January 1, Texas Church Shooter Kills 3

This Day in History | 1903

A fire breaks out at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, killing 600 people. 

Good Morning Middle Americans, 

It’s been a rough few days for attacks on religious folks in America. First a machete wielding man attacked a Hanukkah party in New York, then yesterday in Texas, a man with shotgun opened fired on congregants while they were taking communion.  Three people are dead, and one has to wonder if more wouldn’t be dead if not for the armed security the church had on hand. 

Also today, we have a couple of stories on Joe Biden, first he says he’d nominate former President Barack Obama to the Supreme Court, if he wins the presidential race in 2020.  Biden is also clearing up the comments he made about whether he’d comply with a Senate subpoena.

And it turns out depressed people are more likely to use cannabis than people who are not depressed.  

Finally we our #2 biggest story of the year and it’s impeachment, Russia and Ukraine.  Make sure you check back tomorrow for our biggest story of the year, and if you thought it was impeachment, we have a surprise for you. 

Read All About it!

• Fraser Dixon 

3 Dead After Shooting At Texas Church

(CNN) – A man shot and killed two people during a church service in White Settlement, Texas, on Sunday morning before two members of the church security team shot and killed him, authorities said.

City Police Chief J.P. Bevering said the shooter entered West Freeway Church of Christ and sat down in the sanctuary, then stood, pulled out a shotgun and shot two parishioners.

“There was a security team inside the church and they eliminated the threat,” Bevering said.

Find out more from CNN here

And according to the CBS Station in Dallas the third person who was shot, died from his injuries Sunday evening. 

Biden Open to Nominating Obama to Supreme Court 

(The Daily Mail) – Joe Biden says he’s open to potentially nominating former President Barack Obama to the US Supreme Court.

The former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate made the comment while appearing at a campaign event in Washington, Iowa on Saturday.

An attendee asked if he would nominate Obama to sit on the highest court in the country.

In response, Biden replied: ‘If he’d take it, yes.’ 

Read more from the Daily Mail here

Related: Biden Leaves it Unclear if he Would Honor Senate Subpoena

(CNBC) – Joe Biden sought Saturday to clarify his assertion that if the Senate subpoenas him to testify in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, he will defy the order. But he did not clear up what he would do.

A day earlier, the Democratic presidential contender told The Des Moines Register he stood by his position that he would defy the Republican-controlled Senate if it ordered him to be a witness in the proceedings.                            

“Correct,” he said when asked if that was still his intent. “And the reason I wouldn’t (testify) is because it’s all designed to deal with Trump doing what he’s done his whole life — trying to take the focus off of him.”

Find out More from CNBC here

Cannabis Use Rising Faster Among Depressed Americans

(Reuters) – Regular cannabis use has risen more quickly among people with depression, and they’re less likely to perceive it as risky, compared with people who aren’t depressed, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers examined data collected from a total of almost 729,000 people aged 12 years and older between 2005 and 2017, including any prior-month cannabis use and any depression experienced over the previous year.

By the final year of the study, about 19% of people with depression reported at least some cannabis use, compared with 8.7% of individuals without a recent history of depression. In 2005, about 10.2% of people with depression and 5.7% of individuals without depression used the drug.

Learn more here

The 7 Biggest Stories of 2019

#7) The US Women’s National Soccer Team and Equal Pay Push 

#6) Internet Censorship

#5) Hurricane Dorian Slams the Bahamas, Barely Misses US

#4) The Streaming Wars Heat Up

#3) Investigating the Investigators

#2 Russia, Ukraine & Impeachment

Yes, we know these are technically different stories, but the way they have linked together tell us more about the Democrat’s strategy to hamper the president than what actually happened between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia, and the Trump presidency and it’s foreign policy towards Ukraine. 

The New York Time’s Peter Baker had an interesting take on impeachment vis a vis President Trump’s relationship with the GOP – you can read more about it here.