US Supreme Court Will Decide

Breitbart wrote on January 5:

“The Supreme Court will hear arguments on former President Donald Trump’s appeal of a Colorado Supreme Court decision to strike him from the ballot, a monumental case with implications for similar ballot access challenges in states across the country that could determine the presidential election. The court will hear oral arguments on February 8, 2024, an expedited schedule that demonstrates the significance of resolving the case quickly…

“The [Colorado] Court… determined that ‘clear and convincing evidence’ proved ‘that President Trump engaged in insurrection’ despite Trump having never been convicted of that or any other crime or even been charged in court with the crime of insurrection…

“While Trump has received favorable outcomes in multiple states — including Colorado before its Supreme Court partially reversed that ruling — the Maine secretary of state also removed Trump from the ballot. The Supreme Court has never ruled definitively on the meaning of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court’s decision on the Colorado case could be the final word in Maine as well as other states.”

It is widely expected that the Supreme Court will overturn the Colorado and Maine decisions, as being in violation of the Constitution. Some hope that the decision will be unanimous, but that may not be clear. Note the next article.

Trump Warns

Newsmax wrote on January 6:

“Former President Donald Trump is warning there will be ‘big trouble’ for the United States if the Supreme Court doesn’t treat him fairly and rule that he’s eligible for the 2024 presidential primary ballots. ‘I just hope we get fair treatment,’ Trump said during a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, Friday…

“‘Because if we don’t, our country’s in big, big trouble. Does everybody understand what I’m saying?’…  ‘They’re saying, “Oh, Trump owns the Supreme Court; he owns it… He put on three judges… If they rule in his favor, it will be horrible for them. And we’ll protest at their houses.’ ‘But such pressure is pushing ‘people to do the wrong thing,’ Trump added.”

Biden vs. Trump

The New York Post wrote on January 5:

“Speaking near Washington’s 1777-1778 winter encampment at Valley Forge outside Philadelphia, Biden went scorched earth on both the likely Republican nominee [Trump] and his allies in Congress, claiming the latter group ‘abandoned democracy’ after ‘we nearly lost America’ during the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021…

“Backed by a cheering audience, Biden tore into Trump repeatedly during the roughly half-hour speech — accusing his predecessor of intentionally using the violence of the Capitol riot as a tactic to remain in power and even likening his rival — not for the first time — to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler…

“Trump fired back, telling Fox News Digital that ‘because of his gross incompetence, Joe Biden is a true threat to democracy’…

“Biden enters this election year with approval ratings that rival the lowest of any modern president [Jimmy Carter] with Americans giving a collective thumbs-down to his handling of the economy, immigration, and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. As of Friday, [Biden] trailed Trump by 2.2% in the popular vote…

“No evidence has emerged that Trump had advance knowledge of plans for violence by some of his supporters during the congressional count of the Electoral College results. In other comments Friday, Biden said Trump could bring the US into an era of dictatorship…”

It is interesting that the Biden administration has been pursuing politics which constitute a threat to democracy and which have brought the USA into an era of dictatorship.

German Farmers Stage Nationwide Blockade

dw.com wrote on January 8:

“German farmers are angered by the government’s plans to slash agricultural subsidies. Blockades have disrupted road traffic across the country, posing a nightmare for commuters.” More than 500 tractors and trucks were parked at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate protesting in the heart of the government quarter in Berlin.”

German Farmers Confront Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck

The European Conservative wrote on January 5:

“A crowd of about 150 angry farmers were awaiting the arrival of a ferry carrying Germany’s Economic Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck on his return from vacation on Thursday evening at the port of Schlüttsiel in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.  While the farmers demanded to speak to Habeck about the left-liberal government’s tax burdens on the farming community, the minister’s bodyguards advised him to stay on the ferry for security reasons. Habeck himself was willing to let three farmers onto the boat to discuss their grievances, but the protesters demanded that the minister speak to them all outside… There were scenes of scuffles as some of the farmers tried to stop the ferry—with Habeck and his entourage onboard—from leaving. All other passengers were allowed ashore…

“Farmers have been outraged since the government announced plans to abolish subsidies on agricultural diesel and introduce new taxes on farm vehicles. The plans are part of budget cuts and new taxes that will put an even larger burden on households already grappling with the cost-of-living crisis. Thousands of farmers took to the streets of Berlin and other regional centres on December 18th, and are planning more protests…

“Conservative publication Tichys Einblick assessed the situation by saying: ‘Robert Habeck himself can afford a holiday, while the country, along with many citizens, is collapsing like never before since the Second World War. Companies are going bankrupt in droves, freight forwarders can no longer pay drastically increased tolls, ever-increasing electricity and energy costs as well as more and more taxes on CO2. Many are on the verge of extinction or are already extinct, freezing because heating costs are rising exorbitantly.’

“On Thursday, January 4th, the government backtracked somewhat, and decided it would not end the farmers’ tax break on agricultural diesel immediately, but will reduce the subsidy by 40% this year, 30% in 2025, and will end it from 2026. Also, the abolition of preferential treatment in vehicle tax for forestry and agriculture is no longer planned. However, the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) is still not pleased. Its president, Joachim Rukwied said: ‘This can only be a first step. Our position remains unchanged: both proposals for cuts must be taken off the table. This is clearly also about the future viability of our industry and the question of whether domestic food production is still desirable at all.’

“Elsewhere, Rukwied criticised the behaviour of the farmers who demonstrated against Habeck. ‘Personal attacks, insults, threats, coercion or violence are not acceptable,’ he said. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) called  participants in the protest ‘fanatics’ and ‘radicals,’ and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) tweeted: ‘Where words are replaced by rabble, and arguments by violence, a democratic boundary has been crossed.’

“Politicians from the governing social democrats and the liberal FDP, as well as opposition centre-right CDU denounced Thursday night’s protests. Right-wing opposition AfD’s co-leader Alice Weidel accused the Economy Minister of escaping instead of seeking dialogue. Habeck himself acknowledged on Friday that the mood of the country ‘worries me.’

“The minister has every right to be worried, as the budget cuts, the attack on farmers and the government’s green agenda is causing ever-growing concern among the population. According to the latest opinion polls, the governing parties are in their worst position since they came into power two years ago. In that time, the social democrats have dropped from 26% to 12%, the Greens from 15% to 10.5%, the liberal FDP from 11.5% to 4.5%, meaning the latter would not be able to enter parliament. Meanwhile, the centre-right CDU/CSU alliance has gained in the polls by 10 percentage points, and stands at 34% overall, while the stigmatised AfD now enjoys the backing of 24.5% of the electorate.”

Germans are looking for an alternative. The next article bears that out, even though many feel that that “alternative” will only be short-lived.

False Outrage

Report 24 wrote on January 5:

“The reports of the media read as if an attack had been carried out on the economics minister… The mainstream acts in a horrified way… But what is the real conclusion…? There were no arrests… The spokesman for the Flensburg Police Department stated… that they were refraining from talking about violence. The narrative of the radical farmers is crumbling…

“In any case, the population’s sympathy for the minister [Habeck] is noticeably limited on social networks… it is the Ampel government that is dragging democracy into the mud by openly acting against the will of the citizens… Banning opposition in Germany in the form of the AfD shows that the anti-democrats are among the old parties – and not with the farmers, who, in contrast to the politicians currently in power, work in the service of the population.

“The Schlüttsiel example also shows the federal government clearly what they think of the back and forth of their decisions, their communication and their staff: what is shame for one person is anger for another. And this anger is now everywhere…

“Politicians know very well that they have caused and fomented this anger themselves. In recent months and years, those in government have consistently decided not to act for the benefit of their citizens – and they have hereby betrayed their own people. What was to be expected?… Anyone who continues to ignore the situation in which not only the farmers but also the citizens find themselves and instead covers up for political failure is part of the problem. What’s more, it contributes to escalation.”

Germany’s Former Spy Boss (CDU) to Found New Party

The European Conservative wrote on January 5:

“Hans-Georg Maaßen, Germany’s former domestic intelligence chief has announced his intention to break away from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to establish a new political party..  The new party… will be based on the ‘classic positions of the Union parties’ [CDU and CSU]. He added that, if successfully established, the party could run in this year’s elections in the eastern German states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.

“… the Alternative for Germany (AfD) commands the support of 37%, 36%, and 32% of the population in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, respectively… even though nearly half of the German population supports the AfD’s participation in government, all parties with a parliamentary presence have ruled out the possibility of forming a government with it. This could potentially change if Maaßen’s party were to run and garner a considerable number of seats.

“Maaßen stated that he would work with all parties that are ‘ready for a change in policy in Germany,’ leaving the door open for future cooperation with the AfD… The former spy boss didn’t hesitate to level sharp criticism against CDU party leader Friedrich Merz for wanting to continue what he described as the ‘left-wing course’ taken by former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Maaßen wrote: ‘…  Merkel’s policies have caused significant damage to Germany in all political areas. The recent statement by the General Secretary of the CDU that Merkel had ‘governed the country well’ confirms the impression that the Merz CDU has not understood the catastrophic situation Germany is in and that it is not prepared to deal with the situation for this. The German people have to deal with Merkel’s catastrophic policies.’…”

Germans are also worried about Russia; hence their desire to reinstate compulsory military service, as the next article shows.

Majority of Germans For Compulsory Military Service

Breitbart wrote on January 5:

“More than half of Germans of all ages… want to restore compulsory military service, a survey [by Die Welt] released Thursday reveals, as war on the European continent between Russia and Ukraine drags on into another year… It shows 52 percent of respondents are in favor of armed service while 32 percent are against it…

“Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) suggested conscription based on the ‘Swedish model.’… Men and women are recruited on an equal basis, one of the only countries in the world to do so… Today, the Bundeswehr is a professional army made up of volunteers — but the volunteers are no longer coming. A recent report found there were some 27,000 positions in the Bundeswehr left vacant in 2022, out of a total of 164,000.”

The Civil War Was Not About Slavery

The Ron Paul Institute published on January 4 the following article by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano:

“When Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley answered a question last week in which she stated that the American Civil War was fought over ‘government,’ ‘rights’ and ‘freedoms,’ she was correct. Yet, like most politicians, when she realized that the popular answer should have been ‘slavery,’ she modified her answer. She should have stood her ground…

“… when it comes to the interrelationship between slavery and the American Civil War, most Americans have their history backward. Because it is nearly always written by the winners, history nearly always makes the winners look good. The American Civil War is no exception… No less an authority on the reasons for the war than Abraham Lincoln acknowledged many times during his presidency that the war was fought to preserve the union, not to eradicate slavery…

“In government schools, we all learned that Lincoln freed the slaves. He didn’t. They were freed by the 13th Amendment, which was ratified in December 1865, eight months after the war ended and Lincoln’s death.

“What about the Emancipation Proclamation? In government schools, we all learned that by that document, the slaves were set free. They weren’t. The Proclamation did not have the force of law on civilians, as it was a military order issued to troops by Lincoln in his capacity as commander in chief so as to enable the Union Army to conscript slaves into the Army against their will — from one form of slavery to another. Moreover, the Proclamation expressly prohibited the Army from interfering with slavery — and thus preserving it — in the five border states; fully one-third of the Confederacy.

“In government schools, we learned that Lincoln was anti-slavery. He wasn’t. In the earliest days of his presidency, he championed the Corwin Amendment — the Republican Congress’s original 13th Amendment — which Congress passed and sent on to the states. Had its ratification not been interrupted by the war, it would have enshrined slavery in the Constitution. The same Congress that moved to abolish slavery as soon as the war ended had moved to protect it before the war started; this is history bent and rewritten by the victors.

“The initial verbal and military salvos in the war were over whether the states — covetous of tariff revenues seized by the feds — could voluntarily leave the union and resume collecting tariffs; hardly a novel concept at the time, but in a government school, you probably never heard this…”

As so often, history is distorted to serve certain political agendas. That the Civil War was NOT about slavery should be known and realized by all Americans… sadly, it is not.

More Money For Ukraine?

On January 2, Ron Paul wrote the following in his weekly column:

“In the closing days of 2023, the Biden Administration once again announced a large military aid package for Ukraine, this time a ‘mere’ quarter of a billion dollars. Without a new authorization of funds from Congress, it is said to be the last bit of money left over from the more than $100 billion already authorized by Congress for the proxy war with Russia through Ukraine.

“President Biden’s request for an additional $100 billion to spread around Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan was rejected by a Congress eager for its winter break, and with each passing day it looks like it’s going to be harder to push it through. Poll after poll show that Americans are increasingly opposed to more of their money being spent on the neocon’s lost-cause war to overthrow Putin in Russia. For example, a recent Fox News poll revealed that more than 60 percent of Republican voters do not want any more money sent to Ukraine. As we enter an election year, it’s probably safe to predict that Republican candidates will be wary of crossing the wishes of the clear majority of voters…

“Last month Secretary of State Antony Blinken inadvertently revealed what exactly all the spending for war is about when he stated that as much as 90 percent of the aid for Ukraine is actually spent in the United States. The money is used ‘to the benefit of American business, local communities, and strengthening the US defense industrial base,’ he said in an interview. In other words, the money ‘for Ukraine’ is actually a massive welfare program for well-connected military contractors back home.”

Amazing!

Time Is Running Out

The Times of Israel wrote on January 5:

“Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says time is running out on diplomatic efforts to end tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, indicating that Israel will soon be left with no choice but to launch a major military offensive against the terror group in Lebanon.”

EU on Ukraine and Israel

On January 3, the official website of the EU published the following article by Josep Borrell, Vice President of the EU:

“Two deadly wars are unfolding on our borders and dominating the European agenda: the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the war that has recently flared up again in the Middle East…

“Hamas is opposed to the very existence of the State of Israel. But the current Israeli government is also opposed, and for a long time, to the two-state solution. Benyamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister, promised to his fellow citizens that with him a Palestinian state would never see the light of day, despite the entire international community being in favour of it. This community therefore has a problem with Benyamin Netanyahu’s policy..,.

“But let’s return to Europe and ask ourselves a fundamental question: what is our capacity to act collectively in the face of these conflicts? We are not a state, and not even a federation of states. Our foreign and security policy is still being defined unanimously, which means that the opposition of only one State is sufficient to make us unable to act… If one can impose a veto, the others are obliged to haggle over the return to consensus. Often this haggling is very costly, and above all it wastes a lot of time. We react far too slowly to events, and we often pay dearly for it…

“In the case of Ukraine, unanimity was fortunately achieved quickly… However, this came at a high cost. Inflation rose and the economy held back… Will this unity last? What are we going to do if the Americans reduce their support for Ukraine once they have elected a new president, or perhaps even before then?… we need to act faster and more decisively to support Ukraine, because Russia represents a major strategic threat to the European Union…

“We are the biggest supplier of aid to the Palestinians, and in particular the biggest funder of the Palestinian Authority… Regarding Israel, we are the country’s leading trading partner… This means that we would have the means to influence both players in the conflict, should we choose to do so. However, so far we have not exercised this influence… Europe should be much more involved in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Until now, we have relied too heavily on the United States in the search for a solution to this conflict that directly affects us…”

Needed… A European Army

Reuters wrote on January 7:

“The European Union should form its own combined army that could play a role in peacekeeping and preventing conflict, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said…

“‘In a world with powerful players like the United States, China, India, Russia – with crises from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific – Italian, German, French or Slovenian citizens can only be protected by something that already exists, namely the European Union,’ he added… Tajani also said the 27-nation EU should streamline its leadership and have a single presidency, rather than the current structure of a European Council president and a European Commission president.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

2023—a Year of Political Chaos

The New York Post wrote on December 30:

“The best thing about 2023 is that it’s ending, meaning we can finally say good riddance to one of the strangest years in American politics. Both parties contributed, but Democrats were extra strange. Many of them say they hate Donald Trump, but have a weird way of showing it. Often it seems like they’re doing everything under the sun to elect him. 

“After the 2020 election and the overheated aftermath, Dems could have chosen to govern in a center-left way that would have largely united the nation and isolated Trump and his grievances. Instead, they let the far left set the domestic agenda, ruined the economy, threw open the border and pursued a history-shattering prosecution of the former president. The result may be that Trump gets his party’s nomination and wins the White House largely because his opponents tried to put him in jail! 

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did her part with the dopey idea that two Trump-hating Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, would give a bipartisan sheen to her Jan. 6 inquisition. President Biden fell sway to the same delusion, publicly spitting out MAGA, MAGA, MAGA as a curse and privately pushing his bitter attorney general, Merrick Garland  to charge the former president with crimes. Garland did as he was told, even as he dutifully tried to kill the strong case against the president’s son, Hunter Biden… Prosecutors inside and outside of Washington accepted the invitation and hit Trump with four separate indictments, a total of 91 criminal counts, most of them silly or suspect…

“The overreach also features a New York civil case where authorities aim to take away Trump’s businesses and bankrupt him. It’s a financial case without a victim, but has an overtly partisan state attorney general who, along with a judge… concocted a show trial that would gladden the hearts of authoritarians everywhere… The Dems’ latest efforts — to block Trump from appearing on state ballots — is a testament to their determination and resourcefulness. It also smacks of desperation, as they suddenly realize their prosecutions backfired. Now afraid he’ll win, they’re trying to prevent him from playing…

“In addition to Biden’s rampant failures, his age and in-your-face family corruption, many Republican and independent voters view the prosecutions as persecutions and are raising their hands for Trump in response. Those converted voters are why Trump has risen like Lazarus and racked up such large leads for the GOP nomination. His national lead in polls is a remarkable 50 points… Contrast that with the start of the year, when Trump’s total GOP support was about 35%…

“The fact that Biden is even running again adds another twist to 2024, with a majority of Dems saying they want someone else. Then again, most voters also say they don’t want a Biden-Trump rematch, but all signs point to exactly that…”

Add to this the Republican infighting regarding the Speaker of the House, and you can see the absolute chaos in American politics.

An Attack on the Constitution, Not Trump

Daily Mail wrote on December 29:

“Donald Trump’s campaign has unleashed a furious attack against Maine’s top election official after she banned him from running for the Oval Office in the state, with both Republican and Democrat rivals backing the former president. 

Maine’s secretary of state Shenna Bellows last night ordered that Trump would not be allowed to appear on the ballot in the 2024 election. 

“Her decision made Maine the second state to make a concerted effort to stop the former president from running for high office. Both Colorado and Maine found that Trump had participated in an insurrection, and so was ineligible to hold office, under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. But Michigan on Wednesday found the opposite, and California on Thursday night sided with Michigan, ruling that Trump could remain on the ballot. [NBC News reported in this regard: ‘In California, Trump was included Thursday on the list of candidates for the state’s March 5 primary. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, who has faced pressure from the state’s lieutenant governor to ‘explore every legal option’ to remove Trump from the ballot, said last week that the question involved ‘complex legal issues’ that under state law the courts should decide.” [Newsom had also stated that he was against removing Trump from the California ballot.]

“Bellows, a Democrat, [said] that while she knew her decision was historic, she stood by it, though she chose to suspend the decision until the Supreme Court decides to rule on the matter…. ‘The Maine Secretary of State is… a virulent leftist and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat who has decided to interfere in the presidential election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden,’ Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said.  ‘We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter,’ he added…

“Florida governor Ron DeSantis said on Fox News shortly after the Maine decision was announced: ‘It opens up Pandora’s box. Can you have a Republican secretary of state disqualify Biden from the ballot.’ Vivek Ramaswamy, another presidential rival, said: ‘This is what an actual threat to democracy looks like. The system is hellbent on taking this man out, the Constitution be damned.’ “Nikki Haley’s campaign, meanwhile, said: ‘… It should be up to voters to decide who gets elected.’

“But Democrats were also vocal in their criticism of Maine’s decision to ban Trump from the ballot. Jared Golden, a congressman from Maine, said in a statement: ‘… we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.’…

“Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state, announced on Thursday that Trump will for the time being remain on the ballot, which goes to print on January 5 – unless the Supreme Court affirms the lower court’s ruling or otherwise declines to take on the appeal…”

Fox News added on December 30:

“Former top Obama adviser David Axelrod warned Friday that a court decision removing former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot ‘would rip the country apart.’”

In other words, he is prognosticating civil war.

The Unqualified Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows

The New York Post wrote on December 30:

“The Maine Democrat who moved to boot former President Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot visited the White House twice in the past year — meeting President Joe Biden during one jaunt — and reportedly once referred to the Electoral College as a ‘relic of white supremacy…. On March 22, she attended a Women’s History Month event and took a photo with a smiling Biden, putting his left hand on her shoulder and clutching one of her hands with his right…

“She boasted it was an ‘honor’ meeting Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other ‘female leaders’ at the gathering in a press release put out by her office… Bellows also visited the White House June 6, to meet with Justin Vail, a special assistant to Biden...”

Breitbart added on December 29:

“Bellows, who previously worked as Executive Director of the Maine Chapter of the ACLU but is not an attorney and did not attend law school, made the legal conclusion in her ruling that ‘the declaration on [Trump’s] candidate consent form is false because he is not qualified to hold the office of the President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.’

“The secretary of state, a Democrat whose social media is littered with photos of President Joe Biden, justified her ruling based on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment’s ‘Insurrection Clause.’ The statute has never been used to disqualify a president from the ballot and has generally been understood not to apply to the office of the president… “

This is not an attack on Trump… it is an attack on democracy and the Constitution. Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows rendered a “judgment” based on YouTube videos, newspaper articles and some other dubious sources. The four partisan Colorado judges and Bellows should be ashamed of themselves. They are a disgrace to the USA.

Biden’s Military Leadership to Be Court-Martialed?

 The Daily Mail wrote on January 1:

“Over 200 active duty and retired service members are vowing to hold the Biden administration accountable for ‘trampling’ on their rights by enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate enacted in August 2021 led to the forced firing of over 8,000 service members who refused the shot on religious or medical grounds.

“On New Year’s Day, over 200 service members declared that they will do ‘everything’ in their power to get accountability since not a single leader has resigned or been held to account despite the rollback of the vaccine mandate last year… They are threatening to even force Biden’s top leaders to be brought out of retirement so they can be court-martialed and held to account… In the open letter, they explicitly name now-retired and still serving top commanders that they are demanding accountability from.  Those include the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley who exited the military in October and Gen. James McConville who served as the 40th chief of staff of the Army until 2023.”

The one who should really be held accountable is Biden.

Decisions Against Trump Un-American

Breitbart wrote on January 3:

 “…  independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. criticized the decisionmakers in Colorado and Maine for removing former President Donald Trump from their presidential primary ballots… ‘I’m not a fan of President Trump, that’s why I’m running against him… the American people want to see a fair fight. They want debates, they want real democracy. They want to be able to choose their candidate, their president, not have a court choose it…

“I’ve read the decision and it makes no sense to me that you can deprive an American citizen of this right. We’re unprecedent [sic] without ever charging him with much less convicting him of insurrection… that seems to violate due process and it makes us look like a banana republic… I think it turns Trump into a kind of… a mythological figure. I think it’s very, very short-sighted and it’s just wrong, it’s un-American.’”

Kennedy is a lawyer as well.

What if Biden Were to Drop Out?

Daily Mail wrote on December 29:

“What happens if 81-year-old Joe Biden… drop[s] out of the 2024 election race?… Democrats [one in five] say they would like to see Biden’s [deeply unpopular] vice president, Kamala Harris, or [as the next favorite] former first lady Michelle Obama take up the mantle… Other potential headline names, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom or Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, are further down the Democratic field…

“The question is not entirely academic. Biden is already the oldest president in history and shows clear signs of slowing down… Biden has seen his support fall within his own party and among women.”

How anyone can like to see “deeply unpopular” and totally incompetent Kamala Harris “take up the mantle” is beyond belief.

Are You Living in an Anti-Free Speech State?

Professor Jonathan Turkey wrote the following on December 29, which was published by the Ron Paul Institute:

“For years, we have discussed the alarming shift in the Democratic party on free speech… Now, a filing in the Supreme Court supporting censorship efforts by the Biden Administration has supplied a handy list of the anti-free speech states for citizens. The 5th Circuit previously ruled in Missouri v. Biden that administration officials ‘likely violated’ the First Amendment and issued a preliminary injunction banning the government from communicating with social media companies to limit speech.

“Not surprisingly, the state of California is leading the effort to get the Supreme Court to reverse a decision enjoining the government from censorship efforts. California has long sought to impose speech limits on doctors, businesses, and citizens to silence opposing viewpoints. However,  23 Democrat-led states joined this ignoble effort in signing on to the brief of California Attorney General Rob Bonta… So here is the list to see if you are residing in an anti-free speech state [this is in addition to California, of course]:

“Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, District of Columbia.”

Let it be noted that these states favor a dictatorial and autocratic form of government.

Free Healthcare for Illegal Aliens

Fox Business wrote on December 30:

“California is ushering in 2024 with free healthcare for more than 700,000 migrants living illegally in the Golden State as the state is faced with a looming $68 billion deficit… the Medi-Cal expansion to include all illegal immigrants is expected to cost $2.6 billion annually. The added cost comes as California is faced with a major budget crisis due to a ‘severe revenue decline.’

“…  the state’s budget deficit has grown exponentially in just a few months’ time, up more than $54 billion from just $14.3 billion in June. The growing budget deficit comes as residents and businesses have fled the predominately Democrat-run state… economic factors like the cost of living and the housing market have also contributed to people moving out of California, and so has remote work.”

This is one way of bankrupting a state.

Iran Responsible for Oct. 7 Attack

Israel 365 News wrote on December 28:

“The Oct. 7 massacre in southwestern Israel was a response to the 2020 killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani by the United States, Tehran claimed on Wednesday. ‘The Al-Aqsa Flood was one of the acts of revenge for the assassination of General Soleimani by the U.S. and the Zionists,’ IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Ramezan Sharif told Iran’s state-run ISNA news agency, using Hamas’s name for the Oct. 7 cross-border attacks. ‘Certainly, these acts of revenge will continue in different times and places,’ stated Sharif, vowing to also avenge Razi Mousavi, the Iranian major general killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria earlier this week…

“In a statement responding to Sharif’s remarks, Hamas denied the IRGC’s claim, insisting that the Oct. 7 massacre was a response to alleged Israeli ‘crimes’ at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. ‘We have repeatedly confirmed the motives and reasons for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and foremost are the dangers that threaten Al-Aqsa mosque,’ stated the Iranian-backed terror group…

“Iran supports Hamas by supplying it with funding, intelligence, weapons and technological knowledge, and the Biden administration has described the Islamic Republic as being ‘complicit’ in the Oct. 7 attacks…

“On Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had tripled its enrichment of uranium to 60%…  Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi warned in September that Jerusalem will have no choice but to act if Iran enriches uranium above 60%.

“Also on Tuesday, IRGC-affiliated media outlets published a video animation depicting the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu… The video ended with the text, ‘Brought to you by the friends of Haman,’ in an apparent reference to the genocidal Jew-hating villain from the biblical book of Esther.”

Finally, Iran admitted direct involvement and responsibility for the October 7 attack, even though lying and deceiving Hamas was quick to state their own version, in an obvious attempt to shield the murderous regime of Iran. But that Iran was behind the attack was clear from the very onset. That Iran identifies itself as the murderer Haman is telling.

Hezbollah Promises Revenge

JTA wrote on January 3:

 “Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the assassination of a senior Hamas leader who was under Hezbollah protection in Beirut and said the Lebanese terror group would retaliate… Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the blast, which also took down six others, including two other Hamas leaders.

 “But it is widely believed to have carried out the strike, and a backbench lawmaker belonging to the governing Likud Party, Danny Danon, said Israel was responsible… Al-Arouri was an architect of the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of Israel, which launched the current war. Nasrallah praised Hamas for the massacre.”

Houthis Defiant and the West Is Too Weak

BBC wrote on January 4:

“The US, UK and 10 other states have warned rebels in Yemen they will face consequences if they continue to attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea… However the Houthis have responded with defiance, vowing to continue targeting vessels they consider linked to Israel… The Bab al-Mandab strait is a critical waterway through which almost 15% of global trade passes. If attacks continue, the fear is that fuel prices will rise and supply chains will be damaged.

“Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have declared support for Hamas in the war it launched against Israel in October. Since November, the rebels have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea more than 20 times using missiles, drones, fast boats and helicopters… US and British warships in the region have intercepted some missiles but they have resisted attacking targets in Yemen itself. That may be about to change.”

The Daily Mail wrote on January 1:

“… if the Americans think they can smash the Houthis easily, they are deluded. The truth is that this conflict has a sinister resonance to the humiliating 1956 Suez Crisis… The U.S. is now fighting proxy wars on two fronts: the Gaza Strip and Ukraine. Even the Pentagon’s vast budget of some $824 billion can’t arm Kyiv and Israel, let alone fight a new Middle Eastern war, and keep an eye on China, too….

 “… it’s unlikely that a fleet of 19 ships can achieve much success in the region.. the allied Red Sea fleet and threats of air strikes are not a quick fix… the need to use them is a graphic illustration of the West’s overall weakness… the U.S., with all its power and might, is seen as unable to overwhelm a feeble militia like the Houthis… Britain’s role in international affairs had slipped away… As the new year dawns, my fear is we may be witnessing — in real time — the collapse of American power which has sheltered us for all our lives.”

The demise of America’s and Britain’s influence and power is aptly described.

“Death to America and Israel”

Breitbart wrote on January 3:

“Crowds of people in Kerman, Iran, gathered on Wednesday night chanting, ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel,’ multiple outlets reported, in response to a bombing there earlier on Wednesday believed to have taken at least 95 lives.

“Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of a drone strike eliminating Major General Qasem Soleimani — the Iranian regime’s most respected terrorist leader… Former President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike against Soleimani… Thousands convened in Kerman, Soleimani’s hometown, on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of his ‘martyrdom,’ an annual tradition promoted by the Iranian Islamist regime.”

In the meantime, ISIS claimed responsibility.

“No Innocent Civilians in Gaza”

The Times of Israel wrote on December 29 about the account of freed hostage Mia Schem. Her report is too horrible to repeat here; suffice to say that according to her testimony, the Hamas terrorists acted like brutal inhumane murderers and vicious animals. It is also worthwhile to emphasize that according to Schem, “there are no innocent civilians in Gaza”:

“Released hostage Mia Schem, 21, described going through ‘hell’ while in the Gaza Strip in a pair of televised interviews that both aired on Friday evening. Schem was shot in the arm and taken hostage from the Supernova music festival on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst into southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and dragging around 240 into Gaza. Some 360 partygoers were killed during the assault on the music festival, and another 36 were taken hostage. She was released on November 30 after 54 days in captivity, reuniting with her family and loved ones, and undergoing extensive surgery and rehabilitation on her wounded arm. Her family said she has since developed epilepsy, from the trauma and the lack of sleep during her eight weeks as a hostage in Gaza.

“Schem spoke in depth for the first time about the experience to both Channel 12 and 13 news, recounting the moments she was taken hostage, the suffering and mental torture she endured in captivity, and the experience of coming back home.

“‘It’s important to me to reveal the real situation about the people who live in Gaza, who they really are, and what I went through there,’ she told Channel 13 news. ‘I experienced hell. Everyone there are terrorists… there are no innocent civilians, not one,’ she said. ‘[Innocent civilians] don’t exist.’”

Same-Sex Couples Eligible to Adopt Children, in Violation of the Written Law

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 28:

“Israel’s High Court of Justice unanimously ruled on Thursday that same-sex couples are eligible to adopt children. The verdict was reached by three presiding justices following a petition, which argued that Section 3 of the Adoption Law must be interpreted so LGBT couples would be eligible to adopt within the scope of the existing law. Section 3 states that ‘there will be no adoption but by a man and his wife together.’

“”This is a historic, groundbreaking victory which gives a shred of light and hope in these difficult times, Ran Shalhavi, director-general of the Aguda – Israel’s LGBT Task Force said following the verdict’s publication. ‘For years, we have been battling to be seen as equals when it comes to raising families in Israel, as governments over the years discriminated and incited against us because of who we are. The Supreme Court again proves its worth in protecting our rights,’ Shalhavi added.”

How could the clear language of the law be “reinterpreted” to allow something which is clearly against the wording of the law? Are we surprised that God is angry with Israel?

Supreme Court Rules Against Netanyahu

CBS News wrote on January 1:

“Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul, delivering a landmark decision that threatens to reopen the fissures in Israeli society that preceded the country’s ongoing war against Hamas… Monday’s court decision could reignite those tensions, even while the country remains at war. Justice Minister Yariv Levin… lambasted the court’s decision, saying it demonstrated ‘the opposite of the spirit of unity required these days for the success of our soldiers on the front.’…

“Netanyahu and his allies announced their sweeping overhaul plan shortly after taking office a year ago. It calls for curbing the power of the judges, including by limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to review parliamentary decisions and changing the way judges are appointed.

“Supporters said the changes aim to strengthen democracy by circumscribing the authority of unelected judges and turning over more powers to elected officials. But opponents see the overhaul as a power grab by Netanyahu…”

Israel is fighting within and without.

Ukraine Faces Growing Calls from US to Cede Land to Russia

Newsweek wrote on December 30:

“[Republican] Ohio Senator J.D. Vance said it was preposterous to think that the Ukrainian military was going to force Russian troops back to the border crossed during the invasion in February 2022. Vance told CNN’s State of the Union: ‘What’s in America’s best interest is to accept Ukraine is going to have to cede some territory to the Russians and we need to bring this war to a close.’

