SPECIAL EDITION:
Honoring the State of the Union Address
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The Daily Brief
"Praying for All in Authority"
Thursday, February 7, 2019
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(John 15:7)
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"Standing United Together . . . Under the Cross of Christ"
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The State of the Union Address
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"CHOOSING GREATNESS": TO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP KNOCKS THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS OUT OF THE PARK
"Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children-born and unborn-are made in the holy image of God." -President Donald J. Trump
(Washington, DC)-[CBN News] After two years of bitter partisanship between Republicans and Democrats, President Donald Trump called for both unity and bipartisanship in his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress and the nation Tuesday night.
"The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican Agenda or a Democrat Agenda. It is the agenda of the American People," he said.
He also challenged all 535 lawmakers in the audience to find common ground and work together. "Victory is not working for our party," Trump said. "Victory is working for our country."
The 45th president took the time to introduce three American D-Day heroes and also introduced astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Trump also explained the strides the country has made in the past and what lies ahead as the nation proudly steps forward into the future.
"In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle-class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach," Trump said.
The president asked lawmakers to make the difficult choice to work together.
"Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make," he said. "We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction," Trump added. "Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness." (CBN/Breaking Christian News)
Please note:
At this link is the transcript of last night's State of the Union Address, as actually delivered in the House Chamber.
- Father, thank You for putting Your words of life into President Trump's mouth! We are in awe of what You did through him, Your willing servant, last night. We pray President Trump will continue to seek You for wisdom to govern our great people. We pray he will clearly see Your plans, hear Your voice and remain yielded to You. We thank You for Your loving hand of protection upon him and our nation. Help us, Your Church, to use this time of Your favor wisely, and see the people of our nation come into right relationship with You.
- "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord."
(Proverbs 8:34-35)
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Focus on Israel
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1. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, IFCJ Founder Who United Christians and Jews, Passes Away at 67 - CBN News
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the beloved founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, suddenly passed away Wednesday. He was 67 years old. The charismatic rabbi leaves behind a long legacy of philanthropy and robust interfaith partnerships between Christians and the Jewish people.
When Rabbi Eckstein founded The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in 1983, his goal was simple: to build bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews, and to show Christians how to reestablish their biblical connection to the land of Israel and the Jewish people.
For more than three decades, IFCJ has far exceeded expectations. Not only is the organization a leader in Jewish-Christian relations, but it has also helped thousands of Jews around the world escape poverty and anti-Semitism and return to their biblical homeland - Israel. (Read more)
- Father God Jehovah, today we pause to honor the memory of this great man of God, who devoted his whole life to building bridges of friendship between Christians and Jews. We thank You for him, and for the legacy he now leaves behind. In Your name, amen.
- "Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints." (Psalm 116:15)
2. Illegal Arab Construction Threatening Sacred Archaeological Site Near Jerusalem - Jewish Press
Arab residents of the village of Nabi Samuel have broken into an archaeological garden and used heavy machinery to pave a large plot as a first step in the construction of a parking lot. The move comes in violation of the Oslo Accords as well as other laws. The archaeological garden - and the illegal parking lot - is situated adjacent to Har Shmuel and Givat Ze'ev, near the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot.
The Tomb of the Prophet Samuel, adjacent to the site, is considered a holy site by all three major faiths. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, archaeologists, historians, and tourists visit the site each year, to pray, to learn, and to enjoy the panoramic view of Jerusalem. The area was declared a national heritage site and the rich archaeological remains, dating back to the Second Temple era, as well as the ancient oak trees that cover the hilltop, are all protected by National Park status.
(Read more)
3. Gaza rocket hits Israel, IDF tank fires at Hamas position in response - Times of Israel
Alert sirens sounded Wednesday evening in a number of Gaza border communities as a rocket launched from the Strip exploded in an open field in southern Israel. The projectile reportedly fell in the area of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. There were no reports of damage or injuries in the attack.
In response, an Israeli tank opened fire on a Hamas position in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF said in a statement.
(Read more)
4. Hezbollah leader calls on Lebanon to accept arms from Iran to confront Israel - Times of Israel
The leader of Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah said Wednesday that he is willing to ask Iran to supply the Lebanese military with weapons and aerial defense systems to confront Israeli warplanes and called on Beirut to accept the offer.
