Was Lynch coordinating with Comey in the Clinton investigation?

Was Lynch coordinating with Comey in the Clinton investigation?

(Worthy News) – Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch knew well in advance of FBI Director James Comey’s 2016 press conference that he would recommend against charging Hillary Clinton, according to information turned over to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Friday.

The revelation was included in 384 pages of text messages exchanged between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, and it significantly diminishes the credibility of Lynch’s earlier commitment to accept Comey’s recommendation — a commitment she made under the pretense that the two were not coordinating with each other.

And it gets worse. Comey and Lynch reportedly knew that Clinton would never face charges even before the FBI conducted its three-hour interview with Clinton, which was supposedly meant to gather more information into her mishandling of classified information. [ Source: The Hill (Read More…) ]

High noon vote on McConnell spending deal to reopen government

High noon vote on McConnell spending deal to reopen government

(Worthy News) – Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set a Monday noon vote on a federal spending bill that would reopen the partially shuttered government until Feb. 8 in exchange for a promise for a vote on immigration reform legislation next month.

McConnell offered the deal on the Senate floor at 9:30 p.m. and then asked for Democratic consent to vote on the spending bill at 10 p.m.

Democrats objected, and McConnell then moved the vote, which could have come as early as 1 a.m. Monday to noon. Monday will be the third day of the partial shutdown, but the first business day that government workers will be affected. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

Trump Administration Opens Office to Protect Healthcare Workers’ Conscience Rights

Trump Administration Opens Office to Protect Healthcare Workers’ Conscience Rights

(Worthy News) – The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) unveiled a new division Thursday to help ensure healthcare workers can do their jobs without being forced to violate their faith.

The new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division falls under the Office for Civil Rights. Federal statutes protect freedom of conscience and religion but have lacked enforcement over the years. This new wing of HHS seeks to preserve the rights of Americans who do not want to participate in abortion, assisted suicide, or other practices that violate their religious convictions.

“Laws protecting religious freedom and conscience rights are just empty words on paper if they aren’t enforced,” said Office for Civil Rights director Roger Severino. [ Source: Christian Headlines (Read More…) ]

Jordan’s king says east Jerusalem must be capital of Palestinian state

Jordan’s king says east Jerusalem must be capital of Palestinian state

(Worthy News) – In remarks during talks with US Vice Mike Pence in Amman, the king said the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a two-state one.

“The US decision on Jerusalem …does not come as a result of a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” the monarch told Pence at the start of the talks in the royal palace.

Jordan lost east Jerusalem and the West Bank to Israel during the Arab-Israeli war in 1967. [ Source (Read More…) ]

No Deal Reached, as Moderates Search for Shutdown Solution

No Deal Reached, as Moderates Search for Shutdown Solution

(Worthy News) – Restive Senate moderates in both parties searched for a solution to a partisan stalemate as they raced toward a late-night showdown vote and their last chance to reopen the federal government before hundreds of thousands of federal workers were forced to stay home Monday.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill said they were pursuing a deal to end the rare closure, prompted Friday by a messy tussle over immigration and spending. There were no indications that a firm agreement had been reached, or that leaders of either party or the White House were on board. A stopgap spending measure was slated for a vote on Monday after midnight, but Democrats have so far refused to go along with the temporary fix.

Republicans have appeared increasingly confident that Democrats were bearing the brunt of criticism for the shutdown and that they would ultimately buckle. The White House and GOP leaders said they would not negotiate with Democrats on immigration until the government is reopened. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

Franklin Graham Praises President Trump for Defending Christianity

Franklin Graham Praises President Trump for Defending Christianity

(Worthy News) – Appearing on Fox and Friends Sunday, the Rev. Franklin Graham said President Donald Trump is concerned about religious freedom of Americans and the religious freedom of people in other countries as well.

“I applaud what he has done this first year, even though he’s been attacked since day one., Graham said. “The left is trying to destroy this man. It’s almost like we’re in the middle of a digital coup — and that’s what it is a digital coup d’etat. They’re wanting to force him out of office. They’re wanting to take control of the government. And we need to pray for this man.”

“He’s our president,” he continued. “Whether you voted for him or not, he’s the president. If he succeeds, we all succeed. If he fails we all fail.” [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

Trump addresses March for Life via satellite feed

Trump addresses March for Life via satellite feed

(Worthy News) – President Trump may be an unlikely pro-life champion, but activists at the March for Life say he’s given them hope that legal abortion will one day be a thing of the past.

The 45th president became the first sitting one to address the world’s largest annual human-rights demonstration. In a live satellite feed Friday from the Rose Garden, Mr. Trump said “hope is the true gift of this incredible movement that brings us together today.”

“That is why we march,” the president said. “That is why we pray, and that is why we declare that America’s future will be filled with goodness, peace, joy, dignity and life for every child of God.” [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

Abbas to ask European Union to recognize Palestinian state

Abbas to ask European Union to recognize Palestinian state

(Worthy News) – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask the European Union to officially recognize the state of Palestine when he meets foreign ministers from the bloc on Monday, a senior official said Sunday.

Abbas is scheduled to meet with EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of the Union’s 28 countries on the sidelines of their monthly meeting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a similar meeting last month.

The issue of recognition of a Palestinian state is expected to be at the top of the agenda for Monday’s talks. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

Pence lands in Israel as PM stresses ‘no alternative’ to US as peace broker

Pence lands in Israel as PM stresses ‘no alternative’ to US as peace broker

(Worthy News) – US President Mike Pence arrived in Tel Aviv Sunday evening for a two-day visit to Israel amid unprecedented tensions with the Palestinians over President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last month.

Pence and his wife, Karen, were greeted on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin along with a small group of dignitaries including US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and his Israeli counterpart in the US, Ron Dermer.

Initially scheduled for December before being postponed, Pence’s visit to Israel is the final leg of a trip that included stops in Egypt and Jordan as well as a visit earlier in the day to a US military facility near the Syrian border. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

Methodists, Church of England May End 200-Year Split to ‘Sustain Christian Presence’

Methodists, Church of England May End 200-Year Split to ‘Sustain Christian Presence’

(Worthy News) – Leaders of the Church of England will debate at their governing body next month whether they should have a priest-sharing arrangement with the Methodists to “sustain Christian presence.”

The proposal will be discussed at the General Synod in February, as there are “serious challenges in sustaining a Christian presence,” according to The Telegraph, which spoke to some leaders of the denomination.

“Whilst such co-operation is already possible and practised in many rural contexts, priests/presbyters exercising ministry in both churches at the same time could build on that in new ways,” the Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, said in a statement. [ Source: Christian Post (Read More…) ]