The Daily Brief: Short Form Thursday, July 6, 2017
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., has been readmitted to the intensive care unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and is listed in "serious" condition after concerns emerged about possible infection as he continues recovery from a gunshot during practice for the Congressional Baseball Game on June 14. "Congressman Steve Scalise has been readmitted to the Intensive Care Unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center due to new concerns for infection," the hospital said in a statement late Wednesday night. "His condition is listed as serious."
Scalise had been upgraded to fair condition following several surgeries on June 21. During practice for the game, he was shot by James T. Hodgkinson and sustained a rifle shot to the left hip. The bullet fractured bones, injured internal organs and caused severe bleeding, leading Dr. Jack Sava, the trauma director at MedStar, to say that he faced an "imminent risk of death" when he arrived at the hospital after the shooting. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for Your miracle working power to descend upon Steve Scalise, cleansing him from all infection and bringing complete healing.
- 'For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,' says the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17a)
2. Senate Democrats embrace extreme vetting of Trump's court picks - Washington Times
Senate Democrats are turning to procedural tactics to delay confirmation of President Trump's appeals court picks, and conservative groups are firing back with a new ad in Michigan trying to force two Democrats to clear a path for one embattled nominee.
The Judicial Crisis Network says it will spend $140,000 on the ad, which demands Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters drop any objections to Michigan Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen, who Mr. Trump nominated to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 8.
The senators are flexing the chamber's "blue slip" tradition, which gives individual lawmakers an exceptional amount of say in judges from their home state. Under the tradition, if both home-state senators don't return their blue slips, signaling acceptance, Senate leaders will hold off on action on that pick. Neither Ms. Stabenow nor Mr. Peters have returned their blue slips. Spokesmen for both senators say they're still studying the issues on the Larsen pick.
Conservatives, though, want to see a speedy decision. "This is someone the citizens of Michigan have overwhelmingly approved as their Supreme Court Justice," said Carrie Severino, chief counsel at the JCN. "It's absurd [Democrats] would attempt to block her confirmation." (Read more)
- Father, we pray every qualified person of integrity nominated to serve our nation would be confirmed. Give the Republican leadership wisdom to provide all President Trump's nominees with an "up or down" vote.
- Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent. (Isaiah 29:21)
3. Senate Obamacare Repeal Bill Gains Key Supporter In The House - Daily Caller
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said Thursday he is willing to support Senate Republicans' Obamacare repeal bill if it includes an amendment put forward by Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. The amendment to the Better Care Reconciliation Act would essentially create a high-risk pool aimed at incentivizing customers who have a history of medical problems to purchase insurance in a separate marketplace than healthier consumers.
The "Consumer Choice" amendment would allow insurers to sell plans that don't abide by Obamacare's regulations for patients with pre-existing conditions with the caveat insurers are required to have at least one plan that adheres to the Affordable Care Act mandates available. According to Meadows, the Cruz amendment is a necessary addition to the Senate bill if they want to bring down premiums in a meaningful way. (Read more)
- Father, we continue to lift up this bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, and pray the final bill will truly solve the problems within our healthcare system and bring affordable healthcare to our people.
- He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. (Daniel 2:21b)
4. TODAY: Activists plan sit-ins nationwide to protest GOP health care bill - CNN
As the July 4th congressional recess winds down, activists from a coalition of progressive and leftist political groups are ramping up protests against the Senate health care bill.
On Thursday, protesters plan to stage a round of coordinated sit-ins at the offices of Republican senators in 21 states. Our Revolution, the political organization spun out of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 Democratic primary campaign, has been promoting the protests in emails to supporters and on its website, where it provides a list of times and locations. Democracy Spring, CREDO, #AllofUs, Democratic Socialists of America, Progressive Democrats of America, and the Working Families Party are among the other groups helping organize the demonstrations.
"We do not see this as political theater," Our Revolution's new president, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, said in an email late Wednesday, "we will continue to sit, stand and fight on until adequate healthcare is available to all."
Organizers expect "hundreds" of protesters will risk arrest at the events, as they compete for national attention with President Donald Trump, who is in Europe and will be meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday.
"We can't let the Twitter scandal of the day distract us: lives are on the line," Kai Newkirk, mission director of Democracy Spring, said late Wednesday. "People in red and purple states across the country are sitting in, willing to go to jail, to show just how wrong this bill is and how crucial it is that we escalate the fight to defeat it." (Read more)
- Father God, even as we saw a victory on the Fourth of July when the threatened protests never occurred on the streets of our nation, we see today that our enemy is not giving up. We ask for NO MEDIA COVERAGE of these nationwide sit-ins, to be held in the offices of our legislators, and for peace to reign in our land again. In Your name, amen.
- "No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise." (Isaiah 60:18)
5. Poll: Majority of Voters Back Trump Travel Ban - Washington Examiner
A clear majority of voters back President Donald Trump's travel ban, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll. Sixty percent of voters said they support the guidelines, while only 28 percent said they oppose them, Politico reported Wednesday. The poll's language did not refer to Trump nor his executive orders on immigration. Respondents were asked whether they support or oppose the State Department's "new guidelines which say visa applicants from six predominately Muslim countries must prove a close family relationship with a U.S. resident in order to enter the country." (Read more)
- Thank You, Lord, that the people of our nation embrace common sense. We pray for the success of the travel ban and for Your Church to effectively evangelize all immigrants within our nation.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)
6. Bill Gates' Message To Europe: Control Your Borders - Daily Caller
Microsoft founder Bill Gates delivered a strong message to Europe during a recent interview with a German news outlet: Control your borders. Gates, who donated to the Obama campaign, warned during an interview with Welt am Sonntag - first translated by Breitbart News - that Germany's open border policies will likely lead to a national catastrophe. Gates believes that the nation's foremost dilemma derives from its "attitude towards refugees."
