The Daily Brief: Monday, December 4th, 2017

The Daily Brief: Monday, December 4th, 2017

1. After victorious Senate vote, GOP leaders confident about tax reform, avoiding shutdown - Fox News

Senate Republican leaders on Sunday touted a GOP-led Congress perhaps finally in sync and ready to hit two key deadlines -- approving a spending bill to keep the government from shutting down after Friday and the House and Senate agreeing on landmark tax-reform legislation by Christmas.

"We're not that far apart," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Republican Policy Committee," told "Fox News Sunday" about the chambers' separate tax overhaul measures.

House and Senate lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Monday to begin working on a compromise bill -- just two days after GOP senators narrowly approved their chamber's plan on a 51-to-49 vote. The House, which has a larger Republican majority, approved its version last month. (Read more)
- Father, we continue to lift up this bill as it moves today into conference committee, where the language of the House and Senate versions can be merged into one new tax reform package. We ask for strength, energy, wisdom and insight to rest upon these members as they take the next and final step towards passage in Congress. Amen.

- "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight . . ." (Isaiah 45:2)

2. Holder, Comey fight Trump's FBI slam: 'Not letting this go' - Fox News

ormer Attorney General Eric Holder and ex-FBI Director James Comey fired back Sunday at President Trump, who claimed the FBI's reputation is in "tatters" after its handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. "Nope. Not letting this go. The FBI's reputation is not in 'tatters,'" Holder, who served as attorney general under President Obama, tweeted. "It's composed of the same dedicated men and women who have always worked there and who do a great, apolitical job." Holder added, "You'll find integrity and honesty at FBI headquarters and not at 1600 Penn Ave right now," referring to the White House. Trump earlier Sunday said that "after years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in history! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness." (Read more)
- Father, we thank You that You have placed a man in the Oval Office who is a fighter, and who will not give up until all the evidence has come to light, and truth prevails. We ask continued strength, grace, wisdom and insight to rest upon President Trump as he works to make America great again. Amen.

- "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

3. Trump court pick Kyle Duncan is the Neil Gorsuch of Louisiana - The Hill

President Trump has consistently nominated men and women with diamond-studded legal resumes and rock-solid commitments to the rule of law rather than rule of judges. Conservatives and Republicans are united in their high praise for the president's inspired picks for the Supreme Court and federal courts of appeal.

Indeed, it's not too much to say that Kyle Duncan, Trump's pick for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and whom I know personally and professionally, is the Neil Gorsuch of Louisiana. Not only do they both come with prodigious academic and legal resumes, but they also share a judicial philosophy. They believe that judges must follow our laws and the Constitution - and not base decisions on their own moral preferences or policy positions. They are both keen on protecting religious freedom within the confines of our Constitution. In addition, Duncan and Gorsuch have that gift of being able to boil complex legal issues down to the basics, and explain in terms the general public can appreciate. It's time for the Senate to give Duncan a hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. (Read more)
- Dear Lord, we thank You that President Trump has picked such well qualified candidates to fill the many judicial vacancies open. We pray that You will work to remove the blockages that are holding these candidates back from being quickly approved. Father, we pray for more and more right-minded, capable men and women be placed in these important positions.

- "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." (Psalms 37:30)

4. U.S. Third-Quarter Growth Revised to Three-Year High of 3.3% - Bloomberg

The latest results for GDP, the value of all goods and services produced, show the economy withstood major hurricanes to reach a more solid footing as it entered the final stretch of the year, thanks to stronger business spending that's helping cushion a softer pace of consumption. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Wednesday, just before the GDP report, that the expansion is "increasingly broad based across sectors as well as across much of the global economy."

While the revised growth rate is in line with President Donald Trump's goal, economists generally see such a pace as unsustainable and expect growth to slow sometime in 2018. Trump and congressional Republicans are pushing a tax-cut plan with the aim of lifting GDP gains to 3 percent annually, though analysts expect any economic boost to be modest, on balance, if the proposal becomes law. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy, continues to be the main driver of growth, though revisions showed it was slightly weaker than previously estimated on purchases of both durable and nondurable goods. (Read more)
- Thank you, Father, for these great figures. We are so encouraged to see these results as we pray for our new president who is surely making America great again, amen.

