Germany and USA Disappointing in Ukraine War

On February 9, Piers Morgan wrote the following in the “Sun”:

“The German chancellor Olaf Scholz, already so shamefully slow to supply desperately needed German battle tanks, has now rejected President Zelensky’s urgent plea for fighter jets, saying he won’t be drawn into a ‘public bidding war’ over military support for Ukraine ‘according to the principle of battle tanks, submarines, battleships, who can offer more. Germany won’t get involved.’

“What a dismal response from one of Europe’s most powerful countries.

“Equally disappointing was US President Biden’s decision to barely mention Ukraine in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday night…

“Both Scholz and Biden are facing growing domestic resistance to supporting the Ukrainian war effort, but that kind of war fatigue is to be expected now it’s dragging on longer than anyone predicted…

“Britain’s led the way in Europe [with] their unwavering commitment and support… Winston Churchill put it best: ‘It’s no use saying, “we are doing our best”, you have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.’

“The West cannot afford to let Putin win this war. If we do, he will inevitably invade other countries to continue his plan to restore the former Soviet Union he believes should never have been broken up…

“And to the ditherers and waverers in Germany and America, I would remind them of what Margaret Thatcher said to President George H.W. Bush when he hesitated over what action to take against Saddam Hussein after the Iraqi tyrant invaded Kuwait in 1990. The Iron Lady took him aside and said: ‘Remember George, this is no time to go wobbly.’”

A slightly different perspective is pointed out in the next article:

Why the USA Supports Ukraine

Life Site News wrote on February 10:

“A few years ago, during the 2020 election, we found out a bombshell: Hunter Biden had a laptop that ended up in the hands of people who were able to look at that laptop…

“… immediately the media began to call it ‘Russian disinformation,’ tried to discredit it, tried to say, ‘Oh, this is just Trump trying to make up stuff. It’s fake news.’ And we heard that for a couple of years — until Jack Maxey came along. He has been trying to get the media to look at all he had found on this laptop, to look at the way in which Hunter Biden and his father Joe… worked in tens of millions of dollars of kickbacks, payments, oil leases, and all the dealings they had with Ukraine and China…

“Everything that’s on that laptop, including horrible pictures of indecent behavior, is all true. And Jack now has been able to bring to us the truth that the left has lied about, has covered up, including such things as the codes to Department of Defense computer systems.

“And what should astound you… is that China had a copy of Hunter Biden’s laptop with all that information on it. So do you wonder why Biden is so cozied up with Ukraine? Do you wonder why Biden is so cozied up with China? Wonder no more. It’s all on the laptop…”

Is Scholz Blocking Tank Deliveries Again?

Bild Online wrote on February 10:

“Ukraine urgently needs Leopard 2 tanks. But apparently Germany is already on the brakes again! The suspicion: The government in Berlin forbids the Netherlands to deliver tanks to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) had only announced the Panzer turnaround two weeks ago: NATO countries including Germany should be allowed to deliver Leos built in Germany to Ukraine.

“Is Scholz possibly playing a double game? One thing is certain: So far there has been no sign of a major Leo delivery offensive to Ukraine. In addition to Germany, only Poland, Portugal and Canada have officially promised deliveries so far. Other countries that previously promised tanks are significantly slower to respond.

“The federal government criticizes the hesitation of the partners, so Scholz is said to have even personally intervened and called the heads of government, wrote the ‘Spiegel’. But now Dutch media reports are throwing a different light on the situation! Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren (55) told parliament on Thursday that 18 Leopard 2 tanks leased by the Netherlands from Germany would NOT be made available to Ukraine. Reason: a ‘no’ from the federal government!

“The allegations weigh heavily. The federal government also denies them. ‘I am not aware that there was an official request that would then have been rejected by the federal government,’ said a spokeswoman for Boris Pistorius’ (62, SPD) defense ministry. The Chancellery also rejects Ollongren’s statements. The government spokesman to BILD: ‘There has never been a request from the Netherlands.’

“Spicy: as early as mid-January, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte (55) suggested that The Hague could buy some of the Leopard 2 tanks that it is currently renting from Germany – and send them to Ukraine. On Thursday at the EU summit in Brussels, he only spoke evasively, saying… only: ‘This is something that we (still) discuss with our partners.’ Instead, Rutte suggested sending the tanks to Lithuania to secure NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic States… [But the] tanks are currently not needed on NATO’s eastern flank and would be in much better hands in the Ukraine.

“Military expert Carlo Masala (54, Bundeswehr University Munich) thinks so too. He does not doubt the version of the Dutch defense minister [and] criticizes that Germany and the alliance partners still do not agree on ‘where our security currently needs to be defended most urgently… The fact that the Dutch defense minister is the first to make Germany’s “no” public shows also that not everything runs as smoothly behind the scenes as publicly portrayed.’”

The dubious role of the German government regarding the Russia-Ukraine war is all too obvious.

Empty Stocks in Germany

Xinhua wrote on February 12:

“Germany’s ability to supply other nations with weapons is extremely limited due to the country’s own undersupply. ‘The shelves are almost empty,’ the Inspector General of the country’s army found when taking stock last year…

“Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Hoegl, criticized the ‘unacceptable’ lack of action to fully equip the German military at the end of last year. Almost 20 billion euros (21.4 billion U.S. dollars) would be required to stock up on ammunition alone. Germany’s current stockpile would not even last for a week in the event of a military conflict, she warned…

“Germany’s internal struggles aside, Europe’s largest economy has not entirely given up on the idea of a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”

As we reported last week, the situation in the UK is very similar.

Berlin Does Not Trust Washington

Modern Diplomacy published on February 5 an article with the following headline: “Berlin doesn’t trust Washington. Scholz doesn’t trust the U.S.”

The article continued:

“It turns out that an even bigger fear for Scholz than escalation is that NATO, and in particular the U.S., wouldn’t get involved if Russia were to retaliate against… Germany. That worry — according to an adviser to the German government — is the reason that Scholz insisted that Washington agree to supply Ukraine with M1 Abrams tanks before the chancellor would lift his veto on delivering German-made Leopard 2 tanks. While the NATO treaty’s Article 5 calls on alliance members to support one another in the event of an attack, it doesn’t require allies to respond with military force. In other words, Scholz doesn’t trust the U.S.”

“America Won’t Defend Europe”

The Telegraph wrote on February 11:

“The United States will need to focus on Asia, and rapidly so. Despite recent soft noises from Beijing, China’s enormous military buildup continues apace, and the brazen transiting of American airspace by a Chinese spy balloon shows the increasingly global reach of the PLA. As two successive US defence strategies have made clear, America must first and foremost ensure that it can defeat China in a conflict, and Washington no longer has a military capable of fighting two concurrent wars…

“Moscow has revealed the danger it poses to European security, and it does not look likely to fade away or change its course. On the contrary, it is putting its whole society on a war footing. It is only prudent to assume that Russia will be a real and present danger to European security for the foreseeable future. Europeans will have to shoulder a much greater share of the burden of defending against the potential for [a] Russian attack…

“European Nato needs leadership, especially in the context of German lassitude… America can no longer plausibly handle those threats largely alone…”

The author then argues that Britain should be the leader in Europe. That concept is illusionary. Notice also the next article.

Germany to Lead?

Express wrote on February 15:

“French MPs have expressed concern over the condition of Britain’s Armed Forces, suggesting the UK has given too much of its own supplies to the war effort in Ukraine. The worry comes just days after reports in Germany claimed NATO requested Berlin to remain in charge of the defensive alliance’s rapid-reaction force for an extra year, despite Britain being expected to take leadership of it in 2024…”

EU vs. Britain

Express wrote on February 11:

“The EU has ordered over 2,000 UK citizens to leave the country over post-Brexit rules, between 2020 and September 2022… About half of those, 1,050, was rejected by the Swedish government, including Britons refused at the border, those found to be illegally living in Sweden, and others told to leave for other reasons, including post-Brexit regulations.

“In comparison, Spain, where over 300,000 Britons reside, has not ordered a single UK citizen to leave the country since Brexit. In France, only 95 people were asked to leave… Second to Sweden, during the same period of time, the Netherlands expelled 615 UK residents…

“It comes as the UK paid £2.3 billion to the EU as part of a long-standing dispute over textiles and footwear imported into the UK from China [prior to Brexit]. The final payment of £1.1 billion, made this week, brings the case to a close.”

UK at the Brink of Civil War

Express wrote on February 14:

“The Conservative Party is on the brink of an all-out civil war as the UK edges closer to a deal with the EU on Northern Ireland. The European Research Group (ERG), a powerful group of backbench Tory MPs, is said to be furious over reports that the Government is considering handing power to the European courts. The Government is reportedly preparing to accept a role for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in policing the Northern Ireland Protocol, which would be seen as a post-Brexit betrayal by many on the right of the party… Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the deal is ‘bound to be a sellout… It’s all heading in the wrong direction. Dire!’…

“An ERG source told the Daily Express that any role for the ECJ would trigger a ‘civil war’ in the party, and could lead to a revival of a pro-Boris Johnson faction…

“Sources in Brussels say the agreement will see the ECJ presented as the ultimate arbiter of disputes about EU law that emerge from Northern Ireland… the Government is no longer insisting that the ECJ must not be the ultimate arbiter on EU law issues in Northern Ireland, which signals a softening of the UK’s previously hardline position.”

This would sound indeed like a post-Brexit betrayal.

Sunak in Crisis

Express wrote on February 11:

“Rishi Sunak is facing a crisis among Tory voters, as more than 60 percent back Liz Truss’s plan for tax cuts.

“A poll conducted by Techne UK for the Daily Express asked voters whether the former Prime Minister is right about tax cuts being necessary for growth. Of those who voted for the Conservative party in 2019, 62 percent said they supported the tax cuts, with just 24 percent saying they do not.”

The 2020 “Rigged” Presidential Election

The New York Post wrote on February 11:

“Former President Trump shared a video insisting that he would have won the 2020 election had the Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden not been suppressed by social media and falsely discredited by the mainstream press. Trump shared the footage of New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik — a known favorite — on his Truth Social media platform Saturday morning.

“‘According to polling, of the people who were made aware of the Hunter Biden laptop story, 53% would have changed their vote…this is the definition of election meddling…it’s collusion, it’s corruption, and it’s unconstitutional,’ Stefanik said in the clip.

“The House GOP Conference chairwoman made the remarks during a Thursday hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. ‘So, the ELECTION WAS RIGGED!,’ Trump added in his post sharing the footage.”

US Military Leaders in the Dark

NBC News wrote on February 12:

“U.S. military leaders on Sunday said they were in the dark about the exact nature and purpose of airborne objects shot down over the United States and Canada since Friday.

“Unlike a balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina Feb. 4, described by officials as spy aircraft, it’s unclear how the most recent objects stay aloft and move along…

“An unidentified object shot down Sunday over Lake Huron — the fourth flying object in less than two weeks to have been downed over North American airspace — was described earlier Sunday by a senior administration official as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off but no discernible payload… the objects shot down Friday, Saturday and Sunday by North American forces [were] similar in size and shape.”

Not China’s Spy Balloons?

The New York Post wrote on February 14:

“US intelligence officials do not believe the three UFOs shot down over the weekend were tied to China’s spy balloon program… ‘Our initial assessments here, based on talking to civil authorities in the intelligence community, is that we don’t see anything that points right now to these being part of the PRC spying program or, in fact, intelligence collection against the United States of any kind,’ John Kirby said, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China…

“While intelligence officials don’t yet know what the mystery objects were, Kirby said they are confident they did not belong to the American government…

“Unlike the spy balloon, the three UFOs were not maneuverable, meaning they could not change direction and moved largely at the whim of the wind… As of Tuesday afternoon, no private companies or nations had come forward to claim any of the recently downed objects, Kirby said.”

What kind of an irresponsible trigger-happy Wild-West-approach is this to just shoot down objects without knowing what they are?

AT&T’s Stock Falls Significantly After Censoring Newsmax

Newsmax reported on February 11:

“Since DirecTV dropped Newsmax on Jan. 24, AT&T’s stock has fallen by almost 7%, wiping nearly $10 billion from its market value. AT&T, the 70% owner of DirecTV, has come under fierce criticism after deplatforming Newsmax from its satellite TV systems — the second conservative channel it has removed in the past year, with OAN going last April.

“Days after the Newsmax drop, former President Donald Trump called on Americans to cancel not only DirecTV but all AT&T services, including cellular and wireless services… Sen. Rand Paul.. has joined with Trump in urging conservatives to cancel AT&T and DirecTV products. Other leaders — including former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee ; Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.; Dennis Prager — have encouraged Americans to switch their service providers.

“This week, Republican National Committee Chairwoman  Ronna McDaniel [called] DirecTV’s decision ‘anti-free-speech and anti-American.’… Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy said… AT&T’s targeting of Newsmax for unequal treatment is ‘an act of political discrimination and blatant censorship.’”

IRS Won’t Tax Most Relief Payments Made by States Last Year

The Associated Press reported on February 10:

“The IRS announced Friday that most relief checks issued by states last year aren’t subject to federal taxes…

“The states where the relief checks do not have to be reported by taxpayers are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island…

“In California, most residents got a ‘middle class tax refund’ last year, a payment of up to $1,050 depending on their income, filing status and whether they had children. The Democratic-controlled state Legislature approved the payments to help offset record high gas prices, which peaked at a high of $6.44 per gallon in June…

“A key question was whether the federal government would count those payments as income and require Californians to pay taxes on it. Many California taxpayers had delayed filing their 2022 returns while waiting for an answer. Friday, the IRS said it would not tax the refund.”

In a somewhat related article, Thomson/Reuters reported on February 10: “The U.S. government posted a $39 billion budget deficit for January after a rare $119 billion monthly surplus a year earlier, as revenues dipped and some one-time costs pushed outlays sharply higher…”

Terrible Statistics

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 14:

“The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, were the worst natural disaster in the region in a hundred years… The latest figures bring the total number killed in the disaster to at least 39,000 [as of February 16, at least 41,000]… According to United Nations estimates, the number could rise to 50,000 or more.

“Erdogan also said hundreds of thousands of buildings in southern Turkey were uninhabitable and more than 2.2 million people had fled the areas hit by the quakes… UN children’s agency UNICEF said that more than 7 million children have been affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake and expressed fear over the thousands who have died.”

Anger Over Turkey’s Earthquake Response

On February 12, The Associated Press wrote the following:

“Six days after a massive earthquake devastated Syria and Turkey… sorrow and disbelief are turning to anger and tension over a sense that there has been an ineffective, unfair and disproportionate response to the historic disaster.

“Many in Turkey express frustration that rescue operations have proceeded painfully slowly, and that valuable time has been lost during the narrow window for finding people alive beneath the rubble.

“Others, particularly in the southern Hatay province near the Syrian border, say that Turkey’s government was late in delivering assistance to the hardest-hit region for what they suspect are both political and religious reasons.”

People Were Killed Under State Supervision

 Deutsche Welle wrote on February 16:

“In southeastern Turkey, despair is turning into righteous indignation… The earthquake, which also hit northern Syria, claimed more than 35,000 lives in Turkey and 6,000 in Syria. Those numbers have been rising by the hour. 

“According to Turkish authorities, nearly 13 million people in 10 cities have been affected, and at least 33,143 buildings have either collapsed, been severely damaged or require immediate demolition. The number is likely to rise as officials continue to assess the damage. An estimated 1 million people are currently without shelter. Most of them are living in tents or student dormitories…

“Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay pointed the finger at 134 builders from the region who have been arrested across the country on suspicion of shoddy or negligent construction. Some were arrested at airports as they attempted to flee the country with large sums of cash… But the recent history of earthquake investigations in Turkey raises the question of whether senior officials, who were allegedly negligent in the inspection and approval processes, will actually be punished. That has not been the case in the past…

“According to regulations introduced in 2001, buildings have to be inspected by expert auditing firms. But until recently, auditing firms were selected and paid for by the contractors themselves. This, of course, creates a conflict of interest. But the auditing firms are not the only ones responsible for approving construction. The municipality also issues a license for the building. If the municipality does not, then the central administration in Ankara can…

“According to the latest related regulations, initiated on June 8, 2018, and signed by Erdogan, buildings that violate zoning laws will be legalized ‘in accordance with the home owner’s declaration,’ allowing the state to withdraw from any responsibility… In the 10 provinces hit by the recent earthquake, 294,165 buildings had been issued legalization certificates. Experts believe thousands died in these buildings. Instead of being fortified or demolished, they were subject to amnesty under the new regulations. 

“Amnesty laws have created an understanding in society that ‘building violations are tolerated.’ This has led to an increase in unauthorized construction and the legitimization of illegal building. It is considered to be one of the most significant sectors for corruption in society…

“Erdogan’s Directorate of Communication has said Turkey is facing the ‘disaster of the century.’ But many experts in the country believe that this was a preventable catastrophe and that what the country is in fact facing is the ‘negligence of the century.’” 

Israel at the Brink of Social and Constitutional Collapse?

Israel Today wrote on February 13:

“Police closed the main streets around the Knesset to traffic on Monday morning ahead of a mass rally that began at noon, just after the coalition passed the first reading of a bill introducing parts of the proposed judicial reform… more than 45 buses brought employees from Tel Aviv, Rehovot, Beersheba, Nahariya and other locations to the protest in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem. In addition, thousands of doctors and mental health professionals were expected to join the strike.

‘The demonstrations come after a rare plea by President Isaac Herzog in favor of consultations and compromises on the reform plan… Herzog said the country is on the brink of ‘social and constitutional collapse,’ and urged citizens on both sides of the political divide to refrain from violence. ‘Even more so from violence against public officials and elected representatives,’ he pleaded.”

Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock to Collapse?

Israel 365 News wrote on February 13:

“For the second time in one week, structural damage [was] reported at a Muslim structure on the Temple Mount… the Muslim structures standing on Judaism’s holiest site have a long history of collapse due to the earthquakes that are common to the region.

“Arab media is reporting that rain damage led to the collapse of sections of the floor inside the Aqsa Mosque’s Marwani prayer building on the Temple Mount. The damage took place on Thursday and the Arab officials blamed Israel: ‘Sheikh Najeh Bakirat, deputy head of the Islamic Awqaf Administration in Occupied Jerusalem, warned that the Israeli occupation authority’s (IOA) refusal to allow the Islamic Awqaf to carry out renovations to the Aqsa Mosque’s prayer buildings and premises constitutes a great danger to its existence,’ Qods International News Agency wrote.

“The reference points described in the articles were a bit confusing as the Marwani Mosque and the al-Aqsa Mosque are separate locations. Al Aqsa, also known as the Qibli Mosque, is the prayer hall with a dark gray dome located at the southern end of the Temple Mount. The al-Marwani Mosque is a different location, constructed under the Temple Mount Plaza in an underground vaulted space referred to as Solomon’s stables. In December 1996 the Waqf carried out an illegal construction project using heavy equipment to remove approximately 9,000 tons (an estimated 350 truckloads) of archaeologically rich soil, dumping it in the Kidron Valley. The underground area was converted into a Muslim prayer hall.

“While the term ‘al-Aqsa Mosque’ (the further mosque) refers to a specific structure, the Palestinian media have, in recent years, begun to use it to refer to the entire Temple Mount (al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf in Arabic). According to Dr. Mordechai Kedar, an expert Arabist, this is an intentional lie intended to allow the Palestinians to claim the entire Temple Mount. He suggested that the term will continue to be subverted with the intention of claiming the entire city of Jerusalem for Islam.

“The Arabic media reports claimed the damage was in a structure near the ‘Al-Ghawanmeh Gate.’ This gate, previously called the al-Khalil Gate, is located on the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount. As noted above, the Aqsa Mosque and the Marwani Mosque are located in the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount…

“Al Aqsa has also suffered from natural catastrophes.  Shortly after it was built, it was destroyed in an earthquake in 746 CE. The mosque was rebuilt in 758 CE but was damaged in another earthquake. It was again destroyed during the 1033 Jordan Rift Valley earthquake. Severe damage was caused by the 1837 and 1927 earthquakes, but the mosque was repaired in 1938 and 1942.

“Earthquakes in 2004 opened cracks in the walls of the Dome of the Rock and the Marwani Mosque. The Waqf refused to allow Israeli experts to aid in the repairs.  Eilat Mazar, a noted archeologist and activist on the Committee for Preventing the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount, conjectured that a major disaster at the site was imminent….”

This is interesting in light of the fact that a third temple will be built on the Temple Mount, apparently at the exact place where the Al Aqsa mosque is located.

Anne Frank House in Amsterdam Targeted With Antisemitic Message

The Algemeiner wrote on February 10:

“The Prime Minister of the Netherlands led a chorus of condemnation on Friday following the laser projection of an antisemitic message onto the outer wall of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, where the famed teenage Jewish diarist hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the country. The offending message was flashed into the front of the building on Monday using a laser. It referred to Anne Frank as the ‘inventor of the ballpoint pen’ — a internet meme actively spread by Holocaust deniers who falsely claim that the diary was written using a pen that did not exist during World War II. The Anne Frank House said in a statement that images of the incident were circulating on right-wing chat groups and it had referred the matter to police and prosecutors.

“Calling the message ‘reprehensible,’ Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a statement on Friday that ‘there is no place for antisemitism in our country, we cannot accept this.’ Separately, Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz slammed the message as ‘disgusting.’ Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam… denounced the message as ‘pure antisemitism’ and an ‘attack on the legacy of Anne Frank.’ ‘The projection refers to a conspiracy theory about Holocaust denial,’ Halsema said…

“The incident at the Anne Frank House was reported amid a surge in concern over rising antisemitism in the Netherlands… almost one quarter of Dutch millennials believe the Holocaust is a myth, while 60 percent of respondents did not name the Netherlands as a country impacted by the Holocaust. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews — three-quarters of the population — were murdered during the Holocaust, the highest killing rate recorded in western Europe.

“Earlier this week, a… report disclosed that nearly half of Dutch high school teachers had witnessed an antisemitic incident during the last year. The same report noted that 20 percent of offenders were of Moroccan origin — double the number recorded by a similar survey ten years ago — with Dutch citizens from a Turkish background also overrepresented. Offenders are mainly young males, the report stated.”

It is absolutely dumbfounding to hear about such weird conspiracy theories by Holocaust deniers.

Berlusconi Acquitted

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 15:

“An Italian court on Wednesday acquitted former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in a case where he was charged with paying witnesses to lie about his involvement in underage prostitution.

“Prosecutors had demanded that Berlusconi be imprisoned for six years for bribing 24 guests at his parties to give false testimony in a previous trial, where he was charged with paying for sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer. He was acquitted in the underage prostitution case because of a lack of proof that he knew he was paying a minor. The former leader was then charged for bribing witnesses.

“The case of paying off witnesses was split between three cities — Siena, Rome and Milan — because of where the witnesses lived. Berlusconi has already been acquitted in the cases in Siena and Rome. Prosecutors there are appealing this decision. The case in Milan is the most high-profile of the three.

“Berlusconi has previously acknowledged giving money to his guests but said that it was compensation for the reputational damage they suffered.

“There have been a total of 35 criminal court cases against him but only one conviction. The total number of cases refers to separate court cases rather than individual trials at each phase of judicial procedure. He was convicted in 2014 but this was overturned the following year, a verdict upheld by an appeals court and the Supreme Court. Berlusconi’s one trial to conclude in a final conviction was the one for tax fraud, false accounting and embezzlement.

“Italy’s top court confirmed Berlusconi’s sentence, four years’ imprisonment, though three were excused by a pardon. Berlusconi was able to cover the remaining time with community service. The case has long cast a shadow on his political career… the scandal led to his political downfall and the end of his fourth term as prime minister in 2011.

“Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party — a key player in current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition — has consistently denied the allegations… Since then, Berlusconi was re-elected to Italy’s upper house in 2022 with more than 50% of the votes in September in the northern city of Monza, where he also owns a soccer team.

“That marked a significant comeback for him as he was expelled from the Senate in 2013 because of a tax fraud conviction stemming from his media business.”

Civil War in the Catholic Church

AFP wrote on February 11:

“From his reforms to his foreign relations, criticism of Pope Francis has intensified since the death of his predecessor Benedict XVI, revealing a climate of ‘civil war’ at a time when the Catholic Church is engaged in a global conversation about its future. Benedict, a conservative German theologian who was pope for eight years before resigning in 2013, died on December 31 at the age of 95. Within days of his death, his closest aide, Georg Gaenswein, revealed Benedict’s concerns at some of the changes made by his successor Pope Francis, notably his decision to restrict the use of the Latin mass.

“The criticism was not new. Many in the conservative wing of the Roman Curia, which governs the Church, have long complained the Argentine pontiff is authoritarian and too focused on pastoral matters at the expense of theological rigour. But it was followed by the death of Australian cardinal George Pell, and the subsequent revelation that he had authored an anonymous note published last year that directly attacked Francis. The note had described the current papacy as a ‘catastrophe’, and among others criticised ‘heavy failures’ of Vatican diplomacy under his watch. Pell, a former close adviser to Francis, was jailed for child sexual abuse before being acquitted in 2020.

“Then, at the end of the month, German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller published a book adding fuel to the fire. The former head of the Vatican’s powerful congregation for the doctrine of the faith denounced Francis’ ‘doctrinal confusion’ and criticised the influence of a ‘magic circle’ around him… “Pope Francis himself told reporters on his plane back from South Sudan last Sunday that his critics have ‘exploited’ Benedict’s death to further their cause…

“The tensions come as the Catholic Church conducts a vast global consultation on its future… it has revealed key differences with the German Catholic Church… Discussions include everything from the place of women in the church to how to handle the scandal of child sex abuse, from whether priests should marry to how the Church welcomes LGBTQ believers…”

God Gender-Neutral?

Israel 365 News wrote on February 10:

“The Church of England is considering using gender-neutral terms in its prayer service. ‘Christians have recognised since ancient times that God is neither male nor female,’ a spokesperson for the Church said in a media statement on Wednesday…

“In November 2018,  the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that ‘God is not a father in the same way that a human would be’ and that descriptions of God are always ‘to some degree metaphorical’…   the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: ‘He is neither man nor woman: he is God.’”

Breitbart added on February 10:

“… the Church announced that it would be launching a project on gender-neutral language in which phrases referring to God, such as ‘Our Father’, may be scrapped or replaced by either feminine alternatives or gender-neutral variants.”

What utter confusion!