The tech entrepreneur's criticism took specific aim at German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been a strong advocate for taking in tens of thousands of migrants. "Germany cannot possibly take in the huge, massive number of people who are wanting to make their way to Europe" Gates asserted, referring to the over one million migrants Germany welcomed in 2015. Gates goes on to suggest that Europe as a whole needs to make it "more difficult for Africans to reach the continent via the current transit routes." As an alternative to mass migration, the tech titan suggests Europe spend more on foreign aid to cut incentive to relocate. "The more generous you are, the more word gets around about this - which in turn motivates more people to leave Africa," Gates said in the interview. (Read more)
- Father, we pray the people of Germany would heed this message and demand a change in policy from their government.
- A just king gives stability to his nation. (Proverbs 29:4a)
7. Emmanuel Bonaparte: Macron Declares He Will Govern Like a Roman God - Breitbart
French president Emmanuel Macron has declared he will govern France like Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, shortly after officials told the media his thought process was "too complex" for journalists to understand. Summoning over 900 politicians from both houses of the French parliament to a rare Congress at the palace of Louis XIV - the 'Sun King' - in Versailles, he threatened to overrule lawmakers with a referendum if they try to frustrate the "reforms" he wishes to impose on the legislature. Such assemblies are usually reserved for times of national crisis.
Reuters reports him as saying he desires to reign as a "Jupiterian" president - "a remote, dignified figure, like the Roman god of gods, who weighs his rare pronouncements carefully". His bizarre statement of intent comes just days after Macron scrapped the president's traditional Bastille Day press conference, with an Elysée Palace official claiming the 39-year-old's thoughts are "too complex" for journalists. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for wisdom to understand who Emmanuel Macron really is, by what spirit he has gained power and how to pray for the people of France.
- 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' (Isaiah 14:14)
8. Canadian newborn to decide own gender with blessing of government - GOP USA
Canada's health department did not identify a baby's gender on birth documents because the parent wants the baby to decide which gender to identify with. The Gender Free I.D. Coalition said Searyl Atli Doty did not undergo a gender inspection at the time of their birth. The coalition's stated vision is "to remove all gender/sex designations from identity documents."
The group says Searyl is the first baby to officially skip the process of getting a government-designated gender at birth. "It is up to Searyl to decide how they identify, when they are old enough to develop their own gender identity," Kori Doty, the child's parent, said in the statement. "I am not going to foreclose their choices based on an arbitrary assignment of gender at birth based on an inspection of their genitals." Doty, a non-binary transgender person who prefers the "they" pronoun, said the decision to let Searyl decide their own gender was based on Doty's own experience. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for Kori Doty, that she would be delivered from this crippling deception and find her identity in You. We pray she would encourage Searyl to embrace the blessing You have given, male or female.
- God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
9. Charlie Gard not allowed to receive Vatican's care, hospital spokesman says - Washington Post
Amid an emotionally charged fight for Charlie Gard, a British hospital that plans to disconnect the terminally ill infant from life support declined to move him to the Vatican's children's hospital for care.
Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital had asked whether the child could be transferred to Rome to receive care after Pope Francis and President Trump voiced support for Charlie, an 11-month-old British boy who has a rare genetic condition and resulting brain damage that has robbed him of the ability to move his arms and legs, cry, eat or breathe on his own.
A hospital spokesman in Rome told The Washington Post on Wednesday that London's Great Ormond Street Hospital turned down the offer, citing legal reasons, but officials were working on a solution. (Read more)
- Father God, we join the prayers of millions of others on behalf of the life of this precious child. We ask that You would make a way where there seems to be no way to rescue the life of this precious little one, in Your name, amen.
- "Nothing is too difficult for You." (Jeremiah 32:17)
10. Police Find Drugs in Raid of Vatican Apartment - US News
Vatican police have reportedly raided a Vatican-owned apartment and arrested an aide to one of Pope Francis' key advisers.
Police in late June found widespread drug-use and men engaged in homosexual activity during the bust at the home owned by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano, an Italian newspaper that first reported the incident. Among its duties, the congregation guides the Church's response to clerical sexual abuse cases.
Authorities reportedly arrested the secretary of Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, who was an occupant of the apartment, but official charges in connection with the incident have not been reported. Coccopalmerio, who serves as president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and leads interpretations of the laws of the Church, is said to have recommended his secretary for a promotion to bishop. . .
The newspaper described the pope as "enraged," and said the aide was first taken to a clinic and hospitalized to detox from the drugs he had used, and "is currently in retreat at a convent in Italy." (Read more)
- Lord God, we do pray for this man who is another victim of drug abuse, that he be cleansed, healed, set free and restored to faith in You, O Lord, amen.
- ". . . you may be sure that your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light." (Mark 4:22)
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