The Democrat controlled Senate has decided to drop the assault weapons ban in the gun control bill. The leader of the Senate, Harry Reid, dropped the ban from the bill on Tuesday. Californian Senator Dem. Diane Feinstein, who sponsored the measure, said she is “disappointed” that the ban was dropped from the bill, but has said she will offer the ban as an amendment.
Barak Obama has been re-elected President for a second term. Mitt Romney conceded shortly after learning the key swing state of Ohio went to the President. Florida and Alaska are still to declare.
The Presidential elections have coincided with elections for a number of seats in the House and the Senate. This has seen the GOP, (Grand Old Party) retain control of the House: with 221 for the Republicans and 164 for the Democrats, so far. The Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate: with 51 seats over the Republicans 44. It is feared that the gridlock in Congress could continue after the election.
A number of States were also voting on far reaching issues such as gay-marriage, Obamacare, the legalisation of marijuana, and the use of condoms in the porn industry. So far Maine has voted to legalise same-sex marriage: the first state to do so after a popular vote on the issue.
U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns along with 41 other senators has filed an amicus brief in a challenge to challenge constitutionality of President Obama’s “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in January. Republicans argue that the Senate was still in session, not in recess, making the Presidents appointments illegal.
Obama made the appointments whilst Senators were still on their Christmas and New Year break, and the Senate was operating on a pro forma basis. Obama therefore decided the Senate was on recess.
If the appeals court sides with the Republicans it could invalidate a host of decisions already passed by the National Labor Relations Board.
Iran have sent a chilling message to Israel warning them not to strike, or they will destroy Israel. The chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Gaurd, General Mohamed Ali Jafari, has publically acknowledged for the first time that war with Israel is highly likely but warned that a was would see the nation of Israel destroyed. General Jafari said at a military exhibition in Tehran, “The shameful and cancerous tumour that is Israel is seeking war against us, but it is not known when that war will happen. They now consider war as the only way to confront us, but they are so stupid that their (US) masters should stop them,”
“If they begin, it will spell their destruction and will be the end of the story, even if they act rationally, this incident will happen,” he added, noting that the Islamic revolution is “moving rapidly towards its goals and they (Israel) cannot tolerate this.”
Jalfari also warned that any military action between the two countries would be “very different” to any previous conflicts.
Jalfari’s warnings came after the US Senate passed a measure endorsing their continued diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to halt it’s nuclear program. However, these measures do not go far enough for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli PM is continuing to push Washington to define its criteria for a US-led military strike against Iran.
Creflo Dollar, the televangelist whose show air’s on the TBN-Trinity Broadcast Network and the God.TV Network, has been arrested on assault charges.
Dollar, reportedly, assaulted his daughter for being “disrespectful”. Creflo Dollar’s 15 year old daughter had wanted to go to a party, but was not allowed because of poor school grades. Dollar has reportedly admitted spanking her, and then wrestling her to the floor after she began to hit him back. However, his daughter claims that her father punched her repeatedly and choked her for 5 seconds.
His daughter phoned the police, who found a scratch on her neck. She told police the scratch was as a result of her father choking her.
In a statement to the press Creflo Dollar has said, “As a father I love my children and I always have their best interest at heart at all times, and I would never use my hand to ever cause bodily harm to my children. The facts in this case will be handled privately to further protect my children. My family thanks you for your prayers and continued support.”
This comes after other unwelcome press coverage of his ministry. Creflo Dollar, founder of World Changers Ministries, was allegedly the favourite preacher of Rudy Eugene. Eugene was shot dead by police, who found him naked, eating the face off a homeless man in Miami.
Creflo Dollar, along with Bishop Eddie Long, is one of America’s leading African-American preachers. He has built a ministry around preaching prosperity. His ministry along with Bishop Eddie Long’s, was one of six others investigated by Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley from 2007 to 2010. The investigation was conducted into the financial activities of the ministries. The investigation found no evidence of wrong doing.