Prayers for Same-Sex Marriages

Breitbart wrote on February 10:

“Same-sex marriages will receive ‘prayers for God’s blessing’ for the first time in the Church of England following a vote at the General Synod…

“In a joint statement, the two most senior bishops in the Church, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York said: ‘It has been a long road to get us to this point. For the first time, the Church of England will publicly, unreservedly and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church.’…

“The move drew considerable rebukes from some within the Church’s legislative body, including barrister and lay General Synod member Daniel Matovu, who characterised it as a ‘fiasco’, claiming that blessing same-sex marriages ignores the teachings of scripture. ‘The Bishops say that this is about people, it is about much more than that, it’s about the word of God and about Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith,’ he said before citing verses from the Bible which he said demonstrated that marriage is only intended to be between a man and a woman. ‘Where does the Church get its doctrine on marriage from? It comes directly from God,’ Matovu continued…”

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.

The State of the Disunion

Politico wrote on February 8:

“The State of the Union rarely previews big battles in Congress. Tuesday night’s row between President Joe Biden and GOP lawmakers may prove to be an exception… foreshadowing a long two years to come under divided government…

“The theatrics began midway through Biden’s speech, as he scolded Republicans about their past interest in cutting the nation’s biggest entitlement programs in a bid to set the stakes for the upcoming debt limit battle. As the jeers escalated from the opposition, Biden began battling the GOP in real time — ad-libbing his own prepared remarks to challenge Republicans who were shouting at him from the chamber floor. ‘Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset,’ Biden said as the GOP side of the chamber erupted in boos…Then, veering from his own remarks, Biden attempted to clarify — ‘I don’t think it is a majority of you’ — though he could barely be heard above the GOP outcry on the floor. ‘So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare, off the books now, right?’ Biden said…

“The tensions only grew from there… ‘Liar!’ [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene] shouted at first, in response to Biden’s accusation of GOP cuts to Social Security and Medicare… And when Biden called for action on the deadly drug fentanyl — one of the GOP’s biggest priorities — Greene shouted: ‘It’s coming from China.’

“She was hardly alone: Dozens of other Republicans joined in with chants to ‘secure our border’ as Biden spoke of the need for an immigration overhaul. Several other Republicans called out ‘liar,’ and at least one shouted ‘it’s your fault’ as Biden touted efforts to lower fentanyl deaths…”

Sanders’ Official GOP Response

Newsmax wrote on February 7:

“Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, saying she is skeptical of pretty much the whole thing… [while] ‘not believing much of anything I heard tonight from President Biden’…

“‘From out-of-control inflation and violent crime to the dangerous border crisis and threat from China,’ Sanders said, ‘Biden and the Democrats have failed you… ‘I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is…

“‘In the radical left’s America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country,’ she said… ‘Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols … all while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is — your freedom of speech,’ she added…

“‘President Biden’s weakness puts our nation and the world at risk,’ she said. ‘And the President’s refusal to stand up to China, our most formidable adversary, is dangerous and unacceptable… He is unfit to serve as commander in chief.’”

Trump Responds

 Breitbart wrote on February 7:

“Former President Donald Trump responded to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night… ‘Here’s the real State of the Union: Over the past two years under Biden, millions and millions of illegal aliens from 160 different countries have stormed across our southern border,’ said Trump… Another border issue Trump highlighted in his response to Biden Tuesday is the fentanyl epidemic… ‘Drug cartels are now raking in billions of dollars from smuggling poison to kill our people and to kill our children,’ said Trump. Production of fentanyl typically starts in China, where precursor chemicals are manufactured, and then Mexican cartels synthesize the drugs before they are trafficked across the border…

“Trump then turned his attention to crime, asserting that ‘[s]avage killers, rapists, and violent criminals are being released from jail to continue their crime wave.’ ‘Biden and the radical Democrats have wasted trillions of dollars and caused the worst inflation in half a century,’ Trump continued. ‘Real wages are down 21 months in a row, gas prices have soared and are now going much higher than even before, and the typical American family is paying $2,200 in increased energy and food costs each year,’ he added…

“[Trump] then called out Biden’s ‘weaponized Justice Department’ for ‘persecuting his political opponents,’ and he asserted the ‘administration is waging war on free speech... They’re trying to indoctrinate and mutilate our children…

“‘[Biden is] leading us to the brink of World War III, and on top of all of that, he’s the most corrupt President in American history, and it’s not even close.’”

 “Lie After Lie”

 The New York Post Editorial Board wrote on February 7:

“[Biden] offered lie after lie in a shameless bid to fool the electorate ahead of his 2024 run for re-election…

“He blended brags about his supposed achievements (inflation-fueling blowout spending sprees), promos for various dead-on-arrival bits of legislation (even heavily Democratic Congresses have been unable to pass ‘comprehensive immigration reform’), blatantly insincere calls for bipartisanship, cynical and false attacks on his opponents (the chamber was in an uproar at his fake claim that Republicans want to slash Social Security and Medicare), bogus stats (billionaires pay roughly 24% income tax, not 8%), some fine tough talk on the Ukraine war and utter laughers (‘as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did’ — by shooting down the balloon at the last possible moment?)

“…. he had literally no overall theme, as he has no overall vision beyond his self-serving distortions and promises of more giveaways.”

Regarding the Chinese spy balloon fiasco, note the following articles.

Chinese “Spy Balloons” Over USA and Latin America

The Associated Press wrote on February 3:

“A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on sensitive military sites despite China’s firm denials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions… It was spotted earlier over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base, defense officials said.

“Later Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America… The U.S. actually had been tracking the initial balloon since at least Tuesday… Biden was initially inclined to order the surveillance balloon to be blown out of the sky, and a senior defense official said the U.S. had prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot it down if ordered… Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strongly advised Biden against shooting down the balloon, warning that its size — as big as three school buses — and considerable weight could create a debris field large enough to endanger Americans on the ground…

“Blinken’s trip cancellation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was merely a weather research ‘airship’ that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that the balloon was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability…

“The development dealt a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues…”

Breitbart wrote on February 3:

“Former President Donald Trump warned on Friday that China has ‘many thousands of spies working in the United States’ in various industries amid a revelation that a Chinese spy balloon is flying over the continental United States.

“‘It’s rarely even mentioned that China has many thousands of spies working in the United States in business, finance, academia, technology, media and likely, even government, very sadly,’ Trump declared.”

Biden Secretive in Hiding the News

The New York Post wrote on February 4:

“President Biden and his administration knew for nearly a week that a Chinese spy balloon was hovering in U.S. airspace — but kept the incursion secret, fearing it would derail Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing…

“Team Biden became aware of the balloon on Jan. 28… when it was spotted over Alaska. The US military tracked it as it flew into Canadian airspace, then re-entered American skies on Tuesday. The next day, Biden received a detailed briefing on the balloon and its course… But the president also chose to conceal the crisis from the American public…

“The administration finally came clean to the public Thursday, after the Billings Gazette, a local Montana paper, published photos of the floating orb and the story jumped into the national media…

“The uproar forced Blinken to postpone his trip indefinitely…

“Former president Donald Trump, ex-veep Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have all demanded that the balloon be shot down, accusing Biden of weakness against Beijing.”

Many other Republicans made the same demand.

The Balloon Fiasco

Fox News wrote on February 4:

“Several governors — including Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Parson and Montana GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte — have expressed frustration over the Biden administrations’ lack of communication as the balloon traversed American airspace.

“‘We have received zero communication from the Biden Administration regarding reports of the suspected Chinese spy balloon now flying over Missouri,’ Parson wrote in a tweet on Friday. ‘We have heard no explanation or plan to remove it. Why has this been allowed to reach our heartland? Why has it not been eliminated?’

“Similarly, Gianforte, during a Saturday morning appearance on ‘Fox and Friends Weekend,’ blasted the Biden administration’s communication about the balloon. ‘We’re informed through our national guard,’ Gianforte said. ‘We knew nothing about this until this slow moving balloon was hundreds of miles into the state. It had already flown over military installations and it was over our most populous city in the state.’”

Balloon Shut Down

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 5:

“The US on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon… The balloon was shot down over relatively shallow water. Officials said a recovery operation is now underway to retrieve the debris and key elements of the purported Chinese surveillance equipment over the coming days…

“China expressed ‘strong dissatisfaction’ with the US use of force to strike its ‘unmanned civilian’ airship, calling it a ‘serious violation of international practice.’ In a statement by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, Beijing threatened repercussions over the incident… The Chinese Defense Ministry said it ‘reserves the right to use necessary means to deal with similar situations,’ though it was unclear exactly what type of situation it meant.”

According to some reports, there is a third Chinese spy balloon flying in the skies over the Atlantic Ocean in addition to the one flying over Latin America.

 The Sun wrote on February 5:

“The balloon is the first foreign aircraft shot down over American air space since World War II. The last instance was in 1942, when a Japanese fighter jet was shot down as it tried to attack US Navy ships in Alaska, in an instance known as Akutan Zero.

“It’s also the first instance of a F-22 jet performing an ‘air to air kill’, after firing the missile that took down the surveillance balloon…

“A department of defense official claimed that upwards of 3 Chinese spy balloons flew over the continental United States during Trump’s presidency, sparking fierce debate online… Bloomberg said: ‘One top national security official from the administration of former President Donald Trump said none of the Chinese spy balloons were near sensitive sites or had payloads as large as this one appears to carry.’”

Trump denied the claim that Chinese spy balloons flew over the United States under his Presidency, but the Pentagon subsequently claimed that this was not discovered or revealed to Trump until after his departure.

Strong Job Figures… Cause for Optimism…

Breitbart wrote on February 3:

“The incredibly strong January jobs figures all but rule out a recession in the first half of this year. They even may be strong enough to indicate that the economy will remain in expansion throughout the year…

“Some historical context highlights just how extremely robust job creation has been. Apart from the rapid job gain in the wake of the pandemic lockdowns, that three month average is the highest since 1994…

“You have to go all the way back to 1969 before you’ll find an unemployment rate that low. And to get below that number, you have to send your time machine back to 1951, when Harry Truman was president and GDP was growing at an eight percent real rate… The ultra-low level of unemployment will eventually result in wage gains…”

Or, Is Optimism Misplaced?

npr wrote on February 4:

“The good times are back on Wall Street. Stocks have surged since the start of the year. The Nasdaq is up nearly 15% this year after posting its best January since 2001. And it’s not just stocks: bonds have risen and even bitcoin has made a roaring comeback, though all markets fell a tad on Friday.

“This is all after a miserable 2022, when markets were hit hard by fears about surging inflation and about how the Federal Reserve was fighting it, with the biggest increases in the country’s interest rates since the early 1980s.

“Today, hope has replaced that fear. Inflation has eased substantially…

“And many on Wall Street no longer dread the worst about the economy, turning from their predictions of a big recession to hope that any downturn will be mild, or even that a recession may not happen at all.

“… the labor market is very strong. Data on Friday showed U.S. employers added a whopping 517,000 jobs, much stronger than most forecasts, while the unemployment rate dropped to a 53-year low…

“There is one big downer in the market, however: the Fed [which] has no intention of cutting interest rates any time soon… The Fed is the most powerful economic player in the world, with the ability to move markets from New York to Hong Kong with a single word. And so far, the Fed has said, clearly, that the fight against inflation will go on…

“Then, beyond the Fed, there’s the risk that plenty can still go wrong for the economy… there’s plenty of other data that raises the prospect that the economy could end up hitting a recession after all.

“The housing market, for example, has taken a major hit since the Fed started raising rates. And retail sales are showing signs of declining, a big concern in an economy so reliant on consumer spending…

“In 2001, the Nasdaq similarly rallied in January, ending the month up 12%. It did not end well. The economy skidded into a recession, and the Nasdaq slumped a whopping 30% over the next 11 months, with losses magnified by the Sept. 11 attacks. As it turns out, all that optimism in January 2001, proved to have been misplaced.”

President Biden and America’s Economy

The New York Post wrote on February 5:

“… no president in modern times even comes close to Biden in terms of fiscal recklessness. In his first two years, the national debt has risen by more than $4.2 trillion. That’s more than in any two-year period in American history…

“The average inflation rate during the Trump presidency was 2%, and in January 2021, the month Biden entered office, inflation was 1.4%. Eighteen months later, in summer 2022, inflation rose above 9% — the highest in 40 years. It ended the year at 6.5%…

“When President Donald Trump left office, the gas price was $2.59 a gallon nationally. In June 2022, it was nearly double, a modern-day high of $5.004 a gallon. Today gas is $3.48 a gallon — roughly $1 a gallon higher than when Biden entered office…

“A 2022 Committee to Unleash Prosperity study by the University of Chicago’s Casey Mulligan found that oil production would be 2 million to 3 million barrels a day higher if Biden had simply followed the Trump energy plan. America would have produced nearly $200 billion more oil last year if not for Biden’s war on fossil fuels… Trump issued permits for drilling on 100 million acres of federal land. Biden has issued fewer drilling permits than any president since World War II’s end.”

California’s Vaccine Mandate Policy

Breitbart wrote on February 7:

“The State of California has scrapped a plan to require the coronavirus vaccine for children in grades K through 12, as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) allows a three-year-old ‘state of emergency’ to expire at the end of February…

“The policy would have applied to all of California’s 6.7 million public and private students. But enforcing the requirement would have posed a challenge, given the vaccine’s waning immunity.

“President Joe Biden informed Congress last week that he will be ending the state of emergency and the public health emergency on the coronavirus pandemic on May 11.”

Sadly, vaccine mandates will still remain in force and effect in certain areas, even after Biden’s proposed announcement of ending the “state of emergency,” which should have been made a long time ago (if a declaration of “state of emergency” had to be made at all). Interestingly, the timing of Biden’s planned announcement coincides with insurance companies’ policies of coverage.

Blinken Meets With Netanyahu and Abbas

Israel 365 News wrote on February 2:

On Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Israel for a three-day visit… Blinken gave a joint speech with Netanyahu…

“Blinken stated the importance of maintaining the ‘historic status quo at Jerusalem’s holy places, including the Temple Mount Haram al-Sharif,’ choosing to refer to Judaism’s holiest site also by an Arabic term… In addition to Blinken’s stated dedication to the status quo, his State Department was critical of a visit to the site last month by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, saying it had ‘the potential to exacerbate tensions and to provoke violence.’

“The White House claimed the visit ‘jeopardized the status quo’ though it was unclear in what way it did so. The status quo violates Israeli law by discriminating against Jews and Christians, maintaining a Muslim exclusivity on religious freedom…

“Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Tuesday… He also cited the US commitment to the ‘two-state solution’ which would create a Palestinian state inside Israel with its capital in Jerusalem. He cited as the greatest obstacles to this vision were things like ‘settlement expansion, the legalization of outposts, demolitions and evictions, disruptions to the historic status quo of the holy sites, and of course incitement and acquiescence to violence.’”

Israel At Brink of Civil War?

Israel Today wrote on February 7:

“An opposition lawmaker on Tuesday used the Knesset podium to urge citizens of the nation to civil unrest against what he called the ‘dictatorship’ of the new Netanyahu government. MK Ofer Kasif (Hadash) was quickly removed by Knesset ushers, but his act of public incitement further fueled fears that Israel is inching closer to civil war.  ‘In light of the current emergency situation, I call for civil unrest…’ Kasif said before being interrupted by Deputy Speaker Nissim Vettori (Likud), who called on Knesset ushers to forcibly remove Kasif from the plenum.

“The few lawmakers present at the time then erupted in a shouting match, with Kasif and fellow opposition MKs labeling the coalition members as ‘fascists.’ Kasif is the only Jewish member of an Arab political party, so coalition members from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, many of whom are fluent in Arabic, responded with Arabic slurs… Kasif later complained that his democratic rights had been violated, and that he and the opposition would ‘not rest’ until they brought down the ‘dictatorship’ currently governing Israel.

“Israel was rocked last week when prominent figures in the anti-government movement began openly calling for armed violence, and some even encouraged the assassination of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This incitement followed weeks of mass demonstrations against the government, which were themselves sparked by calls for civil disobedience from opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Beny Gantz…

“All it takes is for one deranged individual to take up the call to assassinate Netanyahu. If… that were to happen, there is no telling how the other side might respond. But given the hostility that has grown between the two sides in recent decades, and the fact that a plurality of voters are ardent supporters of Netanyahu himself (some even view him as ‘king’), the end result would be catastrophic for the Jewish state.”

 Russia, China and Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 7:

“China’s increasingly closer relationship with Russia has raised doubts in Ukraine over its strategic partnership with Beijing, with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk calling China’s position ‘less and less acceptable’…

“Ukraine has maintained a strategic partnership with China since 2011, which has allowed trade and defense ties to flourish. China has been a major importer of Ukrainian grains and corns. Ukraine is also a major arms supplier to China…

“Although Beijing has not explicitly supported Russia’s position on the war, it has worked on building stronger ties with Moscow as the EU and the United States work on isolating Russia. Following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said Beijing wants to advance bilateral relations with Russia in 2023…”

Ultimately, China, Russia and Ukraine will all be united.

Relations Between Ukraine and Germany “Difficult”

Die Welt wrote on February 9:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sees the relationship with Germany in a ‘difficult phase’ because of the debate about the supply of main battle tanks. ‘I have to force him to help Ukraine and constantly convince him that this help is not for us, but for the Europeans,’ Zelensky said of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in an interview with ‘Spiegel’ and the French newspaper ‘ Le Figaro’ on Thursday… Ukraine’s relationship with Germany is ‘in waves, it’s ups and downs,’ he said.

“Zelenskyj also criticized European heads of state and government, whom he had asked for weapons and sanctions ‘daily’. ‘If everyone knew that Putin was going to invade our country, why didn’t they impose sanctions? It’s absolutely ridiculous when you all stand up for us publicly and still like to dodge sanctions or withhold guns,’ he said.

“Regarding the support of allies in the first days of the Russian attack on his country, Selensky said: ‘I’m not saying that it went ideally.’ He will give an honest answer to the question of whether he is satisfied when the war is over.”

Huge Earthquakes in Turkey

The Daily Mail wrote on February 6:

“Turkey was hit by two massive earthquakes less than ten hours apart on Monday, killing more than [19,000 people, as reported on February 9] and leaving scores trapped under collapsed buildings – and plunging the region into an unfolding humanitarian crisis. [Many more deaths are expected.]

“The initial 7.8-magnitude night-time tremor, followed hours later by a slightly smaller one, wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region filled with millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts…

ABC News reported on February 6:

“Monday’s [first] quake was as powerful as the strongest ever recorded in Turkey… A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Turkey in 1939, killing approximately 30,000 people. Monday’s quake in southeastern Turkey had the same magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey. Earthquakes frequently occur in Turkey, which is situated on top of major fault lines. Some 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.”

Much more powerful earthquakes are prophesied to occur in these end times. It was pointed out that a huge earthquake in California is a certainty, which would be at least as strong as the ones in Turkey, but probably much stronger.

British Army Would Last Just One Afternoon

Daily Star wrote on February 3:

“General Sir Richard Barrons, former Joint Forces chief, says years of government neglect have left Britain’s military ill-equipped for a major conflict…

“His words echo a warning from the Royal United Services Institute in December that said Britain’s ammunition stockpiles were ‘woefully deficient’ and that in any serious armed conflict the Army would run out of ammunition in a week…

“Sir Richard adds, ‘we have a war in Europe, and our Armed forces are smaller and less ready to fight than at any time in living memory. The Army is on track to slip below 76,000 troops, about half the size of our Cold War force’.

“In the Commons earlier week, Tobias Ellwood, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee, said that the war in Ukraine had ‘exposed serious shortfalls in the war fighting capability of the British army.’”

The Sun added on February 2:

“Unless we restore our defences, all our hopes for all our lives will rely on our friends protecting us and our enemies leaving us alone. Unless our ministers take bold steps now, our security is lost.”

It is indeed. Even Britain’s friends will turn out to be their enemies.

Norway Strengthens Its Armed Forces Through the Purchase of German Tanks

EDR (European Defence Review) On Line wrote on February 3:

“The government has decided to acquire 54 tanks of the Leopard 2 type from German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. An option has been entered for the purchase of a further 18 vehicles. The first new tanks are expected to be delivered in 2026…

“By purchasing German tanks, we ensure that Norway has the same type of tanks as our Nordic neighbors and close allies. We are also forging closer security policy ties with Germany, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre…

“Germany is one of our main cooperation countries in the area of defence and security policy. A procurement and industrial cooperation with Germany builds on and reinforces an already established strategic materiel and industrial cooperation, says the Minister of Defence.

“The government primarily wants to buy 54 tanks, but is open to being able to acquire a further 18 tanks…”

“German Social Democrats Grasp at World Power”

On February 1, 2023, the World Socialist Website (WSWS) wrote the following surprising article about their comrades or “Genossen”, the Germany’s Social Democrat Party (SPD):

“The Social Democratic Party (SPD)-led German government is aggressively stepping up its war policy. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s announcement of the delivery of Leopard-2 battle tanks to Ukraine last week has been followed by calls for the delivery of aircraft. While Scholz still rejects this, at least publicly, SPD Co-Chairwoman Saskia Esken, interviewed on last Sunday’s ‘Report from Berlin’ program, did not rule out sending fighter jets to Kiev…

“It is becoming increasingly clear that the ruling class regards the NATO war against Russia as an opportunity to implement its long-cherished plans to become a world power and once again make Germany the leading military force, 90 years after Hitler seized power…

“A strategy paper recently presented by the SPD’s ‘Commission on International Politics’ titled ‘Social Democratic Responses to a World in Transition’… emphasizes that the 100-billion-euro Bundeswehr special fund serves not only to arm the German army, but also to militarize Europe…

“More than a century after the SPD’s historic betrayal on August 4, 1914, when it agreed to the Kaiser’s war credits and supported World War I, social democracy is the leading party of German imperialism. The Left Party and the Greens support it in this, forming coalitions with the SPD at the federal and state level…”

Will Germany Again Become a Mighty Military Power?

The New York Times wrote on February 24:

“The German chancellor Olaf Scholz told Parliament that that [Russian] attack [on Ukraine] marked a Zeitenwende, a historic ‘turning point’ for Europe and Germany. There could be no doubt that Putin wanted to build a Russian empire, Scholz said. Germans must therefore ask, ‘What capabilities do we need in order to counter this threat?’ He announced, among other measures, a 100-billion-euro fund to bolster the German military. The plan, if implemented, would represent the largest absolute jump in German military spending since World War II.

“Parliamentarians gave Scholz a standing ovation. That level of support would have been almost unthinkable before the invasion. In Germany, skepticism of the merits of military strength has enabled a long post-Cold War process of disarmament. As a result, Germany is a historic anomaly in the heart of Europe — an economic leviathan but a military minnow. Now German leaders are vowing to transform the country into a military power capable of taking responsibility for Europe’s security. The question is whether they — and a hesitant German society — can follow through on this promise…

“It was the Russian threat that led to the resurrection of the German military during the Cold War; it’s once again the Russian threat that may lead to its revitalization…

“Germany has long occupied an exceptionally comfortable place in the world. It has an export-dependent economy, selling its cars and machines far and wide — and many tanks and submarines, as one of the world’s largest arms exporters. But when it comes to countering perceived security threats — whether the Islamic State or Putin — it has allowed allies to take the lead. German leaders sent troops to Afghanistan but largely avoided referring to it as a ‘war,’ even as German soldiers engaged in ground combat there for the first time since World War II.

“Germany’s aversion to military power has been sustained by one glaring fact: Its defense is guaranteed by the world’s pre-eminent superpower, the United States, within the framework of NATO. President Donald Trump, who tended to reduce foreign policy to questions of who was ripping off whom, was particularly obsessed with what he saw as German defense freeloading, calling Germany ‘delinquent’ on military spending. But it wasn’t just Trump. Every recent U.S. administration tried, and mostly failed, to get the Germans and other European allies to strengthen their militaries and meet the NATO defense-spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product, a goal Germany has long undershot…

“As part of his Zeitenwende speech, Scholz vowed to meet the NATO defense-spending target ‘from now on,’ though his government has since been noncommittal about when that might happen… Should German leaders deliver on their promises, Germany would become the third- or fourth-biggest military spender in the world. Before the war, such an increase would have been highly unpopular. But in a poll conducted for German public television soon after the invasion, 69 percent of Germans supported it.”

Compulsory Military Service in Germany?

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 3:

“A familiar discussion has begun in Germany… Should compulsory military service be reintroduced? Some countries, for example Latvia, have recently reintroduced it, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius fueled the debate when he said earlier this week: ‘It was a mistake to suspend compulsory military service.’… until 2011 German men between the ages of 18 and 27 were obligated to either serve in the nation’s military… or perform an alternative service for a limited period of time in civilian areas such as emergency management or medical care…

“Over the past two decades, the Bundeswehr has shrunk from more than 317,000 soldiers to just over 183,000…

“In his interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung national newspaper, the German defense minister admitted compulsory military service would not help Germany at all in the next two or three years. But Pistorius… believes there must be an open discussion again about the benefits of mandatory military service.

“A spokeswoman for the German Defense Ministry said in response to a DW inquiry: ‘Currently the Defense Ministry has no plans to reintroduce conscription… different tasks… require well-trained and specialized personnel… we have opened our armed forces to women for the past 20 years… The former format of compulsory military service would be impossible to implement in the current structures and would be an additional burden. Recruitment, training, and accommodation of conscripts alone would result in a considerable need for investment…’

“For defense commissioner Eva Högl, the debate about compulsory military service is, therefore, a ‘theoretical debate,’ and Finance Minister Christian Lindner… has brushed it aside as a ‘discussion about ghosts.’

“… the Bundeswehr still has a massive diversity problem in 2023. Only one in eight soldiers is female…”

Not too long ago, Eva Högl advocated compulsory military service. The debate is ongoing. Ultimately, we can expect that compulsory military service will be instituted in Germany.

Spahn’s Corona Botch

Bild Online wrote on February 8:

“During the pandemic, the government bought as many masks as it could… A total of 5.8 billion masks are said to have been shipped to the federal government. In addition, the federal government is said to have raised a further 320 million euros for external consultants, lawyers, transport, storage and quality control for the years 2020 and 2021.

