The Daily Brief: Monday, November 27, 2017

The Daily Brief: Monday, November 27, 2017

1. ISIS Attack in Egyptian Mosque Kills Over 300 - Breaking Israel News

At least 305 people were killed when the Rawdah Sufi mosque in Bir al Abed in the northern Sinai was attacked on Friday by 25-30 ISIS militants armed with automatic rifles. 27 children were among the dead and an additional 128 people were injured.

The attackers drove up to the mosque in five SUV's and took positions at the entrances. An explosive was set off in the building adjacent to the mosque and the Islamists killed worshippers as they exited the mosque. The attackers, wearing military fatigues, had heavy machine guns and had long beards and hair. At least one man was carrying a flag of the Islamic State (ISIS), which later took credit for the attack. The assailants continued their assault, firing on ambulances as they arrived.

The mosque marks the birthplace of the founder of Sufism. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam Islamists consider to be heretical. ISIS has targeted Sufis in the past and has also killed more than 100 Coptic Christians in Egypt in the past year. (Read more)

See also: Report: Egypt Mosque Attackers Carried ISIS Flags - Daily Caller

The militants who carried out a massive terror attack on an Egyptian mosque were carrying Islamic State flags, the country's chief prosecutor said Saturday. Nabil Sadeq also said that the death toll had risen to 305 people, including 27 children, making it the deadliest terrorist incident in Egypt's modern history.

In a coordinated attack during Friday prayer services, Islamic militants bombed the al-Rawdah mosque in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and opened fire on worshipers as they tried to flee to safety. Survivors told Sadeq's office that the attack was carried out by 25 to 30 militants wearing masks and military-style uniforms, reports ABC News.

As of Saturday afternoon, ISIS had not formally claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS-aligned militants are entrenched in the Sinai Peninsula and have clashed with Egyptian security forces there for several years. The al-Rawdah mosque is frequently attended by Sufi Muslims, a mystic school of Islam considered heretical by Sunni Islamic militants, including ISIS. Although past ISIS attacks in Sinai have targeted Egyptian troops and police, as well as Christian churches, the terror group has struck Sufis in other countries such as Iraq.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former armed forces commander, has promised the "utmost force" in retribution for Friday's attack. "What is happening is an attempt to stop us from our efforts in the fight against terrorism," Sisi said Friday in a televised address, according to the BBC. "The armed forces and the police will avenge our martyrs and restore security and stability with the utmost force." Egyptian officials said Saturday that the military had carried out air strikes and raids overnight against militants believed to be responsible. (Read more)
- Father, we mourn for those killed in this attack in a mosque in Egypt. As the people of Islam turn against each other, seeking to destroy each other, we ask that You, O Holy One, would reveal Yourself to them for salvation, bringing your peace. We ask this in Your name, amen.

- (Please study Ephesians 2:14-17)

2. Syria peace talks: Putin discusses political solution with Erdogan & Rouhani amid ISIS demise - RT

Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a meeting in Sochi with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Hassan Rouhani of Iran to share their views on Syrian reconciliation. The three countries previously agreed to be guarantors of the Syrian peace process.

Welcoming his dignitary guests, Putin said the meeting comes at a crucial moment in the Syrian armed conflict, when there is an opportunity to end it.

"The militants in Syria have sustained a decisive blow, and now there is a realistic chance to end the multiyear civil war," he said. This would require giving the Syrians a period of peace, during which they would be able to settle their differences, Putin added. This will require compromise by all parties in Syria, both the government and the rebels, he stressed.

The three leaders "are planning to discuss further steps to ensure long-term stability in this country" amid "the successes in combatting terrorism and visible reduction of violence in Syria," the Kremlin statement said.

Previously, Putin also held telephone conversations with US President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow and Washington had reached "a fairly sustainable cooperation" on Syria, though there were "huge problems in condemning terrorists and extremists." (Read more)
- Father, as we gaze upon the photo shown in this article, our blood almost runs cold. We see a smiling Vladimir Putin, standing in between Iran's Rouhani (on his left) and Turkey's Erdogan (on his right), with the flags of all three nations lined up behind them.

