Tag Archives: United States

Russian Bombers Fly Near U.S. On Fourth of July

Officials at NORAD have confirmed that four Russian long-range bombers flew close to U.S. shores on Independence Day.

The first set of two bombers was intercepted by military fighter jets off the Alaskan coast.  The second pair were intercepted off the California coast.  Both sets stayed just far enough away from the coastline to be international airspace.

The first incident happened around 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time when two Air Force F-22 jets scrambled to intercept two Tupolev Tu-95 bombers.  Both of the two Russian planes were capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

The second incident happened 30 minutes later off the central California coast.  The bombers in this case were the same as the previous incident where they could carry nuclear payloads.

Officials would not say how close to American airspace the bombers reached before being intercepted by American aircraft.

“These are not unprecedented flights, but we are postured to respond whether Alaska or California,” NORAD spokesman Michael Kucharek said. “At no time did the bombers enter North American sovereign airspace.”

Revival Rocks Morningside with Pastor John Kilpatrick

Pastor John Kilpatrick knows revival!  In the spirit-led, Wednesday night service on Grace Street, Pastor Kilpatrick shared God’s Word on His Blessings and the spiritual attacks that will most likely take place before them.

“So many are going through some really hard stuff,” he began in his riveting sermon.   When the devil attacks you, he wants you to get offended with God!”

Explaining to the crowd that it is right before an amazing blessing from God that the devil will attack.

“The devil will only stir against you when he sees that something significant is going to happen to you”, Pastor Kilpatrick advised, “Hunker down, hang on and wait for what God has in store for you!  Even Satan knows that he cannot stop the blessings that God has in store for you but, he can try to spoil it!”

This inspirational service brought the message of spiritual attack to light, bringing hope of the inevitable blessings and calling on all of our lives.

“I realize that when an attack ends I will be stronger, more effective and more resourceful in the kingdom than ever before. Don’t hold on to the trial.  It may be a week or a month or maybe even a year but every trial has a shelf life .  When it’s over, it’s OVER!”

“You got what you needed tonight!” exclaimed Pastor Jim as the service came to a close. “Miracles are going to happen.  God has something so special for us!  Your deliverance came tonight.  Can you feel it?”

The spirit of revival is indeed at Morningside!   AMEN!

Supreme Court Puts Texas Abortion Law on Hold

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, has put on hold the Texas abortion law that would require clinics to meet higher standards of cleanliness and safety.  Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito were in the minority.

The ruling means the law cannot go into effect until the court decides if they will give a full hearing to the appeal on the case.

Abortion proponents say that if the law goes into effect, abortion clinics will be limited to four metropolitan areas and there will be no clinics west of San Antonio.

“This case presents a very, very dramatic impact in the type of restrictions on access to abortion clinics that we’ve seen over the past few years,” Nancy Northup, the president and chief executive of the Center for Reproductive Rights, told the New York Times. “If this case is not taken by the Supreme Court, it’s going to allow a continuation of the closing of clinics by these sneaky, underhanded methods.”

Texas leaders say they will be vigorously defending the law before the Court.

“H.B. 2 was a constitutional exercise of Texas’ lawmaking authority that was correctly and unanimously upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “Texas will continue to fight for higher-quality health care standards for women while protecting our most vulnerable — the unborn, and I’m confident the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold this law.”

Judge Blocks Kansas Abortion Law

A judge has blocked a Kansas abortion law that was due to take effect on July 1.

The law bans a late-term abortion process called “dismemberment abortion.”

A country judge blocked the law until he can conduct a full review.

The ban would have impacted up to 9 percent of the abortions in the state as most abortions take place in the first trimester.

Pro-abortion activists hailed the judge’s decision.

“This is so important for the women of Kansas, since this ban would have required woman to go for a more complex procedure with greater risk,” Genevieve Scott, a staff attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, said. “We are excited the judge recognized the likelihood of success that this violates the right to abortion. We think [the injunction] shows that the judge is abiding by Supreme Court precedent that a ban on D&E is unconstitutional.”

The state’s lawyers are defending the law.