“According to BILD information, huge quantities of FFP2 and surgical masks did not even leave their country of manufacture and are now to be destroyed! And: Apparently, the Federal Ministry of Health itself does not know exactly how many tons are still in a warehouse in the city of Jiaxing near Shanghai… The Ministry of Health estimates the cost of destruction at around 375,000 euros. A snap against the previous costs of storage. They amount to 11 million euros!

“According to the latest research by ‘Welt’, several federal states have also destroyed almost 20 million masks in Germany. So now the Federal Ministry of Health wants to destroy several hundred million masks that never made it to Germany.”

More Botches from Spahn – the “Social Compulsory Year”

Merkur wrote on February 3:

“Again and again there are discussions about a compulsory social year for young people. The idea behind it: wouldn’t it be worth considering involving female citizens in a kind of community service? Jens Spahn, CDU politician, advocates such a construct. ‘The vast majority of the younger generation wants to get involved and would like more community spirit and cohesion. An attractively paid company year for the 21st century contributes to this,’ said Jens Spahn of the Frankfurter Rundschau… Otherwise, voluntary work would quickly become arbitrary. ‘With a mandatory year of society, the conditions are the same for everyone. Whether in the hospital, in the army or elsewhere, everyone should be able to decide for themselves,’ says Spahn. This also makes a discussion about renewed compulsory military service unnecessary…

“A compulsory social year is highly controversial. Young people criticize the fact that they are not even being listened to and that the idea is instead being discussed over their heads… So far there has been no majority in the traffic light government. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has concerns that forced service could violate the Basic Law…”

In Germany everything has to be done by force…

Twitter Under Threat

Bloomberg wrote on February 6:

“In the turbulent months since Elon Musk bought Twitter, the threat of greater scrutiny has been looming, but the fear from some EU officials was that Twitter may not actually have enough users to fall under the enhanced set of rules imposed on social media companies by the bloc’s Digital Services Act. Now, it appears it does.

“Twitter and the Commission are gearing up for the company to be designated a ‘very large online platform,’ according to people familiar with the matter. That means the company will have to report on how it’s blocking harmful posts and could even be forced to change its algorithms. For Musk, it means his stripped-down company will be subject to a much more intrusive regulatory system and could face significant penalties if it doesn’t comply.”

Europe’s way to dictatorship and suppression of free speech is ongoing.

Eating Insects…

IFN (International Family News) wrote on February 1:

“[The] European Union of January 4, 2023… [implemented] regulation EU 2023/5… authorized the use of Acheta Domesticus (house cricket) powder on the European market, as a new ingredient in foodstuffs for mass consumption…

“[An] important omission is that the shell of these insects contains chitin. Although chitin is used as a cosmetic without any problem, this polymer is a potent allergy generator when ingested by humans. Mammals, with rare exceptions such as bats, do not have enzymes capable of digesting chitin. Our intestine does not assimilate it.

“Nor have they said anything about these insects containing metamorphic steroids. In particular, ecdysterone which is an anabolic used by cheating bodybuilders to artificially build muscle. The consumption of these steroids is prohibited because of their harmful effects on health.”

The Pope and Homosexuality

The Associated Press wrote on February 5:

“Pope Francis was backed by the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion and top Presbyterian minister in calling for gays to be welcomed by their churches as he again decried laws that criminalize homosexuality as unjust. The three Christian leaders spoke on LGBTQ rights during an unprecedented joint airborne news conference Sunday while returning home from South Sudan…

“South Sudan is one of 67 countries that criminalizes homosexuality, 11 of them with the death penalty… During the news conference on the way back to Rome, Francis specifically didn’t repeat that ‘being homosexual is not a crime,’ perhaps to not antagonize his South Sudanese hosts, who had originally objected to his comments to the AP.  ‘If he (Pope Francis) is coming here and he tells us that marriage of the same sex, homosexuality, is legal, we will say no,’ Michael Makuei Lueth, South Sudan’s information minister, said after the pope’s AP interview and before his visit.

“On Sunday, Francis referred to his Jan. 24 comments to the AP and repeated that such laws are ‘unjust.’ He also repeated previous comments that parents should never throw their gay children out of the house. ‘To condemn someone like this is a sin,’ he said. ‘Criminalizing people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice.’”

God does clearly condemn the practice of homosexuality as sinful. Does God commit a sin in the eyes of the pope?

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.

“We Are at War With Russia!”

Bild Online wrote on January 26:

“German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (42) said on Tuesday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in English: ‘We are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other.’

 “A short video excerpt from Baerbock’s speech went viral on the Internet and caused astonishment and criticism.

“Because: Baerbock fundamentally contradicts Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD), who repeatedly emphasizes that Germany should NOT become a war party. However, Baerbock explained exactly the opposite: that Germany was already at war with Russia.

 “BILD asked the Foreign Office why the Foreign Minister said the sentence – and whether she still stands by her statement. The answer: one roll backwards!

“The most important part of the answer: ‘International law is clear: supporting Ukraine in exercising its individual right of self-defense against Russia’s illegal war of aggression, as enshrined in the UN Charter, does not make Germany a party to the conflict.’

“This means: Baerbock takes back her sentence that Germany is fighting a war against Russia. Supporting Ukraine does not make Germany a party to the war.

Not for now, but Baerbock might have spilled the beans. We should also note that her office might have tried to explain away Baerbock’s comments, but Baerbock herself did not.

Baerbock Really Believes It

Focus wrote on January 29:

“[Did] Baerbock… deliberately say the controversial sentence – or was it possibly just a thoughtless statement?

“Russia expert [Professor Gerhard] Mangott believes in the former scenario. ‘Ms. Baerbock thinks Germany is at war with Russia… the West is actually [politically] in a war-like state…’, says Mangott…

“Mangott assumes that some Western countries will actually supply fighter jets to Ukraine…”

USA and Europe at War With Russia

Newsmax wrote on January 28:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved beyond what he initially called a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine and Russia is now engaged in ‘a war against NATO and the West,’ European Union defense chief Stefano Sannino said while commenting on Canada becoming the 12th country to commit to sending tanks to Ukraine… and Poland said it would give an additional 60 on top of the 14 it has already committed to the war effort.

“Spain and Norway are expected to announce how many Leopard 2s they will send to Ukraine in the coming days. Belgium announced a new package of military aid, including cash, missiles, machine guns, and armored vehicles but said it doesn’t have major battle tanks to match NATO allies’ offers. Ukraine is also calling for fighter jets such as the U.S. F-16, but fulfilling the request seems unlikely…

“Russia has accused President Joe Biden of ‘pumping weapons’ into Ukraine rather than working toward a cease-fire. The promised delivery of tanks to Ukraine is evidence of the ‘direct involvement’ of the United States and Europe in the war…

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, called on the West to pursue peace talks rather than arming Ukraine. ‘It started with the Germans saying they were willing to send helmets but they would not send lethal aid, since that represented participation in the conflict,’ Orban said. He added that as long as he is prime minister, it is ‘out of the question’ that Hungary will get more involved in the Ukraine war. ‘But the others have already been swept away,’ he said. ‘If you send weapons, no matter what you say, you are in the war.’”

Putin Feels Threatened by Germany

Reuters wrote on February 2:

“President Vladimir Putin evoked the spirit of the Soviet army that defeated Nazi German forces at Stalingrad 80 years ago to declare on Thursday that Russia would defeat a Ukraine supposedly in the grip of a new incarnation of Nazism. In a fiery speech in Volgograd, known as Stalingrad until 1961, Putin lambasted Germany for helping to arm Ukraine and said, not for the first time, that he was ready to draw on Russia’s entire arsenal, which includes nuclear weapons…

“‘Again and again we have to repel the aggression of the collective West. It’s incredible but it’s a fact: we are again being threatened with German Leopard tanks with crosses on them… Those who draw European countries, including Germany, into a new war with Russia, and … expect to win a victory over Russia on the battlefield, apparently don’t understand that a modern war with Russia will be quite different for them’…

“Despite Stalin’s record of presiding over a famine that killed millions and political repression that killed hundreds of thousands, Russian politicians and school textbooks have in recent years stressed his role as a successful wartime leader who turned the Soviet Union into a superpower.”

Germany’s Largest Gas Storage Facility Can’t Store Gas—For the Moment

Oil Price wrote on February 1:

“Germany’s natural gas storage facility in Rehden, Lower Saxony—Germany’s largest—cannot store any gas, a Lower Saxony supervisory authority said on Wednesday, according to Spiegel.

“The… storage facility accounts for one-fifth of the total storage capacity available in Germany and is also one of the largest in Western Europe, with a working capacity of around 4 billion cubic meters on an underground area of around eight square kilometers, according to the facility’s website.

“The natural gas storage facility experienced deflagration on a torch due to unknown causes… Storage has been stopped as a precaution, and the storage facility cannot be refilled for days—with no specific date given as to when storage can resume. The State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology said there was no evidence of external influence.

“A spokesperson told media that the deflagration occurred during a storage phase and not a delivery phase, adding that no one would be out of gas. Just a couple of weeks ago, German gas storage operators said that they did not foresee any gas supply problems next winter based on declining consumption this winter—and they said there was no chance of shortage this winter, even with extremely low temperatures and even accounting for risk factors.

“Storage facilities in Germany are nearly 90% full, well above their legal requirements to hold 40%, achieved in part by declining usage due to mild winter weather and deliberate usage curbs.

“The Rehden gas storage facility was abandoned last April by Russia’s Gazprom as its relations with Europe soured. Germany began filling the storage facility a month later, in May.”

Trump Could End Ukraine War in 24 Hours?

MSN reported on January 27:

“Former US President Donald Trump said Friday he could end the war in Ukraine within ‘24 hours’ if he remains President of the United States. ‘If I were President, there would never have been a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But even if it were, I could agree to end it within 24 hours,’ he said in a message posted to his own social network, Truth Social.

“For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he agreed with Trump’s words, noting that if he were president, ‘it is possible that the crisis in Ukraine would be resolved quickly through his influence on Kyiv. In theory, Trump is not far from the truth. The American president could, if he wanted to, really end the conflict, and quickly, using, let’s say, his skills or simply giving instructions to Kyiv,’ he said at a press conference, Interfax reports.”

This Time It’s Different

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 27:

“Russia neither collapsed internally nor capitulated to the collective West’s demands for regime change in Moscow… As a result, Washington’s proxy war against Russia is failing… Alexei Arestovich, President Zelensky’s recently fired advisor,… expressed his own doubts that Ukraine can win its war with Russia and he now questions whether Ukraine will even survive the war…

“In a setting where Russian artillery systems can fire nearly 60,000 rounds of all types—rockets, missiles, drones, and hard-shell ammunition—a day, Ukrainian forces are hard-pressed to answer these Russian salvos with 6,000 rounds daily…

“Washington’s frustration with the collective West’s failure to stem the tide of Ukrainian defeat is growing. In fact, the frustration is rapidly giving way to desperation…  NATO’s members were never strongly united behind Washington’s crusade to fatally weaken Russia…

“Retired German Air Force General Harald Kujat, former chairman of the NATO Military Committee, severely criticized Berlin for allowing Washington to railroad Germany into conflict with Russia… Though actively suppressed by the German government and media, his comments are resonating strongly with the German electorate.

“The blunt fact is that in its efforts to secure victory in its proxy war with Russia, Washington ignores historical reality. From the 13th century onward, Ukraine was a region dominated by larger, more powerful national powers, whether Lithuanian, Polish, Swedish, Austrian, or Russian…  So where is Washington headed with its proxy war against Russia? The question deserves an answer.”

Austria to “Upgrade” Its Armed Forces

The National News wrote on January 27:

“Neutral Austria has no choice but to upgrade its armed forces after Russia’s assault on Ukraine brought conventional warfare back to Europe, Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner said on Friday. A new military risk assessment found a missile attack on Austria could not be ruled out.

“Austria is not part of Nato and has not sent weapons to Ukraine, although it has as an EU member made humanitarian donations and supported sanctions imposed on Russia. But the planned €2.5 billion ($2.72bn) increase in defence spending will make Austria one of many European countries rearming in response to the war in Ukraine…

“The 266-page risk assessment said Austria currently had no defences against many types of rockets and cruise missiles. It said Austria should consider taking part in a European air defence initiative being spearheaded by Germany because missile warfare was a possibility…

“Unlike in Sweden and Finland, there has been no significant movement towards joining Nato in Austria or its neighbour Switzerland. If Sweden and Finland’s applications are approved, it will make Austria the only country on the European mainland to be part of the EU but not Nato.”

Nato’s role is highly overrated anyhow.

A European Army—a Nightmare for Britain

Express wrote on January 25:

“Guy Verhofstadt’s latest push towards a European Union army has been torn apart by Brexiteers… Mr Verhofstadt said: ‘Good news the campaign to free the Leopards seems to have paid off. A pity it was dependent on Americans… Time to build a real EU defence with jointly procured EU weapons!’

“But Brexiteers warned that Brussels is vying to replace the NATO military alliance.

“GB News presenter Martin Daubney, a former Brexit Party MEP, told Express.co.uk: ‘… The EU sees itself as a Poundshop NATO: masquerading as a guardian of world peace, but really it’s about ensnaring EU member states militarily, which few would ever be able to buy themselves out of if they ever decided to leave. As usual with the EU, it’s about power, control, money and political overreach. That’s why they love the spectre of an EU army: it’s not about controlling Putin, it’s about controlling member states; trapping them into eternal EU membership for military security…’

“Fellow ex-Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib added: ‘… the EU views NATO with jealous eyes. It wants NATO’s importance reduced because it aspires to a federal Europe with the unelected EU Commissioners in charge of this new country. And, like all countries, it needs an army. The EU’s desire for self-empowerment at the cost of its member states is inexorably heading towards the end of NATO and its own military command…’”

After Brexit, Britain, a NATO member, is very nervous about the prospects of the end of NATO, as that would mean total isolation of Britain in Europe.  

Australia to Remove British Monarch From Banknotes

AFP wrote on February 1:

“Australia will remove the British monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II’s image on its $5 note with a design honouring Indigenous culture, the central bank said Thursday. The decision to leave her successor King Charles III off the $5 note means no monarch would remain on Australia’s paper currency…

“Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a democracy with King Charles III as its head of state. A referendum proposing a switch to a republic was narrowly defeated in 1999. The central bank said its decision was supported by the centre-left Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who favours an eventual move to an Australian republic.

“The new banknote would take ‘a number of years’ to be designed and printed, it said, with the existing $5 note remaining legal tender even after the new design is in people’s hands… The RBA’s move was hailed by the nation’s republican movement, which noted that Indigenous people predated British settlement by 65,000 years… The Australian Monarchist League said the decision was ‘virtually neo-communism in action’…

“A British monarch has featured on Australian banknotes since 1923 and was on all paper bills until 1953, the year of Elizabeth II’s coronation…”

Denmark to Conscribe Women Into Compulsory Military Service?

Global Village Space wrote on January 27:

“Women should be available for conscription into the Danish Armed Forces, Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen insisted on Wednesday, arguing that the current state of the country’s military does not allow it to properly defend itself.

“In an interview with TV2, the official stated that Denmark can no longer afford to rely only on volunteers and insisted that everyone, including women, should be eligible for compulsory military service and that the size of the Danish army should be increased.

“The minister stated that Denmark, as well as its neighbors and allies, face a common enemy in the face of Russia, which he claims will wage war on Europe if it is allowed to succeed in Ukraine… Denmark’s current laws permit the Armed Forces to forcefully conscript all physically fit men over the age of 18, with service typically lasting between four and 12 months. Women, on the other hand, are allowed to voluntarily participate, but are not legally obliged to do so…

“Ellemann-Jensen says he believes there should be more of them and stated that ‘the armed forces would benefit from more women,’ noting that the move would also allow the country to meet its NATO membership obligations… Denmark announced last month that it plans to boost its defense spending by $660 million in order to reach NATO’s target contribution of 2% of GDP.”

Soon, compulsory military service for men and women will become the norm for many countries in Europe.

Europe Does Not Need USA Anymore

Foreign Policy wrote on January 30:

“[It is a] misguided notion that Europe is simply incapable of defending itself without the help of the United States…

“Since the end of World War II, U.S. leaders have sought to lead their European allies and, as a corollary, frowned on any steps by Europe toward greater self-sufficiency in defense…  The U.S. government isn’t being disingenuous when it says it favors a strong Europe; it just fails to add that it also wants Europeans to remain dependent on U.S. protection and even compliant when it comes to U.S. preferences on matters of security.

“The idea of Europe developing a self-sufficient military capability outside U.S.-dominated NATO has long been disliked in Washington…

“European governments don’t automatically follow Washington’s script—though they follow its lead more often than not—but have heeded the warnings, happy to oblige and play the role of dependent…

“The U.S.-European security relationship has therefore become progressively divorced from reality. If it is to change, what Europe needs is not more resources but greater political will and self-confidence…”

Europe WILL become independent of the USA.

Elon Musk Warned About Incoming EU Social-Media Law

The Wall Street Journal wrote on January 31:

“A top European Union official told Elon Musk on Tuesday that Twitter Inc. will have to do more over the coming months to prepare for the bloc’s new social-media regulations. Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for the internal market, told Mr. Musk during a video call that there were only a few months left before major online platforms like Twitter will have to be fully compliant with the Digital Services Act… ‘We need to see progress towards full compliance with the DSA. My team will follow closely the work by Twitter and by all other online platforms.’…

“The European Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the DSA, expects to conduct what it referred to as a stress test on Twitter in the coming weeks, according to the summary of the call. Such a test might involve a meeting between Twitter and commission officials to look in detail at which elements of Twitter’s practices are compliant, or not, with the new legislation, the aide to Mr. Breton said.

“Following Tuesday’s discussion with Mr. Breton, Mr. Musk wrote on Twitter that the EU’s ‘goals of transparency, accountability & accuracy of information are aligned with ours.’… The law carries hefty fines for noncompliance and the potential to block a platform’s services in case of certain repeated infringements… Mr. Musk has said Twitter should comply with local laws but generally not take steps beyond that in moderating online content.”

We will have to wait and see how the EU’s new law will affect Twitter and other platforms, and whether and to what extent Musk is willing to compromise.

Pope “Clarifies” His Comment on Homosexuality

The Associated Press wrote on January 28:

“Pope Francis has clarified his recent comments about homosexuality and sin, saying he was merely referring to official Catholic moral teaching that teaches that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. And in a note Friday, Francis recalled that even that black-and-white teaching is subject to circumstances that might eliminate the sin altogether.

“Francis first made the comments in an interview Jan. 24 with The Associated Press, in which he declared that laws criminalizing homosexuality were ‘unjust’ and that ‘being homosexual is not a crime.’

“As he often does, Francis then imagined a conversation with someone who raised the matter of the church’s official teaching, which states that homosexual acts are sinful, or ‘intrinsically disordered.’

‘Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,’ Francis said in the pretend conversation. ‘It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another… When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin…’

“But in a nod to his case-by-case approach to pastoral ministry, Francis noted that even that teaching is subject to consideration of the circumstances, ‘which may decrease or eliminate fault.’…”

This last statement would need to be explained…

Palestinian Gunman Kills 7 in Deadly Jerusalem Attack

The Associated Press wrote on January 28:

“A Palestinian gunman opened fire outside of a synagogue in east Jerusalem on Friday night, police officials said, killing seven people in one of the deadliest attacks on Israeli citizens in years. Among the dead was a 70-year-old woman, police said. The attack got underway as Israelis in the area were beginning to celebrate the Jewish sabbath, and may have been in retaliation for an Israeli military raid that killed nine Palestinians in the Gaza Strip just a day prior.

“A number of Palestinians were reportedly seen celebrating the shooting, and the charged violence has cast a shadow over Israel’s still-new government, led once again by hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Violence will increase in the Middle East…

How Soros Indoctrinates the Next Generation

The New York Post wrote on January 26:

“Only George Soros could look at the state of American higher education and conclude that it’s not liberal enough.

“In 2020 alone, Soros’ Open Society Foundations budgeted more than $63 million, or just over 5% of its budget, toward influencing higher education here and abroad… From his first charitable grant in the late 1970s to the early 2010s, Soros contributed over $400 million to colleges and universities…

“Georgetown received $1.8 million for the Justice at Stake Campaign, a group that believes there aren’t enough ‘people of color, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, and persons with disabilities’ who are judges…

“Get them when they’re young. Teach the youth of America, Europe and elsewhere that police and prisons are the biggest problems society has, we must spend vast amounts on diversity and climate change, and dissent must be censored.

“And that, in short, is the Soros Strategy… By pushing prosecutors who won’t prosecute. Fund ‘fact checkers’ who allow social networks to outsource what gets censored. Promote think tanks that ‘educate,’ and pressure, journalists and politicians, activists and college students.

“At 92, George Soros’ influence over America is at its zenith. It took him years, and billions of dollars, but the cost to the rest of us is immeasurable.”

“Biden Is Preventing Third Temple”

Israel 365 News wrote on or about January 28:

“Jim Barfield, head of the Copper Scroll Project, explains that by giving ancient artifacts found in Israel to the Palestinians, the Biden administration is endangering other temple-related artifacts that will be essential for the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem.”

The True and Widely Overlooked Story of the Holocaust

Daily Mail wrote on January 27:

“… the way the Holocaust is normally reported in conventional histories… concentrate[s] our minds on the ‘industrialised’ killing in death camps such as Auschwitz, the so-called ‘final solution’, with trainloads arriving and being almost instantaneously dispatched to the gas chambers and the crematoria.

“But this was only part of the story, argues leading Holocaust specialist Professor Dan Stone, in a new book that turns on their head some of the widely-held notions about that terrible era of genocide 80 years ago.

“We certainly tend to get wrong just how widespread the Holocaust was, argues Stone, who is director of the Holocaust Research Institute at Royal Holloway, University of London. The fact that we need to get our heads around — and which many countries still find uncomfortable and refuse to recognise — is that the Holocaust was not solely a German project, but a pan-European crime with tens of thousands of active perpetrators all over the continent…

“Stone writes: ‘Although the persecution of the Jews that led to the Holocaust was a German project — a point which cannot be overemphasised — it chimed with the programs of many European fascist and authoritarian regimes. Without the willing participation of so many collaborators across Europe, the Germans would have found it much harder to kill so many Jews.’

“On the basis of recent research, Stone says, rather than a tale of German occupation, deportation and murder in death camps, the Holocaust should really be seen as a series of interlocking local genocides. The Holocaust was certainly driven, and largely perpetrated by Germans, but actual participation went much further.

“Countries such as France, Norway, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania persecuted, expelled and killed Jews. And they did so, not under duress from Berlin, but because to do so fitted with their own long-held anti-Semitic views and nationalist aspiration… Collaboration and complicity were everywhere…

“It is not always recognised that German Jews made up no more than a few per cent of the Holocaust’s six million victims. The vast majority were traditional, observant Jews living in small towns — or shtetls — in Eastern Europe. Moreover, most of them were slaughtered face-to-face before the SS-run death camps were even fully conceived, let alone operational.

“Millions died not in gas chambers, but gunned down en masse in fields, forests and swamps. Many more were starved and worked to death…

“The Nazis had a genocidal fantasy of a ‘world without Jews’ that they wanted to make a reality. But so, too, did many other European countries, whose dreams of creating ethnically pure nations chimed with Hitler’s goals…

“In Norway, France and Hungary, local police rounded up, guarded and deported Jews; in Slovakia, the impetus to deport Jews came from the local fascist regime rather than from the Germans. In Romania, the regime grasped the opportunity provided by the German plans to carry out a Holocaust of its own in Transnistria. Unlike occupied Poland, where the state was overrun by the Nazis, these were independent, or quasi-independent, states choosing to participate and finding reasons and resources to do so…

“The fact is that the genocide of the Jews could not have been so thorough and brutal without active collaboration across a Europe that was widely anti-Semitic, as we can see from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Encyclopedia Of Camps And Ghettos. This lists sites where Jews were held and died. It is more than 900 pages long and contains information on almost 700 places — from the far north of Norway to the Atlas Mountains, from Brittany to Ukraine — with not a single one of them a camp administered by the Germans.

“Some governments took the initiative themselves. The Vichy government in France, for example, pre-empted the Nazis by introducing its Statut des Juifs, the legislation to arrest and deport Jews from France, without the Nazis’ encouragement…

“The Holocaust even spread beyond the boundaries of Europe. Jews in North Africa were subjected to French and Italian racial laws, had their property stolen, and were interned and made to perform forced labour. Some ended up in death camps in Europe.

“Nor did that deep-rooted racism disappear with the defeat of the Nazis. When displaced Jews — the few who had survived, that is — returned to Poland they were subjected to violent attacks. Hungarian Jews were met with incredulity and disdain by those who had stolen their homes and were unwilling to hand them back.

“Recognising that the scope of the Holocaust implicates the whole of Europe, Stone argues, is important because some countries are now attempting to whitewash their past. The Polish government has tried to silence historians who have uncovered information about Poles who handed Jews over to the Nazi occupiers. Similarly, memorials and museums in Hungary selectively interpret the past to make that nation appear an innocent victim or rescuer of Jews, rather than the active participant that it was…

“Acknowledging how widespread the collaboration went in Europe, and how easily so many nations drifted into doing unspeakable things is important, he argues… The lesson he wants us to press home from the Holocaust, is…  that deep and irrational passions can move human beings to collude in terrible things. And nothing in the end can stop people from supporting these dark forces in times of crisis.

“Dismissing the Holocaust as vicious actions of a mad regime is complacent and dangerous. There were political, religious, cultural and social reasons that enabled it to happen and these circumstances, Stone insists, threaten us again…”

Antisemitism is alive and thriving in Europe, and according to the Bible, a massive persecution and martyrdom of Jews is prophesied.

Europe’s Antisemitism Today

 Israel Today wrote on January 27:

“Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Brussels called on Europe to fight online antisemitism on Thursday, stressing that ‘the Holocaust was not conceived in a vacuum.’… ‘Antisemitic discourse festers not only within dark regimes; but within the heartlands of the free, democratic West. Jew-hatred still exists. Antisemitism still exists. Holocaust denial still exists,’ he noted…

“Herzog also stressed to lawmakers the distinction between what he called ‘legitimate’ criticism of Israel and antisemitism… ‘criticism of the State of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the very existence of the State of Israel… Casting doubt on the nation-state of the Jewish people’s right to exist is not legitimate diplomacy. It is antisemitism in the full sense of the word, and it must be thoroughly uprooted…’”

Sadly, it won’t be uprooted… not before Christ returns who will make an END with Anti-Semitism and hatred for Jews.

