December 31st, 2020 – January 6th, 2021
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first-ever proposed standards regulating greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes used in commercial aviation and for large business jets.
President Trump signed legislation authorizing the construction of a monument in Washington, D.C., to honor fallen journalists intended to demonstrate to citizens and visitors that America values a free press.
Pray for President Trump and his family as they enter the uncertainties of a new year.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports plans to require schools receiving federal funding to accommodate students who want to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and play sports with students of the opposite biological gender.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff asked for a briefing from U.S. agencies about a widespread hack of government networks and potential vulnerabilities by a “nation-state actor” who “made off with advanced tools that could help them mount future attacks.”
Pray for Congressional members as they prepare to install new senators and representatives this week.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
A federal judge in Maryland blocked a last-minute Trump Administration rule aimed at curbing drug prices from taking effect on January 1, saying the rule had been rushed without giving the public a chance to comment as the law requires.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, age 82, said he has plans to retire but not anytime soon, he told reporters when speaking about judicial term limits. “It’s hard to know exactly when,” he added.
Pray for Justice Breyer and others among the nation’s judiciary to be wise in determining the right time to retire or step aside.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
Special operations forces were the first deployed in the war in Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago and likely will be the last troops to leave that country, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said.
New York City Police Department’s Intelligence Bureau warned all of the officers working in and around New York City about ongoing threats of terrorist attacks against them, both from foreign sources and domestic groups like Antifa, including officers outside of working hours.
Pray for America’s Armed Forces and for the nation’s law enforcement officers and their safety.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
The Pentagon is boosting its military presence off the coast of Somalia as the U.S. prepares to move roughly 700 troops from the country to other parts of Africa. They have sent an aircraft carrier group and Marine expeditionary unit to patrol the Somali coast.
The Navy denied a claim made by China that their forces chased the USS John McCain from disputed waters in the South China Sea, saying the warship “concluded its freedom of navigation operation in accordance with international law and then continued to conduct normal operations in international waters.”
Pray for the Defense and State Departments as tensions increase between the United States and China.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel’s divided government dissolved last week after failing to pass a budget, which sets up the nation’s fourth election in under two years. This signals what could be the end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lengthy leadership of that country.
Iran warned Israel not to cross its “red lines” in the Gulf in the closing days of Donald Trump’s presidential term, following a reported Israeli submarine deployment, and also warned against American military “adventurism” leading up to the January 20 inauguration in Washington.
Pray for political stability in Israel and for the relationship the United States has with Israel to remain strong.
THE ECONOMY
Retail sales rose 3 percent during this year’s expanded holiday shopping season from October 11 to December 24 powered by a pandemic-driven shift toward online shopping, according to a report from Mastercard.
Consumer confidence across American unexpectedly fell in December to a four-month low as surging COVID-19 cases were forcing more states to tighten restrictions on businesses and travel.
Pray for state governors and health departments to find consistent plans to deal with the coronavirus’ continued impact on the economy.
ACROSS THE STATES
Texas will ignore the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on who should receive the coronavirus vaccine first, opting to provide doses for the elderly ahead of essential workers like police, food and agriculture workers, school staff including teachers, and public transit employees, among others.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker vetoed a bill that would have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to get an abortion without their parents’ consent, although the Massachusetts legislature is expected to override the governor’s veto.
Pray for state leaders to be wise in their decisions that affect so many of their constituents.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. – John 1:29