- "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)

5. The Soros District Attorney-Buying Binge - FrontPageMag

Left-wing currency manipulator George Soros's push to radically reshape the judiciary and elect extremist district attorneys across the country to weaken law enforcement and protect lawless sanctuary cities is bearing fruit. Soros has been pouring money into local elections because he supports local efforts to resist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and wants to cripple police in order to advance the neo-Marxist abstraction known as social justice that simplistically breaks the world down into race, class, and sex or gender.

Getting people who share Soros's worldview into public office at every level is key to promoting his ugly vision of how America, which he calls "the main obstacle to a stable and just world order," should look. According to a Daily Signal analysis, in the 2016 election cycle Soros shelled out almost $11 million in 12 DA races. Democrat candidates backed by Soros ended up winning in 10 of those dozen contests. Soros has also funded district attorney candidates in Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Soros's plans for sweeping local district attorney races in 2018 was discussed last Friday at the four-day meeting of the super-rich leftists of the Democracy Alliance at upscale La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. The Democracy Alliance, which Soros co-founded, is a donors' collaborative whose members secretly fund left-wing political infrastructure projects, such as think tanks, leadership institutes, and activist groups. (Read more)
- Lord, George Soros has a lot of money that he is using for evil against You and everything that our national pledge states, " . . .one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." We pray that George Soros will come to repentance. Let the scales fall from his eyes so he can see You clearly to turn to Your ways and plans for his life. If he doesn't choose You deal with him as You will. In the name of Jesus. The name above all names!

- "Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." (Proverbs 17:24)

6. Why Roy Moore Matters - Buchanan.org

Why would Christian conservatives in good conscience go to the polls Dec. 12 and vote for Judge Roy Moore, despite the charges of sexual misconduct with teenagers leveled against him? Answer: That Alabama Senate race could determine whether Roe v. Wade is overturned. The lives of millions of unborn may be the stakes.

Republicans now hold 52 Senate seats. If Democrats pick up the Alabama seat, they need only two more to recapture the Senate, and with it the power to kill any conservative court nominee, as they killed Robert Bork. Today, the GOP, holding Congress and the White House, has a narrow path to capture the Third Branch, the Supreme Court, and to dominate the federal courts for a decade. (Read more)
- Father, Judge Roy Moore made his stand for all to see that he is a Christian when he refused the removal of the Ten Commandments from his courtroom. Bless this man as he is innocent of any misconduct. As the December 12 Alabama Senate elections approach, let every voter be led by the Holy Spirit to guide their vote. Your way is the only way to keep conservatives in control of the Senate. Thank You for guiding this election.

- " . . . because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:31)

7. Terry McAuliffe And Tony Rodham Sued Over Green Card Investment 'Scam' - Daily Caller

A group of Chinese investors is suing Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the brother of Hillary Clinton, saying they were defrauded of $17 million in a cash-for-green card "scam." The investors filed suit in Fairfax Co., Va. circuit court last week, Politico first reported. The suit alleges that McAuliffe and Clinton's youngest brother, Anthony Rodham, "exploited" the 32 investors by promising to "leverage . . . political connections" to ensure that their visa applications "will get to the top of the pile, and then be approved."

The green cards were to be granted as part of the federal government's EB-5 visa program. The program grants legal immigration status to foreign nationals who invest at least $500,000 in American companies. Companies must meet certain criteria regarding job creation in order for their investors to qualify for immigration benefits. The 32 Chinese investors say they paid $560,000 apiece in 2012 and 2013 to invest in GreenTech, an electric car company controlled by McAuliffe and Rodham. (Read more)
- Father, we pray that if McAuliffe and Rodham defrauded the Chinese then they should be held accountable. Reveal the truth and bring to light what actually took place.

