The Daily Brief: Tuesday, June 27, 2015

The Daily Brief: Tuesday, June 27, 2015

1. Senate health-care bill faces serious resistance from GOP moderates - Washington Post

A small group of moderate Republican senators, worried that their leaders' health-care bill could damage the nation's social safety net, may pose at least as significant an obstacle to the measure's passage as their colleagues on the right.

The vast changes the legislation would make to Medicaid, the country's broadest source of public health insurance, would represent the largest single step the government has ever taken toward conservatives' long-held goal of reining in federal spending on health-care entitlement programs in favor of a free-market system.

That dramatic shift and the bill's bold redistribution of wealth - the billions of dollars taken from coverage for the poor would help fund tax cuts for the wealthy - is creating substantial anxiety for several Republican moderates whose states have especially benefited from the expansion of Medicaid that the Affordable Care Act has allowed since 2014. (Read more)

See also: CBO Report Complicates GOP Support for Health Care Bill - NBC News (Go here)

See also: White House criticizes CBO report, cites 'history of inaccuracy' - Fox News (Go here)
- Father God, we continue to pray in the Spirit over this extremely contentious issue. We take note that Nancy Pelosi has twisted the narrative surrounding this bill, even calling the Republican Party the "death party."

Father, we ask You to forgive her and all others who are speaking lies and untruths about the many aspects of this bill, and that You would make a way where there seems to be no way for Congress to create a health care system that will, indeed, meet the needs of the American people. In Your name, amen.

- "Call upon Me, and I will show you great and mighty things that thou knoweth not" (Jeremiah 33:3)

2. Trump Breaks Two-Decade Tradition, Skips Ramadan Dinner Celebration At White House - Daily Wire

The year after Islamic terrorists bombed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001, killing more than 3,000 people, President George W. Bush held a dinner at the White House to celebrate the end of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month. He praised Islam as "a religion of peace" and called upon all to celebrate. The annual tradition actually stretches back to Bill Clinton - 20 years in all - but on Sunday, that ended.

President Trump, who stayed over at the White House for the weekend, did not hold an iftar dinner to commemorate Ramadan. Instead, he issued a statement Saturday morning to celebrate the occasion, which marks the end of the holy month. "On behalf of the American people," President Trump said in the statement, "Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr."

Over the years, the dinners, attended by leaders of the Muslim community, foreign diplomats and members of Congress, have grown odd, given the nonstop Islamic violence spreading across the world. Ramadan brings even more terror as Muslim attackers are seen as martyrs during Ramadan, and supposedly win greater rewards in the afterlife.

And 2017 set a new record for terror attacks during Ramadan, which ran from May 26 to June 24. There were 174 Islamic terror attacks that left 1,595 people dead and 1,960 wounded, reports Religion of Peace. (Read more)
- Father, we thank You that President Trump did not bend to the pressure to "celebrate" Iftar. We pray for Your Holy Spirit to move across the Islamic community, bringing the truth about the Messiah, Jesus.

- "For they have shed innocent blood in their land." (Joel 3:19c)

3. IBD: Trump Is Right, Illegals Cost Him in Popular Vote - Newsmax

President Donald Trump's famous claim illegals voting against him cost him the popular vote has more support, despite the mainstream media claims it was merely a "Twitter-born conspiracy theory," according to an Investors Business Daily editorial this week.

The editorial cited a study by Just Facts Daily, a libertarian think tank. A Harvard/you.Gov poll had as many as 5.7 million non-citizens saying they had cast votes in former President Barack Obama's first election, and that number was 3.6 million in 2012.

With 21 million American adults in the 2016 Census - up from 19.4 million in 2008, the start of the Obama administration - "it is therefore highly likely that millions of non-citizens cast votes in 2016," according to the study.

"Democrats had extensive get-out-the-vote campaigns in areas heavily populated by illegal aliens," according to the IBD editorial this week. "As far back as 2008, Obama made sure that those who wanted to vote knew it was safe, announcing that election records would not be cross-checked with immigration databases. (Read more)
- Lord, we pray that You will stop this flood of illegals that has tainted our election process.

- "And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil." (Proverbs 16:6c)

4. House Republicans Plan to Vote on Pair of Bills That Tackle Illegal Immigration - Washington Free Beacon

House Republicans are hoping to move forward a pair of bills that tackle illegal immigration next week to carry out President Donald Trump's agenda of enforcing federal immigration laws.

One of the bills would boost penalties for deported immigrants that try to re-enter the country and the other would target so-called sanctuary cities, Politico reported.

The former bill is named "Kate's Law" after a young woman named Kate Steinle, who was shot and killed in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who repeatedly was deported but returned. The latter bill, targeting cities and counties that do not cooperate with federal immigration officials, is called "No Sanctuaries for Criminals Act." (Read more)
- Lord, we pray for the strength of Republicans to pass a bill that stops illegal criminals from harming US citizens. We also ask that You move across Congress, bringing repentance to every member of every party affiliation.

- "Arise, of Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble." (Psalm 10:12)

5. GuideStar Puts It Back in Neutral - Family Research Council

It hasn't been a good two weeks for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) -- or its dwindling number of allies. Late Friday, a week after a second politically-motivated shooter was linked to SPLC, the organization suffered a huge embarrassment when the leadership of GuideStar pulled its "hate group" banners from its charity index. After users flooded the nonprofit tracker with complaints, CEO Jacob Harold announced that it would take down the labels from the pages of organizations like FRC. Ironically, Harold himself has become an issue since GuideStar has held itself out as politically and culturally neutral at the same time as he's tweeting photos of himself at the anti-Trump Women's March.

