Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson dies at 89

Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, has passed away — he was 89 years old. Dobson was a pillar of the Evangelical community for decades and one of the best-known Christian broadcasters of all time. He was also an advisor to presidents, a best-selling author and a trained psychologist. Gary Bauer of the James Dobson Family Institute says “Dr. Dobson was a pioneer — a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture.”

Another fighter jet mishap on the USS Harry S. Truman

More trouble for the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. An F/A-18 fighter jet landing on the Truman in the Red Sea went overboard, forcing its two pilots to eject. They were later rescued by a helicopter and suffered minor injuries. The incident marks the latest mishap to mar the deployment of the Truman. Last month, another fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of the Truman. The F/A-18s cost about 60 million dollars apiece.

The Senate’s number two Democrat says this term will be his last.

In his fifth term representing Illinois in the US Senate, Dick Durbin has made the announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2026. Durbin’s statement will mark the culmination of more than four-decades career representing his home state… He is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and sits on the Appropriations and Agriculture committees. He has served Democratic whip since 2005. He joins Jeanne Shaheen, Tina Smith, and Gary Peters as Democrats who will not seek their seats in the upcoming mid-terms. Mitch McConnell is the lone Republican vacating his long-held seat. SOC

Americans remember the one U.S. visit by Pope Francis

In so doing he followed in the footsteps of his three predecessors… but It was Francis… the first-elected Pope from the Western Hemisphere… who became the first to address a joint session of the US Congress at the invitation of then-House Speaker, John Boehner. During that same trip, he addressed the UN General Assembly, as had Popes Benedict 16th, John Paul the 2nd, who did so twice, and Pope Paul VI. Also, like Pope Benedict, Pope Francis stopped at New York City’s Ground Zero Memorial and Museum to remember those who died during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Pope Francis has died.

The 88 year-old Pope had entered the hospital on February 14 to receive treatment for pneumonia and a complex lung infection. In recent years, Francis had overcome numerous health problems, even though knee and sciatica ailments had restricted his movement during public appearances… often a wheel chair . Even so, he kept up an active global travel schedule, as recently as last December, to Corsica. Born in Buenos Aries, Argentina, he became Pope after a conclave’s election in March 2013, following the rare resignation of Pope Benedict that year on February 28.

In first post-presidency speech, Biden criticized Trump

On a day Democrats designated as “Social Security Day of Action”, former President Biden mischaracterized the Trump Administration’s exposure of fraud within the program. Prior to the speech, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed Democrat attacks.

American pastor in South Africa rescued from his kidnappers

Josh Sullivan –a 45-year-old American from Tennessee, was freed after three of his unidentified abductors were killed in a gun battle with officials. The whereabouts of the 4th is unknown. Sullivan has ministered at his Fellowship Baptist church since 2018 alongside his wife and two children. The missionary was kidnapped last Thursday. One police official says in a statement that it was miraculous that Sullivan escaped the rescue unharmed. The number of kidnappings in South Africa has risen by 264% over the past decade, but few involve ransoms.

Even with the tumult over tariff news last week, at least one poll indicates popularity for President Trump.

The results come from the Daily Mail, surveying over 1-thousand registered voters surveyed between March 31 & April 3, including the day after President Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement. The poll finds President Trump’s approval at 53% …up four points from the week prior. This figure includes a remarkable a 13 point jump in the age group 18-29, a 17 point increase among black voters… and … yes..even… a 6 percent increase in favorability among Democrats & Independents. As for the tariffs themselves, most are still are unsure, but along three different lines, there is an overall one-to-2 percent edge of approval over disapproval for President Trump’s moves.

Pentagon restores Jackie Robinson webpage after removing it

The Defense Department says it was a mistake to remove its webpage dedicated to Jackie Robinson yesterday (WED). Although the department is under a Trump Administration directive to delete DEI content…a Pentagon spokesman says it was beyond that guidance to remove the Jackie Robinson webpage, honoring the World War 2 veteran who broke baseball’s color barrier. The page has since been restored, including information about his legal encounters with segregation during Army service as a 2nd Lieutenant, an experience which influenced the Dodger’s legendary president Branch Rickey to select Robinson for his heroic journey to withstand racism in integrating the National pastime.

A partial government shutdown is looming at week’s end

House Speaker Mike Johnson is looking to schedule a vote tomorrow (TUE) on the 99-page bill, with a view to Democrats responsible for a potential partial government shutdown. He’ll again need total GOP support to thread the needle. Congress must act by Friday midnight. when the current continuing resolution expires. House Republicans unveiled a spending bill Saturday that would keep federal agencies funded through September 30th. Trump praised the bill, posting on his Truth Social platform that Republicans have to “remain UNITED — NO DISSENT —.”

Speaker Johnson at Americans for Prosperity

The House prepares to vote on a GOP budget bill….

VERBATIM:
A March 14th deadline looms when the current continuing resolution expires. House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to persuade all Republicans to approve a reconciliation bill for the current budget year.
Speaking at a Monday event sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, the Speaker articulated the principles which he hopes a conservative budget will achieve…
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More specifically, Mr Johnson says smaller government is the objective…
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In the course of his comments, Speaker Johnson did ask for prayer, saying the stakes are high, and the Republicans cannot absorb a nay vote.