“… A Republican-controlled House has not approved Biden’s funding request of $106 billion, which includes $61 billion in additional aid for Ukraine… ‘What we’re saying to the president, and really to the entire world, is you need to articulate what the ambition is; what is $61 billion going to accomplish that $100 billion hasn’t?’ Vance said…

“Vance isn’t alone in his party… Part of the frustration for conservatives is the lack of movement in the war. That is, significant numbers in aid has been sent to Ukraine, but it remains unlikely that it will become victorious against Putin’s forces and push them out.”

In addition, it is totally unclear where all that money sent to Ukraine has ended up.

Propaganda Campaign

Report 24 wrote on December 27:

“In recent weeks, reports and comments have been a common thread running through the mainstream media. This shows that there is a propaganda campaign underway.

“The war in Ukraine is as good as lost; it has been the case since day one. Nevertheless, many hundreds of thousands of people had to die completely senselessly… All of these people did not die to defend their homeland, but to secure the billions from George Soros and others… But it wasn’t just the Ukrainians who were harmed…

“The European economy lost trillions; price increases, inflation and countless company closures were the result – but we have only seen the beginning…

“Of course, it is not about preventing a war [in Europe], but it is about rearmament…”

Germany Contemplating Conscription and Compulsory Military Service

Deutsche Welle reported on December 29:

“Since taking office at the beginning of 2023, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has been thinking about ways to make the Bundeswehr more attractive as a career…

“Even conscription, something Germany ended in 2011, is also up for debate. ‘There were reasons at the time to suspend compulsory military service. In retrospect, however, it was a mistake,’ Pistorius told newspaper Die Welt earlier in December. He also cited the case of Sweden, where compulsory military service was suspended and then reintroduced…

“When Pistorius floated his ideas about conscription in December, he faced a barrage of criticism, including from within his own center-left… [SPD] Party… Criticism also came from the neoliberal… FDP,  the smallest member in the three-way coalition that makes up the federal government…

“But there has been support from the conservative opposition. Johann Wadephul, deputy leader of the center-right… CDU  and… CSU… told DW: ‘… we are in favor of general compulsory service, i.e. service in the Bundeswehr, but also in other emergency services… Now is the time for young people to be asked what they can do for our country and for our society,’ added Wadephul….”

The frightening thing too is that Pistorius is viewed as the most popular politician in Germany.

EU’s Tough Challenges in 2024

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 1:

 “The 27 member states of the European Union have repeatedly promised to help Ukraine for as long as it needs to defend itself against Russia… but the question now is whether they will continue to stand by Ukraine in 2024. Recent weeks have seen a lot of discussion of war fatigue and waning solidarity in Brussels. EU member states are finding it difficult to unanimously sign off on the financial aid that the European Union has promised. The current approach, that it’s up to Ukraine to decide whether to negotiate with Moscow, may be called into question in the coming year

“…having a war-ravaged Ukraine integrate into the European Union could have enormous costs for the existing member states. Even Ukraine’s closest backers, Poland and the Baltic EU member states, seem to be getting cold feet…

“… the potential return of firebrand Republican Donald Trump to the White House would be a headache for the European Union and for many NATO members. The EU could lose the United States as its closest ally in trade, supporting Ukraine and deterring Russia. The German American Chamber of Commerce worries that a reelected Trump would impose punitive tariffs on trade with EU members. In return, the European Union would have to increase customs duties and taxes…

“In June, voters EU-wide will head to the polls to elect the European Parliament… The center-right European People’s Party is expected to once again come out as the largest group in the parliament. The far right is also expected to do well… the biggest issue for voters is their individual economic situation and standard of living. Ukraine, migration and EU enlargement all come much further down the list when it comes to voters making their choice…”

Get Out of the House?

The Washington Examiner wrote on December 30, 2023:

“Two-thirds of working mothers in the United Kingdom would work fewer hours if they could afford to… So, how does the major center-left party in the U.K. address this situation? By funding government-run day-cares for every single baby in the kingdom…

“While working mothers mostly want to mother more and work less, that’s not what the political class wants them to do. They want those women out of the home as soon as possible and back in the paid economy. This isn’t unique to the U.K….

“If the Labour Party wants to spend billions of pounds Sterling giving women what they want, they would instead just create a new monthly child allowance — and build more family-friendly housing.”

 Note our new Q&A series on the family.

Coldest January in Sweden

The Associated Press wrote on January 5:

“Europe experienced stark weather contrasts on Wednesday, with extreme cold and snowstorms disrupting transportation and closing schools in Scandinavia while strong winds and heavy rain in western Europe caused flooding…

“Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Nordic region for a second day in a row Wednesday. In… Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6 C (minus 46.5 F), the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years…”

So much for global WARMING…

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Not Under American Command

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 23:

“Australia is the latest country to reject a request from the United States to send warships to the Red Sea under the command of the Pentagon’s Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect commercial vessels along the critical maritime trade route from Iran-backed Houthi…Reuters said about twenty countries have signed up for the Pentagon’s new operation. However, several countries, including Australia, Spain, Italy, and France, have rejected the Pentagon’s request to participate in the operation. 

“Spain’s Defence Ministry said it would only participate in NATO-led missions or European-coordinated operations – not ones commanded by the Pentagon… Italy’s Defence Ministry voiced similar concerns…

“The fact that seven major shipping companies… have halted sails through the Red Sea shows their lack of confidence in the US protecting the critical waterway.”

Nation World News wrote on December 26:

“France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark have also refused to send their warships against Houthi. One European country after another is refusing to cooperate in ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian, led by America. America is becoming isolated against the Houthis… Many NATO allies do not want to join the Red Sea Task Force. America… itself said that the US did not have enough warships to field against the Houthis… the US does not want to deploy its ships in the Red Sea… America fears that if its ships are attacked, a direct war will start with the Houthis; hence, America is also not sending its ships to Operation Prosperity Guardian. America’s coalition efforts to stop Houthi have proved useless, and in a way, it can be said that Houthi now has control over important waterways like the Red Sea…

“If war breaks out in the Red Sea, America will be trapped in a petroleum crisis… America has said that Iran is also involved in this conspiracy… American intelligence agencies have said that without real-time location and guidance, ships cannot be attacked and Iran itself is giving this guidance to Houthi.”

What another debacle for the USA!

Michigan Supreme Court Allows Trump to Stay on the Ballot

 Breitbart wrote on December 27:

 “Former President Donald Trump will remain on the ballot in Michigan after the Michigan Supreme Court rejected an appeal rooted in the Constitution’s ‘Insurrection Clause,’ although on procedural grounds…. It upheld the unanimous ruling of Michigan’s Court of Appeals, where a three-judge panel held that the argument… was not ripe (meaning that ruling on it would be premature). 

“However, the Michigan Supreme Court did not delve into whether or not it believed Trump engaged in insurrection as rooted in Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment…. In other words, the legal challenges are still not over.”

Russia Bars Challenger of Putin

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 23:

“Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova has been barred from running in March’s presidential election because of ‘mistakes’ in her application for registration as a candidate, Russian television reported… Duntsova, 40, would have been a challenger to President… Putin, and was planning to run on a platform of ending the war in Ukraine and freeing political prisoners.

“With most Russian opposition figures either behind bars, like high-profile rival Alexei Navalny or outside the country, Putin seems almost certain to win a fifth term as head of state in March, cementing a decades-long grip on power… Had Duntsova’s application been accepted, under Russian election law she would still have to have obtained 300,000 signatures in support of her candidacy, from all across Russia by January 31.”

Surely, the methods employed by Russia to silence a political challenger and the methods employed by the Biden Administration to silence Trump are merely coincidental.

How Corrupt Russia Mistreats and Persecutes Dictator Putin’s Opponents

Newsmax wrote on December 25:

“Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle… about 1,900 km (1200 miles) north east of Moscow… Navalny’s allies, who had been preparing for his expected transfer to a ‘special regime’ colony, the harshest grade in Russia’s prison system, said he has not been seen by his lawyers since Dec. 6 and raised the alarm about his fate…

“Navalny’s new home, known as ‘the Polar Wolf’ colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh – and temperatures are due to drop to around minus 28 Celsius there over the next week… the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labor camps… Lawyer Zhdanov said supporters of Navalny had sent 618 requests for information about his location and suggested that the Russian authorities wanted to isolate Navalny ahead of the March presidential election.

“Navalny… says he has been imprisoned because he is viewed as a threat by the Russian political elite. As a prisoner, he is unable to run in the election. He denies all the charges he has been convicted of and casts Russia’s judicial system as deeply corrupt…

“Navalny, now 47, earned admiration from Russia’s disparate opposition for voluntarily returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent. Navalny says he was poisoned in Siberia in August 2020…”

Russia is a corrupt dictatorship, and Putin a dictator and war criminal who systematically orders the murder or the incarceration of his opponents. Satan is clearly at work here.

Poland Silencing Governmental Opponents

The Guardian wrote on December 20:

“The new Polish government has gutted the top management of public television, making good on a campaign promise to reform a broadcaster that functioned as a mouthpiece of its rightwing populist predecessor, but also prompting criticism of their methods from some quarters.

“The government led by prime minister, Donald Tusk, was sworn into office last Wednesday…  On [the following] Tuesday, the new parliament adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of ‘impartiality and reliability of the public media’. After the resolution, the new culture minister, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, announced that the chairs and boards of state television, news and radio had all been removed.

“The vote prompted PiS lawmakers [from the Law and Justice Party, previously in power] to stage a protest outside the headquarters of TVP, the state broadcaster.

“… some questioned the legality of the moves, and cautioned that by acting in such a swift way, the Tusk government risked simply creating its own politicised public television network to replace the old one.

“The debate around public television shows how Tusk will have difficult choices to make as he attempts to enact a radical reform programme. PiS are still a vocal, large opposition voice in parliament, and the party ally Andrzej Duda remains president until 2025 and has veto powers. This leaves the government with a choice of either scaling down or delaying its ambitions, or finding creative legal ways to enact them.”

1930s All Over Again?

Express wrote on December 8:

“Recent developments in the Russo-Ukraine war have had a somewhat sobering effect on Ukraine’s short to mid-term prospects. Their counteroffensive of which so much was perhaps unfairly, expected has proved to be a bit of a damp squib, and the frontlines have barely shifted over the past few months… It’s pretty clear that the Russians are not going to pack it in and go home, and it’s equally clear that the Ukrainians are finding it hard going in their attempts to break the enemy’s lines…

“We also know that North Korea has been shipping ammunition in large quantities and in the required calibres from the east. We also suspect that China has been doing the same, despite their public denials. And then there’s Iran, which has supplied Russia with its Shahed-136/-131 one-way-attack drones (OWA/UAVs) and allowed the Russians to set up manufacturing lines at home to make more.

“… it does seem that the world is now dividing into two defined camps. On the one hand there is the USA and its NATO allies, plus Israel in the Middle East and its Indo-Pacific allies including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines among others.

“On the other side there is Russia, Iran, North Korea, and very probably China, a new ‘Axis of Evil’ if you like. Plus in South America there is Russia’s new best friend Venezuela under the de facto dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro threatening to annex part of neighbouring Guyana, in addition to the loose cannon that is Argentina under… Javier Milei…

“All of which combined appears to be scarily reminiscent of Europe in the 1930s, with the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany and of Italy and Mussolini, added to the recently established fascist regime of Franco in Spain. And Japan was rattling her sabre in the Pacific and threatening the dominance of the USA.

“Could we be witnessing in plain sight the gearing up for another world conflict?… it can happen by default as well as by design.

“None of which is particularly helpful for Zelensky and Ukraine. Nobody wants to say it, but the Ukrainians are quite clearly fighting NATO’s proxy war against the clear and present danger that is a resurgent Russia under Putin. If Ukraine succumbs to the Russian onslaught, where next? Poland? The Baltic states? If that were to happen then NATO would become directly engaged via Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and the resulting war would be terrible to behold…”

Biggest Crash in Our Lifetime in 2024?

The Daily Mail wrote on December 24:

“… economist… Harry Dent claims the effects of the crash will ‘be obvious’ by May and will slow the economy for over a decade. He told Fox Digital: ‘If I’m right, it is going to be the biggest crash of our lifetime, most of it happening in 2024’… He added: ‘When this asset bubble bursts and the price of everything, especially housing, comes back down to reality, imagine, not only can you buy the house you want at half-off… you can buy twice as nice a house here for the same mortgage you were going to get before…’

“Market bubbles are characterized by a rapid rise in stock prices, before a sharp fall and Dent says that sky-high prices are going to plummet next year… People will be hurt ‘the most’ by the real estate crash, which he says will drop housing prices back to 2012 prices. He said: ‘That’s a 50% crash for the average house, which went down 34% in the last crash, more than the Great Depression, more than any time in history…’”

Germany “Must” Arm Itself!

Bild Online pushed the following on December 23:

“After Defense Minister Boris Pistorius…, more and more politicians and experts are demanding that Germany must prepare for an attack, for example from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin…. The head of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen… is therefore calling for military spending to be doubled…

“More should be said and taught about the Bundeswehr and war at schools and universities. Teacher President Stefan Düll… wants, among other things, visits by youth officers to schools. He also calls for consideration of whether curricula need to be sharpened ‘with regard to threats, geostrategy and defense preparedness.’”

Indoctrination and invitation to become cannon fodder for our innocent children in schools! What else is new? But it is taking on increasingly dangerous forms.

Erdogan vs. Netanyahu

 The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 27:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is worse than Adolf Hitler. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan charged as he likened the IDF’s military campaign to oust Hamas from Gaza to the World War II Holocaust….  ‘All sorts of support comes from the United States. And what did they do with all this support? They killed more than 20,000 Gazans,’ he said.

“Netanyahu shot back, ‘Erdogan, who is committing genocide against the Kurds and who holds the world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his regime, is the last person who can preach morality to us.’ ‘The IDF, which is the most moral army in the world, is fighting to eliminate the most abhorrent and brutal terrorist organization in the world, Hamas-ISIS, which has committed crimes against humanity, and which Erdogan has praised and whose leaders he hosts,’ Netanyahu stated.”

Conscription for Ukraine?

Bild Online wrote on December 23rd:

“Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians living abroad should be mobilized for military service in the fight against Putin’s invading army! The Ukrainian parliament is currently working on a corresponding draft law… There are currently around 700,000 Ukrainians subject to military service living in the EU states. Since the start of the war, around 180,000 Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 have fled to Germany alone and are still staying here… The bill is scheduled to be put to the vote in January…

“Already this week, the new Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umjerow … said that next year he wanted to recruit Ukrainians living in Germany between the ages of 25 and 60 into military service at home. Estonia has already stated that it will locate and extradite Ukrainians in the country who are subject to military service…

“Umjewor’s announcement also sparked a discussion in Germany. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann explained… ‘It will not be the case that we are now forcing people into conscription or military service against their will.’ It is good that the war refugees have been accepted. CDU defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter… demanded… that the citizen’s allowance of Ukrainian men who are subject to military service should be reduced. And further: If the men didn’t want to go to the front, they could be deployed in homeland security. That could be clarified in a government agreement.”

Kiesewetter’s statements are simply outrageous. And Ukraine’s planned methods are absolutely condemnable.

German War Tax for Ukraine?

Breitbart wrote on December 25:

“The struggling German population should be forced to pay a Ukraine tax to continue funding the war against Russia, a top economic advisor to the government has argued.

“Monika Schnitzer, the chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, an advisory body to the government known locally as the ‘five sages’ of the economy, declared this week that a special tax to send money to Ukraine should be added to the already hefty income tax levied against the population… The recommendation to introduce a Ukraine tax comes as the public already labours under one of the highest tax rates in the West… The German economy has been deeply impacted by the war in Ukraine…”

How crazy can it get?

More Corruption in Ukraine

Die Welt wrote on December 23:

“A high-ranking Defense Ministry official has been arrested in Ukraine for allegedly embezzling 36 million euros. The money was actually intended for grenades…

“In recent months, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has been rocked by several corruption scandals. At the beginning of August, Zelensky had already fired all heads of the regional offices responsible for recruiting. He denounced a system that enabled conscripts to be smuggled out of the country.”

One has to wonder where all the money goes which is being sent to Ukraine.

Catholic Bishops Disagree With Pope Francis—Permanent Split Coming?

Fox News wrote on December 23:

“Following the Vatican’s publication of Fiducia Supplicans — a document outlining when individuals in same-sex or otherwise ‘irregular’ couples can be blessed — the worldwide Catholic Church has seen battle lines forming around its application. While early disputations came from African prelates in countries such as Nigeria, Zambia, Cameroon, and Malawi, now Eastern European leaders [from Poland and Ukraine] have joined in dissent.”

African News and the Associated Press reported on December 24:

“In an extraordinary pushback against Pope Francis, some Catholic bishops in Africa, Poland and elsewhere say they will not implement the new Vatican policy allowing blessings for same-sex couples… The reactions show how polarizing the issue remains… Some of the strongest responses came from bishops in Africa, home to 265 million Catholics, or nearly a quarter of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. Many of those Catholics live and their churches operate in societies where homosexuality is condemned and outlawed.

“Out of the continent’s 54 countries, 31 have laws criminalizing homosexuality, more than any other continent,..

“The Polish bishops conference — among the most conservative in Europe and a reference point beyond the continent given its ties to St. John Paul II — said it has no plans to give blessings to same-sex couples. Marriage, the conference asserted, remains only the union between a man and a woman, and sexual acts outside of that are ‘always an offense against God’s will’…”

Newsmax added on December 22:

“The former head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office called Pope Francis’ recent approval allowing priests to bless same-sex couples blasphemous…. ‘The difficulty of blessing a union or couple is especially evident in the case of homosexuality,’ Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who led the Vatican’s doctrinal office from 2012 to 2017, wrote in an essay published Thursday by The Pillar. ‘For in the Bible, a blessing has to do with the order that God has created and that he has declared to be good.’…

“Some Catholic leaders… are warning that the pope’s declaration may create a permanent split in the church, pointing to stark disagreements over the issue in the Anglican Communion. Conservative Anglican churches, which include some in Africa where nearly half of the world’s estimated 100 million Anglicans worship, have broken with sister churches that back liberal teaching and views on homosexuality. This includes the Episcopal Church in the United States.

“Further, a dozen leading Anglican archbishops, mainly from the global South, called to break with the Church of England after it decided to allow blessings of gay relationships.’

On the other hand, President Biden and some bishops in Germany welcomed the Pope’s decision to bless homosexual couples.

Francis Speaks Out Against the Weapon Industry

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“Pope Francis on Monday used his annual Christmas address to push for Mideast peace while blasting weapons makers and their ‘instruments of death’ for helping to fuel such conflicts… Hitting out at the weapons industry, Francis argued that it is fueling conflicts around the globe. The pope called on people to pay more attention to the amount of their tax dollars going to weaponry…. ‘And how can we even speak of peace when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?’

“Francis went on to say that today’s wars… are simply being used to try out new weapons or use up old stockpiles.”

He also attacked abortion, calling it a massacre and murder.  He is correct on both counts.

UFOs—It’s All Demonic

LifeSiteNews wrote on December 22:

“The popular conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson recently shared his belief that the non-human beings the U.S. government has reportedly encountered are ‘not aliens’ but are ‘spiritual’ in nature… Carlson went on to affirm his belief in both good and evil non-human spiritual beings, although he did not label them outright…

“His interpretation accords with that of Catholic philosopher Daniel O’Connor, who shared with LifeSiteNews last year his thoughts on the ‘diabolical’ nature of reports of UFOs, aliens, and abductions. O’Connor also weighed in on former president Barack Obama’s ‘hope’ that ‘the knowledge that there were aliens out there would solidify people’s sense that what we have in common is really more important,’ and his speculation that ‘new religions would pop up’ in the aftermath of the discovery.

“O’Connor believes Obama would not have talked about the possibility of alien life without ‘permission’ from his ‘handlers,’ and that his statement aligns ‘perfectly’ with what the public is being prepared for. O’Connor told LifeSiteNews editor-in-chief John-Henry Westen that the public is gradually being acclimated to the idea of aliens, like the proverbial frog slowly boiled in a pot of water, so that we may eventually be presented with a ‘new gospel’ from ‘the heavens’ to replace Christ’s Gospel.

“Regarding reports of UFO encounters or alien ‘abductions,’ O’Connor believes ‘it’s all demonic.’” 

See our Q&A on this topic. https://www.eternalgod.org/ufos-aliens-angels-or-demons/

Christians Who Do Not Celebrate Christmas

Israel 365 News wrote on December 24:

“…there are a growing number of ministries that have broken with the holiday… Breaking with Christmas was described as returning Christianity to its roots. The two main reasons cited for separating from Christmas were the holiday’s pagan origins and the lack of any Biblical source. Pastor Mark Biltz stopped celebrating Christmas 20 years ago, and he points to the Book of Jeremiah to explain how the Bible views the pagan origins of Christmas. [Jeremiah 10:2] describes a pagan holiday, complete with a decorated tree, that is unacceptable to the prophet. This pagan holiday eventually transformed into Christmas… When Emperor Constantine made Christianity the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, he incorporated many pagan customs, including Saturnalia, in order to accommodate the majority pagan populace… [It] was an ancient custom that the Catholic Church decided would be a great way to get pagans to accept their teachings…

“Separating from Christmas was described by many as part of a larger spiritual process, in some cases deriving from a desire to reconcile with Jewish roots and return to a Biblical understanding of the religion… Pieter and Anneke Leeuwestein from Holland stopped celebrating Christmas but found that despite living in a rural area outside of Amsterdam, they were not alone. ‘In my part of the country there are hundreds of people who do not celebrate Christmas or Easter anymore,’ Anneke said. ‘It wasn’t difficult. After so many years of walking in sin, it felt like coming home’…”

You Must Buy a Christmas Tree?

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 21:

”Friedrich Merz leader of Germany’s conservative opposition CDU on Thursday returned to the contentious topic of defining the country’s ‘Leitkultur’ – which could be translated as ‘guiding’ or ‘leading’ or ‘mainstream’ or even ‘dominant’ culture in English–by suggesting that the purchase of a Christmas tree was an integral part thereof.

“Speaking with the Funke Media Group, the outspoken politician said, ‘When we talk about Leitkultur, about our way of life, then, for me, this includes buying a Christmas tree before Christmas… It is part of our Western Christian-influenced identity,’ he continued, adding that it has been so for generations and as such influences today’s children, who will continue it into the future…

[The term ‘Leitkultur’] can often be ambiguous, for instance, whether the term lists examples of established German culture that migrants ought to accept and respect, or actually adopt themselves… Some critics of the concept saw a direct parallel to the concept of ‘Germanization’ propagated by the Nazis…

“Less than two weeks ago, the CDU released a blueprint for its vision of Germany’s future. Among the policy points the paper highlighted was one entitled, ‘The Courage to Embrace Leitkultur: Only those who acknowledge our dominant culture can integrate and become German citizens.’…

“One retired former German Cabinet minister, Ruprecht Polenz, interpreted Merz’s comments as an implicit demand for people to buy Christmas trees…”

It would be hard to believe that Merz’s comments were merely coincidental. Rather, his words appear to be intentional to set a dangerous precedence.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Hamas’s Rockets Endanger Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque

Breitbart wrote on December 15:

“The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas fired rockets toward Jerusalem on Friday evening, as both Jews and Muslims were participating in prayers, endangering the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The rockets were intercepted and disabled by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system…

‘Though this is not the first time rockets have targeted Jerusalem, it is thought that Hamas avoids targeting the city because of the danger that it will damage one of the Islamic holy sites — though it is likely it would blame Israel, anyway, if it happened to do so.”

Inasmuch as a temple will be built on the Temple Mount, prior to Christ’s return, where the first and the second temples stood, an “accidental” rocket destroying the Dome of the Rock and/or the Al Aqsa mosque could easily pave the way for the erection of the prophesied Third Temple.

Israel Under Pressure

The Associated Press wrote on December 15:

‘The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip… The army’s chief spokesman… said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned…

“The offensive, triggered by the unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes. Displaced people have squeezed into shelters mainly in the south in a spiraling humanitarian crisis…

“The U.S. has said it eventually wants to see the West Bank and Gaza under a unified Palestinian government as a precursor to a Palestinian state — an idea soundly rejected by Netanyahu, who leads a right-wing government that is opposed to Palestinian statehood…”

Breitbart wrote on December 16:

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed Saturday after an inquiry that the three hostages who were mistakenly killed on Friday were shirtless, waving white flags, and calling in Hebrew, and were shot by soldiers who thought they were being lured into a trap. The hostages had emerged at 10:00 a.m. One of the soldiers who saw them shouted ‘Terrorists!’ upon seeing them. The soldiers opened fire — against protocol, which forbid firing on someone with a white flag. They killed two, and wounded the third, who ran into a building and continued shouting for help in Hebrew. A battalion commander ordered them to stop firing, but they kept on shooting, killing him…

“In addition, soldiers had found graffiti earlier in the week on a building that read “SOS – three hostages” in Hebrew. They believed the building to be booby-trapped, as many other buildings have been…

“The soldiers who fired on the hostages are reported to be receiving psychological counseling, according to the Times of Israel. A ‘darkness’ had fallen on the nation in the wake of the tragedy, according to Israel’s Army Radio, as the nation mourned the deaths of the hostages — and wondered what might have been, had the soldiers arrested them rather than shooting toward them.

“Had the hostages been rescued, Israel would have won a major psychological victory in the war. Support for military efforts to free the hostages would have risen, and Israel would have been more confident in resisting pressure from the U.S. to stop the war. Now, the confidence of the nation in a military approach to freeing the hostages has been damaged, and there is intense pressure — internal and, no doubt, external — to resume negotiations with Hamas via Qatar, despite the risk to the overall military mission.

“The Times of Israel notes that political differences, suppressed during the war so far, have burst into the open again, with many blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the tragedy, though there is no connection between any policy and the event…

“But political commentator Caroline Glick observed there was a very real risk that the tragic deaths of the hostages could derail the entire effort, as happened twenty-five years ago when the deaths of four soldiers in Lebanon triggered a protest movement…

“The incident illustrates the success of Hamas’s tactics of psychological warfare — both on the troops in the field, and on Israeli leaders. Fake ‘hostages’ leading to deadly booby traps and ambushes conditioned IDF soldiers to fire at real hostages. That will, in turn, make it more difficult for soldiers to fire on actual terrorists in future. Moreover, Hamas has succeeded in dividing Israeli society once again, and likely increasing external pressure from the U.S. to stop the war, possibly sparing the terrorist group.

“In the interim, the suffering continues: the Hostages and Families Forum announced Saturday that another Israeli hostage, Inbar Haiman, 27, was found to have been murdered by Hamas in captivity. The circumstances of her death were not released…’

The accidental killing of hostages is most certainly not helping Israel’s cause. The horrific scenes of utterly devastated and destroyed buildings and the horrible suffering of large portions of the Gaza population does not score in Israel’s favor either.

Newsweek wrote on December 18:

“Israel has edged closer to an all-out war with the Lebanese Hezbollah movement amid a worsening round of hostilities playing out as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is already engaged in its most intensive conflict to date in the Gaza Strip, an IDF official has said.”

Turning Into All-Out Disaster?

The New York Post wrote on December 16:

“Over the many years they have been in the public eye, Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu were never friends and rarely allies…Then suddenly, terrorism brought them together in something of a shotgun wedding… The president’s initial support for the Jewish state was firm, but it put him in a bind with major elements of the Democratic Party… His decision to undercut Israel during an existential war in hopes of winning back young voters and Muslim Americans is politics at its cheapest. It makes Biden look craven, as if he has neither courage nor conviction…

‘That’s not to suggest Biden has totally abandoned Israel. The two carrier groups he dispatched are still in the region and he’s still sending military supplies. Indeed, the president went around Congress for the latest shipment when lawmakers moved too slowly. But there’s no denying he’s been giving Israel help with one hand and slapping it with the other…  Biden’s criticism reached a new low last week when, in remarks to donors, most of them reportedly Jewish, he actually accused Israel of ‘indiscriminate’ bombing…

“The heart of the problem, of course, is that Biden came into office sleepwalking in lockstep with the Obama-Biden administration’s bid to lure Iran back into the world order. The effort failed as predicted, yet not before Iran benefitted from having billions of its dollars unfrozen and realized a second bonanza through its oil sales.

“Yet even now, despite the fact that much of that money went to Hamas and Hezbollah, the Houthis and scores of other malignant forces, Biden apparently remains convinced the mullahs will one day sit down with Israel and the US around a campfire…”

Iran will remain Israel’s and America’s enemy, until Christ returns… and even beyond then for a while.

EU Has No Unanimity on Ceasefire Issue

PA Media reported on December 15:

“Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said there is… not unanimity in the EU for a ceasefire in Gaza, a day after saying the bloc had ‘lost credibility’ on the issue… He was speaking at the end of a two-day EU summit that saw an agreement to begin accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, and a proposal to send a 50 billion euro aid package to Ukraine vetoed by Hungary… He said the EU also needed to be stronger on pushing for a two-state solution…

“It comes after a UN General Assembly vote in which the vast majority of countries voted for an immediate ceasefire in the region. Austria, Germany and the UK abstained on the vote, while the US voted against it. [Actually, Austria voted against it too, according to other reports.]”

The National News reported on December 18:

“The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell on Monday described Israel’s ‘lack of distinction’ between civilians and military targets as ‘appalling’. His comments come as the US, the UK, Germany and France increase pressure on Israel to tone down its bombardments on the Gaza strip as the death toll nears 20,000… EU leaders… tasked Mr Borrell to draw up a list of violent Israeli settlers for discussions on banning them from Europe…

“German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock co-signed a letter with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in The Sunday Times calling for a ‘sustainable ceasefire.’ This differed from the French request for an immediate ceasefire… Some observers predict Israel will not be able to resist global opinion much longer.”

The Week of Whoppers

The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on December 14:

“The New York Times goes blind to Biden corruption… Diary of disturbing disinformation and dangerous delusions.

“This headline: ‘Impeachment Inquiry Approved, Despite No Proof of Biden Crime’… “We say: Sorry… Tons of evidence prove President Biden was involved in his son’s corrupt businesses: Hunter Biden’s partners’ testimony, bank records, pictures, video, audio recordings, emails . . .  And all [that] emerged despite Biden family stonewalling, which made an inquiry with subpoena and other powers necessary…

“This column: ‘Age jokes can’t diminish Biden’s unrivaled experience and wisdom [by] The Hill… “We say: …  Biden has wrecked everything he’s touched: the border, the economy, the budget, the situation throughout the world…”

No proof for Biden’s wrongdoing? This is so preposterous and ridiculous to even suggest! It’s just embarrassing and defies any credibility. And Biden’s “unrivaled experience and wisdom” is most certainly lacking in his failing government.

Biden—A Slow-Moving Car Crash

The New York Post published the following article by Piers Morgan on December 19:

“‘Mr. President,’ shouted a reporter as Joe Biden stumbled slowly towards his presidential SUV on a rainy night in Delaware on Sunday. ‘Why are you losing to Trump in the polls?’ The leader of the free world stopped in his tracks, looked momentarily bemused, then turned towards his questioner, and replied: ‘You’re reading the wrong polls!’ One second later, there was a loud bang as a random vehicle accidentally smashed into his presidential motorcade… It was a perfect metaphor: a presidency that’s become a slow-moving car crash. The driver who banged into the motorcade has since been charged with DUI.

“But when it comes to the analysis of polling, it would be more appropriate for President Biden to be charged with UID – Under the Influence of Delusion… Trump leads his successor in seven swing states by an average of 5% (47%-42%) among registered voters… As for Biden’s personal approval numbers, they just hit record lows of just 34% and among crucial independent voters, a catastrophic 24%.

“In fact, things are so bad… that for the first time, more people are impressed with his hapless, useless, and clueless Vice President Kamala Harris than him, albeit by a small margin (35%-34%)…

“Biden knows his poll numbers are dreadful… he’s been raging at staff for why his ratings are tanking so disastrously and demanding to know what they intend to do about it… In typical Biden style, everyone but himself is to blame for public disapproval of his woeful failures on everything from the economy… to immigration… So, when Biden says the only reason that we all think Trump’s beating him in the polls is because we’re all reading the wrong polls, he’s lying… This week, sources close to Barack Obama told the Wall Street Journal he fears his party could ‘very well lose’ the 2024 election. And Obama’s former top political adviser David Axelrod has warned that Biden’s approval ratings are ‘very, very dark news’…

“He’s 81 going on 101, and his seemingly never-ending physical and verbal stumbles are developing into the Republican Party’s Utopian campaign highlights reel. What’s inexplicable is why the Democrats seem so hell-bent on standing by a leader who’s become not just a national but a global joke…

“He genuinely thinks he’s going to retain the White House because there’s no chance of Americans voting for Trump again, and his anger at his aides is because Americans are telling pollsters the complete opposite…

“Biden increasingly reminds me of Union Army chief General John Sedgwick, who famously, during the American Civil War at the battle of Spotsylvania in 1864, berated his men for ducking for cover from Confederate bullets and declared confidently: ‘They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance…’ He was shot dead seconds later. Joe Biden is just as deluded about the threat from Trump, and if insists on running in 2024, his political career will meet the same fate.”

Giuliani Verdict “Pathetic” and “Offensive”

Newsmax wrote on December 15:

“A jury’s verdict that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani must pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers who claim he defamed them was ‘pathetic’ and ‘offensive,’ Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Newsmax on Friday.

