The Daily Brief - short form - Monday, July 10, 2017
1. GREAT AGAIN: Trump refuses to wear G20 pin - opts for American flag - The American Mirror
Donald Trump is making America exceptional once again. It's coming in small, yet proud ways, as evidenced at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. As leaders were gathering for a photo op, most were sporting a G20 pin on their lapel. Not Trump. He was wearing an American flag. (View photo here)
- Our hearts rejoice as we see more and more evidence that this President is proud to be an American and is not apologizing all over the world for being American or being Christian. We rejoice that it is You who has brought this about. It is an inspiration to cause us to serve You even more in our everyday lives and in our prayer lives.
- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalms 33:12)
2. Trump to Putin: 'It's an honor to be with you' - POLITICO
Trump and Putin have 'robust' talk about election interference
President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that "it's an honor to be with you" as the two leaders kicked off their much-anticipated bilateral meeting at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
Neither Trump nor Putin, who were accompanied by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, offered specifics of what they would discuss once reporters left the room. Trump did not respond to a shouted question as to whether or not he would raise Russia's efforts to interfere in last year's presidential campaign, according to reporters in the room.
After months of questioning whether Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump raised the explosive topic Friday in his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the men had a "robust and lengthy exchange" on the question of Russian meddling. But Putin denied any involvement, Tillerson said, adding that the Russians had asked for proof that they were to blame for the campaign of cyberattacks-and the secretary of state stressed the need for the two countries to "move forward. . . It's not clear to me that we will ever come to some agreed-upon resolution," said Tillerson, who joined the Trump-Putin meeting along with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. He added that improving the U.S.-Russia relationship is "too important not to find a way forward."
But the Associated Press reported that Lavrov said after the meeting that Trump had accepted Putin's assurances that the Kremlin had not sought to interfere in the 2016 election-and Putin himself didn't mention it at all in a brief comment as he moved to his next event, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: "I had a very long conversation with the President of the United States. Many issues have piled up: Ukraine, Syria, other problems, some bilateral issues, and once again the fight against terrorism and security measures." (Read more)
- Father, it is important for our country that You be in the midst of this relationship that President Trump has with Mr. Putin. We seek You to be in charge of their comings and goings and all communications and advisors. We ask that You would do those things that only You can do to establish Your will and purposes in the home country of the Russian Bear and turn them into a peace-seeking country. Thank You for our strong President who can handle this situation with Your guidance.
- "Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it."
(1 Peter 3:11)
3. Russia and U.S. Clash Over Response to N. Korean Missile Launch - CNSNews.com
Ahead of President Trump's scheduled first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two governments are sparring over how to respond to North Korea's latest provocation - unable even to agree on the nature of the missile launched by the regime on July 4, let alone what to do about it.
Russia's mission to the United Nations bristled Thursday after Reuters reported that it was blocking a draft U.N. Security Council press statement criticizing the launch. It was not "blocking" any initiative, the mission said in a statement, but simply disagrees that the projectile fired on Tuesday was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The Russian mission complained in particular about the fact the Reuters report quoted from an internal email it had sent to other missions on the Security Council. "Once again we witness the unscrupulous steps of some members of the Security Council, which commit deliberate leaks, undermining the culture of interaction established in the U.N. Security Council over the years," it said.
Reuters subsequently changed its report, replacing the word "blocks" with "objects to." (Read more)
- Father God, we ask for a miracle here: that the U.S. and Russia can find common ground in dealing with our mutual threat: North Korea. Thank You, Lord, amen.
- "'Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You." (Jeremiah 32:17)
4. Trump to China President Xi: N Korea nuclear threat will end 'one way or another' - Fox News
President Trump, at the start of his meeting Saturday in Germany with Chinese President Xi Jinping, called the Asian nation a "great trading partner" and said the increasing North Korea nuclear threat will eventually be resolved "one way or the other."
The much-anticipated meeting was one of several Trump and top administration officials had Saturday with world leaders at the close of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. But it was considered perhaps the most critical. China is North Korea's largest trading partner, which gives the country considerable influence over Pyongyang and its growing threat, which includes developing a nuclear warhead and launching long-range missiles to transport them.
Trump told Xi that putting an end to North Korea's nuclear missile testing "may take longer than I'd like, it may take longer than you'd like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other. . . . Something has to be done," the president also said.
Saturday's meeting also focused on trade between the two nations. Trump said "many things have happened" that have created trade imbalances between the United States and China but "we're going to turn that around." (Read more)
- Lord God, we ask once again that You would take our president by the hand and guide him through these perilous times. In Your name, amen.
- " . . . if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
5. Israel, Jordan part of new, developing US-Russia deal on Syria ceasefire - Times of Israel
The United States and Russia have reached agreement on a cease-fire in southwest Syria, three US officials said Friday as President Donald Trump held his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The deal marks a new level of involvement for the US in trying to resolve Syria's civil war. Although details about the agreement and how it will be implemented weren't immediately available, the cease-fire is set to take effect Sunday at noon Damascus time, said the officials, who weren't authorized to discuss the cease-fire publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Jordan and Israel also are part of the agreement, one of the officials said. The two US allies both share a border with the southern part of Syria and have been concerned about violence from Syria's civil war spilling over the border. (Read more)
- Father God, so many new and excellent developments have emerged since our president went to Europe last week, but this report is at the top of the list. Thank You, Lord, in Your name, amen.
- "In everything, give thanks . . ." (I Thess. 5:18)
6. Trump to Three Seas Nations: If You Need Energy, 'Give Us a Call' - CNSNews.com
In a speech at the Three Seas Initiative Summit, President Donald Trump on Thursday touted the United States' energy independence, telling Central European leaders that America exports energy and if they need energy, they should "give us a call. . . We're here at this historic gathering to launch a new future for open, fair, and affordable energy markets that bring greater security and prosperity to all of our citizens. We are sitting on massive energy, and we are now exporters of energy, so if one of you need energy, just give us a call," Trump said.