Could this new alliance between Turkey, Iran and Russia signal the beginning of what will soon become the Ezekiel 38 war between Gog and Magog?

Father, help us to prepare our hearts for this hour, and help us reach as many souls as we can for You, while there is still time. Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer, amen and amen.

- "All the people shall keep the watch of the Lord." (2 Chronicles 23:6)

3. The GOP Tax Plan's Number One Goal: Back to Growth - The National Interest The "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" has passed the House of Representatives, and the Senate will vote on its version of the legislation the week after Thanksgiving. Should both bills pass and the bodies agree on a final compromise legislative wording, it will change the American economy, American politics and the world. Just what single piece of legislation could be that powerful? The outlines of the tax reform/tax reduction bills are known. And the likelihood of final passage is as certain as anything can be in Washington, DC, as the House and Senate bills and the president's vision all live within the "framework" agreed upon months ago. The only real differences are in timing and focus. The corporate rate will drop from 35 percent-the highest in the industrialized world-down to 20 percent. After-tax cash flow for $100 in earnings will increase from $65 to $80-a 23 percent increase. Imagine what that will do to the stock market valuations. American competitiveness will allow firms to stay in the United States, rather than continuing to be at risk of purchase by foreign companies that enjoy lower corporate tax rates. And Americans will join the rest of the world in adopting a territorial tax system that allows us to repatriate American business earnings without penalty. (Read more)
- Our Father, we thank You for the GOP tax plan. It seems better for America and our people. We pray that this plan will have Your hand on it to lead the Senate when they, too, vote on this bill. Let there be nothing hidden in this legislation, we pray. In Your Name, amen.

- "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter." (Proverbs 25:2)

4. Uranium One noose is tightening - American Thinker

Now that the FBI's informant on the Uranium One deal has been outed and the nondisclosure agreement formerly muzzling him abrogated, it is possible to see the outlines of the devastating case to be made against not just Hillary Clinton, but the entire Obama administration.

Two intrepid reporters, John Solomon of The Hill and Sara Carter of Circa News and Sinclair Broadcasting, are gaining access to some of the reported 50,000 documents in the possession of William Campbell, the whistleblower who went to the FBI with the scary details of what appeared to him to be an illegal attempt by Russian entities to take over the world uranium market, including even the uranium resources in our ground.

The Russian plot to "control global energy resources" was reported by Campbell to the FBI a year prior to approval of the acquisition. There is every reason to expect - and the proof would be available to congressional investigators or (cough) a special counsel or U.S. attorney - that this information was passed up the chain to A.G. Eric Holder and even President Obama.

Yet CFIUS - the group of agency heads that must approve such transactions on which Holder and Hillary sat - went ahead and approved this sale that the U.S. knew was part of a Russian plot to control the world uranium and energy markets. (Read more)
- Father God, we praise You that this wicked deed is coming to light and being evaluated for its affect on our country. We pray that You would direct the paths of those who are looking into all the documents involved and that Your kind of justice would be done. We pray this would bring a new level of uprightness to those who work in our government.

- "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:6)

5. FBI Investigating House Democrat For Paying His Opponent To Drop Out Of Race - ZeroHedge

The FBI is investigating Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Bob Brady for conspiracy, false statements and campaign in relation to payments his campaign allegedly made to 2012 primary opponent Jimmie Moore in order to persuade him to drop out of the race, court documents reviewed by The Daily Caller show. FBI special agent Jonathan R. Szeliga filed a search warrant request on November 1 in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for all emails associated with Brady's campaign email, BobCongress@Aol.com

Szeliga asserted he had "probable cause to believe that Kenneth Smukler, Robert Brady, Donald 'D.A.' Jones, Jimmie Moore, and Carolyn Cavaness and others known and unknown have committed violations" including charges of conspiracy, false statements, producing false records, causing false campaign contribution reports and violating limits on campaign contributions and expenditures. (Read more)
- Father, we see that an FBI investigation will determine if Rep. Bob Brady violated the law during his campaign by paying his opponent to drop out of the race. In Your name, let all things hidden be revealed. We give You honor an glory.