Pastor Artur Pawlowski—“I Will Not Obey!”

Fox News wrote on January 27:

“A Canadian pastor is facing his final trial [set to begin Thursday, Feb. 2, in Lethbridge, Alberta,] after three years of repeated fines, arrests and imprisonment for keeping his church open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Artur Pawlowski, pastor of the Cave of Adullam congregation in Calgary, said he is accused of causing $400 million worth of damages for officiating a church service during the trucker blockade at the U.S.-Canada border last year… Pawlowski, the first Canadian clergyman to be ticketed for alleged COVID-19 violations, claims the charges against him are an attempt to criminalize his speech...

“When truckers in Coutts protested vaccine mandates by blocking the crossing along Alberta’s border with Montana last February, Pawlowski was invited to deliver a 20-minute speech in which he urged them to ‘hold the line’ against the government without resorting to violence… Days after his speech, he was arrested at his home and spent 51 days in two different prisons, where he claimed authorities abused him by locking him in a small cage, placing him in a psychiatric ward and trying to instigate other inmates to hurt him. The inmates refused and some reached out to him for spiritual guidance, he said.

“Pawlowski told Fox News Digital that he has been under house arrest since his release from prison last April and cannot leave his home without the permission of his probation officer. He ran for political office and became the leader of the Alberta Independence Party last September…

“Pawlowski likened his ordeals to ‘a refining fire’… ‘I noticed, even in my own preaching, that everything we went through — and are still going through — only gave us a stronger faith and zeal and confirmation that everything that we read in the Bible is actually the truth,’ he said.”

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.

No Deal re German Leopard Tanks

The following articles set forth, chronologically, the recent development pertaining to Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks.

NBC News reported on January 20, 2023:

 “Defense leaders meeting at a U.S. air base in Germany on Friday failed to resolve divisions over providing advanced battle tanks to Ukraine after more than five hours of discussions about sending more military aid to the embattled country in its war with Russia. The defense minister of Poland, which has pledged a company of 14 Leopard tanks on condition that other countries also supply them, said 15 countries that have the German-made Leopards discussed the issue but no decisions were made…

“Germany would need to consent for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO. Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, Germany has so far resisted mounting pressure to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, or at least clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to deliver them from their own stocks. The U.S. has resisted providing its own M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the high-tech vehicle. Washington believes it would be more productive to send German Leopards since many allies have them and Ukrainian troops would need less training than on the more difficult Abrams.

“U.S. and German officials have given mixed signals about whether Germany is hesitant to provide the Leopards unless the U.S. provides Abrams tanks. A U.S. official familiar with White House thinking reiterated that Germany has expressed hesitance to providing its tanks without the U.S. sending Abrams. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Biden administration deliberations, added that there was some bewilderment in the administration over the German position, since Britain, another NATO ally, has already agreed to provide tanks. But Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the German government, denied that Berlin demanded that the U.S. supply Abrams tanks alongside any shipment of Leopards…

“Ukrainian leaders and supporters of Kyiv have repeatedly criticized Germany for what they see as holding back critical assistance in the war..

“German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that while there was no resolution yet, ‘we will make our decisions as soon as possible.’ He said he had ordered the ministry to look into the tank stocks Germany has so he can be prepared for a possible green light and be able to ‘act immediately.’ Pistorius added that Germany will ‘balance all the pros and contras before we decide things like that. … I am very sure that there will be a decision in the short term but … I don’t know how the decision will look.’”

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 20: “US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley expressed doubt that Ukraine would succeed in driving Russian troops out of its territory this year.”

Germany’s position has been sharply criticized by national and international observers, politicians and leaders, as the following articles show.

Germany in Disgrace

Die Welt wrote on January 20:

“The conference of Ukraine supporters is over and Germany is left in a state of disgrace. The new defense minister does not want to promise any tank deliveries, but wants to start by counting how many we still have. The last few months would have been enough time for that…

“After the arms summit at the US air base in Ramstein, the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk sharply criticized the German government for blocking the delivery of main battle tanks. ‘It is a huge disappointment that Germany ducked the subject of leopards,’ said the former Ukrainian ambassador in Germany to WELT AM SONNTAG. ‘The fact that you still want to weigh things up is nothing but a disgrace,’ says Melnyk. Berlin is wasting valuable time with ‘questionable salami tactics’ in arms aid for Ukraine.”

Bild Online wrote on January 20:

“The CDU foreign affairs expert Johann Wadephul (59) is stunned: ‘We are witnessing Germany’s total failure on the international stage.’ He attacks Scholz directly: ‘Either out of stubbornness or cowardice, he leaves Ukraine hanging and leaves behind a pile of fragments.'”

“Germany Is Making Again a Fool of Itself”

t-online wrote on January 20:

“Discontent is growing: the Russian army is slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine, but Germany is counting its Leopard tanks first. A big disappointment…

“The endless debate on tanks has long since become an embarrassment for Germany internationally. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is seen as a brakeman in the discussion and does not manage to publicly state his reservations about tank deliveries. And the new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (both SPD) made statements at the Ramstein meeting that caused even more resentment and incomprehension…

“Factually and argumentatively, Pistorius’ statements are… a disaster… Pistorius announced that he would examine the Bundeswehr’s Leopard 2 stocks. He wants to get ahead of the situation and be ready if a decision is made to deliver the main battle tank.

“That is completely incomprehensible. The war has been raging since February 24, 2022, and soon, there was talk of surrendering tanks. Is the Bundeswehr only doing this test now or has it already taken place earlier? In the course of the 100 billion euro ‘special fund’ for the Bundeswehr, the Ministry of Defense must have taken stock. That is why the federal government’s initiative is probably one thing above all: playing for time.

“‘The impression that has occasionally been given that there is a closed coalition and Germany is standing in the way – this impression is wrong,’ said Pistorius.

“The German defense minister is indicating that other countries are also hesitant, not just Germany. But this statement is also extremely strange. There is currently no state that openly supports the Germans on the Leopard issue. Not all states that use the battle tank want to deliver it to Ukraine. But the German veto banning Poles, Finns and Spaniards from exporting their own leopards to Ukraine is a unilateral effort by the Scholz government. It has become lonely around Germany.

“In any case, the communication of the federal government is disastrous, no country jumps to Germany’s side. On the contrary: Great Britain, for example, is now supplying Western main battle tanks just to irritate Berlin…

“President Volodymyr Zelensky’s impatience [is] absolutely understandable… To have Ukraine… begging for tanks is unworthy. Germany has to put up with this accusation, even though it is Ukraine’s third-largest supporter. The alliance continues to look to Scholz on the tank issue – and is waiting for leadership.”

With Scholz and the traffic light government (“Ampel Regierung”), Ukraine—and Europe—can wait a long time for leadership.

 Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung wrote on January 20:

“If the federal government does not see itself in a position to deliver Leopards to Kyiv soon, the traffic light (“Ampel Regierung”) should at least give Poland and Finland the green light to pass on the same fighting machines from their stocks to Kyiv. There is backing from the US for this. And indecision eventually just seems like a farce.”

Südkurier wrote on January 20:

“For almost a year, Ukraine has been asking for main battle tanks. And for almost a year it has been put off by the federal government and put off with changing reasons. Not even the angry look from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the NATO meeting in Ramstein can dissuade the Germans from their eternal tactics…

“No wonder the NATO partners are reacting with increasing irritation, above all the USA. The Chancellor is said to have coolly informed US President Biden that Germany would only deliver the Leopards if the US went ahead with their Abrams tanks. A little later, Pistorius rowed back – which suggests a harsh response from Washington.

“The rift is becoming more and more obvious. Is this what avoiding a German special path that Scholz is talking about looks like?”

Berliner Morgenpost wrote on January 20:

“It is disappointing that Germany is not promising Ukraine any Leopard tanks from its own stocks for the time being. The fact that Scholz announced that an examination of dispensable Leopard reserves at home would only begin now is unabashed – as if there hadn’t been enough time for that.

“But the culmination is that the federal government is even refusing to allow allies, for the time being, to export their Leopard tanks developed in Germany to the Ukraine: This is an unfriendly act that provokes a dramatic loss of confidence among the Allies. The continued hesitation is a strategic mistake. Germany had good reasons not to go alone in increasing arms aid. But now it actually stands alone among important NATO partners – as a procrastinator and brakeman.”

Pforzheimer Zeitung wrote on January 20:

“Germany, so the impression, is becoming increasingly isolated. And Scholz? As always, he refuses to make clear statements. The chancellor remains to be an evasive maneuverer („ein Mensch gewordenes Ausweichmanöver ”).

“But… Germany [does] far more for Ukraine… than is commonly assumed—both financially and in terms of arms deliveries. Nobody hears about that. Maybe that will change now with the new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Scholz’ weakness has long since meant that Germany has lost its reputation and is no longer considered a reliable partner. This has long-term consequences that go far beyond the war in Ukraine.”

Whether Germany under Scholz will ever get to the point where it will be viewed as a reliable European partner is doubtful. But a new German government will accomplish this in the future.

Germany Gives In, With Ridiculous Excuses

AFP wrote on January 22:

“Germany is ready to authorise Poland to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion if Warsaw makes such a request, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday. ‘If we are asked the question, then we will not stand in the way,’ Baerbock told LCI television after a Franco-German summit meeting in Paris. ‘We know how important these tanks are and this is why we are discussing this now with our partners. We need to make sure people’s lives are saved and Ukraine’s territory liberated.’

“Baerbock, who represents the Greens in Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition, said that Poland had yet to make a formal request. Her comments come as Berlin resists pressure from Kyiv to send some of its own stocks of the Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

“Poland has announced it is ready to deliver 14 Leopard tanks to Kyiv but Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he was waiting for ‘a clear statement’ from Berlin whether countries that have the Leopards can transfer them to Ukraine.”

Baerbock’s comments are more than embarrassing and laughable.

Poland Formally Requests Transfer of German Tanks to Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24:

“Poland’s defense minister says Warsaw has sent a formal request for Berlin to allow the transfer of German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine… Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki later said he would ask the European Union to reimburse the cost of the tanks… The German government confirmed it had received the request, with a spokesperson saying, ‘We will treat the proceedings with the urgency they deserve.’… Still, Berlin stopped short of granting permission for the transfer, instead saying a decision was imminent…”

Bild Online wrote on January 24:

“Now Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) no longer has a choice – he has to make a decision: continue to procrastinate or deliver?… The pressure is great – not only from abroad. Opinions are also divided within the coalition: the FDP and the Greens don’t just want to allow other alliance partners to deliver their German tanks. They want to supply German tanks from German stocks themselves. The Chancellor and large parts of his SPD do not want that…

“The federal government could deliver 29 Leopard tanks to Ukraine – as early as the end of March!… said Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger (59) in an interview with ‘Stern’… According to BILD information, Rheinmetall also has the right to buy back dozens more Leopards -2 tanks from Finland (100), Poland (142) or Italy. These too could be serviced and delivered within a short time – if the chancellor moves.”

Now It Happens Quickly: Germany to Approve Sending Tanks

Deutsche Welle reported on January 24:

“German news magazine Der Spiegel and others published stories on Tuesday evening saying that the government in Berlin had decided to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine… Spiegel magazine reported that the decision would involve sending at least one company of Leopard 2A6 tanks…

“One prominent German security observer, Ulrike Franke, wrote on Twitter that she was surprised to see this decision so soon after the Ramstein meeting of defense ministers less than a week ago. ‘… how and why was it impossible to make this happen for Ramstein? Sooo much broken porcelain to in the end arrive here,’ Franke… wrote in response to the news.”

Chancellor Scholz ridiculously claimed on Wednesday that his decision—or the lack thereof–was well-considered over a period of time. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that the first Leopard 2 tanks could be delivered to Ukraine within three months.

Russia’s Angry Reaction

The New York Post wrote on January 24:

“Germany confirmed Wednesday it was sending battle tanks to help Ukraine in the war — which Russia called a ‘disastrous plan’ that it said was part of wider ‘blatant provocation’ led by the US… It is seen as a major turning point in Western support as it is the first supply of weapons that have a mainly offensive rather than defensive purpose…

“German military officials, meanwhile, noted the painful historic significance for Germany, given the horrors of World War II. ‘German-made tanks will face off against Russian tanks in Ukraine once more,’ said Ekkehard Brose, head of the German military’s Federal Academy for Security Policy…

“Recent opinion polls showed German voters split on the idea, and two opposition parties criticized the move. The far-right Alternative for Germany party called the decision ‘irresponsible and dangerous,’ saying that “Germany risks being drawn directly into the war as a result.’ The Left party also warned of a possible escalation in the conflict.”

The U.S. Sun wrote on January 24:

“One high-profile Putin mouthpiece demanded Berlin’s Bundestag parliament should be reduced to radioactive ash in retaliation. It comes after dithering German chancellor Olaf Scholz folded to international pressure and direct pleas from president Volodymyr Zelensky. He will now send a squadron of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and allow Nato allies to re-export dozens more.

“The Kremlin today hit back saying any tanks supplied by Germany and the US will ‘burn like all the rest’. And raging Moscow TV pundit Yevgeny Satanovsky said warheads should be launched on the centre of German democracy.

“He said: ‘German tanks with crosses on their armour will again march across Ukraine attacking Russian soldiers. I have a natural reaction to this – the Soviet Union bombed Berlin in 1941. And to me this is a signal that the Reichstag, or Bundestag, which now replaces the Reichstag, simply should not remain standing any longer. Flat, slightly radioactive, melted-down ground [will remain in its place].’

“Another of Putin’s favourite propagandists, TV host Vladimir Solovyov, claimed it meant Germany had joined the war. He ranted ‘It’s time to send a clear, resolute message that we now consider Germany a direct party to the conflict, rekindling memories of World War Two. German tanks appearing [in Ukraine] will definitely mean we consider German territory, military bases and other sites as legitimate targets.’…

“Meanwhile, Joe Biden was poised to approve sending around 30 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine… It is a major reversal after Washington argued against sending its premier battle tank into the conflict with Russia…  However, despite the U-turn, it could still take months or even years for the tanks to be delivered.”

Germany’s Post-War Planning

TRT World wrote on January 20:

“In 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, Boris Pistorius was among many German politicians who opposed western sanctions on Moscow. Nearly a decade later, Pistorius is the new German Defence Minister, a job he has been thrust into amid Russia’s nearly year-long assault on Ukraine… Pistorius’ post, reportedly declined by several other politicians sounded out by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is unenviable for different reasons, including the huge task of reforming the underfunded German military structure.

“…  the Russian attack on Ukraine ‘undermined’ the SPD’s soft approach toward Moscow, leading to a change of heart in many people holding senior positions in the leftist party, like Pistorius…

“While Pistorius had connections with political circles close to former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder –  a Social Democrat close to Russian President Vladimir Putin –  he is not pro-Russian… Pistorius is from a leftist political tradition that has long advocated good relations with Russia for political and economic reasons…  Pistorius’s appointment might signal that Germany seeks a kind of post-war realignment with Russia… Germany desperately hopes to see the end of the Ukraine war, and in that sense, Pistorius’s appointment might make perfect sense to lay out Germany’s post-war planning…”

Ukraine and Russia will unite, and Germany will try to create again a friendly relationship with them, but ultimately, it will not work out.

Bundeswehr to Become Most Powerful Army in Europe?

Euro Weekly News wrote on January 22:

“Boris Pistorius, the new German Defence Minister, on Saturday, January 21, announced his plan to turn the Bundeswehr into the most powerful army in the European Union… ‘Germany is the largest economy in Europe, so it should also be our goal to have the strongest and best-equipped army in the EU. However, this cannot be done in three years, it will take a few more years. My job is now to set the course for the turning point to succeed’, he told the news outlet [Bild am Sonntag].

“When asked by the German publication what resources the Bundeswehr needed most urgently, he responded: ‘Everything has to happen at the same time now: the procurement of weapons and equipment, the modernisation of the barracks, and the recruitment of personnel. Also, the troops have to feel that you trust them and are grateful for what they do.’”

Germans Still Pacifists?

The Local wrote on January 20:

“As Ukraine and Germany’s NATO allies wait on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision about whether to send modern Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the German government has been accused of dragging its feet and wasting valuable time as more Ukrainians die in Russian attacks.

“Some political observers have argued that Scholz is simply following the will of German voters, who tend to have strongly pacifist tendencies, and would prefer he stay cautious on delivering tanks. But polls conducted over the last year show us a society that’s quickly changing its opinions on military force, and on supporting Ukraine with weapons.

“One recent poll by public broadcaster ARD finds a fairly even split among German voters on whether to send Ukraine tanks, with slightly more in favour (46 percent), than against (43 percent). To be sure, that signals that there’s still a sizeable pacifist tendency among ordinary Germans. But only one year ago, just before Russia invaded Ukraine, 73 percent of Germans were against sending any weapons—of any kind—to Ukraine at all.

“Things changed very quickly after the invasion, with 78 percent of Germans in one Forza poll at the time responding that sending weapons to Ukraine, particularly air defence, was the right thing to do.

“Recent polls do show that Germans are a little more reluctant to send heavier weapons—like tanks. But to have a slight plurality in favour of sending heavy-duty tanks when so many were against sending any weapons at all just a year ago shows just how much the invasion of Ukraine has changed German society… it’s getting harder to say that Germany is a pacifist society in general.”

Germany’s move to its militaristic past is only a matter of time.

Rumble Shuts Down in France

Western Standard wrote on January 21:

“Online video platform Rumble will be shutting down in France after the government demanded it remove Russian news outlets from the platform. ‘Users with unpopular views are free to access our platforms on the same terms as our millions of other users,’ said Rumble in a Tuesday statement. ‘Accordingly, we have decided to disable access to Rumble for users in France while we challenge the legality of the government’s demands.”’

“Rumble was founded in 2013 by technology entrepreneur Chris Pavlovski. It hosts a number of conservative public figures who have been censored by other social media platforms… Rumble said as part of its mission to restore a free and open internet, it has ‘committed not to move the goalposts on our content policies.’

“The statement said the decision will not have a material effect on the company, as France represents less than 1% of users. It said the French people will lose access to a wide range of videos because of the government’s demands…”

Thema News added on or about January 21:

“‘The French Government has demanded that Rumble block Russian news sources,’ [Rumble CEO Chris] Pavlovski said Wednesday. ‘Like Elon Musk, I won’t move our goalposts for any foreign government. Rumble will turn off France entirely (France isn’t material to us) and we will challenge the legality of this demand.’

“Pavlovski’s mention of Musk, the new owner of Twitter, referenced the billionaire’s refusal in March to block Russian news sources from his Starlink satellite internet service, which he provides free for Ukraine amid its invasion by Russia (At the time, Musk wrote: “Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint. Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.”)

“European nations have attempted to silence any pro-Russian news sources amid the war, which began in February. RT, the Moscow-controlled television network previously known as Russia Today, was essentially purged from western nations in the wake of the invasion. The European Union and Canada all banned the network, and it shut down U.S. production after major U.S.-based social media platforms blocked its content, cable and streaming services dropped its programming, and Apple and Microsoft removed its app from their offerings.

“While RT France and Sputnik were already banned from airing on television or online in France and elsewhere in the EU, they got around the sanctions by putting their content on social media platforms not based in the European Union.”

And Now… Newsmax Being Censored

Newsmax reported on January 25:

“At midnight Tuesday, AT&T’s DirecTV cut Newsmax’s signal, immediately shutting the network off from more than 13 million customers of the satellite service, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse. This is the second time in the past year AT&T has moved to cancel a conservative channel, with DirecTV deplatforming OAN in April.

“Despite Newsmax being the 4th highest-rated cable news channel in the nation, a top 20 cable news channel overall, and watched by 25 million Americans on cable alone, according to Nielsen, DirecTV said it was taking the step as a ‘cost-cutting’ measure and would never pay Newsmax a cable license fee.

“DirecTV pays cable license fees to all top 75 cable channels and to all 22 liberal news and information channels it carries. Almost all of these channels are paid hefty license fees significantly more than Newsmax was seeking — and despite the fact that most of the channels have much lower ratings than Newsmax. ‘This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax,’ Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said. ‘The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T’s DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed,’ Ruddy added.

“Last week, as news spread in Congress that AT&T DirecTV was moving to deplatform Newsmax, 41 Republican congressmen led by Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, sent a letter to the CEOs of AT&T, DirecTV, and hedge fund TPG Capital, the minority operator of the satellite system, warning of hearings.

“The members of Congress also demanded to know why conservative media was being targeted for censorship, with the letter noting the House is ‘deeply concerned about this undemocratic assault on free speech.’…

“AT&T DirecTV’s decision to drop OAN and Newsmax comes on the heels of a February 2021 letter written by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and then-Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., demanding that cable and satellite TV providers explain their alleged role in the ‘spread of dangerous misinformation’ by carrying conservative networks. After the Eshoo and McNerney letter, in April 2022, AT&T removed OAN from DirecTV.

“About the same time, the Biden administration speedily approved AT&T’s proposed $43 billion merger of its WarnerMedia division with Discovery…

“As news reports indicated the likelihood of a Newsmax deplatforming Tuesday night, DirecTV representatives made false claims to the media about Newsmax and its negotiations. DirecTV falsely claimed to media outlets that Newsmax is asking for a fee but still wants to keep a free stream on OTT platforms…”

More Unclean Ingredients in Europe’s Food

Report 24 wrote on January 16, 2023:

“Looking at the ingredient list should be part of grocery shopping. EU citizens who do not want to ingest insects unknowingly should be particularly careful: the EU Commission has already approved four types of insects in different processing forms as ‘edible insects’. The most recent approval was on January 5: From now on, after mealworms, grasshoppers and crickets, the grainmold beetle (“Getreideschimmelkaefer”) can also be used as an ingredient in foods such as bread, soups, pasta, snacks, peanut butter and chocolate products…

“The mealworm received the first approval for a so-called ‘edible insect’ in June 2021…

“Where insects are used, there must be a statement on the packaging of the food that consumption may cause allergic reactionsin people with known allergies to crustaceans and mollusks and their products and to house dust mites (“Hausstaubmilben”).

“…In November 2021, approval followed for…frozen, dried and powdered…migratory locusts (Wanderheuschrecken”)…

“Since 2022 and 2023 respectively, the house cricket… has been permitted in various forms (frozen, dried and powdered)…

“[From] January 5… the grainmold beetle (“Getreideschimmelkaefer [is] [approved] in frozen, paste, dried and powdered forms.”

The article ending, “Klaus Schwab Says Bon Appetit!,” gives a detailed listing of which products may have any or all of these “food additives”. These include:

Cookies, pasta, bread, rolls, soups, sauces, sausages, salads, chocolate, nuts, crackers, peanut butter, meat preparations, and beer-like alcoholic beverages. A thorough review of the list of ingredients is recommended.

Conspiracy Between White House and Justice Department to Hide the Biden Scandal

Breitbart wrote on January 20:

“The plot to hide the scandal, initially designed by eight of Biden’s closest confidants with apparent approval from the Justice Department, was suddenly leaked to CBS News 68 days after Biden’s personal attorney unearthed the classified documents at the Penn Biden Center. It is unclear why or what Biden’s personal attorneys were originally seeking at the center funded in part by anonymous Chinese donations.

“According to the New York Times, there is suspicion within the White House about how the scandal became public after it had been tightly under wraps for weeks between Biden’s eight aides and the Justice Department. Despite the administration’s claims of transparency after the fact, those eight aides and the DOJ agreed to hide the scandal from the American people until it leaked to the press on January 9, sixty-eight days after the documents were unearthed by an unknown cause on November 2, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

“The president’s senior adviser Anita Dunn was initially ‘adamant’ about hiding the legal disaster from the press because ‘the only thing that would create legal exposure would be drawing public attention to it,’ the Times reported Friday. The plot to keep the scandal concealed from the public was further fueled because the aides worried ‘the very act of publicizing the discovery of the documents would create a political furor that would make the appointment of a special counsel unavoidable.’

“‘The quiet cooperation continued for weeks’ between the aides and the DOJ, which not only tried to obscure the scandal from public view but refused to divulge that the second trove of classified documents was already unearthed at Biden’s home in Wilmington when CBS News first contacted the White House about the initial leak of classified documents apparently illegally stored at the Biden Penn Center, according to the Post.

“Biden’s personal attorneys were not the individuals who sought to unearth more documents at Biden’s residence. The Times reported the widened search was demanded by the DOJ. After about 25 classified documents — some of which are top secret — were found between three locations, the DOJ appointed a special counsel, a move Biden’s aides reportedly were trying to prevent…”

This is SO perverse.

FBI Finds More Classified Documents

The Associated Press wrote on January 22:

“The FBI searched US President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday and located six additional documents containing classified markings and also took possession of some of his notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday.

“The president voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home, [later, the White House claimed that Biden’s attorneys requested the search] but the lack of a search warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. It compounded the embarrassment to Biden…

“Though Biden has maintained ‘there’s no there there,’ the discoveries have become a political liability… and they undercut his efforts to portray an image of propriety to the American public…”

… And Now Pence…

ABC News wrote on January 24:

“Classified documents have been found in the home of former Vice President Mike Pence and turned over to the FBI for review…  The revelation makes Pence the third high-profile official to have classified material discovered at their residence in recent months, after Biden and former President Donald Trump…

“Pence had engaged outside counsel on Jan. 16 to review records that were stored in his home… The materials seemed to have been ‘inadvertently boxed and transported’ to Pence’s home, [Pence’s attorney] wrote, and he had been ‘unaware’ of their existence…

“Pence previously told ABC News’ David Muir that he did not retain any classified information after leaving office… ‘There’d be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area.’…

“Lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee reacted more colorfully. Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va. [and] Florida’s Marco Rubio, the ranking Republican member… agreed there may be ‘systemic problems’ in how the executive branch deals with classified documents and over-classifications.”

The nonchalant attitude towards top secret documents of all involved (and possibly many more who have not been identified yet) is frightening.  

More Appalling Evidence—Team Biden Used Big Tech to Censor

On January 23, The New York Post published the following article by Jeff Landry (R), Louisiana’s Attorney General:

“… as we dig deeper into discovery in our Big Tech censorship case — Missouri and Louisiana v. Biden — we uncover ever-more truly appalling abuses of power that President Joe Biden’s director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty, admitted come from ‘the highest (and I mean highest) levels of the’ White House.

