Voter Fraud

As you may recall, President Trump has promised to aggressively investigate voter fraud. Vice President Mike Pence is leading the president's Commission on Election Integrity. The commission appears to be taking a serious look at New Hampshire's voting practices.

New Hampshire is among 15 states that allows individuals to register on Election Day. This convenience, known as "same-day voter registration," is a popular demand of the left. And the potential for fraud is obvious -- there is no time to check the status of these potential voters.

According to various reports, more than 6,500 people in New Hampshire using out-of-state driver's licenses as ID registered to vote last year on Election Day, claiming they had just moved in and didn't have time to get a new license. Fair enough. New Hampshire gives new residents 60 days to get their license.

But state records show that as of August 30th, just over 1,000 of those 6,500 same-day registrants had gotten New Hampshire driver's licenses. Either a lot of people are driving around on invalid licenses or more than 5,500 out-of-state residents illegally cast ballots in New Hampshire.

One possible explanation is that these individuals are out-of-state college students. But that is what absentee voting is for. And how do we know they didn't vote twice -- once by absentee in their home state and again in New Hampshire?

Here's why this matters: Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire by just 2,736 votes. Maggie Hassan (D) defeated then-Senator Kelly Ayotte (R) by just 1,017 votes. As our friends at Breitbart noted, Sen. Ayotte's vote could have made the difference on repealing Obamacare.

Good News

The Trump Justice Department filed an amicus brief yesterday in support of Jack Phillips. Mr. Phillips is a Christian baker who was punished by the state of Colorado because he declined to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. His case is likely to be the most important religious liberty case argued during the Supreme Court's next term, which begins in October.

In 2014, Colorado ordered Phillips and his staff to make cakes for gay weddings, to submit to sensitivity training and to file quarterly reports stating whether he had refused any other business. As a result, Phillips stopped making wedding cakes entirely, costing his business at least $100,000 a year.

This is where the so-called "progressive" and "tolerant" left has led America -- a nation founded on the idea that our liberty comes from God. It is not enough for the left to "live and let live." Men and women of faith are being forced into the closet. Their businesses are being destroyed and their livelihoods threatened.

Thankfully, the Trump Administration is fighting back. As Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam explained:
 

"The Department filed an amicus brief in this case today because the First Amendment protects the right of free expression for all Americans. Although public-accommodations laws serve important purposes, they -- like other laws -- must yield to the individual freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees."

In addition, 86 members of Congress signed another amicus brief supporting Mr. Phillips.

On an unrelated note, here's some more good news: New York's highest court ruled against assisted suicide. In a unanimous decision, the court declared:
 

"We reject plaintiffs' argument that an individual has a fundamental constitutional right to aid-in-dying as they define it. . . We also reject plaintiffs' assertion that the State's prohibition on assisted suicide is not rationally related to legitimate state interests. . . The State also has a significant interest in preserving life and preventing suicide, a serious public health problem."

Faith Under Fire

Earlier this week, I told you that liberal senators were abusing Senate traditions in order to prevent the confirmation of President Trump's judicial nominees. Unfortunately, they are also smearing his nominees with disgusting attacks on their faith.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) berated Notre Dame Law School Professor Amy Coney Barrett, saying, "When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern. . ."

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) asked Professor Barrett, "Do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?" Barrett, who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, answered by saying that she was a faithful Catholic.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) questioned Barrett's judgment for speaking to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal defense organization. Citing claims by the discredited Southern Poverty Law Center, Franken slandered ADF as a "hate group," and by extension accused Professor Barrett of being a bigot.

Once again, the left is demonstrating its disdain for men and women of faith. Not to mention its ignorance of the Constitution, which specifically prohibits a "religious test" for public office.

New Threats

As the U.S.-led coalition racks up big gains against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic supremacists are getting desperate. And like cornered animals, they are lashing out. Intelligence agencies are warning that ISIS has ordered new attacks against Western targets in order to boost the morale of their fighters.
 

• French police discovered a "bomb factory" in a Paris apartment Wednesday.
   
• Spanish and Moroccan authorities busted another jihadist cell involving six individuals plotting "large-scale attacks."
   
• Other reports say ISIS is plotting to poison food in grocery stores and even attack relief shelters in Houston.

  And, of course, Monday marks the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

  "Because of Gracia"

  I am pleased to tell you about a new film -- "Because of Gracia" -- which comes out on September 15th across the nation. In the film, actor Chris Massoglia plays a young Christian man who is hesitant to stand up for his faith in high school. But through the encouragement of Gracia, he finds his courage and helps a young pregnant classmate struggling with the decision of whether to abort her unborn child.

  This is just the kind of movie that we've hoped Hollywood would make and now we have it. Let's get behind this film and "vote" with our feet when it arrives in theaters on September 15th, so that more movies like this one, starring Christian actors like Chris Massoglia, get made.

  You can watch a trailer and find theater listings at BecauseofGracia.com.