Former Republican Party nominee Mitt Romney’s speech last week, trashing GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, did little to dissuade voters from supporting the New York real estate mogul.

Thirty-one percent of Republican voters, after Romney called Trump “a phony,” said they are now more likely to cast a vote for Trump and 30 percent of the voters who supported Romney in 2012 said they are more likely to vote for Trump, according to a new Morning Consult poll released Tuesday.

Roughly 20 percent of GOP voters said they’re less likely to support Trump. Forty-three percent of the voters said they didn’t think Romney’s criticisms had an impact.

The Morning Consult poll also suggests Republican voters favor Trump over Romney, as the real estate mogul has a slightly higher favorability rating.

The poll suggests Trump has a 55-42 favorability rating, while the former Massachusetts governor’s favorability rating is 51-41.

Only five percent of Trump supporters polled said they are now less likely to support the frontrunner.

Despite Romney’s speech having little to no effect on Trump, the poll did find that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)97%
is closing in on the billionaire.

According to the poll, Cruz increased eight percentage points and is now within 17 points of Trump.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)79%
remained in third place with 14 percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich ranked fourth at 10 percent; however, his support has doubled since the previous poll.

The poll questioned 2,019 registered voters online from March 4th to March 6th. It has a margin of error of plus or minus two percent.

As the father of three daughters, I reserved the right to interview their dates. Seemed only fair to me. After all, my wife and I’d spent 16 or 17 years feeding them, dressing them, funding braces, and driving them to volleyball tournaments and piano recitals. A five-minute face-to-face with the guy was a fair expectation. I was entrusting the love of my life to him. For the next few hours, she would be dependent upon his ability to drive a car, avoid the bad crowds, and stay sober. I wanted to know if he c

Source: Decency for President – Max Lucado

Chinese Communist Party leaders stand up while the international communist anthem is played. / AP BY: Bill Gertz February 24, 2016 5:00 pmChina warned the United States on Wednesday not to adopt punitive currency policies that could disrupt U.S.-China relations after Donald Trump’s win in the Nevada caucus.Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that “we are following with interest the U.S. presidential election.”Hua was asked about China’s response to a possible Trump presidency and his announced plan to punish China for currency manipulation with a tax on Chinese goods.“Since it belongs to the domestic affair of the U.S., I am not going to make comments on specific remarks by the relevant candidate,” she said.“But I want to stress that China and the U.S., as world’s largest developing and developed countries, shoulder major responsibilities in safeguarding world peace, stability and security and driving world development,” the spokeswoman added.“The sustained, sound and steady growth of China-U.S. relations serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and benefits the world. We hope and believe that the U.S. government will pursue a positive policy toward China in a responsible manner.”The comments came as Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, is holding talks in Washington that include U.S. concerns about a Chinese military buildup on disputed islands in the South China Sea, and cooperation on dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations.Hua said Wang and Secretary of State John Kerry agreed the two sides will enhance cooperation and increase talks and exchanges.“We stand ready to preserve and advance China-U.S. relations together with the U.S. side,” she said.Kerry said he spoke to Wang about reducing tensions and finding diplomatic solutions to competing South China Sea claims.“We want there to be a halt to the expansion and militarization of occupied features,” Kerry said. “Everyone benefits by true demilitarization, non-militarization.”Kerry also said the United States remains committed to freedom of navigation and overflight, “something which China says it does not stand in the way of; it agrees that there should be peaceful freedom of navigation.”Reports from Asia say Chinese state-run media have been ordered by the Communist Party to minimize reporting on the U.S. presidential election.Hong Kong’s Chinese-language news outlet Oriental Daily reported Feb. 5 that the Party’s Propaganda Department, which sets policies for all state-run media, ordered all publications to ban election coverage of U.S. policies toward China and to focus election coverage on negative stories and scandals.Trump won the Nevada caucus with 45 percent of the vote, increasing his chances of winning the Republican nomination later this year.Last month, Trump vowed to impose a 45 percent tariff on Chinese good to offset China’s devaluation of the yuan.“They’re devaluing their currency, and they’re killing our companies,” Trump said. “We are letting them get away with it, and we can’t let them get away with it.”The Obama administration has adopted conciliatory policies toward China on trade and currency issues.Trump, on his campaign website, outlined a hardline approach to dealing with China that involves officially declaring China a currency manipulator and negotiating an end to the practice.Trump also wants to thwart China’s theft of intellectual property and adopt policies aimed at bring jobs back from overseas to the United States.Bolstering the U.S. military and “deploying it appropriately in the East and South China Seas” are other goals.“These actions will discourage Chinese adventurism that imperils American interests in Asia and shows our strength as we begin renegotiating our trading relationship with China,” the Trump website states. “A strong military presence will be a clear signal to China and other nations in Asia and around the world that America is back in the global leadership business.”

