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WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence told pro-life activists at the Susan B. Anthony Lists Campaign for Life Gala on Wednesday that Congress will vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, on Thursday.

Tomorrow, we begin the end of Obamacare, he said.

House Republicans have announced that they will vote on their Obamacare replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, on Thursday.

When they vote to repeal and replace Obamacare we will finally defund Planned Parenthood, he said to applause.

Pence said that he believes the bill will usher in a new era for health care in America and be one of the Trump administrations defining victories for life.

He told activists that he brought greetings from President Donald Trump, whom he called a champion of life.

There is a president in the Oval Office who is fighting every day, I promise you, he said, fighting every single day, to restore the sanctity of life in American law.

He praised the organization for carrying on the pro-life feminism of its namesake, and fighting for the rights of women born and unborn that will and are and ever will be their birthright.

Pence argued that personnel is policy and Trump selected staff who are pro-life leaders, touting the recent announcement that Dr. Charmaine Yoest, the former president and CEO of Americans United for Life, will serve as assistant secretary of public affairs at HHS.

For the first time in a long time, Pence said, a presidential administration is full of people who stand without apology for life.

Pence argued that Trump kept his promise to appoint a pro-life justice to the court in Justice Neil Gorsuch.

As a candidate, Trump vowed to pro-life leaders on his campaigns Pro-Life Coalition which was spearheaded by Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser that he would nominate pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, sign the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act into law, reallocate federal funds granted to Planned Parenthood to community health centers, and to make the Hyde Amendment permanent law.

Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to President Donald Trump, spoke at the gala beforePence. She vowed that the administration is just getting started on implementing pro-life policy.

The rest is here:
Mike Pence: Republicans are ready to immediately 'begin the end of Obamacare' - TheBlaze.com

Photo: Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla

When considering vice president Mike Pence, one might be inclined to recall that time he voted against recognizing Pi Day, or his alleged tendency to refer to his wife as mother. In his latest ascension within the Trump administration, Pencewho is ostensibly a creationistwill be given the responsibility of leading a science and technology-oriented committee.

The initiative Pence will be helming is the National Space Council (NSC), which was originally founded under president Eisenhower in 1958 as a centralized coordinating authority to direct policy for agencies that deal with space, such as NASA, the Department of Defense, and the National Reconnaissance Office. Since then, the committee has been killed and resurrected a few times, most recently in 1989 for four years during the George H. W. Bush administration. In the 90s, president Clinton decided to deactivate the organization, as it wasnt doing anything particularly valuable. But no obvious warning signs will stop President Trumpat some point very soon, SpaceNews reports that hes expected to issue an executive order to reinstate the committee.

The recommendation coming out of the Trump campaign to create the National Space Council is going to happen, former space policy advisor Robert Walker, who once called NASAs earth sciences division politicized science, said at a symposium for Ultra Low-Cost Access to Space in Washington, D.C. Its a way of ensuring that the nations resources are all directed towards national goals.

So far, the Trump administration has appeared quite interested in space, if not in training the next generation of rocket scientists. Recently, it was announced that the federal government will give NASA $19.65 billion for the fiscal year 2017, which is about $600 million dollars more than the agency originally requested. Reviving the NSC could be the administrations way of showing that it wants to make sure all this money is being used effectivelyand with Mike Pence overseeing it, what could go wrong?

To be fair to Pence, having the vice president oversee the NSC is tradition. This is part of a historical artifact, John Logsdon, founder of The Space Policy Institute, told Gizmodo.In 1961, President Kennedy was looking to give Lyndon Johnson something to do as his vice president. When [Johnson] was in the senate in 1958, he had been the person most influential in creating the council, so Kennedy was advisedand agreedthat running the space council would be a good thing for Lyndon to do. Its been a vice presidential role ever since.

But according to Logsdon, whos written an incredibly comprehensive analysis of the NSCs history, reactivating the committee might not be the most effective way to coordinate US space activities. This is because, for one thing, the NSC was never really that influential of an organization.

Frankly, its never been very important, Logsdon explained. Its been used on a few occasions. It was used to put together the recommendations to President Kennedy to go the Moon.

Aside from a few blips on the relevancy radar, the NSC hasnt done much to make space great again...or ever. Some, like former NASA administrator James Webb, resented the extra buffer between his agency at the White House during the Kennedy administration. So, one has to ask, will reviving a historically insignificant organization be a spectacular waste?

