Wednesday, March 22, in the year of our Lord 2017

By Adam McManus

Hearings Continue for Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch

Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch continued yesterday on the question of abortion. Chairman and Republican Senator Charles Grassley asked about Gorsuch’s position on the Roe v. Wade decision.

GRASSLEY: “Well, let’s go to a more controversial issue. I think the case that most people are thinking about right now, and the case that every nominee gets asked about – Roe v. Wade. Can you tell me whether Roe v. Wade was decided correctly?”

GORSUCH: “Senator, again I would tell you that Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, is a precedent of the United State Supreme Court. It has been reaffirmed and Reliance considerations are important there. It was reaffirmed in Casey in 1992 and in several other cases. So a good judge will consider it as precedent of the United States Supreme Court worthy of treatment as precedent like any other.”

More on this committee hearing after the newscast. 

Islamic Extremism on the Rise in the Philippines

Christians in the Philippines are concerned at a rise in Islamic extremism in the country.

A local church leader, who wished to remain anonymous, told World Watch Monitor “The villagers – Christian or not – are all in fear. At night, the Islamists coerce men into going to the mosques. Some men have never been seen again.”

The Islamic State has been making inroads in the Philippines since jihadist group Abu Sayyaf declared allegiance in 2015.

President Rodrigo Duterte made it clear that he’s determined to crack down on the Islamic State’s presence in the country, but he’s also admitted to having relatives who might have pledged allegiance to the group.

Nigerian Government Tries to Squelch Christians from Speaking Out

While warning journalists and Christian leaders to stop speaking out about anti-Christian violence in Nigeria, Africa, the government this week has also ordered the cancellation of a day of prayer and national mourning for slain Christians killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, reports the Morning Star News.

Kim Jong Un Releases Anti-U.S. Propaganda Video

The North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un released a fiery, 3-minute propaganda video with scenes including troops blowing up a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and bomber, reports Fox News. The fictional footage depicted North Korean troops destroying the U.S.S. Carl Vinson and a U.S. B-51 bomber moments later.

President Trump Says Failing to Pass Health Care Bill May Cause Republicans to Lose Seats

President Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill on Monday morning with a stern message for Republicans who’ve been wobbly about passing the Republican version of Obamacare: Give me your vote or you may lose your seat, reports Politico.com.

He warned that if Republicans don’t pass the bill, “I honestly think many of you will lose your seats in 2018 if you don’t get this done.”

But while he’s summoned lawmakers to the White House before, his decision to come to Congress’ turf is a sign of how significant the impending vote is for his fledgling administration.

Target Denies that Business Has Been Impacted by Bathroom Policy

Target is in major denial, reports the Christian Post.

Despite news of its shares plunging last month as a result of nearly 1.5 million Christians signing a Boycott Pledge organized by the American Family Association over its pro-transgender bathroom policy, Target claims “we’ve seen no material impact to the business based on the bathroom policy.”

Reuters reported that Target’s shares sank 12.1 percent to $58.79, their biggest one-day percentage drop since 2008. 

Mom Cancels Trip to Disney World and Launches Boycott Petition

Brooke Poston announced on her blog, This Modest Mom, that she has cancelled her family’s $6,000 trip to Disney World and boycotted the company over what she sees as its aggressive promotion of the homosexual agenda after Disney announced that its live action version of “Beauty and the Beast” would include an “exclusively gay moment”, reports the Christian Post. 

She wrote, “Disney is targeting our youth like they’re aiming at big game on a corporate hunting trip. They are banking on corrupting the purity of a child’s mind for the 1 percent…I cannot be silent.” 

So far, 135,000 parents have signed her petition to Boycott Disney.

Paul Washer Suffers Heart Attack

And finally, please pray for theologian and missionary Paul Washer who suffered a heart attack last night. Thankfully, he is in stable condition. Look for updates on the Heartcry Facebook page. May the Lord guide his doctors and heal his body.

More on Gorsuch Hearings

As promised now, more details on the Gorsuch hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee included questions on litmus tests for judges. Senator Grassley introduced the question.

GRASSLEY: “Did anyone make any promises or assurances at all about your view on certain legal issues or the way that you might rule in certain cases?”

GORSUCH: “Senator, I think you’d be reassured by the process that unfolded. I tried to live under a shell during the campaign season – watch baseball and football, go about my business. But I did hear lots of talk of litmus tests from all around. It was in the air. And I don’t believe in litmus tests for judges. I wasn’t about to become party to such a thing.
“I’m here to report that you should be reassured because no one in the process — from the time I was contacted with an expression of interest for a potential interview to the time I was nominated — no one in that process, Mr. Chairman, asked me for commitments or any kind of promises about how I’d rule in any kind of case.”

GRASSLEY: “And that’s how it should be.”

Senator Grassley also asked Judge Gorsuch about the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut decision.

GRASSLEY: “What about Griswold which was decided a few years before Roe, the case where the Court found a constitutional right to privacy? Can you tell me your views on Griswold?”

