Child Vaccine Mandate, Minimum Wage Hikes and More Taking Effect in New Year

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New sex ed and child vaccine mandates, higher minimum wages and relaxed pot penalties are among the new state and local laws sweeping into effect next week when the new year arrives.

Even pets will be affected, at least in Illinois, where a new law will make it a Class A misdemeanor to leave dogs and cats exposed to harsh weather conditions, leading to a hefty fine and up to a year in jail if convicted.

The most immediate and noticeable changes on Jan. 1 will be in wages. Some 12 states alone are expected to increase their minimum wages — including California and Massachusetts, which are going up to $10 an hour. The District of Columbia was the first to exceed the $10 minimum, but several states have incremental plans to raise their wages even further by 2018.

Bill Scher, an activist and analyst for the Campaign for America’s Future, noted that despite unsuccessful attempts to raise the wage at the federal level, many states have acted. He claimed 2 million jobs have been created since the start of this year due to wage increases.

“With more proof that gradual wage increases won’t shock the economy, more states are going to follow suit,” he told FoxNews.com. (Read more from “Child Vaccine Mandate, Minimum Wage Hikes and More Taking Effect in New Year” HERE)

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Suspected Arson at Bill Clinton’s Birthplace

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Arson is suspected in a blaze that damaged the birthplace of Bill Clinton early Christmas morning, reports CBS Shreveport, Louisiana affiliate KSLA-TV . . .

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the fire was quickly extinguished and only one room was damaged by flames, although there were also signs of smoke and water damage . . .

Among the evidence, according to Wilson, is graffiti on the sidewalk leading up to a door, as well as on the door itself. Wilson said this is near where the fire appears to have initially been set, and that there was “a strong odor of accelerant.”

When firefighters first arrived, Glanton says the back wall on the east side of the home was on fire, spreading up through the walls and up to the second floor of the house. They were able to douse the flames in a matter of minutes . . .

Other buildings on the property, including the National Park headquarters and gift shop, weren’t involved. (Read more from “Suspected Arson at Bill Clinton’s Birthplace” HERE)

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Welby: Christians Face Middle East Elimination

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Christianity is facing “elimination” in the Middle East at the hands of an Islamic State “apocalypse”, the Archbishop of Cantebury has warned.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby used his Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral to say IS is “igniting a trail of fear, violence, hatred and determined oppression”.

He branded the Islamist extremists as “a Herod of today” – a reference to the Biblical despotic king of Judea at the time of Jesus’s birth.

“Confident that these are the last days, using force and indescribable cruelty, they (IS) seem to welcome all opposition, certain that the warfare unleashed confirms that these are indeed the end times,” he said.

“They hate difference, whether it is Muslims who think differently, Yazidis or Christians, and because of them the Christians face elimination in the very region in which Christian faith began. (Read more from “Welby: Christians Face Middle East Elimination” HERE)

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Bristol Palin Announces Birth of Second Child

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Bristol Palin is a mother for the second time.

Palin, who launched an abstinence campaign after giving birth as an unwed teenage mother, posted on Instagram Thursday that she gave birth to a girl, Sailor Grace, on Wednesday . . .

Palin announced her second pregnancy on her blog in June. She has not publicly identified the father of that child, but announced she was pregnant shortly after her engagement to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer was broken off last spring. (Read more from “Bristol Palin Announces Birth of Second Child” HERE)

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Switzerland to Vote on Banning Banks from Creating Money

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Switzerland will hold a referendum to decide whether to ban commercial banks from creating money.

The Swiss federal government confirmed on Thursday that it would hold the plebiscite, after more than 110,000 people signed a petition calling for the central bank to be given sole power to create money in the financial system.

The campaign – led by the Swiss Sovereign Money movement and known as the Vollgeld initiative – is designed to limit financial speculation by requiring private banks to hold 100pc reserves against their deposits.

“Banks won’t be able to create money for themselves any more, they’ll only be able to lend money that they have from savers or other banks,” said the campaign group . . .

If successful, the sovereign money bill would give the Swiss National Bank a monopoly on physical and electronic money creation, “while the decision concerning how new money is introduced into the economy would reside with the government,” says Vollgeld. (Read more from “Switzerland to Vote on Banning Banks from Creating Money” HERE)

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Monkey STEALS Bus in India

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One of the most bizarre traffic accidents of the year has taken place in northern India, where a monkey stole and crashed a bus.

The monkey managed to start the engine of the bus while the driver was taking a nap – and even got it moving.

The bus hit two other vehicles parked in the garage in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh state, before the driver was able to regain control.