Thats controversial, Logsdon said. I think theres a clear need for coordination of the national space effort at the level at the top of the government. Whether this is the best way to do it is arguable.

To be fair, some experts think that a revived NSC could act as a liaison between Congress and the White House to resolve funding disputes.Theres a lot of congressional guidance on the programs they fund, and they dont always align with the administrations viewpoints, James Reuter, deputy associate administrator for programs in NASAs space technology mission directorate, said at the Ultra Low-Cost Access to Space symposium. Perhaps a space council could help us. Others at the symposium expressed hope that the NSC would foster more government cooperation with the commercial space industry.

According to Logsdon, the NSC is made up of the vice president, the head of NASA, a senior official from the Department of Defense, and another official from the Department of Transportation of commerce, among other high-ranking officials. But the real work is done by its staff, he explained. So one of the key issues if this proposal emerges, is how many staff positions will the executive secretary have to do this coordinating job? Since its unclear how much the NSC will be able to staff upor how influential itll beLogsdon suggests that having an adequately staffed National Security Council would be a better use of time and resources.

In any case, the executive order to revive the NSC is expected to come down any day. We can only hope Mike Pence is prepared for the enormous burden of nothingness headed his way.

See the article here:
What the Hell Is This Space Council Mike Pence Is Going to Lead? - Gizmodo

The Boxers beat New Bedford on Thursday to wrap up the Big 3 crown.

The Brockton High boys volleyball team clinched the Big 3 championship Thursday with a 3-0 home win over New Bedford by scores of 25-22, 25-17, 25-13.

Ivan Guzman had eight kills for the Boxers (9-3, 3-0), Joseph Mercado added six, and Jason Amirault had 14 assists and five aces.

In other high school action:

SOFTBALL

Pembroke 8, Brockton 4: Freshman Ashley Burke pitched seven innings for the Boxers, striking out six and walking none. At the plate, she finished 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Also contributing for Brockton (1-7): junior Daija Montiro (two hits, including a double); freshman Annelyse Rivera (double, single, RBI); senior Jessica Picanzo (hit); and sophomore Bryanna McDonald (hit, RBI).

Abington 10, East-Bridgewater 0: Sophomore Jordyn Needle pitched a complete-game shutout with seven strikeouts as the Green Wave (11-0, 4-0) won at home. Sophomore Lauren Nelligan (3 for 3, two RBI), junior Caitlin Murphy (3 for 3, three RBI), freshman Corin Mahan (2 for 3), and junior Tori Young (2 for 3) produced offensively in the win.

Silver Lake 13, Whitman-Hanson 1: Emily Critch hit a two-run homer as part of a 10-run first inning, and Hannah Mitchell was 3 for 3 as the Lakers (12-0, 8-0) rolled to a Patriot League home win. Jill Richards scattered five hits while striking out eight.

For Whitman-Hanson (7-3, 5-2), Kelly Burke was 2 for 2 with an RBI, and Colleen Hughes had a double.

Rockland 7, Sacred Heart 1: In the non-league loss for the host Saints (7-4), Olivia DiBiase tripled and scored, Elena Murphy was strong defensively in right field, and Jillian Blake struck out 11, pushing her season total to 146.

Walpole 13, Oliver Ames 0: In the loss, OAs Lexie Campbell was 2 for 3, and teammates Victoria Ziner (double), Caroline Mahoney and Katie Mills also had hits.

Stoughton 13, Canton 4: Nikki Coppola (4 for 4, two triples, four runs) and Karly Estremera (4 for 4, double, run, two RBI) led the Black Knights. Gina Carafa collected three hits of her own with three RBI while pitching six innings with nine strikeouts. Shannon Flaherty added two hits and two RBI.

BASEBALL

Bridgewater-Raynham 8, Hingham 7: Colin Trahon had two hits and two RBI and struck out the side in the seventh inning to record the save for host B-R (6-5). Bobby Long (4-0) got the win, allowing six runs in six innings, and Carter Peterson had three hits, three runs and a steal. Chris Phieffer had two hits, including his third home run of the season (a two-run blast in the fourth), and drove in three runs.