NATO SECURITY-VANCE

Vice President JD Vance rebukes European leaders for squelching freedom of speech and conscience. Mr Vance is meeting today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks that many observers, particularly in Europe, hope will shed at least some light on President Trump’s initiatives to settle the war between Ukraine and Russia.

DOGE WEBSITE

You can now follow the progress of The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) online. In an effort to be totally transparent, DOGE has launched its official website, that lays out its most recent findings of bureaucratic waste. Users can access a live feed via the Homepage that connects to the department’s X account. The “Unconstitutionality Index” page shows that the number of agency rules created by “unelected bureaucrats” for each law passed by Congress. The number of federal regulations by agency is also broken down, with the Department of Agriculture coming in at first place with more than 21,000 sections of regulations, followed closely by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with more than 20,200.The new website also includes a link for those interested in working for DOGE. The website is doge.gov

GOODYEAR BLIMP ANNIVERSARY

At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event. Keith Peters reporting.

GULF MAP DISPUTE

Google applied the “Gulf of America” to its maps for US users, to comply with President Trump’s decision to re-name the Gulf of Mexico. Now, Mexico’s president is threatening to sue the company to have the name restored to..what was.. the name which had long been internationally recognized. Google may not remain the only target of Mexico’s displeasure. This week, Apple made the decision to apply “Gulf of America” to its maps in keeping with the Trump order, now officially recognized by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. SOC

Egg prices in the U.S. hit record high

Can you even afford one basket of eggs! The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set in January 2023. But in some places, a carton of eggs can cost $10 or more. And specialized varieties, such as organic and cage-free eggs, are even more costly. An ongoing bird flu outbreak that began in 2022 is blamed for the stunning rise in the price of eggs.

US aircraft carrier hits a merchant vessel in Mediterranean

A US aircraft carrier hits a merchant vessel in the Mediterranean near Egypt. In a terse news release on Thursday, the US Navy said it’s investigating the circumstances of the collision which occurred a day earlier while both ships were in motion. There were no injuries on either vessel. The carrier reported no damage to its propulsion systems, nor did it incur any flooding. The Truman… based in Norfolk, Virginia…deployed last September to the Middle East. It’s last port call was in Greece.

NASA works to bring two stranded astronauts home

NASA is working on a plan to bring back two astronauts who have been stranded at the International Space Station for more than eight months. In an update Wednesday, the agency said the goal is to start bringing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth as soon as March 12th. The date is several weeks earlier than the previously scheduled return time. The two have been stuck at the ISS since June when their Boeing Starliner spacecraft was deemed unsafe to return. SpaceX is expected to help with their return flight.

OHIO LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JIM TRESSEL

Ohio has a new lieutenant Governor. Completing the steps of transition in the state, Jim Tressel has been confirmed to take over the post. The Former Buckeyes head football coach succeeds Jon Husted, who was appointed last month to assume the U.S. Senate seat vacated by now-Vice President JD Vance. Tressel retired two years ago as president of Youngstown State University, a position for 9 years. He spent nearly a decade as head coach of Ohio State University’s football team, leading them to a national championship in 2002. SOC

TRUMP-INSPECTORS GENERAL

The Trump administration faces a new lawsuit. Eight of the recently fired government watchdogs have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to get their jobs back. Congress created the inspector general posts in 1978 against the backdrop of the Watergate scandals. Then-President Reagan had tested the law in his first year, when he fired 16 IG’s, some of whom he rehired following the uproar at that time. The departments participating this latest litigation are: Defense…Veterans Affairs… Health and Human Services… State….Education….. Agriculture…. and Labor… and the Small Business Administration. A Biden federal judicial appointment in DC has been assigned the case.

Trump wants to stop production of new pennies in cost-cutting move

President Trump orders the Treasury to end the production of new pennies in an effort to cut government spending.

US-ISRAEL

Israel’s Prime Minister specifically thanked President Trump for setting a strong tone when the two leaders met on Monday. He reiterated Israel’s position that Hamas cannot reconstitute on Gaza, and that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. House Speaker Mike Johnson also reaffirmed the US commitment to its Middle East ally.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Johnson spoke following a closed meeting on Capitol Hill on Friday.

US employers added 143,000 jobs in December

US employers added just 143,000 jobs last month, as the jobless rate slips to 4% to start the year. Economists had expected 170-thousand jobs to be added at companies, government agencies and nonprofits. The job market is significantly lower than the post-covid recovery period. The trend has been down from the record 7.2 million in 2021…to 4.5 million in 2022 then 3 million in 2023. The Labor Department also reports that employers are posting fewer jobs, down from a record 12.2 million in March 2022, to 7.6 million this past December.

One of our nation’s last surviving Tuskegee Airmen has died

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Harry Stewart Jr was born on the Fourth of July, 1924 and lived to age 100! He had served as one of the renowned combat pilots of the famed 332nd Fighter Group who were the nation’s first African American military pilots. Stewart earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for downing three German aircraft during a dogfight on April 1, 1945. He was also part of a team of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the U.S. Air Force Top Gun flying competition in 1949. He passed peacefully at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on Sunday. SOC