. . . It was another major blow to SPLC's credibility, which continues to suffer, even in the mainstream media. While the losses pile up for the so-called "civil rights" group, GuideStar learned a hard lesson about joining forces with an organization highlighted by the assailants in two cases of domestic terrorism. Harold's group could have avoided this entire controversy if it had stuck to the objectivity that made it one of the country's top charity raters in the first place. (Read more)
- Father God, we thank You for this report, and to know that Guidestar is no longer calling good, evil . . . and evil, good. May they continue to be "true to the true" in all they publish from this day forward, in Your name, amen.

- "Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another." (Leviticus 19:11)

6. '2 potential witnesses' in DNC-rigging lawsuit 'both died' - WND

Lawyers and plaintiffs suing the Democratic National Committee for rigging the 2016 presidential election say they're being harassed with threatening messages and "freaky" encounters and they fear for their safety - particularly in the wake of the mysterious and unsolved murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich - but a federal court has denied their request for protection.

"We filed the motion because we do feel that not only us, but our staff and the plaintiffs, are deserving of a motion," attorney Elizabeth Beck, who is litigating the case, told WND. "But our court system does not have the resources to do so."

She continued: "The court, in denying our motion for protection, stated in its order that the federal Marshals Service doesn't have enough resources to devote that amount of protection." (Read more)
- Lord, we hear these kinds of stories and are concerned about the depths of the attacks against Conservatives and those who are trying to release the US from the grip of evil. We ask Your supernatural blocking of any attempts to harm them.

- "Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants - how I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many people with which Your enemies have reproached, O Lord." (Psalm 89:50,51)

7. New study of Seattle's $15 minimum wage says it costs jobs- AP

A new study of Seattle's $15-an-hour minimum wage law says it costs jobs, contrary to another new study released last week. The Seattle Times reports a University of Washington team found the law boosted pay in low-wage jobs since 2014 but that it also caused a 9 percent reduction in hours worked. For an average low-wage Seattle worker, that's a loss of about $125 per month.

The study says there would be about 5,000 more low-wage jobs in the city without the law. Seattle was one of the first U.S. cities to adopt a $15 minimum wage law. It is raising the minimum to $15 by 2021.

A review last week by University of California at Berkeley economists found the law raised pay without hurting jobs in the restaurant industry.(Read more)
- Lord, this fact is something that should have been easy for legislators to see before they passed it. We pray for a real move of Your Spirit in US leadership to have foresight before allowing such bills to be passed.

- "For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it." (Ecclesiastes 7:12)

8. U.S. government websites hacked with pro-ISIS rant, officials say - CBS News

Government websites, many of them in Ohio, were hacked Sunday with a message that purports to be supportive of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). A message posted on the website of Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said, "You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries." The message, left by "Team System Dz," also ended, "I love the Islamic state."

The same message also infiltrated government websites in the town of Brookhaven, New York, according to news reports in that state, as well as the website for Howard County, Maryland. In the past, the group also claimed responsibility for similar hacks in the past in Richland County, Wisconsin, and in places such as Aberdeen, Scotland, and Sweden. (Read more)
- Lord, we pray that You will find the perpetrators of these hackings and bring them to justice swiftly.

- "But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates." (Psalm 11:5b)

9. Russian submarine successfully test-fires Bulava intercontinental missile- Tass

The Russian Northern Fleet's Project 955 underwater missile cruiser Yuri Dolgoruky has successfully test-fired a Bulava missile from the Barents Sea and hit all the designated targets at the Kura practice range in Kamchatka, Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"The Project 955 Borey-class underwater missile cruiser Yuri Dolgoruky has made a successful launch of a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from the designated area of the Barents Sea towards the Kura practice range in Kamchatka. The launch was made from the submerged position in compliance with a combat training plan," the Defense Ministry said.

"The parameters of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile's flight trajectory were practiced in the normal regime. According to the confirmed data of the registering equipment, the warheads of the intercontinental ballistic missile performed a full cycle of the flight and successfully hit the designated targets at the practice range," the Defense Ministry said. (Read more)
- Father, once again we pray protection of US interests and a move of Your Spirit over Russia.

- "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." (Isaiah 54:17)

10. Russian envoy to US reportedly headed back home - Times of Israel

Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, has reportedly been called back to Moscow amid mounting scrutiny over his contacts with senior members of US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign team now under investigation by the FBI and the US Congress.

These members include senior aide Jared Kushner, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, all of whom have failed or have refused to disclose meetings and conversations with Kislyak and other Russian officials at various times.

The US-Russia Business Council is set to hold a going away party on July 11 for Kislyak, who has served as Russia's envoy to Washington since 2008, according to Buzzfeed which cited three unnamed individuals familiar with the events. The shindig will reportedly take place at the St. Regis Hotel.

The Russian envoy has become an intriguing figure in the wider probes into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to sway the presidential elections in 2016. (Read more)

- Father, whatever is going on in this continual hunt for "collusion" we pray that You would stop it. It has continued to divide the US and has attempted to remove a duly-elected President.

- "When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your Presence."
(Psalm 9: 3)

12. Oil truck fireball kills 153 in Pakistan as crowd races to get free fuel - NY Daily News

More than 150 people, many of them collecting fuel leaking from an oil tanker that crashed in eastern Pakistan on Sunday, were killed when the truck exploded and spread a wall of fire across the road, officials said.

Another 100 people were injured in the blast near Bahawalpur, and at least 40 of the villagers treated at a nearby hospital suffered burns on at least 70% of their bodies, according to medical workers.

The death toll of 153 was expected to rise, officials said. (Read more)

- Father, we pray Your comfort and Presence for these people who may not know You. You alone can reveal yourself to them at this difficult time.

- "For God so loved the word that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)