Avon 3, Bristol-Aggie 0: Sophomore Joe Fischer went the distance in picking up win, striking out seven and allowing only three hits. Sophomore pinch-hitter Jack Torres had the game-winning hit in the fifth inning, and sophomore catcher Donovan Potemeri (hit) threw out two runners trying to steal. Collecting two hits each for Avon (5-4) were sophomore Christian Alcantara and seventh-grader Evan San Incencio, who also had an RBI and a stolen base.

Brockton 7, New Bedford 3: Junior Zack Sylvia pitched a complete game with 14 strikeouts as the Boxers (5-5, 2-1 Big 3) defeated the Whalers (3-8, 1-2) on the road. Senior Gavin Rocha and juniors Frank Aten, Ian Nadaeu, and Cole Sutherland all had multi-hit games in the win.

Rockland 9, Hull 0: Senior Mike McPeck threw a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts for the Bulldogs (4-6, 3-3 South Shore League). Chris McHugh and Gavyn White each had three hits for Rockland.

Mashpee 5, Middleboro 2: The Sachems (7-1) suffered their first loss of the year.

BOYS LACROSSE

South Shore Votech 14, Bishop Connolly 1: Sophomore midfielder Kyle Shiner (hat trick) led the Vikings, who had eight different players score. Junior goalie Tom Czarowicz made 10 saves.

Abington 12, Cardinal Spellman 4: The Green Wave beat the Cardinals in non-league action.

Cohasset 13, Bridgewater-Raynham 6: Jason Vickery scored twice for B-R (8-3) in the loss, and James Hanafin, Jack Sweeney, Ben Thorne, and Cooper Daniels added goals.

Hull 12, Rockland 7: Junior Christian Olivieri scored seven goals to lead the Pirates (4-5) to a home win.

King Philip 10, Oliver Ames 4: OA got goals from juniors Eric LeBlanc and Owen Gallagher and sophomores Cullen Gallagher and Colin Bourne.

GIRLS LACROSSE

Whitman-Hanson 13, Quincy 1: Ali Joanis had four goals and an assist, and Katie Molito and Riley Bina each scored her first varsity goal to lead the Panthers (5-8, 3-4) to a Patriot League win. Also starring: Mel McAleer (two goals, four assists), Taylor McVeigh (two goals, two assists), Riley MacDonald (goal) and Jess Nihan (goal).

Abington 11, Mashpee 10 (OT): Marina Brennans second goal of the game, with 22 seconds left in OT, gave the Green Wave (8-2) the home win over the Falcons (7-3). Senior captain Maggie Cawley (six goals), Courtney McCabe (two goals) and Jessica Rix (13 saves) also starred.

Lowell Catholic 13, Cardinal Spellman 9: Jill Orosz (Bridgewater) scored five goals, and Maggie Dicenso (Bridgewater) added two, but the Cardinals (2-7) lost on the road. Goalie Lily Stevens (Kingston) made 16 saves for Spellman, which trailed 9-2 at the half.

GIRLS TENNIS

Plymouth South 4, Bridgewater-Raynham 1: South (7-2) swept the singles matches in straight sets and picked up a point at second doubles in the non-league match.

For B-R (5-6), the No. 1 doubles team of senior Hannah Gallagher and freshman Allison Carter rallied for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Abington 3, East Bridgewater 2: Freshman Ailey Riddick won the decisive match at No. 3 singles for the host Green Wave. Abingtons other wins came at No. 2 singles (senior Lindsey Collins) and No. 2 doubles (freshmen Manda Riddick and Kerriann Danahay).

Brockton 3, Fontbonne Academy 2: Sophomore Kayla Murphy won first singles, 7-6, 6-4, sophomore Leila DePina won second singles, 6-1, 6-2, and sophomore Angely Erazo won third singles, 6-1, 6-2, as the Boxers (2-5) defeated the Ducks (3-3) on the road.

GIRLS TRACK

West Bridgewater sweeps: Emma Bedard won the triple jump, 400-meter hurdles, 400m and 4x400m relay as WB (6-0) posted wins over Diman (120-16) and Tri-County (87-44). Megan Weatherbee won the shot put against both teams and placed third in the discus against Diman. The Wildcats also got contributions from Abbie Boucher (shot put, discus, 200m), Natalia Goodine (triple jump, 100m hurdles), Maggie Allen and Olivia Sarantopoulos.

