BREAKING: Congress passes $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, blocks funding for Planned Parenthood

Calvin Freiburger – March 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 27, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to pass a $2 trillion coronavirus relief spending bill. The bill, which is meant meant to give temporary relief to Americans who have lost their jobs or business due to mandatory shutdowns, provides small businesses and certain non-profits money to fund their payroll during the period of the crisis. It is apparently worded in such a way that Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion chain, will not be able to access such funds.

The bill gives $1,200 to most Americans making less than $75,000 per year (and smaller payments to Americans who make more), as well as expanded unemployment benefits, temporary waivers on student loan payments, suspension of certain rules on retirement accounts, and relief for businesses such as suspended payroll tax payments.

It has been controversial due to the sheer size of its spending, as well as it containing hundreds of millions in unrelated expenditures for various public entities, including PBS, NPR, the Kennedy Center, and salaries and expenses for members of Congress.

House leaders initially hoped to pass the bill via unanimous consent, but the opposition of libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) required House members to return to Capitol Hill for a full recorded vote. President Donald Trump excoriated Massie, stating that while he too doesn’t like everything in the bill, compromises were necessary to “save our workers”:

Ultimately, the bill passed by voice vote, Politico reports. It now awaits the president’s signature.

In one victory for conservatives, Vice reports that the final version of the bill is worded in a way that makes Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion chain, ineligible for the bill’s bailout money. It empowers Trump administration to deny Planned Parenthood access to relief loans via the Small Business Administration. These provisions remain despite the loss of language that would have made the ineligibility of Planned Parenthood – an organization that took in $616 million from taxpayers, almost $370 million in private revenue, and over $590 million in private donations last year – even more explicit.

https://www.lifesitenews.com

New Active Earthquake Faults Discovered Near Mount Hood Could Trigger M7.2 Quake And Devastate Everything As Far As Portland, Oregon

Strange Sounds – March 24, 2020

Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon.

Researchers have newly discovered active fault lines on Mount Hood that could potentially trigger a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, devastating communities and infrastructure as far west as Portland.

As shown in the maps and video below, the newly discovered fault networks are located to the north, south and southwest of Mt. Hood and extend to the Columbia River.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake is larger than the 1989 earthquake near the San Francisco Bay Area.

Moreover, the faults on Mount Hood are closer to Portland that the epicenter of the 1989 earthquake was to San Francisco.

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Map of the new fault lines discovered to the North of Mount Hood extend to the Columbia River. Map via GSOC

This would be a crustal earthquake as opposed to the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake Portland has been bracing for.

Subduction zone quakes are deeper below the surface, they last longer — as long as seven minutes — but they are lower in amplitude.

The kind of quake we would get from Mt. Hood would be shorter — 20 seconds to less than a minute — and would be strong enough to knock you off your feet.

https://strangesounds.org

Christians Suffer Police Brutality, Illegal Arrests in Uttar Pradesh, India

Morning Star News – March 23, 2020

HYDERABAD, India, March 23, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Forcing them to pose like Christ on the cross, police last week beat Christians in custody on baseless charges in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, sources said.

On March 15 a church of 200 people was immersed in a Sunday service when 30 Hindu extremists brandishing hockey sticks and steel rods arrived with police at the worship hall built on the premises of the pastor’s home in the Kunda area of Pratapgarh District, sources said.

“Once I saw them armed with hockey sticks and steel rods, I understood that they had come to attack us,” Pastor Indresh Kumar Gautam, 24, told Morning Star News. “I got down from the pulpit and decided to face them before they cause nuisance or attack any of the members of the congregation.”

He could see they were young men of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal from his and neighboring villages, he said. The pastor said they accused the church of increasing conversions to Christianity in the area.

“I told them clearly that we do not convert anyone, and that we had only accepted Christian faith and would be only praying for everyone,” he said. “If anybody chooses to follow Jesus after attending prayers, they are free to do so as the Indian constitution has granted the right to practice one’s faith freely.”

The intruders shouted at the worshippers to disperse immediately or they would be beaten brutally, he said.

“They had already started attacking us, and the police kept looking on,” Pastor Gautam said. “They seized the Bibles and the sound instruments, but the officers both male and female did not stop them.”