“The [black] workers… sued Giuliani for defamation regarding the 2020 election that they said upended their lives with racist threats and harassment. Giuliani was helping former President Donald Trump contest his narrow loss to Joe Biden in Georgia in that election…

“[Burchett said:] ‘This is a political game within our court system. It’s so political that our own Justice Department hasn’t even lifted a finger to look at Hunter Biden when the $30 million that have flowed through that family, their crime family, and probably not paid any taxes on it. I don’t know if Rudy Giuliani is guilty or not, but it’s not in the hundreds of millions of dollars guilty… You have the Bidens and the elite Democrats and the rest of us, and unfortunately this Justice Department, they’re blind only in one eye…’”

The Associated Press added on December 15:

“Rudy Giuliani strongly denounced the damages against him… saying the verdict matched the ‘absurdity and unfairness of the entire proceeding… It bore no resemblance to a trial in a country with the rule of law. I wasn’t able to offer any evidence in my defense. We’ll have more to say and look forward to the appeal.’”

The Messenger wrote on December 21:

“Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani petitioned for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday, just one day after a federal judge allowed two election workers who he defamed to attempt to immediately enforce a $146 million judgment….”

The judge, who had been appointed by President Obama, had already found Giuliani guilty via a default judgment (!) before the case was handed to the jury who was only asked to decide on the amount of damages. One of the attorneys, representing the two plaintiffs, is a good friend of Hunter Biden, according to Giuliani. One must be blind in both eyes if one can’t see what is going on here, with a totally corrupt “justice” system which simply does not work anymore at all.

Trump Condemned for Using Again Hitler’s Phraseology

Daily Mail wrote on December 16:

“At a rally in New Hampshire, former President Donald Trump stood in front of a crowd of MAGA Republicans and said that illegal immigrants ‘poisoned mental institutions and prisons all over the world’. Although he didn’t elaborate on how migrants are ‘poisoning’ mental institutions and prisons – Trump’s words resemble those of Adolf Hitler, who famously used the same phrase in his book Mein Kampf…

“Trump used the same phrase back in October – prompting former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera to denounce the former President for claiming migrants are ‘poisoning the blood of our country,’ and expressing his shock at the ‘extraordinary, hateful, Hitler-like quote.’”

JTA wrote on December 20:

 “Speaking at an Iowa presidential rally on Tuesday, Donald Trump denied lifting a phrase describing immigrants as ‘poisoning the blood of our country’ from Adolf Hitler’s manifesto… ‘I never read “Mein Kampf.” They said, “Oh, Hitler said that” — in a much different way.’…

“A number of media outlets noted that Trump’s late first wife, Ivana Trump, once reported that he kept a book of Hitler’s speeches by his bedside… Trump’s spokesmen have said the phrase is normal and not racist.”

The article points out that Hitler used this phrase in his 1925 manifesto about how he became anti-Semitic. It is true that Hitler did not initially hate the Jews because of their religion, but because of their race. And he did use words similar to those used by Trump.

Trump Barred From Appearing on Colorado Presidential Primary Ballot

The New York Post wrote on December 19:

“Donald Trump was barred from appearing on Colorado’s presidential primary ballot next year, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The court determined the 77-year-old former president was ineligible for the White House, citing the US Constitution’s insurrection clause, which led to his removal from the ballot.

“It’s the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate. ‘A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,’ the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

“The ruling is stayed until Jan. 4, or until the US Supreme Court makes a decision on the case. Trump’s campaign said in a statement it has ‘full confidence’ that the US Supreme Court would quickly side with the ex-president and ‘finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits.’”

The Daily Mail added on December 19:

“Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung… said the decision was a product of an ‘all-Democrat appointed’ court and a ‘Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden.” 

As we reported earlier (see our Update #1091, dated November 24, 2023), it is highly doubtful that Section 3 of the 14^th Amendment applies to a presidential candidate. We wrote the following:

“… a Colorado district judge ruled that Donald Trump must be placed on the ballot in the 2024 presidential contest. Even though she ruled, quite ridiculously, that Trump did engage in insurrection on January 6, 2021, she also ruled that he was not an officer of the United States as defined by the Fourteenth Amendment, which is only limited to ‘Senator or Representative in Congress’ and ‘elector of President and Vice President’ but does not include the ‘President.’

“As Breitbart explained on November 17:

“A federal court in New Hampshire recently dismissed a similar case… A Minnesota state court recently dismissed a lawsuit aiming to keep Trump off that state’s primary ballot. And a Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled that the Secretary of State must list Trump on the ballot as well. An appeal is likely. The Colorado case, or another similar case in another state, could likely land before the Supreme Court, which has never before ruled on the Civil War-era amendment.”

Strong Condemnation for Antidemocraric and Unconstitutional Colorado Court Decision

The New York Post published on December 20 the following article by Professor Turley:

“The Colorado decision to bar Donald Trump from the ballot will be overturned because it is wrong on the history and the language of the 14th Amendment… The question is whether the US Supreme Court will speak with one voice, including the three liberal justices. As with the three Democratic state justices who refused to sign off on the Colorado opinion, these federal justices can now bring a moment of unity not just for the court but the country in rejecting this shockingly anti-democratic theory…

“The majority on the Colorado Supreme Court adopted sweeping interpretations of every element of the decision to find that Trump not only incited an insurrection, but can be disqualified under this provision.  It does not matter that Trump has never been charged with even incitement or that he called for his supporters to go to the Capitol to protest ‘peacefully.’  In finding that Trump led an actual insurrection, the four justices used speeches going back to 2016 to show an effort to rebel before Trump was ever president…

“What these four justices did was a direct assault on our democratic process in seeking to bar the most popular candidate in the upcoming election… Not only are these four justices seeking to bar the votes of millions of voters… but they are doing so in the name of democracy. It is the ballot cleansing that is usually associated with authoritarian countries like Iran, where voters are protected from ‘unworthy’ candidates… Most people understand intuitively that what these four justices did in Colorado was wrong…

“The moment has come for nine justices to speak in one voice. An American voice that transcends the personalities and divisions of our time. It is a voice that speaks not to what divides us but what defines us as a people.” 

 Breitbart wrote on December 20:

“Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz blasted the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that former President Donald Trump was not eligible for the presidential ballot based on the 14th Amendment. According to Dershowitz, the Colorado court’s 4-3 ruling misinterpreted the 14th Amendment, which he said laid out the process that Congress would enact, not a state court. ‘In the 60 years I’ve been practicing and teaching law, I’ve never seen a decision that’s so anti-democratic and so unconstitutional,’ Dershowitz said. ‘It is absurd. The idea that the 14th Amendment was supposed to substitute for the impeachment provision, carefully drafted by the framers, is wrong.’…

“Dershowitz also said he anticipated the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn the Colorado decision.”

Breitbart wrote on December 19:

 “The Court’s unilateral determination that Trump engaged in insurrection comes despite Trump having never been convicted of that – or any other – crime, or even been charged in court with the crime of insurrection. He was acquitted by the U.S. Senate of charges of engaging in insurrection and continues to deny wrongdoing. In support of its legal assertion, the Court cites the U.S. House January 6 Select Committee, notwithstanding that Trump was acquitted of the House’s charges in the Senate…

 “In another dissent, Justice Carlos Samour wrote, ‘Given the current absence of federal legislation to enforce Section Three, and given that President Trump has not been charged pursuant to section 2383, the district court should have granted his September 29 motion to dismiss.’ He continued, ‘the court received and considered a partial congressional report, the admissibility of which is not beyond reproach… I have been involved in the justice system for thirty-three years now, and what took place here doesn’t resemble anything I’ve seen in a courtroom.’…”

 LifeSiteNews wrote on December 20: “The claim that he was involved in an ‘insurrection’ is perverse… Violent mobs regularly riot, vandalize, and empty stores of products and now courts are vandalizing the law and destroying the Constitution. These judges are no better than the mobs. They are even more dangerous and should themselves be jailed and charged with insurrection.”

The Most and Least Favorable Politicians in the USA

Breitbart wrote on December 17:

“The [recent Harvard-Harris] poll, conducted among over 2,000 registered American voters from December 13 to 14, has gained attention for revealing the radical attitudes of young people toward Israel and Jews. A slender majority of those 18-24 said that Israel should be destroyed. However, there are other interesting results in the survey, including the favorability of various politicians and public figures.

“President Joe Biden has net negative favorability, at -10% (43% favorable, 53% unfavorable).

“Republican challenger Donald Trump is marginally positive, with net positive favorability of 1% (49% favorable, 48% unfavorable). That is ahead of one of his rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), at net negative favorability of -1%; however, it is behind former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (net positive 9%) and even with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (net positive 1%).

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has net positive favorability of 18% (49% positive, 31% negative). Elon Musk has net favorability of 12% (49% positive, 37% negative). Netanyahu — who is deeply underwater in his own country — is at 10% positive (36% positive, 26% negative).

“Israelis are often puzzled by Netanyahu’s popularity in the United States; likewise, Joe Biden enjoys highly favorable ratings in Israel…”

Liberty and Freedom?

Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column on December 18:

“Just before leaving town for Christmas break, the US House gave Americans a last-minute holiday gift: a nearly trillion dollar military spending bill filled with lots of goodies for the special interests and the military-industrial complex…

“Considering that Speaker Johnson tossed into the ‘must-pass’ bill yet another extension of Section 702 of the FISA Act, it’s unsurprising that he wanted to rush the bill through without the possibility of amendment. Section 702 allows the government to intercept and retain without a warrant the communications of any American who is in contact with a non-US citizen. It is clearly a violation of the Fourth Amendment which is supposed to protect Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures.

“Section 702 was ‘legalized’ under President George W. Bush during the ‘War on Terror’ after it was revealed that Bush was using the National Security Agency to illegally spy on Americans. We were told at the time that government must be granted these authorities because we were under threat from terrorists. It would just be a temporary measure, we were promised, and then the authority would expire. That was fifteen years ago and here we are re-authorizing the government to continue to violate our liberties.

“As with the rest of the violations of our civil liberties after 9/11, like the PATRIOT Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA, the federal government soon turned its terrorism-fighting tools inward, targeting Americans rather than foreigners who we were told wanted to harm Americans. That’s why the FBI’s so-called domestic terrorism watchlist continues to expand to include Christians and those skeptical of big government.

“So rather than debating whether we want a government more like East Germany than the one our Founders imagined, Section 702 was tossed into the military spending bill…

“We are more than 33 trillion dollars in debt, with interest payments on that debt dwarfing all other government spending. A crash is coming. There is no time for more ‘business as usual.’’

German Government More Unpopular Than Ever

Following the coalition government’s extremely controversial and unpopular deal on the federal budget for 2024, raising or establishing new taxes and increasing costs for gasoline, heating and domestic flights, and the embarrassing attempts by Scholz and his political partners to justify the same, emotions in Germany are running high.

Die Welt wrote on December 15:

“The Ampel coalition is doing… worse than ever before… Only 27 percent of those surveyed say that the government is ‘doing its job rather well.’… But only 35 percent of all respondents believe that a CDU-led government would do a better job… Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) reached… his personal low… [In a new election] the Ampel coalition would not have a parliamentary majority. Of the politically realistic alliances, a coalition between the CDU and the SPD or the CDU and the Greens would currently be strong enough.”

In either case, this would be a catastrophic prognosis.

Still, Bild Online wrote on December 15:

“59 percent of Germans want early elections for the Bundestag next year, i.e. in 2024. Only 27 percent are AGAINST new elections.”

But early elections would have no reasonable chance of a successful government, based on the current situation.

In its article, Bild Online published some representative opinions of its readership:

“What have we done wrong that we are governed like this?… When will you [Scholz] finally resign? You’ve caused enough chaos. Germany has never been governed so badly.”

We would agree with this assessment. We said from the outset that this coalition of diverse parties such as SPD, Green and FDP would not be successful and even wondered how long it could stay in power.

Focus Online also published representative opinions of its readership on December 15:

“Germany is turning away from its government and the government is turning away from its people… This is an insolence beyond compare… It was already clear to me before that… tax increases were coming…  I’m just angry with this government!… How about if you, Mr. Scholz, Mr. Habeck and Mr. Lindner, live the life of a normal worker for a month? Maybe you would realize what your laws mean to us. I’m 50 years old and I’m getting tired of seeing my hard-earned money not being used for my own people. All problems are blamed on the war. But many problems were created by your government…”

You might think you were reading statements about Biden and his government here.

Germany Needs a Leadership Figure

Focus wrote on December 18:

“In democracies, trust is the greatest asset. After two years of Ampel (the government coalition),  there isn’t much left of it. This is because Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government ignore the needs of the people… Due to the budget hammer… the government has not only lost billions of euros, but it has also continued to lose more of its reputation and trust.

“The entrepreneur Roland Berger, long-time advisor to Chancellors Helmut Kohl (CDU), Gerhard Schröder (SPD) and Chancellor Merkel (CDU), speaks of an ‘extreme domestic political crisis’, the like of which has not been seen in Germany since the time of Konrad Adenauer’s government.

“A new Adenauer, a chancellor who moves forward courageously and organizes government policy in order to finally restore the country’s competitiveness and thus secure the prosperity of millions of people – this leading figure is urgently needed. But Olaf Scholz doesn’t show any of that. On the contrary… Scholz clearly doesn’t see reality as it is on many topics. At the same time, he is also unable to show Germany a vision of how the greatest crisis situation in post-war history can be overcome… It is to be feared that Germany will continue to be among the worst performers in Europe in terms of the economy…

“How can it be that the losers are now hundreds of thousands of tenants with lower income who have to anticipate significant rent increases and electricity prices rising again?…

“The Ampel doesn’t know what’s happening in this country. Instead, it seems to ignore the concerns of citizens in lieu of its own emergency. This impression is becoming more and more established – and is extremely dangerous because in a phase of great uncertainty, the already low level of trust in the government continues to decline.”

Now the EU Wants German Money

Focus wrote on December 16:

“Chancellor Olaf Scholz has just filled his own budget holes a little bit at home when the next billion-dollar bill is already rolling towards him from Brussels. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants a budget supplement because, among other things, the interest on debts is growing over her head.

“At the same time, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is blackmailing the EU: he will only agree to new aid to Ukraine if he himself receives more money from Brussels. As usual, almost a quarter of the costs of these wishes will be paid by the German taxpayer.”

Obviously, Germans will not be thrilled about this new development, either.

“If Necessary, We Will Paralyze the Country”

The Augsburger Allgemeine wrote on December 14:

“Agriculture is vehemently resisting the Ampel coalition’s savings plans resulting from the budget compromise…

“The President of the Bavarian Farmers’ Association, Günther Felßner, told our editorial team: ‘We farmers are supposed to be the victims because the federal government is unable to create a functioning budget ‘…

“Felßner describes the consequences from the association’s perspective as follows: ‘With the announced cuts, food will become more expensive for everyone in Germany, self-sufficiency will be put at risk…’

“He is calling on the federal government to withdraw the austerity proposals … If this doesn’t happen, he advises the Ampel coalition to make room for another, a new government that has sensible concepts. And he threatens: ‘If none of this happens, we as farmers see it as our responsibility to take to the streets and fight to ensure that our country remains viable for the future. If necessary, we will paralyze this country after Christmas.’”

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 18:

“Farmers from across Germany descended upon Berlin on Monday, with hundreds of tractors converging on the city’s famous Brandenburg Gate under the motto, ‘Too much is too much! Farmers are angry about the federal government’s decision to scrap diesel fuel subsidies as well as the negation of tax breaks for the purchase of agricultural and forestry machinery. According to the German Farmers’ Association, those changes could cost farmers up to €1 billion (roughly $1.1 billion)…Farmers are now seeking to send a ‘first clear signal’ to Berlin’s three-party governing coalition that it needs to drop the planned cuts.”

These are not good developments. The German nation is in uproar and blames, correctly, their government for the miserable situation.

Dramatic Changes for EU in the Making?

Express wrote on December 18:

“Controversial changes to the treaties which bind the European Union together would result in a bloc dominated by Germany in which member states would be reduced to ‘vassal’ status, opponents have claimed. The proposals… would involve a total of 267 changes to the treaties, including strengthening the role of the European Parliament, the establishment of a both Defence Union and an Energy Union, and limitations on the power of veto for members of the EU27.

“Much to the annoyance of Mr Verhofstadt and the other co-rapporteurs who lodged the proposals, last week’s European Council meeting – during which the foreign ministers of the EU member states gathered in Brussels – opted not to vote on the issue.

“However, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Poland’s former Secretary of State for Europe, warned the issue had not gone away – and feared dire consequences for the independence of EU member states if the ideas developed during the Conference on the Future of Europe in 2022 were ever put into practice. Not least among his concerns was the use of Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), a mechanism used within the European Council and Council of the EU to take decisions without the need for unanimity…

“Mr Mularczyk, an MP with the recently ousted Law and Justice Party, stressed: ‘The potential loss of sovereignty, as a result of the proposed EU treaty changes and the wider use of qualified majority voting, may cause Member States to think carefully about the future of the EU which will be dominated by the biggest country in Europe, Germany. No Member State will want to be a vassal state in the EU with no voice… The proposed EU treaty changes clearly express that competencies concerning, i.e., the military, border control, fiscal and monetary policy, and the environment, will be transferred to the EU.’…”

And it will happen… ultimately.

Germany Deploys Troops for First Time Since World War II

Newsweek wrote on December 18:

“A new agreement between Germany and Lithuania will lead to German troops’ first permanent foreign deployment since World War II. The announcement was made Monday in Lithuania, where Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas met with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, to outline a multiyear ‘Roadmap Action Plan’ involving approximately 4,800 permanently stationed German soldiers. Both officials called the move a historic moment not just for their nations but for NATO as well…

“‘Germany understands clearly the new state of affairs in security politics: we are taking the role of leadership and responsibility in the [NATO] Alliance as we deploy a combat brigade in Lithuania,’ Pistorius said in the release.”

Of course, there is no leadership under Chancellor Scholz. Still, is the world waking up?

Russia Won’t End the War, Warns America

Fox News wrote on December 16:

“A spokesperson for the Kremlin [Dmitry Peskov] says [Putin] hopes that the next U.S. leader will be ‘more constructive.’…Peskov claimed that Putin is willing to work with ‘anyone who will understand that from now on, you have to be more careful with Russia and you have to take into account its concerns’… Peskov did say that Trump’s assertion that he could end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in a single day to be misguided, saying that the war is ‘too complicated.’

“He expressed frustration with the U.S. for continuing to fund Ukrainian defenses against the ongoing Russian attacks, saying it was a waste of money to oppose the invasion… ‘You are making this conflict longer.’ Peskov also accused the West of waging a ‘war’ on Russia by bolstering defensive military capabilities in Ukraine.  Putin reiterated this week that he will not end the war in Ukraine until his goals are achieved and, at a year-end news conference, offered rare details concerning those objectives.

“The Russian president, who is seeking reelection after being in power for nearly 24 years, addressed concerns from some Russian citizens about another wave of mobilization — a highly unpopular move he enacted in September 2022 to boost his forces in Ukraine. Putin dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilization of reservists, saying there are some 617,000 Russian soldiers currently in Ukraine, including around 244,000 troops who were called up to fight alongside professional Russian military forces. ‘There is no need [for additional mobilization],’ Putin said, because 1,500 men are being recruited into the Russian army every day across the country. He said 486,000 soldiers have signed a contract with the Russian military as of Wednesday evening.”

The highly praised EU decision to start membership negotiations for Ukraine means nothing in practice. German Chancellor Scholz has been praised for convincing Urban to leave the room so that an otherwise “unanimous” decision of the remaining EU members could be reached. However, this was nothing else but an exercise in futility. Any membership is years away. By that time, the war between Russia and Ukraine will have long been over.

No Russian Interest to Attack NATO?

Thomson/Reuters wrote on December 17:

“Putin dismissed as complete nonsense remarks by U.S. President Joe Biden that Russia would attack a NATO country if it won the war in Ukraine, adding that Russia had no interest in fighting the NATO military alliance…

“Putin casts the war [with Ukraine] as part of a much bigger struggle with the United States, which the Kremlin elite says aims to cleave Russia apart, grab its vast natural resources and then turn to settling scores with China.

“The West, which presents Russia and China as its main threats, says it has no plan to destroy Russia. Ukraine says it will not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory.”

The biblical truth is that Russia and Ukraine WILL fight with Europe, and especially Germany, in the future.

“We Have About 5-8 Years”

Reuters wrote on December 15:

“Europe must race to ensure it can better defend itself as new military threats could emerge by the end of the decade even as the focus of security ally the United States shifts towards the Indo-Pacific, Germany’s defense minister said. Russia was hiking its weapons production considerably to sustain its invasion of Ukraine, while also threatening the Baltic states, Georgia and Moldova, Boris Pistorius was quoted as saying in an interview with Welt am Sonntag… ‘We have about 5-8 years to catch up, in terms of armed forces, industry and society,’ he said…

“The election of a more Europe-friendly government in Poland should now enable the Weimar Triangle of Berlin, Paris and Warsaw to develop more their military cooperation, he added.”

Like the 1940s…?

The Telegraph wrote on December 16:

“After the costly victory of 1918, peoples and politicians in democracies were mostly incapable of facing the terrifying fact that new and even greater dangers were looming… The grand old man of Labour, George Lansbury, proclaimed that Hitler, as a non-smoking vegetarian, must want peace. To the Liberal Lloyd George he was ‘the greatest German of the age’. The Tory Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax hoped that ‘one day the Führer will be seen entering Buckingham Palace at the side of the King’…

“Had the West been more visibly prepared and resolute, Hitler would probably have been overthrown by the German army…

“Ukraine is the test, like Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. We prevented the Czechs from defending themselves in 1938. At least we have helped the Ukrainians to resist, but now they are in danger of being effectively abandoned by being given too little too late… if America steps back, it will mean… the defeat of Ukraine…

“So far we have not been called on to make significant sacrifices. Are we still capable of them? Orwell wrote in 1940 that England was like ‘a family with the wrong members in control’, but still able to move together, ‘like a herd of cattle facing a wolf’. I hope we never have to find out the hard way if this is still true.”

It is very likely that the USA will begin soon to substantially reduce or entirely eliminate military help for Ukraine. Note the next article.

US With Smallest Military in Over 80 Years

The Daily Mail wrote on December 16:

“The United States is set to enter 2024 with its smallest military in more than eight decades and faces one of its ‘greatest challenges’ as it tries to boost recruiting… Under the $886 billion annual defense bill passed by Congress this week total active-duty troop numbers will fall to 1,284,500 next year. That is the lowest total since before the U.S. entered the Second World War in 1941 and officials said there should be a ‘national call to service’.

“Ashish Vazirani, the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness… said the ‘all-volunteer force faces one of its greatest challenges since (its) inception’ in the 1970s when the draft ceased.”

And so, it appears that ultimately, the draft will be reinstated.

Blasphemous Woke Nonsense

The Daily Mail wrote on December 18:

“Couples getting married will be asked if they want to be called ‘husband and wife’ under new woke Church guidelines. It is part of new ‘inclusive language’ rules published by The Methodist Church, which warns that old-fashioned terminology ‘makes assumptions about a family or personal life that is not the reality for many people’.

“The guidance also advises preachers to share their pronouns with congregation members ‘to create a safe space for people to be themselves.’… they should use ‘gender-neutral language’, opting for words such as ‘folks, teammates, friends, colleagues, or simply people’.  It adds: ‘People of different genders may choose to use a gender-neutral title such as Mx’…”

Marriage is between a man and a woman, and they are (to be) called husband and wife. Period!

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The Vatican said on Monday in a landmark ruling approved by Pope Francis that Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies.

“A document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office, which effectively reversed a declaration the same body had issued in 2021, said such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all. It should in no way be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage, it added.”

Newsmax wrote on December 21:

“Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association…, is warning same-sex couples that even ‘so-called ‘blessings’ from religious leaders like Pope Francis will not save them ‘from the judgment of God.’ ‘Pope Francis has now approved Catholic priests “blessing” same-sex couples, but none of us, including the Pope, has the right to “bless” what God calls sin,’ Graham [wrote].”

What incredible hypocrisy.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Hunter Biden Indicted… Sort Of…

The Associated Press wrote on December 8:

“Hunter Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the 2024 election. The new charges filed Thursday — three felonies and six misdemeanors — are in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018. They come after the implosion of a plea deal over the summer that would have spared him jail time, putting the case on track to a possible trial as his father campaigns for reelection.

“Hunter Biden ‘spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,’ special counsel David Weiss said in a statement. The charges are centered on at least $1.4 million in taxes Hunter Biden owed during between 2016 and 2019, a period where he has acknowledged struggling with addiction…

“If convicted, Hunter Biden, 53, could receive a maximum of 17 years in prison. The special counsel probe remains open, Weiss said… The charging documents filed in California, where he lives, detail spending on drugs, strippers, luxury hotels and exotic cars, ‘in short, everything but his taxes,’ prosecutor Leo Wise wrote…

“Hunter did eventually file his taxes in 2020, while facing a child support case in Arkansas, and the back taxes were paid by a ‘third party’…”

We wonder who that third party was. It is not to be expected that Hunter will spend one day in prison, and in any event, that his father would not pardon him. He said he would not, but Joe Biden has been known to lie repeatedly.

The DOJ’s and AG’s Cover-Up to Protect Joe Biden Continues

The New York Post published the following article by Attorney and Law Professor Jonathan Turley, on December 8:

“The 56-page indictment of Hunter Biden for tax evasion makes for racy reading, with the special counsel describing a four-year criminal pattern directed at maintaining Biden’s ‘extravagant lifestyle.’ That lifestyle included massive expenses for strippers, sex clubs, fast cars and other distractions.

“The steps taken by Hunter to evade taxes are impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the efforts of the Justice Department to evade any direct implications for his father, President Biden. In that sense, the indictment itself is a marvel of evasion.

“There are… glaring omissions in the indictment that tend to shield critical payments and conduct that implicate the president.  First, the special counsel only indicts tax evasion that occurred in recent years. That’s because the long ‘investigation’ into Hunter inexplicably allowed the statute of limitations to expire on the most controversial payments from Ukraine gas company Burisma. Recent testimony from IRS whistleblowers suggests that wasn’t an accident. Investigators were stonewalled, they claimed, and the Justice Department was previously moving to reject any charges against Hunter Biden. Exploring those earlier Ukrainian payments opens up questions about Hunter’s influence peddling and would have highlighted the conflict in his father’s extraordinary move to force the Ukrainians to fire a prosecutor investigating Burisma by holding back a billion dollars in aid for the country. There is still no explanation why special counsel David Weiss would allow the statute of limitations to run out.  But this recent indictment keeps the focus squarely on taxes not paid, not how the money was ‘earned’ in the first place…

“Also missing in the indictment is any charge against Hunter Biden as an unregistered foreign agent… The problem with charging Hunter with FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) is obvious. It opens up questions about the millions of dollars going to the Biden family from foreign sources, a topic that Attorney General Merrick Garland has spent years avoiding. In the second indictment, Weiss spends more time detailing the salacious use of this money rather than how and why it was given to the Bidens. He just matter-of-factly describes millions flowing through these accounts from China, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and other countries. By focusing on tax evasion alone, Weiss again avoids any direct reference to the focus of the influence-peddling used to raise these millions of dollars.

“Even without mentioning the president, the implications of the indictment are devastating for the narrative and denials of Joe Biden. The president has continued to maintain that he had no knowledge or interaction with these dealings. Those statements are clearly and knowingly false. The president also maintained that his son has ‘never done anything wrong’ and never accepted any money from China. That is also untrue, according to the Justice Department and Hunter himself.

“Yet Weiss continues to avoid any need to address the person who was the selling point of the influence peddling. It was the same person [Joe Biden] who repeatedly called in to dinners and meetings, repeatedly attended events, and held meetings and photo shots for these clients. Instead, Weiss indicts the failure to pay taxes on the proceeds of these dealings without addressing that underlying corruption. It is akin to arresting a bank robber for speeding away from the crime scene without mentioning the reason for his flight. In a scandal with dozens of references to the president and millions sent for influence and access, it took a steady hand for Weiss to avoid ever touching on President Biden’s role. It takes perfect aim not to avoid any contact… It is itself the very model of evasion.”

It’s clearly a coverup, which is supported by Democrats and the left-liberal mass media, falsely claiming that there is no evidence for Joe Biden’s misconduct. The evidence is overwhelming, which is being willfully ignored by those who want to protect Joe Biden.

Suspicious Timing

Newsmax wrote on December 8:

“Donald Trump Jr. panned the timing of the nine criminal charges brought against Hunter Biden on Thursday night, saying it was ‘planned’ in order to skirt Biden’s scheduled deposition next week… Biden is under subpoena to sit for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. ‘Mark my words this was planned and they’re going to use this as the excuse to not testify before Congress… he’ll end up with nothing or [a] slap on the wrist but it’ll make sure he evades the thousands of things (Oversight Committee) is looking at…’

“One former U.S. attorney predicted Biden will now plead the fifth. Brett Tollman agreed with Trump Jr., that the DOJ’s timing on this is transparent in its attempts to protect the Bidens. ‘They could have brought these charges much earlier,’ Tollman told Fox News. ‘They didn’t because they wanted to try to slip one past the American public. This is an effort to also protect Joe Biden…’”

If so, then this would be scandalous and incredibly corrupt.

Hunter Biden Defies Subpoena

Breitbart wrote on December 13:

“House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) initiated contempt of Congress proceedings against Hunter Biden after the president’s son failed to appear for a subpoenaed closed-door deposition Wednesday. If prosecuted and convicted for contempt of Congress, Hunter Biden’s punishment could be up to a $100,000 fine and imprisonment. ‘We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden,’ Comer and Jordan wrote. ‘As our committees were today prepared to depose Hunter Biden, he chose to make a public statement on Capitol Hill instead where he said his father, Joe Biden was not financially involved in his family’s business dealings.’

“‘Exactly how was Joe Biden involved?’ they questioned. ‘Evidence shows Joe Biden met with Hunter’s business associates and his name was at the center of the family business strategy.’ …

“House investigators opened a probe into the Biden family in November 2022. They revealed Joe Biden received money from James Biden and Hunter Biden. They also showed that nine additional Biden family members received payments from the family’s foreign business ventures, including two of the president’s grandchildren.”

The New York Post published the following article by Miranda Devine on December 10:

“It’s as if they live in a cave without access to modern communications. The reason the president has gone unmentioned after a five-year investigation into Hunter’s role in the family influence-peddling racket is that the DOJ, like most of the media, corruptly protected him…  Protecting Joe Biden is a longstanding whole-of-government enterprise…”

The conduct and the lies of Hunter Biden and of those Democrats who support him are beyond “shameless.” Note our new StandingWatch program, “Hunter Biden’s Indictment—the Coverup Continues.”

Impeachment Inquiry Against Joe Biden Approved

 Breitbart wrote on December 13:

“The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden by a vote of 221 to 212. The formally adopted status will enable House investigators to enforce subpoenas and gather evidence about whether the president is compromised and ‘traded official acts for foreign dollars,’ according to House Speaker Mike Johnson…

“Republicans unanimously voted to adopt the resolution…  Democrats voted in a block to oppose the resolution’s adoption.

“The White House failed to provide investigators:

“Information about two loan agreements Joe Biden allegedly executed with James Biden for a total of $240,000. 99.98 percent of requested records from President Joe Biden, including alias emails. Documents about an alleged $5 million bribe Joe Biden accepted. Materials related to Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.

“The vote was a test for House Republicans, who only hold a slight majority that will shrink further this month after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) announced resignation. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-FL) is also expected to leave in the new year to take a university post. Speaker McCarthy opened an ‘impeachment inquiry’ into the president on September 12, but lawmakers did not vote to approve the measure until Wednesday…

“Recent polling shows Americans are highly skeptical of Hunter and Joe Biden:… A plurality of Americans are not confident about how the Justice Department handled the investigation into Hunter Biden… A majority of voters believe President Joe Biden committed a crime with Hunter Biden… 63 percent say Joe Biden violated FARA by assisting Hunter Biden in [the] Ukraine deal…”

The impeachment inquiry could lead to an impeachment process with the possible result that Biden could be found guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” which can lead to his removal from office if convicted in a Senate trial. The possibility that this could happen with a Senate dominated by fact-defying Democrats is next to none. 

Trump Too?

The New York Post wrote on December 9:

“Megyn Kelly said that former President Trump had lost ‘multiple steps’ mentally and was no longer the same man he was in 2016. The podcast host and former Fox News anchor said the 77-year-old former president was starting to show his age — and it wasn’t pretty…. ‘He is confusing Joe Biden for [Barack] Obama … I know he’s now saying he intentionally did that — go back and look at the clips, it wasn’t intentional.’

“The reference about how somebody is going to get us into World War II, confusing countries, confusing cities where he is, and it’s happening more and more,’ she said… ‘if it’s between Trump and Biden, I don’t think there’s any question who’s more fit and more capable. But are we really going to pretend that Donald Trump is just as vibrant and mentally sharp as he was in ’16?’…

“Kelly and Trump have a long personal history dating to the 2016 presidential election…”

Controversial Case in Texas Involving Abortion

The Associated Press wrote on December 9:

“The Texas Supreme Court on Friday night put on hold a judge’s ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis, throwing into limbo an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. The order by the all-Republican court came more than 30 hours after Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area, received a temporary restraining order from a lower court judge that prevents Texas from enforcing the state’s ban in her case…

“Cox was 20 weeks pregnant this week when she filed what is believed to be the first lawsuit of its kind since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that overturned Roe v. Wade… Cox learned she was pregnant for a third time in August and was told weeks later that her baby was at a high risk for a condition known as trisomy 18, which has a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth and low survival rates, according to her lawsuit.

“Furthermore, doctors have told Cox that if the baby’s heartbeat were to stop, inducing labor would carry a risk of a uterine rupture because of her two prior cesareans sections, and that another C-section at full term would endanger her ability to carry another child.

“Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton…warned three hospitals in Houston that they could face legal consequences if they allowed Cox’s physician to provide the abortion…”

Austin American-Statesman reported on December 12:

“The Texas Supreme Court in a highly anticipated decision on Monday evening ruled that Kate Cox, a Dallas area mother carrying a fetus with a fatal condition, does not qualify for an abortion under state laws based on her doctor’s ‘good faith belief’ that she needs the procedure.

“‘The statute requires that judgment be a “reasonable medical” judgment, and Dr. (Damla) Karsan has not asserted that her “good faith belief” about Ms. Cox’s condition meets that standard,’ the opinion reads… Justices indicated they were not inclined to broaden the exception, stating doctors must adhere to a standard of ‘reasonable medical judgment’ rather than a “good faith belief” that a patient needs a life-saving abortion…

“Nancy Northrup, the president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Cox in the suit, said Cox had no choice but to leave the state to get the procedure [and apparently did so on Monday.]”

Note that we are dealing to a large extent with probabilities and likelihoods, but not with certainties. In any event, the question is, can the killing of innocent human life ever be justified?

Scandalous Conduct of Colorado School Regarding Transgender Policy

Fox News wrote on December 9:

“The parents of an 11-year-old girl who was reportedly assigned to share a bed with a transgender student while on an overnight school trip are speaking out about the incident, saying they were not informed of the decision. Serena and Joe Wailes… are taking [action] against Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS)… after chaperones on the June trip allegedly told their daughter to ‘lie’ about the reason why she wanted to switch rooms… [She] was supposed to be assigned to a room with three girls. [Allegedly, the Wailes] were assured in multiple parent meetings leading up to the trip that male and female students would be staying not only in different hotel rooms but also on completely different floors…

“The Wailes’ daughter, who is identified as “D.W.” in the press release, said she found out one of the students she was assigned to share a room with, “K.E.M.,” was transgender – a biological male who identifies as a female… D.W. was understandably uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with a male student, so she snuck into the bathroom and quietly called her father and then her mother… The chaperones asked D.W. if she could simply move to another bed rather than a new room, and while she was still uncomfortable, she agreed to try it for one night so that she could get some sleep. But the chaperones, consistent with district policy, told D.W. to lie about the reason and say she needed to switch beds to be closer to the air conditioner…”

Incredible.

Covid Hysteria on the Rise Again

Daily Express wrote on December 8:

“Masking up is recommended for those who are sick and want to take precautions… according to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)… with Covid and pneumonia cases especially on the rise… The CDC’s mask wearing guidance… states: ‘People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a high-quality mask or respirator when indoors in public.’

“The CDC recommends that people take additional precautions to protect themselves against viruses, like getting the Covid vaccine, the flu vaccine and the RSV vaccine for those over the age of 60… other layers of protection include… wearing a mask.

“Masking recommendations eased up over the summer, but the CDC seems to be tightening guidance on mask wearing this winter as viruses spread.”

This hysteria seems to take hold of other countries as well; it could be and probably is a concentrated effort. In Germany, for example, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach recommended immediate vaccination against Covid and the flu at the same time, to get a Covid test, if in doubt, and to wear masks in buses and trains (Bild, December 12).

How More Insane Can It Get? Carbon Passports for Travelers

CNN published on November 27 an opinion piece with [at least] a disclaimer:

“Tourism is part of the problem [of “climate change”]… The negative impacts of tourism on the environment have become so severe that some are suggesting drastic changes to our travel habits are inevitable. In a report from 2023 that analyzed the future of sustainable travel, tour operator Intrepid Travel proposed that ‘carbon passports’ will soon become a reality if the tourism industry hopes to survive.

“The idea of a carbon passport centers on each traveler being assigned a yearly carbon allowance that they cannot exceed.. the idea of personal carbon allowances is not new. A similar concept (called ‘personal carbon trading’) was discussed by UK Parliament in 2008, before being shut down because of its perceived complexity and the possibility of public resistance…

“Some European countries are beginning to take measures to reduce air travel. As of April 1, 2023, passengers on short-haul flights and older aircraft in Belgium have been subject to increased taxes to encourage alternative forms of travel. Less than two months later, France banned short-haul domestic flights where the same trip can be made by train in two-and-a-half hours or less. Spain is expected to follow suit.

“A similar scheme could also be on the horizon for Germany… 70% of Germans would support such measures to fight climate change if alternative transport routes like trains or ships were available.

“It’s not just air travel that’s being criticized… Amsterdam’s council banned cruise ships from docking in the city center… [Venice banned] large cruise ships entering the city’s waters…”

Will this green woke nonsense ever end?

Poland Still in Uncertain Waters

Deutsche Welle reported on December 13:

“The new government of Polish Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk won a vote of confidence on Tuesday. It comes a day after a majority of Polish MPs elected Tusk as the county’s new prime minister when the proposed conservative government of acting PM Mateusz Morawiecki failed to win lawmakers’ backing… He previously served as Poland’s prime minister from 2007 to 2014 before taking over as European Council president from 2014 to 2019.

“Speaking to lawmakers on Tuesday… Tusk expressed a vote of confidence in the European Union… Tusk has vowed to improve Warsaw’s relations with Brussels, which have been plagued by tensions during the past eight years… Tusk said he would go to Brussels this week and ‘bring back billions of euros,’ referring to the frozen funds [based on the condition that Poland changes its justice system.]. Still, laws to amend the justice system will need the assent of the president… Duda. If Duda vetoes the legislation, Tusk’s coalition doesn’t have the three-fifths majority in the lower house of parliament to override it.

“Duda will remain in office until the next presidential election, which is expected to take place sometime in 2025…

“Furthermore, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Monday that judicial reform legislation which Warsaw needed to pass in order to access the EU funds was unconstitutional.

“As Tusk promised close ties with the EU, he also underlined that he opposes any changes to EU treaties that are not in line with Polish interests… On Ukraine, Tusk said on Tuesday Warsaw will demand the full mobilization of the West to help the war-ravaged country… Tusk also stressed that Poland would remain a loyal ally of the United States.”

EU Grants Ukraine Membership Talks in Midst of War

Reuters wrote on December 14:

“European Union leaders made a historic decision on Thursday to open membership talks with Ukraine, bypassing objections from Hungary to give Kyiv a major political boost as its war against Russia’s invasion grinds on… The move came at a critical time for Ukraine, after its counter-offensive against Russian forces has failed to make major gains and with U.S. President Joe Biden so far unable to get a $60 billion aid package for Kyiv through the U.S. Congress.

“The EU took the decision in a highly unorthodox fashion: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who cultivates close ties with Moscow, agreed to leave the room while his peers from the EU’s 26 other members agreed the move…

“Orban stood by his objections to membership talks for Ukraine even after the decision was taken. ‘Hungary’s stance is clear, Ukraine is not prepared for us to start talks on EU membership,’ he said, calling the decision to start talks ‘irrational’ and ‘inappropriate.’… But membership talks will likely take years and will not start immediately.

“First, the EU will have to agree to a negotiating framework for the talks – which will require another unanimous decision. The leaders said they would take this step once Ukraine meets outstanding requirements on democracy and the rule of law…”

We don’t think it will happen. In any event, Ukraine and Russia will unite to fight Europe. 

Spain, Belgium, Ireland and Malta Gang On Israel

Newslite wrote on December 10:

“The president of Spain, Pedro Sánchez; and the prime ministers of Belgium, Alexander de Croo; Ireland, Leo Varadkar; and Malta, Robert Abela, have asked by letter to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to demand an ‘urgent’ ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the protection of civilians residing there in the face of the ‘seriousness of the situation’ and the ‘possibility of the conflict escalating in the West Bank and throughout the region.’

“The letter comes after the UN Secretary General activated Article 99 of the United Nations Charter for the first time to request this humanitarian ceasefire. The four countries point out that since the conflict began, ‘the number of fatalities and the terrible humanitarian situation have reached alarming levels.’ However, the resolution presented to the UN Council was finally vetoed this Friday by the United States. [In addition, only the UK abstained.]

“The four leaders consider that, although the humanitarian pauses and hostage exchanges between Israel and Palestine are positive, the parties should be asked ‘urgently to declare a lasting humanitarian ceasefire that could lead to the end of hostilities’…

“The third of their requests to Michel is the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine… while concluding that this ‘is the time for the European Union to act’: ‘Our credibility is at stake.’”

Warmonger and antisemite Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey stated after the United States vetoed the UN ceasefire resolution for Gaza that peace with the USA is impossible.

Sanctions Against Israeli Settlers?

RTE wrote on December 11:

“European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said he would propose sanctions against Jewish settlers responsible for violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Ban… While much international attention has focused on the cross-border assault [by Hamas on October 7] and Israel’s subsequent war against Hamas in Gaza, European officials have also expressed increasing concern about rising violence against Palestinians in the West Bank…

“The situation in Gaza is ‘catastrophic, apocalyptic’, with destruction proportionally ‘even greater’ than that which Germany experienced in World War II… Borrell has said. Israel’s military response to Hamas’s 7 October attacks has resulted in ‘an incredible number of civilian casualties’, Mr Borrell said after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

“He… condemned the Israeli government’s decision to approve 1,700 more housing units in Jerusalem, in what Brussels considers a violation of international law.”

Ireland stated it would be “very open” to imposing sanctions and travel bans on extremist settlers if there is no agreement at the EU level.

UN General Assembly Votes Overwhelmingly for Ceasefire

Aljazeera wrote on December 12:

“The 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. Tuesday’s resolution passed with 153 countries voting in favour, 23 abstaining and 10 countries voting against, including Israel and the United States. While the resolution is non-binding [unlike a UN Security Council resolution which was vetoed by the US on Friday], it serves as an indicator of global opinion.”

The ten countries vetoing the resolution included Israel, the USA, Austria, Czechia, Liberia, Guatemala, and Paraguay, among others.

The 23 countries abstaining included, among others, Argentina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay.

The 153 countries voting in favor included, notably, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, France, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.

The anti-Israeli front becomes more focused. Some joining it are somewhat surprising; others are clearly expected.

America Is Undermining the War Effort

Israel Today wrote on December 11

“… under American pressure, the Israeli war cabinet was forced to discuss an increase in fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip, essentially supplying oxygen to Hamas terrorists fighting our soldiers through terror tunnels… a spokesperson for the State Department announced that the United States would oppose the creation of a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip, thus adding more constraints on Israel’s actions, particularly the options at its disposal when it comes to protecting towns near the border. There were also US statements that the duration of the war is not unlimited, along with pressure on Israel before the renewal of hostilities in southern Gaza to reduce the intensity of the fighting and increase humanitarian aid… the US has been imposing limitations that prevent Israel from achieving these goals without heavy losses.

“Moreover, the limitations imposed by the US will undoubtedly prolong the conflict, which is something Washington doesn’t want. The best way to ensure a quick and effective military operation with minimal risk to the uninvolved population is to temporarily relocate this population outside the combat zones. However, there are also objections to this.

“… Israel cannot compromise on achieving its goals while minimizing the burden on its fighters—regardless of how long it takes… Those who insist on getting answers from the Israeli government over what happens ‘the day after’ are doing so despite knowing full well that there are no good options in Gaza. If there were, they would have presumably been implemented during one of the many opportunities to do so over the years….”

Trump Wishes Happy Hanukkah

Israel 365 News wrote on December 11:

“Former  President Donald Trump released a video wishing the Jewish people a ‘happy Hanukkah’… ‘The miracle of Hanukkah began more than 2000 years ago when a proud band of Jewish patriots courageously stood up and reclaimed their freedom, their faith and their traditions from an oppressive tyrant. After that great victory the Jewish heroes prepared to rededicate the holy temple but found only enough oil to light the lamp for one night. Yet by the grace of the Almighty, the flames radiated for eight days and eight nights, ever since then the menorah has been a symbol of Jewish perseverance in the face of oppression, and of God’s hope, mercy and love in times of hardship,

“[T]his Hanukkah season, Jewish Americans and people all over the world are still reeling from the monstrous Hamas terror attacks on innocent men, women and children. To everyone touched by these barbaric atrocities we pray that God will bring you healing comfort and peace. We recommit ourselves to extinguishing the evil of anti-Semitism from the earth. We reaffirm the everlasting solidarity with the Jewish people, and we go forward confident with God’s help. In the end, light will overcome this horrible darkness once again. Happy Hanukkah and God bless you all.’”

Israel To Take Military Action If the USA Does Not

Israel Today wrote on December 10:

“Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels announced on Saturday night that they will target every Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea regardless of the vessel’s ownership… The United States has been consulting with Gulf allies about potential military action against the Houthis in response to their attacks…

“The talks are at a ‘preliminary stage’ as Washington and its partners still favor diplomacy over direct confrontation… On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration has asked Israel not to respond to Houthi attacks lest it spark a wider regional conflict. Israel’s Cannel reported on Saturday night that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nevertheless told US President Joe Biden that Jerusalem would take military action against the Houthis if the Americans did not act first.”

To ask Israel not to “respond” to mass murders by terrorists while Biden is engaging in some kind of “diplomacy” is beyond belief.

Highly Problematic Requirement of Declaration of Loyalty to Israel for German Naturalization

Deutsche Welle reported on December 8:

“Effective immediately, those applying for German citizenship in the east-central state of Saxony-Anhalt must declare their support for Israel’s right to exist. This ‘commitment’ is part of new language that state interior minister, Tamara Zieschang, informed relevant authorities about in a ministerial decree this week.

“Failing to do so would deny naturalization to foreigners who otherwise fulfill the necessary conditions… Under the new guidelines, applicants would have to sign a declaration that they ‘recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any efforts directed against the existence of the state of Israel.’ 

“A more thorough check of ‘antisemitic attitudes’ would also be part of the naturalization process.

“Naturalization law is made at the federal level, but it’s up to each of the 16 states to implement it. A similar Israel clause is currently under consideration in the Bundestag, the German parliament, which would then apply nationwide… While both the state-level decree and federal-level debate have been put forward by the center-right Chrisitan Democrats (CDU), it has met widespread approval from other parties, including those in power. However, the three-party government coalition has expressed skepticism over how much such a statement could really do to combat anti-Israel sentiment…”

Even apart from the question of the legality of such a requirement and the little chance of success to combat “home-grown” Antisemitism, this whole approach, even though “typically German,” appears quite preposterous and completely unbalanced and could very well backfire.

Increased EU Military Spending

Euronews wrote on November 30:

“Military spending in the European Union hit a record €240 billion in 2022 – up 6% on the previous year… This is the eighth consecutive year of growth in the bloc, with many states defending the need for a significant increase due to the Russian threat and Ukraine war.  Six out of 27 EU countries increased their military spending by more than 10% last year. Sweden saw a rise of more than 30%, as the country awaits NATO membership…

“Despite the increased spending, Europe’s defence industry cannot meet demand from Ukraine as it battles the Russian invasion.” 

Alarm Grows Over Weakened Militaries and Empty Arsenals in Europe

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 11:

“The British military—the leading U.S. military ally and Europe’s biggest defense spender—has only around 150 deployable tanks and perhaps a dozen serviceable long-range artillery pieces. So bare was the cupboard that last year the British military considered sourcing multiple rocket launchers from museums to upgrade and donate to Ukraine, an idea that was dropped. 

“France, the next biggest spender, has fewer than 90 heavy artillery pieces, equivalent to what Russia loses roughly every month on the Ukraine battlefield. Denmark has no heavy artillery,…”

Germany Must Be Ready for “Defensive” War with Russia

Yahoo!News wrote on December 10:

“Germany may have to wage a defensive war against Russia in the future, German televisions news program Tagesschau reported on Dec. 9, citing Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) Inspector General Carsten Breuer… Asked whether the Bundeswehr would be able to cope with a possible Russian attack on NATO after the war in Ukraine, Breuer replied, ‘Yes. Period. We have no alternative. We can defend ourselves and we will defend ourselves.’

“However, he also admitted that the Bundeswehr is currently not well equipped for ‘national and allied defense’ because it has been focused on resolving international crises, adding that there are ‘structures that make quick and targeted decisions almost impossible.’

“Europe fears the United States might withdraw from NATO if U.S. Republican politician Donald Trump wins the 2024 U.S. presidential election, media reported on Dec. 9.

“Russia will attack NATO countries if it conquers Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Dec. 6. Russia is rebuilding its forces and capabilities and preparing for a potential confrontation with NATO, said Lieutenant General Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, NATO Multinational Corps Commander on Dec. 5….”

According to the Bible, Germany will not only be ready for a defensive war, but it will launch a preemptive offensive war against Russia, which will be met with swift retaliation.

German Government Agrees on Budget

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 13:

“Germany’s ruling… coalition has managed to strike a political deal on the federal budget for 2024… The agreement comes after a court ruling threw government finances into disarray and exposed deep rifts between the three governing parties… It blew a big hole in public finances. For the 2024 budget, the government has had to find an additional €17 billion ($18.3 billion) to fill the hole…

“While the SPD and the Greens sound in favor of increasing taxes, the FDP has ruled out tax hikes and instead suggested welfare cuts. The SPD and the Greens are staunchly against any cuts to social benefits; they instead want to suspend the debt brake again for 2024 to allow for increased government borrowing. But the FDP opposes this move…

“[Chancellor Olaf] Scholz said the government will reinstate the debt brake in 2024… Scholz also stressed that the climate and transformation fund will remain a key instrument for the climate-friendly transformation of the German economy. But the fund will be cut by €12 billion for 2024, he said. Addressing the Bundestag on Wednesday, Scholz said: ‘We have agreed to prioritize spending without putting the social security of our country or its transformation at risk…’

“[Green Climate Minister Robert] Habeck said the ruling coalition agreed to end financial incentives to buy electric cars sooner than previously planned, without revealing the exact date for when they would expire. He also said that subsidies for the expansion of solar power will be cut…

“[FDP Finance Minister Christian] Lindner… noted that the government will slash climate-damaging subsidies to the tune of €3 billion… Scholz stressed Germany would have to react should the Ukraine conflict worsen next year. If the situation worsens, for instance, due to other supporters cutting back their aid to Ukraine or a further increase in threat levels faced by Germany and Europe, ‘we will have to react to this,’  he said.”

Especially the agreement to raise taxes might prove to be the final nail in the coalition’s coffin. According to Bild, this means that customers will have to pay more for gasoline, heating and domestic flights (due to a tax on kerosene fuel). Demands for new elections are getting louder.

Hiked Prices Far Above Costs Responsible For Inflation

The Guardian wrote on December 7:

“Profiteering has played a significant role in boosting inflation during 2022…  Analysis of the financial accounts of many of the UK’s biggest businesses found that profits far outpaced increases in costs, helping to push up inflation last year to levels not seen since the early 1980s… business profits rose by 30% among UK-listed firms, driven by just 11% of firms that made super-profits based on their ability to push through stellar price increases… Excessive profits were even larger in the US, where many important sections of the economy are dominated by a few powerful companies.  This surge in profits happened as wage increases largely failed to keep pace with inflation, and workers suffered their largest fall in disposable incomes since the second world war.

“Researchers said the energy companies ExxonMobil and Shell, mining firms Glencore and Rio Tinto, and food and commodities businesses Kraft Heinz, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Bunge all saw their profits far outpace inflation in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine… After the analysis of 1,350 companies listed on the stock markets in the UK, US, Germany, Brazil and South Africa, the report said firms in the technology sector, telecommunications and the banking industry also pushed through significant price increases that raised their profit margins… Four food companies – the listed suppliers Archer-Daniels-Midland and Bunge, plus the privately owned Cargill and Dreyfus – control an estimated 70%–90% of the world grain market.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

War Resumes After Hamas Violates Ceasefire

Israel Today wrote on December 1:

“Shortly after 7 am Israel time, the Israeli army resumed its military offensive against the Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. Hamas had until that time every morning to provide a list of at least 10 additional hostages it planned to release in order to buy one more day of ceasefire. It failed to provide a list by the specified time this morning… [Netanyahu said:] ‘The Government of Israel is committed to achieving the goals of the war: Releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to the residents of Israel.’…

“The Biden administration has stressed in recent days that it expects Israel to be ‘more careful’ to avoid civilian casualties in southern Gaza than it was in the north of the coastal enclave. The insinuation of the demand was seen by many Israelis as an insult, as though Israel had purposefully killed thousands of civilians in northern Gaza, or at best had coldly disregarded them.

“Israel goes to great lengths to avoid collateral damage in battle, much more so than American forces in recent Middle East wars, and this often comes at the cost of higher IDF casualties. That thousands of Gaza civilians are dying is entirely the fault of Hamas, which uses them as human shields. But Washington can’t complain to Hamas, so it instead blames Israel.”

Newsmax added on December 1:

“The United Nations said the fighting would worsen an extreme humanitarian emergency. ‘Hell on Earth has returned to Gaza,’ said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office in Geneva… Hamas accused Washington of giving a green light for an Israeli ‘war of genocide and ethnic cleansing.’”

Fear of Terrorist Attacks in the EU

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 5:

“European Union member states are facing a ‘huge risk of terrorist attacks’ over the holiday season due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Tuesday… Johansson referred to a Saturday’s knife attack in Paris, where one German tourist was killed and two people were injured. The attacker reportedly pledged allegiance to the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS) and expressed anguish about Muslims dying, notably in the Palestinian territories…

“‘With the war between Israel and Hamas and the polarization it causes in our society, with the upcoming holiday season, there is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union,’ Johansson said. ‘We saw [it happening] recently in Paris, unfortunately, we have seen it earlier as well,’ Johansson added.”

If such attacks were to happen in Europe, there is no telling what Europe might do.

Attack in the Red Sea on US Warship

The New York Post wrote on December 3:

“A US warship and multiple commercial vessels were attacked in the Red Sea on Sunday, the Pentagon said — a frightening development ratcheting up maritime tensions in the Middle East during the Israel-Hamas war. 

“The USS Carney — which previously shot down missiles and drones aimed at it as it escorted a commercial vessel through the war-torn region — was targeted along with at least two other commercial ships starting around 10 a.m. local time in an assault that lasted about five hours, the Pentagon and an unnamed US official said…

“Yemen’s Houthi rebels — who have proclaimed they would attack ships on the Red Sea  over Israeli’s ground incursion into Gaza — later acknowledged that they had targeted two Israeli commercial ships Sunday but did not mention the US Navy vessel.”

Did Israel Know About Hamas’ Attack Ahead of Time?

The New York Times wrote on November 30:

“Israeli officials obtained Hamas’ battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.

“The approximately 40-page document, which Israeli authorities code-named ‘Jericho Wall,’ outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people.

“The translated document, which was reviewed by The New York Times, did not set a date for the attack, but described a methodical assault designed to overwhelm the fortifications around the Gaza Strip, take over Israeli cities and storm key military bases, including a division headquarters.”

Gatewaypundit added on December 1:

“… As Channel 11 reported on Tuesday, in May 2023, the Gaza Division’s intelligence officer created a slide presentation… setting out in detail how Hamas intended to bring down the security fence and invade Israel at up to 60 separate points, invade the division’s bases and enter civilian communities to commit mass murder and seize hostages. In a follow-up report from August, the intelligence officer even explained that Hamas intended to carry out its plan either on Shabbat or on a holiday when only a small cadre of soldiers would be on duty. His work was dismissed as unrealistic and out of line with Hamas’s true intentions by senior intelligence officers at Tel Aviv headquarters…”

The Huffington Post wrote on December 3:

“The National Security Council claimed on Sunday that United States intelligence had no prior knowledge of a document detailing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack plan, after a bombshell report recently revealed that Israeli authorities obtained such information a year ago… The report adds to the already existing public outrage in Israel over Netanyahu and his government’s failure to prevent the attack despite several warnings.”

Israel Determined to Kill Hamas Leaders All Over the World

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 1:

“Israel’s intelligence services are preparing to kill Hamas leaders around the world when the nation’s war in the Gaza strip winds down, setting the stage for a yearslong campaign to hunt down militants responsible for the Oct. 7 massacres, Israeli officials said.

“With orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s top spy agencies are working on plans to hunt down Hamas leaders living in Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar… For years, countries such as Qatar, Lebanon, Iran, Russia and Turkey have provided Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, with a measure of protection…

“Targeted killings abroad can violate international law and run the risk of blowback from nations in which assassins operate without their permission. In practice, however, Israel and others have pursued targeted killings and weathered the repercussions…

“Perhaps no other nation has Israel’s experience in carrying out worldwide assassination campaigns. Since World War II, Israel has conducted more than 2,700 such operations…  Even before Israel was founded in 1948, Jewish militants killed European diplomats who were involved in the British administration of Mandatory Palestine. In the 1960s, Israeli spies used letter bombs to target former Nazi Germany scientists helping Egypt develop rockets…

“In 1997, Netanyahu, then serving his first term as prime minister, ordered Israeli spies to kill Meshaal, a Hamas founder who was then living in Jordan. The Israeli team entered Jordan posing as Canadian tourists and attacked Meshaal outside the Hamas political office in Amman. One Israeli assassin sprayed a toxin into Meshaal’s ear but he was captured along with another member of the team before they could escape. Meshaal fell into a coma, and Jordan threatened to terminate its peace treaty with Israel. Then-President Bill Clinton pressed Netanyahu to end the crisis by sending his Mossad chief to Amman with the antidote that saved Meshaal’s life. Israel then secured the freedom of its operatives in Jordan by agreeing to release Yassin, the Hamas spiritual leader, and 70 other Palestinian prisoners…

“It was the deadly Palestinian militant attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics that cemented the nation’s embrace of covert assassinations as a tool of government policy.  Palestinian gunmen with a group known as Black September took a group of Israeli athletes and coaches hostage in the Olympic Village, leading to a two-day standoff that ended with a failed rescue attempt by West German police. All 11 Israeli hostages were killed.  In response, then-Prime Minister Golda Meir ordered Israeli spies to hunt down and kill all Palestinian militants involved in the attack. The covert campaign was dubbed Operation Wrath of God and became the subject of an Oscar-nominated 2005 Steven Spielberg movie.

“Israeli assassins spent 20 years hunting those linked to the Munich attack. They killed Palestinians in France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon. They used a remote-controlled bomb hidden inside a phone in France and used guns with silencers to kill targets in the streets of Rome… But Operation Wrath of God also led to one of Israel’s most embarrassing covert failures in 1973, when a team of Israeli operatives killed a Moroccan waiter in Norway who they had mistakenly identified as a Palestinian militant involved in the Munich attack. Six of the 15 Israeli operatives were arrested and five were sentenced to short prison terms for their roles in the killing.”

Israeli attacks in countries such as Turkey would create incredible hostility.

Repeating the Mistakes of the Past?

Israel Today wrote on November 30:

“The Biden administration is frantically looking for a way to stop Israel from fulfilling its vow to its citizens to defeat Hamas and eliminate it as a military and terrorist threat. America has a history of stopping Israel just short of actually defeating its enemies. In 1967 and 1973, Israel’s most famous full-scale wars came to a sudden halt when Washington insisted on a truce just as the IDF was preparing its final assault. The First Lebanon War in the early 1980s concluded with Israel being pressed to accept a deal whereby Yasser Arafat and his PLO could escape to fight another day.

“And the same formula is now being discussed in regards to Hamas. According to the Wall Street Journal,  the Biden administration wants Israel to consider a deal under which the Hamas leadership, along with thousands of Hamas gunmen and their families, will be allowed to leave Gaza to a third country… all of this ignores the lessons learned, or not learned, from the Lebanon War fiasco. After destroying Lebanon, Arafat and his men were allowed to leave and take shelter in Tunisia, from where they continued to conduct a global campaign of terror…

“Honestly, the biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East at this point is the short-sighted incompetence of Western leaders.”

In a somewhat cryptic message,  “in a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [last Thursday], Blinken also reportedly said Israel may only have ‘weeks’ left to fight, rather than months” (JTA, dated December 1). Does this mean that America will again put pressure on Israel to stop fighting against Hamas? And not surpassingly, but quite expectedly, it seems that Europe might be blowing the same horn.

AA wrote on December 3:

“The EU’s foreign policy chief [Josep Borrell] on Saturday expressed ‘regret’ over the resumption of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, emphasizing Tel Aviv’s obligation to respect international humanitarian law and the laws of war, which he described as ‘not only a moral obligation but also a legal one.’”

“A Deeply Controversial White House Advisor”

The Huffington Post wrote on December 1:

“Four men in Washington shape America’s policy in the Middle East. Three are obvious: President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The fourth is less well-known, despite his huge sway over the other three ― and despite his determination to keep championing policies that many see as fueling bloodshed in Gaza and beyond.

“His name is Brett McGurk. He’s the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and he’s one of the most powerful people in U.S. national security… He controls whether global affairs experts within the government ― including more experienced staff at the Pentagon and the State Department ― can have any impact, and he decides which outside voices have access to White House decision-making conversations…

“It’s a stunning degree of authority for a 50-year-old operative with a deeply controversial career…  McGurk’s primary focus, a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, has come to dominate American diplomacy in the region… Saudi Arabia, the wealthy spiritual hub of the Muslim world, has long said it will only establish ties with Israel if a Palestinian state is established…

“A White House official told HuffPost that McGurk and the Biden administration prioritize Palestinian rights, including during talks about Saudi-Israel normalization… But skeptics fear McGurk’s focus on so-called Saudi-Israel ‘normalization’ will mean centering America’s Middle East strategy on a Saudi-Israel deal that lacks a settlement that satisfies Palestinians, sowing the seeds of future discord ― and that the deal would disregard U.S. values by, for instance, including huge arms sales and security commitments despite documented Saudi and Israeli misuse of American military assistance…”

Saudi Arabia will ultimately become one of Israel’s enemies.

Biden Keeps Denying the Obvious

Daily Mail wrote on December 6:

“President Joe Biden denied ‘interacting’ with Hunter Biden’s business partners and called allegations a ‘bunch of lies’ when asked about the Republican impeachment probe. He insisted there weren’t any communications with scandal-hit son’s associates, despite the GOP sharing evidence of at least 22 phone calls the then-vice president sat in on, dinners with Hunter’s associates at Washington, D.C., restaurants and participation in coffee meetings…

“He was asked about polling showing that nearly 70 percent of Americans think he did something unethical or illegal with family business interests and why he interacted with ‘so many’ of his son Hunter and brother James’ associates… Earlier this week, House Oversight chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) released bank records that Republicans say indicate he got at least three monthly payments [in the amount of $1,380 each] from a company owned by Hunter Biden that took in millions from China…

“The president has repeatedly denied being in business with his son, but former Hunter Biden business associates have testified he would briefly pop on conference calls or drop by meetings.”

Politicians lie. Joe Biden is no exception.

“Biden Can’t Stop Lying”

 The New York Post wrote on December 7:

“Three times on Wednesday, Joe Biden denied that he has interacted with his son Hunter and brother Jim’s business associates, when it is an undeniable, documented fact that he has interacted with them dozens of times… But Joe Biden can’t stop lying. The hole he has dug for himself is too deep.  The evidence already amassed by the three congressional committees working on the impeachment inquiry is overwhelming. It shows that when Joe Biden was vice president, he was intimately involved in the lucrative scheme his son and brother were running to extract millions of dollars from countries that were America’s adversaries or supplicants and in which he wielded enormous power as the point man for the Obama administration…

“But the cover-up of the Biden grift is even worse since it involves the corruption of institutions that are supposed to keep us safe: the FBI, DOJ and CIA. The only reason we know about the cover-up is because a handful of noble whistleblowers from those institutions have exposed the wrongdoing… But in the end, it will be up to the American people to cast judgment on Joe Biden’s lies.”

Most Russians Against Ukraine War Continuation?

Euronews wrote on December 2:

“Support for the Ukraine war in Russia has hit rock bottom, according to a recent poll. The independent pollster Chronicle found that the number of Russians who fully support the invasion has almost halved since February 2023.  Their survey revealed those who favour peace far outnumber pro-war voices, with more Russians supporting the departure of the country’s troops from Ukraine than not.”

However, Atlantic Council wrote on November 30:

“Despite some indications of war weariness, most Russians continue to support their country’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a comprehensive new report published this week. Based on polling and focus groups conducted by Russia’s only internationally recognized pollster, the Levada Center, and the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, the report found that the majority of Russians had ‘gotten used to’ living against the backdrop of a brutal armed conflict and had consolidated around the Kremlin…

“Debate has raged for the past twenty-one months over the true extent of Russian public support for the invasion of Ukraine. Many continue to question the validity of polls conducted in wartime Russia, with skeptics arguing that very few members of the public would be comfortable expressing anti-regime opinions to strangers. Indeed, given the draconian legislation adopted in Russia since February 2022 criminalizing criticism of the invasion, there is good reason to treat all research data coming out of the country with caution.

“While there are legitimate doubts over the credibility of polling data, the findings detailed in this new report and the Levada Center’s more regular monitoring both closely mirror the available anecdotal evidence, which indicates high levels of public acceptance for the ongoing invasion. Perhaps the most compelling evidence has come from personal interactions between Ukrainians and their Russian relatives. With family ties connecting millions on both sides of the border, there has been ample opportunity for Ukrainians to get a sense of how ordinary Russians feel about the war. This has led to countless painful conversations with Ukrainians frequently finding that people they have known all their lives now parrot Kremlin propaganda, blame Ukraine for the war, or deny core aspects of the invasion altogether.