- "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)

6. White House confident Mick Mulvaney trumps outgoing director's pick to head CFPB - Washington Examiner

The White House insisted Saturday that President Trump has the authority to appoint a successor to temporarily oversee the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, rather than a former acting director. The White House had sought council from the Office of Legal Counsel within the Department of Justice, which weighs in on decisions to guide the executive branch on what is legal and what is not. The dispute over who is in charge of the agency began when two officials were appointed to the post Friday.

Trump said Friday that he was naming White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to the post temporarily, but outgoing CFPB Director Richard Cordray announced he was tapping his chief of staff, Leandra English, to be his successor.

The CFPB was established during the financial crisis that began in 2007 to set regulations on consumer finance products, like credit cards and auto loans. Republicans want to revamp the agency because they say it is responsible for saddling banks with unnecessary regulations, while Democrats have tried to stave off the influence of the Trump administration on CFPB. Asked whether the case would end up in court, a senior administration official replied, "We're hoping that it doesn't." The official continued, "We have gone out of our way to avoid a legal battle with Cordray and his actions show he is trying to provoke one." (Read more)
- Father God, President Trump has appointed Mike Mulvaney to temporarily fill the position as overseer of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This appointment has been met with opposition. Let the president lend His ear to You for guidance as he chooses the right person to permanently fill this important position. Thank You, Lord.

- "Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, "What are you doing?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4)

7. Judicial Watch: New FBI Records Show FBI Leadership's Conflicts of Interest Discussions on Clinton Email Investigation - Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch today released 79 pages of Justice Department documents concerning ethics issues related to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's involvement with his wife's political campaign. The documents include an email showing Mrs. McCabe was recruited for a Virginia state senate race in February 2015 by then-Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam's office.

The news that Clinton used a private email server broke five days later, on March 2, 2015. Five days after that, former Clinton Foundation board member and Democrat party fundraiser, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, met with the McCabes. She announced her candidacy on March 12. Soon afterward, Clinton/McAuliffe-aligned political groups donated nearly $700,000 (40% of the campaign's total funds) to McCabe's wife for her campaign.

An October 23, 2016, email shows McCabe running the response effort to a Wall Street Journal article that was published that day, titled "Clinton Ally Aided Campaign of FBI Official's Wife." McCabe provides Michael Kortan, the assistant director of Public Affairs, his version of a timeline of events surrounding the Clinton investigation and his wife's campaign. McCabe said he contacted then-FBI Chief of Staff Chuck Roseburg about Jill McCabe's candidacy and was told that "the D [Comey] has no issue with it."

(Judicial Watch earlier this month released documents showing that McCabe finally did recuse himself from the Clinton investigation only a week before last year's presidential election.) (Read more)
- Father, we see the laws of our country and Your laws of righteousness being violated from one agency to another and up and down the agencies. Lord, we thank You for those who search out the truth and publish the doings of those to whom is entrusted the enforcing of our laws. We pray right now for a thorough cleansing of all these agencies that are now corrupted with evil intentions and alliances. Lord, fill our government with those who respect and obey our laws and have Your laws written on their hearts.

- "Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from excepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil; he will dwell on the heights," (Isaiah 33:15-16a)

8. Washington Post reporter caught plotting liberal agenda with billionaire George Soros - Fox News

Allegedly unbiased Washington Post reporter Janell Ross spoke at a top-secret meeting of liberal movers and shakers last week, where Democratic donors including billionaire George Soros outlined the future of their progressive agenda. The Democracy Alliance, which hosted the event, bills itself as "the largest network of donors dedicated to building the progressive movement in the United States" on the group's official website. The liberal group also claims to "play a leading role in fostering the infrastructure necessary to advance a progressive agenda" in the United States.

