June 25th – July 1st, 2020
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Trump signaled that he is open to a second stimulus check for Americans still reeling financially from the coronavirus pandemic and related economic shutdown without saying any amount in mind but that “It’ll be very good; it’ll be very generous.”
Trade Representative Robert Lightizer said that the Trump Administration will push for a broad reset of “outdated tariff determinations” at the World Trade Organization to right what it sees as years of unfair treatment of the United States.
Pray for wisdom for President Trump and his trusted advisers in creating economic stimulus and dealing with foreign trade matters.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
A bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation aimed at protecting research and innovation on U.S. campuses and preventing suspected theft of intellectual property by China and other countries.
Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana is requiring five state governors to explain why they ignored protocol and forced COVID-19 patients into nursing homes, “violating and contradicting” very clear guidelines.
Pray for members of Congress who have many bills to consider before their Independence Day recess.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
The Supreme Court left in place President Trump’s 25 percent steel tariff, declining to hear a challenge to the law that authorized it. The tariffs were first put in place in 2018 with exceptions for Mexico and Canada.
In a high-profile consumer issue, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Trump Administration lacks the legal authority to force drug companies to disclose prices in their television ads.
Pray for courts at many levels across the country who are in the position of ruling on actions taken by President Trump’s Administration.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition took out three Islamic State mountain training camp sites in Iraq’s Kirkuk province, while another jet targeted an ISIS cave in Nineveh province, satellite images reveal.
A U.S. airstrike killed a notable al-Qaeda leader in Syria when a vehicle he and another terrorist leader were riding in was hit with a R9X “Hellfire” missile called the “flying Ginsu” or the “Ninja Bomb” because of its ability to be effective while reducing the risk of collateral damage and civilian casualties.
Pray for safety for America’s military as they continue to face terror threats from ISIS and al-Qaeda.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
Satellite images suggest the border clash in the Himalayas was prompted by Chinese activity including bringing in machinery, cutting a trail into a mountainside and even damming a river, making roads and river crossings on India’s side of the so-called Line of Actual Control (LAC).
More than 1,200 flights going in and out of Beijing have been canceled in a new coronavirus outbreak in China’s capital grows. Beijing has closed all schools and all markets in an attempt to stop the potentially enormous explosion of cases in a densely populated city of 22 million.
Pray for American officials as they seek to resolve challenges surrounding China’s decisions and actions.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel’s continued openness to Chinese involvement in major infrastructure projects is undermining some Trump Administration officials’ support for a continued strong Israel-U.S. relationship as it moves toward annexing parts of the West Bank.
Israeli police are bracing for possible wide-scale violent protests inspired by scenes in the United States and they have beefed up their forces at demonstrations with plans to block off roads and access to some areas.
Pray for government officials in Israel as tensions grow over the plans to annex a third of the West Bank.
THE ECONOMY
Permits for future home construction made a strong rebound during May suggesting the housing market is beginning to emerge from the coronavirus crisis along with the broader economy.
Retail sales rose a record 18 percent in May as coronavirus lockdowns were lifted and shopping malls and auto dealerships reopened, sending a sign the economy is starting to recover from the pandemic lockdowns.
Give thanks for the signals that there is a return to a healthy economy, and that the return will be robust and sustained.
ACROSS THE STATES
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem says the nation’s financial crisis was triggered by the leaders of other states who carelessly relied on flawed virus models predicting the COVID-19 pandemic would result in far worse numbers than it has.
A newly-established commission on race equity has given Governor Mills a set of recommendations to reduce racial inequality in Maine, with some initial focus on the significant disparate impact of COVID-19 testing. Current data suggests that that availability of tests has been 25 times lower to black residents of the state than to white residents.
Pray for wisdom, courage and strength for the nation’s governors who face protests and declarations of “autonomous zones.”
VERSE OF THE WEEK
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. – Galatians 5:13