"Will the Lebanese government dare to accept the Iranian proposals? Why should Lebanon remain afraid to cooperate with Iran?" Nasrallah said in a televised address marking the 40th anniversary of the Iranian revolution and the overthrow of the Shah.
"I'm a friend of Iran and I'm willing to bring the Lebanese Army air defense systems from Iran to confront Israel," Nasrallah said according to Lebanon's Naharnet news site.
(Read more)
5. Gazan journalist: 'People can donate to Hamas using bitcoin' - JNS
(February 6, 2019 / MEMRI) Palestinian Journalist Hussam Al-Dajany, who also lectures at Gaza Open University, said in a Jan. 30 interview on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas/Gaza) that Hamas is accepting bitcoin donations.
He said that bitcoin is an opportunity to unite people who are afraid to or cannot openly support the Palestinian resistance because it is safe and reliable, and it cannot be tracked by security agencies. He explained that money is what the resistance needs the most, and that it is costs millions of dollars to pay salaries, manufacture rockets, smuggle weapons, dig tunnels and build drones.
He added that despite Iran's open support of the Palestinian resistance, the sanctions imposed on it may prevent enough money from getting to Hamas, so bitcoin is being resorted to as an indirect way for people to "participate in the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
(Read more)
6. U.S. to Purchase Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense, Citing 'Immediate Need' - HAARETZ
The U.S. military said Wednesday it plans to buy a limited number of Iron Dome missile defense systems from Israel to fill a short-term need for interim indirect fire protection capability. "The Iron Dome will be assessed and experimented as a system that is currently available to protect deployed U.S. military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial threats," the U.S. army said in a statement. According to a statement from Israel's Defense Ministry, the American military told Israel it had decided to purchase the systems "for immediate needs of the U.S. army."
(Read more)
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The Daily Brief
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1. Trump's Names Special Envoy to Fight Global Anti-Semitism - CBN News
Elan Carr, the United States' newly-appointed special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, will take his first trip to Belgium and Slovakia this week. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Carr's appointment Tuesday, which came after the Trump administration left the position open for more than two years.
Carr is a US Army veteran who served in Iraq. He's also a prosecutor and a former president of the Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, in Los Angeles. "Special Envoy Carr is a former criminal prosecutor, and currently serves as a military officer. He has also served as an anti-terrorism expert, and a Jewish community leader who has played a prominent role in defending the safety of the Jewish people at home and abroad," Pompeo said on Tuesday.
"Promoting human rights and religious freedom, including by combating anti-Semitism everywhere it exists, is a US foreign policy priority that furthers our national interests of stability and democracy," he continued. "We will not stand by in the face of oppression." The Israeli-American Council applauded Carr's appointment. (Read more)
- Father, we lift up Elan Carr and pray he will be an effective advocate for the Jewish people and root out systemic anti-semitism.
- "See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant."
(Jeremiah 1:10)
2. US House members introduce bill to fund Holocaust education in schools - Times of Israel
A bipartisan slate of House members introduced a bill that would grant money to Holocaust education in schools. The Never Again Education Act would establish the Holocaust Education Assistance Program Fund in the US Treasury. The bill would combine appropriated funds and private donations.
A release from the office of Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney, one of the lead sponsors, said the bill would "finance grants to public and private middle and high schools to help teachers develop and improve Holocaust education programs." The other lead sponsor is Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The lead sponsors, launching the bill Monday at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, cited reports of a rise in anti-Semitism and a decline in awareness of the Holocaust. "Anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world and here at home, and the memory of the Holocaust is fading for far too many Americans," said Maloney, who launched a similar initiative in the last Congress that languished. "We can combat this by making sure we teach our students, tomorrow's leaders, about the horrors of the Holocaust." (Read more)
- Father, we pray the Never Again Education Act will effectively provide funds to support Holocaust and anti-Semitism education and receive broad, bipartisan support.
- "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deuteronomy 4:9)
3. Dems Push National Popular Vote in Newly Controlled 'Trifecta' States - Free Beacon
Impacts the Electoral College vote
Democrats are reigniting a decade-long push for a constitutionally dubious workaround to the Electoral College: the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, or NPV, creates an agreement by all states that have entered into it, whereby their Electoral College votes are cast for the candidate who wins the most individual votes nationwide, not who wins the most in that state.
Central to the compact is the legal trigger that it would not take effect until the number of Electoral College votes of all the states entered in surpasses 270, the key number required to win the presidency.
