December 10th – December 16th, 2020
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Trump signed an executive order setting out nine principles for the design, development, acquisition, and use of artificial intelligence in government in an effort to “foster public trust and confidence in the use of AI, and ensure the use of AI protects privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.”
The civil rights division of the Justice Department filed a complaint accusing Facebook of discriminating against U.S. workers by reserving positions for foreigners with temporary H-1B visas as “intentional and widespread violations of the law.”
Pray for President Trump, his advisers, and Cabinet as they deal with matters involving technology and tech companies.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Senator Mike Braun of Indiana said President Trump should veto the National Defense Authorization Act if Congress doesn’t remove part of a federal communications law known as Section 230 that effectively shields big tech from content liability.
Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama said he plans to challenge the Electoral College votes when Congress meets January 6 to certify the 2020 presidential election, “because in my judgment we are witness to the largest voter fraud and election theft effort in the history of the United States.”
Pray for Congress and the work they must still complete by year-end.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
The Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging an Oregon school district’s policy allowing transgender students to use locker rooms and bathrooms of their choice, as they had already ruled in favor of transgender rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The Supreme Court will decide if victims of anti-Semitic persecution can sue Germany and Hungary for World War II-era crimes, including crimes that occurred internationally, with no American involvement, such as the Holocaust.
Pray for the Supreme Court Justices to have wisdom in deciding which cases to accept or decline to hear.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
The U.S. Justice Department has accused two Washington state women of terrorism after a “shunt” was placed on train tracks on at least ten occasions in an act that could cause a train to derail or decouple, endangering the public.
Relief agencies in Ethiopia prepared convoys to truck aid into the Tigray region, even as clashes are still reported in a month of war that may have killed thousands and has sent refugees fleeing to Sudan.
Pray for American officials to be vigilant and successful in preventing attempts at domestic terrorism.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
NATO’s secretary general said that China is investing massively in new weapons, and their power holds potential dangers for the transatlantic alliance, coming closer from the Arctic to Africa, by investing in infrastructure.
Iran’s parliament has backed a plan to end nuclear inspections and begin enriching more uranium following the assassination of the chief nuclear scientist, and they have drafted a bill meant to end UN inspections of their nuclear facilities.
Pray for the State Department and Department of Defense as they address hostile foreign nations.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel’s National Security Council warned that Iran could be planning to attack Israelis and Jewish centers, synagogues, kosher restaurants, and Jewish museums in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kurdish areas in Iraq, and other countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.
Israel’s Benny Gantz-Benjamin Netanyahu governing coalition is falling apart as the Prime Minister refuses to pass a budget and is moving away from their power-sharing deal, thus setting the stage for the fourth election in two years.
Pray for Israel’s leaders and about the rise of anti-Semitism around the globe.
THE ECONOMY
A survey conducted by CNBC shows that small businesses’ confidence plummeted to an all-time low by mid-November linked more to election results and anticipation of more government-imposed restrictions on businesses than to the pandemic itself.
America’s service industry activity slowed to a six-month low in November amid widespread restrictions on businesses in an effort to slow the surging coronavirus, and skepticism about improvement in the winter months.
Pray for those who own businesses of all sizes and the people they employ that are impacted by the reimplemented virus restrictions.
ACROSS THE STATES
The Wisconsin legislature has been working on a proposed plan for COVID-19 relief setting up a $700 million fund to help combat the public health crisis, but not everyone is on board because the plan says it supports local control and then takes it away.
New Jersey lawmakers and advocacy groups announced a new Legislative Disability Caucus with the aim of increasing awareness about a complex system of services that have been eclipsed by the current coronavirus public health crisis.
Pray for state leaders as they attempt to deal with more “normal” issues while still working on the coronavirus disruptions.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
The Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18