Source: China Warns U.S. After Trump Wins Nevada Caucus

The Pope’s pregnant receptionist has been found dead in her apartment on the outskirts of the city.Miriam Wuolou, a 34-year-old of Eritrean origin, was seven-months pregnant when her body was discovered.She had worked at Pope Francis’ home and a priests’ guesthouse called Santa Marta for years.The Italian press reports she worked as a kind of gatekeeper for the Pontiff, as well as for the bishops and cardinals who stay there.The Pope opted to live at the Santa Marta guesthouse after his appointment in 2013, rejecting the grand papal apartments because he found them too sumptuous and he feared isolation.

Source: Pregnant secretary of Pope Francis found dead in her Rome apartment – Mirror Online

A dozen people were reported dead Wednesday in a California mass shooting inside a facility for the developmentally disabled, according to a local ABC affiliate. Authorities said as many as three shooters, heavily armed and possibly wearing body armor, were involved in the 11:20 a.m. assault in San Bernardino. It appeared the suspect or suspects remained on the loose. “We have several down in a conference room. Several down!” one officer shouted on a police dispatch recording. SAN BERNARDINO FACILITY HOLIDAY PARTY DAY BEFORE ATTACK  One man pinned inside during the gunfire texted his father that alarms sounded through the Inland Regional Center, a nonprofit facility that assists the developmentally disabled.

Source: 12 dead as gunman opens fire in San Bernardino, Calif. – NY Daily News

A recent U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) report found that 73 aviation workers, employed by airlines and vendors, had alleged links to terrorism. The report, published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General on June 4, blamed bureaucratic mistakes. Though the TSA says it frequently cross-checks applications and employee lists with the DHS’s “Consolidated Terrorist Watchlist,” both are incomplete. The TSA’s employee lists, which consist of thousands of records, “contained potentially incomplete or inaccurate data, such as an initial for a first name and missing social security numbers,” the report found. The DHS Consolidated Terrorist Watchlist was also incomplete because “[TSA] is not authorized to receive all terrorism-related categories under current interagency watchlisting policy.” It is unclear what, if anything, will happen as a result of this discovery. But last week, the top TSA official was reassigned after an internal investigation showed undercover agents were able to smuggle fake explosives and weapons through security checkpoints in 95 percent of trials at dozens of America’s busiest airports. 

Source: TSA Investigation Finds 73 Workers on U.S.’s Terrorist Watchlist

A new ISIS propaganda video makes threats against New York City — and shows Manhattan streetscapes that include Times Square and Herald Square, The Post has learned. The slick production includes storefront shots of TGI Fridays in Times Square and the Gap in Herald Square — along with footage of yellow taxicabs driving past. The images of New York City are spliced between disturbing clips of suicide bombers preparing for attacks. A fighter also holds a grenade, pulling the pin as the camera cuts to black. French President François Hollande then appears on screen, giving an address just after the Paris attacks. At the end of his speech, he says, “it’s horrible.” Then words flash on the screen, saying, “And what’s coming next will be far worse and more bitter.” The video also includes statements from several jihadis, praising “soldiers of the caliphate in France” for their “blessed operation.” “We are aware of the newly released ISIS video that mentions Times Square,” NYPD spokesman J. Peter Donald said in a statement. “While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target. While there is no current or specific threat to the City at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance and will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelligence community to keep the City of New York safe.”

