Signs and Wonders: Rubio reconsiders support for immigration bill

Rubio reversal? Sen. Marco Rubio has threatened to vote against his own immigration bill. The 1000-plus page bill has plenty of flaws, and Rubio has been among those who said so, but he also has been hoping for the committee and amendment process to get it into shape. So far, that hasn’t happened. Rubio told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday the Senate should “strengthen the border security parts of this bill so that they’re stronger, so that they don’t give overwhelming discretion to the Department of Homeland Security.” All of this is not to say that Rubio has given up. I talked privately with a Rubio staffer who said his boss was still hopeful the process would work.

Deacon dies. Los Angeles Rams great Deacon Jones died on Monday at age 74. Jones was one of the greatest football players of all time, a part of the Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line that redefined the modern game. Jones was also one of the true “characters” of his day. He was active in the civil rights movement even as a teenager, and had his scholarship at South Carolina State University revoked because of his activism. He ended up at Mississippi Valley State, and Jones and other black teammates sometimes had to sleep on cots in the gymnasiums of opposing teams because the local hotels would not accommodate African-Americans. After a career that earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he had a robust post-football life in broadcasting and other endeavors. He was even an R&B singer, performing with a band called Nightshift that eventually morphed into the hit-making funk band War. Deacon Jones even had a guest appearance on War’s hit Why Can’t We Be Friends.

Not inspiring. The U.S. Air Force has removed an “inspirational” painting because it contains a Bible reference. The painting was in the dining hall of Mountain Home Air Force Base, in Idaho. The painting featured a medieval crusader behind an Air Force pilot. In bold letters was the word “INTEGRITY,” and in smaller letters a biblical reference: Matthew 5:9. The verse reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” The Military Religious Freedom Foundation called the painting “repugnant” and an “overt display of Christian nationalism.”

Exporting immorality. The U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID) normally provides food, drugs, and other essential items on behalf of the U.S. to poor countries around the world. But under the Obama administration, the agency has expanded its portfolio. It now ships homosexual activism around the world. In April, with help from the Levi Strauss Foundation and millionaire and homosexual activist Tim Gill, USAID began spending $11 million to train activists in other countries. The training began this week, in Columbia, which has recently affirmed traditional marriage. “This partnership leverages the financial resources and skills of each partner to further inclusive development and increase respect for the human rights of LGBT people around the world,” said Claire Lucas, senior advisor of the USAID Office of Innovation and Development Alliances during a panel at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington. “It can be a real game-changer in the advancement of LGBT human rights.”