“The almost complete absence of any meaningful anti-war activity in Russia is a further indication of public support, or at least acceptance, of the invasion. During the first weeks of hostilities, there were some attempts to hold anti-war rallies in a number of Russian cities, but these modest efforts soon ran out of steam. Some commentators have since argued that it is simply too dangerous to protest. However, wartime restrictions have not prevented Russians from freely voicing their opposition to various specific aspects of the invasion…

“The more than one million Russians who are believed to have fled the country following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine have also proven largely unwilling to voice their opposition to the war, despite not facing any of the restrictions in place inside Russia itself. While there are large Russian diasporas in multiple cities across Europe, there have been very few anti-war rallies since February 2022 or any other attempts by Russian citizens to protest against the invasion being carried out in their name…

“All this is very good news for Vladimir Putin. The Russian dictator had initially hoped to secure a rapid military victory in Ukraine, but he is now actively preparing his country for a long war. He has already moved much of the Russian economy onto a war footing, and seems to have succeeded in convincing the vast majority of his compatriots that they are engaged in a struggle with the West that is both existential and unavoidable. With his home front looking remarkably stable and no sign of any domestic challenges on the horizon, Putin can look ahead to 2024 with a degree of confidence.

“These latest indications of continued Russian public support for the war will further dampen any lingering hopes in Western capitals that internal opposition could yet derail the Russian invasion. The timing is particularly unfortunate, with talk of a battlefield stalemate in Ukraine already fueling doubts over the future of Western military aid. For now, Western leaders remain adamant that they will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. However, they are extremely unlikely to be aided by any kind of anti-war uprising inside Russia itself.”

Is Germany Trying to Reduce EU Funding for Ukraine?

Express wrote on December 2:

“Ukraine has been caught off-guard after it was revealed that Germany wants to cut the amount of money it gives to an EU fund for Kyiv’s war effort… European capitals were reportedly stunned by Olaf Scholz’s U-turn… Ukraine is also understood to be alarmed by the news, since Germany, the EU’s largest economy, contributes a quarter of the EPF’s total funds…

“The dramatic German reversal followed a recent shock constitutional court verdict that blew a €60billion (£51bn) hole in Berlin’s budget. The court ruled that Chancellor Scholz’s government had breached a debt brake, which places a limit on public spending…

“The news comes less than 24 hours after President Zelensky admitted that Ukraine’s counteroffensive against invading Russian forces did not achieve the success he had hoped for. The counteroffensive is widely viewed as having failed to quickly deliver the hoped-for gains, despite significant Western backing…”

Joe Biden Threatens Congress Over Ukraine

Daily Mail wrote on December 6:

“President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that American troops could have to fight Russian forces if Congress prevents further aid being sent to Ukraine. He demanded that lawmakers approve his request for tens of billions in military and economic assistance…

“His administration is warning of dire consequences for Kyiv if lawmakers don’t act to keep support flowing and European allies are increasingly alarmed at the consequences for democracy in their backyard.”

US Nearly Out of Money to Help Ukraine

Deutsche Welle reported on December 5:

“The United States is running out of time and money to help Ukraine fight back against the Russian invasion unless Congress can approve a new spending package, the White House said on Monday. The Biden administration had asked Congress in October to approve a $106 billion (€98 billion) package to fund aid for Ukraine and Israel, as well as for border security, but it was voted down by the Republican-controlled House.

“In a letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday, President Joe Biden’s budget director Shalanda Young said time was running out to help Ukraine… ‘without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stock’ she wrote… ‘Cutting off the flow of US weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories.’…

“House Speaker Mike Johnson gave the letter a cool response. ‘The Biden administration has failed to substantively address any of my conference’s legitimate concerns about the lack of a clear strategy in Ukraine, a path to resolving the conflict, or a plan for adequately ensuring accountability for aid provided by American taxpayers,’ Johnson said in a statement on social media. He also said that any national security supplemental package ‘must begin with our own border.’”

Fox News added on December 5:

“NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a recent interview that the Western military alliance should ‘be prepared for bad news’ in the Ukraine war ahead of the winter months… without elaborating.” 

Is Zelensky an Autocrat to Create an Authoritarian State?

The New York Post wrote on December 5:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is becoming an autocrat who is reshaping Ukraine into an authoritarian state no different than Russia, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has shockingly claimed. Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion-turned-politician, took the unprecedented step of publicly attacking Zelensky, an ex-comedian and actor, so vehemently for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 21 months ago.

“While the pair have been political foes, such a blistering public condemnation was still shocking to many, given the country’s war crisis. ‘At some point we will no longer be any different from Russia, where everything depends on the whim of one man,’ Klitschko said in a new interview with the German news outlet Der Spiegel.

“Klitschko, who has served as the mayor of Kyiv since 2014, praised his fellow mayors and regional governors for thwarting Ukraine’s descent into authoritarianism… Klitschko… claimed that the president has become isolated…

“In a separate sit-down with the Swiss news site 20Minutes, Klitschko accused Zelensky of lying to the public about Ukraine’s progress in the bloody conflict. Klitschko, 52, argued that Zelensky’s popularity has been declining since the start of the war in February 2022, when he emerged onto the world stage as the symbol of Ukraine’s struggle for survival — and the mayor predicted that the president will eventually find himself out of power as payback for his ‘mistakes’…

“But despite his litany of grievances, the mayor stopped short of calling for Zelensky’s immediate ouster. ‘The president has an important function today, and we have to support him until the end of the war,’ Klitschko said. ‘But at the end of this war, every politician will pay for his successes or failures.’”

Eventually, Ukraine and Russia will unite. Then, Ukraine will not be any different from Russia.

Sky News added on December 4:

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ‘paying for mistakes he has made’ and the Ukrainian people are wondering why the country was not better prepared, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, has said in interviews with various news outlets. Mr Klitschko said Ukrainians were losing trust in the wartime leader’s handling of the crisis… ‘There was too much information that didn’t match reality…’

“The former boxing champion also claimed the Ukrainian leader had authoritarian tendencies… ‘At some point we will no longer be any different from Russia, where everything depends on the whim of one man.’”

Ukraine Assassinates “Dissidents”

Breitbart reported on December 6:

“Ilya Kiva, who was a Member of Parliament in Ukraine until the war started and dissenting lawmakers were purged, was shot in the head in an assassination claimed by the Ukrainian intelligence service. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed they were responsible for the killing of a former Member of Parliament of the nation who was found dead in Moscow, Russia… The report from the Ukrainian state news outlet described Ilya Kiva as a ‘top traitor, collaborator and propagandist… criminal’ and stated he was ‘liquidated’ with ‘small arms’, or gunfire.

“The BBC reports a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence not only confirmed the state-sanctioned assassination but said more would follow…

“The former Presidential candidate had been a parliamentarian for the pro-Moscow ‘Opposition Platform — For Life’ party in Ukraine’s Parliament but was stripped of his seat in 2022 after he spoke out in favour of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Days after Kiva was kicked out of Parliament, his entire party— along with 11 other Ukrainian pro-Russia parties — was banned as part of the nation’s state of emergency martial law rules. Kiva fled Ukraine to Russia, and was convicted in absentia of high treason for his support of Russian military action.

“The killing came… amid a slew of other former Ukrainian opposition lawmakers — ‘traitors’ — apparently also eliminated. Kyiv claimed responsibility for the killing of another pro-Russian Ukrainian politician last month, with Mikhail Filiponenko of the Russian-occupied Luhansk region being killed by a car bomb…

“Another apparent car bomb killing took place just today, although in this case the Ukrainian state has not yet claimed responsibility. Oleg Popov, also a Ukrainian collaborating with the Russian occupation of Luhansk was killed after his car exploded, reports Le Monde. The New York Post states Popov had already survived one alleged assassination attempt last year and that sources claimed the SBU were responsible for his killing today, but that has not been confirmed.”

Is Ukraine copying the assassinations of dissidents for which Russia is famous?

Hungarian PM Demands Ukraine’s EU Membership Be Taken off Agenda

Sky News wrote on December 4:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has demanded that Ukraine’s membership in the EU and billions of euros in funding meant for the country be taken off the agenda at a summit of the bloc’s leaders next week… Mr Orban insisted that a ‘strategic discussion’ is needed first about Ukraine’s European future and warned that forcing a decision could destroy EU unity…”

Ukraine will never become a member of the EU.

Europe Must Become a Superstate

The Telegraph wrote on December 1:

“The European Union should become a single megastate as it is not working in its current form, according to… Mario Draghi, who led the European Central Bank (ECB) and served as [Italy’s] prime minister during the pandemic… It made no sense, the former premier said, to have 27 separate national armed forces and 27 separate drug control agencies…

“Mr Draghi… has hopes of becoming the next president of the European Council, according to Italian media reports. ‘By expanding the European Union to 28 members [prior to Brexit] we made a colossal error: to think that it could work with the rules that were put in place when there were just 12 members,’ Mr Draghi said in a speech in Rome. For the EU to have a future in a multicentric world dominated by big powers such as the US and China, ‘it should become a state’, Mr Draghi said…

“The former prime minister compared the EU in its current state unfavourably with ancient Rome, lamenting that it had no common foreign policy or single army. He criticised the bloc for not being engaged enough in the Israel-Gaza crisis, saying ‘it needs to do more’… ‘The European market is too small,’ he said, adding that European companies often sell up or move to the US once they become successful.”

The comparison with ancient Rome is interesting; given the fact that the coming United States of Europe will be the tenth resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire.

The Record wrote on December 1:

“Charles Michel, the president of the European Council — the EU body that sets the bloc’s political direction — proposed on Thursday the creation of ‘a European cyber force … equipped with offensive capabilities’… Michel said: ‘I feel that the time has come to create a real union of defence, coupled with a true defence single market.’”

Up until now, Europe stated their forces should be used strictly for defensive purposes.

War in Europe?

Die Welt wrote on December 6:

“Because the West is hesitating, time is working for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. And that’s just the beginning… with consequences for Germany that no one can imagine…

“Among those who are still interested in the Ukraine war, there are two camps: those who believe in a victory for Kiev. And those who dream of negotiations with Russia. But on the front, Ukraine is at a dead end. And Putin has no reason to negotiate because time is working for him: support for Kiev is dwindling in the USA, and the prospect of a new Trump presidency is becoming more real on the horizon.

“Putin, for his part, has staying power – and allies. The Emirates and Saudi Arabia are among six states that will soon join the Brics alliance – which so far includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The alliance is united by one goal in terms of power politics: to end the supremacy of the West. With its imperialist drive, Russia is only the tip of the spear, but has the tacit approval of many states as long as it does not disturb their circles.

“For Putin, the military problems in Ukraine were just a setback on a path that he is continuing undeterred. His goal remains the conquest of the entire Ukraine. Secret services assume that Russia would need six years after the war to arm itself for an attack on NATO territory. If NATO still exists.

“…while Putin is investing huge sums of money in his army, the Federal Republic’s enthusiasm for armaments has already dried up.

“Germany is risking what hardly anyone in this country can or wants to think at the moment: that war will come to our country one day not far away.” 

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “War Between Russia and Germany?”

“Germany, We Have a Problem”

The Daily Mail wrote on December 1:

“When 1.1 million migrants arrived in Germany in 2015, Bild Zeitung launched a ‘welcome’ campaign, echoing the sentiments of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had unilaterally opened the country’s borders to Syrians fleeing civil war in their homeland…

“Which makes the new campaign by Germany’s favourite paper, known to everyone simply as Bild, quite extraordinary. Under the front-page headline ‘Germany, we have a problem!’, it has published a highly controversial 50-point manifesto telling migrants how to behave as the country experiences a national culture clash.

“’Our world is in chaos, and we are in the middle of it,’ says the paper. ‘Since the terrorist attack of Hamas on Israel on October 7, we are experiencing a new dimension of hatred, against our values, our democracy and against Germany. In our country, there are many who oppose our way of life. People who celebrate the murder of innocent civilians. Those who teach their children to hate others because they are “infidels” (non-believers), those who forbid women from wearing trousers; those who listen to radical preachers because they want a different society. Germany must say no!’

“Though Bild calls its manifesto a ‘sort of house rules’ for everyone living in Germany, it is clearly aimed at migrants. And its significance cannot be overstated. With its racy pictures and eye-grabbing headlines, Bild — which sells one million print copies a day — has a massive impact on the German people’s mindset.  Twenty regional editions serve every corner of the country and each month its website attracts 25 million visitors, almost a third of the nation’s adult population…

‘The move marked a sharp turning point for Germany and its increasingly uneasy relationship with mass migration. Since the beginning of 2015, three million asylum seekers and illegal arrivals have come with far-reaching economic consequences. This week, as Germany flirts with recession, the Federal Employment Agency announced that six out of ten welfare recipients are migrants who are fit and able to work. Many are aged between 16 and 25, and many are women who have been in the country for years…

“A report on Germany’s migrant population produced by Harvard University warns that, instead of adapting to the liberal way of life in their new host nation, many remain attached to the austere conservative Islamic customs of their countries of origin…

“At least 250,000 migrants have arrived in Germany this year. Some will be genuine asylum seekers but many are not. Berlin fears that Hamas terrorists fleeing Palestine and hoping to harm Europe are infiltrating the incomers. Police checks have been re-introduced at four German borders, but the flow continues. The atmosphere is growing tense. Berlin-based Iranian whistleblower Kazem Moussavi, who arrived as a refugee escaping Islamic persecution 30 years ago, has warned the German government for years that some mosques are fomenting hatred against Jews, Christians, women and the Western way of life…

“He may be right…  Many ordinary Germans, who feel their past generosity has been hurled back in their faces, think it is an important message to send out in these very uncertain times.”

Germans will not continue to tolerate this situation much longer; especially, since they do not see any action taken by their weak government.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Hamas Is Rejoicing

The Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal wrote on November 21:

“The deal again shows the moral gulf between the two sides. Hamas kidnapped Israeli children as young as nine months to use as hostages and spring its jihadists who have been arrested or convicted in a fair trial for their crimes. Israel takes military risks to save its citizens. Hamas risks Palestinian civilians to save itself.

“Even as Israelis rejoice for the women and children who will return home, they know Hamas is rejoicing too. Its war crimes have been rewarded. It will steal fuel from its own people to power its terror tunnels. Its shattered northern Gaza brigades will use the cease-fire to regroup, escape from weak positions and set more ambushes for Israeli troops. Israel’s leaders made this deal knowing that their soldiers will pay for it…

“Expect Hamas to drag out the cease-fire in hopes of making it permanent. Dribbling out 10 hostages a day, Hamas could stall for a few weeks. Or what if it claims after day two that Israel has broken the deal and hostage releases will continue only after Israel holds off for another few days? What if it pulls that trick over and over?

“The domestic and international picture will become more complicated for Israel. At home a nation united will be divided over how long to wait. Abroad, the pressure to continue the cease-fire indefinitely will grow, and Israel can expect harsher criticism when it resumes fighting. Israelis know all this, but they are willing to accept the costs to retrieve the captives.

“They are also unwavering in their determination to overthrow Hamas. The Israeli cabinet says fighting will resume immediately once the cease-fire is up…

“Much depends on the Biden Administration. Complaints from the Democratic left are no reason to let the Hamas jihadists who carried out the Oct. 7 massacre stay in power in Gaza. President Biden has said Hamas needs to be destroyed. If he means it, he will back Israel’s right to resume fighting and finish the job after hostages are released.”

The Biden Administration has made its position crystal clear. Note the next article.

No More American Support for Israel?

Israel Today wrote on November 22:

“The White House says it won’t support Israel’s plan to expand its operations into the south of the Gaza Strip unless it shows it will protect the Palestinian civilians there.

“In a Tuesday press call, US National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said the United States won’t support Israel ‘moving forward with operations in the south absent a clearly articulated plan for how they’re going to protect the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people’ there.”

The Bible says that finally, America—and Britain—will be against Israel. Frictions are already materializing at this point. See the next article.

Israel’s Dilemma Is America’s Fault

Israel Today wrote on November 24:

“As if Israelis weren’t traumatized enough by the depraved Hamas pogrom on Oct. 7, the hostage deal concluded this week cruelly deepened their agony… Israel is no longer in control of events. At a stroke, it has yielded control of the war to Gaza’s Hamas leader… As the former US National Security Advisor John Bolton declared: ‘… Hamas will take advantage of that to reposition or extricate some of its leaders, move the hostages around and otherwise prepare for the next stage of combat’…

“Hamas is an enemy of mankind that the world has never seen before… the deal makes an eventual victory for Hamas more likely. Having agreed to this ceasefire, Israel will find itself under increasing pressure from America and the West for additional and longer ceasefires ‘to get more of the hostages out.’

“Israel is in this terrible situation principally because of America. The fingerprints of the Iranian regime were all over the Oct. 7 pogrom. Iran is also behind the attacks on Israel currently being mounted from Syria and Lebanon. Yet it was the Obama and Biden administrations whose appeasement of Iran empowered it to fund, arm, train and direct proxy armies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Syrian militias bent upon Israel’s destruction.

“It is the Biden administration that, five weeks after the Hamas pogrom, funneled a further $10 billion in sanctions relief into Tehran’s coffers. It is the Biden administration that forced Israel to make the deal with the hostages. It is the Biden administration that is now pressuring Israel not to continue its war in the south of Gaza where it intends to finish off Hamas… America has been leveraging its military support for Israel to force it to run the war in accordance with the Biden administration’s aims: to continue to appease Iran and to create a state of Palestine. Both those aims pose a mortal threat to Israel’s security and existence…

“Israel’s terrible dilemma over the hostages is reminiscent of the unspeakable choices forced upon the Jewish councils who administered the ghettos of Europe during the Holocaust, and whom the Nazis forced to provide lists of people to deport to the death camps or risk the murder of everyone in the ghetto…”

These are strong words.

They Lie About Everything

Newsmax wrote on November 24:

“Caroline Glick, who was a member of Israel’s negotiations team in the 1990s peace talks with then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, told Newsmax on Friday that the current talks with Hamas aren’t the same, as the situation now involves ‘sadistic terrorists’ who are holding almost 240 hostages, including babies and their parents. ‘The negotiations here are the sort of negotiations that a woman who’s being raped would have with a terrorist who’s holding a gun to the head of her child while she’s being raped,’ Glick said…

“Glick… added that when she was involved in the ‘so-called peace talks’ with Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization, ‘they lied to us about everything.’ ‘Every single one of the commitments they accepted on themselves in the framework of all of the peace treatments or agreements that we signed with them over a period of six or seven years, they didn’t abide by any of their obligations to Israel, so they were operating in bad faith but smiling at that time,’ she said. ‘Now things have deteriorated significantly… The minute that you start negotiating with terrorists you basically become their hostages.’

“And even with the cease-fire, Israel will need to return to the war as quickly as possible, said Glick. ‘These monsters simply cannot be allowed to continue to exist,’ she said. ‘The greatest fear here is that [with] the cease-fire that we have, we’re going to face massive and intense pressure from the Biden administration not to go back and finish the job that we started.’’

The New York Post Editorial Board wrote on November 24:

“Hamas’ first hostage release has confirmed some very telling facts about the terrorists: 1) They’re ruthless liars; 2) they’ll victimize anyone they can, and 3) they think they can get America to break with Israel.

“One of those released Friday was… a woman whom Palestinian Islamic Jihad (the No. 2 terror group based in Gaza) repeatedly announced days ago was killed by an Israeli airstrike. That is, PIJ reported her as dead for pure propaganda purposes — to make the world think the Israeli government was killing hostages…

“It’s no surprise that terrorists lie — but US and world media keep giving Hamas’ claims equal footing with anything Israel’s government says, even when it comes to such long-established and widely reported facts as the way Hamas had major terror bases around and even in the al-Shifa hospital…

“Hamas and PIJ see Biden administration support for Israel as soft: They want it to make Israel agree to a ‘permanent’ cease-fire, or at least to greatly extend this one so they can resupply as much as possible from all the humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza… If the cease-fire ends with Americans still held hostage, we guarantee the terrorists will soon claim the Israelis have killed one of them — and if that doesn’t work, they’ll kill an innocent themselves to produce the ‘proof.’”

Hamas is a terrorist group of murderers and liars.  Their lying has been seen throughout this recent struggle to support their evil cause. Satan is called a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44). One does not negotiate with the Devil! And the Palestinians are by no means innocent. Note the next article.

Biden Sound Asleep

Israel Today wrote on November 23:

“One of the reasons why Palestinian leaders refuse to condemn Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre is because they know that many Palestinians support the atrocities committed by the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group… A public opinion poll published on Nov. 14 showed that 75% of Palestinians support Hamas’s murder spree, including rape and beheadings, as opposed to only 13% who disapprove…

“The poll also showed that 68% of the Palestinians in the West Bank said they ‘extremely support’ the butchering of Israelis, while another 14.8% said they ‘somewhat’ support it. In total, 87.7% of the Palestinians in the West Bank have a positive sentiment toward Hamas. Only 10.2% of the Palestinians living in the West Bank have a negative sentiment toward Hamas.

“Another, but less surprising, result of the poll is that 80% of Palestinians reject both the ‘one-state’ and ‘two-state’ solutions, and instead demand all the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea—in short, the entire State of Israel.

“The findings of the poll shatter the claim made by US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that Hamas is not representative of most Palestinians. Sadly, the results show, without doubt, that the Biden administration is completely clueless about the anti-Israel sentiment among a large majority of the Palestinians. That a majority of Palestinians want to replace Israel with an Iran-backed terror state also shows that the Biden administration and most European governments are engaging in extreme self-deception when they talk about the need to promote a ‘two-state solution.’…

“Hamas named its massacre ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,’ presumably in response to peaceful and routine visits by Jews to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, which are permitted, by mutual agreement, to open-air areas that are outside of the mosque. Hamas claimed that the name of the massacre came in response to supposed ‘Israeli violations in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.’ There were, of course, no ‘violations’ by Jews…

“‘The [Israeli] enemy desecrated the Al-Aqsa Mosque and dared to visit prophet Mohammed’s place of worship,’ said Hamas arch-terrorist Mohammed Deif, one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 massacre. Addressing Palestinians, he added: ‘Start marching now toward Palestine, and do not let borders or restrictions deprive you of the honor of jihad [holy war] and participating in the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.’

“… the only solution most Palestinians are willing to accept is one that leads to the murder of all Jews and the destruction of Israel. It remains to be seen whether the latest Palestinian slaughter of Jews serves to awaken the Biden administration and the Europeans to this inconvenient, uncomfortable fact.”

Sadly, it won’t. And so, the Western propaganda that Palestinians want a two-state solution is nothing more than fake news and a hoax. They want the total destruction of Israel.

Kissinger Dead

 Deutsche Welle wrote on November 30:

 “Henry Kissinger… was born on May 27, 1923, the son of Louis, a Jewish high school teacher, and Paula Kissinger, in the Bavarian city of Fürth. In 1938, when Kissinger was 15, he emigrated to the United States with his parents to escape the persecution of Jews by the Nazis…

“After the construction of the Berlin Wall, Kissinger advised then-President John F. Kennedy against military retaliation. In 1968, President Richard Nixon named him national security adviser. Four years later, in 1973, Kissinger became secretary of state. Kissinger remained in that office after Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal…

“In 1973, Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor that was, in light of the US role in the Vietnam War, highly controversial…

“… he not only recognized China’s rise to becoming a great power early on and consequently helped engineer a new US relationship with the People’s Republic, he also identified the potential for peace that arose after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, he played a supporting role as an adviser on German reunification.

“… Following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Kissinger warned of a rupture in the trans-Atlantic partnership… Kissinger has repeatedly made the case for a strong Europe. In 2012, during the eurozone crisis, he warned of the threat of Europe falling back into the old nation-state system…

“In one of his final public interviews, shortly after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, he told Welt TV that Germany had let in too many immigrants, warning that the conflict could spark a regional conflagration….”

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Incredible Demands and Witch Hunt of the American People

Breitbart wrote on November 29:

“Special Counsel Jack Smith, in a search warrant sent to X, formerly Twitter, requested a vast swathe of information about the account of former President Donald J. Trump, as well as information on the millions of accounts that interacted with it — even those that liked a tweet by Trump in the timeframe of October 2020 to January 2021.

“The heavily redacted search warrant requests a list of all users who liked or retweeted posts from Trump between October 2020 and January 2021, including ‘all associated logs and metadata,’ which could cover location data. This extraordinarily expansive request would result in data on millions of American users being turned over to the DOJ.

“X/Twitter initially delayed complying with the request,…  resulting in a $350,000 fine levied against the company.

“The warrant also requests all IP addresses associated with Trump’s account, and a list of all devices used to log in to it. This means that any staffer or aide who logged into the account would have the information divulged to the special prosecutor.

“All information on Trump’s ‘connect’ and ‘notification’ tabs was requested, as well as all search history, blocks, mutes, and even drafted tweets.

“The warrant instructed X/Twitter not to notify Trump of the search order. The company attempted to overcome this in court, but failed…’

This is alarming and deeply upsetting. Such conduct by Smith and the court is worthy of a dictatorship such as Russia or China, but terribly unworthy of the USA. When will the American people wake up? Note the next article.

Daily Mail wrote on November 26:

“Donald Trump’s legal team filed a document Monday arguing the ex-president had a legitimate ‘good faith’ basis to question the results of the 2020 election results. The… filing also demanded government prosecutors to turn over communications between President Joe Biden and his family members with the Justice Department.

“Trump’s lawyers… claim in the filing that the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021 [did not result from] any directions from President Trump.’ The defense made 59 requests including the identification of ‘informants and other undercover operatives‘ involved in the January 6 Capitol attack as well as information regarding security measures carried out that day….”

They could have also asked for all communication between Special Prosecutor Jack Smith and the Justice Department, the Biden Administration, the courts and other prosecutors, based on the appearance of conspiracy and lack of objectivity, but such request would surely be denied based on confidentiality, privilege and privacy. So, what happened to the privacy of those Americans whom Jack Smith is trying to persecute with his outlandish search warrant directed at Twitter/X?

At the same time, Breitbart reported on November 30:

“In an order Thursday, the First Judicial Department of the Appellate Division for the Supreme Court of New York vacated an interim relief that blocked Justice Arthur Engoron’s initial gag on Trump, prohibiting him from making public statements about his law clerk, Allison Greenfield.“

The reputation of the judicial system is suffering more and more. Note the next article.

Soviet-Type Decision by NY State Supreme Court Appellate Division

LifeSiteNews wrote on November 24:

“The New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division’s Fourth Judicial Department has reversed a lower court’s ruling against a regulation called Rule 2.13 allowing the government to involuntarily and indefinitely detain individuals for the purported sake of public health. ‘The language in the [regulation] makes it crystal clear that the DOH [Department of Health] can pull you from your home (and your life) and, with the force of police, hold you anywhere they deem appropriate, including “other residential or temporary housing,’” explained attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, who is representing Uniting NYS and state legislators. The regulation says ‘they don’t have to prove you are sick, they can hold you for however long they want, and there is no way for you to get out of lock up or lock down,’ unless a detained person obtains legal representation and sues.

“The lower court had ruled in July 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and lacking due process, but the state appealed that ruling. The Appellate Division then ruled unanimously on November 17 that the plaintiffs lacked standing because they hadn’t been forcibly quarantined. ‘The court seems to insinuate that the only person with the right to sue is someone who has been forcibly locked in their home against their will, or ripped from their home, taken from their loved ones, and thrown into a quarantine detention center, facility, institution, camp, etc…The court insinuates that apparently only that person would be injured,’ explained Cox.

“‘The idea that the State Health Department will lawfully quarantine a New Yorker against their will sounds Soviet,’ reacted state Sen. Mark Walczyk. “The Judiciary has a role to play in checking the Executive and I’m deeply disappointed the Appellate Division missed the opportunity to draw the line at tyranny…”

America is becoming more and more a dangerous autocratic dictatorship. What is happening in left-wing democratic New York State might soon be seen in other US States.

Extraordinary Violence in Dublin

Le Monde wrote on November 22:

“Thursday night’s violence in the Irish capital – which erupted after three children were wounded in the stabbings – was of a level not seen in decades, according to police.  A night of torched vehicles and shop looting sparked in Dublin after a knife attack outside a school was of an ‘extraordinary’ level of violence unseen in decades, police said Friday, November 24. The violence started when a group broke through a police cordon Thursday in the area where three young children and a women who was caring for them were injured in a knife attack.

“Groups went on to torch busses and trams and loot shops in one of Dublin’s most famous thoroughfares, O’Connell Street. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told a press conference in the Irish capital on Friday that multiple Irish police officers were injured in a running battle with the group that stormed the crime scene on Thursday night. Rumours on social media about the nationality of the assailant who police only described as a man in his fifties, helped fuel unrest following the attack…

“Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that protesters who battled police and looted shops were motivated by ‘hate’ and brought ‘shame on Ireland’… ‘As a country, we need to reclaim Ireland. We need to take it away from the cowards who hide behind masks and tried to terrify us with their violence,’ said Varadkar…

“For his part, Harris blamed a ‘complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology’ for the disorder…  Ireland has been facing a chronic housing crisis, with the government estimating that there is a deficit of hundreds of thousands of homes for the general population. Widespread dissatisfaction has fed into a backlash against asylum seekers and refugees, and far-right figures have promoted anti-immigration sentiment at rallies and on social media with claims that ‘Ireland is full.’”

Breitbart had quite a different take on the situation. It wrote on November 25:

“Poor Irish people staged a riot in central Dublin following the stabbing of three children by a man described as a homeless migrant, yet the Irish establishment is portraying the Thursday-night anti-migration riots as merely ‘hate,’ ‘lunatic’ and ‘far-right.’

“The unprecedented riots come after years of growing community protests against the migration that is impoverishing Irish people with rising rents and flatlining wages. So far, none of the established Irish political parties have sought to curb or reduce the impact of migration on Ireland’s people… ‘that [riot was] an expression of the disconnect that has been festering amongst disadvantaged young men for a long time,’ reported an anti-establishment Irish news outlet, Grip.ie, which added: ‘But the media, like the government and the Opposition, were eager to change the conversation, and Dublin city centre being set on fire gave them perfect cover to do so. So the usual nonsense about the “far-right” started immediately, and the front pages are full of those photographs this morning.’

“The government offered a very different view… Ireland’s… prime minister Leo Varadkar… portrayed the government as the victim of the drama…In 2020, Vardakar defended the deadly and destructive Black Lives Matter looting and riots in the United States…

“The government is a coalition of establishment parties, all of which support mass migration that has pushed a huge number of Irish people into poverty. So the government’s dismissal of the rioters is expanding the political opportunity for anti-establishment parties…

“Conor McGregor, the very popular Irish martial arts fighter, slammed the establishment media and government for ignoring the migration-caused crime and poverty…”

As so often, Ireland’s failing government blames others for the country’s misery, rather than looking at themselves.

Germany’s Debacle

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 25:

“The rules are clear: The German state must make ends meet with the money it takes in. That’s what is written in the constitution. It’s called the Schuldenbremse, or debt brake. Only in exceptional circumstances can the debt brake be lifted, and the government take on new debt. From 2014 to 2019, the federal government was able to comply with these conditions as the budget was always balanced. But then came the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Bundestag suspended the debt brake several times, and the government was able to borrow billions.

“Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s goal was to put an end to this trend of suspending the debt brake and consolidate the budget. Now he feels compelled to suspend the debt brake retroactively for 2023 as well.

“Since the Federal Constitutional Court declared the financing of the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) to be unconstitutional, the government’s current budget planning has become inapplicable. The €60 billion ($66 billion) that the coalition of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) paid into this special fund after taking office in 2021 had been left over from the coronavirus pandemic and hadn’t been used. The judges ruled that setting aside emergency loans for the future and spending them in ways not approved by the Bundestag isn’t permissible. The decision caught the coalition off guard, and now there has been widespread confusion about how to react to it. Especially since the KTF isn’t the only special fund.

“The German armed forces have a special fund of €100 billion for example, though since this (is) backed by the constitution, it is presumably unaffected. [However, this is not undisputed. It was reported that this fund is affected, but the government later declared that it is not. The question is, in light of all the lies spread by the government, whom are we to believe?]

“The situation is different with the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF), a crisis fund of up to €200 billion primarily designed to finance energy price controls. It was set up in 2022, and a large part of the money was earmarked for 2023 and 2024. [This fund is clearly affected and can basically not be used.]… Finance Minister and FDP leader Lindner has now imposed a budget freeze…

“But what happens then? The SPD, Greens, and FDP appear stumped. One reason for this is that the three parties have fundamentally different positions. The coalition is made up of two more left-leaning parties and one neoliberal party… the SPD and Greens refuse to budge on their climate and social policy goals, which come at a high cost…

“The debt brake is a thorn in the side of many in the SPD and Greens… in view of Germany’s miserable economic data…

“Is Germany once again the ‘sick man of Europe’? While the economy is growing in many other countries around the world, Germany hasn’t been able to get back on its feet and has even slipped into recession in 2023. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the German economy has recorded the lowest economic growth in the eurozone, with no rapid turnaround in sight.

“The country is struggling with high energy costs and a shortage of skilled workers. The railroads, roads and bridges are as dilapidated as are many the public buildings, especially schools and universities. Digital infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired…

“What happens in Germany is of international interest. If Europe’s largest economy reduces its investments and spending, it will be felt first by its European neighbors and then by the rest of the world… a reform of the [debt break] rule is only possible with two-thirds majority support in parliament, which currently doesn’t exist.

“The conservative opposition parties CDU and CSU have ruled out any changes… The FDP shares these policy positions. However, the CDU/CSU and FDP don’t have a majority in parliament….”

Of course, changing the debt brake rule would mean, Germany will go out borrowing money to no end, to be able to pursue its controversial climate change goal and other even more controversial green policies. How is that going to help the country?

The miserable state of affairs will change, and Germany will rise again, but NOT under the present divided government.