- "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel." (Proverbs 20:17)

8. The Air Force admits the Texas church shooter was 'not an isolated incident' - and it's investigating 60,000 cases that could be similar - Business Insider

An Air Force review has found that the branch failed to report "several dozen" service members found guilty of violent offenses to the federal gun background check database, with representatives of the service telling the New York Times that the reporting failure that allowed disgraced airman Devin Patrick Kelley to purchase the firearms he used to murder 26 parishioners in a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church on Nov. 5 "was not an isolated incident."

In the immediate aftermath of the mass shooting, the Department of Defense determined that Kelley's 2012 court-martial conviction for beating his wife and infant son should have disqualified him from purchasing firearms, but he was not reported to the FBI for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the database for firearms-related background checks for private dealers and state outlets. The Air Force review found that since 2002, a whopping 60,000 incidents involving airmen that "potentially" merited inclusion in NICS went unaddressed, according to the New York Times.

Under federal law, anyone dishonorably discharged from the armed forces is prohibited from possessing or receiving firearms or ammo transported across state lines. The 1996 Lautenberg amendment that extends that prohibition to military personnel with domestic violence convictions. (Read more)
- Father, we see this is the season of You revealing those things that are displeasing to you and the laxity of the Air Force in reporting the violent crimes of this shooter is one of them. We thank You for the honesty they have shown and the plans they have to remedy this error. We pray that they will take care of this error with great speed. Above that, Lord, we pray that men would cease their evil ways and turn to You to solve their problems.

- "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;" (Proverbs 27:23)

9. Benghazi victims' relatives outraged over Khatalla verdict - Fox News

Family members of two victims of the 2012 Benghazi attack lashed out Tuesday after a suspected Libyan militant was cleared of the most serious charges against him, with one relative calling the verdict "a miscarriage of justice." Ahmed Abu Khattala, 46, was convicted by a federal jury on four counts, including providing material support for terrorism and destroying property and placing lives in jeopardy at the U.S. compound, but acquitted on 14 others, including murder. Tyrone Woods' father, Charles, told Fox News the verdict was "outrageous," and compared Khatalla to a getaway driver who is "just as guilty as the robber who kills the bank teller. I am very bothered by the fact the U.S. government gave constitutional rights and due process rights to a foreign national who allegedly killed Americans outside the U.S.," Woods added.

Pat Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, told Fox News she was "not surprised" and "not happy" with the Khatalla verdict. "I think the people who bear responsibility -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- aren't even touched," said Smith, who has repeatedly criticized Clinton for her response to the deadly attack. I am his mother. He was 34 years old, but he was still my baby," Smith said at the time. "I know what the government thinks of me, and I think just that much of the government - it stinks. This is how you get treated by the government, or, at least the way you used to." (Read more)
- Father, we are disturbed at this miscarriage of justice and call on You to arrange for Your kind of justice in this situation. We ask that our dead heroes would be honored by a verdict rendered by a more appropriate court system. We pray that You would work in this situation to bring closure to the hurting families and that the end result of this terrorist's actions would be a warning to others throughout the world who want to terrorize our country.

- "I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and every work." (Ecclesiastes 3:17)

10. Prominent Scientist Censured for Suggesting Faith-Based Theory of Evolution - Breaking Israel News

Over the last year, Dr. Günter Bechly went from being a respected member of the scientific community to a pariah, losing his position as a museum curator and having his Wikipedia page removed, for the crime of combining faith and science. The battle against the Bible is being played out in the media and many scientists complain that in the end, the search for truth is the ultimate victim.

"I have not become a Christian in spite of being a scientist but because of it," Dr. Bechly wrote on his website. "My conversion was based on a critical evaluation of empirical data and philosophical arguments, following the evidence wherever it leads." This initiated a process in which Dr. Bechly realized that random mutation and evolutionary theory could not explain many of his own findings in paleontology. As a true scientist, his theories changed to conform to his observations. In a blog post in 2015, Dr. Bechly rejected Darwinian evolution. (Read more)
- Father, thank you for opening the eyes and heart of Dr. Bechly. We are sorry that he has lost his position but intercede on his behalf, that You provide him with a better job. You are Jehovah Jireh, his provider. We pray that he is a light to others that will bring more scientists into the kingdom.

- "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us . . . " (Ephesians 3:20)