“Such evidence proves the Biden administration is leveraging its power to coerce social-media companies to suppress the speech of thousands, if not millions, of Americans who disagree with its political narratives.

“Naturally, the First Amendment prohibits censorship. Yet the Biden team has worked to circumvent this fundamental constitutional protection by inducing, threatening and colluding with private companies to suppress speech. It’s illegal; but when Big Government enters into such a conspiracy with Big Business to violate your rights, it’s also known by another name: fascism.

“While that word may conjure up images of World War II, we must remember the horrors of that conflict’s end have blinded us to the subtlety of the start. And who needs to burn books when you have algorithms?

“Either way, totalitarianism cannot tolerate free thought or speech any more than a petulant Flaherty can tolerate a tech company showing even a moment’s hesitation at fulfilling Biden’s demands for increased censorship. When Facebook didn’t answer one of his emails in a chain demanding the company take down a Tucker Carlson video, after it told him ‘it does not qualify for removal,’ Flaherty sent a one-line followup: ‘These questions weren’t rhetorical.’…

“The trouble is totalitarianism requires a ruthless conformity and complete allegiance to the cause of the state without argument. That pattern of behavior, and utter contempt for our Constitution, is blatantly obvious in Flaherty’s hostile emails to Facebook, Twitter and Google.

“‘As we move away from a supply problem toward a demand problem,’ Flaherty wrote to seven employees of YouTube parent Google in April 2021, ‘we remain concerned’ YouTube ‘is “funneling” people into hesitance and intensifying people’s hesitancy’ about the vaccine…

“Flaherty knows what he’s doing is wrong… But that never stops him or other Biden officials from coercing, conspiring and colluding with tech companies in illegal conduct.

“He even uses some platforms to intimidate others, suggesting to Google he’s getting less pushback from other ‘platform partners’ of ‘similar scale’…

“No one is exempt, no matter [the] political party or creed. This administration is determined to control all flow of information and keep the populace ignorant to any message outside its chosen narrative.

“Tucker Carlson, who hosts one of the highest-rated prime-time cable-news programs, has been censored. Robert Kennedy Jr., a US attorney general’s son and a president’s nephew, has been censored

… our First Amendment… is the vanguard against fascism and totalitarianism. This is why our lawsuit is so important. It… reminds the world such dangerous threats to American liberty shall not be tolerated — not even if they come from Pennsylvania Avenue.”

George Soros the Most Dangerous Man in America?

The New York Post wrote on January 23:

“George Soros is the most dangerous man in America. The investor is intent on remaking the country in his liberal image, from our foreign policy priorities to undermining our criminal justice system…

“A new report from the Media Research Center has exposed connections between billionaire liberal financier George Soros and 54 prominent media figures. As documented by its authors, Joseph Vazquez and Dan Schneider, these include reporters, anchors, columnists, editors, news executives and journalists.

“The highest-profile media figures revealed to have connections to Soros, often due to them sitting on boards of organizations he funds, include:

“CNN’s Christiane Amanpour sits on the board of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative journalism group funded by Soros, that critics charge mainly targets Republican fundraisers. NBC’s Lester Holt, the Washington Post’s Sally Buzbee, Associated Press executive editor Julie Pace, and Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni all sit on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a Soros-funded organization that purports to defend the rights of journalists.

“CBS’s Margaret Brennan and CNN’s Fareed Zakaria serve on the board of the massively influential Council on Foreign Relations, a Soros-backed think tank specializing in US foreign policy.

“NBC’s chairman Cesar Conde is on the board of the Aspen Institute, a Soros-backed think tank. In recent years, it launched a left-leaning commission to combat so-called disinformation, and was implicated in the suppression of the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story in the recently released Twitter files. NPR’s president and CEO John Lansing is connected by the direct funding Soros gives his publication.

“PolitiFact editor-in-chief Angie Dronbic Holan serves on the board of the Soros-backed International Fact-Checking Network, which has openly pressed Facebook to censor what it considers misinformation (i.e., anything that goes against the liberal narrative), and serves as the ‘high body’ for dozens of fact-checking organizations under its umbrella.

“And it shows in their coverage. Not only does Soros fund the media to push his radical-left agenda, his funding has the added effect of insulating him from criticism…

“During the Brett Kavanaugh hearings in 2018, the Soros-funded ThinkProgress called reports that  Soros was paying people to protest against then-President Donald Trump an ‘anti-Semitic conspiracy theory,’ and accused Trump himself of ‘getting in on the anti-Semitic action.’ Meanwhile, Soros was spending $5 million on the effort to thwart Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s lawyer Debra Katz was vice chair of the Project on Government Oversight, which has been directly funded by Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

“NPR has received nearly $2 million from Soros in the past to hire up to 100 new reporters. When Spanish language broadcaster Radio y Televisión Martí ran a 15-minute segment on the influence of Soros, warning that he has his ‘eyes on Latin America,’ NPR branded it ‘taxpayer-funded anti-Semitism against George Soros’…

“This ‘Any criticism of Soros is anti-Semitic’ narrative has naturally spread to other left-wing publications, such as the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and seemingly everywhere else. So mindless is this type of charge that one publication, Moment Magazine, accused the Jewish prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, of anti-Semitism for daring to criticize Soros.

“Soros went into overdrive in funding his media empire in the Trump era, with other research from the MRC finding that from 2016 to 2020, Soros dished out at least $131 million to influence at least 253 journalism and activist media groups to promote far-left views on abortion, economics, the police, environmentalism, LGBT ideology, and anti-Americanism. A common strategy for when those outlets report on any misdeeds of Soros is to frame the allegations as ‘conspiracy theories’ from people with sinister motives…

“Publications that employ journalists that also serve on Soros-funded boards include the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, CNN, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ABC News, the Sacramento Bee and countless more.

“Others will simply downplay any alleged wrongdoing or accept Soros’ counternarrative without question…”

Sebastian Kurz a Globalist?

Report 24 wrote on January 20:

“As is well known, Sebastian Kurz was and is a member of the WEF’s Young Global Leaders program and as such is considered a close confidant of Klaus Schwab. The extent to which he represents his agenda and concerns or how he represented it as Chancellor of Austria can only be speculated on, as there is of course no definitive evidence or an admission. Kurz was also active in George Soros’ important think tank, the European Council for Foreign Relations.

“So we can rightly consider him as a part of the globalist jet set. His visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos proves that this classification is correct. He openly shows on his Twitter appearance how well connected he is in the world of globalists…”

It is amazing what is all happening behind the scene, of which the in many respects “willfully ignorant” general public has no concept.

Trump: “Don’t Cut Medicare and Social Security”

Breitbart wrote on January 20:

“Former President Donald Trump warned Republicans not to vote for any cuts to social security or medicare as lawmakers spar over the debt ceiling. ‘Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from medicare or social security to help pay for Joe Biden’s reckless spending spree, which is more reckless than anybody’s ever done or had in the history of our country,’ Trump began at the start of his latest campaign video, released Friday. He emphasized that Biden and the Democrats have ‘wasted trillions on left-wing lunacy’ and that they have ‘thrown open our treasury and our borders to migrants from all over the world.’

“‘While we absolutely need to stop Biden’s out-of-control spending, the pain should be borne by Washington bureaucrats, not by hardworking American families and American seniors,’ said the 45th president, adding that seniors have been ‘absolutely destroyed in the last two years.’

“On Friday, Trump highlighted that cuts could be made on a number of fronts, including cutting ‘hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars going to corrupt foreign countries,’ cutting ‘the mass releases of illegal aliens that are depleting our social safety net and destroying our country,’ ending radical gender programs in the military and nixing reckless funding on ‘climate change extremism.’

“‘Cut waste, fraud, and abuse everywhere that we can find it, and there’s plenty of it, but do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save social security, don’t destroy it,’ he warned.”

Hopefully, Republicans will heed this warning.

Trump Fines for “Frivolous” Lawsuit Against Clinton

Newsmax wrote on January 20:

“A federal judge on Thursday sanctioned former President Donald Trump and attorney Alina Habba nearly $1 million for filing a ‘frivolous’ lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks of Southern Florida ruled that Trump, Habba and Habba Madaio & Associates were liable for $937,989 in the suit, which he dismissed in September. ‘This case should never have been brought,’ Middlebrooks, who was appointed by then-President Bill Clinton, wrote… ‘Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim.’…

“In March, Trump sued Clinton, who was his opponent in the 2016 presidential election, and several other Democrats, alleging that they tried to rig that election by tying his campaign to Russia. Middlebrooks in November sanctioned Habba and three other attorneys for their handling of the since-dismissed lawsuit. They were ordered to pay a $50,000 court penalty, along with more than $16,000 in attorney fees to one of the named defendants in Trump’s lawsuit.

“In Thursday’s order, Middlebrooks ordered Trump and Habba to cover the legal costs for the 31 defendants linked to the lawsuit.

“The judge also called out Trump in the order… ‘Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries. He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer. He knew full well the impact of his actions.’”

Without stating an opinion on the veracity of the judge’s decision, the fact that the judge was appointed by Bill Clinton raises more than an eyebrow and should perhaps have induced the judge to recuse himself as being potentially biased.

Trump’s Accuser Accused

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on January 23:

“Charles McGonigal, who led the FBI’s counterintelligence division in New York, is accused of violating U.S. sanctions on behalf of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian aluminum magnate with close ties to Vladimir Putin… McGonigal, who was arrested on Monday, allegedly received $225,000 from a former Russian intelligence officer while he was still employed by the FBI.

“The indictment marks a surprising twist given McGonigal’s involvement with the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia. As a top counterintelligence official, McGonigal was one of the first individuals at the FBI to learn that a Trump campaign adviser had discussed Hillary Clinton’s emails with a foreign diplomat. The FBI opened its investigation of the Trump campaign based on that conversation, but later found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“McGonigal, who left the FBI in 2018, was involved in the bureau’s probe of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page… It is unclear what other involvement McGonigal had in the Trump-Russia probe. But that investigation also scrutinized Deripaska’s relationship with former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Manafort and Deripaska had business dealings in Ukraine and maintained contact during the 2016 campaign.

Deripaska also has ties to former British spy Christopher Steele, who alleged in an infamous dossier that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. The FBI relied heavily on Steele’s dossier for its investigation, but failed to verify the collusion allegations. Deripaska once hired Steele to work on a ‘research project’ on his behalf.”

Pelosi Summoned Priests for Exorcism

Breitbart reported on January 22:

“Nancy Pelosi summoned Catholic priests to perform an exorcism of her San Francisco townhouse to rid it of evil spirits, TMZ reported Sunday.

“The former Speaker of the House and her daughter, Alexandra, delivered the news in an interview with Maureen Dowd of the New York Times published Saturday…

“Pelosi has made a point of describing herself as a ‘devout’ Catholic, despite her wholehearted advocacy of abortion in flagrant opposition to Church teaching.”

Saudi Arabia Insists on Two-State Solution

The Times of Israel wrote on January 20:

“Saudi Arabia will not normalize ties with Israel in the absence of a two-state solution with the Palestinians, the kingdom’s top diplomat has said, according to a tweet by the foreign ministry on Friday.

“The comments by Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed normalization with Saudi Arabia in talks with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Jerusalem on Thursday. ‘True normalization and true stability will only come through… giving the Palestinians a state,’ Prince Faisal told Bloomberg at the summit.”

Saudi Arabia (“Ishmael” in the Bible) will turn against Israel.

Controversy Between Biden and Netanyahu Inevitable

The Jewish News Syndicate (JNA) wrote on January 18:

“… with Netanyahu back in power, the pressure on Biden to start acting like his old boss Barack Obama and go to war with Netanyahu is getting harder to ignore… many Americans… like Biden… claim to love Israel but only on their own terms. They only think Israel deserves support as long as it obeys orders from Washington and acts as if it is a deep blue colony of liberal Jews living abroad, rather than a Jewish state filled with people with their own ideas, and who understand that they live in the Middle East and not the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

“… if there’s anything that we’ve learned about Biden’s presidency, it’s that he has steadily drifted to the left for fear of offending the activist and intersectional base of his party. That’s been evident on a host of issues, ranging from illegal immigration to his bending of the knee to the Black Lives Matter movement and the imposition of the hard-left’s DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion—-catechism throughout the government.

“For now, Biden is too committed to doubling down on an endless and unwinnable war in Ukraine to want to get drawn into a battle over who should govern Israel. But as the Israeli left turns up the volume on its anti-Bibi resistance effort, the idea that America has a ‘duty’ to save Israel from itself will be gaining more and more support in the liberal corporate media. The fact that distorted coverage of Israeli judicial reform is already getting more attention in the American press than Iranian executions of dissidents is a sign of what is to come.

“And as the 2024 presidential race begins in earnest later this year, Biden’s need to curry favor with his party’s left wing will make him less, not more, likely to avoid fights with the Jewish state. Whether the excuse concerns the Palestinians or Israeli efforts to stop Iran, it won’t be easy for Netanyahu to avoid such battles.

“Yet those who are eager for Biden to start ratcheting up the pressure on Netanyahu have short memories. Obama spent his eight years in the White House constantly plotting to undermine and defeat Netanyahu. But each time he did so, he only strengthened the prime minister.

“Netanyahu has many political enemies at home, but those who want to save Israel from itself always forget that its citizens have little interest in accepting diktats from American presidents or liberal Jews who want a fantasy Israel rather than the real one. The more Biden leans on Netanyahu or tries to influence the debate in the Jewish state, the less likely it is that the prime minister will be beaten.”

The relationship between the USA and Israel WILL deteriorate more and more.

Church of England Apologizes to LGBT

Newsmax wrote on January 20:

“Church of England bishops apologized to LGBTQI+ people on Friday for the rejection and hostility they have faced… ‘We have not loved you as God loves you, and that is profoundly wrong,’ the bishops said in an open letter… ‘The occasions on which you have received a hostile and homophobic response in our churches are shameful and for this we repent.’

“The Church of England, central to one of the world’s oldest Christian institutions, the Anglican communion, stood by its teaching that marriage is between ‘one man and one woman’ in the proposals. Gay marriage was legalized in Britain in 2013. A spokesperson for gay and transgender lobby group Stonewall said the Church of England had ‘once again’ fallen short on being inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ+ Christians.”

Church of England Departs Further From the Biblical Truth

Life Site News wrote on January 19:

“The Church of England approved blessings for same-sex civil unions for the first time… Although stopping short of allowing a full-blown, solemn church wedding for same-sex couples, the Anglican bishops of England are allowing church blessings for gay and lesbian civil unions that will include ‘prayers of dedication, thanksgiving and God’s blessing following a legal marriage ceremony.’ The matter will be reviewed next month in a General Synod of the bishops in London.

“Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby defended the new policy. ‘This response reflects the diversity of views in the Church of England on questions of sexuality, relationships and marriage,’ he said in a statement. ‘I rejoice in that diversity and I welcome this way of reflecting it in the life of our church.’…

“Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell went so far as to speak of the Church of England’s casting off the biblical teaching on homosexuality as repentance from sin. ‘We are deeply sorry and ashamed and want to take this opportunity to begin again in the spirit of repentance which our faith teaches us,’ Cottrell said… ‘I hope that these prayers of love and faith can provide a way for us all to celebrate and affirm same-sex relationships.’…

“The new stance of Anglican bishops in England followed an unprecedented intervention this week by Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons who in a letter to the bishops pressured the Church of England to allow ‘parishes and clergy to conduct weddings for same-sex couples, or at a minimum, authorize blessings…’

“After the bishops’ decision, former cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw threatened that since the Church of England was still not allowing full solemn Church weddings for same-sex couples, it should lose its ‘established status… Many members across this House, I would judge a majority, believe that by continuing to exclude lesbian and gay people from its full rights, the church is no longer compatible with its established status, which confers the duty to serve the whole nation.’

“It is perhaps not surprising that the Church of England, which broke from Rome over the question of Henry VIII’s desire to divorce and remarry, has now departed even further from Christ’s teaching and that of Scripture on sexual morality and marriage. In Germany, the Catholic bishops appear set on a similar course.”

Severe Winter Storms Divine Punishment?

Israel Today’s Staff wrote on January 19:

“Official Palestinian daily suggests winter storms that devastated the United States were consequence of White House support for LGBT movement…  In late December, the US was hit by severe winter storms–dubbed by many the ‘North Pole bomb’–that claimed the lives of over 100 people. Writing for the official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Iraqi columnist Hadi Jalo Mar’i noted that this unprecedented storm struck just hours after the Biden White House was illuminated with the colors of the gay flag in celebration of passing a same-sex marriage bill.

“[He wrote:] ‘…it is our right to reject and condemn any idea and behavior that contradicts human nature, and to wonder what is the secret that causes governments of states that control the world and lead it to defend homosexuality, and even sexual perversion, and to legislate laws defending abominable behavior that contradicts the way of nature and appropriate behavior. All we have to do is to wait and see how much nature’s fury will intensify, according to the will of Heaven…’

“It is not our intention to give credence to the tenets of Islam. But in the matter of homosexuality, their position lines up with that of the Bible, as does their belief that divine punishment befalls nations that promote sinful behavior.”

This is indeed an interesting “coincidence.”

Proselytism Is Pagan?

Israel 365 News wrote on or about January 19:

“On Wednesday, Pope Francis… addressed crowds gathered for his weekly general audience that convincing someone from another religion to become Christian is a ‘pagan’ practice. ‘To evangelize is not to proselytize,’ the pope told crowds gathered in the Vatican… ‘To proselytize is something pagan, it is neither religious nor evangelical.’

“Quoting the late Pope Benedict XVI, who died Dec. 31, Pope Francis said that ‘the church does not proselytize…’

“The pontiff has spoken against proselytizing several times. In the first year of his papacy, in an October 2013 interview with La Repubblica, he said, ‘Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense … I believe in God, not in a Catholic God, there is no Catholic God, there is God and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation.’

“In an interview with Spanish language news outlet Mundo Negro back in mid-December, which was published on January 13, Pope Francis [said:] ‘… the most serious sin that a missionary can have is proselytism. Catholicism is not proselytizing.’

“Pope Francis has specifically forbidden attempts to convert Jews…”

The Church of the Eternal God states the following in its Statement of Beliefs:

“We do not believe in proselytizing. Therefore, we do not seek members by having people standing on street corners or going around neighborhoods knocking on doors. We carry out our various projects in an effort to freely give to all people regardless of their race, nationality, or religious affiliation. We believe in the godly way of helping others…”

We do not proselytize, not because we believe it is “pagan,” but because we believe that God has to call someone for salvation in this day and age, and that we cannot convert anyone.

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.

Biden and Garland in Awkward Positions

DNYUZ wrote on January 13:

“A new special counsel investigation into the discovery of classified documents in President Biden’s home and office puts both him and his attorney general in awkward positions as another special counsel investigates his predecessor for his own mishandling of secret papers… as a political matter, the new inquiry will muddy the case against Mr. Trump…

“Mr. Biden, who excoriated Mr. Trump for being ‘irresponsible’ with national secrets, now has to answer for his own team’s mishandling of sensitive papers… the White House did not disclose the discovery to the public for two months, waiting until after the November midterm elections, before which it might have damaged Democrats… even then the White House did not fully reveal the extent of the situation in its original statement. That statement, released on Monday, confirmed a news media report about a first batch of classified documents discovered at his think tank in November but made no mention of a second set found at his Delaware home in December.

“Only on Thursday, three days after that initial statement, did the White House confirm news media reports about the second batch, which was found in the garage of Mr. Biden’s home in Wilmington, and a… document found nearby on Wednesday night…”

Why did Garland wait until now to appoint a special counsel to investigate Biden while he knew about the sensitive documents in Biden’s possession prior to the midterm election?

Biden’s Credibility Problem

CNN wrote on January 13:

“Joe Biden is facing the worst political crisis of his presidency after a failed attempt at damage control over his classified documents controversy…

“Biden was doomed to face a political furor the moment his lawyers found the first secret vice presidential file in his former Washington office last fall… But then the botched messaging strategy became more clear – when Americans learned that a second batch of classified material, also dating to Biden’s time as vice president, had been found in a search of his home in Delaware. This detail was communicated to the Justice Department on December 20. And yet the White House didn’t disclose that this week when it spoke about the initial documents found last year in an office Biden previously used at the Penn-Biden center in Washington…

“Not only did this make it look like Biden had something to hide, it set up the kind of drip, drip of disclosures guaranteed to supercharge a Washington scandal. And Biden’s bid Thursday to minimize the discovery of secret material in his garage – by saying it was locked to protect his beloved Corvette – didn’t exactly back up his earlier claim that Americans know he takes classified documents seriously.

“The result is that [it] made the prospect of any future prosecution of Trump over his Mar-a-Lago document stash, which may pose his greatest risk of criminal charges, even more politically explosive…

“And there is the haunting fear that grips 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue whenever a special counsel sweeps into view – along with the dreaded possibility that they could uncover some unrelated, but damning area of wrongdoing. Former Biden vice presidential aides – many of whom are now serving in his close-knit White House inner circle– will face the always distracting prospect of testifying under oath.

“And there could be more unflattering details to come out, since CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly, Jeff Zeleny and Arlette Saenz revealed on Thursday a chaotic administrative process at the end of the Obama administration, which may have allowed vice presidential documents to go astray…

“The White House’s public relations performance so far offers little confidence that Democrats will be able to hammer home their message as the storm rages… the White House’s selective transparency this week does raise some questions of credibility…”

This article is even more remarkable as it was published by left-wing pro-Democratic CNN. Their introduction, however, is an understatement. Biden has had other political scandals before… including Afghanistan and the Hunter Biden laptop debacle, not to speak of the totally out-of-control situation at the Mexican border.  

Hunter Biden Had Access to Sensitive Files

Breitbart wrote on January 13:

“Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chair of the House Oversight Committee, confirmed that the address on Hunter’s driver’s license is the same as Joe Biden’s Delaware residence. Comer’s report verifies that Hunter had access to Joe Biden’s home where a trove of classified documents was stashed… ‘The Committee is concerned President Biden stored classified documents at the same location his son resided while engaging in international business deals with adversaries of the United States.’

“In 2016, Joe Biden admitted that Hunter had access to his father’s garage… Hunter owned Joe Biden’s residence in 2018… Some of the classified documents discovered are related to Ukraine. The Biden family business has an extensive history in Ukraine.

“In 2017, Hunter Biden was paid $83,000 per month to be on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. Hunter was appointed to the board of Burisma in 2014 with no previous experience in the energy sector or in Ukraine… Hunter made massive sums of money from Ukraine for which he ‘offered no real work.’ In 2015, Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine if the Ukrainian government did not fire the prosecutor who was investigating Burisma.”

In addition to Hunter Biden’s access to secret and classified documents at Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, which was occupied by Hunter, the White House revealed that no visitor logs exist, “as it is a private residence.” This means, we have no idea as to who had access to these highly sensitive documents.

While Trump was impeached for allegedly threatening Zelensky to withhold money if Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine were not investigated (a claim which was denied by both Zelensky and Trump), Joe Biden openly and publicly admitted and bragged about the fact that he threatened to withhold money from Ukraine unless the prosecutor was fired who investigated the corrupt firm of Burisma for which Hunter Biden worked, and even though Joe Biden was successful with his threat, he was never impeached for this egregious violation of his duties as vice president.  

Justice Department “Independent”?—No Way!

 On January 18, 2023, the New York Post published the following article by Professor Jonathan Turley:

“Given the opportunity to search President Joe Biden’s office and residences, the Department of Justice declined to do so, The Wall Street Journal reports. Instead, it allowed potentially uncleared and unnamed private counsel to search for classified material after the discovery of the highly classified documents in the Penn Biden Center office… the decision raises additional questions over the independence of top law enforcement personnel…

“There is no plausible reason why, given the chance, the Justice Department would not want to conduct a national security search itself. After Nov. 2, the Justice Department was aware that material at the top secret or higher levels was discovered in a closet in the Penn Biden center. It was also aware that the material may have been moved over the course of six years and that other material could be in other unsecured locations. Nevertheless, it reportedly opted to allow uncleared attorneys to search for additional classified material.

“… the decision is breathtaking. It effectively replaced well-established national security protocols with an honor system to be followed by persons unknown. The decision undermines the credibility of the Justice Department in both the Biden and Trump investigations. The department is threatening criminal charges over the mishandling of classified material but opted for a grossly negligent approach itself in the search for additional classified documents. It just rolled the dice and lost…”

Biden’s World Turned Upside Down

The New York Post wrote on January 14:

“A favorite saying among insiders is that two weeks is a lifetime in politics, meaning anything can happen. In Joe Biden’s case, a mere five days was enough to turn his world upside down.

“The news Saturday that more classified documents were found in his Delaware home ends a bizarre week that suddenly put Biden’s presidency in peril and further damaged the sagging credibility of the Department of Justice.

“When reports emerged last Monday that multiple classified documents were found in an office Biden used after leaving the White House as vice president, the propaganda media circled the wagons around him by insisting he’s no Donald Trump. They had a point — up to a point.

“But when reports two days later said a second batch of supposedly secret papers was found in Biden’s Delaware garage, the wall of media protection showed some cracks as the differences between the presidents’ cases narrowed. And when an additional classified page was found in Biden’s Delaware library, and a special prosecutor was appointed Thursday to investigate him, the defenders made a hasty retreat.

“Then came Saturday’s finding, which proves the president was serially sloppy with America’s secrets. The result is that Trump now looks like a lucky man while Biden looks like a man whose luck has run out. It’s been a feature of Trump’s political career that he’s been fortunate in his enemies. Say ‘Hillary Clinton’ and it’s enough said…

“Biden has come to Trump’s rescue, with his multiple document stashes making it nearly impossible for Trump to be prosecuted if Biden isn’t. All the more so because of the way Garland, solidifying his reputation as a bitter partisan hack, kept secret the first Biden document finding of Nov. 2 until after the midterm elections and seemed to be hiding each new finding until it was forced into the open…

“All the president’s men and media helpers won’t be able to limit his predicament to the classified documents. For one thing, the timing of the discoveries couldn’t be worse, coming just as Republicans take control of the House with a pledge to end the see-no-evil approach Dems took to Biden family corruption. Long before the document bombshells, GOP leaders vowed to follow the millions upon millions of dollars that Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, Joe’s brother, got abroad from selling access to Joe. Based on the contents of Hunter’s laptop, it’s certain that Joe benefited from foreign payments.

