Article snippet: President Donald Trump has returned from an end-of year holiday to face fresh legislative challenges, midterm elections and threats abroad. The president began the second year of his presidency with confrontational tweets targeting Iran and Pakistan. He slammed Islamabad on Monday for "lies & deceit," saying the country had played U.S. leaders for "fools," by not doing enough to control militants. Pakistani officials, including Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, responded on Twitter that the country would make clear "the difference between facts and fiction." Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday the United States should be aware that his country's nuclear forces are now a reality, not a future threat. To that, Trump only said: "We'll see." The president is hoping for more legislative achievements after his pre-Christmas success on taxes. He plans to host Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin at Camp David next weekend to map out the 2018 legislative agenda. Republicans are eager to make progress before attention shifts to the midterm elections. The GOP wants to hold House and Senate majorities in 2018, but must contend with Trump's historic unpopularity and some recent Democratic wins. The president concluded 2017 with his first major legislative achievement — a law to cut taxes, beginning this year, for corporations and individuals at an estimated cost of $1.5 trillion added to the nat... Link to the full article to read more