The
Daily Brief: Wednesday, July 26, 2017
1. Pence Breaks Tie, Senate Votes to Move Forward on Health Care Bill - NBC News
With Vice President Mike Pence casting a tie-breaking vote, Republicans moved forward on health care reform Tuesday as the Senate successfully passed a key motion to open debate on repealing and possibly replacing Obamacare.
The vote was a major victory for Republicans, who have struggled to find 50 votes to get this far, but the final product is likely to fall far short of the Republicans' seven-year promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. It took the likelihood of a slimmed-down final bill in order to get enough "yes" votes to just open debate.
. . . In a dramatic moment that allowed for the vote's passage, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, returned to the Senate from Arizona to cast a key vote. Pence broke the tie after two Republicans - Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska - and all the Democrats voted against it. But first more than a dozen protesters in the gallery interrupted the Senate's proceedings, chanting, "Kill the bill; don't kill us."
Speaking at the White House just minutes after the vote, President Donald Trump thanked Senate Republicans, saying, "now we move forward with truly great health care for the American people, we look forward to that. This was a big step." (Read more)
- Father, we pray Congress will find a way to repeal Obamacare and reestablish financial stability in our health care system with the Better Care Reconciliation Act.
- "Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." (Jeremiah 33:6)
2. State Dept. in 'Open War' With White House - Washington Free Beacon
The State Department under Secretary Rex Tillerson has been locked in a growing power struggle with the White House that has angered officials in the West Wing and sparked claims that the Trump administration's top diplomatic organ is now in "open war" with the White House on a range of critical issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian impasse, Iran, the crisis with Qatar, and other matters, according to multiple sources who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the situation.
The State Department is said to be in a state of "massive dysfunction," with top officials working under Tillerson ignoring White House directives on critical staffing issues and key policy matters, according to multiple sources, including administration allies who are said to be increasingly frustrated with what is perceived as the White House's inability to control its own federal agencies.
The tensions have fueled an outstanding power battle between the West Wing and State Department that has handicapped the administration and resulted in scores of open positions failing to be filled with Trump confidantes. This has allowed former Obama administration appointees still at the State Department to continue running the show and formulating policy, where they have increasingly clashed with the White House's own agenda. (Read more)
- Father, we ask You to give President Trump strategies to eliminate insubordination throughout the Executive Branch of our government. We pray for men and women, loyal to our nation and its interests to staff the State Department.
- "Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion." (Exodus 23:21)
3. State Department Lawyers Removing References to ISIS 'Genocide' Against Christians, Other Religious Minorities - Washington Free Beacon
The State Department's top lawyers are systematically removing the word "genocide" to describe the Islamic State's mass slaughter of Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria from speeches before they are delivered and other official documents, according to human rights activists and attorneys familiar with the policies.
Additionally, Democratic senators are delaying confirmation of Mark Green, Trump's pick to head the U.S. Agency for International Development who has broad bipartisan support. These efforts guarantee that Obama-era policies that worked to exclude Iraq's Christian and other minority religious populations from key U.S. aid programs remain in place, the activists said.
Richard Visek, who was appointed by President Obama as head the State Department's Office of Legal Adviser in October 2016, is behind the decision to remove the word "genocide" from official documents, according to Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer who directs the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom. (Read more)
- Father, we pray the aid allocated to these vulnerable people will be distributed in a way that truly helps them. We also pray for You to remove all State Department employees who are anti-Christian and anti-Israel.
- "My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of cruel oppressors." (Psalm 71:4)
4. Trump's Attacks On Sessions Continue, As He Claims The AG Is 'Very Weak' On 'Clinton Crime' And 'Intel Leakers' - Daily Caller
President Donald Trump continues to publicly assail Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and claimed Tuesday that the attorney general "has taken a very weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes" and "intel leakers." "Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!" Trump tweeted. He also wrote: "Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - 'quietly working to boost Clinton.' So where is the investigation A.G."
The attack comes as the president continues to insult his attorney general, who was the first Republican senator to back his campaign. Sessions has worked to implement Trump's agenda while in office, specifically by ordering prosecutors to crack down on immigration offenses. However, this doesn't seem to matter to the president who continues to be upset about Sessions' recusal from the Russia investigation due to his role as an adviser on the Trump campaign. White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said in a radio interview Tuesday that it's "probably right" that President Trump wants Sessions to step down.
Last week President Trump told The New York Times that he regrets appointing Sessions due to the attorney general's recusal from the investigation into Russian election interference and on Monday Trump described Sessions as "beleaguered." (Read more)
- Father, we know Jeff Sessions is a good man and has used his office to enforce the law. We pray this rift will mend and that he will continue to serve our country well.
- "Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (Colossians 3:13)
5. Scaramucci: Some in Mainstream Media 'Stretch Stories or Do Fabricate Things' - CNSNews.com
White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci told "Fox News Sunday" that "there is some fake news" and some individuals in the media "stretch stories or do fabricate things."
When asked whether he believes that the mainstream media deliberately puts out fake news about President Donald Trump, Scaramucci said, "There is some fake news, unfortunately. When you see the mainstream media, I think that's a very broad statement, and so, what I would like to say, and what I would like to believe, there's still a level of objectivity in the mainstream media, but unfortunately, there are specific individuals that do stretch stories or do fabricate things." (Read more)
- Father, we pray Anthony Scaramucci will be successful in eliminating leaks from the White House and delivering clear communication to the American people. We also pray for the antagonistic relationship between the press and Trump Administration to diminish.
- "A false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be allowed to speak." (Proverbs 21:28)
6. House Easily Passes Sanction Package Against Russia, Iran, North Korea - Washington Free Beacon
The House on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation that would impose additional sanctions against Russia for its interference in the 2016 election and ongoing aggression in Ukraine and Syria.