Colorado and New Mexico became completely aligned under Democratic control this January. Last week, the NPV passed its first hurdles in both the Colorado Senate, and in the New Mexico House. If both states were to pass the legislation, it would add another 14 Electoral College votes, bringing the NPV tally 186. "The NPV compact is unconstitutional and bad public policy," wrote Heritage Foundation senior fellow Hans von Spakovsky in a 2011 editorial that echoed the sentiments of most who oppose it.
"It would undermine the protections of the Electoral College, elevating the importance of big urban centers like New York and Los Angeles while diminishing the influence of smaller states and rural areas."(Read more)
- Father, we ask You to reveal the folly of the National Popular Vote. We pray these states will reconsider participation and table or repeal these laws.
- They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. (Hosea 8:7)
4. New Mexico governor pulls National Guard troops from border - AP
The governor of New Mexico ordered the withdrawal of the majority of the state's National Guard troops from the U.S. border with Mexico on Tuesday, in a move that challenges President Trump's description of a security crisis. She also directed 25 troops from other states - Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wisconsin - to withdraw from the New Mexico border.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the partial withdrawal shortly before Trump's State of the Union address. Her Republican predecessor deployed National Guard troops to the border in April 2018 at Trump's suggestion, and 118 remained there before Tuesday's reversal.
At the same time, the governor said a small contingent - around a dozen guardsmen - will remain in the southwestern corner of the state to assist with humanitarian needs in a remote corridor for cross-border immigration. "I recognize and appreciate the legitimate concerns of residents and officials in southwestern New Mexico, particularly Hidalgo County, who have asked for our assistance, as migrants and asylum-seekers continue to appear at their doorstep," the governor said. (Read more)
- Father, we pray the federal government will not be hindered in any way from effectively enforcing immigration and customs laws in the State of New Mexico.
- Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2)
5. Trump Announces New Summit With Kim Jong Un at End of February in Vietnam - Free Beacon
President Donald Trump announced during his State of the Union address Tuesday that he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un will meet again on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. This would be the second time the two leaders would meet face to face.
Trump and Kim held a historic summit in Singapore in June of 2018. In the wake of the Trump-Kim summit, Trump claimed North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat to the United States. While North Korea hasn't tested a ballistic missile or a nuclear weapon since the summit, the country has yet to dismantle its nuclear weapons program or dispose of ballistic missiles that have the ability to strike the United States.
"If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," Trump said. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one." (Read more)
- Father, we ask You to prepare and secure the way for President Trump and Kim Jong Un to have a successful meeting in Vietnam. We pray for Your blessing over their meeting and freedom for the North Korean people.
- Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.
(Psalm 135:13-14)
6. Surprise drop in trade deficit might lead to annual GDP above 3% for the first time in 13 years - Market Watch
The U.S. economy just might reach 3% growth in 2018, officially speaking, for the first time since 2005. But if it does, some of the credit will go to a deceptively big drop in the nation's trade deficit toward the end of the year. The chief reason: Lower imports of oil, cell phones and expensive industrial goods.
The plunge in the trade deficit pushed Wall Street to redo its estimate for fourth-quarter GDP. The economy expanded at a 3.3% rate in the third quarter, 4.2% in the second quarter and 2.2% in the first quarter. If the U.S. scores growth of around 2.7% or higher in the fourth quarter, GDP is almost certain to meet or surpass 3% in 2018 for the first time in 13 years. (Read more)
- Father, we thank You for providing our people with economic prosperity and opportunity. We pray negotiations with China will go well and our two nations will agree to a greatly improved trading relationship.
- "Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." (Psalm 35:27)
7. Is Big Tech Merging With Big Brother? Kinda Looks Like It - Wired
China's social rating system, which was announced by the ruling Communist Party in 2014, will soon be a fact of life for many more Chinese. By 2020, if the Party's plan holds, every footstep, keystroke, like, dislike, social media contact, and posting tracked by the state will affect one's social rating.
While US surveillance agencies do not have regular real-time access to the gigantic amounts of data collected by the likes of Google, Facebook, and Amazon-as far as we know, anyway-there is both anecdotal and hard evidence to suggest that the once-distant planets of consumer Big Tech and American surveillance agencies are fast merging into a single [entity], whose potential for tracking, sorting, gas-lighting, manipulating, and censoring citizens may result in a softer version of China's Big Brother. (Read more)
- Father, we can see how this technology could be used to marginalize and persecute believers on a global scale. We pray for Your protection over us, so that we can be free to share Your Gospel of the Kingdom until our time here on earth is finished.
