe from all Brookings email]