The Shift to the Right That Actually Isn’t One At All

Report 24 wrote on November 25:

“The recent landslide victory of Wilders’ PVV in the Netherlands is just another step in the changing face of European politics. Mass immigration, migrant riots, foreign crime and terrorism are just one of many reasons for the subjective ‘shift to the right’. Viewed objectively, given the center’s shift to the left, one would rather have to speak of a ‘readjustment‘…

“All it takes is actually a comparison of the current political positions of ‘centre parties’ such as the SPD, CDU/CSU and FDP in Germany or the SPÖ or ÖVP in Austria with those of 30, 40 or 50 years ago. Much of what is considered ‘right’ today was not so long ago a centrist position…

“… to put it simply, the normal worker or employee just wants to earn enough money to support his family, go on vacation and not have to worry in old age. Gender asterisks and political correctness? The majority don’t care about that because it doesn’t affect everyday life. But if contributions into the social systems due to mass immigration have to be increased, if there is no longer any increase in purchasing power and if there is a threat of poverty in old age, then people do care. And this whole shift to the left in politics has led in exactly this direction.

“Who would have thought, for example, at the end of the 1990s that the Union [CDU] would one day jump on the left-green bandwagon of climate fanatics, initiate a catastrophic ‘energy transition’ and make German industry dependent on the whims of nature when it comes to wind and sun? The current Ampel coalition is basically just continuing what was started under Angela Merkel. Just with a lot more vehemence and pressure. If, instead of traditional sex education and biology education, schools are shown drag queen porn shows, things won’t get any better.

“And then there are the effects of mass immigration from countries with completely different (sometimes archaic) cultures…

“However, the parties and politicians defamed as ‘right-wing populists’ by the left-liberal pseudo-mainstream are interested in such problems and grievances. What’s more, they are becoming a new ‘mainstream’ by increasingly receiving vote shares of a third or more in elections and surveys in more and more countries. For the establishment, this is a ‘shift to the right’, but in reality, this development is simply a natural correction to find a political balance. A one-sided political landscape with a left-liberal unity party consisting of several factions is no longer a democracy, but in fact a kind of dictatorship in which dissenting opinions are defamed.”

This “readjustment” and “natural correction” is attracting more and more voters.

The Pope’s Jewish Problem

Crux wrote on November 26:

“When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, the forecast among those invested in Jewish-Catholic dialogue generally was rosy. The new pope brought considerable background to the relationship, given that Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America and the sixth largest outside Israel – indeed, the first kosher McDonalds outside Israel was located in a Buenos Aires shopping center…

“And yet, the fact of the matter is that Pope Francis long has had a Jewish problem, and it’s come to the fore anew amid the current war in Gaza. To some extent, the issue is political, having to do with the instinctive sympathy history’s first pope from the developing world feels for the Palestinian cause… There’s also a theological dimension to the angst Francis has generated in Jewish circles, including his frequently disparaging references to the ‘Pharisees… Moreover, there’s a perception that Francis’s campaign to build bridges with Islam sometimes comes at the expense of solidarity with Jews…

“These three sources of tension – the politics of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the theological approach to Judaism, and the inter-faith balancing act vis-à-vis Islam — are all coming to a head amid the current conflagration. The criticism of the pope’s response to the Gaza war started almost immediately…

“The rabbis wondered aloud what the point has been of decades of Jewish-Catholic dialogue when, in a time of need, what Jews get from the pope isn’t solidarity but ‘diplomatic acrobatics, balancing acts…’

“… it’s impossible to ignore the signs of growing tension. Recently an Italian Jew named Vittorio

Mascarini, who leads a Zionist organization in Italy, wrote in the Jewish News Syndicate: ‘If it continues to maintain its ambiguous position, the Holy See risks its entire relationship with Israel and world Jewry.’

“The war in Gaza has already taken an enormous toll. For Francis, who clearly aspires to be a peace-maker, it undoubtedly would be especially agonizing should his relationship with Jews and Judaism end up being among the casualties.”

In light of the foregoing,  the following article by Israel 365 News, dated November 26, is truly remarkable:

“On Wednesday, the Pope met with families of hostages taken by Hamas. He also met with Palestinians whose relatives were security prisoners in Israeli jails or were in Gaza. No media representatives were present at the meetings but members of the Palestinian delegation told the media that the pope had described Israel’s actions as ‘genocide’. The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said he didn’t believe that Francis used that term… The Palestinian delegation insisted nonetheless that Pope Francis described Israel’s military incursion as ‘genocide.’

“After the meeting, the Pope made a speech in St. Peter’s Square  in which he said that he heard ‘how both sides suffer’ and how the war between Israel and Hamas has ‘transformed from war to terror.’…

“The American Jewish Committee tweeted gratitude for the pope’s meeting with families of the hostages and calling for their release, while also criticizing his other remarks and asking for clarification. ‘Hamas’ butchering and kidnapping of civilians is terrorism. Israel’s self-defense is not,’ the AJC wrote. ‘Vatican, please clarify.’”

The Pope’s “balancing act” shows, in effect, where he and the Vatican REALLY stand.

Francis Punishes Critical American Cardinal and Bishop

The Daily Mail wrote on November 29:

“Pope Francis has kicked conservative US Cardinal Raymond Burke out of his Vatican apartment and stripped him of his salary after he criticized the pontiff’s pro-LGBT stance… Burke… is the second American prelate to face punishment in what appears to be a new phase of Francis’ pontificate. This reform-minded period seems to have accelerated with the arrival in September of Francis’ hand-picked new doctrine czar, Argentine Cardinal Victor Fernández.

“Earlier this month, Francis forcibly removed the bishop of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland, another conservative who had also become one of Francis’ critics.

“…  the two seemingly were at odds over COVID-19 vaccines. Francis had been a big proponent of the vaccines and had lashed out at vaccine skeptics, who included some conservative Catholics.”

Did Francis ever repent of and apologize for his inappropriate support of experimental Covid-19 vaccines?

Jesuit Priest: TrumpIs Antichrist, Vote For Biden

Breitbart wrote on November 29:

“In his piece [for the leftwing Religious News Service,]  titled ‘In a World Where Christ Is King, Authoritarian Leaders Can Only Be Antichrists,’ [Jesuit Thomas] Reese asserted that ‘anti-democratic leaders’ like Trump are promising to ‘deliver justice by any means necessary.’…  Reese made reference to the holiday [“the liturgical feast of Christ the King”] to contrast Christ’s kingdom with that of ‘antichrists’ like Donald Trump…

“In 2020, Father Reese stumped for Joe Biden, urging his fellow Catholics to join the ‘grassroots’ group ‘Catholics for Biden.’… Reese also attempted to convince Catholics that it is okay to vote for Catholic candidates who openly flout Church teaching on issues such as abortion… Reese acknowledged that most Catholic Democrats disregard the Church’s moral teaching and ‘agree with Biden that abortion should be legal,’ which removes any moral obstacle for supporting him.”

Did and does the pope know about this “Jesuit logic,” and did and does he endorse his fellow Jesuit’s viewpoint? The liberals in the Vatican and the Catholic Church are clearly winning… for now.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Javier Milei–New President of Tumultuous Argentina

The New York Post wrote on November 19:

“Argentina elected libertarian outsider Javier Milei as its new president on Sunday, rolling the dice on an outsider with radical views to fix an economy battered by triple-digit inflation, a looming recession and rising poverty…

“Milei’s challenges are enormous. He will have to deal with the empty coffers of the government and central bank, a creaking $44 billion debt program with the International Monetary Fund, inflation nearing 150% and a dizzying array of capital controls…

“… he faces a highly fragmented Congress, with no single bloc having a majority, meaning that he will need to get backing from other factions to push through legislation.”

The Daily Mail wrote on November 19:

“Milei – who is also a prominent economist and radio chat-show host – has spoken about his preference for threesomes, why he believes poor people should be free to sell their body parts, and how he enjoys communicating via telepathy with his dead dog for political advice.

“The far-Right libertarian is also an admirer of Donald Trump…  He prefers to call himself an anarcho-capitalist, which means he’d like to rip up as much government intervention in people’s lives as he can and leave it all to the free market… [His plan] includes getting rid of Argentina’s public health and education systems…

“Milei… has repeatedly taken aim… at Pope Francis, his compatriot, calling him… the ‘representative of the evil one on Earth’ in brutal social media posts…

“A recent biography by journalist Juan Luis González revealed Milei studies telepathy in his spare time and has a medium to ‘communicate’ with [his dog] Conan, who died in 2017, asking him for advice on political matters. Astonishingly, Milei hasn’t denied the claims…

“[He was raised] a Catholic and now said to be converting to Judaism…

“He wants to see Argentina ditch the peso and adopt the US dollar as its national currency… he believes his natural allies would be the US and Israel, saying: ‘I don’t want to have anything to do with the communists of Cuba, China and North Korea.’

“On the ever thorny question of the Falkland Islands, which Argentina unsuccessfully tried to grab from Britain in 1982 during the prime ministership of Margaret Thatcher, one of his icons, Milei proposes copying the UK’s transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997…”

Fox News added on November 19:

“With war unfolding in Israel, Milei also proved popular with the nation’s large Jewish community, the largest in Latin America…”

More of Milei’s Controversial Ideas

LifeSiteNews wrote on November 20:

“Milei called the global agenda to push abortion a ‘bloodthirsty policy, in which some humans believe they should decide who should live and who should not…’

“The designated president of Argentina called the alarmist climate change narrative a ‘socialist lie’…

“While the eccentric politician called out modern ‘sexual education’ as a ‘post-Marxist program’ seeking to destroy the family, he also said that he is against ‘marriage as an institution’ regulated by the state and that people should be free to marry whoever they want, including people of the same sex….”

Milei—a “mixed bag” for sure. Many voters have said they were voting for him as the “lesser evil.”

Trump Congratulates Milei

Mediaite wrote on November 19:

“Former President Donald Trump along with a whole host of other online conservative influencers celebrated the victory of far-right outsider Javier Milei in Argentina’s presidential election…

“‘I am very proud of you. You will turn your Country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again,’ the president wrote to his followers.”

THAT will have to be seen…

Huge Victory of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands

The Associated Press wrote on November 23:

 “Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won a huge victory in Dutch elections…  in a stunning lurch to the far right… The result will send shockwaves through Europe, where far-right ideology is on the rise, and puts Wilders in line to lead talks to form the next governing coalition and possibly become the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands…

 “Wilders’ election program included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union… He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country, although he has been milder about Islam during this election campaign than in the past…

 “‘The Dutch will be No. 1 again,’ Wilders said. ‘The people must get their nation back.’ But Wilders, who has in the past been labeled a Dutch version of Donald Trump, first must form a coalition government before he can take the reins of power. That will be tough as mainstream parties are reluctant to join forces with him and his party, but the size of his victory strengthens his hand in any negotiations…

 “Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who… has similarly harsh stances on migration and EU institutions, was quick to congratulate Wilders. ‘The winds of change are here! Congratulations,’ Orban said…

 “The result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape. From Slovakia and Spain, to Germany and Poland, populist and hard-right parties triumphed in some EU member nations and faltered in others.”

 Barron’s added on November 23:

 “Wilders’s PVV may not be able to build a coalition to make him prime minister so he can join the other 26 EU members at their summits. And his hardline plans to expel immigrants would be unlikely to survive legal challenges in the Dutch or European courts. But Europe’s support for Ukraine, grand plans to fight climate change… could be endangered.

“European elections to be held in June will be a new test of Wilders’s popularity… The Netherlands is the seventh most populous EU country and its MEPs — along with right-wingers from countries like Poland, Italy, France and Hungary — could form a powerful group… The PVV… could join the National Rally (RN) of France’s Marine Le Pen and Germany’s AfD in the assembly’s Identity…”

The AfD was also quick in congratulating Wilders.

Deutsche Welle added on November 23:

“Wilders’ victory is expected to have far-reaching consequences in the Netherlandfs and Europe. The anti-EU politician has vowed to halt all immigration, slash Dutch payments to the union and block the entrance of any new members, including Ukraine… Italian far-right leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini also congratulated Wilders. ‘Congratulations to our friend Geert Wilders… for this extraordinary electoral victory. A new Europe is possible.’…

 “From calling Moroccans ‘scum’ to holding competitions for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Wilders has built a career from his self-appointed mission to stop an ‘Islamic invasion’ of the West… he was convicted for insulting Moroccans — and death threats that have meant he has been under police protection since 2004.

 “Born in 1963 in southern Venlo, close to the German border, Wilders grew up in a Catholic family with his brother and two sisters. His mother was half-Indonesian, a fact Wilders rarely mentions…”

Newsmax added on November 23:

“Wilders… promised ‘zero immigration’ into the Netherlands by closing the borders and deporting illegal immigrants… He has… likened the Quran to Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’… A decade ago, a ‘Prime Minister Geert Wilders’ would have been unthinkable. But so would a ‘Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’ in Italy. Politics in modern Europe is genuinely unpredictable. And with traditional parties and politicians collapsing, the unthinkable happens with increasing frequency….”

Averting Government Shutdown For Now

The Associated Press wrote on November 17:

 “President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill a day before a potential government shutdown…

“The spending package keeps government funding at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated. It splits the deadlines for passing full-year appropriations bills into two dates: Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others, creating two dates when there will be a risk of a partial government shutdown. The two-step approach was championed by new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and was not favored by many in the Senate, though all but one Democrat and 10 Republicans supported it…

“The spending bill does not include the White House’s nearly $106 billion request for wartime aid for Israel and Ukraine. Nor does it provide humanitarian funding for Palestinians and other supplemental requests, including money for border security…”

This was more like a Pyrrhic victory. One wonders how long Johnson will remain the House speaker.

No Slam Dunk Cases Against Trump

On November 17, the New York Post published the following opinion by Jonathan Turley, attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School:

“Trump’s greatest threat of conviction remains in Florida, where he is facing federal charges related to his retention of classified documents. But the judge in that case seems inclined to delay it, perhaps even until after the election. And with reports that President Biden will not face charges in his own handling of classified documents, Trump has a political rallying cry that — correctly or not — he’s being treated differently.

“So that leaves the two cases surrounding the 2020 election.

“In Georgia, a slew of former lawyers are taking pleas with promises to testify if called. Some of their depositions have been leaked, much to the dismay of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. She has reason to be alarmed because some of the leaked interviews hit hard at the weakest link in her conspiracy case. For instance, Sidney Powell stated that Trump clearly believed that he had won the election when he was challenging the results in the courts and Congress. Powell pleaded to misdemeanors for a deal that avoids jail time and preserves her ability to resume the practice of law. She notably did not plead guilty to the sweeping racketeering charges brought by Willis to link Trump in an effort to subvert the election.

“I previously wrote that the Achilles heel of the racketeering case was Trump’s state of mind: ‘As a threshold matter, one problem is immediately evident. If Trump actually did (or does) believe that he did not lose the election, the indictment collapses.’ That’s exactly what Powell argues. Trump had ‘general instincts that something wasn’t right here’… That supplies a key defense for Trump: that he believed assurances from counsel that he had a case to make in challenging the election.

“Powell’s statement will also present challenges to special counsel Jack Smith, who has a parallel case in Washington, DC. While both prosecutors benefit from heavily favorable jury pools in staunchly Democratic strongholds, it requires only one holdout juror to result in a hung jury. Smith has admitted that Trump’s election claims were protected under the First Amendment but claims that, at some point, they became criminal lies. But Smith fails to explain when that line was clearly crossed — a dangerous ambiguity for free speech, particularly in the context of an election.

“Smith ignores past election challenges by Democrats that were made without factual or legal support, including the challenge in Congress to certify Trump’s victory in 2016 by figures like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). The statement of Powell only magnifies those concerns over the lack of a clear line between political advocacy and criminal conduct in future cases…

“Trump has long been portrayed as a megalomaniac in the media who never apologizes or accepts failure. It is perfectly consistent that a man long described as having an inflated self-image would not accept that he is a loser. That long-held journalistic view is now a viable criminal defense….”

Also, the gag order by biased judge Arthur Engoron in the New York case against Trump and his attorneys was stayed by the Court of Appeal, allowing Trump to continue making statements against the biased clerk. His motion for a mistrial because of alleged misconduct by Engoron and his clerk was, of course, denied by Engoron, who was subsequently accused by Trump attorney Alina Habba of refusing to take responsibility.

The fact that Biden will apparently not be indicted for illegally retaining documents should convince everyone how weaponized and corrupt the Justice Department has become. Unlike Trump, Biden was not President when he retained the classified documents in his garage, in China Town and at other places, so he did not have any privilege or legal justification to retain those documents. The same is true, by the way, for Hillary Clinton. Why are they not being indicted? So, the illegal witch hunt against Trump by an authoritarian radical left-wing government and its corrupt agents continues.

Also, a Colorado district judge ruled that Donald Trump must be placed on the ballot in the 2024 presidential contest. Even though she ruled, quite ridiculously, that Trump did engage in insurrection on January 6, 2021, she also ruled that he was not an officer of the United States as defined by the Fourteenth Amendment, which is only limited to “Senator or Representative in Congress” and “elector of President and Vice President” but does not include the “President.”

As Breitbart explained on November 17:

“A federal court in New Hampshire recently dismissed a similar case… A Minnesota state court recently dismissed a lawsuit aiming to keep Trump off that state’s primary ballot. And a Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled that the Secretary of State must list Trump on the ballot as well. An appeal is likely. The Colorado case, or another similar case in another state, could likely land before the Supreme Court, which has never before ruled on the Civil War-era amendment.”

E-Bikes Set New York on Fire

The New York Post wrote on November 19:

“A powerful fire obliterated a Brooklyn brownstone. Three people from three generations of the West family, ages 33 to 81, perished.  As has become common over three years, the cause was a battery charging an e-scooter, blocking exits. 

“So far, 17 of this year’s 93 fire deaths are from such batteries. Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh calls it ‘devastating.’

“Twenty-seven New Yorkers have died in these fires since 2021, the year after the city legalized e-bikes and similar devices. (No one had ever died in such a fire before.) …  e-battery fire deaths exceed electrical fire deaths…

“The only way to prevent more deaths is for the FDNY to call for a ban on residential e-battery storage and charging, just as it bans home storage of gasoline and other flammable or hazardous materials…”

e-Bikes ARE dangerous.

Why Antisemitism in Christian Churches

Israel 365 News wrote on November 19:

“A deeply disturbing trend has been emerging in the last 6 weeks since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. I am seeing antisemitism within the Conservative Christian camp in many arenas…  However, this form of antisemitism is not out-and-out Jew-hatred. It is much more subtle, and therefore, perhaps more dangerous…

“How can this be?

“I believe it goes back to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden… I believe it is because these newscasters over-focus on the DARK SIDE. They are plucking fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and eating mostly EVIL fruit…

“What is Replacement Theology?  In a nutshell, it is the false teaching that the church has replaced Israel, that the covenants God made with Israel and the Jewish people are null and void, and that those covenants now apply to the church. The ‘New Testament’ has replaced the ‘Old Testament’.   Nothing could be further from the truth!…

“The roots of Replacement Theology [go] back many centuries. One of those roots goes back to Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation… did you know that he wrote a book… called ‘On the Jews and their Lies’?  It was filled with hateful diatribes against the Jews. 

“… Did you know that, 400 years later, the Nazis revered Martin Luther, and his book was widely circulated and read? And did you know that ‘Kristallnacht’, the ‘Night of Broken Glass’, happened not on just any random day, but was chosen to happen on Nov 9-10, 1938, in honor of Martin Luther’s birthday? (his date of birth: Nov 10, 1483)

“His words were put into ACTION by the Nazis 400 years later. So one of the ROOTS of Replacement Theology gave us a very evil fruit! Kristallnacht is what kicked off the Holocaust. The Western civilized world was silent. The churches were silent…”

Antisemitism can be seen, not only in Arab nations, in pro-Hamas supporters demonstrating in the streets of London, Paris, Washington DC and Berlin, as well as on college campuses, and in liberal leftists who are funding the Pro-Hamas demonstrations in America—it can also be seen in “Christian” churches, which is truly disturbing.

Worldwide Volcanic Eruptions

Israel 365 News reported on November 17:

“… at least 19 volcanoes are currently erupting around the world… The eruptions are on several disperse continents and countries but particular focus is being directed towards Iceland where scientists warn that a recent week-long wave of over 1,200 earthquakes presages a period of prolonged and intense seismic unrest. The strongest quake measured 3.8 but the micro-quakes signalled activity below the surface.

“Scientists estimate that a layer of magma is about 500 meters below the surface and is working its way to the surface… But the real fear is that an eruption is part of a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity that will likely cause eruptions for centuries…

“The last volcano in Iceland to cause international mayhem was Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in 2010. A huge ash cloud that rose five miles into the sky and grounded flights across Europe, forcing its airspace to shut down.

“The topic of ‘volcanoes’ became relevant to the conflict in Israel. On Saturday, Hezbollah claimed to have fired a Burkan 2-H missile at Israel bearing a 100 kilogram warhead. Burkan means ‘volcano’ in Arabic.”

The Devastating Impact of Nuclear War on the USA

Daily Mail wrote on November 17:

“About 300 million people in the United States would be put at risk of death from exposure to radioactive fallout in the four days following a nuclear attack, according to a new report that models the possible effects of such a grim event. 

“If the US is attacked with nuclear weapons, an adversary would most likely concentrate all fire on the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch facilities (silos). Any retaliatory attack from the US would come from these silos, located in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming — and taking them out would be an enemy’s first priority…

“Depending on weather conditions, 90 percent of the population of the lower 48 U.S states, as well as people living in Mexico’s northern states and the most populous regions of Canada, would be at risk of receiving lethal doses of radiation…

“The editors of Scientific American commissioned the special report because the US government is in the midst of a $1.5 trillion project to refresh its obsolete nuclear weapons, including the ones stored at these silos in the western states. Their message is unambiguous: ‘We should rethink this miserable folly rather than once again squandering our wealth while driving a new arms race.’”

Even though most feel that a nuclear attack might be launched on the USA by Russia or China, the truth is that it will be another, basically overlooked power which will destroy the USA in a nuclear war.

France’s Long-Range Ballistic Missile Test

Newsmax wrote on November 19:

“France has successfully test-fired an M51.3 long-range ballistic missile, boosting the credibility of France’s nuclear deterrence capabilities…

“The missile, which did not carry a nuclear weapon, was fired from the French army’s Biscarosse missile testing site in southwest France and landed in the North Atlantic, ‘hundreds of kilometers from any coastline’ the ministry said, without giving further detail…”

American Presidents’ Fascination with UFOs

Politico wrote on November 17:

“Early in Ronald Reagan’s second term, he asked his Soviet counterpart a seemingly off-the-wall question… Reagan turned to his Cold War enemy and said: ‘What would you do if the United States were suddenly attacked by someone from outer space? Would you help us?’ Gorbachev later recounted. ‘I said, “No doubt about it.” He said, “We too.”’…

“Reagan… had an encounter with a UFO while riding in a plane in the 1970s.

“Reagan, it turns out, wasn’t the only president who has had a more than passing interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. For the past half-century, almost every president has come to office pledging — publicly or privately — to get to the bottom of UFOs…

“Like his Oval Office predecessors, the former Arkansas governor [Bill Clinton] had expressed interest in aliens as soon as he had taken the oath of office…

“Jimmy Carter spotted his UFO while waiting for a Lion’s Club event to start on Jan. 6, 1969… As Carter campaigned in ’76 against Ford, he promised he would open up the nation’s UFO secrets… But, once in the Oval Office, Carter never followed up on his pledge. Whatever the government was hiding would stay hidden…

“Most recently, in 2021, former President Barack Obama spoke about the mystery — what the government by then called UAPs, unidentified anomalous phenomenon — telling late night host James Corden, ‘When I came into office, I was like ‘All right, is there the lab somewhere where we’re keeping the alien specimens and spaceship?’ And you know, they did a little bit of research and the answer was ‘no.’ But what is true — and I’m actually being serious here — is that there’s footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are. We can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern.’

“It was a remarkable statement and one that hinted at how long-standing — and real — the mystery of UFOs was, even to commanders in chief who, presumably, would have had access to answers if there were ones.”

It must be admitted that many reported UFO “sightings” and “encounters” can be explained naturally, or because of wild human imagination. But some of the reports might be very real, and if so, they would be based on Satanic and demonic deception.

More Trouble for the German Government

“Deutsche Welle wrote on November 21:

“A matter-of-fact announcement was issued by the Finance Ministry on Monday evening: With immediate effect, a spending freeze applies to almost the entire budget for 2023, it read. This drastic step was taken due to ‘the need to review the overall budgetary situation for the federal budget,’ read a statement from the ministry.

“The government is sending the message that it considers last week’s dramatic landmark ruling by Germany’s highest judges to have much more severe consequences than initially thought… [It] was a political bombshell for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his federal government. It ruled that the government cannot reallocate €60 billion meant to fight the COVID-19 pandemic to instead address climate change.

“… Germany’s three-way coalition government is not marching in one direction… the government’s approval rating among voters has hit rock bottom. Fresh elections would therefore likely hurt all three parties. The SPD, Greens and FDP are desperately seeking a solution — one that’s nowhere in sight.”

Focus added on November 22:

“Next ‘Ampel’ [German coalition government] shock… 200 billion euro fund can no longer be used.

“After the budget ruling of the Constitutional Court, the Federal Ministry of Finance also blocked the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF). Due to the Karlsruhe decision, the WSF credit authorizations ‘could no longer be used in 2023 according to the current legal situation’, it says…

“‘In order to avoid further burdens on the budget for this year and burdens for future financial years’, ‘all of the expenditures for 2023 which have not been spent already… are blocked with immediate effect,” it says… ‘Consent from the Federal Ministry of Finance’ is therefore required for any WSF expenditure that is still necessary.”

The spending freeze also included the German military.

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 23:

“German Finance Minister Christian Lindner plans to present a supplementary budget next week for the current year that lifts borrowing limits… A decision to suspend a so-called debt brake will allow the government to significantly increase new borrowing this year…”

As a consequence, one of the Coalition parties (the FDP) is going to ask their members in a formal poll as to how they feel about staying in or departing from the government.

Erdogan in Germany

Reuters wrote on November 17:

“Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday suggested that Germany supported Israel in the Gaza war out of guilt over the Holocaust and drew a contrast with Turkey, which he said was able to speak without bias…. ‘Those who feel indebted to Israel cannot speak freely. We did not go through the Holocaust process, we don’t have such a situation, because our respect for humanity is different,’ the Turkish president said…

“Erdogan’s comment in Berlin went to the heart of Germany’s post-war identity, which is based on deep atonement for the Holocaust. Germany systematically killed 6 million Jews and 5 million other victims during World War Two. Modern Israel was founded in 1948 as a safe haven for Jews. [Chancelor] Scholz did not respond directly to Erdogan’s remarks but restated Germany’s commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself.

“… Erdogan’s trip was his first visit to Germany in four years. Erdogan, whose party faces key local elections next year, could benefit from Scholz’s backing for modernising Turkey’s customs union with the European Union and visa-free EU travel for Turks. Scholz, dealing with a court ruling that blew a 60-billion-euro hole in his budget, a coalition row over the economy and rising immigration, needs Ankara’s help in stemming migration to the EU…

“Scholz declined to respond to a question on whether he would approve the sale of the 40 Eurofighter warplanes that Turkey wants. His approval would be needed since Germany is a member of the British-French-Spanish consortium that makes them. Erdogan said he could go elsewhere if Scholz did not agree… Berlin would also like to see Turkey give its final approval to Sweden’s accession to the NATO military alliance. Though Erdogan has dropped his objections, the Turkish parliament has yet to ratify Sweden’s membership.”

Aljazeera added on November 17:

“The two countries have always been, as characterised by Scholz’s spokesman, ‘uncomfortable partners.’ Berlin has been a loud critic of Erdogan’s clampdown on domestic dissent… Despite their differences, economic cooperation between the two countries has continued, with bilateral trade reaching a record 51.6 billion euros ($56.2bn) in 2022.

“Germany is home to the largest Turkish diaspora abroad. A majority of the Turkish community of three million are supporters of Erdogan.”

The Local wrote on November 17, prior to Erdogan’s arrival in Germany:

“The daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said Germany offered the ‘ideal stage’ for Erdogan to position himself as a voice for the ‘global south’. ‘As the loudest critic of Israel, he is underlining his demand for leadership of the Islamic world,’ said the daily…

“Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said Erdogan did not deserve to be trusted. ‘Anyone who not only denies Israel’s right to exist but also actively fights against it should not a be a partner for German politicians,’ he told newspaper group RND.”

“Israel’s End Is Near”

Israel Today wrote on November 19, prior to his arrival in Germany:

“Turkish President… Erdogan told his country’s parliament on Wednesday that Israel would soon be destroyed. ‘Right now, I am openly saying with clear conscience that Israel is a terrorist state,’ said Erdoğan.

“While this comment was widely reported, his subsequent remarks went largely unnoticed. ‘Hey Israel: You have an atomic bomb, a nuclear bomb. And you are making threats with this. We know this. And your end is near,’ said Erdoğan. ‘You can have as many nuclear bombs as you want, but you’re on your way out,’ he added.

“Turkish lawmakers responded to the message with a thunderous standing ovation.”

Israel will NOT be totally destroyed, but it will receive a “wound”—a military defeat—prior to the Great Tribulation, and it will be occupied during the Great Tribulation by a foreign power. Turkey will have a terrible part in this.

Erdogan Sharply Attacks the Federal Government After His Visit to Germany

Focus wrote on November 19:

“As soon as he returned to Turkey, the ruler [Erdogan] attacked the federal government harshly. According to ‘Bild’, the Turkish president accused the federal government in a speech of being involved in a ‘crusader-imperialist structure’.

“‘Unfortunately, I discovered that during my visit last night,’ the Turkish president was quoted as saying by the tabloid newspaper. ‘I saw that with President [Frank-Walter Steinmeier] and with the other one too’—the ‘other one’ was a reference to Chancellor [Olaf] Scholz.”

This love-hate relationship between Germany and Turkey does not prevent economic and military cooperation.

“Deal” Between Israel and Hamas

Deutsche Welel wrote on November 22:

“Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a four-day pause in fighting in Gaza to allow the release of 50 hostages held in the strip in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel… Hamas said hundreds of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid trucks would be allowed to enter Gaza during the temporary truce… ‘The number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement,’ the Foreign Ministry in Qatar [which “mediated” the deal] wrote on X, formerly Twitter…

“The agreement came amid mounting pressure from the hostages’ families and the international

community… ‘The government of Israel is obligated to return home all of the hostages,’ Netanyahu’s office wrote on X… Netanyahu… said the war in the Gaza Strip would continue after the pause until his government has achieved all its goals, including the elimination of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the European Union, the United States, and others…

“Israel said it would extend the four-day pause by an additional day for every ten hostages released by Hamas. Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed. The list represents twice the number of people initially slated for release — 150 Palestinian women and children.

“Meanwhile, Hamas said the truce would not halt their broader fight. ‘As we announce the striking of a truce agreement, we affirm that our fingers remain on the trigger, and our victorious fighters will remain on the look-out to defend our people and defeat the occupation,’ it said.”

Daily Mail added on November 22:

“Among those released are operatives of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the Popular Front and some were tried in military courts and some in civilian courts. Half will be released in the first stage with the second depending on how the ceasefire and exchange of hostages goes.”

It is clear that as of now, with this deal, Hamas has won and Israel has lost. As one observer commented: Hamas is getting all what they want.

Newsmax wrote on November 22:

“Not only has President Joe Biden’s watch seen two wars erupt, in Ukraine and Gaza, but  pro-Hamas leftists have forced Israel to negotiate with terrorists, former Trump administration Ambassador Ric Grenell told Newsmax Wednesday… America under past presidents would hunt the terrorists down and eradicate them, Grenell lamented… Biden’s administration is ‘pressuring Israel to cut deals,’ and even unfair ones, Grenell continued… ‘Israel had to go into its prisons to find 150 people who were convicted of crimes, brutal crimes in some instances, to exchange for 50 innocent people — 50 of the 200,’ Grenell said…

“Negotiating with terrorists is never a winning strategy and only further ups ‘the ante’ for hostages, including for a Biden administration that was forced to release $6 billion to Iran before Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack… ‘This is outrageous, and it’s going to make us less safe.’”

Sadly, Grenell is absolutely correct.

Ukraine’s Membership in the EU—“Light Years Away”

The Associated Press wrote on November 19:

“Hungary’s prime minister said Saturday that Ukraine is ‘light years away’ from joining the European Union…

“Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he and his government would ‘resist’ talks scheduled for mid-December on whether to formally invite Ukraine to start membership negotiations. Admitting a new country requires unanimous approval from all existing member countries, giving Orbán a powerful veto… Orbán said… that standing in the way of Ukraine joining the EU would be one of his government’s top priorities in the coming months…

“Orbán… has argued that negotiations should not begin with a country that is at war…”

Ukraine will not become part of the EU. Rather, Ukraine will be united with Russia.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

What Did Major Media Know About Hamas’s Attack, and Did Photojournalists Collude With Hamas?

Israel 365 News wrote on November 10:

“Ethical questions are now being raised about  Gaza-based freelance photojournalists from major media who were embedded with the Hamas terrorists on October 7, documenting their horrific deeds. One media watchdog asked whether the photojournalists and their employers had foreknowledge of the attacks… Honest Reporting reviewed the images of the attack published by AP, CNN, The New York Times and Reuters…

“CNN said in response that it ‘decided to suspend all ties with Hassan Eslaiah’… a freelance photojournalist who has worked with a number of international and Israeli outlets…

“After Honest Reporting’s shocking article, a spokeswoman for the Associated Press quoted by the Daily Wire denied any advance knowledge of the attack… The New York Times made a similar denial…

“The Israeli government took the Honest Reporting revelations seriously. A statement by the Prime Minister’s office read: ‘Gaza-based photojournalists employed by the world’s leading news agencies who captured images of the Hamas massacre on October 7 in Gaza-border communities, and who appear to have had foreknowledge of the planned attack were accomplices in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics.’