- It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
8. Free Speech Fairness Act Reintroduced - FRC
On Monday, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Congressmen Jody Hice (R-Ga.), Congressman Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) reintroduced the Free Speech Fairness Act, intended to overturn the 1954 Johnson Amendment which for 65 years has threatened pastors, churches, and other non-profit leaders with loss of their tax exempt status for speaking out on political matters or endorsing political candidates.
The Johnson Amendment clearly violates the Constitution, and it also inhibits pastors from fulfilling their role as shepherds of God's people by plainly speaking out on moral and spiritual matters that are debated in the political and public policy sphere. The president has made passage of this Act a priority. Regardless of the makeup of Congress, Christians must champion the rights of their pastors and other church leaders to speak the whole truth without intimidation or threat from the IRS or politicians eager to silence God's people.
- May the president and the leaders in Congress experience the blessing of God as they defend free speech required for the faithful proclamation of the gospel and faithful adherence to the Constitution. May the Johnson Amendment be overturned despite adversaries in Congress.
- "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20)
> > > Prayer offered by Rev. Pierre Bynum, Chaplain & National Prayer Director, Family Research Council
9. Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Blocked by a Single Democrat - FRC
One would think, given the negative publicity and outrage toward pro-abortion efforts in New York, Virginia, and other states that at least one Democrat would have stood up for the lives of abortion survivors and support a bill that both criminalizes infanticide and guarantees that children who survive abortion will receive the care that all other newborn babies receive.
But no. On Monday night, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) was the only Democrat to show up for the vote and, obviously acting on behalf of all her liberal colleagues, objected to passage of the bill by unanimous consent.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) first introduced the Born Alive bill in 2015 under a veto threat by President Obama (it passed the House that year and again in 2018) but not the U.S. Senate. Clearly, no true pro-life legislation is likely to pass Congress during the next two years. Too many pro-life conservatives stayed home on Election Day 2018, and elections have consequences. Despite polls that show a strong majority reject late term abortion, that majority is not presently reflected in the U.S. Congress.
Pro-lifers ought not think they have nothing to do for the next two years. We've come a long way. Rather, we must double our commitment to speak out in favor of life and champion pro-life legislation in Washington and in the states. (Since 2011, despite a pro-abortion president for most of that time, 427 pro-life bills have been enacted into law.) Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he still intends to bring the bill to the Senate floor for an up or down vote.
- May America soon embrace the conviction that human life is sacred, and every baby conceived deserves to live the life God intended for him or her. May God deal with the politicians who have embraced a pro-abortion stand. May those who continue to push the envelope to post birth infanticide be used of the Lord to magnify and expose the evil of all abortion at every stage. May Roe v. Wade be overturned soon, and in the meantime, may the will of the American people be demonstrated by more and more state laws that reduce and prevent the shedding of innocent blood.
- "Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind." (Genesis 9:6)
> > > Prayer offered by Rev. Pierre Bynum, Chaplain & National Prayer Director, Family Research Council
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President Trump "Knocks it out of the
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STATE OF THE UNION 2019
President Trump "Knocks it out of the park"
1. CNN: Our Poll Respondents Had 'Very Positive' View of Trump Speech - GrabieNews
"This is our first look at a brand-new instant poll, but it is among speech watchers. So I just want to stress here for a State of the Union address, the president's president's partisans, his supporters tend to turn out to watch the speech. This is true of a president of either party.
So, tonight we saw a heavily Republican skewed audience turn out to watch the president's speech. But look at this. A very positive reaction from those who watched the speech tonight: 59 percent very positive, 17 percent somewhat positive, 23 percent negative. (Read more)
2. Trump Gets Dems' Applause: 'No One Has Benefitted More from Our Thriving Economy than Women' - GrabieNews
'We also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before'
"So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace. No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58% of the newly created jobs last year."
"Don't sit yet. You are going to like this. And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than at any time before." (Read more)
3. Newt Gingrich: Trump's State of the Union changed history on Tuesday night - Here's what Pelosi must've felt - Fox News
Every once in a while a speech is so effective and powerful it changes the trajectory of history.
President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address was that kind of speech.
If you have not seen it, you should watch it online. Reading it will only convey 10 percent of its power. It was the interaction of the president with the members of Congress and the audience in the galleries that was so compelling.