The group intended to keep "the identities of its members and guests confidential," according to the Beacon, but the paper obtained a "detailed conference agenda that lists both events and featured guests." Once the Beacon revealed the attendees, the group reportedly beefed up security and asked participants to keep details off social media. One of the surprising guests was Ross, who used to pass as a somewhat impartial reporter for the prestigious Post. While the paper's slogan is, "Democracy Dies in Darkness," she apparently wanted to keep her bosses in the dark about attending the liberal planning session and hanging out with prominent Democratic donors such as Soros. (Read more)
- Precious Lord, we are appalled that this woman is participating in an activity that aims at controlling freedom in America, which would include freedom of the press. Lord, open her eyes and the eyes of all the participants to the fact that no one will be better off if socialists and communists take over. We speak utter failure to all these plans made in secret and promoted and funded by those who do not love You and do not love America.

- "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin." (Isaiah 30:1)

9. Trump's biggest win yet comes thanks to Congress - CNBC

President Donald Trump should give special thanks to two U.S. Senators this Thanksgiving weekend. One is still serving in the Senate, the other recently retired. One is a Republican. The other a Democrat. And what should President Trump be thanking them for? Quite simply they have handed him one of the biggest victories any president could claim in the past 45 years. Yes, this has happened even as one of the most widely covered stories of the past year has been President Trump's difficulties in working with Congress.

The growing rift between him and Republican Senators John McCain, Jeff Flake, and Bob Corker alone has made headlines for months. For a U.S. president to have this many public feuds with senators from his own party this early in his presidency is really unprecedented and makes for hot news copy.

But that story ignores a bigger and longer-lasting development in the federal judiciary. That brings us first to naming the Republican gift giver: Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa. The longtime member of Congress has big time clout as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And Grassley has just used that clout to eliminate one of the final hurdles in the already furious pace of Trump administration judicial appointments to the federal bench.

Late last week, Grassley decided not to honor a Senate tradition of holding up hearings for judicial nominees who aren't cleared by their own home state senators. That tradition is known as the "blue slip courtesy" born out of time before nationwide communication technology when a given state's senators had access to much more information about nominees than their colleagues from the rest of the country.

Grassley correctly noted that Democrats were now trying to use the blue slips tradition to replace the filibuster, and he's having none of that. As recently as last month, the Democrats and much of the news media's punditry were expecting Grassley, who is no fan of the president, to keep the blue slip tradition in place. But Grassley gave Trump this very special gift instead.

And that brings us to the Democrat who provided the initial generous source of President Trump's solid triumph: Former Senate Majority Leader, and Democrat, Harry Reid. Reid is a major reason this good fortune has befallen President Trump because Reid was the one who killed the filibuster rule for judicial nominees in 2013. And when he killed it, it was gone for good. (Read more)
- Father, in ancient Greece, we learn the story of the Gordian knot -- a knot that was tied around an enemy to keep him "frozen in place" and unable to move. According to this history, the only way to loosen this intractable knot was to cut it off completely.

We thank You, Father God, that Your angels have now cut off this Gordian knot from our Senate rules, so that much of the President's agenda -- including filling judicial appointments -- can now move forward. Amen!

- "The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked." (Psalm 129:4)

10. Diplomats Sound the Alarm as They Are Pushed Out in Droves - New York Times

. . .The departures mark a new stage in the broken and increasingly contentious relationship between Mr. Tillerson and much of his department's work force. By last spring, interviews at the time suggested, the guarded optimism that greeted his arrival had given way to concern among diplomats about his aloofness and lack of communication. By the summer, the secretary's focus on efficiency and reorganization over policy provoked off-the-record anger.

Now the estrangement is in the open, as diplomats going out the door make their feelings known and members of Congress raise questions about the impact of their leaving.

In a letter to Mr. Tillerson last week, Democratic members of the House Foreign Relations Committee, citing what they said was "the exodus of more than 100 senior Foreign Service officers from the State Department since January," expressed concern about "what appears to be the intentional hollowing-out of our senior diplomatic ranks." (Read more)
- Father, we thank You that those angels are now working overtime to "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C., making our city new and clean. We pray prayers of protection for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he continues to work to get this job done, in Your Name, Abba, amen.

- "No weapon formed against you shall prosper . . ." (Isaiah 54:17a)