NationBuilder

1. NC VALUES: Today is the last day to register to vote on primary election day; here are some tools to help you get ready

Today, February 7th, is the last day you can complete and mail a voter registration form to be able to vote on election day for the 2020 Primary.

Although you can still register to vote during one-stop early voting at your local polling site ("same-day registration"), it's better to be safe than sorry. If you're not already registered, what are you waiting for? We've launched a voter toolkit page on our website that contains a number of important election dates & information, and tools to check if you're registered to vote, help you get your voter registration form, or even find your local early-voting site and ballot.

We've also sponsored the independent new state-wide expanded iVoterGuide for North Carolina. The voter guide rolled out earlier this week evaluates statewide and legislative Republican candidates with primary challengers, and ranks them on their conservative values based on questionnaires, voting history, political endorsements, financial contributions, and expert panel reviews.

Check out our NC Values Voter toolkit to get more information on registering to vote, or using the iVoterGuide to check out the values of candidates on your ballot: https://www.ncvalues.org/vote

2. NC VALUES: President Trump's pro-values State of the Union Address; the Senate's acquittal of articles of impeachment; and the President's response

Earlier this week, we received two clear messages on the direction major political parties want to take our country, and what they think about you and your values.

We think the image of Speaker Pelosi ripping the President's SOTU speech is telling, and proves just what's at stake this election year. It begs us to ask, just what was in President Trump's speech that the Speaker found so vile that she would pull such a petty stunt and a breach of decorum?

We wanted to share some of the quotes from the President's speech that discussed the values you care about most here.

Shortly after the President's speech, the Senate acquitted him of both articles of impeachment. You can click here and here to see his response.

3. WRAL: NC Superintendent wants to 'remove Common Core,' plans to survey educators and parents

"North Carolina Superintendent Mark Johnson said Thursday he wants to remove Common Core academic standards from public schools and plans to survey educators and parents about the topic.

'Opposition to Common Core from educators and parents is what I hear about the most across our state,' Johnson said in a statement. 'I strongly disagreed with the State Board of Education’s decision to keep Common Core in place in 2017.'"

Also make sure to check out this powerful pro-school choice opinion piece by John Hood in the Daily Journal. In it, Hood schools Governor Cooper on school choice.

4. BREITBART: Elizabeth Warren says transgender child must approve her choice for Education Secretary if she becomes President

"Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren told attendees at a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Sunday that, if she is elected president, her education secretary will have to be approved by a transgender child."

5. CBS 17: Raleigh ranks 2nd in the world, 1st in US for ‘quality of life,’ study says

Last year we told you that Forbes voted North Carolina the #1 state for business on their "Best States for Business" ranking. Yesterday we learned that the city of Raleigh has been ranked 2nd in the world when it comes to the quality of life. Charlotte also reached top 10 status by coming in as 9th.

For years, North Carolina has often performed at the top of these types of economic and quality rankings, and it's just another reminder of how false and misleading were the attempts of individuals to slander our state and its protection of student privacy and family rights by claiming it was 'bad for business.' In contrast to these types of consistent top NC rankings, Governor Cooper was caught as recently as November claiming "That kind of social, right-wing legislation is not good for business in North Carolina"

"This comes from numbeo.com. The site ranked 227 cities and scored them based on purchasing power, safety, health care, cost of living, property prices to income ratio, traffic commute time, pollution and climate. The higher the score the better according to the site."

WEEKLY PRAYER: LIFE

LORD, we recognize that you are Sovereign over all creation. We recognize you made man from the dust, and in your mercy crowned creation with man and woman made in your image. What a wonder it is that you would bestow upon us this blessing and responsibility!

We pray LORD that we would not take this for granted. We pray that both this great responsibility, and this great dignity, may motivate us to love you more, love our neighbor more, and love ourselves more

LORD, may we as a culture truly see and believe that children are a blessing from the LORD—born or unborn; able or disabled. All children should have an opportunity to experience the liberty of life.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'" (Matthew 18:1-6)