The emotions of Tuesday night matched anything President Reagan achieved in his addresses to Congress. From the early mentions of people in the gallery - which were guaranteed to get even the Democrats to stand and applaud - to spontaneously singing "Happy Birthday" to a Holocaust and 2018 synagogue shooting survivor to chanting "USA! USA!," the total performance and interaction with the members of Congress was vastly more powerful than the words on paper.
Furthermore, the delivery was presidential. The president interacted with the Democrats in a positive and cheerful way, which bodes well for bipartisan legislative initiatives for the rest of this year. By one count, the president was interrupted 98 times with applause. Both the left-wing Democrats and the never Trump Republicans found themselves standing and applauding again and again. (Read more)
- Father God, we truly believe that what we witnessed last night in the House Chamber was not only a speech, it was an act of God. Let us cherish the joy of that moment from here on forward, and let us continue to build in the Spirit of unity and the bond of peace, even chanting in our hearts: USA! USA! USA!
- "In everything, give thanks . . ." (I Thessalonians 5:17)
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What People Are Saying About . . .
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What People Are Saying About . . . President Trump's State of the Union Address
1. Trump shows he's playing to win with bold State of the Union address - New York Post
There were laughter, tears, raucous cheers and awkward silences. But more than anything else, it was a punch in the gut that President Trump delivered Tuesday night. Time after time, on issue after issue, he laid down a marker about the remaining two years of his term - and the outlines of his re-election campaign. (Read more)
2. 76 percent approved of Trump's State of the Union speech - Washington Examiner
A clear majority of people who watched President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night liked what they saw. According to a CBS poll, 76 percent of American viewers approved of the speech. In the poll, conducted by YouGov, 72 percent of the 1,472 surveyed said that they viewed Trump's points on immigration favorably, and 71 percent say that there is a crisis at the southern border. (Read more)
3. President Trump: All Children, Born and Unborn, Are Made in the Holy Image of God - CBN News
In his State of the Union Address Tuesday night, President Trump confronted the latest Democrat efforts to allow late-term abortions at the state-level. He said, "All Children, Born and Unborn, Are Made in the Holy Image of God." (Read more)
4. Trump: 'Tolerance for Illegal Immigration Is Not Compassionate, It Is Actually Very Cruel' - CNS News
In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump repeated his call for Congress to "confront an urgent, national crisis" -- illegal immigration. He noted that time is running out for Congress to pass a bill that will fund the government and "protect our homeland," as more "large, organized caravans" make their way north.
"Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country. No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards.
Meanwhile, working-class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal immigration, reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools, hospitals that are so crowded you can't get in, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net. Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate, it is actually very cruel." (Read more)
5. State of the Union: Trump decries 'ridiculous' investigations, 'revenge' politics in unity appeal - Fox News
President Trump, in his first State of the Union address before a divided Congress, railed against "the politics of revenge" and "partisan investigations" as he appealed for unity at a time when Washington is struggling to break a deadlock over border security funding that threatens to trigger another government shutdown in a matter of days.
Touting economic gains during his first two years in office, as well as legislative wins on issues like criminal justice reform, Trump warned Tuesday that deepening partisan tensions undermine America's progress. (Read more)
6. Comments from Various Officials - The White House
Here is a compilation from our communications shop of some quotes of praise for the speech: from Members of Congress, Cabinet Members and other Administration officials, State officials, and some advocacy & policy organizations. (Go here)
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On the Other Hand . . .
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On the Other Hand . . .
Trump's Opposition Refuses to Budge
1. VIDEO: Sour Ocasio-Cortez refuses to applaud 'cooperation, compromise, common good' - The American Mirror
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has no interest in working with President Trump, or applauding his call for "cooperation, compromise, and the common good. But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution, and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good," Trump said during his State of the Union address.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even applauded. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin partially obscured Ocasio-Cortez as he stood, too.
But the Bronx socialist couldn't bring herself to side with unity. As most in the House chamber applauded, Ocasio-Cortez remained seated with a sour look on her face. (Read more)
2. Pelosi Sits, Scowls, Shakes Head as Trump Says: 'Let Us Work Together to Build a Culture That Cherishes Innocent Life' - CNSNews.com
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) sat and scowled and shook her head during Tuesday night's State of the Union Address, when President Donald Trump said: "Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life."
Pelosi sat through the entire part of Trump's speech in which he defended innocent life.
