Deadly Storms Kill 14, Congress Avoids Shutdown, Trump Holds 100-Day Rally and More | Monday Briefing

Photo credit: USA Today/Twitter
Photo credit: USA Today/Twitter
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1. Congress Reaches Deal to Avoid Shutdown

Congress avoided a government shutdown over the weekend, reaching a $1 trillion budget agreement late Sunday. While the proposed deal would increase spending for border security, it does not specifically include funding for President Donald Trump’s southern border wall (that’s OK, because people like Sen. Ted Cruz [R-Texas] have proposed alternative fundraising methods). Though they have until Friday to vote, members are expected to approve the package early this week, The Washington Post reported.

2. Trump’s Attends 100-Day Rally En Lieu of White House Correspondents Dinner

On Saturday evening, President Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania to commemorate his 100th day in office. The timing of the rally overlapped with the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an event typically attended by the current president. Noting this, Trump explained to the Harrisburg crowd his decision to skip the elite gathering.

“I could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles away from Washington’s swamp, spending my evening with all of you and with a much, much larger crowd and much better people, right?” the president began.

Trump’s speech addressed a wide range of issues his administration has begun tackling since he first took office, including trade, healthcare, terrorism, and immigration. The president’s triumphant remarks garnered multiple standing ovations from the crowd, but the mainstream media were far more critical.

3. 14 Dead After Devastating Storms Hit the Midwest, South

Over the weekend, several states in the Midwest and the South were hit with severe thunderstorms, wind, hail, and tornadoes, the Associated Press reported. The extreme weather proved deadly, killing at least 14 people in Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas.

But one incredible story resulted from what was for many a weekend of tragedy. Faithwire’s Billy Hallowell reports that 45 people taking shelter in St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Emory, Texas, witnessed a miracle Saturday as a tornado destroyed the church building but injured not a single person.

4. 15,000 Attend Mass Celebrated by Pope Francis in Egypt

Pope Francis visited Egypt over the weekend to spread a message of peace in the wake of a series of religious attacks on the country’s Christians. On Saturday, an estimated 15,000 individuals attended a mass held by the Holy Father. The remarkable crowd gained international news coverage.

5. ICYMI: Environmentalists Flay New York Times Columnist for Piece on Climate Change

On Friday, newly hired New York Times Columnist Bret Stephens became a target of outrage for a piece he wrote suggesting that the climate change debate demands more nuance than many have acknowledged. The former Wall Street Journal columnist specifically criticized claims that man-made climate change is “settled science.”

“Claiming total certainty about the science traduces the spirit of science and creates openings for doubt whenever a climate claim proves wrong,” Stephens writes.

That didn’t go over well with the mostly liberal New York Times readership:

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