“Government minister Benny Gantz, a member of the cabinet and chairman of the National Unity party, came out strongly against the journalists. ‘Journalists found to have known about the massacre, and still chose to stand as idle bystanders while children were slaughtered – are no different than terrorists and should be treated as such,’ Gantz tweeted.

“Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi sent a letter to the four news outlets calling for an investigation into the photographers’ possible ‘collusion with the terrorist organization Hamas-ISIS.’…”

Simple denials from those news agencies won’t do. If it should be confirmed that those journalists knew about and participated, in one way or another, in Hamas’ murderous attack on October 7, that would be a scandal of unbelievable proportions.

On November 10, Newsmax published an article of The Associated Press, saying the following in their “defense”:

“Several of the world’s biggest news organizations — CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press and Reuters — issued statements Thursday denying they knew about the attack ahead of time… The Times said the accusation that anyone at the newspaper had advance knowledge of the attacks or accompanied Hamas was ‘untrue and outrageous,’ and put journalists in Israel and Gaza at risk. Rushing into danger in conflict zones already puts freelance photojournalists at risk, the newspaper said…

“Both AP and CNN said Thursday that they would no longer work with Eslaiah, one of the freelance photographers. HonestReporting posted a photo of Eslaiah being kissed by Hamas leader Yehia Sinwar.”

However, such denials may not do the trick.

Senator Cotton Wants Answers

Newsmax reported on November 10:

“‘Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wants answers from news organizations that used firsthand images and information from Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel shortly after the massacre began.

“Cotton on Thursday sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland and to executives of CNN, the AP, Reuters, and the Times. Cotton demanded that Garland open an investigation into the outlets, and the news organizations were asked to provide answers as to their involvement with Hamas. ‘If your employees, as part of their work, participated in terrorist activities or if your organization or employees provided material support (including any funding) to Hamas, the leadership of your organization may also face criminal penalties under federal law,’ Cotton wrote to the news organizations. 

“The Times on Friday responded to Cotton, saying that his letter ‘exacerbates’ the ‘spread of disinformation and incendiary rhetoric’ around journalists covering the war. ‘You are merely parroting disinformation harvested from the internet based on a website that has conceded it had no evidence for its claims,’ Times Vice President and Deputy General Counsel David McGraw wrote in a letter to Cotton.  McGraw added that ‘[n]o employee of The Times was embedded with Hamas, or had advance knowledge of the attack, or played any role in the savage massacre of that day.’

“Cotton then responded to McGraw’s letter: ‘Falsehoods circulated on the internet are not “reports,'” Cotton, repeating McGraw’s line, posted on X. ‘ The NYTimes just described its own “newsroom.” What you don’t say is that your freelance photographers—pictured riding with the Hamas terrorists on 10/7—had no advance knowledge. Is that also your claim?’ Cotton added.”

“This Is How the Terrorist Photographer Used Propaganda”

Bild Online wrote on November 11:

“He is a friend of a terrorist leader. He has posted videos explaining how to kill Israelis – with a battering ram or a shot in the head. And he has photographed for the world’s major agencies: the Palestinian photographer Hassan Eslaiah from the Gaza Strip.

“His images were the first the world saw after learning that Hamas had launched a large-scale attack on Israel and started a war. The photos were distributed by major news agencies and TV channels. They were also shown by BILD. Trusting that the major Western news agencies adhere to their standards and that they know whose photos they are distributing. That they can vouch for them – as far as this is possible in war zones.

“Now the world knows: They were Hamas propaganda images. Photographers like Hassan Eslaiah were at the forefront and apparently knew in advance about the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas, in which 1,200 people were ultimately massacred and violated and around 240 were kidnapped.

“One thing is clear: the photos are NOT fake. But they misrepresent the situation. They are not reporter photos or news photos. Hassan Eslaiah and all the photographers who spread the October 7 Hamas propaganda like him have deceived the world. Eslaiah created mass murder without bodies. His pictures only show what they are supposed to show: heroic perpetrators. They leave out what doesn’t fit into the picture: the victims. The brutality, the carnage. The pain. He photographed past all of this. Something like that can only be done consciously. Only on purpose.

“Every news agency that distributed the photos of him UNCHECKED was complicit…

“Hassan Eslaiah managed to photograph the carnage – without even one of the 1,400 corpses appearing in his photos from the kibbutz. Only one photo shows a dead person lying in front of the entrance gate… Hassan Eslaiah provided clean images – his streets were also strangely empty. He must have done one thing above all else: looked away intensely…

“In Israel, Hassan Eslaiah only photographed the perpetrators – as heroes. He didn’t photograph suffering. No victims. He was the man who was trusted by so many industry giants – the New York Times even defended him after the scandal!… He acts differently in Gaza. From there too, Eslaiah only delivered Hamas propaganda – WITH the suffering of the Palestinians.

“In view of the photos from Israel, the question must be asked: What can one actually believe about what one sees in the Gaza photos by photographers like Hassan Eslaiah? In addition, the man also worked as a stringer for CNN and the New York Times – i.e. as an informant, as a journalistic source on site. After the scandal, the question arises: Which images from Gaza can we still believe?”

A more alarming question is: What can we believe at all from “reports” published by CNN, The New York Times, and other left-wing mass media outlets?

Dershowitz Takes On Obama

Fox Business News wrote on November 10:

“Expressing outrage over former President Barack Obama’s call for an end to Israeli ‘occupation,’ Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz expanded on why he’s never talking to the Democratic president again. ‘I think he always had a deep hatred of Israel in his heart. He hid it very well… He’s never been supportive of Israel. And finally, his true feelings have come out now that he’s no longer president and doesn’t have to be elected… He has contributed enormously to the problem because he is respected among young people. And if he says the occupation is unbearable and that anything can be done to stop it, he is encouraging people to engage in their antisemitic, anti-Israel and anti-American attitudes. He should be ashamed of himself. He should apologize, but he won’t.’

“Dershowitz’s commentary comes after he claimed Thursday that any relationship with Obama is ‘over’ following the 44th president’s onstage statements about the Israel-Hamas war… The Harvard professor on Friday accused Obama of lying ‘through his teeth’ about what the former president called an ‘unbearable’ occupation of Gaza. ‘To compare those disputed claims with the rapes, beheadings, burnings, kidnappings, it’s just obscene and despicable,’ Dershowitz said. ‘And what it does is it lends support to those students basically, who are saying, ‘Well, what Hamas really did was not so bad… It was in response to the occupation…  If Hamas is not stopped in its tracks from doing the terrorist acts, they will bring them to the United States.’”

Respect for Dershowitz who exposes Obama for what he really is and believes.

A Colossal Joke…

Breitbart wrote on November 12:

“… the Biden administration’s official position went from pro-Israel to functionally pro-Hamas in a matter of days… This is all appalling, if not entirely unexpected… as usual, there is method to his madness… Biden knows shifting to focus to Islamophobia at this particular moment has little potential to succeed, at least in the traditional sense. So, he resorted to yet another tried and true tactic: offload his toughest battles to… Kamala Harris. Biden has also tasked Harris with the broken border and Artificial Intelligence…

“This is clearly sabotage. Harris cannot win on these issues… Effectually, he is keeping Harris in her place so that she’ll never surpass him politically… While Biden assigned her another impossible mission (solving Islamophobia), her husband, longtime entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff, was absurdly tasked with the leading efforts to confront antisemitism…

“It’s all a colossal joke…”

Massive Support for Israel?

JTA wrote on November 14:

“Organizers of a pro-Israel rally at the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday claimed that 290,000 people showed up for the event, making it one of the largest gatherings of Jews in U.S. history at a time when an ongoing war in Gaza has sharply divided public opinion around the world. An additional 250,000 people watched the event through a live stream, organizers added…

“In more than three hours of speeches on Tuesday, a range of politicians, actors, musicians, activists and U.S. college students presented a strong front in support of Israel and spoke about the rise of antisemitism around the world since Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza. Many speakers also demanded the safe release of the more than 200 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

“… subtle differences in messaging… emerged from the prominent Democrats and Republicans who spoke, and also between the Biden administration and Israel.

“Mike Johnson, the newly installed Republican speaker of the House, said the United States would reject widespread calls for a ceasefire. ‘The calls for a ceasefire are outrageous,’ he said to loud cheers. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, did not mention a ceasefire. The Biden administration… differs with Israel on the degree to which there should be pauses in fighting to bring humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

“Biden is under intense pressure from a number of congressional progressives as well as some staffers in the State Department and elsewhere to force Israel to declare a ceasefire.

“… It was not clear why Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, was unable to attend…

“An array of Jewish organizations across the political spectrum attended the event. The inclusion of some of the more right-wing speakers, including Johnson and Pastor John Hagee — the head of the influential Christians United for Israel group who is an opponent of LGBTQ rights — caused controversy before the rally…

“But several speakers, including liberal CNN analyst Van Jones, called for the protection of Palestinian lives while emphasizing Israel’s right to defend itself… Dr. Rochelle Ford, the president of Dillard University in New Orleans, a historically Black university, said it was time to ‘stand with Israel, and to stand with the Palestinians who suffer under Hamas’ cruel rule in Gaza.’”

It has been emphasized that at this point, a two-state solution would be an impossibility. And so, anti-Semitism and anger towards Israel will continue.

Judge Engoron’s Bias and Bizarre Behavior

Fox News wrote on November 10::

“The No. 3 House Republican leader is wading into the dramatic New York civil trial of former President Donald Trump, accusing the judge involved of exhibiting ‘bias’ and ‘bizarre behavior’ in the courtroom. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., filed an ethics complaint against Judge Arthur Engoron on Friday morning in a letter to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

“‘I write today to express my serious concerns about the inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance shown by Judge Arthur F. Engoron in New York’s lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization,’ Stefanik said in her letter. ‘This judge’s bizarre behavior has no place in our judicial system, where Judge Engoron is not honoring the defendant’s rights to due process and a fair trial,’ the letter continued. ‘These serious concerns are exacerbated by the fact that the defendant is the leading candidate for President of the United States, and it appears the judicial system is being politicized to affect the outcome of the campaign,’ Stefanik wrote…

“‘Judge Engoron has gone on to gag and fine President Trump for merely criticizing Judge Engoron’s law clerk, which is core political speech protected by the First Amendment,’ Stefanik said. ‘If anyone in America must have the constitutional right to speak out against the judge, his staff, the witnesses, or the process, it’s a defendant going through a process he believes is politicized and weaponized against him… Judge Engoron’s bizarre and biased behavior is making New York’s judicial system a laughingstock.’”

Engoron’s unethical conduct and bias should be obvious to any objective observer. Whether the complaint will be successful in liberal New York ruled by Democrats is a different matter.

“Are the Feds Targeting (New York’s Mayor) Eric Adams Because He Criticized Joe Biden?”

The New York Post wrote on November 10:

“Seizing Mayor Adam’s phones and tablet on the street in public is the latest sign the feds aren’t simply investigating him: They’re out to inflict maximum embarrassment in a political vendetta, presumably in retribution for the noise he’s made about President Biden’s disastrous border policies.

“The mayor is easy to find, 24/7/365: What reason to ambush him publicly… except to humiliate him? And why else make sure his No. 1 press enemy, The New York Times, gets the story first?

“Mind you, this follows the opening raid in this investigation — which stormed the home of his top fund-raiser while Adams was in the air en route to Washington to press Biden on his failure to help the city bear the multibillion-dollar cost of caring for the illegal migrants the (president) is waving into the country.

“That one leaked to the Times first, too. And sources told The Post that timing was also intentional; the feds denied it — but of course they would…

“The mayor won’t appreciate us making this point, but this resembles the multiple prosecutions of ex-President Donald Trump: Even where Trump has crossed lines (e.g., in holding on to classified documents), the feds’ zealousness is all out of proportion in his case vs. other notorious violators of the same statutes, such as Hillary Clinton and Biden himself.

“Weaponizing the FBI and Justice Department for political purposes is a major threat to democracy, no matter the victim. Congress needs to start asking tough questions about the Adams case.”

What we are seeing in this country is not only a threat to democracy… it has reached the point, in many instances, of the conduct of an autocratic dictatorial banana republic.

Don’t Dismiss Kennedy

CNN wrote on November 12:

“There are few things you can be more certain of in life than a Democrat or a Republican winning a US presidential election. We don’t usually do third parties or independents in this country. Chances are Democrat Joe Biden or Republican Donald Trump will be elected a year from now.

“But it would be foolish to dismiss what the current polls are telling us: Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is polling higher than any independent or third-party candidate in a generation. He, along with other non-major-party candidates, has a real chance to affect the outcome of the 2024 election…

“Take a look at a recent [poll]: Kennedy hit 22% among registered voters… We don’t know where Kennedy will end up, obviously; however, his numbers in the swing states should be turning heads… Kennedy was in the high teens to upward of 25%…”

It does not appear that Kennedy would become President, but his influence on election results could be dramatic. It is also far from certain that Biden will ultimately be the Democratic nominee.

Trump: “Genie Is Out of the Box”

The Huffington Post wrote on November 10:

“Former President Donald Trump said that he would be justified in telling federal prosecutors to go after his political rivals if he wins the White House next year, suggesting it would simply be payback for Democrats doing the same to him. ‘What they’ve done is they’ve released the genie out of the box,’ Trump said in an interview…

“In response to a Univision question about his claims that the Justice Department and FBI had been ‘weaponized’ and whether he would do the same if put back in the Oval Office, Trump said: ‘It’s not unique but it’s unique for the United States. Yeah, if they do this — and they’ve already done it — but if they want to follow through on this, yeah, it could certainly happen in reverse.’…

“The Univision interview is not the first time Trump has said or hinted that he would try to use his official powers for revenge if he once again wins the White House… ‘I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution,’ he said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March…

“Trump has already started thinking about individuals he would like to see investigated or prosecuted if he wins another term, and… his associates are looking at potentially invoking the Insurrection Act on his first day in office, which would give him broad emergency powers. Among the targets on Trump’s list, according to the [Washington] Post, are former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former Attorney General William Barr, as well as retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

There would be many more targets, if it came to that.

Trump’s Alleged Immigration Plans

DNYUZ wrote on November 11:

“Former President Donald J. Trump is planning an extreme expansion of his first-term crackdown on immigration if he returns to power in 2025…

“Mr. Trump wants to revive his first-term border policies, including banning entry by people from certain Muslim-majority nations and reimposing a Covid 19-era policy of refusing asylum claims — though this time he would base that refusal on assertions that migrants carry other infectious diseases like tuberculosis.

“He plans to scour the country for unauthorized immigrants and deport people by the millions per year… Mr. Trump wants to build huge camps to detain people while their cases are processed and they await deportation flights…

“In a public reference to his plans, Mr. Trump told a crowd in Iowa in September: ‘Following the Eisenhower model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.’ The reference was to a 1954 campaign to round up and expel Mexican immigrants…

“In a second Trump presidency, the visas of foreign students who participated in anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian protests would be canceled. U.S. consular officials abroad will be directed to expand ideological screening of visa applicants to block people the Trump administration considers to have undesirable attitudes…

“Similarly, numerous people who have been allowed to live in the country temporarily for humanitarian reasons would also lose that status and be kicked out, including tens of thousands of the Afghans who were evacuated amid the 2021 Taliban takeover and allowed to enter the United States. Afghans holding special visas granted to people who helped U.S. forces would be revetted to see if they really did…

“Mr. Trump would try to end birthright citizenship for babies born in the United States to undocumented parents — by proclaiming that policy to be the new position of the government and by ordering agencies to cease issuing citizenship-affirming documents like Social Security cards and passports to them…

“In interviews with The New York Times, several Trump advisers gave the most expansive and detailed description yet of Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda in a potential second term. In particular, Mr. Trump’s campaign referred questions for this article to Stephen Miller, an architect of Mr. Trump’s first-term immigration policies who remains close to him and is expected to serve in a senior role in a second administration… ‘Trump will unleash the vast arsenal of federal powers to implement the most spectacular migration crackdown,’ Mr. Miller said…

“Mr. Miller said Mr. Trump would try again to end DACA. [DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is an Obama-era program that shields from deportation and grants work permits to people who were brought unlawfully to the United States as children.] And the 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court that blocked the last attempt no longer exists: A few months after the DACA ruling, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died and Mr. Trump replaced her with a sixth conservative, Justice Amy Coney Barrett…

“Mr. Miller said Mr. Trump would invoke Title 42, citing ‘severe strains of the flu, tuberculosis, scabies, other respiratory illnesses like R.S.V. and so on, or just a general issue of mass migration being a public health threat and conveying a variety of communicable diseases.’…

“… the Trump team plans to build ‘vast holding facilities that would function as staging centers’ for migrants waiting to be flown to other countries, Mr. Miller said. Such an undertaking would be fast-tracked…  the new camps would likely be built ‘on open land in Texas near the border’… ‘Bottom line,’ he said, ‘President Trump will do whatever it takes.’”

The Daily Mail added on November 12:

“It has been revealed that Trump would expand his first-term immigration crackdown… if he is re-elected in 2024…

“To aid US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in sweeping roundups of undocumented people, Trump would reassign federal agents and deputize local police and National Guard troops volunteered by Republican-run states…

“To underwrite the massive operation if Congress refused, Trump would redirect Pentagon funds as he did with his border wall in his first term… ‘We’ll stop the invasion on our southern border and begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,‘ Trump said on Saturday…”

If all of this is true, then Trump’s immigration plans are cause for great concern. That right-wing radical Stephen Miller is one of his major immigration advisors, as he had been before, does not help the situation at all. Miller also pleaded in the past for the end of chain immigration (children applying for US residency for their parents). He has been described as an “immigration hypocrite” by his uncle, stating that Stephen Miller supports policies that would have condemned his own Jewish family to death if they had been enacted a century ago. Miller’s maternal uncle, David Glosser, described how Miller’s great-great-grandfather Wolf-Leib Glosser fled the Belarusian shtetl of Antopol, arriving in the United States in 1903, “with $8 to his name.” “I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, who is an educated man and well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country,” Glosser said in 2018. (Compare for example “The Times of Israel,” dated August 13, 2018.)

Germany’s Failed Asylum Policy

Focus wrote on November 12:

“The heated situation in the Middle East conflict is reflected in the Berlin facilities of the Arche children’s and youth welfare organization… Arche spokesman Wolfgang Büscher has experienced the hatred of Muslim young people first-hand over the past few days…

“‘First we cut the throats of the Jews, then the gays and finally the Christians! ‘ This is what young people said on site, writes the Bild newspaper. Büscher confirms threats of this kind…

“The radicalization has been evident for years. But the integration problems with Muslim children and young people in the aid facility have apparently not yet become as clear as they have been since the Hamas attack… Across Germany, the Arche looks every day after up to 7,000 children and young people from socially disadvantaged families in more than 30 facilities. The adolescents receive free lunch, help with homework and more. Between 60 and 70 percent of older people are of Arab origin. In Hellersdorf, where more than 12,000 young people are looked after, around half are Muslim.

“Most of the Muslims living in East Berlin have come to Berlin since the major refugee movement from Syria in 2015, says Büscher. The integration there has apparently borne little fruit… Instead of distributing the refugees throughout the city, they would be concentrated in hot spots. Criminal clans and religious extremists tried to reach these children and young people…

“The schools’ concerns about the charged atmosphere among parts of the student body are immense…”

Germany is slowly becoming aware of its disastrous immigration and integration policy, basically instituted by Angela Merkel.

More Trouble for Germany’s Government

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 15:

“Germany’s highest court has ruled that the government’s 2021 reallocation of unused coronavirus pandemic credit is unconstitutional. The government’s climate action budget is now €60 billion short [money which will have to be found elsewhere.]

“In December 2021, the German coalition government agreed on an unusual budgetary maneuver that saw €60 billion ($64 billion) of untapped credit secured to help combat the effects of the pandemic reallocated to its so-called climate and transformation fund…

“A total of 197 conservative opposition lawmakers argued that the move effectively gave the government fiscal room to maneuver to which it wasn’t constitutionally entitled. They said this could set a precedent for Germany’s financing of future crises… Germany’s Federal Audit Office also described the budget maneuver as ‘constitutionally dubious,’ saying that the government did not provide adequate justification for the ‘misappropriation’ of money intended to combat the pandemic…

“The constitutional court agreed with those arguments…”

Shakeup in Britain… Cameron Back, Braverman Sacked

The Associated Press wrote on November 13:

“Former British Prime Minister David Cameron made a shock return to high office on Monday, becoming foreign secretary in a major shakeup of the Conservative government… Cameron, who led the U.K. government between 2010 and 2016, was appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a Cabinet shuffle in which he sacked [Home Secretary Suella] Braverman… who drew anger for accusing police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters. She was replaced by James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary.

“Cameron’s appointment came as a surprise to seasoned politics-watchers. It’s rare for a non-lawmaker to take a senior government post, and it has been decades since a former prime minister held a Cabinet job… Cameron’s appointment brings back to government a leader brought down by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Cameron called the 2016 EU membership referendum, confident the country would vote to stay in the bloc. He resigned the day after voters opted to leave.

“Sunak was a strong backer of the winning ‘leave’ side in the referendum. Cameron’s return, and Braverman’s sacking, are likely to infuriate the Conservative Party’s right wing and inflame tensions in the party…  Prominent right-wing lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg said sacking Braverman was ‘a mistake, because Suella understood what the British voter thought and was trying to do something about it.’… In a highly unusual attack on the police last week, Braverman said London’s police force was ignoring lawbreaking by ‘pro-Palestinian mobs.’ She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as ‘hate marchers.’… Last week Braverman wrote an article for the Times of London in which she said police ‘play favorites when it comes to protesters’ and acted more leniently toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Black Lives Matter supporters than toward right-wing protesters or soccer hooligans. The article was not approved in advance by the prime minister’s office, as would usually be the case.

“…Braverman, a 43-year-old lawyer, has become a leader of the party’s populist wing by advocating ever-tougher curbs on migration… Last month she called migration a ‘hurricane’ that would bring ‘millions more immigrants to these shores, uncontrolled and unmanageable.’…

“Critics say Braverman has been building her profile to position herself for a party leadership contest that could come if the Conservatives lose power in an election expected next year. The bold changes are an attempt by Sunak to reset his faltering government. The Conservatives have been in power for 13 years, but opinion polls for months have put them 15 to 20 points behind the opposition Labour Party amid a stagnating economy, persistently high inflation, an overstretched health care system and a wave of public sector strikes…”

The Daily Mail added on November 13:

“Rishi Sunak is facing a revolt by the Tory right… after David Cameron made a shock comeback to the Cabinet…. [It is]  a decision that sent an earthquake through Westminster,.. Just weeks ago Lord Cameron condemned Mr Sunak’s decision to downgrade the HS2 rail project. Incredulous Tory MPs, who deeply deeply distrust the peer after he headed the Remain campaign before quitting in the wake of the 2016 referendum, also slammed him for fostering closer relations with China as premier…

“Worryingly for the PM, a snap YouGov poll has found that just 24 per cent of Brits think the return of Lord Cameron is a good idea, compared to 38 per cent who fear it is a bad one… The stunning move triggered turmoil on Conservative WhatsApp groups…”

Military Conscription in Europe

Euro Weekly News wrote on November 10:

“With a war in Ukraine, the potential for more Middle Eastern countries to become embroiled in the latest Israel-Palestine fighting, a potential reigniting of conflict in Kosovo and an ever-growing threat from Russia and China, it looks like a European rethink on military conscription may be on the cards.

“Since the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and a shift to the liberal centre ground in European politics, many countries abandoned military conscription as an unnecessary and expensive measure. Out of the 29 European countries that are members of NATO, including Turkey, only six have kept up compulsory military service since 1993.

“Europe’s focus shifted away from defence in general, with the EU’s combined spending on defence between 1999 and 2021 increasing by only 20 per cent, in comparison to a 66 per cent increase by the US, a jaw-dropping 292 per cent increase by Russia and a truly staggering 592 per cent increase by China. Given those comparisons, it looks like the EU has taken its eye off the ball and become somewhat complacent that the long-term situation of peace and stability was rather more permanent than it’s proved to be. 

“Looking at the countries with military conscription, one notable thing that stands out is their proximity to Russia. Finland, which of course suffered an invasion by Russia during the 1939 Winter War, has one of the highest rates of conscription in the world. Every year, around 27,000 conscripts are trained with 80 per cent of Finnish male citizens completing the service which can range between nine months and a year for unarmed service and six, nine months or a year for armed service. Penalties for evading military service in Finland are harsh with a penalty of 173 days in prison with no parole, minus any served days. 

“Other Russian neighbours, Ukraine and Lithuania, reinstated compulsory military service after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In the Ukraine, military service is compulsory for men aged 18 to 26 and in Lithuania for men aged 18 to 25.  Latvia is reinstating compulsory military service from 2024 with all men aged 18 to 27 being required to undergo 11 months of service and in Estonia there’s compulsory military or governmental service for men aged between 18-27 for eight to 11 months.

“In the Nordic area, Norway brought back conscription in 2016 with all 18-year-olds in Norway of both genders having to present themselves for military service… Sweden started partial conscription in 2018 for both genders…

“Other European countries with conscription include Switzerland, where every male has to serve at least 245 days in the armed forces, Greece (12 months for men between 19 and 45), Austria (six months for men over the age of 18) and Denmark where every male over the age of 18 is subject to being called upon on the basis of a draw…

“Germany suspended military service in 2011, but it can be reintroduced if the Bundestag determines there is a need for defence.  Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, has led increasing calls to introduce compulsory military service again, saying ‘Abolishing it was a mistake and could demonstrate the importance of these institutions for the functioning of our society.’…

“Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, has opined on compulsory military service several times, believing that ‘a year of teaching the rules, good manners and duties would make good citizens.’…

“The UK ended conscription in 1960 and there has been no official discussion on reintroduction…

“Portugal has voluntary service for 18-30-year-olds who wish to participate and technically conscription is possible if there aren’t sufficient volunteers, however, there has been no discussion in the country on changing that position.

“Spain abolished conscription in 2001, retaining the right to mobilise citizens aged between 19-25 years in the event of a national emergency. However, like the UK and Portugal, does not appear to be considering any reinstating of conscription…”

Military conscription in all of Europe is coming, and this is really bad news for freedom-loving and peace-loving people.

Ukraine’s Dilemma

Spiegel International wrote on November 10:

“Weeks after the terrorist attack in Israel pulled the world’s attention away from Kyiv’s plight, the situation in Ukraine is bleak… There has been little progress on the front, and only a massive increase in Western military aid could help. But it doesn’t appear that such aid will be forthcoming, particularly with a new war in the Middle East taking much of the West’s attention away from Ukraine. Indeed, it is even possible the United States will start reducing its support, and the European Union wouldn’t likely be able to make up for that shortfall…

“For Ukraine, the end to U.S. aid would be no less than a disaster. After around 600 days of war, the Ukrainian army is suffering from huge shortages. At the very top of Kyiv’s list of priorities are weapons for air defense… The German government is… the largest provider of military aid to Kyiv after the U.S. But that aid won’t be enough to deliver a win for Ukraine in the war. As German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has emphasized repeatedly, it may not even be enough to ensure that Ukraine doesn’t lose..

“Although the EU has pledged by far the largest sums of money to Ukraine, amounting to around 77 billion euros by the end of July, when it comes to purely military assistance, the U.S. is indispensable. Washington has already supplied Ukraine with around 42 billion euros worth of armaments, more than all EU member states combined. The EU, so far, has committed around 25 billion euros in military aid, with most of it coming from Germany.

“All experts agree that it would be impossible for the Europeans to compensate for the loss of U.S. military aid to Ukraine… Politicians and military officials don’t believe that Germany is in a position to expand its military aid to Ukraine. They say there’s nothing left to give from the German armed forces’ sparse stocks. Germany’s defense industry needs to produce faster…

“But what happens if the budget situation in Germany deteriorates – or Donald Trump becomes president again in the U.S.? Nobody in Berlin is particularly eager to speculate on such questions these days.

“At the EU level, no significant increase in spending for Ukraine is in sight…

“War weariness is also spreading within the EU, a development that Zelenskyy himself recently lamented in an interview. ‘The scariest thing is that part of the world got used to the war in Ukraine,’ the Ukrainian president told Time magazine. ‘Exhaustion with the war rolls along like a wave. You see it in the United States, in Europe.’

“… skepticism is particularly widespread in Germany. Nowhere were the responses to Ukraine more negative than in the country… But Ukraine skeptics in Germany don’t need to worry too much about Ukraine joining the EU anytime soon. That’s a long way off – as was shown in Brussels this week – if it ever takes place at all…  To become an EU member state, a country must have stable institutions that safeguard democracy and rule of law. It must have a functioning economy, also in order to be able to withstand the competitive pressure within the EU internal market…

“The dispute over money could also act as a brake…  if Ukraine became a member of the EU today, it would receive a net 18 to 19 billion euros from the EU budget each year. By comparison: Poland, which is by far the largest net recipient of EU funds in absolute terms, received just under 12 billion euros net in 2022… Ukraine would be entitled to around 85 billion euros in agricultural funds alone from the EU’s seven-year financial framework.

“… the biggest obstacle to Ukraine’s accession must first be removed: the war with Russia. It is unclear how an end to that war will be defined. When the Russians are completely expelled from Ukraine’s territory? If there’s a peace treaty? Or will it suffice if the weapons have been silent long enough?

“These issues are also explosive for the EU because it has a mutual assistance clause similar to NATO’s: In the event of an armed attack on a member state, ‘the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power,’ Article 42 of the Treaty on the European Union states says. Unlike the NATO defense alliance, though, the EU’s promise of support is toothless, given that it is not backed by military power.

“‘Ukraine’s accession to NATO should happen in parallel to its accession to the EU,’ demands German Green Party politician Hofreiter. But to a degree even greater than for EU membership, it is only conceivable that Ukraine could join NATO once the war with Russia has ended. And who knows what will be left of Ukraine by then?”

Ukraine will become part of Russia again, no matter what the USA, Europe or Ukraine may want…

Replacing Zelensky?

Asia Times wrote on November 11:

“There is a growing consensus that the West (meaning the United States with the help of the UK) wants to replace Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky… Either Zelensky will be forced to call a Presidential election, scheduled for next March, and then be replaced, or, if he resists, he will be replaced anyway in a Maidan-style upheaval.

“The US has pushed changes in Ukraine’s leadership before, and the current State Department undersecretary [Nuland]… was behind the earlier operation. A 2014 phone call between Nuland and the then-US ambassador to Kiev [Pyatt]…  was intercepted and the content of the call was leaked to the press. The call is interesting because Nuland and Pyatt were selecting an ‘acceptable’ presidential candidate for Ukraine, and they enlisted then-Vice President Joe Biden to help. Note that along with Biden, Jake Sullivan, then and now Biden’s national security advisor, was also enlisted in selecting Ukraine’s next President…

“Washington has let it be known through controlled leaks that its carefully orchestrated plan for Ukraine’s counter-offensive was not followed by Zelensky…

“Zelensky has a second problem, which… has damaged his relationship with [America and Britain]. That problem is the growing perception that Ukraine is losing the war… In Washington’s view the best thing to do is to negotiate a deal with the Russians… If there are no negotiations, inevitably Ukraine will fail militarily… However, Zelensky is against any negotiation with Russia and is demanding that all Russian forces leave Ukraine and that Russian ‘war criminals’ be brought to trial…

“Zelensky… is not going to volunteer to quit, so the problem of how to get him to step aside is unresolved. Even more daunting, holding presidential elections in March may be too late to save Ukraine.”

Whether these reported concerns and alleged attempts to replace Zelensky are true will have to be seen.

Transgender People To Be Included in Catholic Church’s Practices

Glad.org wrote on November 9:

“The Vatican has announced sweeping new policies welcoming transgender people in the church’s sacramental life, further reflecting Pope Francis’ pastoral focus on LGBTQ people.

“In October, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández signed a statement, with the approval of Pope Francis, affirming that transgender people can be baptized, become official godparents, and act as a witness for weddings in the Catholic faith. “

AFP added on November 11:

“LGBTQ rights campaigners welcomed a Vatican statement that transgender people can be baptised as a step towards a more inclusive Catholic Church, but denounced caveats that provide cover to those who object.

“In a document published on Wednesday, the powerful Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the main departments that manages the affairs of the Holy See, said transgender believers can be baptised if it would not cause scandal or confusion. The document, written in response to questions from a Brazilian bishop and approved by Pope Francis, also raised no objections to baptism for the children of same-sex couples, either adopted or born through surrogacy. In reality, such baptisms already occur in different dioceses around the world…

“The Vatican statement said that transgender believers ‘can receive baptism, under the same conditions of other faithful, if there is no situation in which there is a risk of generating public scandal or uncertainty among the faithful’…

“‘It is definitely a step towards a more inclusive church and a reminder that transgender Catholics are not only people but Catholics too,’ US Jesuit priest James Martin, a well-known advocate for LGBTQ believers, told AFP… Martin… said that ‘there is, of course, a risk that some dioceses and parishes will continue to exclude them.’ But he said it was ‘difficult to see’ what the ‘scandal’ might be that precludes a baptism, adding: ‘Frankly, the bigger scandal would be to continue to exclude them from the life of the church.’”