She grimaced when President Trump said: "Let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children--born and unborn--are made in the holy image of God." (Read more)
3. Rep. Ilhan Omar on Trump's Call to Ban Late-Term Abortion: He's 'Pivoting . . . to Policing Women's Bodies' - CNSNews.com
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D.-Minn.) sent out a Tweet after President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address last night saying that Trump's call for banning late-term abortion was a pivot to "policing women's bodies."
"If Trump thinks pivoting from his failed vanity wall to policing women's bodies and choices is going to help his 2020 chances he has another thing coming," Omar said in the Tweet. (Read more)
4. Congresswomen in White Sit Stone-Faced as Chamber Cheers Trump's Call to Ban Late-Term Abortion -- CNSNews.com
An enduring image from the 2019 State of the Union address: a bloc of Democratic congresswomen, dressed in "suffragette white," sitting in stone-faced silence as colleagues cheered President Trump's request for "Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb."
Trump had just spoken about a plan for nationwide paid family leave - comments that were evidently well-received - but then juxtaposed the idea of a mother bonding with a newborn baby with recent controversies over late-term abortion and infanticide.
"There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days," he said.
"Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments from birth," Trump continued, referring tothe state's Reproductive Health Act, signed into law a fortnight ago by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who hailed it as "the most aggressive women's equality platform in the nation."
"These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world," the president said.
"And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia, where he stated he would execute a baby after birth," he told the hushed House chamber, in reference to Gov. Ralph Northam's explanation a week ago about how a born child could be allowed to die under proposed legislation in Virginia.
"To defend the dignity of every person," Trump said, "I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb."
The words were met with enthusiastic cheers from many, but as the camera panned the chamber, the contrast between standing, applauding lawmakers and the impassive seated women in white was stark. (Read more)
- Father, we forgive the "women in white" for they are blind to truth and they know not what they do. We ask that you begin to minister into the life of each one, bringing one across their paths that can share the Good News with them. We thank You, Lord, that when You went to the Cross, You bled and died for each one, too. Amen.
- "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 2:1-4)
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The WAR is on!
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The WAR is on!
Social Democrats Fighting Traditional Democrats for Control of the Party
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez States:
'There Is Going to Be a War Within the Party. We Are Going to Lean Into It.'
Maybe you've heard the warning: The country is beset by a menace. A fringe conservative minority is holding Congress hostage, extracting radical policy concessions over the will of the majority. And it's leading the nation to fiscal, environmental and moral ruin.
Maybe you haven't heard this part: These dangerous conservatives are Democrats.
"I am talking about the radical conservatives in the Democratic Party," said Saikat Chakrabarti. "That's who we need to counter. It's the same across any number of issues-pay-as-you-go, free college, "Medicare for all." These are all enormously popular in the party, but they don't pass because of the radical conservatives who are holding the party hostage."
Not long ago, this would have been an outlier position even among American liberals. Today, it's the organizing principle of a newly empowered segment of the Democratic Party, one with a foothold in the new Congress.
Although it's Ocasio-Cortez who gets all the headlines, she arguably wouldn't be in Congress in the first place without the group Chakrabarti founded: Justice Democrats, a new, central player in the ongoing war for the soul of the Democratic Party. It was the Justice Democrats who recruited her in a quixotic campaign early on, providing a neophyte candidate with enough infrastructure to take down a party leader. And it is the Justice Democrats who see Ocasio-Cortez as just the opening act in an astonishingly ambitious plan to do nothing less than re-imagine liberal politics in America-and do it by whatever means necessary.
If that requires knocking out well-known elected officials and replacing them with more radical newcomers, so be it. And if it ends up ripping apart the Democratic Party in the process-well, that might be the idea.
"There is going to be a war within the party. We are going to lean into it," said Waleed Shahid, the group's spokesman.
The top Democrats in Congress have their hands full already, trying to use their new control of the House of Representatives to fight President Donald Trump, expand their majority in 2020, and maybe even capture the Senate. But they also find themselves with real anxieties about their left flank for the first time in memory. Justice Democrats is one of a handful of groups that represent a new and restive spirit in the party, a Tea Party-like populist coalition of voters awakened by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' cannonball run in 2016 and united by their superprogressive politics and a millennial disdain for the establishment.
Not all of their efforts have been successful-of the slate of 2018 candidates Justice Democrats recruited, only Ocasio-Cortez won-but they've been undeniably disruptive, and unafraid to go after people on their own side of the aisle. Nervous members of the Democratic establishment and leadership are watching, asking: Could they hurt the party as it tries to leverage its first majority in years and defeat Trump in 2020? And do they even care? (POLITICO) Read more.