The chicle had been parked at the local bus station between routes, and the conductor had stepped off for a break.

The driver, seizing an opportunity for a nap, and stretched out in the back, leaving the keys in the ignition. (Read more from “Monkey STEALS Bus in India” HERE)

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George W. Bush Never Left D.C. Until the Day After Christmas, the Reason Why Is Incredible

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It’s hard not to compare presidents and the habits that each one brought with them to the White House. Both men served during a time of war on terror, and both George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama served two terms in office. When it came to Christmas, how the two U.S. presidents spent their Christmas holiday was completely different.

Western Journalism recently reported that the Obama’s travel to Hawaii just before Christmas and have done so since before Obama was elected as president. The cost associated with traveling to Hawaii is phenomenal, especially when one considers the human costs involved. The president’s family, staff, security detail, photographer, and Air Force One crew accompany the trip, most of whom must be housed, fed, and transported to and from airports, golf courses, and restaurants. Judicial Watch attempts to keep records of the Christmas in Hawaii costs and their reports can be read by clicking here.

Bush also celebrated Christmas away from Washington, but one interesting practice differentiated the two presidents in their Christmas-time habits. President Bush spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Camp David and would only leave Washington the day after Christmas. The reason why some may find surprising. In an article titled, “At Christmastime, George W. Bush was Santa, Obama is Scrooge,” Washington Times reporter Joseph Curl explained the reason behind it. Every year, President Bush gifted his entourage the ability for all of them, everyone associated with the president, to be with their families in Washington for Christmas.

(Read more from “George W. Bush Never Left D.C. Until the Day After Christmas, the Reason Why Is Incredible” HERE)

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Trump: ‘We Are Going to Start Saying Merry Christmas Again… That’s the Way It Should Be’ [+video]

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Real estate mogul and best-selling author Donald Trump, echoing remarks he made in September about the importance of saying “Merry Christmas,” told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins that when you go to stores today, you rarely see the word “Christmas,” but that this is going to change – “we are going to start saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again.”

During a Dec. 19 interview on Perkins’ radio show, Washington Watch, Trump said, “Well, Tony, I can, tell you this, that religious liberty is very important to me, and I see more and more, especially, in particular, Christianity, Christians, their power is being taken away.”

“I just watch it and I get angry at it,” said Trump. “You look at what is going on with other religions, you look at, as an example, what’s happening with respect to Muslims and others, where perhaps they just band together better or something. But, you know, the Christian, every year, you just see it more and more.”

“You know, you go from one thing to the next to the point where it’s not politically correct to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to anybody, or you go to stores and you don’t ever see the word ‘Christmas’ anymore,” said Trump. “You don’t see that term anymore, Tony.” (Read more from “Trump: ‘We Are Going to Start Saying Merry Christmas Again… That’s the Way It Should Be'” HERE)

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Christmas 1982: Ronald Reagan Reads Life of Christ to Children at White House [+video]

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In the inaugural broadcast of NBC’s “Christmas in Washington,” part of the program included then-President Ronald Reagan reading A Solitary Life, a parable of the life of Jesus Christ, to children gathered at the White House.

After nearly 2,000 years, Jesus today is “the centerpiece of much of the human race,” says President Reagan. All the armies, govrnments, and powers of this world have not affected the world in any way as powerfully as this “one solitary life,” he explains.

(Read more from “Christmas 1982: Ronald Reagan Reads Life of Christ to Children at White House” HERE)

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Christmas Comes Early for Iranian Pastor Jailed for ‘Actions Against National Security’

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Iranian Christian pastor Farshid Fathi, imprisoned for his faith five years ago, was released from prison on Monday, two years before the end of a seven-year sentence.

Fathi has been incarcerated in Iran’s notorious Evin prison since December 26, 2010, according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The regime reportedly argued that his Christian activities were equivalent to “actions against national security.” He was separated from his wife Leila and two children, Rosana and Bardia.

Fathi’s initial six-year prison sentence was extended to seven years according to World Watch Monitor. He was due to be released in Dec. 2017 but learned from prison officials last July that he would be released this year.

Elam, an Iranian church working to secure Farshid’s release, said it was “overjoyed and celebrating” the news.

“We are deeply grateful for your faithful prayers for Farshid while he has been in prison. We would like to request that you continue praying for Farshid today and in the coming weeks. Please pray especially for protection, his family and his adjustment to life outside prison,” Elam executive director David Yeghnazar said in a statement. (Read more from “Christmas Comes Early for Iranian Pastor Jailed for ‘Actions Against National Security'” HERE)

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