The Catholic Church, under Pope Francis, is drifting more and more into absolutely ungodly behavior.

China’s Unconscionable Experiments

Science Alert wrote on November 10:

“Scientists in China have announced the birth of a primate like no other, with eyes that shined green and fingertips that glowed yellow – and those were just the observable features. Beneath the skin and deep within its genes, this creature was apparently even more remarkable.

“The lab-born male monkey was the product of an unprecedented experiment, which used the pluripotent stem cells of two genetically distinct fertilized eggs from the same monkey species to create one living and breathing long-tailed macaque…  It survived for just ten days, which means the ongoing health of chimeric monkeys is still a problem to be solved.

“In a media conference, the lead author of the paper, geneticist Jing Cao from CAS, said that this was a basic scientific advance because it proves for the first time that rich non-human primate chimeras are possible.

“The field of chimeric animal research isn’t without a spectrum of ethical concerns…”

Man wants to play God. The outcome will be disastrous for all involved.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free!”

Israel Today wrote on November 5:

“Tens of thousands took to the streets in many major European cities and the USA over the weekend to show their solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. From their point of view, Israel alone is responsible for all evil. Israel massacres the people of Gaza, they say, but not a word about the actual massacre in Israel. ‘ From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free”– shouted people in the streets…

“In London, according to police reports, around 30,000 people demonstrated in Trafalgar Square. In the French capital Paris, police estimated the number of demonstrators at 20,000, but other sources said there were more. Of course, Palestinian flags and signs reading ‘Free Palestine’ could be seen everywhere. The state of Israel should be boycotted immediately, some Arab demonstrators said, while others held up signs reading ‘Israel is a terrorist state.’

“In Germany, pro-Palestinian demonstrations also took place yesterday in Düsseldorf and Berlin. According to police information, there were around 17,000 people on the streets in Düsseldorf and an estimated 10,000 in Berlin. Thousands of people also protested in Milan yesterday against Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip.

“In Washington, thousands have called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In front of the White House, they accused US President Joe Biden of genocide: ‘Biden, Biden, you can’t hide, you have approved genocide.’ People in Montreal, Canada, also called for the ‘liberation’ of Palestine. A few days earlier, a large demonstration took place in Istanbul. The Turkish ‘Sultan’ Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a Muslim, but not an Arab. Nevertheless, he tries to be more Arab than the Arabs. He stands up for the Palestinians like no other Arab leader in the Middle East…

“Anyone who believes that Muslims as a collective will gradually integrate or adapt to Western or Christian culture in Europe is mistaken… Do people in Europe, in this case Christians, believe that Muslims will be merciful to Christians? No. For Muslims, the Christian West is the stronghold of the Crusaders, and they slaughtered the Muslims in the Holy Land a thousand years ago. Muslims don’t forget this. According to the Koran, Jews and Christians are ‘infidels’ and therefore arch enemies of Islam. Furthermore, Muslims are obliged to reconquer Islamic lands once they were under Islamic rule… Parts of Europe were… under Muslim rule throughout history…

“‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’ must be a warning to Europe and America. For years, radical Muslims in Europe have been talking about liberating Europe from the hands of Christians…”

Tlaib Censured

The New York Post wrote on November 7:

“The House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to censure Rep. Rahida Tlaib for defending Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel as ‘resistance’ and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. Tlaib (D-Mich.) is the 26th member of Congress to be censured by the House in the legislative body’s history… Twenty-two Democrats voted with 212 Republicans to censure Tlaib, and four Republicans voted with 184 Democrats against the resolution. 

“The resolution mentions Tlaib’s Nov. 3 video post on X, which included the first portion of the phrase ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ a call for the eradication of Israel.

“The resolution notes Tlaib’s ‘false narratives’ around the Oct. 7 attack, in which jihadists slaughtered 1,400 civilians in Israel — including at least 33 American citizens. The censure further cites lies that Tlaib spread about the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing on Oct. 17, which she claimed had been perpetrated by the Israeli military — despite President Biden and the US intelligence community assessing with ‘high confidence’ that it was caused by [Hamas]…”

As the Hill explained on November 7, “A vote to censure another member of Congress does not hold any other power beyond a public condemning of that member’s behavior. It does not expel a member from Congress or deny the rights or privileges of that member within Congress.”

Please read our Q&A in this issue, titled, “Does the Bible reveal anything about the immediate future of the State of Israel?” Also, note below one article about the dreadful actions committed by Islamists in Germany and a call to action.  

Obama’s “Wisdom”

Israel 365 News wrote on November 5:

“[In an] interview… the former president said… that ‘what Hamas did was horrific, and there is no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation, and what’s happening to Palestinians, is unbearable.’… He added that ‘nobody’s hands are clean’ and that ‘all of us are complicit to some degree.’

“According to Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, it is Obama that is complicit. When Israel faces ‘a barbaric attack from Hamas, Obama blames Israel,’ said Brooks. ‘It is Barack Obama who is complicit in the death and suffering over the last month in Israel and in Gaza. His policies and those of President Joe Biden put billions of dollars into Iranian coffers, money used to fund and train Hamas and other terrorist groups whose stated goals are the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of Jews,’ he continued…

“According to Israeli philosopher Yoram Hazony, it was Obama’s ‘complexity’ theory that led directly to the current situation in the Middle East… ‘He created this hell with his own hands,’ wrote Hazony. ‘Obama’s theory of the “complexity” of the Middle East—from which he concluded that Iran needs to be strengthened so it can “balance’ Israel,” led directly to the current crisis,’ he continued.

“Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, called the former president the ‘Israel-hater-in-chief’…”

Obama’s and Biden’s failed politics have truly contributed to the current disaster in Gaza.

Turkey Breaks With Israel

AFP wrote on November 4:

“Turkey said Saturday it was recalling its ambassador to Israel and breaking off contacts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest at the bloodshed in Gaza… [Ankara’s] tone hardened against both Israel and its Western supporters — particularly the United States… ‘Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off,’ Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying.

“Israel had earlier withdrawn all diplomats from Turkey and other regional countries as a security precaution. The Israeli foreign ministry said last weekend it was “re-evaluating” relations with Ankara because of Turkey’s increasingly heated rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war…”

According to the Bible, Turkey will become one of Israel’s arch-enemies.

Leave Lebanon

Fox News wrote on November 4:

“The US Embassy in Lebanon is urging Americans to evacuate the country due to increasing danger of the Israel-Hamas conflict spilling over. ‘The State Department recommends that U.S. citizens in Lebanon leave now, while commercial flights remain available, due to the unpredictable security situation,’ the embassy said in a security alert…

“‘There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation,’ it added.”

It is only a matter of time before the terrorist organization Hezbollah will become more actively involved in the war against Israel. Note the next articles.

Hezbollah Threatens Israel and the USA

The Associated Press wrote on November 3:

“Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his powerful militia is already engaged in unprecedented fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border and threatened a further escalation…

“Hezbollah is prepared for all options, he declared, ‘and we can resort to them at any time.’ The fighting would ‘not be limited’ to the scale seen so far, he added. In recent weeks, Hezbollah has fired rockets across the border daily, mainly hitting military targets in northern Israel, but it has a substantial arsenal capable of hitting anywhere in Israel and thousands of battle-hardened fighters…”

The Times of Israel added on November 3:

“Hassan Nasrallah says Hezbollah is not intimidated by American threats and by US forces deployed to the region. ‘Since the outbreak of the war, the US has threatened to bomb us in Lebanon from its military ships in the Mediterranean. We are prepared for whatever scenario,’ he says. ‘If an all-out war breaks out, you Americans will pay with your ships, your aircrafts and your soldiers,’ he threatens.

“‘Remember your defeats in Lebanon and Iraq, and your humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan. Those who defeated you in Lebanon in the 1980s are still alive and their children and grandchildren are ready to face you,’ he claims. ‘Your fleet in the Mediterranean do not scare us… We are ready to face the fleet you threaten us with,’ Nasrallah says… ‘I tell Israel: Do not go any further. Many civilians have already died. I promise you: A civilian for a civilian.’”

Sadly, Biden’s humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened America’s enemies as never before.

The Source of Antisemitism in the USA

Breitbart wrote on November 2:

“Breitbart Editor-in-Chief… Alex Marlow said… ‘The Jew hatred that is pervasive on the web shows you that anti-Semitism is alive and well. Contrary to what people say it is not really coming from the far-right in America. I mean it is there certainly but I’m saying that is not where the movement is taking place. The secular left is a huge part of it, the Arab world is a part of it. But most immortally for this conversation is the enablers of those people. And one of the top enablers is Joe Biden.’

“He continued, ‘He is the guy who wanted to revive the Iran nuclear deal. He has funded the funders of terrorism. He has fake experts at the Pentagon who are compromised by Iran… His Afghanistan withdrawal left the terrorists all these weapons which they could either use or sell. He has snubbed our allies in Israel, Saudi Arabia. The List goes on.’

“Marlow added, ‘This is all deeply deeply political… If Donald Trump was president none of this would be happening…’”

Antisemitism on American Campuses

Fox News wrote on November 4:

“Two New York Jewish college students detailed the fear they have felt with the rise of antisemitic sentiments on campus…  While many in the international community were initially horrified by the events [on October 7], soon after, many teachers and students in American schools nationwide started expressing support for Hamas and antagonizing Jewish students. ‘Being a Jew at NYU right now is scary,’ Ingber said. ‘We are seeing an uptick in anti-Israel protests that are turning antisemitic. There are signs that read “globalize the Intifada” which is a historical call for the extermination of Jews and call for violence against Jews.’

“Ingber went on to say that Jewish people are hearing chants of ‘gas the Jews’ and ‘Hitler was right,’ leaving students horrified…

“”We are seeing a constant… justification of Hamas’ brutal terror attack at NYU..  when it comes to Jews the world is silent.’

“… a group [at Barnard College which is partnered with Columbia University] called Students for Justice in Palestine had agreed to host a speaker who ‘praised the second Intifada, something where there were suicide bombers who came into Israel, and they’re allowing this man to preach to our students on our campus? It’s disgusting… We are analyzing the relationships we have made with our peers that are silent as calls for our death and our global extermination are running rampant across all college campuses and not just college campuses, in a lot of other major cities,’ she said…”

One cannot but be appalled with “peers” who cowardly keep quiet in the face of such atrocities.

Germany, Do Something!

Bild Online wrote on November 4:

“Thousands of Islamists march through downtown Essen with their flags, demonstrating their power and shouting their slogans. They are only marginally calling for ‘Free Palestine’; they are concerned with something bigger: the establishment of a global caliphate, a strictly religious empire, like the terrorist militia ‘Islamic State’ achieved in Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2019.

“The Hamas war has revealed what liberal Muslims… have been warning about for years: There are tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of radicals living in Germany who not only reject our free society, but want to overthrow it. But instead of listening to warnings, they were at best ignored, at worst denigrated as racist. Now we see the result of looking away for so long…

“The caliphate, which is openly called for on posters in Essen, would be hell on earth for EVERYONE who lives in it, especially for those who are classified as ‘infidels’ by the Islamists… For secular Muslims who fled to the West  from countries ruled by a radical Islamists. these images must be the ultimate nightmare. They know what this ideology has done in their countries of origin…

“If you park incorrectly in Germany, you can be sure that you will be cited after 30 minutes at the latest [often even after 5 minutes, or even less]. When young people hugged each other in the park during the corona pandemic, they were mercilessly pursued by police officers, almost killing them with their police cars. But when the ‘Islamic State’ almost literally marches in Essen, practically nothing happens. The police should actually be at the door of EVERY one of the 3,000 participants, checking their residence status, initiating searches and criminal proceedings, checking and arranging deportations. Use the entire arsenal of the rule of law that these radicals want to abolish.

“There have been many strong speeches in the past three weeks. Now… you should judge them by their deeds. Finally do something.”

Russia Says That Israel Has No Right to Defend Itself

Israel365News wrote on November 2:

“Israel does not have the right to defend itself, Russia’s representative to the United Nations said on Wednesday… Last week, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Hamas…

“A Russian resolution was also rejected that denounced Hamas but also condemned ‘indiscriminate attacks’ on civilians in Gaza…”

Russia’s past persecution of the Jews is well-known.

Hamas Will Repeat October 7 Terror Attack

Breitbart wrote on November 1:

“A senior political official in the Palestinian Hamas terror organization told Lebanese television last week that the group intends to repeat its October 7 terror attack until Israel is annihilated… Hamas political official Ghazi Hamad says that attacks on Israeli civilians are justified; that the cost in terms of Palestinian ‘martyrs’ is worth the ultimate goal of ending Israel; and that Hamas will continue to mount such attacks…

“Ghazi Hamad of the Hamas political bureau said in an October 24, 2023 show on LBC TV (Lebanon) that Hamas is prepared to repeat the October 7 ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ Operation time and again until Israel is annihilated. He added that Palestinians are willing to pay the price and that they are ‘proud to sacrifice martyrs.’ Hamad said that Palestinians are the victims of the occupation, therefore no one should blame them for the events of October 7 or anything else, adding: ‘Everything we do is justified… We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. The Al-Aqsa Flood is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight…’

“Ghazi claimed that Hamas did not intend to harm civilians, but said ‘complications’ caused Hamas to murder civilians, including 260 people at a music festival.”

No Cease-Fire

The New York Post wrote on November 3:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that his country would not consider halting its war on Hamas, rejecting Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ to allow civilians out of the Gaza Strip. Israel ‘refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn’t include a return of our hostages,’ Netanyahu told reporters, referring to the more than 200 people taken captive by terrorists during their Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,400 Israelis — including at least 33 Americans.

“The prime minister spoke after a meeting with Blinken, during which America’s top diplomat urged Netanyahu to stop the conflict to minimize Palestinian civilian deaths as Israel pursues Hamas jihadists hiding among the population in Gaza… Netanyahu said his country would continue hitting the Gaza Strip with ‘all of its power.’

“IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told The Post Friday that a ‘pause’ is currently ‘not on the table.’ ‘We’re fighting. We’re in the first stages of a war against an enemy that has proven that we cannot allow that enemy to continue to exist at the end of this war…’

“In addition to the temporary pauses, the US has been pushing Israel to allow humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza. Blinken said officials ‘identified mechanisms to enable fuel to reach hospitals and other needs in southern Gaza Strip’ during their meeting… Netanyahu said in a statement that ‘Israel won’t allow entry of fuel to Gaza and objects to transfer of money to Gaza’ despite Blinken’s report. ‘Israel raised appropriate concern we share about Hamas hoarding fuel in northern Gaza,’ Blinken said of the discussion.”

Subsequently, Blinken flip-flopped and declared that there must not be a cease-fire. Then, the Biden Administration flip-flopped again and stated that there should be a temporary pause…

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 11:

“Israel will begin daily four-hour pauses in northern Gaza to allow people to flee fighting in the territory, the White House said… Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his position that there would be no cease-fire talks until the militant Islamist group Hamas releases the more than 200 people it is holding hostage… 

“US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the first humanitarian pause would be announced Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance.”

Trump: No One From Gaza!

Fox News wrote on November 4:

“Former President Trump said people who want to abolish Israel shouldn’t be allowed to enter America. Trump made the comments during the Florida Freedom Summit on Saturday, where other 2024 GOP presidential contenders also spoke, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy.

“‘If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel, if you sympathize with jihadists, and then you don’t want your country to do well, you don’t want your country to be successful, you’re just not going to get in, you’re not getting in, you’re not coming into our country,’ Tump said…

‘”On day one, I will restore the Trump travel on entering from having people that like to blow up our shopping centers and kill our people and do lots of bad things. Entry from plagued countries. We will not allow people to come in and will implement strong ideological screening for all immigrants,’ Trump said…

“Trump’s comments come after he promised to deport immigrants who are publicly supporting Hamas during an Iowa campaign speech Oct. 16. ‘We aren’t bringing in anyone from Gaza,’ Trump also said at the event.”

“Returning Temple Vessels From Italy?”

Israel365News wrote on November 3:

“Recently, shortly after the Jewish High Holidays, a compelling article was written… about a leading Italian member of parliament who had a Zoom meeting with Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu.  The Italian MP stated that Italy is in fact prepared to return the lost Temple vessels to Israel and that the time is now to do so. The reaction here in Israel has been overwhelming.  Could this be true?…  Is this real or fake news?…

“The answer is that there’s a little of both, i.e., some genuine news, and some fake news. 

“… we must first understand that the Vatican Church and the government of Italy are two very distinct entities… Pope Francis, along with the Secretariat of State… are the main decision-makers on this case.  The Italian government can exert a limited amount of pressure by way of the press, but that’s about it.

“The good news in this scenario is that the official Vatican position currently is that they neither confirm nor deny possessing any Herodian Temple objects like the golden Menorah, sacred tables, altars, priestly garments, and the like… Another development worth mentioning is that incidents have been reported that concern high-ranking Vatican officials who were willing to reveal the location of these holy vessels to religious Jews before going on pension or resigning from their posts…

“What was written in the article indeed is the opinion of this particular Italian politician; however, he isn’t the first to state that Rome has possession of Jerusalem’s Temple vessels and would like to see them returning, ultimately, to Israel. He also said that they are in their cellars and that nothing is being done with them now at any rate. Of course, he doesn’t have concrete, academic proof of this, but it is something he believes and wants…”

If true, this would be remarkable in connection with the building of the Third Temple AND the man of sin taking possession of the same.

Pope Francis’s New Theology

LifeSiteNews wrote on November 3:

“Pope Francis has issued new priorities and statutes for the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Theology, stating that a newly focused theology is needed, based on a popular ‘common sense’ that is ‘often not corresponding to the Christian face of God.’…

“Yet the papal document presents what appears to be an essentially anti-Catholic concept of theology, tasking theologians with engaging in dialogue with various cultures and religions rather than drawing on the timeless, and unchanging truths of the Catholic faith… [This was of course written by a Catholic and does not reflect our opinion on this matter.]

“Francis… argued that theology would necessarily move away from a path of presenting and teaching truths, ‘into a culture of dialogue and encounter between different traditions and different knowledge, between different Christian denominations and different religions, openly confronting everyone, believers and non-believers alike.’… But in order to practice the new theological style, wrote Francis, theologians would have to prioritize ‘common’ ideas found amongst people, even though such ideas reject the Catholic concept of God.”

Gag-Order for Trump’s Attorneys

Newsmax wrote on November 3:

“… attorney and Donald Trump legal spokeswoman Alina Habba… was the subject of an expanded gag order issued by New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron on Friday, prohibiting Habba and Trump’s legal team from commenting about the judge’s staff, namely his clerk, Allison Greenfield… Trump’s legal team has complained about eye rolls of Greenfield and her apparent ‘co-judging’ — handing the judge 30 to 40 notes in one day, Trump’s team noted. So, Engoron shut down Trump and his entire legal team, including Habba [who said:]

“‘Judicial ethics and judicial codes structure these items very, very clearly about bias, about the belief of bias, about impropriety, and it’s very important for the public to have faith in the judicial system… That’s why these things are in place. That’s why there are numerous rules in place to oversee and keep regulations on court systems. We are in a banana republic.

“‘We are in a situation right now, where [New York Attorney General] Letitia James is allowed to freely go out and rip whoever she wants to talk about before she even becomes the AG, before she has any knowledge of anything in the organization, to call them criminals, to call them frauds,’ Habba said. ‘But then, when she comes in, she can go out and talk… about… Donald Trump Jr…. and the Trump family and the president, a leading political candidate, [and can] say whatever she wants, and there is no gag order on her… That is what you do in communist countries when you want to silence your political opponents, and that is the current situation that we are dealing with…’”

A similar gag-order was imposed on Trump by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in the Washington case, barring Trump from making public statements targeting prosecutors, court staff and potential witnesses in the case accusing him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The Court of Appeals put the gag-order temporarily on hold.

It appears that both judges are extremely biased and, based on decency and fairness, they should have recused themselves.

New York’s Witch-Hunt Against Trump

Fox News wrote on November 6:

“The former president and 2024 Republican presidential front-runner took the stand Monday morning in the non-jury civil trial stemming from [New York Attorney General Letitia] James’ lawsuit against him, his family and his businesses. James [a Democrat] alleged Trump defrauded banks and inflated the value of his assets. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said his assets were actually undervalued. Trump has repeatedly said his financial statements had disclaimers, requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks…

“James filed the lawsuit against Trump ‘under a consumer protection statute that denies the right to a jury,’ a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital [This is correct, even though in New York,  a jury consisting of mostly Democrats, not much would have changed, according to Trump attorney Alina Habba.]  … During Trump’s unprecedented testimony Monday, New York Judge Arthur Engoron [a Democrat] tried to cut him off from providing lengthy answers to state lawyers’ questioning, and he even said, ‘I don’t want to hear everything he has to say.’..

“The judge, in September, ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

[Judge Engoron made the ruling via summary judgment. Summary judgment can only be granted if no material facts are in dispute. In this case, entering summary judgment in light of the hotly disputed value of Trump’s property is ludicrous and must be overturned on appeal by fair-minded judges. But since the judge—incorrectly —prejudged the case, the current trial only deals with the “damages”—there are none—and the penalty the judge wants to impose on Trump and the co-defendants, thereby trying to give this hoax the resemblance of some legitimacy.]

“‘He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,’ Trump said on the stand… Trump went on to slam Engoron for undercutting the value of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida — a property that Engoron valued at $18 million [This is in fact a laughable misevaluation, as confirmed by realtors and other experts in the area. According to The Associated Press, dated October 9, a sale of 1 billion dollars or more would be possible. It shows, however, the judge’s incredible bias.]. ‘$18 million, he said. And I’m a fraud for not valuing the property? How do you call a man a fraud when you have a property 50 to 100 times more?’ Trump said. ‘You believed the political hack back there [James] and that’s unfortunate.’ [He then proceeded to call Engoron a fraud.]

“Trump attorney Alina Habba on Monday also slammed Engoron and James… ‘I don’t care who you are, you have a right to hire a lawyer who can put objections on the record,’ Habba said outside the court during a break… ‘But I was told to sit down today. I was yelled at, and I’ve had a judge who is unhinged, slamming [the] table,’ Habba continued. ‘Let me be very clear. I don’t tolerate that in my life. I’m not going to tolerate it. And you know what? You shouldn’t either, because not every American citizen gets a camera and a microphone.’

“Habba went on to blast James [a black woman], saying she ‘taunted’ Trump before she ‘came into office, before you saw one record, one statement of financial condition — you taunted him… You said his administration was too male and too pale,’ Habba said. ‘Those are her words.’ [And they are deeply offensive and racist, but they reflect James’ true colors.]

“Meanwhile, Trump was asked questions about terms of loan agreements and handed documents about specific loans. ‘This loan was paid off in full, with no default, no victims…’”

Also, Trump pointed out that the banks were more than happy to grant him the loans, knowing themselves the value of his property. They were most certainly no victims or “defrauded” in any way.

The Daily Mail reported  on November 6:

“The lawyer [Alina Habba] added: ‘I’m seeing such a demise of (the) American judicial system and democracy. The judge doesn’t like when President Trump explains what actually happened because it’s not good for his narrative.’ She said the judge ‘clearly has an issue’ and ‘if you’ve seen his behavior with me, his behavior with the president today, he has a clear issue with facts that are not good for the case. He (the judge) is clearly enraged, his face is red, he is – he came in hot, and he doesn’t know how to handle him (Trump).’

“Habba spoke moments after Trump delivered another series of blistering attacks on James and the judge in very combative testimony. The furious 77-year-old singled out James, who is sitting in the front row of the court, and accused her of being a ‘political hack’ who brought the case against him to help her failed bid to become New York governor…”

Habba’s powerful comments were right on. The inappropriate and cheering “reporting” of left-wing outlets, such as CNN, MSNBC and ABC, was filled with propaganda. On the other hand, the coverage of Fox News and also of Newsmax was quite good and accurate, from all the evidence available to us.

Real Clear Politics wrote on November 6:

“George Washington University law professor and FOX News contributor Jonathan Turley on Monday weighed in on former President Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud trial and described the legal theory behind the case as throwing matches at a tinder box. ‘This crosses the line from law to entertainment. It should be concerning for people because it does appear that this is a case uniquely created for Trump under a law that hasn’t been used in this same way against others…

“‘It’s very disturbing when [New York Attorney General Letitia] James was running for office,’ Turley said. ‘I wrote a column saying where are the New York attorneys who are saying hey, this is not our bar, this is not what we stand for? You don’t run for office on a trophy defendant. You don’t run for office promising a thrill kill. That’s what was happening here. She’s really fulfilled the worst expectations for some of us… she’s going for total annihilation. She is asking to take this iconic figure and effectively ban him from business in New York and the question is why? The answer is because that’s what she promised to do. To seek his utter destruction if she can…

“‘Part of the problem is the underlying law which doesn’t require any victim. It doesn’t require anyone to lose money. The banks were not complaining. They apparently made money. But that doesn’t matter….’”

New York’s Kangaroo Court

The New York Post wrote on November 7:

“The case itself is the scandal.  It’s a strange allegation of fraud where there is no victim… The charges are based on the assertion that Trump and his family inflated the value of their properties for insurance and loan purposes.  As one real estate lawyer told me, if that’s a crime, two-thirds of New York developers belong in jail…

“Bringing the case after her [James’] public attacks and threats represents a clear abuse of office that state courts should have blocked. It’s an abuse she reinforces with her unusual and unprofessional appearances in the courtroom and her mini press conferences at the end of the day…

“From the start, the case has reinforced a suspicion that it is rigged. Beyond James’ conflict of interest, it features a bizarre process where there is no jury and the judge [Engoron]] quickly ruled that Trump and the other defendants were guilty, creating the impression of verdict first, trial second.  The same judge now presides over the penalty phase, and also gets to decide the punishment, which could be dramatic.”

The typical hallmarks of a “banana republic.”

This law is clearly unconstitutional and must be stricken. For James and Engoron to even apply this ancient and totally neglected law (for good reasons) is a major problem all by itself, showing their true motives. Habba is correct: The legal system in the USA, as well as virtually all the other “systems” and agencies, including the FBI and the Justice Department, are in demise and reflect a banana republic and dictatorship, but not a democracy.

It is clear that Trump will lose this case in New York. Not because he should, but because the judge wants him to, and he had made up his mind, it seems, when he “took” the case (which he should never have done, given his blatant bias against Trump.)

Trump calls all of this “election interference,” and it is also interesting that at the same time, Biden is losing badly to Trump in critical swing states. But surely, this is pure coincidence??? While this kangaroo court is going on, Trump’s poll numbers are rising.

Newsmax, dated November 7, referred to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index and explained that Trump’s fortune has grown by 500 million dollars to 3.1 billion dollars since leaving office in 2021. His fortune could be higher as it does not take into consideration his brand on the values, as well as other reasonable factors, concluding that his fortune could amount to 4.5 billion dollars for 2021 or far more.

Ukraine Is Losing

AFP wrote on November 4:

“In eastern Ukraine, where another gruelling winter is descending — along with it a likely freeze in major frontline movements — one Ukrainian soldier had a grim assessment of the conflict. The 35-year-old fighting near the war-battered town of Bakhmut went further than comments from Ukraine’s most senior military official, who conceded this week that the war with Russia had reached a stalemate. ‘I’ve been saying that for some time now already. Step by step we’re losing the war,’ the serviceman… told AFP. ‘The longer this static war continues, the worse it is for us,’ he said in a phone interview.

“The frontline between the Ukrainian army and Russian forces occupying the east and south of the country has barely moved since last November, despite repeated Russian strikes and a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukraine’s General Valery Zaluzhny surprised observers of the invasion this week with an unusually candid assessment that the warring parties had reached a deadlock along the sprawling front… The comments poured cold water on the highly-touted counteroffensive that Ukraine launched this summer after stockpiling Western weapons and training new recruits.”

EU and USA Broach Topic of Peace Negotiations With Ukraine

NBC News wrote on November 3:

“U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, according to one current senior U.S. official and one former senior U.S. official familiar with the discussions.

“The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal, the officials said. Some of the talks, which officials described as delicate, took place last month…  The discussions are an acknowledgment of the dynamics militarily on the ground in Ukraine and politically in the U.S. and Europe, officials said.

“They began amid concerns among U.S. and European officials that the war has reached a stalemate and about the ability to continue providing aid to Ukraine, officials said. Biden administration officials also are worried that Ukraine is running out of forces, while Russia has a seemingly endless supply, officials said. Ukraine is also struggling with recruiting and has recently seen public protests about some of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open-ended conscription requirements.

“And there is unease in the U.S. government with how much less public attention the war in Ukraine has garnered since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly a month ago, the officials said. Officials fear that shift could make securing additional aid for Kyiv more difficult… Officials also have privately said Ukraine likely only has until the end of the year or shortly thereafter before more urgent discussions about peace negotiations should begin. U.S. officials have shared their views on such a timeline with European allies, officials said…

“The Biden administration does not have any indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate with Ukraine, two U.S. officials said. Western officials say Putin still believes he can ‘wait out the West,’ or keep fighting until the U.S. and its allies lose domestic support for funding Ukraine or the struggle to supply Kyiv with weapons and ammunition becomes too costly, officials said…”

“A Quarter of Americans Now Say Covid-19 Shots Are Unsafe”

The Daily Mail wrote on November 3:

“Americans are growing more skeptical about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines… millions… have changed their minds in recent months and no longer see them as safe… two politicians are building vaccine skepticism into their 2024 campaign platforms — Robert F. Kennedy Jr, an independent, and Ron De Santis, Florida’s Republican Governor.

“… the share of Americans who see Covid-19 vaccines as unsafe has jumped from 18 percent in August last year to 24 percent last month. Meanwhile, the share of people who linked autism in children to the growing use of vaccines has risen from 10 percent in April 2021 to 16 percent last month… Nearly a quarter of respondents — 24 percent — said they knew someone personally who died from side effects of a Covid-19 shot… millions of Americans also say they would be keen to join a class-action lawsuit against Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, and other manufacturers over the side effects of shots…

“Kennedy… has long campaigned against vaccines, among other offbeat theories. Earlier this year, he said in a podcast that ‘there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective,’ and told FOX News that shots can cause autism.

“The DeSantis administration last month urged Floridians under the age of 65 from against getting the updated Covid-19 shots… The Governor said Covid-19 vaccines had been rolled out without proper studies and that federal officials were wrong about their risks and benefits….”

Covid Authoritarians Without Apology

Zero Hedge wrote on October 30:

“We hear many covid authoritarians talk about forgiveness but very few of them actually apologize for their behavior… within months of covid becoming active in the US, the data was already available showing that the virus was not a legitimate threat. So the claim that their information was ‘the best they had at the time’ does not hold water. There was more than enough evidence to warrant opposition to unconstitutional policies (frankly, even if covid had been more deadly it doesn’t justify violations of the Bill of Rights). Millions of Americans tried to explain the truth to those panicking over covid, and they chose not to listen, calling us ‘selfish conspiracy theorists.’ 

“But the greatest trespasses were among those analysts and ‘influencers’ who used covid as an opportunity for political gain, knowing that there was information that debunked government and media spin. The worst people are those that have no intention of making amends because they plan to try again. People who do wrong and refuse to give a legitimate apology are the kinds of people that are likely to commit similar offenses in the future… 

“There were calls to fine the unvaccinated, imprison people who question the vaccine, put the unvaccinated on home lockdown and even take away their children. In some states, like New York, there was active legislation put forward to create detention facilities for people that did not comply (covid camps). That is some serious Stalinist behavior and we are still waiting for it to be addressed and for certain political leaders to be punished…

“The covid event was really a litmus test for authoritarian tendencies in the US. At least half the public failed that test miserably… It is important to make a note of how the individuals around us behave when they think it’s safe to be evil, and we must remember who they are…”

In addition, the horrible and unconstitutional governmental measures inflicted upon innocent people must not be forgotten… lest they are allowed to be repeated.

What Killed the Dinosaurs?

Fox News wrote on November 4:

“A new study looking into what might have killed off dinosaurs determined that it is likely the ancient species were done in by a mighty cloud of dust… According to the study, scientists researching the sediment layers of the Tanis paleontology site, a heavily studied region of North Dakota that has preserved evidence of the asteroid impact thought to have killed off dinosaurs, discovered new insight into the catastrophic impact. In a Washington Post report that described the aftermath of the impact as an ‘apocalyptic dust plume,’ planetary scientist Cem Berk Senel explained that the impact of the asteroid led to a chain of events that ultimately caused the demise of dinosaurs… ‘It could result in a chain reaction of extinction to all species in the food chain.’

“Scientists have long attempted to model the aftermath of the asteroid impact  in the Gulf of Mexico…, with most agreeing that the impact triggered the mass extinction of nearly three-quarters of all species living on Earth at the time. Some researchers have theorized that the asteroid impact kicked up a giant cloud that starved plants of sunlight, led to large global wildfires and resulted in sulfur aerosols being released into the atmosphere.

“However, questions remained about just how long the sun was blocked and how a prolonged period of darkness caused apocalyptic damage… Pairing a computer simulation with an analysis of sediment layers of the North Dakota site, researchers discovered that the fine dust grains that became part of the dust plume could have persisted in the atmosphere for over a decade. The researchers argued that those particles, which were about the same size as microscopic bacteria, would have made a larger contribution to blocking sunlight than soot particles or sulfur aerosols. ‘The duration of darkness is really important, because if, in fact, photosynthesis was shut down, and that drove extinctions, it has to be dark for a fairly substantial length of time,’ David Kring, a planetary scientist who was not involved in the study, told the Washington Post….”

This would fit with the biblical account that the earth became void and empty, “and darkness was on the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2).

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.