East Bridgewater 96, Middleboro 32: Bridget Joyce won the 200m, high jump and long jump and ran on the winning 4x100m relay for host EB (3-1). Peri Snow won the 400m and triple jump and ran on the winning 4x400m relay.

BOYS TRACK

East Bridgewater 99, Middleboro 37: Senior Dan Lovell broke his school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.4 seconds as the Vikings posted their 65th consecutive dual-meet victory. Lovell also won the 110m high hurdles (:15.3) and the triple jump (41-113/4).

Double-winners for East Bridgewater (4-0) in the South Shore League triumph at home were senior John Immar (shot put 41-6; discus 108-7), and senior Evan Ross (mile 4:59; 2-mile). Also finishing first for EB was junior Jordan Dauphin in the long jump (20-81/2); he also took second in the triple jump. Senior teammates Mike McBirney won the 400m (:51.9) and David Trask captured the 800m (2:14).

West Bridgewater swept: Anthony Spooner won the mile and was second in the 800m, but WB (1-5) lost to Diman (112-24) and Tri-County (89-47). Jackson Roberts won the javelin and was second in the shot put, and Matt Dombrowski won the long jump and was second in both the triple jump and 100m.

Norwell 120, Abington 16: Abingtons Cole McMahon won the shot put and discus.

FOOTBALL

Owen to coach again: Longtime Rockland coach Ken Owen has come out of retirement to take over the program at Upper Cape. Owen spent 29 seasons with the Bulldogs, winning 193 games.

Continue reading here:
H.S. ROUNDUP: Brockton volleyball wins league title - Enterprise News

The state of Indiana recently filed cases against the following people in Hancock County Circuit Court:

April 17

Dustin E. Mattson, possession of a narcotic drug, false informing.

April 19

Duston Hall, dealing in a narcotic drug manufacture/deliver/finance, possession of a narcotic drug, corrupt business influence, maintaining a common nuisance, dealing in marijuana, possession of marijuana.

Ramona Bellows, pointing a firearm at another.

April 20

Michael Bryan Jr., trafficking with an inmate, possession of a controlled substance, dealing in a schedule III controlled substance.

April 21

Samantha Cravens, unlawful possession of a syringe, theft, possession of paraphernalia.

The following civil actions were recently filed in Hancock County Circuit Court:

April 17

Federal National Mortgage Association v. State of Indiana Department of Revenue, United States of America IRS, James A. Spells Sr., et. al., mortgage foreclosure.

April 18

Greenfield Crossing Apartments by Flaherty & Collins Properties v. Colin Forest/April Forest, civil collection.

Greenfield Crossing Apartments by Flaherty & Collins Properties v. Ronald Hill, civil collection.

Capital One Bank (USA) N.A. v. David Sperry, civil collection.

Greenfield Crossing Apartments by Flaherty & Collins Properties v. Janet Maxwell, Matthew Maxwell, Arianne Webilet, et. al., civil collection.

Thomas Sturgill v. Specialty Retailers Inc., c/o National Corporate Research LTD, civil tort.

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee for residential v. Jordan P.A. Slattery, Jennifer L. Slattery, Fifth Third Bank (Western Michigan), mortgage foreclosure.

April 19

William A. Ostermyer v. Jason Hensel, civil collection, eviction.

Equity Property Management v. Chasity Spears, civil collection.

Equity Property Management v. Tasha Braswell, civil collection.

April 21

Capital One Bank (USA) N.A. v. Wanda Summers, civil collection.

Read more:
Circuit Court May 3 - Greenfield Daily Reporter

But the President joked Thursday during a White House ceremony that the sisters have something he deeply desires: smart attorneys.

"Do you mind if I use your lawyers?" Trump said with a grin, as a nun in a gray habit laughed. "I could use some good lawyers, too."

The Little Sisters are represented by the Becket Fund, a nonprofit firm that focuses on religious liberty, who helped the nuns gain a key exemption from the Affordable Care Act.

That case -- and religious freedom writ large -- is what brought together the nuns, the President, and a few dozen religious leaders in the Rose Garden on Thursday. The stated purpose was Trump's signing of an executive order, which he said would prevent the federal government from "bullying and even punishing Americans for following their religious beliefs."