- Father, we thank You that Your Word is true and does not lie. We decree the decree together, knowing that it will not return void:
- "A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." (Matthew 3:24)
- Father, we pray everyone involved with the Justice Democrats will come to understand and desire true Justice, as You define it. We pray they will receive Your Son through salvation and their energy and charisma will be directed toward the changes we need in our nation.
- Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation. (Psalm 85:6-7)
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News from Virginia
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News from the State of Virginia
For details, please go here.
(Source: Fox News)
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More Daily Features
(See below . . .)
- The Persecuted Church
- Classic Hymns
- Signs and Wonders
- The Good News Corner
- Worship with Us Today!
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Prayers for the Persecuted Church
"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." (Hebrews 13:3)
Please visit the website for International Christian Concern to lift up prayers for the persecuted around the world, every day. Their link is: www.persecution.org -- or go here to connect. Thank you for interceding for our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Asia, the Islamic World, and the Far East.
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Classic Songs
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)
Lyrics
[Based upon the Book of Revelation]
Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the drums begin to bang Oh, when the drums begin to bang Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the stars fall from the sky Oh, when the stars fall from the sky Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the moon turns red with blood Oh, when the moon turns red with blood Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the fire begins to blaze Oh, when the fire begins to blaze Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in
Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Melody
GO HERE!
By Louis Armstrong!
(Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!
This has been a HUGE, HISTORIC WEEK for America!)
Please note:
The song is apocalyptic, taking much of its imagery from the Book of Revelation, but excluding its more horrific depictions of the Last Judgment. The verses about the Sun and Moon refer to Solar and Lunar eclipses; the trumpet (of the Archangel Gabriel) is the way in which the Last Judgment is announced. As the hymn expresses the wish to go to Heaven, picturing the saints going in (through the Pearly Gates), it is entirely appropriate for funerals.
About the Song:
The origins of this song are unclear. It apparently evolved in the early 1900s from a number of similarly titled gospel songs, including "When the Saints Are Marching In" (1896) and "When the Saints March In for Crowning" (1908).[3] The first known recorded version was in 1923 by the Paramount Jubilee Singers on Paramount 12073. Although the title given on the label is "When All the Saints Come Marching In", the group sings the modern lyrics beginning with "When the saints go marching in". No author is shown on the label. Several other gospel versions were recorded in the 1920s . . . (Wikipedia) Read more.
> > > "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is a Black spiritual. Though it originated as a Christian hymn, it is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstrong and his orchestra. The song is sometimes confused with a similarly titled composition "When the Saints Are Marching In" from 1896 by Katharine Purvis (lyrics) and James Milton Black (music).
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Signs and Wonders
Oceans Changing Color to Usher in New Era
Scientists predict the oceans will grow warmer and turn a deeper blue, which rabbis say more closely resembles the Throne of Glory.
In a report published in the scientific journal Nature Communications earlier this week, researchers predicted that the temperatures of the oceans may rise by as much as 4.8 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 80 years. This will lead to an increase in phytoplankton in the oceans, which will make the blues and greens more intense and vibrant.
According to the research, more than 50 percent of the world's oceans will shift in color. Open-ocean regions are more barren and have fewer of the phytoplankton and currently appear blue. The researchers predicted that in the future, these regions will become bluer. Colder regions of the ocean, generally those near the poles, currently appear green but will, in the future appear even more vibrantly green.
"The model suggests the changes won't appear huge to the naked eye, and the ocean will still look like it has blue regions in the subtropics and greener regions near the equator and poles," lead author Stephanie Dutkiewicz wrote on the MIT website. "The basic pattern will still be there. But it'll be enough different that it will affect the rest of the food web that phytoplankton supports."
Scientists have been monitoring chlorophyll levels in the oceans since the 1990s via satellite but emphasize that a rise in chlorophyll may not be attributable to climate change.
"An El Niño or La Niña event will throw up a very large change in chlorophyll because it's changing the amount of nutrients that are coming into the system," Dutkiewicz said. "Because of these big, natural changes that happen every few years, it's hard to see if things are changing due to climate change, if you're just looking at chlorophyll."
(Breaking Israel News) Read more.