“The Act does not preclude access to safe and effective abortions,” the state’s lawyers wrote in a recent court filing. “Instead, it simply declares one particularly gruesome and medically unnecessary method of abortion to be beyond society’s tolerance level.”

“I think that ultimately, we’re going to be successful,” Jessie Basgall, attorney for Kansans for Life, said after the ruling. “This is just whether or not the law is going to stand while we actually litigate the merits of this law. I believe we’re on solid ground.”

Woman Fined $2,000 For Feeding Homeless

A Christian woman is facing a fine of $2,000 for feeding the homeless in San Antonio.

Joan Cheever has been serving hot plates of food to the homeless in the city since 2005.  Cheever is well known for using her food truck and helping those in need.  She’s appeared on national TV shows like Rachael Ray, she’s been photographed with various city leaders and is known among the homeless as someone who reflects Jesus in her care for them.

Then earlier this month Cheever was shocked when some San Antonio police showed up to harass her and her staff for their act of charity.

Cheever said she asked the cops, “What’s the problem?” and they replied, “You.”

‘One of the police officers said, “Ma’am, if you want to pray, go to church,” and I said, “This is how I pray. When I cook this food and deliver it to the people who are less fortunate,’ Cheever told News 4 San Antonio.

While they were forced to leave that day, they didn’t let the intimidation stop them.

‘I came back to the park the following Tuesday and was met with 100 people who had candles and signs,’ Cheever said. ‘This isn’t only about The Chow Train. It’s about every non-profit and every person who wants to do a good thing, but are intimidated by the $2,000 fine and possible arrest. So we’re just going to keep rolling on.’

Cheever has hired a lawyer to help her fight the city.

Advocates for the homeless around the country are standing behind Cheever.

“We’re all human,” said Megan Hustings of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Giving someone a sandwich at a park is not going to keep them in homelessness; it’s not encouraging anyone to remain homeless. This is just an act of charity, and do we really want to criminalize that in our society? This is a moral issue.“

Supreme Court Upholds ACA Subsidies

The Supreme Court has upheld by a 6-3 decision a key provision of President Obama’s signature healthcare law by saying that tax subsidies are Constitutional even though the law does not specifically say that federal subsidies can be issued in states with no state healthcare exchanges.

“After more than 50 votes in Congress to repeal or weaken this law, after a presidential election based in part on preserving or repealing this law, after multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay,” Obama said in the White House Rose Garden.

“Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,” Roberts wrote in the court’s decision, adding that nationwide availability of the credits is required to “avoid the type of calamitous result that Congress plainly meant to avoid.”

“In this instance,” he wrote, “the context and structure of the act compel us to depart from what would otherwise be the most natural reading of the pertinent statutory phrase.”

The decision was the second time in three years that the Supreme Court has ruled against major challenges to the Affordable Care Act.

Justice Antonin Scalia said: “We really should start calling the law SCOTUScare,” Scalia said. SCOTUS is the acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States. “This court has no free-floating power to rescue Congress from its drafting mistakes.”

North Carolina Teen Charged As ISIS Sympathizer

A North Carolina teenager is behind bars, accused of being part of a plan to kill Americans for ISIS.

19-year-old Justin Sullivan is accused of engaging in discussions with an undercover FBI agent over the last month about making a series of “minor assassinations” as training for major attack.  Sullivan said that he was a “mujahid” and that he was a recent Muslim convert.

He said that when he made the attacks, he would send the videos to ISIS.

The teen said that he would pay the agent to kill his parents, that he would be using bombs and chemical weapons in his major attack and he had planned to buy a semi-automatic weapon and an upcoming gun show.

“As alleged in the complaint, the defendant was planning assassinations and violent attacks in the United States and is charged with attempting to provide material support to [ISIS] and federal firearms violations,” Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said in a statement. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism and we will continue to pursue justice against those who seek to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations,” the Justice Department said in their statement.

The charge of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign organization carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Sullivan’s own parents tipped off authorities about his behavior.

