RELIGION HEADLINES MON 10-20

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(SRN NEWS)-

(  )  Clergymen and pro-family advocates are worried about how many Americans are embracing gambling — and the governor of Illinois is one of them.  Democrat J.B. Pritzker reported a gambling windfall of 1.4 million dollars on his federal tax return this week.  Pritzker, a billionaire who is being touted as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, told reporters in Chicago that he drew several winning hands in blackjack during a Las Vegas vacation.  The heir to the Hyatt hotel chain is also one of the most liberal governors in the nation, aggressively promoting abortion, transgenderism and the LGBT agenda.

(  )  Drugmaker EMD Serono will reduce the cost of a common fertility medication through a deal struck with the Trump administration.  The president is also unveiling new federal guidance that will encourage employers to offer fertility coverage.  The new guidance will allow companies to offer fertility benefits separate from major medical insurance plans, like they do with dental and vision plans.  President Trump says the Food and Drug Administration will also be working with EMD Serono to expedite approval of another one of its fertility drugs available in Europe.  Mr. Trump has vowed to promote childbearing in the U.S.

(  )  In Kerr County, Texas, which was devastated by flooding over the summer, churches are helping people get back on their feet.  First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville has given out 250,000 dollars that it received in private donations for repairing rooftops, replacing vehicles or covering rent, among other things.  It got an additional 560,000 from the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.  Church spokeswoman Bailey Havis says “These are our people and we want to get them to full recovery — which is many years down the road — but physical recovery as soon as possible.”  The flooding killed more than 130 people.

(  )  Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz is rallying fellow Evangelical Christians to urge Congress to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom.  Two separate Muslim terror groups have murdered tens-of-thousands of Christians in the country over the past decade.  Cruz, a Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wants Nigeria to be designated a country of particular concern as one with severe violations of religious freedom.  Designated countries include Pakistan, Afghanistan and China — all of whom face U.S. sanctions. The bill he introduced last month is awaiting action by the Senate.