Source: ISIS threatens NYC in new propaganda video | New York Post

One man was killed and two others critically wounded during a rush-hour shooting near Penn Station on Monday morning, authorities said. The gunfire erupted at 6:14 a.m., just outside the turnstiles of the northeast entrance of the station at 35th Street and Eighth Avenue, police said. The shooter, who fired off four 9mm rounds, has not been captured, and fled north on Eighth with two accomplices in a silver vehicle, law enforcement sources said. Moments before the shooting, all three men were inside a McDonald’s at 490 Eighth Ave., when they were approached by a heavyset man in a black hooded sweatshirt, police said after reviewing surveillance footage. The man then followed the trio into the subway station, where he shot them, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. The men were shot from behind and didn’t see their attacker coming, law enforcement sources said. The dead man, who was shot in the head, was identified as 43-year-old Angel Quinones. The two critically wounded men were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, authorities said. William Lamboy, 45, was shot in the neck and abdomen, while Eddie Torres, 48, was hit in the leg, law enforcement sources said. All three victims were patients at a methadone clinic across the street that opened at 7 a.m., said law enforcement sources. The men have long rap sheets for drug busts in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, police added. Lamboy could not speak to police due to his wounds, and Torres was not initially cooperative, sources said. A large sum of cash was found on one of the victims, so police are investigating this as a possible drug dispute or narcotics-related hit, law enforcement sources said.

Source: Fatal rush-hour shooting near Penn Station | New York Post

Earlier this month, we reported how Paula White set up an invitation-only meeting between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and evangelical pastors. That meeting happened this week—and plenty of Pentecostals were there to lay hands on the billionaire, make declarations over his life and pray. Beyond Paula White, also present were Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jentezen Franklin, David Jeremiah, Jan Crouch, Steve Munsey, Jews for Jesus Rabbi Kirt Schneider, Bishop George Bloomer, Bishop Darrell Scott and Clarence McClendon. In this video, Kenneth Copeland is praying over Trump. “No man can be successful as president of the United States without Your wisdom. And so we ask You today to give this man Your wisdom, boldly. Make sure and certain that he hears. Manifest Yourself to him,” Copeland prayed. “And we thank You and praise You for a bold man, a strong man and an obedient man.”  JOIN JENNIFER ON FACEBOOK FOR SPIRITUAL COMMENTARY AND ENCOURAGMENT. CLICK HERE. As we have reported, Trump’s campaign is pulling out all the stops to woo Christian voters. He recently told a rally his favorite book is the Bible, but later refused to share his favorite verse.  “During the meeting, he talked about his Christian faith,” David Brody, CBN News chief political correspondent, wrote. “At one point he admitted that he may not have read the Bible as much as the pastors in the room. As the conversation continued, a few of the ministers implored Trump to tone down some of his harsh rhetoric. “As for additional subject matter, Trump told the religious leaders and pastors that he will be a strong supporter of Israel and that defeating ISIS would be a strong part of his agenda,” Brody continued. “He also discussed trade, balancing the budget, eliminating the deficit and tax reform.” Will Pentecostals back Trump? Should we? Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan’s Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer’s Periscope handle is @propheticbooks. For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40! NEW – Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness. LEARN MORE! Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email. Did you like this article? You’ll enjoy Jennifer LeClaire’s book, Mornings With the Holy Spirit: Listening Daily to the Still Small Voice of God

Source: EXCLUSIVE: Kenneth Copeland Lays Hands and Prays Over Donald Trump — Charisma News