Instead, police forced five worshippers into police vehicles and took them to the Kunda police station, he said.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Double Whammy In India: Bird flu Comes Knocking In Times Of Lockdown

Strange Sounds – March 25, 2020

Two localities in Patna have been tested positive for bird flu.

Thousands birds have been culled in Kerala. A patient has also been confirmed positive for swine flu in Bihar. Several died from Monkey fever. What’s more for India?

While 1.3 billion people went under “total lockdown” for 21 days to combat the spread of the contagion in India, several states are reporting avian influenza in parallel.

Samples in Bihar and Kerala have tested positive for H5N1 virus. A patient has also been confirmed positive for swine flu in Bihar.

In Bihar, samples of dead crows were sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) at Bhopal, where the results confirmed the worst fears.

In Kerala, the state government has decided to destroy the disease at the source and mass culling have already started since a week to contain a possible outbreak.

Avian influenza A (H5N1) is contagious among birds and can be fatal. There have been instances of human beings getting infected with the virus:

“In most of the cases, people having direct or close contact with H5N1-infected poultry or H5N1-contaminated surfaces contracted the disease.

“The H5N1 strain of bird flu is regarded as highly pathogenic and can also cause disease and death in humans.

https://strangesounds.org

Canada Has Banned Every Other Elective Surgery, But People Can Still Kill Babies in Abortions

Micaiah Bilger – March 27, 2020

Non-essential medical care, with the exception of abortions, is being postponed across Canada as hospitals deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Though there is nothing essential about aborting an unborn baby, Canadian provinces and a number of American states are allowing elective abortions to continue during the crisis.

CTV News reports health leaders in all of the Canadian provinces and territories recently declared abortions to be “an essential service.” In Canada, elective abortions are allowed for any reason up to birth.

According to the report, every province and territory gets to make decisions about what health services will be postponed or canceled. The news outlet contacted health officials in each area to ask if abortions are included in their restrictions during the coronavirus. All of them said no.

Kerry Williamson, a spokesperson for Alberta Health Services, claimed abortions are “urgent/emergent” and therefore necessary.

“With regards to surgical abortions performed in AHS hospitals, these are not considered elective surgeries,” Williamson said.

In Quebec, Health Minister Danielle McCann admitted that abortions are a woman’s choice, but the province has no plans to restrict them during the health crisis.

Health leaders in other parts of the country said much the same thing.

https://www.lifenews.com

Israel’s Netanyahu threatens Gaza with ALL-OUT WAR if missile attacks continue

RT – February 24, 2020

Israel will stop at nothing to ensure its security and may well launch a broad military campaign against Gaza if the local armed groups continue with missile strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Air raid sirens were heard across southern Israel for the second straight day on Monday. The IDF said that some 50 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israeli territory, with 90 percent of them intercepted.

The missile strikes were met with a harsh response, with the Israeli Defense Forces confirming on Twitter that multiple strikes against targets in Gaza have been carried out.

“We are now hitting with planes, tanks, and helicopters,” Netanyahu announced as he visited an Iron Dome air defense system battery in the Ashdod area. He also added a special message for the leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militants.

Speaking later in the day at the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the West Bank, Netanyahu added more threats.

“I don’t plan to let up… Beyond the hard strikes on our enemies, Hamas and Islamic Jihad need to understand – this [missile attack against Israel] won’t continue. If they do not completely stop, we will have to activate the plan we prepared for a broad campaign.”

Netanyahu said he was well aware of the price that IDF troops – who are conscripts – and their families would pay in such a campaign.

“I am not rushing into war,” the PM said, but if Israel is forced to launch a major offensive, “woe to Hamas and Islamic Jihad when that day comes!! It’s their choice.”

https://www.rt.com

Netanyahu rival Gantz chosen to form new Israeli government

JOSEF FEDERMAN – March 15, 2020

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz will be given the first opportunity to form a new government after an inconclusive national election this month, the country’s president said Sunday, raising questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future.

The decision by President Reuven Rivlin was announced by his office after he consulted with leaders of all of the parties elected to parliament. He will formally designate Gantz with the task on Monday and give him a month to cobble together a governing coalition.

The political wrangling comes at a sensitive time. Netanyahu has been leading the country as it confronts a growing coronavirus threat, with over 200 cases diagnosed and the number quickly rising. Netanyahu also faces serious legal troubles as he prepares to go on trial to face corruption charges.

