The Daily Brief:
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Hurricane Maria slammed the Caribbean Monday night as a quickly intensifying Category 5 storm, which the National Hurricane Center warned was "potentially catastrophic." The eye wall of the storm was moving onshore over Dominica, packing 160-mph winds. Forecasters say the hurricane will likely travel over the Leeward Islands and the extreme northeast Caribbean through Monday night and Tuesday.
Maria had started the day as a Category 3 hurricane before growing in strength.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques, in addition to previous warnings in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat, Martinique, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
Maria's path is forecast to move northward for the next couple days. It's unclear if Hurricane Maria's path will directly hit the continental U.S. The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico's governor has declared a state of emergency, and has activated the National Guard ahead of Maria's arrival.
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__Father, there are already thousands of people on Puerto Rico without basic necessities, and the Virgin Islands were totally decimated in Irma. We pray for Your mercy for these people and ask You to stay Your hand from wrath.
- In wrath, remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2d)
2. ObamaCare push may show Senate Republicans 'getting there' - Fox
Senate Republicans are trying again to repeal and replace ObamaCare, pushing a measure that would give states broader authority through block grants and which appears to have wide support among GOP members. But the deadline to pass such a measure ends in just days, with leaders of the GOP chamber skeptical about another failed and damaging attempt.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., says he's just one or two votes shy of the minimum 50-vote threshold, with 52 Republicans senators in the chamber. He said last week that Democrats and Republicans alike have said, "If we give states the flexibility to come up with their own solutions, they will find solutions that work better for their states than" ObamaCare.
"It looks like they are getting there," counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway on Monday told Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
Conway, like Cassidy, says the plan also has support among governors, with 34 of the country's 50 being Republican. And she made clear again how important the GOP-controlled Congress passing such a measure is to President Trump, who made dismantling ObamaCare a key campaign promise.
"This president wants to deliver health care to the 29 million Americans who don't have it," she also said Monday. "He's ready."
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__Lord, we continue to ask for a fair and equitable healthcare plan that does not produce more costs and problems for the American people.
-"Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield." (Psalm 33:20)
3. Hillary considers challenging legitimacy of Trump win - WND
Hillary Clinton on Monday would not rule out the possibility of challenging the results of the 2016 presidential election, saying it's clear the Russians influenced the outcome and that the legitimacy of President Trump's victory could be called into question as congressional and independent probes into Russian involvement move forward.
In an interview with NPR, the former secretary of state - who will speak in Washington on Monday evening as part of her nationwide book tour - would not rule out formally contesting the results of the election.
"I wouldn't rule it out," she said, though she quickly admitted there's virtually no legal path forward, and that challenging election results at this point would be unprecedented.
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___Father, we pray that You will block this woman from destroying America by contesting the vote at this late date.
- "Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, and stop those who pursue me." (Psalm 35:2,3)
4. Wisconsin Church Vandalized With Anti-Christian, Sexually Explicit LGBT Graffiti- Christian Post
A Wisconsin church was vandalized with anti-Christian and sexually explicit graffiti during LGBT Pride last weekend.
Cornerstone Community Church and other businesses in La Crosse, Wisconsin, were attacked by vandals who spray-painted message on the buildings' walls and windows using red spray paint.
"Vandals spray painted an orange sun and circle, male anatomy, 'Love 4 NOT H8,' 'Love' and 'LGBTQ' in an umbrella and an upside down cross," the La Cross Tribune reported on Wednesday.
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__Lord, we pray Your comfort for this congregation, and ask that You lift up Your banner of protection over them.
- "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11)
5. LONDON BOMBER ID'D AS SYRIAN 'REFUGEE' - WND
The second of two men arrested in connection with Friday morning's Parsons Green London tube network attack has been named as 21-Year-Old Syrian migrant Yahyah Farouk.
The Syrian migrant - who has been reported to have been fostered by the same British couple who also cared for a number of refugees including the 18-year-old male presently being held as the prime suspect - is thought to have lived in the UK for over four years.
Damascus-origin Yahyah Farouk was arrested outside a Halal fried chicken shop Aladdins in Hounslow, reports The Times.
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_Father, we pray Your Blood over the refugee system in the United States. We ask for Your power to keep out jihadists, and bring in only those with true needs.
-"The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations." (Psalm 33:11)
6. Christians in India Warn of 'Spiraling Hatred' in Letter to PM Modi With Photo of Hindus Burning Cross- Christian Post
Catholics bishops in India have written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning him of an apparently organized campaign against the Christian minority in an eastern state which is governed by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The letter carries a picture showing Hindu nationalists burning an effigy of a cardinal with a large wooden cross.
The letter by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India expressed concerns over "spiraling hatred" being spread by Chief Minister Raghubar Das of Jharkhand state, where alleged members of a Hindu nationalist group, Hindu the Jagran Manch (Hindu Revival Group), recently burned an effigy of Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, according to La Croix.