Both liberals and conservative agree, however, that Trump's order accomplishes less than advertised. Robert George, a Princeton University professor and leading expert on religious liberty, called the executive order "meaningless" and "a betrayal."

Still, this President makes news in bunches, not bites, and Thursday was no exception.

In addition to signing the executive order, Trump announced he would travel later this month to the Vatican, setting up his first face-to-face meeting with Pope Francis. He also said he will visit Saudi Arabia, a source of extremist Islamic ideology, where the President said he would "begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation" to combat terrorism.

The trip will pose a series of diplomatic challenges for Trump, for whom the world of faith remains unfamiliar turf. Among the religious leaders in the Rose Garden on Thursday, Trump seemed to enjoy himself -- he joked that he prefers their company to Congress -- but it was a bit like watching a tourist stumble into the Sistine Chapel.

Trump referred to two of the country's most powerful Catholics as "my cardinals." He mused that he'd be "out enjoying my life" instead of helping evangelicals if he had lost the election. And he accused HUD Secretary Ben Carson of flouting a law that only applies to the head of non-profit organizations, which Trump should have known is not possible, since it was the focus of the executive order he signed just a few minutes later.

For weeks, rumors had swirled that the Trump administration was considering a sweeping executive order that would grant religious believers, schools and corporations extensive exemptions to federal laws they disagree with, from LGBT protections to reproductive rights.

The 3-page executive order Trump signed on Thursday wasn't that -- not even close, leaving many conservative Christians looking like the boy who wanted a BB gun for Christmas and instead got a pair of socks.

The Heritage Fund's Ryan Anderson, a proponent of strong legal protections for religious liberty, called the executive order "woefully inadequate."

The ACLU, with whom social conservatives rarely agree, agreed, saying the executive order wasn't even worth a lawsuit.

The order's most controversial section directs the federal government not to take adverse action against any "individual, house or worship or other religious organization" that speaks about political issues from a moral perspective.

Why is that important? Since 1954, when Congress passed the Johnson Amendment, religious groups and other nonprofits have been prohibited from participating "directly or indirectly" in political campaigns at risk of losing their tax exemptions.

"Under this rule, if a pastor, priest or imam speaks about issues of public or political importance, they are threatened with the loss of their tax exempt status -- a crippling financial punishment," Trump said on Thursday. "Very, very unfair. But no longer."

Trump had promised to "destroy" the Johnson Amendment after several of his key evangelical advisers, such as Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., told him it threatens their free speech.

Several evangelical groups, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, which organizes the "Pulpit Freedom" protests, said Trump's religious freedom promises remain unfulfilled.

"Though we appreciate the spirit of today's gesture," said Michael Farris, the group's CEO, "vague instructions to federal agencies simply leaves them wiggle room to ignore that gesture."

The US Catholic Bishops, in their statement on Thursday, didn't even mention the Johnson Amendment.

Instead, the bishops focused on brief language in Trump's order promising regulatory relief for groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor, which want exemptions from the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate.

They called the executive order a good beginning.

You know it's a busy news day -- the House also voted to repeal and replace Obamacare -- when an announcement that two of the most powerful people on the planet would soon meet gets barely a blip of attention.

The President said Thursday that he will finally meet Pope Francis later this month, part of a trip that will also take him to the homeland of two of the three Abrahamic faiths: Israel and Saudi Arabia. (The Vatican visit will give Trump an Abrahamic Trifecta.)

The Vatican later confirmed the meeting between the Pope and President, saying it is scheduled for May 24 at the Apostolic Palace.

Trump's aim on the trip is to reach out across religions and countries to combat extremism, senior administration officials told CNN. But it's unclear how he will be received in at least two of his stops.

Both sides backed down. A Vatican spokesman said the Pope wasn't talking in particular about Trump. Trump said, "I don't like fighting with the Pope. I like his personality; I like what he represents."

Likewise, Trump's denigration of Islam and his travel ban on six Muslim-majority nations would seem to make him persona non grata in Saudi Arabia, though the country was not included on the list.

In his announcement on Thursday, Trump said he hopes, while in Saudi Arabia, "to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence."

By Thursday, Trump's tone had changed. He praised Saudi Arabia's role as the custodian of Islam's two holiest sites, in Mecca and Medina, adding another odd detail to an already bizarre day.

More here:
Donald Trump's big, bizarre religious day - CNN