GORSUCH: “Senator, it’s a precedent that’s now 50 years old. Griswold involved the right of married couples to use contraceptive devices in the privacy of their own home. The reliance interests are obvious. It’s been repeatedly reaffirmed — all very important factors again in analyzing precedent.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked pointed questions about Roe v. Wade

GRAHAM: “Had you ever met President Trump personally?”

GORSUCH: “Not until my interview.”

GRAHAM: “In that interview, did he ever ask you to overrule Roe v. Wade?”

GORSUCH: “No Senator.”

GRAHAM: “What would you have done if he had asked?”

GORSUCH: “Senator, I would have walked out the door. It’s not what judges do. They don’t do it at that end of Pennsylvania Avenue and they shouldn’t do it at this end either, respectfully.”

And Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who voted against the confirmation of Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, weighed in on the 1973 Supreme Court abortion case as well in her introductory remarks.

FEINSTEIN: “Roe ensured that women and their doctors will decide what’s best for their care, not politicians. President Trump repeatedly promised that his judicial nominees would be pro-life and ‘automatically’ overturn Roe v. Wade.
“His writings do raise questions. Specifically, he wrote that he believes there are no exceptions to the principle that ‘the intentional taking of a human life by private persons is always wrong.’ This language has been interpreted by both pro-life and pro-choice organizations to mean he would overturn Roe.”

Senator Feinstein addressed that issue directly with Judge Gorsuch.

FEINSTEIN: “Since we’re on Roe, I well recall the time we spent in my office and we talked about precedent. In my opening remarks, I indicated that if anything had ‘super precedent’, Roe did in terms of the numbers.
“Here’s why it becomes of concern. The president said that he would appoint someone who would overturn Roe. You pointed out to me that you viewed precedent in a serious way in that it added stability to the law.”

GORSUCH: “Part of the value of precedent – it has lots of value, it has value in and of itself because it’s our history. But it also has an instrumental value in this sense. It adds to the determinacy of law. What was once a hotly contested issue is no longer a hotly contested issue. We move forward.”

FEINSTEIN: “One other question.”

GORSUCH: “Sure.”

FEINSTEIN: “Do you view Roe as having ‘super precedent’?”

GORSUCH: “Well Senator, super precedent is…”

FEINSTEIN: “In numbers. 44 cases.”

“It has been reaffirmed many times. I can say that. Yes.”

FEINSTEIN: “Dozens.”

While some pro-lifers have expressed concerns about Gorsuch’s remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee, others recognize that he is not taking the liberal bait.

This has been a Special Report on the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. I’m Adam McManus.

Six-Year-Old Girl Helps the Homeless on Her Birthday

A 6-year-old little girl from Chicago decided she wanted to use her birthday as an opportunity to help the homeless, reports CBN News.  

Armani Crews, her mother Artesha, and their church helped to prepare a meal including cake and cookies for 125 homeless and distributed hygiene items in care packages.

The mother said that “one man told us that he hadn’t had a hot meal in a long time.” And her daughter said, “It was nice to be nice.”

Series of Security Violations in the Secret Service

It’s been weeks of eye-popping Secret Service scandals – with egregious lapses in security that jeopardize the very safety of President Trump and his family – and now a veteran agent who guarded former President Obama blames “the terrible management class” in the agency, reports WorldNetDaily.com.

First, a fence jumper carrying two cans of mace roamed the grounds March 10 for 17 minutes and rattled the doorknob of the White House as Secret Service agents ignored alarms.

Then, an agent left a laptop computer containing floor plans for Trump Tower in her car in New York City, and a thief made off with the sensitive information Thursday.

Next, two agents snapped “selfies” with Trump’s sleeping 8-year-old grandson inside a Secret Service vehicle in New York Sunday.

Also Sunday, a guest claimed he “snuck by” the Secret Service and managed to take a photo of himself inside President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago study.

And on Monday, it was reported the Secret Service is permanently removing Agent Kerry O’Grady from her position after she publicly stated she wouldn’t “take a bullet” for President Trump.

The alarming breaches have observers asking: What is going on with the Secret Service?

Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, author of “Life Inside the Bubble: Why a Top-Ranked Secret Service Agent Walked Away from It All,” said the agency is imploding and suffering an extreme thinning of the ranks. “They’re losing right now their best and brightest. It’s a tidal wave of attrition,” said Bongino, who once protected Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Josh and Anna Duggar Are Expecting Baby Boy

Two years ago, Josh Duggar was at the center of two sex scandals.

First, that he had molested several underage girls, including a couple of his own sisters, when he was a teenager. And secondly, that he had an account on the adultery website Ashley Madison and had been unfaithful to his wife, Anna.

After seeking help for his sex addiction through attending Reformers Unanimous, a rehab facility in Illinois, Josh and his wife have announced that they are expecting their fifth child.

They wrote, “We are delighted to share with you that we are expecting a new baby boy later this year. Beauty comes from ashes and we cannot wait to see and kiss the face of this sweet new boy!”

And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.