Signed by CBCI Secretary General Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, the letter said the state government sees the Catholic Church as its enemy because Christians are seeking to protect land rights of tribal, or aboriginal, people.
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__Lord, we pray once again for Protection for this church as well. Grant these people true faith in You to be able to stand in the time of trouble.
-"He shall call upon Me and I will answer him." (Psalm 91:15)
7. North Korea secretly building nuclear submarine to deploy within 3 years: Report - Washington Times
North Korea's military is clandestinely building a nuclear-powered submarine, according to a Japanese newspaper report, the latest provocation by Pyongyang in an escalating clash with the U.S. and its allies in a region already on edge.
The report by Japan's Sekai Nippo, citing an "informed" but unidentified "source familiar with the North Korean situation," said the size of the nuclear-powered submarine under construction is unclear but that the Kim Jong-un regime in Pyongyanghopes to have it deployed within three years.
The claim could not be independently verified by The Washington Times, and U.S. intelligence sources could not immediately be reached for comment. If true, however, the claim could indicate a dramatic step forward for North Korea's navy, which analysts estimate operates a fleet of 50 to 60 diesel-electric submarines that are louder and easier to detect than the nuclear-powered vessels.
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_Lord, if this report is true, we ask that You destroy this plan. We praise Your Holy Name that You will take care of this problem before it even comes to fruition.
-"No weapon formed against you shall prosper." (Isaiah 54:17)
8. Mattis hints at military options on North Korea but offers no details- Reuters
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted on Monday about the existence of military options on North Korea that might spare Seoul from a brutal counterattack but declined to say what kind of options he was talking about or whether they involved the use of lethal force.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday the U.N. Security Council had run out of options on containing North Korea's nuclear program and that the United States might have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon.
Any conflict on the Korean peninsula could easily result in a degree of bloodshed unseen since the 1950-53 Korean War, which claimed the lives of more than 50,000 Americans and millions of Koreans and ended in an armed truce, not a peace treaty.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted on Monday about the existence of military options on North Korea that might spare Seoul from a brutal counterattack but declined to say what kind of options he was talking about or whether they involved the use of lethal force.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday the U.N. Security Council had run out of options on containing North Korea's nuclear program and that the United States might have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon.
Any conflict on the Korean peninsula could easily result in a degree of bloodshed unseen since the 1950-53 Korean War, which claimed the lives of more than 50,000 Americans and millions of Koreans and ended in an armed truce, not a peace treaty.
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___Lord, we ask for great wisdom for our leadership. Let the wisdom of Heaven come to each of them, bringing light to their minds and hearts. The threat is real, so we ask that whatever they choose will be from Your heart.
- And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me." (Psalm 27:6)
9. Trump and Latin American leaders to discuss pressure on Venezuela - Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump and several Latin American leaders will discuss over dinner on Monday how to bring pressure to bear on the Venezuelan government to restore democracy in the oil-producing nation, officials said.
Trump has invited Presidents Michel Temer of Brazil, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, Juan Carlos Varela of Panama and Argentine Vice President Gabriela Michetti to the dinner on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.
Differences over ethanol trade, open-skies aviation and illegal drug production, and even North Korea, could crop up during the discussion, but the top issue will be the Venezuelan crisis, Latin American and White House officials said.
"What we all want is for Venezuela to become a democracy again and we are exerting all the pressure we can for that to happen. Tonight we will talk to Trump about that," Santos said in an interview with Bloomberg News Agency.
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___Lord, the situation in Venezuela has become intolerable for its citizens. They have no food, they are being killed, they are unarmed and cannot fight back. We pray that You will have a solution that will help these people come to know You and be free from the oppression of their socialist government.
-"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be freed indeed." (John 8:36)
10. France defends Iran nuclear deal, Trump to decide soon - Reuters
The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers faces a stern test at the United Nations this week as Europeans try to persuade a skeptical Trump administration to keep it, while Israel lobbies to turn up the pressure on its regional rival.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who must make a decision by mid-October that could undermine the agreement, repeated on Thursday his long-held view that Iran was violating "the spirit" of the deal under which Tehran got sanctions relief in return for curbing its nuclear program.
The Republican president has called the agreement, struck under his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, "the worst deal ever negotiated."
The prospect of Washington reneging on the agreement has worried some of the key U.S. allies that helped negotiate it, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis, North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development.
"We all share U.S. concerns about Iran's destabilizing role in the region, but by mixing everything up, we risk losing everything," said a senior European diplomat, who was part of the 18-month negotiation process that led to the accord.
Trump must decide in October whether to certify that Iran is complying with the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
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___Lord, we pray that You will grant President Trump the wisdom
of Heaven for his decision. Grant him visions and understanding.
-"Wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness." (Ecclesiastes 2:13)
-"Wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness." (Ecclesiastes 2:13)
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