August 6th – August 12th, 2020
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Trump signed an executive order to create new ways to finance rural healthcare and establish a permanent extension for some virtual health policies that have been put in place during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Center for Disease Control, testified that suicides and drug overdoses have surpassed the death rate for COVID-19, citing lockdowns and lack of public schooling as disproportionally negative, especially among young people.
Pray for the president and members of the Coronavirus Task Force as they continue to seek ways to best protect Americans’ health while stimulating a restart to the economy.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced a new measure in an effort to bring the production of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) to the U.S. “It is time to get serious about our dependency on China,” he said.
Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado said American forces deployed to the Pacific are “highly vulnerable” to attacks from China and, should China initiate a conflict, the U.S. could not stand against them for long.
Pray about the complexities of the U.S. relationship with China and the ways Congress is addressing them.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
A federal judge in New York blocked the Trump Administration’s “public charge” rule linking immigrants’ legal status to their use of public benefits during the pendency of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that law enforcement does not need to get a warrant in order to obtain financial transaction data from cryptocurrency exchanges because a reasonable expectation of privacy in records does not exist in the digital world.
Pray for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she undergoes further cancer treatment following a recent hospital stay.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
There is an increasing al Qaeda footprint in the district along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line as well as the border pockets between Afghanistan and Iran, while Helmand province is emerging as a Taliban stronghold.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country will not negotiate with the U.S. because America would only use talks for propaganda purposes, although President Trump’s Administration has said it is willing to talk with Iran “with no preconditions.”
Pray as tensions escalate in Afghanistan that the Taliban would be honorable and proceed in accordance with the preliminary peace agreement they have made.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
Russian intelligence services are using three English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, looking to exploit the crisis America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election.
Backed by President Erdogan’s ruling Justice Development Party, Turkey’s parliament approved new laws on social media that give the government more power to police content, increasing concerns of the nation’s human rights activists.
Pray for those who are working to secure the U.S. presidential election from foreign interference.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel’s military said it fired at four people planting improvised explosive devices on the Syria-Israel border as tensions continue to grow with the Lebanese-based Iranian-supported group, Hezbollah.
Israel’s unity government formed after the last lection challenge is showing signs of fraying as divisions deepen between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival-turned partner, Benny Gantz, raising the specter of a new vote.
Pray for the IDF as they defend Israel from external threats and for Israeli politicians to find unity.
THE ECONOMY
The Federal Reserve Chairman said America’s economy faces a long road to recovery that will require greater public vigilance to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and more spending from Congress and the White House.
Consumer confidence dipped in July as some cities and states experiencing an increase in coronavirus infections suffered slowdowns in commerce, with large declines seen in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and California.
Pray for Congress as they work on the next COVID relief funding bill.
ACROSS THE STATES
Lawmakers in Vermont have been meeting with education officials on school re-openings after the governor announced a return to school for September 8, with many on both sides suggesting the guidelines and teacher directives are inadequate to assure safety for all.
West Virginia’s fairs and festivals will receive $1.3 million bailout after regulations forced them to cancel or significantly reduce capacity following an uptick in COVID-19 cases, Governor Jim Justice said.
Pray for state education departments, school superintendents, and others in government working to provide the best means of returning children to classrooms.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you. – Amos 5:14
