The
Daily Brief: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 (Short Form)
The Senate will delay the start of its annual August recess to give lawmakers more time to work on "important legislative issues" and winnow the backlog of President Trump's pending nominations, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.
"In order to provide more time to complete action on important legislative items and process nominees that have been stalled by a lack of cooperation from our friends across the aisle, the Senate will delay the start of the August recess until the third week of August," he said in a statement.
The Kentucky senator and leader of the Republican-controlled Senate has been under increasing pressure, most recently from Trump, to either cancel or shorten the month-long recess as he struggles to get an ObamaCare replacement bill passed in the chamber.
However, McConnell on Tuesday put some of the blame on Democrats for him having to cut short the recess by roughly two weeks. Aside from the health care bill complications, McConnell said Democrats' "lack of cooperation" has stalled the process of considering nominees. (Read more)
- Father God, we thank You for the leadership demonstrated yesterday by the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. We ask for extended favor and grace to rest upon each senator, so that the issues named will be resolved, and the business of our nation can go forward. In Your name, amen.
- "My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me." (Psalm 31:15)
2. U.S. proposes new UN sanctions on North Korea - Israel National News
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley aims to put to a vote within weeks a UN Security Council resolution to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea over its long-range ballistic missile test, several senior UN diplomats said Monday, according to Reuters.
Haley also warned that the U.S. is prepared to defend itself from the North Korean threat, saying, "One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military forces. We will use them if we must, but we prefer not to have to go in that direction." The United States gave China a draft resolution to impose stronger sanctions on Pyongyang after the 15-member Security Council met on Wednesday to discuss the ICBM launch, diplomats said, according to Reuters.
China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the news agency on Monday that it was important to ensure that any action the Security Council might take should be conducive to achieving the goal of a denuclearized, peaceful and stable Korean peninsula. (Read more)
- Father, we thank You for the strong and swift actions the U.S. is taking regarding North Korea, and we pray that all other nations would come into alignment and agreement with these plans, in Your name, amen.
- " . . . if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
3. US soldier accused of trying to give ISIS classified documents, drone - Fox News
A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was arrested over the weekend after allegedly attempting to provide military documents and a drone to the ISIS terror group.
Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34, was arrested late Saturday night by an FBI SWAT team at the Schofield Barracks in Honolulu, the FBI said.
FBI Special Agent Jimmy Chen alleged in an affidavit that Kang tried to give classified and unclassified military documents and a drone to undercover agents and informants whom he believed would pass the information on to ISIS. Kang is also accused of attempting to teach the group combat techniques.
Most notably, Chen alleged that Kang swore an oath of loyalty - known as bayat - to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday, shortly before his arrest. After doing so, Kang allegedly told an undercover agent that he wanted to use his rifle to "kill a bunch of people." (Read more)
- Father God, we thank You that this young man's actions have come to light, and that his terrorist plans are now null and void. We ask you bring him to justice, but also to salvation, in Your name, amen.
- "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light." (Mark 4:22)
4. Over 500 dead in Marawi battle with ISIS - Sky News
The death toll in a protracted battle between Islamic State-allied militants and government troops in the southern Philippine city of Marawi has topped 500, the military says.
Ninety of the dead were soldiers and police officers, while 39 were civilians killed by the militants in Marawi City, 800 kilometres south of Manila, said Brigadier General Restituto Padilla.
At least 381 of the dead were militants killed in the fighting which began on May 23 after government forces attempted to arrest a local leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, he added. (Read more)
- Father, we lift up these dear people in the southern Philippines, and we thank You for giving them the courage to fight ISIS. We pray Your protection for those who remain, and comfort for those who grieve, in Your Name, Amen.
- "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
5. Mosul: US commander says Iraq must stop Islamic State 2.0 - BBC
The senior US commander in Iraq has warned that the war against the so-called Islamic State (IS) is not over, despite a "historic" victory in Mosul. Lt Gen Stephen Townsend told the BBC there were still IS fighters in Iraq. He said the government should reach out to Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority to stop IS from renewing itself. (Read more)
- Father, we do praise You that Mosul, once claimed by ISIS as their capital, has now been recaptured by Iraqi forces. We ask for Your grace to be upon each Iraqi soldier now stationed there, that they will remain vigilant in their watch, as their senior commander has warned them to do, in Your name, amen.
- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour . . ." (1 Peter 5:8)
6. CANADA: Christian slapped with $12,000 'Shariah fine' for not removing shoes - WND
Canada is now fining its citizens for offending people of the Islamic faith. John Alabi, 53, is a Christian and a landlord who lives in the Toronto area and is being ordered to pay a fine of $12,000 by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal because he failed to remove his shoes when he entered the apartment he was renting to a Muslim couple. (Read more)
- Father God, first Canada, then America. We rise up and take up the sword of the Spirit and the authority You give us in Your name, and we ask, first that John Alabi be found "not guilty" and all charges against him be removed.
Help us all, Lord, to be on the alert for the creeping actions of Moslems who wish to enforce Sharia law against our people and against our Constitution. This nation belongs to us, dear Lord. If they want to adhere to Sharia, let them leave, we pray. amen.
- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour . . ." (1 Peter 5:8)
7. Arctic outpost becomes hotbed of Russian military activity - News.com.au
A TINY stretch of Arctic water has become a hotbed of military activity amid fears it could become the next flashpoint in a global conflict between the US and Russia. Locals on the tiny Norwegian island of Vardo have seen an increase in military action through the upgrade of a critical radar system, Globus III, due to be completed by 2020. (Read more)
- Father God, only You know what the Russians are up to on this small strip of land in the Arctic. We ask that You release Your ministering and Your warring angels to take care of this suspicious activity on our behalf. In Your Name, amen.
- "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!" (Psalm 103:20)
8. China's Intelligence Networks in United States Include 25,000 Spies - Free Beacon Beijing's spy networks in the United States include up to 25,000 Chinese intelligence officers and more than 15,000 recruited agents who have stepped up offensive spying activities since 2012, according to a Chinese dissident with close ties to Beijing's military and intelligence establishment. (Read more)
- Father God, as President Trump continues to drain the swamp here in Washington, D.C., we ask that he also find and expel all of these 25,000 Chinese spies and the 15,000 agents who are working with them.Thank You, Lord, that we have the confidence that, if we ask, without doubting, You will hear and act on our behalf. In Your name, amen.
- "But he must ask in faith without any doubting . . ." (James 1:6a)
9. Yemen cholera cases pass 300,000 as outbreak spirals - ICRC
A cholera outbreak in war-torn Yemen is thought to have infected 300,000 people in the past 10 weeks, the International Committee of the Red Cross says. The situation has continued to "spiral out of control", with about 7,000 new cases every day, the ICRC warned. More than 1,700 associated deaths have been reported, according to the UN. (Read more)
- O Lord, visit these people we pray. Please move now to heal the sick and to comfort those who grieve. Let this evil plague dissipate into nothing, and not be carried anywhere else in the world, amen and amen.
- "And I placed boundaries on it and set a bolt and doors, and I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; and here shall your proud waves stop'." (Job 38:10)
10. Strong earthquake hits NZ's South Island - Sky News
A strong earthquake has struck off New Zealand's coast, but there are no initial reports of serious damage or injuries and no tsunami is expected. The US Geological Survey says the magnitude-6.6 quake struck 198 kilometres northwest of Auckland Island. The quake was shallow, with a depth of only 10 kilometres. (Read more)
- Thank You, Lord, that all were kept safe in this quake. We ask that Your angels be commissioned to "stand watch" over any other area on the earth that is due for the same shaking. In Your Name, amen.
- "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11)
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