The new bill, passed by a vote of 419 to 3, would significantly limit President Donald Trump's ability to relax or terminate sanctions despite pushback from White House officials who argue the measure impedes the president's executive authority to conduct foreign policy.
The legislation also contains new sanctions against Iran and North Korea, two adversaries the Trump administration has sought to punish for their ballistic missile testing. (Read more)
- Father, we pray these sanctions will truly help our world become more safe and secure. We pray the price nations must pay when they breach our national security will be too high, and we will have peace.
- "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe." (Luke 11:21)
7. Wasserman Schultz's IT Aide Arrested Trying To Flee The Country - Daily Caller
Florida GOP Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's right-hand information technology (IT) aide was arrested attempting to leave the country just a few hours after The Daily Caller News Foundation's Investigative Group revealed that he is the target of an FBI investigation. Imran Awan, a Pakistani-born IT aide, had access to all emails and files of dozens of members of Congress, as well as the password to the iPad that Wasserman Schultz used for Democratic National Committee business before she resigned as its head in July 2016. He was apprehended while attempting to flee the U.S., according to Fox News.
Soon after Imran began working for Wasserman Schultz in 2005, four of his relatives appeared on the payroll of other Democrats - many from Wasserman Schultz's home state of Florida - at inflated salaries, but Democratic staffers said they were rarely seen at work. They collected $4 million in total. House authorities told members in February that Awan and his relatives were suspects in a criminal investigation into theft and IT abuses, and they were banned from the Capitol network. (Read more)
- Father, we pray this case will get the attention it deserves throughout the media. We pray everything Imran Awan and his family were doing to compromise members of Congress and our national security will come to light.
- "For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light." (Luke 8:17)
8. Mueller probe: Meet the lawyers who gave $$ to Hillary, now investigating team Trump - Fox News
President Trump's tough criticism of Special Counsel Robert Mueller signals a renewed effort to challenge his investigators' credibility over their track record of pro-Democratic political donations and other associations. There is no shortage of examples to fuel the president's case. Of the 15 attorneys currently on staff for Mueller, at least seven have donated to Democratic candidates and campaigns, including Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. The rest have not made political donations, according to federal records; and none of the attorneys on Mueller's roster donated money to Trump.
- "An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies." (Proverbs 12:17)
9. Chipping Employees: Wisconsin Company Is First in US to Give it a Go - CBN News
A Wisconsin company is set to become the first in America to give its employees the opportunity to have microchip implants in their hand. Three Square Market is a developer of software used in vending machines and will pay for their employees to get chipped. About 50 employees at the company have volunteered to get the chip injection starting in August. The chips will be implanted in employees' hands to buy things in the break room, log into computers, open doors, and so on.
"It's the next thing that's inevitably gonna happen and we want to be a part of it," said Three Square Market CEO Todd Westby. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and will be implanted between the thumb and forefinger. The company will pick up the $300 fee.
"Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.," Westby predicts in a blog post. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for great wisdom as this technology ushers us into the reign of the anti-Christ. Help us continue to be Your witnesses and use the time we have left for Your glory.
- "He required everyone-small and great, rich and poor, free and slave-to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name." (Revelation 13:16-17)
10. Voter fraud in Palm Beach County: State attorney finds crimes, but no suspect - Palm Beach Post
Detectives with the State Attorney's Office found clear-cut evidence of voter fraud in last year's August election, with nearly two dozen people's signatures forged on requests for absentee ballots. But prosecutors are dropping the case.
Why? They can't find a suspect.
In a bizarre 24-page memo, detectives described their efforts to get to the bottom of allegations of voter fraud in the primary election. State Sen. Bobby Powell, Palm Beach County Commissioner Mack Bernard and state Rep. Al Jacquet, a tight-knit trio of rising stars in the Democratic Party, won their races by generating extraordinary turnout in absentee ballots, and their opponents and voters cried foul.
Detectives talked to 22 voters - 17 of whom were in all three candidates' districts - who claimed their signatures were forged on request forms. Even a State Attorney's Office employee and her three family members were victims. (Read more)
- Lord, this investigation was not thorough, but You are. We ask for conviction of sin for those who perpetrated this fraud, and ask Your protection over all elections in the United States.
- "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John 16:8)
11. US Navy ship fired warning shots at an Iranian boat in the Persian Gulf - CNN
A US Navy ship fired warning shots at an armed Iranian patrol boat Tuesday in the northern end of the Persian Gulf, according to two US defense officials.The Iranian boat is believed to have been operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a defense official familiar with details of the incident. The officials said the Iranian boat approached and came within 150 yards of the USS Thunderbolt, a US Navy patrol ship.
The USS Thunderbolt was accompanied by the USS Vella Gulf, which is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, and two US Coast Guard vessels at the time.
The Iranians did not respond to any warnings from the US ship, including radio calls, firing of flares and five short blasts from the US Navy ship's whistle, which is the internationally recognized communications signal for danger, the officials said.
The Navy ship then fired warning shots into the water over concerns about the possibility of a collision, one of the officials said.
The Iranian ship then ceased its provocative actions but lingered in the area for some hours, one of the officials said. There were several US Navy ships in the immediate vicinity at the time of the incident conducting routine patrol operations in international waters, according to the defense officials.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard is claiming that it "foiled the US warship's provocative move against an Iranian Navy patrol boat in the Persian Gulf," according to a statement published by Iran's official news agency IRNA. (Read more)
- Father, we thank You that our navy showed great restraint in this incident. We pray that these provocations by the Iranian navy would cease, in Your name. Amen.
- "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in You, than He that is in the world." (I John 4:4)
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