“I don’t know if it is ISIS or what, but he is destroying Buddhas and figurines and stuff,” his father Rich Sullivan said in a 911 call. “I mean, we are scared to leave the house.”

Almost 30 Americans in 2015 have been charged in some way with attempting to support ISIS.

Supreme Court Could Decide Texas Abortion Law’s Constitutionality

Pro-abortion groups have filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in their quest to eliminate a Texas abortion law that calls for higher safety and wellness standards for clinics that provide abortions.

The bill, signed in 2013, is HB 2.  The bill requires abortion clinics to meet the same health and cleanliness standards as other ambulatory surgical centers.  It also bans late term abortions in the state except for rape and incest.  The law also requires abortionists to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital with in 30 miles of their clinic.

“… new research and advanced technology give prematurely-born children a renewed chance at life, which should give us all pause as we argue the definition of viability,” stated then Texas Governor Rick Perry, who signed the bill.

“House Bill 2 ensures that anyone performing abortions in Texas is doing so in a facility that is safe, clean and prepared to deal with any emergencies that might occur – a reasonable, common sense expectation for those caring for the health and safety of Texans.”

Twenty abortion clinics in the state closed by May 2014 rather than meet the health and cleanliness requirements of the bill.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Texas earlier this month.

“Reviewing Texas’s statute against a backdrop of varying state regulations of abortion, Roe assessed the states’ interests in regulating abortion, acknowledging a legitimate interest in women’s health,” wrote the panel.

“It held that states may not proscribe abortion prior to viability. … After viability, generally at the end of the second trimester, states could proscribe or regulate abortion except when an abortion was necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”

Without a Supreme Court stay, the law will go into effect July 1.

U.S. To Send More Weapons, Soldiers to NATO

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday that the U.S. will send weapons, aircraft and troops as needed to NATO’s new rapid reaction force.  The force will defend Europe in the event of an aggressive move by Russia or ISIS.

President Obama made the commitment last year during a NATO summit but Carter is revealing the details of the plan.

“We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot war with Russia,” Carter said at Atlantik Brucke, a Berlin think tank that focuses on the German-U.S. relationship. “We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake: we will defend our allies, the rules-based international order, and the positive future it affords us. We will stand up to Russia’s actions and their attempts to re-establish a Soviet-era sphere of influence.”

The U.S. will provide intelligence and surveillance capabilities, special operations forces, transport aircraft and a range of weapons from bombers and fighters to ship-based missiles.  A large ground force is not part of the U.S. commitment.

Carter is attending his first NATO meeting as Defense Secretary and plans to bring a two-pronged approach to NATO’s needs:  the first is a strong defense against Russia in an attempt to stop them from establishing a Soviet-era influence on the region while partnering with Russia to fight Islamic terrorism.

U.S. Worried Russia Will Gain Greece’s Favor

U.S. officials are watching the economic situation in Greece with concern that it might lead to a situation where Russia could gain influence over a NATO member.

Greece, on the verge of bankruptcy, has been struggling with members of the European Union regarding debts and loans to cover costs.  If Greece defaults, Russia could swoop in with economic help and turn that nation against the West.

“You can easily see how geopolitically this would be a gift to Russia,” says Sebastian Mallaby at the Council on Foreign Relations. “You do not want Europe to have to deal with a Greece that is a member of NATO but which all of a sudden hates the West and is cozying up to Russia.”

President Obama and his administration have been quietly talking with German leaders about getting the EU to resolve the standoff with Greece.  Apparently the EU’s issues with Ukraine have factored into the Greece discussions.

The Greek prime minister traveled to Russia last week to meet with Russian president Putin.

Russia has been working to weaken the EU’s support for sanctions which require all 28 member nations to approve before going into effect.  If Greece remains in the EU but receives major support from Russia, they could block further sanctions.

“We still believe that Europe remains united against Russia and what they’re doing,” says John Kirby, state department spokesman, when asked about the potential impact of a Greek default.

“I think coming out of the G7 you saw a lot of unity in Europe for continued sanctions against Russia and the possibility for increased sanctions to further isolate Russia.”