He said the U.S. supports the Three Seas nations' "drive for greater prosperity and security" and applauded their "initiative to expand infrastructure." He welcomed the "historic opportunity to deepen our economic partnership with your region."
The Three Seas Summit consists of nations across Central Europe between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas and was convened by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. "The Three Seas Initiative will transform and rebuild the entire region and ensure that your infrastructure, like your commitment to freedom and rule of law, binds you to all of Europe and, indeed, to the West," Trump said. (Read more)
- Thank You, Lord for blessing our country with abundant energy and for policies that make it a commodity that can be exported. Praise You for a President who is pro-American, pro-business, and upbeat about sharing our desire to export to countries that are short on fuel. We pray that this effort will result in maintaining great relationships with these countries and peace will abound.
- "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." Selah. (Psalms 68:19)
7. Trump: [in POLAND] 'If We Do Not Have Strong Families and Strong Values . . . We Will Not Survive' - CNS News
The values that bind America and Europe together - freedom, faith and family -- are threatened from the outside by common enemies and from the inside by bureaucracy, President Donald Trump told a cheering crowd of Poles in Warsaw on Thursday.
The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it? We can have the largest economies and the most lethal weapons anywhere on Earth. But if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak. And we will not survive.
In his 33-minute speech, interrupted by cheers at times, Trump warned against the "steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people.
"The West became great, not because of paperwork and regulations, but because people were allowed to chase their dreams and pursue their destinies. Americans, Poles and nations of Europe value individual freedom and sovereignty. We must work together to confront forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the south and the east, the threat over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are.' Trump said the forces that threaten our common values are doomed to fail - "if we want them to fail."
"And if we don't forget who we are, we just can't be beaten," he added. "Americans will never forget. The nations of Europe will never forget . . . There is nothing like our community of nations. The world has never known anything like our community of nations." (Read more)
- Abba, Father, how long have Christians waited to hear our president speak to the importance of strong families. People are busy with events of the world, but wholesome family life seems to be forgotten sometimes. Stuff and things don't make strong families. Love for God, His teachings and love for each other make strong families. Teach each of us to be strong members of our family so we have no weak links for Satan to enter in. Life with You, Lord, is the only way to insure strength for families and strong values.
- "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family." (Leviticus 25:10)
8. North Korea's Launch Puts Pressure on U.S. Missile Defense - Bloomberg
Kim Jong Un's test of an ICBM capable of striking the U.S. mainland is putting renewed pressure on a U.S. missile defense system racing to keep up with North Korea's quickly evolving military threat.
While the U.S. "completely obliterated" a mock intercontinental ballistic missile in a late May test of its $36 billion ground-based defense system, according to the Missile Defense Agency, outside analysts call those tests choreographed events that don't reflect real-world scenarios. That would require knocking down an unexpected launch, with a warhead possibly masked by sophisticated decoys launched under adverse conditions.
And while the two latest U.S. missile defense tests have succeeded, the two before that failed to destroy their target.
"Missile defense, even if it worked perfectly, is not a get out of jail free card," said Laura Grego, the senior scientist for the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who follows missile defense issues closely. "The homeland missile defense system doesn't work perfectly and hasn't demonstrated a real-world capability." (Read more)
- Father God, we freely admit that there can be no defense over our land, save Your presence with us. We come before You today on bended knee, in repentance, and we ask for Your deliverance to prevail against our enemies.
Lord God, we understand, too, from other reports that it was the budget-cutting actions of the last administration that has essentially gutted our capacity to defend ourselves. Have mercy, O Lord, we pray and restore what the locust has eaten among us, in Your name, amen.
- "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten . . ."
(Joel 2:25a)
9. Americans need to prep for EMP, energy expert warns - WND
With the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea hovering over East Asia, several Japanese cities have begun holding evacuation drills to prepare for a potential missile strike. The possibility seems very real, with North Korea launching ballistic missiles that left and reentered the atmosphere nine times this year.
North Korea threatens the United States as well. The communist country previously launched two satellites that orbit over the U.S. and are capable of performing a surprise electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack at an altitude and trajectory that would evade U.S. National Missile Defenses, according to national security expert Peter Vincent Pry.
What's more, when North Korea performed its first underground nuclear test, American scientists scoffed because it produced an explosion of less than one kiloton, a small fraction of what U.S. nuclear bombs produce. However, that explosion was the perfect size to trigger an EMP event, according to energy expert Jeffrey Yago. And North Korea's nuclear tests have gotten bigger since then. (Read more)
- Abba Father God . . . we have no defense against an EMP strike . . except by You. Once again, we come to You on bended knee, asking for mercy in our time of need. Protect us, Lord Jesus, we pray in Your name, amen.
- "Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men." (Psalm 9:19,20)
10. Trump appears to back off joint 'Cyber Security unit' with Russia after criticism - Fox News
President Trump tweeted Sunday evening that a proposed "Cyber Security unit" operated by the U.S. and Russia "can't happen," an apparent reaction to criticism of the idea by Democrats and Republicans.
Trump announced in a Twitter post Sunday morning that he had discussed the idea with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. He said that the U.S. and Russia would work together to ensure that "election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."
There was no immediate comment from the White House or lawmakers Sunday on Trump's apparent about-face. (Read more)
- We thank You, Lord, that President Trump has the grace to stand down, when needed, before launching any new policy decision for the White House. We see this action as a sign of the strength of his character, rather than as a sign of weakness. In Your name, amen.
- "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1)
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