SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:30 P.M. ET:

ANTI-CHRISTIAN HORROR IN CHINA – FROM FOX:   The Chinese government is destroying crosses, burning bibles, closing churches and forcing Christian believers to sign papers renouncing their faith as the crackdown on religious congregations in Beijing and several provinces intensifies.  The suppression of religious freedoms comes as an official government campaign to “Sinicize” religion by demanding loyalty to the atheist Communist party and removing any potential challenge to the party’s power in the country.  “The international community should be alarmed and outraged for this blatant violation of freedom of religion and belief,” Bob Fu of China Aid, said.  The "international community" won't be alarmed and outraged until Christian churches and organizations in the West wake up and start screaming.  Their lack of militancy is thoroughly self-destructive.

DeSANTIS QUITS CONGRESS – FROM POLITICO.COM:   Rep. Ron DeSantis is resigning from his seat in Congress to focus on his race for Florida governor, his campaign confirmed Monday.  DeSantis is a three-term member of Congress representing the 6th District, a coastal seat just south of Jacksonville. He defeated Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in the GOP gubernatorial primary two weeks ago and is now running against Democrat Andrew Gillum in the general election.  In the House and on Fox, DeSantis has taken on such a strident role defending President Donald Trump that Trump endorsed his gubernatorial campaign and has called the congressman one of his “absolute warriors.”  In his resignation letter to Speaker Paul Ryan, DeSantis said he did not want to continue receiving a salary because he will “likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days.”  The contest in Florida is much closer than had been expected, with Dems, as usual, trying to paint DeSantis as a racist, the standard Democratic charge.

GRASSLEY MOVES TO ADVANCE KAVANAUGH – FROM MSN:    Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is moving to set up a Judiciary Committee vote on Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, likely next week.  Grassley's office on Monday sent out an agenda for a business meeting the committee will have on Thursday. Kavanaugh's nomination is included as one of roughly two dozen judicial nominations that could get a vote.  The move means Kavanaugh's nomination could get a vote as soon as this week. But Democrats are expected to delay the vote until next week, meaning Kavanaugh's nomination will likely be taken up by the committee on Sept. 20.  Under committee rules, any one senator can delay a nomination by a week when it's on the agenda for the first time, as Kavanaugh's nomination will be on Thursday. Nominations are routinely held over for a week.  The judge did well in his confirmation hearings, and there is optimism among his supporters that he will be confirmed.

September 10, 2018