Netanyahu’s Likud emerged as the largest party in the March 2 election, Israel’s third in under a year. But with his smaller religious and nationalist allies, he received the support of only 58 lawmakers during Sunday’s consultations, leaving his right-wing bloc three seats short of the required majority in parliament.

Gantz’s Blue and White received the support of parties representing 61 seats, a slim majority. However, those parties are also divided, and it is not clear whether Gantz will succeed in putting together a coalition. One lawmaker refused to endorse either side.

Given the likelihood of continued deadlock, Rivlin late Sunday summoned both Netanyahu and Gantz to an emergency meeting, where the men pledged to explore a unity government.

https://apnews.com

Pope Francis Says His Words ‘Overrule The Bible’

Truth Unsealed – March 18, 2020

Pope Francis has responded to claims that many of his teachings “contradict Bible teachings” by saying that his words “overrule” anything written in the Bible.

The pope has further angered traditional Christians in recent weeks by developing the habit of hiding the crucifix that is worn around his neck when speaking in public, causing many Christians to believe the pontiff is ashamed to display the powerful Christian symbol.

Jorgé Bergoglio, whose job title is Pope Francis, has been re-writing major Christian doctrine, completely ignoring Biblical teachings.

As reported by NBC News, the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews issued a major new document pronouncing that God had never annulled his covenant with the Jewish people, and so Catholics should not try to convert Jews: “The Church is therefore obliged to view evangelization to Jews, who believe in the one God, in a different manner from that to people of other religions and world views.”

God never annulled his covenant with the Jewish people.

https://truthunsealed.com

Canadian Bill Would Jail Christian Parents Who Attempt to Discourage Their Child’s Same-Sex Attraction

Michael Foust – March 19, 2020

A new Canadian bill backed by the prime minister would jail parents who attempt to discourage and change their child’s unwanted same-sex attractions or gender identity.

Bill C-8, supported by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, would make it a crime punishable up to five years in prison to “knowingly” cause “a person who is under the age of 18 years to undergo conversion therapy.” The bill applies not just to therapists but “everyone.”

The bill defines conversion therapy as a “practice, treatment or service designed to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour.”

The Campaign Life Coalition, a Toronto-based organization, says the bill is an affront to parental rights and religious freedom.

“If you’re a parent with a gender-confused child, you will not be permitted to help that child conform to his/her biological gender,” David Cooke of the Campaign Life Coalition wrote in an analysis of the bill. “… If you’re a pastor or church leader who publicly proclaims the power of Christ to transform homosexuals and transgenders, you may be arrested for ‘advertising conversion therapy.’”

The Trudeau government, he asserted, is “pushing to eradicate the Christian view of sexuality and gender from the public square.”

“They are working to suppress and deny the testimony of countless ex-gays and ex-trans who expose the lies of the LGBT narrative,” Cooke wrote.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Locust crisis poses a danger to millions, forecasters warn

LOCUST-SWARM-SKY

Gaurdian – March 20, 2020

The locust crisis that has now reached 10 countries could carry on to endanger millions more people, forecasters have said.

Climate change created unprecedented conditions for the locusts to breed in the usually barren desert of the Arabian gulf, according to experts, and the insects were then able to spread through Yemen, where civil war has devastated the ability to control locust populations.

It was Cyclone Mekunu, which struck in 2018, that allowed several generations of desert locusts the moist sand and vegetation to thrive in the desert between Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman known as the Empty Quarter, breeding and forming into crop-devouring swarms, said Keith Cressman, locust forecasting expert for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“That’s fine, that’s quite good in itself, but just about when those conditions are drying out and the breeding is coming to an end, a second cyclone came to the area,” he said.

“That allowed the conditions to continue to be favourable and another generation of breeding, so instead of increasing 400-fold, they increased 8,000-fold.

“Usually a cyclone brings favourable conditions for about six months and then the habitat dries out, and so it’s not favourable for reproduction and they die and migrate.”

The amount of cyclones in the area seem to be increasing, said Cressman, making it likely that locust swarms will also become more common.

The FAO has warned that the food security of 25 million people could be endangered by the locusts, which according to the agency’s locust monitoring service have been spotted in at least 10 countries over recent months. One swarm recently reported in Kenya covered an area the size of Luxembourg.

https://www.theguardian.com