“As Re. James Comer of Kentucky put it, ‘We’re not investigating Hunter Biden. We’re investigating Joe Biden.’ The quest will be to find how much money Joe Biden reaped and what favors he did in return, primarily as vice president and even possibly as president.

“Regardless of Garland’s intent for the special prosecutor handling Biden’s document case, Comer, Jim Jordan and other GOP inquisitors are not going to stand down. Their probes will serve as fact-checkers and hold Garland accountable while giving the public hope the Biden family grifters will finally face the music.”

It would be something, but highly unlikely, given our corrupt and hypocritical political and legal system…

Democrats Unhappy With New Committee Members

Axios wrote on January 18:

“The White House on Wednesday condemned the addition of far-right Republicans to the House Oversight Committee, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)… The blistering statement foreshadows the tension that will fester in Washington over the next two years, with the Oversight Committee set to be ground zero for investigations and high-profile standoffs between House Republicans and the Biden administration…

“The House Oversight Committee is preparing to ramp up its investigations into Hunter Biden, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and COVID origins, among other issues. ‘Joe Biden, be prepared. We are going to uncover every corrupt business dealing, every foreign entanglement, every abuse of power, and every check cut for The Big Guy,’ Greene said in a statement Tuesday. Meanwhile, Republicans plan to remove Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) from the House Intelligence Committee, as well as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Maybe the Democrats are concerned that the Committee will uncover some more unpleasant facts about Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s involvement, the Afghanistan withdrawal and the true origin of COVID and Fauci’s role in it. At least, they should be.

And Now Facebook!

Breitbart wrote on January 13:

“In yet another revelation about the level of collusion between Big Tech and the White House, documents show Facebook not only attempted to suppress ‘incorrect’ content related to coronavirus vaccines, but also took steps to curb the spread of ‘often-true content’ on the subject.

“The information came to light through a series of documents obtained by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, as part of a lawsuit that accuses the Biden administration of violating Americans’ First Amendment rights by colluding with Big Tech to suppress speech. One email, sent by a Facebook staff member to the White House on March 21, 2021, discussed ‘levers for tackling vaccine hesitancy content’ with a senior advisor on Biden’s COVID-19 response team and the White House’s director of digital strategy.

“In the email, the Facebook staffer… acknowledged that in addition to removing misinformation, the company has been focused on reducing the spread of content that discourages vaccines, but does not contain actionable information… users, groups, and pages were being kicked off the largest social network in the world, not for posting ‘misinformation’ — but because people at Facebook determined that their tone was too ‘sensational.’

“This is just the latest revelation to come out of the multi-state lawsuit against the Biden Administration, filed by the states of Missouri and Louisiana. Previously, the lawsuit revealed that the administration pressured tech companies to suppress some of the most popular critics of their policies, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson…

“The case is State of Missouri and State of Louisiana v. Joseph R. Biden, No. 3:22-cv-01213 in District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.”

The level of collusion between the White House and Big Tech is nothing short of appalling…

How Mainstream Platforms Censor You!

Brownstone published on January 12 the following article by Jeffrey A. Tucker:

“Since Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, it’s been quite a wild ride. Thousands of doctors and scientists have been unbanned and are now speaking. Same with journalists. Accounts that posted against Covid restrictions and mandates are now unthrottled…

“Of course, this is also infuriating. When we needed these voices the most was during the biggest attacks on liberty in our lifetime. Now that the powers that be have been forced by public opinion to dial back their oppressions, these voices can speak again. It’s good that the truth is getting out there but imagine the kind of difference it would have made for these 33 months if there had been no blocks on information from the start?…

“There were FBI agents embedded all over the platform. The White House and various deep-state actors were pushing Twitter to censor. After a while, it became the main job of the platform to block reach…

“Twitter is quasi-free now but what about the rest?…

“For years, my Facebook account has been irrelevant to me. I don’t even know why I bother using it at all. We know for sure that Facebook has been subject to the same controls that once affected Twitter. Same goes for LinkedIn and Google, of course. No doubt about that. My typical post sits there with almost no reach at all.

“What I’ve not known is whether I’m targeted directly or my account has long been restricted by virtue of keywords and content. As everyone knows, I shifted my life 3 years ago to post entirely about the invasions of life, liberty, and property that commenced in 2020. I did this not because I wanted to abandon other research projects but rather because Covid became a window into the nefarious works of the ruling class I had long opposed. Plus few others seemed willing to speak out. Most of my own ideological set was predisposed to ‘leave this subject to the experts’ and thus went silent. I went the other direction.

“That decision killed my reach on Facebook. There was nothing I could do about it so I decided just to forget it. But this morning, a friend had a great idea. He suggested that I post a cute animal picture with no other comment other than to say it is a test. I did this very thing [just publishing a cute picture of a puppy dog]… The results: an explosion of reach! Out of nowhere it was like the old Facebook, with comments and conversations and shares, plus many hundreds of likes. Absolutely amazing! At least for me, this test suggests something important.

“Zuckerberg is surely flagging accounts but the main means of control is content. Say something that means something and your post disappears from feeds. Post something stupid and irrelevant and you can have all the views you want…

“What applies here is also true for YouTube, Instagram, and all the rest of the mainstream platforms, which constitute the vast swath of social media content in existence. I like the alternative platforms but they are small players by comparison. The freedom and reach we get today on Twitter is beautiful but how long can it last? Is this a brief window that is opened before it shuts again?

“Nothing has changed on the rest of them, which means that nothing has changed with regard to the state-directed censorship that took over our lives three years ago. That’s a terrifying reality, and especially so for intellectuals and writers who imagined some years ago that these tools would be a gift for making a difference in the world.

“I’m inclined to think that the Elon Musk takeover of Twitter is a fluke – a lucky one to be sure but the strange exception. He should watch his back. The main drive to control the conversation and shape the public mind is still with us: bad actors working to limit criticism of themselves and their policies. It is just as intense now as it was at the height of the lockdowns and drive for universal vaccination…”

There should be no doubt that what the article describes is absolutely true.

Deep Corruption in Washington

On January 16, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column:

“With each new release of the ‘Twitter Files’ we learn more and more about the deep corruption in Washington. We sensed during Covid that something was really wrong – for example the bizarre denial of natural immunity. But thanks to Elon Musk’s decision to open the books, our worst fears have been proven true. Each new release seems to show something even more criminal inside America’s rotten ruling class.

“In the latest release, thanks to the excellent reporting of independent journalist Matt Taibbi, we see outgoing Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), continuously pressuring Twitter to validate his fantasies of ‘Russian bots’ manipulating US politics.

“The short version of what Taibbi reported comes from around the time then-Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) was about to release his Committee’s findings about the FBI misuse of the FISA Court to spy on the Trump presidential campaign. The FBI, it turns out, relied exclusively on the widely-discredited ‘Steele Dossier’ – paid by the Hillary Clinton campaign – as justification to spy on the Trump campaign.

“When pressure grew to release the Nunes findings, Twitter exploded with users demanding that Congress ‘release the memo.’ That’s where then-ranking Member Schiff and his staff began relentlessly pressuring Twitter to show that the accounts demanding the release of the memo were actually Russian agents, out to help their supposed favorite, Donald Trump. Schiff was not alone. Fellow ‘Russiagate’ hoaxers like Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also pressured Twitter to find Russians behind the demand to release Nunes’ findings.

“Over and over, Twitter – which was hardly sympathetic to Trump – told Schiff and his colleagues there was simply no evidence of Russian involvement… Even after Twitter had informed Schiff and his fellow hoaxers that there was no Russian involvement, Sen. Blumenthal released a statement he knew was not true: ‘We find it reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans.’ Again, this was right after he had been informed by Twitter employees – who were by-and-large strongly opposed to Trump – that there was just no evidence to back up such a statement…

“For political gain the Democrats – and plenty of Republicans – have been pushing the ‘Russiagate’ hoax…”

Defunding and Abolishing the IRS?

On January 14, The Week published the following editorial by Harold Maass:

“The narrow new Republican majority took control of the House this week and, as its first order of business, fulfilling a campaign promise by voting to rescind much of the funding boost for the Internal Revenue Service included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the legislation, if it became law, would eliminate $71 billion of the $80 billion in new IRS funding…

“Next, Republicans plan to present legislation calling for abolishing the IRS outright. The bills have no chance of passing in the Senate, still controlled by Democrats… [And even if it did, Biden already stated that he would veto such a bill.]

“Republicans will keep the pressure on when Biden’s nominee to run the agency, Danny Werfel, has his confirmation hearing in the Senate soon… Republicans will have other opportunities to try to cut the IRS’ funding… Democrats intended the $80 billion to come on top of regular IRS budget increases of about $12 billion a year. But Congress has to approve those annually…”

Wisconsin to Allow Conversion Therapy

The Associated Press wrote on January 12:

“Wisconsin Republicans voted Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to try to change LGBTQ clients’ gender identities and sexual orientations…

“A ban on conversion therapy was passed in 2020 by a state board within the Democratic governor’s administration overseeing licensing for mental health professionals. But a committee in the Republican-controlled Legislature temporarily blocked the ban then and did so again Thursday, with all six Republican members voting to block it and the four Democrats voting to keep it in place…

“At least 20 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed conversion therapy for minors… Wisconsin is not one of them…

“Republican lawmakers in at least 11 states have already introduced legislation to restrict access to transgender health care. Conservatives also have pushed to restrict conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools…

“Julianne Appling, president of the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action, told the committee that banning conversion therapy infringes on counselors, social workers and therapists’ free speech rights. The state, she said, should not be allowed to threaten their careers for exercising freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion.”

The Release of the Kennedy Files… Sort Of…

The Guardian wrote on December 16:

“Historians and conspiracy theorists have been given an early Christmas present: the release from US National Archives of 13,173 documents relating to the official investigation into the 1963 assassination of President John F Kennedy. From barely legible memos filled with the crabby handwriting of CIA agents, through reports on secret meetings with Russian diplomats, to painstaking detective work on the movements of Lee Harvey Oswald, the trove of documents will keep JFK assassination obsessives busy for months. Few expect bombshells among the pile, however…

“Thursday’s release of thousands of documents means that 95% of the CIA’s records on the assassination are now available to the public. As a final step there will be an ‘intensive one-year review’ of any remaining closed files before a complete opening of the books by 30 June 2023. The unveiling of the CIA documents has been delayed for years. In 1992, Congress ordered their full release by October 2017, but the deadline was pushed back by presidential decrees from both Donald Trump and Joe Biden…

“Hours after Biden released the new files, [Fox News moderator] Tucker Carlson… began his primetime show by telling his 3 million viewers that the CIA did it. Carlson had talked to an ‘unnamed source’ with direct knowledge of the JFK files the CIA was still hiding. The informed view of the ‘source’ was that ‘the CIA was involved in the Kennedy assassination. It’s a whole different country from what we thought it was. It’s all fake… This is not a ‘conspiracy theorist’ we spoke to. Not even close,’ he said.”

The Intercept added on December 22:

“LAST WEEK, the Biden administration declassified a trove of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While this action brings the government closer to the full disclosure of relevant files mandated by a 1992 law, it still keeps the most sensitive records secret.”

They also quoted Tucker Carlson saying this:

“And people have known this for a long time. The people who knew would include every director of the CIA since November of 1963. And that list would include Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan, one of the most sinister and dishonest figures in American life.

“That list would also include — we are sad to say — our friend Mike Pompeo, who ran the CIA in the last administration. Mike Pompeo knew this. We asked Pompeo to join us tonight, and though he rarely turns down a televised interview, he refused to come.”

It should be rather obvious that if the explanation would simply be, “Oswald acted alone”, there would have not been continued delay in making the documents public, with Trump’s admission that he could not release the documents after he read them. And it is rather naive to assume that the CIA’s documents would include clear-cut admissions by the CIA that they were involved.

Haiti’s Total Collapse

 npr wrote on January 18:

“Haiti, a country long beset by catastrophe and political turmoil, is facing perhaps its steepest challenge in recent decades as its piecemeal government, now lacking any democratically elected officials, struggles to chart a path forward amid gang violence and a cholera outbreak. The constitutional mandate of Haiti’s de facto ruler, Prime Minister Ariel Henry — which some viewed as questionable from the start, as he was never technically sworn in — ended more than a year ago. The country has had no president since its last one, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in 2021. Its Senate is supposed to have 30 members, and its lower legislative chamber should have 119; all of those seats are unfilled. Haiti’s elected mayors were all reappointed or replaced in 2020.

“And last week, its 10 remaining senators departed office after their terms ended, leaving behind a nation’s worth of elected offices that now sit empty after years of canceled elections. ‘The situation is catastrophic,’ said Robert Fatton, a Haitian-born political scientist at the University of Virginia. ‘It would not be an exaggeration to say that the current crisis is one of the most severe crises that Haiti has ever confronted.’…

“The country of 12 million people last held national elections in 2016. In the years since, the turmoil — political and otherwise — has been relentless.

“Gang violence has displaced more than 150,000 people from their homes and forced aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders to close facilities and relocate staff. A new outbreak of cholera is suspected to have infected nearly 25,000 Haitians since October. In 2021,  an earthquake killed 2,000 people and wrought new devastation to a part of the country that had been hit just five years before by a Category 5 hurricane.

“Rampant inflation has sent the cost of food and gas spiraling; food insecurity is so widespread that about 40% of the population do not have enough to eat. And the disasters have combined to keep thousands of the country’s schools closed, meaning millions of Haitian children have lacked steady education and meals since the beginning of the pandemic. ‘I grew up under dictatorship, so I’m not idealizing the Haiti I grew up under. But this is the first time I think we have seen this level of lawlessness, this level of gang violence where people’s lives do not matter,’ said Cécile Accilien, a professor of Haitian studies at Kennesaw State University…

“Now, Henry stands alone at the head of a fractured, weakened government that appears powerless to address the country’s many challenges: gang violence, cholera, inflation. ‘It’s a collapse,’ said Patrice Dumont, one of the 10 senators who departed office this month… Given the country’s terrible security situation and the lack of popular support for Henry’s government, the idea of elections in the immediate future is ‘frankly preposterous,’ Fatton said…”

Rishi Sunak’s Gut Reaction Almost Always Wrong

The Guardian wrote on January 18:

“To be fair, Sunak has the odds stacked against him. It’s not entirely his fault the Tories voted for Liz Truss rather than him… It’s not his fault that Putin invaded Ukraine. [But he has] a unique talent to make every bad situation worse. His gut reaction is almost always the wrong one.

“Take the strikes. Everyone knows the end game. The unions and the government get around a table and agree a compromise. Everyone except [Sunak]. He has chosen to pick a fight with the nurses and paramedics. A battle he’s never going to win, because almost the entire country has already picked a side. And it’s not with the government. When nurses pay has been eroded over such a long period – some are using food banks to get by – and their union calls for strike action for the first time in its history, then a stand has to be taken.

“Sunak is dying a slow death. Nowhere more so than at prime minister’s questions…”

The Guardian is of course a left-liberal paper in support of the Labor party. Still, we have to wait and see whether and how Sunak will survive.

Boris Pistorius Germany’s New Defense Minister

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 17:

“Boris Pistorius, interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony [for nine years], is to serve as Germany’s next defense minister, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday. The 62-year-old Social Democrat will succeed Christine Lambrecht, who resigned Monday after criticism of her leadership… Scholz has chosen a man who is little known abroad: Boris Pistorius… has gained a reputation for getting policies implemented…

“He is widowed and has two children. In October 2016, it emerged that he was in a relationship with Doris Schröder-Köpf, previously wife of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The couple has since separated.

“Pistorius main challenge in office will be administering the special €100-billion fund that Scholz promised the German armed forces in February. According to military analysts, at least €20 billion is needed to fill up stocks of ammunition alone. New frigates, tanks or F-35 combat aircraft also cost billions, plus investments in infrastructure and digitization. And there is a need to streamline procurement procedures in a military that has been racked with inefficiency.

“… the appointment of Pistorius also means that the Cabinet no longer has gender parity. At the beginning of his term in office, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had said that men and women each make up half of society — and therefore women should also have half of the power. If Scholz wants to maintain parity, another Cabinet reshuffle would be necessary.”

France 24 wrote on January 17:

“The man referred to by Der Spiegel magazine as the ‘red general’ has a reputation as a straight talker who can appear undiplomatic at times… In May last year, Pistorius was forthright about Ukraine’s right to recapture territories taken by Russia, putting him at odds with many other Social Democrats who had been reluctant to endorse a counteroffensive…

“However, he was also critical of calls to destabilise Russia, adding: ‘There will have to come a time after the war… when we in Europe will be able get along with Russia, in whatever form.’”

Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pistorius voiced his opposition to European sanctions against Russia.

Politico added on January 17:

“Having served in Germany’s Bundeswehr prior to his law studies, Pistorius also has some military background. Pistorius faces daunting tasks in his new office. The German armed forces are in a sad state and an announced sea change in German foreign and security policy, Scholz’s so-called Zeitenwende, is in the spotlight as Berlin lags behind on its defense spending targets.

“More immediately, the new defense minister will have to deal with pressure from allies to step up military support for Ukraine by supplying Kyiv with German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks. Poland and Finland have already announced their intention to send Leopards to Ukraine, but the move would require German approval [as the tanks were manufactured in Germany], which Berlin has signaled it might give. The expectation, however, is that Germany should also join a broader alliance of European countries that would collectively send a contingent of such Western tanks.”

The Local had written on January 14 about Lambrecht:

“Critics… questioned [Lambrecht’s] ability to lead Europe’s biggest economy in reviving its long-neglected armed forces in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lambrecht, along with Scholz, had been blasted over Germany’s stuttering response to the conflict. The minister was mocked in January 2022 for her announcement that Germany would send 5,000 helmets to Kyiv, where the Ukrainian government was seeking heavy weapons to ward off Moscow.”

We will have to wait and see whether Pistorius is (allowed to be) more decisive than Lambrecht.

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.

Trump Helped McCarthy Win

Breitbart wrote on January 6:

“Former President Donald J. Trump played a vital role behind the scenes in bringing about a compromise among House Republicans to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House of Representatives…

“On the historic 15th ballot for the speakership Friday night, McCarthy finally sealed the deal and garnered the votes necessary for the position. Voting had raged on since Tuesday, as a block of 21 Republicans, primarily driven by House Freedom Caucus members, repeatedly voted against McCarthy. However, the deal McCarthy and his allies struck with the delegation budged enough detractors to land the California Republican the speaker’s gavel.  Chief among those responsible for forging a compromise was Trump…

“Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who will chair the Judiciary Committee in the 118th Congress and was a crucial player in these negotiations, lauded Trump for his work helping to bring about a deal. ‘This doesn’t get done without the support and leadership of President Trump,’ he told Breitbart News…

“Trump’s involvement persisted throughout this week, including in talks last night and this morning ahead of the crucial breakthrough for McCarthy… On Friday night, he made calls to Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ), both of whom had voted against McCarthy for days, and told them that the matter needed to be resolved. Ultimately on the 15th round, they both voted ‘present,’ helping to lower the vote threshold for McCarthy…

“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told Breitbart News on Friday that Trump’s ‘role was huge’ in the negotiations. Specifically, she pointed to his statements in support of McCarthy this week and the phone calls he was making behind the scenes….”

On Saturday, McCarthy publicly thanked Trump for his support and involvement. The Daily Mail reported on January 7:

“McCarthy said of Trump, ‘He was with me from the beginning… and he was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was — I was just talking to him tonight — helping get those final votes.’”

McCarthy’s Concessions

Fox News wrote on January 7:

“Taking the anti-McCarthy votes off the table capped a week in which McCarthy was able to chip away at the 20 Republicans who opposed him, thanks in large part to negotiations that will dramatically reshape the way the House is run. Some of the most conservative members of the House said they got virtually everything they wanted out of the talks and started to break for McCarthy on Friday morning.

“McCarthy agreed to allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to elect a new speaker, returning to the way the House ran for decades before that practice was eliminated under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He agreed to votes on term limits and the adoption of a budget resolution that balances the budget in 10 years, and a cap on fiscal year 2024 spending at FY 2022 levels.

“McCarthy agreed to reject any negotiations on spending with the Senate until the Senate passes its own spending bills. He agreed not to increase the debt limit without spending cuts or other fiscal reforms, to set up a committee to examine the weaponization of government against U.S. citizens, and to ensure no bills are brought up on the floor until at least 72 hours passed.”

The last change was adopted to allow Congressional members to at least read a bill before they vote on it. Of course, there is no guarantee that they actually will read (and understand) it.

It was the first time since 1923 that a nominee had not won the gavel on the first vote. In 1856, it took former House Speaker Nathaniel Prentice Banks two months and 133 rounds of voting for the House of Representatives to settle on a leader – the longest stretch on record, during debates over slavery in the run-up to the Civil War. New Jersey’s William Pennington required 44 votes to take the gavel in 1860.

McCarthy’s Priorities

Fox News wrote on January 7:

“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy officially opened the 118^th Congress early Saturday morning, holding the speaker’s gavel and conducting a chamber-wide swearing-in ceremony for new members… McCarthy also revealed some of his priorities for this session of Congress, which included investigating China, securing the country’s border, and attempting to eliminate some of the federal debt, which is over $31 trillion… He also committed to ‘stop wasteful Washington spending to lower the price of groceries, gas, cars, and housing… ‘Our first bill will repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents. Because the government should be here to help you, not go after you.’

‘The Republican also said he would reopen the U.S. Capitol Building which remained behind additional security measures and was mostly inaccessible to the public following the riots on Jan. 6, 2021. ‘My friends – this chamber is now fully open for all Americans,’ he said, which was met with thunderous applause from Republicans. Democrats in the chamber remained silent.”

The Daily Mail also quoted McCarthy on January 7 as follows:

“We’re going to pass bills to fix the nation’s challenges from wide open southern borders,  to American last energy policies to woke indoctrination in our schools…  We will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.’”

His comment to investigate China must be viewed in the context of his intention to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and specifically the U.S. government’s involvement in any funding of gain-of-function research. He had also declared before his election that Hunter Biden (and by extension, Joe Biden) would have to be investigated pertaining to Hunter Biden’s financial deals (and Joe Biden’s alleged knowledge of them). We will see whether those long overdue investigations will really take place.

McCarthy to Remove Schiff, Swalwell and Omar From Committees

Newsmax added on January 11:

“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy… plans to boot Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., from the House Intelligence Committee, and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Foreign Affairs Committee as payback for Democrats ousting Republicans from panels. Democrats had stripped Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., of their committee assignments in the last Congress…

“‘Swalwell can’t get a security clearance in the private sector. I’m not going to give him a government security clearance. Schiff has lied to the American public… Last year, I promised that when I became Speaker, I would remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee based on her repeated anti-semitic and anti-American remarks,” McCarthy tweeted. ‘I’m keeping that promise.’”

Congress to Investigate Federal Agencies

Newsmax wrote on January 10:

“House Republicans officially signed off on their promised investigation into Democrats’ alleged weaponization of the federal government against conservatives on Tuesday. In a strict party-line vote of 221-211, the Judiciary Committee’s select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government was formed, with Republican congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio slated to be chairman…

“The House Republicans’ new probe follows several supposed whistleblowers approaching Republican lawmakers with allegations of political favoritism in government agencies… It also comes after Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ suggested the FBI provided Twitter with over $3 million to suppress foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election, eventually leading to the platform’s suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.”

More on the “Twitter Files” scandal below.

Secret Documents at Biden’s Residence

The Associated Press wrote on January 12:

“Documents with classified markings from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president were found at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, the White House said Thursday, days after it was disclosed that sensitive documents were also found at the office of his former Washington institute… the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records is proving to be a political headache for Biden, who called former President Donald Trump ‘irresponsible’ for keeping hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida…

“White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre… refused to say... why the White House waited more than two months to reveal the discovery of the initial batch of documents. They were found Nov. 2, days before the midterm elections…”

Newsmax added on January 11:

“‘We all know why it was kept secret — right before the midterms — that Joe Biden kept classified documents at his Chinese-funded “think tank,”’ Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., tweeted Tuesday…

“Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., [said:] ‘There’s a double standard when it comes to how to deal with conservatives and liberals under this administration… The media is complicit; social media companies need to be regulated… they’re an extension of the Democratic Party in many ways… America is not a very fair place now when it comes to administration of the law.’”

Sadly, Graham is absolutely correct.

Garland Appoints a Special Counsel

Newsmax wrote on January 12:

“U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday named a special counsel to investigate whether President Joe Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents, setting up a parallel inquiry to an ongoing probe of former President Donald Trump. The inquiry, to be led by Robert Hur, could cast a shadow over the Democrat president’s expected run for reelection in 2024…

“Republicans in Congress called the new discoveries evidence of Biden’s hypocrisy. ‘It’s obvious. Everybody can see it, and it’s on open display for everyone in the country to see,’ Republican U.S. Representative Mike Johnson said…”

 The New York Post wrote on January 12:

“On Thursday, before Garland’s announcement, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters, ‘I think Congress has to investigate this’ and ‘We don’t think there needs to be a special prosecutor.’ ‘Here’s an individual that’s been in office for more than 40 years. Here’s an individual that sat on ‘60 Minutes’ and was so concerned about President Trump’s documents locked in behind, and now we find that this is a vice president keeping it for years out in the open in different locations,’ McCarthy said.

“The speaker was referencing a Sept. 18 interview with the CBS newsmagazine in which Biden described his predecessor as “irresponsible” for keeping sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago.”

Trump Has Disappointed Many Supporters

Life Site News published on January 5 the following article by its co-founder and managing director:

“[Trump] wrongly claimed the ‘abortion issue was poorly handled by many Republicans [during the midterm elections], especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters.’…

“Any pro-life persons who advocate those exceptions betray a weakness of conviction, a lack of trust in God and the power of His truth… Either all human lives are sacred, or they are not. Either every child is a human from conception, regardless of the circumstances under which they were conceived or they are not human. There is no in-between category or argument. Political pragmatism, when it involves life and death, kills…

“Trump has also killed a lot of his support with his hosting of that massive Log Cabin Republicans event at Mar-a-Lago and his and Melania’s and Kari Lake’s enthusiastic partying with them. In doing so, they gave massive, likely naïve support to the ongoing LGBT agenda… and policies to protect and promote their immoral, anti-life, anti-natural-family lifestyle, and to punish all who even think or speak anything critical of what they do…

“Then there have been Trump’s astonishingly bad, false statements on his Operation Warp Speed, deadly COVID jabs allegedly having saved millions of lives. The exact opposite has now been proven to be the truth… The sudden deaths and cancers, infertility, and many other short- and long-term serious injuries from them continue to increase and even many children, who could not possibly have benefited in any way from the jabs, are now dying from them. This horror story is expanding every day and affecting the entire world – thanks to U.S. government and health agency policies that the rest of the world has relied upon for their own COVID policies.

