Daily Brief: Tuesday, August 8th (Short Form)
North Korea vowed Monday to strike the U.S. with "thousands-fold" revenge after the United Nations imposed new sanctions in response to a recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch from the rogue regime. The dictatorship's official KCNA news agency described the recent sanctions as "crimes" that were a "violent violation of our sovereignty" and a "heinous plot to isolate and stifle" the communist country.
North Korea, which consistently threatens to send "gift packages" to the U.S., vowed to take "righteous actions" that would make America pay "thousands of times." The fiery response from the nation came in the face of the sanctions and as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demanded the rogue nation halt its missile tests so the U.S. and North Korea could start negotiations. (Read more)
- Lord, we ask Your wisdom and Your Mighty power to remove the North Korean leadership. The psychotic actions of this regime are dangerous to the entire world, not just American interests.
- "If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have devised evil put your hand on your mouth. For as the churning of milk produces butter, and as the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife."
(Proverbs 30:32,22)
2. Tillerson doubles down as China takes new hard line on North Korea - ABC News
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on the offense at a summit here as he tries to increase the pressure on, and isolation of, North Korea after the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions against the country's rogue regime.
Tillerson is in Manila for an annual summit hosted by Southeast Asian countries collectively known as ASEAN. He's meeting with regional partners, including Russia and China, just days after North Korea tested its second intercontinental ballistic missile in a month. (Read more)
- Lord we thank You that China has begun to pressure the North Korean government. We ask that You grant Mr. Tillerson wisdom and favor in his dealings with these nations.
- "There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's counsel - that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21)
3. DOJ fires back at Chicago's sanctuary-city lawsuit threat - Fox News
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel formally announced Sunday that his city would file a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration for vowing to block federal grants to cities that don't comply with federal immigration law.
The Justice Department called out the mayor in its response. "In 2016, more Chicagoans were murdered than in New York City and Los Angeles combined. So it's especially tragic that the mayor is less concerned with that staggering figure than he is spending time and taxpayer money protecting criminal aliens and putting Chicago's law enforcement at greater risk," department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores told the Chicago Sun-Times. (Read more)
- Lord as Mayor Rahm Emanuel presides over a violence-wracked city, we ask that You change his focus from being politically correct and foolish to see the suffering in his own city.
- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
4. Minnesota Mosque Bombing an 'Act of Terrorism,' Governor Says - NBC News
The Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in suburban Minneapolis, like other U.S. mosques, occasionally receives threatening calls and emails. Its leaders say they're more frightened now after an explosive shattered windows and damaged a room as worshippers prepared for morning prayers.
"We feel like it's much deeper and scarier than like something random," Mohamed Omar, the center's executive director, said Sunday. "It's so scary." (Read more)
- Lord, we pray that the authorities will look in the correct direction for the perpetrator of this incident, and if it is not what it appears on the surface, let the truth be known. For these Muslims we ask that a move of Your Holy Spirit bring them new hearts and minds, that they hear the wooing of Your Spirit and surrender their hearts to You. In Your Name, amen.
- "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezek 36:26)
5. New Orleans floods as downpour overwhelms city pump stations - MSN
Parts of New Orleans flooded after a heavy weekend rainfall that officials said overwhelmed the city's pump stations.
NOLA.com reports city officials said Sunday that some neighborhoods saw between 8 and 10 inches (20 and 25 centimeters) of rain over a few hours Saturday. That was too much for the Sewerage & Water Board's 24 pump stations to cope with even though all were operating.
Deputy Mayor Ryan Berni told reporters the city has no immediate plans to request an emergency declaration from the state, but that could change as the city collects more information on flood damage.
City homeland security director Aaron Miller says that with more heavy rain predicted for Monday afternoon, the city's pumping capacity could be overwhelmed again. (Read more)
- Father we pray Your hand to stop the flooding in this city that has seen more than its share of floods. With the storms in Tulsa that have also left parts of Kansas City flooded, we ask for Your Divine help for the people of these areas.
- "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth." (Psalm 25:10a)
6. Wreckage of US military plane found off Australia - Fox News
An Australian navy ship arrived in Shoalwater Bay in Queensland state Sunday night to help the U.S. military hunt for the MV-22 Osprey, which the Marines said was conducting regularly scheduled operations on Saturday when it crashed into the water. The wreckage was found shortly thereafter, Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.
An Australian navy dive team plans to start the process of recovering the plane Monday night, the U.S. Marine base Camp Butler in Japan said in a statement.
Three Marines remain missing. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps called off a search and rescue operation for them on Sunday and launched a recovery effort instead, essentially confirming the military does not expect to find them alive. Twenty-three other personnel who were on board the Osprey when it crashed were rescued. (Read more)
- Lord we pray that You will comfort the families who have lost loved ones in this horrific incident.
- "Hope in God; for yet shall I praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God." (Psalm 42:13b)
7. Oval Office emptied as renovations begin at White House - The Hill
The Oval Office has been emptied as renovations kick off at the White House following President Trump's departure on vacation.
White House social media director Dan Scavino tweeted pictures over the weekend showing the start of the West Wing renovations.
White House staff in Washington are working to clear out of the West Wing and move into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building during the renovations.
White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters told reporters that the South Portico steps on the South Lawn will also be repaired. Those steps haven't been restored since President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House.
Among the other facets of the White House that will be refurbished are the Navy mess kitchen, a restaurant in the West Wing run by the U.S. Navy, the building's lower lobby, the information technology (IT) system and other "generic cosmetic upgrades." (Read more here . . . and here . . .)
- Father, we ask that only those workers whom You approve would be allowed to enter the West Wing during this time of renovation. We ask, too, that if anything or device be discovered during this process, that it be fully disabled and removed, as well. In Your Name, amen.
- "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that not will be made known." (Luke 12:2)
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