"I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke." (Acts 2:19)
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The Good News Corner
Trump mentioned two Holocaust survivors during the State of the Union - including one who also survived the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
A survivor of the Holocaust and the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Judah Samet, attended President Trump's 2019 State of the Union Feb. 5.
President Trump during Tuesday night's State of the Union address introduced two Holocaust survivors, including a man who escaped death again this past fall - narrowly - at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Judah Samet, whose 81st birthday was Tuesday, was four minutes late for worship one Saturday in October, missing one of the deadliest attacks ever on American Jews.
The crowd in Congress serenaded Samet with "Happy Birthday" after Trump had introduced him Tuesday.
"Of course, I am very honored," Samet on Monday told the Tribune-Review of the congressional appearance. "[Trump] invited me, I was told, because I represented two of the biggest tragedies for the Jewish people in the last hundred years."
Joshua Kaufman, who is about 90, was a prisoner at Dachau concentration camp, the White House said. Kaufman, who lived in Israel before moving to Los Angeles, where he was a plumber, testified in Germany about the Nazis in 2016, ABC reported, because he wanted to communicate "how he removed bodies from gas chambers at the World War II death camp after victims had been killed with Zyklon B," according to the television network.
. . . Kaufman told the History Channel that he remembers American soldiers liberating the camp in 1945. He was cooped in a cattle wagon outside the camp, not knowing if he was going to be killed at any minute.
"Through a little hole in the wall I saw American soldiers coming with their tanks and I saw the German running away. To me, the American soldiers were a proof that God exists and they were sent down from the sky," he said to History.
On Tuesday, Kaufman carefully stood and saluted an elderly American veteran beside him who had been involved in the Dachau liberation. Some of the president's supporters see him as a champion for Jewish safety through his policies supporting the Israeli government and his forceful critique of certain governments, including Iran.
"We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants "Death to America" and threatens genocide against the Jewish people," Trump said Tuesday night. He also drew some applause when he said he had "recognized the true capital [of Israel] and proudly recognized the embassy in Jerusalem."
(Washington Post) Read more.
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Worship With Us Today!
Kari Jobe - "Holy Spirit"
To worship with us today, please go here . . .
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About CHPP
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About Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
Our Mission Statement
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) is a ministry which is positioned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., helping members of the Body of Christ to "pray for those in authority over us" in our federal government. Our primary purpose is to offer intercession on site for the members of Congress and their staffs each day that the Senate and the House of Representatives are in session; and our chief prayer focus is that "God's will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." [Matthew 6:10].
Because Jesus Christ has shed His blood for all, we, too, pray for ALL, in a nonpartisan manner. Also, because the scriptures indicate that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 4:17), we are confident that fervent prayer, offered in the halls of the highest chambers of government in our land, can avail much for America. Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes those who feel called to join us, engaging in this strategic work of intercession for our nation: "For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God." [Romans 13:1]
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes all who wish to pray for our leaders to join us in prayer for our nation. You may sign up to receive our alerts by sending an email to us at CHPP1994@gmail.com requesting that your name be added to our list of subscribers.
Note: You may also learn more about CHPP by going here to visit our blog. Thank you!
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We Welcome Your Gifts
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We Welcome Your Gifts
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) is a 501(c)(3), tax- exempt, faith-based, ministry, dedicated to praying for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-4). CHPP relies solely on the gifts of our readers to continue this work; thus we greatly appreciate your help in supporting this publication. Offerings may be sent to: Capitol Hill Prayer Partners, P.O. Box 5152, Herndon, VA 20172-1970. Please make checks payable to: CHPP. THANK YOU!
DONATE ONLINE!
Now you can also donate online by going here. Or . . . if you prefer, simply paste this link into your browser to access our secure online donor system:
https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php?giftid=3B77E058-983E-4415-AA4E-2F82ED1A4DEA#
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." (Philippians 4:23)
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Join Our Bible Readathon!
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Our Bible Readathon Continues
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)
We are now reading the Word of God every night (except on Sunday mornings) from midnight to 6:00 a.m. EDT. We are reading through the whole Word, from Genesis to Revelation, and beginning again in Genesis when finished.
Our numbers of readers continues to grow over time. All are welcome to join!
Our conference number is: 712-432-0075.
The access code is: 206425#. Please call at any time from midnight to 6:00 a.m. EST. WELCOME!
[Note: we are reading from these versions of the Scripture: King James, New King James, New American Standard, and NIV.]
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God bless you!
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Amen!
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