“Trump should apologize that he listened to all the wrong people and should call for an immediate, worldwide halt on the COVID jabbing and demand criminal investigations of all those who wrongly advocated lockdowns, masking, and all the other deadly, unnecessary COVID mandates and policies that have [devastated] many nations, individuals, families, and businesses…

“Since he was removed from the presidency…, he has not been the same person. Many of us feel betrayed by him… I was hoping that Trump would wake up to the above issues and repent and change, but that has sadly not happened.

“We are in a historic nightmare situation right now in many respects. Whether we will ever have a fair election again is in serious doubt. We must continue to do the best that we humanly can and leave the rest up to God, but compromising our fundamental principles in any way cannot earn us any graces from God who ultimately is the only One who matters.

“We are well beyond compromising political pragmatism being able to save us now. We must change to a policy of being wise as serpents but also fully placing all our trust in God who is the only One who can save us at this time. If we continue to compromise on His principles, He will not save us.”

As we pointed out in our recent Current Events editions, Trump’s statements about abortion and his support of the LGBT community, in order to get their votes, are serious causes for concern. But Trump’s influence should not be underestimated, as the development regarding the election of the Speaker of the House has shown.

The “Absurd” Conduct of the IRS

Reason wrote on January 6:

“[The IRS] continued historic trends of hassling primarily low-income taxpayers [in 2022], with relatively few millionaires and billionaires getting caught up in the audit sweep…

“This is, after all, the agency that sent $1.1 billion in child welfare payments to the wrong people over the course of merely five months during the pandemic. It’s the agency that was hacked back in 2015, resulting in the personal information of more than 700,000 taxpayers being compromised. It’s the agency that has been foolishly going after Americans who hold $10,000 or more in a foreign bank since 2010, never mind the fact that many of them are middle-class expats, not folks with yachts in the Mediterranean…

“Though some libertarians may argue such an agency ought not to exist in the first place and cheer its relative ineptitude at going after the well-to-do, it’s decidedly absurd that the agency taxpayers just fed $80 billion to has, for another year, continued its assault on the poor.”

God is not looking at such IRS conduct lightly.

Taxing the Rich?

On January 9, 2023, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column:

“The final act of the Democrat majority on the House Ways and Means Committee was to make public several years of Donald Trump’s tax returns, which the Committee obtained after a prolonged legal battle. The tax returns confirmed that, despite being one of the richest people in America, Donald Trump paid very little in federal income tax. In fact, in at least one year he paid under a thousand dollars.

“Trump’s success in minimizing his tax liability without ever being audited is surprising only to those who think IRS audits are mainly used to catch rich ‘tax cheats.’ According to data released by the Syracuse University Transactional Records Clearinghouse, in 2022 lower-income taxpayers were five and half times more likely than millionaires and billionaires to be audited! This is because low-income taxpayers cannot afford to hire top-notch tax attorneys and accountants to help fight the IRS, so they are more likely to give in to the agency’s demands…

“Proponents of a flat tax or national sales tax argue that such a system would ensure millionaires and billionaires paid their ‘fair share’ of taxes. Saying we must all pay our ‘fair share’ of taxes assumes we have a moral obligation to the government that can only be fulfilled by turning over as much of our income as our so-called ‘public servants’ demand. This is not the case. Individuals have a moral duty to support their families, and to support private charities if they wish. They do not have a moral duty to support the government.

“Tax reform proponents also complain that the current tax code contains too many loopholes that cause economic distortions and inefficiencies. It is true that the current tax system promotes inefficiency, but this is caused by the income tax itself, not the loopholes. Conversely, loopholes actually promote economic efficiency by giving taxpayers the ability to spend more of their money the way they prefer, rather than allowing politicians to spend it. As economist Thomas DiLorenzo put it, ‘private individuals always spend their own money more efficiently than government bureaucrats do.’

“The major problem with the income tax, and the reason it must be eliminated, not merely ‘reformed,’ is that it is rooted in the idea that the government has first claim on our income…”

Jesus told us to pay our taxes… to give Caesar what is Caesar’s (Luke 20:22-25). But this does not mean, to give Caesar what he does not require. And it does by no means justify the king’s or the government’s abuse of tax money and spending it for ungodly purposes. Therefore, there is nothing wrong, biblically, with the idea of the government simply eliminating taxes, such as the income tax. Furthermore, Samuel described the king’s or the government’s practice of taxing people as a curse (compare 1 Samuel 8:15, 17-18, 7, 9). We also read that a king or a government which “imposes heavy taxes,” “ruins” the land (Proverbs 29:4, New American Bible).

Schiff’s Assault on the First Amendment

Breitbart added on January 6:

“Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) violated the First Amendment and, arguably, his oath to uphold the Constitution in 2020 when his office demanded that Twitter suspend the account of Paul Sperry, an investigative journalist.

“Sperry happens to be the journalist who reported in 2019 that the ‘whistleblower’ who worked with Schiff to engineer the impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump was Eric Ciamarella, a CIA analyst who had worked at the White House. Though Democrats convinced the media and Silicon Valley to suppress the story, Sperry’s reporting was never refuted…

“The attempt by any member of Congress to suppress the freedom of expression of a journalist is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment, which specifically restricts Congress from interfering in a free press. That violation is even more egregious when perpetrated by a congressional leader with unique access to secret information, and who implies that he has evidence no one else does and is acting to protect national security.

“Schiff… is a frequent guest on mainstream media news programs, who have given him wide latitude for years to promote unfounded claims, such as the ‘Russia collusion’ hoax.”

Journalist Paul Sperry Speaks Out

The New York Post published on January 6 the following article by Journalist Paul Sperry:

“Schiff, the powerful Democratic chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, made his ‘request’ to ban me through his staff in a November 2020 memo to Twitter. Three months later, in early February 2021, I was kicked off the platform.

“Why would a congressional leader sworn to protect the Constitution and First Amendment want to muzzle a veteran journalist? Like authoritarians everywhere, Schiff did not like critical reporting. The man who vowed to ‘protect our Democracy’ from Donald Trump wanted to censor a free press…

“In his list of demands, Schiff tried to justify banning me by claiming I was promoting ‘false QAnon conspiracies,’ which I have never done and I challenge Schiff to produce evidence to back up his defamatory remarks…

“After joining Twitter in June 2016, I tweeted more than 20,100 tweets and I amassed more than 340,000 followers — all without any problems, without any suspensions. Until Schiff exercised his vendetta against me.

“He appears to have secretly interfered with my ability to do my job for almost two years… If a powerful government official prevented me from promoting my stories, including my New York Post columns, on the nation’s digital town square, how is that not state censorship?”

In his article, Sperry also recounted several examples where Schiff publicly and apparently knowingly lied.

Biden’s Visit at the Border—Too Little, Too Late

The New York Post wrote on January 8:

“President Biden made his first trip to the beleaguered Mexican border since he took office two years ago — for a brief three hour visit. Biden… has been roundly criticized for his failure to control the number of migrants crossing the border into the US and for repealing a number of programs begun by former President Donald Trump that led to the escalation…

“Critics chided Biden for what they called little more than a photo-op at the overwhelmed border with Mexico, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, one of the most vocal officials about a federal lapse in border protection, handing the president a scathing letter slamming his policies. ‘Your visit to our southern border with Mexico today is $20 billion too little and two years too late,’ Abbott wrote in the letter…

“There were more than 2.4 million migrants crossing the nearly 2,000-mile length of the southern border with Mexico in [the] fiscal year 2022.”

US Extends Air Travel COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for International Visitors

Fox Business reported on January 4:

“The U.S. government has quietly issued an extension to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for foreign travelers. The TSA issued the extension of vaccine mandates that will last until April 10, 2023.”

The Washington Times added on January 5:

“Critics of the rule say it is hampering tourism and that vaccination should be a personal choice, especially since the shots do not stop transmission of the virus outright.

“‘President Biden himself said the pandemic is over so the original justification for the mandate has lapsed. Pre-pandemic, international tourism generated close to $2 trillion in U.S. economic activity, so denying entry to unvaccinated foreign guests is denying us untold billions in revenue,’ Jenny Beth Martin, the honorary chairwoman of Tea Party Patriots Action, said in a midweek statement blasting the extension. ‘And last but not least, as a matter of principle, no one should be forced to take a vaccine against their will, whether they’re an American or a foreign guest.’”

None of this makes any sense, except that it deprives people of their individual freedom; prevents unnecessarily tourists from visiting the USA; and contributes to the destruction of the American economy.

WHO’s New “Recommendations”

The Daily Mail reported on January 10:

“American travelers should show a negative Covid test in order to enter European countries, the World Health Organization implied today… But she stopped short of recommending testing mandates ‘at this stage’, instead urging people on long-haul flights to wear face masks to curb the spread of Covid…

“But scientists are quick to point out that America’s wave is not growing as fast as feared and that there is no sign the strain is more likely to cause severe disease at present… in the European Union — which has twice as many people [as the USA] — cases are falling…”

As long as it stays with just a recommendation from the WHO, one couldn’t care less. But if becomes another requirement, then here we go again…

No More Vaccination Mandate for Troops?—Not So Fast!

The Associated Press reported on January 10:

“The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

“Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on Dec. 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate…

“Austin… added… that other department policies — including mandates for other vaccines — remain in place. That includes, he said, ‘the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.’”

Even though the law prohibits COVID vaccination mandates for the military, it is obvious, as can be seen from the above article, that the Biden Administration, being obsessed with vaccinations, will do everything they can to circumvent that law.

The Twitter Files: Disturbing Connection With Big Tech

The Daily Signal wrote on January 10:

“The latest installment of the ‘Twitter Files’ reveals a disturbing connection between Twitter and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member who used to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration… Pfizer Inc. is one of the pharmaceutical companies that came up with three initial FDA-approved vaccines against the disease. Gottlieb joined the drugmaker’s board in June 2019, before the pandemic.

“The new information from inside Twitter shows how ‘elites’ such as Gottlieb with connections to large corporations and the government can twist and suppress what gets to the public, warping society’s ability to speak freely and find the truth.

“According to the ‘Twitter Files’ report released by former New York Times reporter—and vaccine sceptic—Alex Berenson, Gottlieb coordinated with the social media giant to suppress alternative policy recommendations for how to respond to COVID-19. Berenson was at one time banned by Twitter at the urging of the Biden administration, but the ban was lifted after he sued the company. He now is one of the relatively few journalists that new Twitter CEO Elon Musk trusts to disclose the social media company’s previous internal workings in a series of ‘Twitter Files’ reports…

“Twitter and Facebook also coordinated with [the] government as other ‘Twitter Files’ entries suggest… Facebook acted as if it were an arm of the Democratic Party and censored American citizens seeking the truth… YouTube censored Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for questioning the effectiveness of cloth masks… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially said masks don’t work,  then insisted they worked and you need to wear them, then finally admitted that cloth masks likely don’t offer any protection from COVID-19. Paul was right…

“The ‘Twitter Files,’ including the Gottlieb revelations, show how it was Big Tech companies, not the people, that caused ‘harm’ during the pandemic. They abused their position of power, thoughtlessly and perniciously silenced dissenters, and pulled Americans away from the process of discovering the truth…”

In light of this apparent suppression of the Truth in the USA, note the following appalling article about the situation in Germany.

German Government Denies Obvious Side Effects From CORONA Vaccination

Bild Online wrote on January 11:

“It starts with a tingling in your fingers. The hands swell, become bluish. Then a sharp pain shoots up both arms. Five days after his first corona vaccination, Nicolas S. (23) from Lichterfelde [in Germany] experienced this for the first time. Since then several times a day. Diagnosis: Suspected vaccination complication! But nobody helps him.

“Nicolas S. was successful in his job as a computer scientist and also had a small software company. ‘After the corona vaccination, my life was destroyed,’ he says. When asked by BILD, a spokeswoman for the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (Lageso) said: ‘The expert opinion comes to the conclusion that there is no causal connection between the vaccination and the symptoms in the case of an unclear clinical picture.’

“His employer recommended to him immunization in early summer of 2021 – because of the contact with customers. In a practice in Lichterfeld, Nicolas S. had the Biontech vaccine injected… A short time later, the first symptoms. ‘The pain was so present that I couldn’t concentrate on anything anymore,’ he says. Desperate, he went to an emergency room. Heart attack and stroke were ruled out.

“His vaccinator was at a loss, gave him the second dose. The symptoms worsened. Only during the ultrasound of the vessels… did the specialist note the suspicion: ‘non-specific vaccination side effects’…

“Meanwhile, Nicolas S. has been on sick leave for 78 weeks. His arms and hands feel ‘asleep’. The smallest movements trigger severe pain. He was fired from his job. He had to liquidate his company. At the beginning of 2022, he applied for recognition of vaccination damage and severe disability. No reaction!…

“Biontech also contradicts a connection with vaccination. ‘So far we have no evidence that the symptoms you mentioned are more common in vaccinated people.’

“Nationwide, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute has so far recorded 50,145 serious suspected cases of corona vaccination complications, but in Berlin, the Lageso has only recognized twelve…

“Nicolas S. now lives on social benefits. He says: ‘The worst thing is that there is no contact person for those affected.'”

Protestors Storm Brazil’s National Congress

Deutsche Welle reported on January 8:

“Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress building in Brasilia earlier on Sunday…

“Supporters of the former president refuse to accept that the populist autocrat lost his bid for reelection, claiming the election was stolen. Hardcore supporters have even openly called for a military coup in order to put him back in charge…”

The New York Post added on January 8:

“The… protests are reminiscent of the attack on the US Congress [on] January [6,] 2020, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, DC…”

We will see whether the left-wing mass media will be blaming Trump for the events in Brazil. Of course, Trump claimed as well that the 2020 election was stolen. But this claim has been labeled in the USA as the “big lie” by the left-wing mass media, and woe unto those who even suggest that the election might have been stolen. They are facing censorship, ostracism and persecution… and that in a “democratic” country which supposedly protects the “right” of free speech.  

More Than Meets the Eye

Breitbart reported on January 9:

“Protesters opposing the inauguration of far-left convicted felon Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the country’s president on January 1 stormed Brasília on Sunday, breaching police barricades to break into the Brazilian Congress and destroy its façade, as well as several critical meeting chambers. The mob also attacked the STF, the nation’s supreme court, reportedly leaving its headquarters unusable and damaging or stealing priceless historical artifacts. The protesters attempted to break into the Planalto Palace, the president’s headquarters, but caused more minimal damage there.

“Lula became president this month after a bitter presidential race [against] his predecessor, conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro, that he won by a razor-thin margin. Lula should have been disqualified from running for president again as a result of crimes he was convicted for during his past term in office, from 2003 to 2011. Lula was sentenced to nearly 25 years in prison for taking bribes while president, but the STF overturned the conviction on jurisdictional grounds in 2021, allowing his name to be on the ballot.

“STF Minister [justice] Alexandre de Moraes, who also ran the country’s top election court during the election, outlawed discussing Lula’s conviction or calling him a criminal in media communications while allowing Lula to spuriously call Bolsonaro a ‘pedophile.’ The STF’s handling of the election has prompted a movement of Bolsonaro supporters calling for the military to intervene and prevent Lula from taking office…

“Police have arrested over 300 people at press time for participating in the riot, according to O Globo. Reports indicate that most of those arrested will face charges such as acts of violence against the states and conspiracy, which may result in prison terms of up to 12 years.

“The bulk of arrests related to the riot that have occurred so far, however, were not of people directly participating in the event. In response to an order from de Moraes, the police dismantled a massive tent city of Bolsonaro supporters who had organized outside of the headquarters of the armed forces, asking the military to overthrow Lula. Police confirmed over 1,500 arrests as they dismantled the camp, most of those arrested going peacefully. The operation required 40 buses to transfer those detained to prisons.”

The highly controversial role of Brazil’s Supreme Court contributed to the uproar and tumult in the country.

Condemnation of Zelensky Government Over Freedom of the Press and Religion

Breitbart wrote on January 7:

“The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Europe’s largest journalist association, has expressed concern about a new Ukrainian law that could arbitrarily censor media in the country. EFJ president Ricardo Gutiérrez voiced his concerns over the new legislation passed by the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky late last month, which will give the government enormous power over media operating in the country…

“The new law has been framed by the Zelensky government in terms of stopping the spread of Russian propaganda, and will give greater power to the National Television and Radio Council, which is appointed by the Ukrainian parliament. Some news sites which do not register with the council may be shut down as a result of the new law.

“According to Gutiérrez, the council is completely controlled by President Zelensky. ‘We are surprised by the lack of reaction from Western countries. We don’t understand why they don’t tell Zelensky that this law doesn’t live up to our standards. I would say that it will be impossible for Ukraine to join the European Union with a law like this,’ he said.

“The EFJ has previously defended Danish journalist Matilde Kimer, who was excluded from reporting in Ukraine and had her press credentials revoked after being accused of being ‘pro-Russian’ by the Zelensky government. The ban came just months after Kimer had also been banned from Russia.

“The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine has also raised issues with the new media law, releasing a statement saying ‘[s]uch powers are clearly excessive,’ and adding: ‘No one has yet managed to tame freedom of speech in Ukraine. It won’t work this time either.’

“Combatting Russian influence and propaganda has been used as the reason for several moves by the Zelensky government that have been controversial, including the recent suppression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Raids on Orthodox churches by the Ukrainians prompted condemnation from Russia, with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stating that ‘[t]he current Ukrainian authorities have openly become enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith.’”

In times of war, these kinds of moves can be expected. The freedom of the press, the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion and of religious assembly will be constantly under attack.

The World Against the State of Israel

Israel Today wrote on January 4:

“Love him or hate him, agree with him or oppose him, Itamar Ben-Gvir has become a barometer for international attitudes regarding the prophetic restoration of Israel. The Bible is fairly clear that the physical rebirth of Israel that we’ve already witnessed was just an initial step… leading to a particular set of national actions that in turn lead to the nations of the world coming against the Jewish state… the UN is trying to tell the Jews that they may not do what the Lord God of Israel told them to do, which in this case is to ascend the Temple Mount in worship of Him.

“We are witnessing the nations of the world align themselves against the Almighty, though they fail to see it as such. And it’s only possible for them to do so in this way because of the rebirth of Israel as a nation, which has in turn enabled Jews like Itamar Ben-Gvir to again (after 2,000 years of exile) express their commitment to God and His Word in a sovereign and independent manner.”

U.N. Wastes Everybody’s Time

Fox News added on January 6:

“Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. lambasted the organization for calling a meeting to discuss an Israeli official’s visit to a Jerusalem holy site. ‘Minister Ben-Gvir’s recent visit to the Temple Mount was not an incursion into al-Aqsa or any other fabrication that the Palestinians branded his visit as,’ Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan said during a blistering speech to the U.N. Security Council, Thursday…

“The status quo allows for Muslims alone to worship at the site, where the Al-Aqsa mosque stands. Ben Gvir’s supporters insist that the minister never stepped on the actual believed location of the Holy of Holies and never prayed, therefore avoiding any violations…

“‘When this council dedicates its valuable time to “shows about nothing,” it legitimizes the poisonous lies of the Palestinians, and as a result, empowers terrorists to continue in their murderous ways,’ Erdan said. ‘While the Temple Mount is sadly not yet a house of prayer for all nations, it is still the right of every Jew… to at least… visit this holiest of holy spots.’”

The U.N.’s Hatred for Israel

Israel 365 News added on January 6:

“A report by UN Watch revealed that in 2022, the United Nations General Assembly approved 15 anti-Israel resolutions as compared to 13 against all other countries combined. Russia, which invaded Ukraine amid accusations of human rights violations, garnered six condemnations. North Korea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Iran and the US were hit with one resolution each.

“Saudi Arabia, China, Lebanon, Turkey, Venezuela and Qatar, which have poor human rights records or were involved in regional conflicts, were not dinged by any resolutions criticizing them.

“Since 2015, the General Assembly has adopted 140 resolutions against Israel. In the same period of time, the UN passed 68 resolutions against all other countries combined…

“From 2006 through 2022, the UN Human Rights Council has adopted 99 resolutions against Israel, 41 against Syria, 13 against Iran, 4 against Russia, and 3 against Venezuela…

“In 2022, EU member states voted for one resolution each to criticize Iran, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar, the U.S. for its embargo on Cuba, and six resolutions on Russia’s war in Ukraine. By contrast, EU states voted for about 10 resolutions on Israel. These same EU states failed to introduce a single UNGA resolution this year on the human rights situation in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Algeria, or 175 other countries.”

These statistics speak for themselves and show the blatant bias and Antisemitism of the world towards Israel.

Israel and USA on Collision Course

The Times of Israel wrote on January 7:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government is little more than a week old but it’s already giving the Biden administration headaches…

“The new government is an unwelcome complication for a Biden national security team seeking to shift attention away from the Middle East and toward rivals like China and Russia. It also comes as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and are eager to cast Biden as unfriendly to Israel ahead of the 2024 presidential election…

“… while Biden and Netanyahu have known each other for years, they are not close. Biden and former Obama administration officials who now work for Biden still harbor resentment toward the prime minister who, during his previous iteration as Israel’s leader, sought to derail their signature foreign policy achievement: the Iran nuclear deal.

“… on Friday, Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership in retaliation for the Palestinians pushing the UN’s highest judicial body to give an opinion on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank… The Security Cabinet decided to withhold millions of dollars from the Palestinian Authority and transfer those funds to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian terror attacks. And, it will deny benefits, including travel permits, to Palestinian officials who ‘are leading the political and legal war against Israel.’

“Meanwhile, Biden’s administration is moving in a diametrically opposed direction. Since taking office, the administration has reversed the Trump ban on aid and provided more than $800 million in economic, development, security, and other assistance to the Palestinians and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

“… exactly one week before Netanyahu took office in late December, the State Department imposed but immediately waived terrorism sanctions against the Palestinian leadership, saying engagement with the Palestinians is a critical US national security interest.

“On December 22, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman notified Congress that she had imposed travel bans on senior leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization because they ‘are not in compliance’ with requirements to tamp down and publicly condemn terrorist attacks against Israelis. But, in the same notification, the State Department said Sherman had waived the travel bans ‘based on her determination that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States.’”

What a circus!

USA vs. Catholic Rome?

LifeSiteNews wrote on January 6:

“… the idea the U.S. government could be involved in a plot to undermine the Catholic Church is not without precedent, as emails released by Wikileaks in 2016 showed how John Podesta, chairman of Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign, exchanged ideas with Obama-linked non-profit executive Sandy Newman about how to foment ‘revolution’ in the Church.”

Worldwide “Unnatural” Deaths in 2022

The Christian Post wrote on January 6:

“Statistics reveal that abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide for the fourth year in a row, as the number of abortions nearly quadrupled the number of deaths from infectious diseases in 2022.

“Worldometer, a database that keeps track of statistics about health, the global population and other metrics in real-time, continuously compiles information about the number of abortions worldwide. The last available snapshot of the Worldometer from 2022, captured on Dec. 31 by the internet archiving tool The Wayback Machine, shows that more than 44 million abortions took place last year.

“While Worldometer cites a fact sheet from the World Health Organization as the source for its abortion statistics, the WHO maintains that ‘around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year.’ The global organization characterizes abortion as an essential health service.

“The second leading cause of death in 2022, as identified by the Worldometer, was communicable diseases, causing nearly 13 million casualties. The deaths attributed to infectious diseases, as well as the more than 8 million deaths caused by cancer, the approximately 5 million fatalities triggered by smoking, the roughly 2.5 million alcohol-related deaths and the nearly 2 million deaths caused by AIDS this year combined add up to less than the number of lives lost to abortion in 2022.

“Additional leading causes of death identified by the Worldometer include road traffic accident fatalities, which claimed more than 1 million lives last year, and suicides, numbering slightly more than 1 million. Over 800,000 people lost their lives due to water-related diseases last year, half a million people died because of the seasonal flu, nearly 400,000 people died of malaria and around 300,000 women died during childbirth.

“Deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which have become the subject of much media attention, were measured at 1,209,570 in a separate set of [statistics] compiled by Worldometer…

“… the number of worldwide deaths in 2022… [exceeded] 100 million. The total world population at the end of 2022 came in at slightly above 8 billion.”

The list above does not even include the many hundreds of thousands of people who died in war in 2022.

 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.

COVID Restrictions… Here We Go Again!!!

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 30:

“The United Kingdom and France are set to require negative COVID-19 tests for travelers arriving from China… Travelers on airplanes arriving from France will have to wear masks… Spain, South Korea and Israel announced earlier Friday they would introduce COVID test requirements for Chinese travelers too. Malaysia on Friday [said] it would screen all international arrivals from China for fever as well.

“China is easing travel restrictions that it had since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic despite a surge in cases. Beijing’s move prompted the US, Italy, Japan and other countries to impose checks on arrivals from China…

“Italy has called for EU-wide checks, but the bloc’s health agency said it saw such measures as unjustified arguing that the situation in China was unlikely to affect Europe with its high levels of immunization.

“China had said it would no longer release an official daily COVID death toll. The country also stopped mass testing and reporting asymptomatic cases, sparking concerns that the official data is likely not an accurate representation of the situation…

“Chinese state media… have criticized the growing number of countries requiring negative COVID tests from travelers from China… Global Times called the restrictions ‘unfounded’ and ‘discriminatory.’

“Until now, China has required all passengers arriving from abroad, including Chinese nationals, to quarantine for five days at a hotel, followed by three days at home. The country of 1.4 billion people reported on Thursday one death linked to the coronavirus. But a UK-based health data firm, Airfinity, estimated around 9,000 people in China were likely dying each day of COVID.”

Express added on December 30:

“UK arrivals from China will have to provide a negative Covid test before they can enter the country from next week… the policy change will come into effect from January 5… In addition to the negative test requirement, the UK Health Security Agency… will also launch surveillance from January 8. This will see a sample of passengers arriving from China tested for the virus in a bid to monitor the development of any new variants.”

It is feared that these developments, true or not, may cause governments around the world to reinstitute sweeping coronavirus restrictions.

“What Went Well in Germany in 2022”—Really?

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 30:

“Among the steady stream of bleak news of war, crisis and recession, news of positive developments almost got sidetracked this year. Here’s what Germany can look back at.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, millions of people have fled Ukraine, many of them to Germany. The Central Register of Foreigners listed about 1 million Ukrainian refugees by the end of October. People in Germany were immensely willing to help…  The willingness to help has dropped off somewhat since the war started in February, but it was still at a high level months later…

“Germany’s major DAX companies are looking at a pretty good year… Mercedes, Volkswagen and Siemens were listed as the companies with the biggest profits. Anyone who might have expected a slump in business was wrong, said Henrik Ahlers of EY. ‘Sales and profits are rising, and business is booming for the majority of DAX companies,’ he added…

“Christian Drosten, Germany’s preeminent virologist, said we have reached the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Immunity in the population will be so widespread and resilient after this winter that the virus will hardly be able to spread in the summer, the head of virology at Berlin’s Charite hospital said…”

Realistically, there are not too many positive developments, and even those which are quoted in this article are subject to interpretation. The arrival of many Ukrainian refugees has also been described as a problem for Germany; the success of German companies does not match the misery of the average German customer; and the “end of the coronavirus pandemic” has now been questioned due to the latest resurgence of restrictions due to alleged developments in China. Regarding refugees and immigration, note the next article.

Violence in Germany

Breitbart wrote on January 4:

“Young migrants were allegedly involved in much of the violence across the country [of Germany] on New Year’s Eve, according to local witnesses, police and firefighters, with one incident seeing a man with an Albanian flag fire a flare gun at a police vehicle.

“Although it has taken until now for more solid information about the nature of the violence to emerge, even at the time Germany’s Bild hinted at the circumstances when it reported on New Year’s Day that the violence in Berlin had been concentrated in migrant ‘hot spot’ neighbourhoods. Now Die Welt reports 18 nationalities were arrested on the night, with just 45 of 145 arrested holding German citizenship. The largest groups otherwise of those arrested include Afghans and Syrians, the report said.

“German journalist Frank Schneider lamented the trend for delaying or suppressing the reporting of the influence of immigration in crime in an opinion article for the tabloid Bild, stating that ‘Politicians prefer to call for a general ban on firecrackers than to clearly name the perpetrators. No outcry from the upright in defence of the rule of law. People are afraid of being considered racist.’

“According to Schneider, police and government officials are afraid to acknowledge the links between migration and the violence on New Year’s Eve due to such rhetoric being used by populist politicians and political parties. ‘Citizens are noticing that more and more is slipping. In times of growing economic problems, it is extremely dangerous if there is also the feeling that certain problems are deliberately concealed. Or played down,’ he wrote.”

The Debacle of German Minister of Defense Lambrecht

bobrtimes wrote on January 2:

“Already weakened by blunders, the German Minister of Defense, Christine Lambrecht, was again criticized on Monday after the broadcast of her wishes [in a video].

“The video is only a minute long, but was deemed so unsuccessful that the social-democratic minister is again targeted by calls for [her] resignation… ‘A war is raging in the middle of Europe. I was able to draw many particular impressions from it’, … the minister [said] about the Russian invasion, evoking ‘many, many meetings with interesting and formidable people’. ‘For that, I say a big thank you.’

“‘Doubts about her suitability for this position have been around for a long time. It is now time for the Chancellor to draw the consequences’, lambasted the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel on Monday. ‘The New Year’s speech recorded by mobile phone and barely comprehensible due to firework flares and the absence of a microphone on a Berlin sidewalk would already have been embarrassing for a volunteer village mayor – for a Minister of Defense and a member of NATO, it is simply shameful,’ complains Bild, the country’s most read daily…

“The minister accumulated disappointments in 2022, regularly attracting ridicule and criticism, such as when she announced the sending of thousands of helmets to Ukrainians who were instead expecting deliveries of heavy weapons from Germany. Ms. Lambrecht also embodied, in the eyes of the Ukrainian regime, but also of the Germans, the shortcomings of an army whose equipment is obsolete. In mid-December, Berlin thus had to suspend new orders for Puma armored vehicles after a series of breakdowns affecting armored vehicles already in use by the army…

“For the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the minister’s repeated errors ‘constitute a huge [liability]’ for an army that is supposed to modernize and regain strategic importance in times of war.”

Germany is plagued by one debacle after the other.

Do COVID Vaccinations Cause Sickness?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on January 1:

“Public-health experts are sounding the alarm about a new Omicron variant dubbed XBB that is rapidly spreading across the Northeast U.S. Some studies suggest it is as different from the original Covid strain from Wuhan as the 2003 SARS virus. Should Americans be worried?

“It isn’t clear that XBB is any more lethal than other variants, but its mutations enable it to evade antibodies from prior infection and vaccines as well as existing monoclonal antibody treatments. Growing evidence also suggests that repeated vaccinations may make people more susceptible to XBB and could be fueling the virus’s rapid evolution.”

California’s New Crazy (and Dangerous) Laws

Breitbart wrote on January 1:

“California will see several radical laws go into effect on Sunday, January 1…The  ‘COVID Misinformation’ law… requires California’s medical licensing boards to take disciplinary action against doctors who are involved with the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation related to…  ‘COVID-19’. The law does not take into account the fact that authorities like Dr. Anthony Fauci changed their recommendations over time…

“The ‘Freedom to Walk Act’ presumes that jaywalking is a racist crime because it is supposedly enforced unevenly — by the nation’s most left-wing state — in ‘communities of color’ where people supposedly cannot afford to pay the fines…

“[Another] law attempts to expand access to abortion by allowing qualified nurses to perform certain abortion procedures in the first trimester of pregnancy without the supervision of a doctor. This new law will take effect alongside a new provision in the California constitution, passed by a referendum in 2022, guaranteeing the right to abortion and contraception…

“Newsom has signed several other radical laws that go into effect in future years. He is currently thought to be mulling a run for president, and is establishing a national reputation as a left-wing leader on cultural issues.”

In regard to the “COVID Misinformation” law, Twitter and many other outlets determined what was “misinformation” and as a consequence, censored and banned articles and statements which turned out to be absolutely correct. California is now going much further by REQUIRING medical licensing boards to take disciplinary action regarding statements which THEY determine to be misinformation… even though, as the past has shown, those doctors making such statements might be absolutely correct. This is indeed a terrible development, endangering once again freedom of speech and potentially suppressing the TRUTH, while catering to Big Pharma and doctors acting on their behest, including for fear that they otherwise might be disciplined.

A Simulation of the Next Plandemic?

Rumble published the following article by Clayton Morris, a former Fox News anchor, on December 26:

“Bill Gates and the WHO have ran a simulation of the next plandemic, coming soon to a government near you in 2025.

“Coincidentally, a video of Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), back in January 2017, warned members of the incoming Trump administration about the inevitability of a ‘surprise outbreak’ of a new disease. He said at the time that the United States needed to do more to prepare… According to Forbes magazine: ‘In 2014, President Barack Obama’s Administration enacted a federal funding pause for what was termed “gain-of-function” research.’

“It turns out, through waivers and pause exemptions, Anthony Fauci’s institute was funding many of the very scientists doing the potentially risky virus, bio-weapons research. Anthony Fauci’s NIAID quietly restarted funding, with guidance, for what was then termed ‘enhanced potential pandemic pathogens.’ News of the funding restart surprised many in the scientific community.

“The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation conducted another plandemic tabletop exercise in Brussels, Belgium, on October 23, 2022. The phenomenon is dubbed SEERS, Severe Epidemic Enterovirus Respiratory Syndrome 2025.”

Any connection?

“Trump Just Won the ’24 Election”

On December 29, Newsmax published the following article by Dick Morris, former presidential adviser to Bill Clinton for 20 years, and political strategist:

“Two serendipitous things happened and just dumped into Trump’s lap issues that will make him president again.

“First, the Twitter Files exposé is one of the most shocking examples of government censorship and collusion with the FBI and Big Media ever.

“Second, there’s the big spending, budget-busting omnibus bill Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., backed, effectively castrating the new Republican House majority… So Donald Trump has two great issues to ride: free speech and fighting McConnell…

“The Twitter-FBI censorship issue gives Trump the unique status of victim-in-chief… When the FBI and Twitter suppressed and discredited evidence from Hunter’s laptop — in a direct effort to sway the 2020 election — this was one of the most dangerous governmental efforts to interfere in an election ever… Had this information been shared widely by the media just weeks before the 2020 election, there is no way Biden could have won…

“While many admire DeSantis, I believe he has no role to play in this war against Big Tech/Big Media and the Swamp. This is Donald Trump’s fight — one he’ll win, and with it, the White House in 2024.”

Please read this week’s Editorial in regard to this article.

Trump’s Tax Returns Made Public

Breitbart wrote on December 30:

“Democrats in control of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, an unprecedented intrusion that revealed nothing in particular. The release marked the first time Congress had ever obtained and published the tax returns of any individual.

“… Trump resisted the committee’s efforts in the courts, until finally losing at the Supreme Court, which allowed the Committee to compel the IRS to turn over the tax returns of Trump, now a private citizen.

“The House Ways and Means Committee released the returns just days before Democrats formally lose their majority in the House of Representatives — and, with it, majority control of the various House committees. The six years of newly-released returns, covering the years 2015 through 2020, show that Trump paid a total of $4.4 million in federal income taxes over that period, with an adjusted gross income of -$53.2 million…

“… there appeared to be few bombshells. In a statement on Truth Social, his social media platform, the former president said the returns showed ‘how proudly successful I have been’ and warned that ‘the Democrats should never have done it.’ Republicans echoed the latter sentiment, saying the release of the tax returns seemed to have a purely political motive, and opened the door for Republicans to do the same in future.”

There can be no doubt that Democrats acted because of a purely political motive.

CNN published the following opinion piece on December 30:

 “… we have long known the basic story. Trump is a bad businessman who seems to lose money on everything from casinos to golf clubs, with steaks and vodka and even a so-called university in between. So the main reason he often pays so little, if any, in taxes, is that he often reports a loss. He also lost other people’s money and got big tax breaks for that.

“Trump has benefitted from the huge head start given to him by his father Fred Trump, which continued to pay dividends with large capital gains from the sale of inherited property in 2018 (leading to Trump paying some taxes that year – just under $1 million)… Friday’s release has already shown, for example, that Trump did not donate his presidential salary to charities in 2020, as he had promised – he made no charitable gifts at all in 2020, when he paid no taxes…

“Given his massive and mysterious income tax refund of nearly $73 million in 2010, Trump may not have paid net positive income taxes in his life. And he is not alone. Many billionaires pay no income tax, and many do so perfectly legally.”

Obviously, something is terribly wrong with our tax system, and the employment of hundreds of IRS agents will only acerbate the problem by going mainly after the average hard-working tax-paying American citizen.

Trump Blames Pro-Life Republicans for Midterm Loss

Fox News wrote on January 2, 2023:

“Trump faced heavy criticism following midterm elections after Trump-endorsed candidates lost key close races across the country. Many commentators argued Trump had forced the party to put up bad candidates, but Trump now argues it was the fault of staunchly pro-life Republicans… ‘It was the “abortion issue,” poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of rape, incest or life of the mother, that lost large numbers of voters.’…

“Trump’s attack on pro-life voters comes as support for his 2024 presidential run has plummeted in the polls. Prior to the midterms, Trump was the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee, regularly winning primary polls with upward of 50% of the vote. Support has surged for Trump’s perceived rivals since the midterm losses of his handpicked candidates like Herschel Walker in Georgia, Kari Lake in Arizona and Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.

“A Wall Street Journal poll of Republican primary voters found last month that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leads Trump by double digits for the GOP nomination.”

Abortion for any reason is murder in the eyes of God. To allow for “exceptions” in order to gain more votes is shameful and appalling. One should not forget that Trump was a pro-choice supporter at one time. His remarks now bring back sad memories and pose the question as to what Trump is really convinced of.

AG Garland’s Unique Challenge

The Hill published the following opinion piece on January 2:

“[Attorney General] Merrick Garland will face two unprecedented scenarios: He could become the first attorney general in American history to indict a former president, as well as the first attorney general to be impeached by Congress.

“For months, Garland has faced the unenviable prospect of having to eventually decide whether or not to prosecute Donald Trump. There are two ongoing federal investigations into the former president: One involving his possible mishandling of classified documents and presidential records, and the other concerning his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol…

“Seeking political insulation, the attorney general appointed an independent special counsel, Jack Smith, to handle the DOJ’s active investigations into Trump after he announced his intention to seek the presidency again in 2024. But regardless of what Smith recommends, Garland will have the ultimate say in bringing an indictment, as the attorney general has the full power to override a special counsel’s recommendation.

“Appointing a special counsel does not offer Garland any real degree of political absolution, and he will personally bear the consequences of the department’s eventual decision…

“That being said, we cannot ignore this reality: An opposing party bringing criminal charges against a former president — who is again running for office — would set a dangerous and divisive precedent in the United States, and could turn the justice department into a perpetual political weapon… an indictment could embolden far more nefarious actors in the future to prosecute their political opponents with much less evidence of criminality.

“It is not an exaggeration to suggest that this could trigger a constitutional crisis, a civil war — or both…

“As damaging as an indictment would be to the country, an even greater threat to the republic would be if Garland makes the decision not to prosecute Trump if there is clear and unequivocal evidence that he committed a serious federal crime or multiple. That could jeopardize America’s endurance, stability and place in the world…

“But there is no denying that Merrick Garland, as the chief law enforcement officer in the United States, will face an unprecedented set of challenges in ultimately determining where that line is.”

It will be interesting to see what Garland is going to do.

Jordan Ready for Conflict With Israel

Israel 365 News wrote on December 29:

“Jordanian King Abdullah II on Wednesday said he was ready for a conflict should Israel’s incoming government violate ‘red lines’ by changing the status quo governing relations at Jerusalem’s holy sites… Jordan has since 1967 been the custodian of holy sites in the Israeli capital’s Old City, including the Al Aqsa Mosque that sits atop the Temple Mount, Judaism’s most sacred place.

“While Muslims are allowed to freely visit and worship at the mosque, Jews are severely restricted from accessing the site where two biblical temples stood and are banned from praying there, although the latter stringency has been relaxed in recent years.

“Abdullah also warned that the Palestinians could launch another terror war. ‘We have to be concerned about a next intifada,’ he said, adding: ‘If that happens, that’s a complete breakdown of law and order and one that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will benefit from…’

“A spokesman for Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday said the incoming Israeli government’s policy agenda constituted a ‘dangerous escalation.’ Nabil Abu Rudeineh issued a veiled warning that there would be ongoing violence unless a Palestinian state was created…”

The Middle East will never experience peace prior to Christ’s return.

Ben Gvir’s Visit to the Temple Mount

The Times of Israel wrote on January 2:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday about the latter’s stated intention to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which has drawn condemnations from the opposition and threats from the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group.

“The content of the conversation was not made public, but Hebrew media reports indicated that the two agreed that Ben Gvir would hold off on visiting the flashpoint site. A statement issued by Ben Gvir’s office said he would visit the Temple Mount as a minister ‘in the upcoming weeks,’ and not this week as reportedly planned.

“Unnamed associates of Ben Gvir who were cited by the Walla news site said the prime minister did not ask him to nix the visit altogether. According to the Ynet news site, Ben Gvir told Netanyahu, ‘We mustn’t cave to Hamas,’ after the terror group warned against the visit [stating it] would ‘blow up the situation.’”

Ben Gvir had announced that he intended to visit the Temple Mount on Tuesday, January 3, which is the tenth day of Tevet, a fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar that led to the destruction of the Temple. However, Ben Gvir went ahead with his original plan. Note the next article.

Ben Gvir Did Go Ahead With His Visit on Tuesday!

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 3:

“Israel’s new national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, on Tuesday visited a Jerusalem flashpoint holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. ‘The Temple Mount is open to all,’ the ultranationalist politician said afterward on Twitter…

“Ben-Gvir previously stated his intent to visit the site. This drew threats from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. The group runs Gaza and is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states… ‘Itamar Ben-Gvir must not go up to Temple Mount,’ opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid was quoted as saying… ‘It is a deliberate provocation that will put lives in danger and cost lives.’

“The paper reported earlier that Ben-Gvir had agreed to hold off on the visit after speaking with Netanyahu later that day. However, on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir went ahead with the visit, saying that the Israeli government ‘will not surrender to the threats of Hamas.’

“The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry said it ‘strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict.’… Jordan, which acts as custodian of the contested shrine, condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit ‘in the strongest terms.’’

“Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt also condemned what they described as the ‘storming’ of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.”

Storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound? Ridiculous, but it shows the unified hate by Arabs towards Israel.

BBC News reported on January 3:

“Jordan… summoned Israel’s ambassador in protest… Mr Ben-Gvir sent a message of defiance to Hamas, declaring: ‘No Israeli government that I’m a member of is going to bow to a despicable and murderous terror organisation… and if Hamas thinks that I’ll be deterred by its threats, it needs to accept that times have changed and that there’s a government in Jerusalem.’”

It is somewhat unclear whether Netanyahu ultimately gave his approval for the visit.

UN and EU vs. Israel

Israel 365 News reported on January 1, 2023:

“Israel’s prime minister on Saturday described as ‘disgraceful’ a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to render an opinion on the legal status of Judea and Samaria. ‘Just like the hundreds of distorted U.N. General Assembly resolutions against Israel over the years, today’s disgraceful resolution will not obligate the government of Israel,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. ‘The Jewish people is not occupying its land and is not occupying its eternal capital Jerusalem. No U.N. resolution can distort this historical truth,’ he added…

“Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, told JNS that the UNGA resolution ‘represents another stage in the political war against Israel, based on the cynical use of U.N. and international legal bodies.’ Behind the scenes, he said, ‘There is a network of European-funded NGOs who are driving the absurd campaign to isolate Israel as South Africa was under apartheid, and eventually seek the prosecution of Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court.’”

Israel Strikes Syrian Airport

The New York Post wrote on January 2, 2023:

“Israel’s military fired missiles toward the international airport of Syria’s capital [Damascus] early Monday, putting it out of service and killing two soldiers and wounding two others, the Syrian army said…

“Israel has targeted airports and ports in government-held parts of Syria in an apparent attempt to prevent arms shipments from Iran to militant groups backed by Tehran, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah…

“Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces…

“Israel says an Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line that justifies its strikes on facilities and weapons inside Syria.”

For further information on the future of Syria and the city of Damascus, read our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy” 

Worldwide Losses

The Financial Times wrote on December 30:

“Global stocks and bonds lost more than $30tn for 2022 after inflation, interest rate rises and the war in Ukraine triggered the heaviest losses in asset markets since the global financial crisis [in 2008]… with shares from Wall Street to Shanghai and Frankfurt all notching up significant falls… The market value of companies traded across all global stock exchanges tumbled by $25tn…”

CNBC added on December 30:

“Friday marked the final day of trading in what has been a painful year for stocks. All three of the major averages suffered their worst year since 2008… As the calendar turns to a new year, some investors think the pain is far from over. They expect the bear market to persist until a recession hits or the Fed pivots [that is, until the Fed completely changes its way which, sadly, cannot be expected]. Some also project stocks will hit new lows…”

The Bible speaks of perilous or “expensive” times which will confront us in the last days.

Brazil’s Current Economic Outlook

Aljazeera wrote on January 1:

“Compared with [Brazil’s new President] Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s [known as Lula’s] first two terms in office, from 2003-2010, the current economic outlook is gloomy. Inflation is hovering at 6 percent despite the central bank’s decision to raise interest rates to 13.75 percent in August, extending an 18-month tightening cycle.

“High borrowing costs look set to constrain investment and consumption, just as concerns over an impending global recession have started to undercut commodity markets…

“Today, the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is almost 90 percent…

“The upshot is that Lula will not be able to ride on the coattails of a 2000s-era growth spurt. He is also facing growing pressure to de-carbonise Brazil’s growth model and to reassert greater government control over Petrobras, the state-backed energy company. In short, he faces enormous challenges.”

It was suggested that left-wing “socialist” Lula may be forced to move more towards center, which would anger left-wing supporters.

Death of Former Pope Benedict XVI

BBC News wrote on December 31:

“He led the Catholic Church for fewer than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415… Joe Biden – only the second Catholic to serve as US president – said Pope Benedict ‘will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith’…

“Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Pope Benedict as a ‘defender of traditional Christian values,’ in his New Year address to the nation…

“In recent years… the Pope Emeritus became something of a lightning rod for some opposed to the new Pope. There had been speculation that Pope Francis, who himself has been suffering ill health, had been contemplating stepping down, but was reluctant to do so if it meant there would be three popes in Rome…

“Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict was 78 when in 2005 he became one of the oldest popes ever elected. For much of his papacy, the Catholic Church faced allegations, legal claims and official reports into decades of child abuse by priests….”

The Daily Mail added on December 31:

“He was elected pope on April 19, 2005 to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years… The first German pope in 1,000 years, Benedict himself acknowledged that he was a weak administrator…”

Now, After Benedict’s Death…

The Wall Street Journal wrote on January 4:

“Pope Francis has been the leader of the Catholic Church for almost 10 years, but he has been the only pope in the Vatican just since Saturday.

“The death of Pope Benedict XVI after a decade in retirement has ended an extraordinary arrangement that helped define the current pontificate. While Francis has already taken a markedly different tack than his predecessor, he may feel even freer to do so now…

“According to Cardinal Joseph Zen, a former bishop of Hong Kong… Pope Benedict was a restraining influence on Pope Francis on more than one occasion. In particular, he cites the decision by Pope Francis in 2020 not to make it easier to ordain married men as priests… ‘a Pope Emeritus, like every bishop and cardinal as long as he has breath and is of sound mind, must fulfill his duty as Successor of the Apostles to defend the sound tradition of the Church,’ Cardinal Zen wrote on his personal website on Tuesday…

“Already, one of the late pope’s closest confidants [Archbishop Georg Gänswein] has confirmed that Benedict privately disapproved of Francis’ 2021 decision to impose restrictions on the use of the traditional Latin Mass, which largely undid Benedict’s lifting of restrictions in 2007.”

Benedict—a Highly Controversial Figure

AFP wrote on December 31:

“He had previously served as the Church’s chief doctrinal enforcer, earning the nickname ‘God’s Rottweiler’ [“Panzerkardinal”] and a reputation as a generally conservative thinker on theological issues…

“He made waves during a 2009 trip to the Holy Land, where he called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“He… staunchly defended traditional Catholic teaching [against] abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage. Benedict rejected the ordination of women and marriage for priests and described same-sex relationships as destroying the essence of the human creature, drawing criticism for making the Church look out of touch.

“He angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians. In 2009, he offended Jews by lifting the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop…

“AIDS activists were angered when, on a trip to Africa, Benedict said condom use could be aggravating the crisis. However, he later became the first pope to sanction their use under certain circumstances to prevent HIV infection.

“…  he failed to stamp his authority on the Curia, the Church’s governing body, and also appeared to have lost control of his household. In 2012, his butler Paolo Gabriele leaked secret papers to the media, an act of betrayal which profoundly saddened the pontiff. His papacy was also marred by a money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among Benedict’s closest allies.”

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.

Worst Winter Storm in Decades in the USA

The Associated Press wrote on December 25:

“Millions of people hunkered down in a deep freeze overnight and early morning to ride out the frigid storm that has killed at least 24 people across the United States, trapping some residents inside homes with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to several hundred thousand homes and businesses.

“The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians…

“Some 1,346 domestic and international flights were canceled as of early Sunday… Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.

“The storm unleashed its full fury on Buffalo, with hurricane-force winds and snow causing whiteout conditions, paralyzing emergency response efforts… and shutting down the airport through Monday…

“The storm knocked out power in communities from Maine to Seattle… Across the six New England states, about 121,300 customers remained without power on Sunday, with Maine still the hardest hit…

“In South Florida, temperatures dropped to as low as 43 degrees (6.1 degrees Celsius) in West Palm Beach. The temperature drop was conducive to iguanas falling out of trees since the cold-blooded reptiles typically become immobilized in unusually cold weather.”

So much for man-made global warming.

Southwest Airlines Chaos

OpentheBooks Substack wrote on December 27:

“Southwest Airlines received $7.2 billion in federal subsidies for payroll and operations since 2020. However, the airline stranded tens of thousands of passengers around the country on the Christmas holiday when it canceled 5,400 flights in less than 48 hours…

“Southwest is blaming the failure on a crash of its internal systems that schedule flight crews and pilots. A union for Southwest Airlines flight attendants attributed the meltdown to outdated scheduling systems that should have been upgraded years ago.

“Late yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it opened a federal investigation into the airline… [CITING] concern about an ‘unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays and reports of lack of prompt customer service.’

“Indeed. The Southwest mobile app, phone lines, and website were offline for much of yesterday afternoon and evening. In major hubs like Chicago Midway, some in-person customer service personnel walked off the job with hundreds of stranded passengers waiting to reschedule cancelled flights.

“Once bags were checked, the bags flew to final destinations even though no flights were available for canceled passengers. Stranded passengers found this baggage policy completely unacceptable – passengers were not able to reclaim checked luggage after flights were cancelled.

“It was absolute chaos for thousands and a logistical nightmare for the airline that won’t be solved for weeks…

“In September 2020, as part of massive COVID relief packages, Southwest received a $3.3 billion from the federal government. Its stock price also received a boost, with the US Treasury agreeing to purchase 1,054,907 shares of Southwest stock as part of the deal. In April 2021, as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act and other subsidies, Southwest received another $3.8 billion…

“In total, federal aid to the entire airline industry amounted to $64 billion in cash and loans during the Covid-period… While some of the aid was technically a loan, for example, Southwest only has to pay back 30% of the first $3.3 billion ($976 million) at a low interest rate over a ten year period.

“Southwest received so much federal aid, they turned a profit of $116 million in 2021… Other airlines were also received their cut of pandemic aid, of course, with the Treasury awarding over $37 billion of the first $54 billion in payroll support to the top ten airlines alone.

“During the 2022 Christmas holiday period, those airlines were able to keep their planes flying, by and large.”

Southwest Airline Chaos Continues

Newsmax wrote on December 28:

“Families hoping to catch a Southwest Airlines flight after days of cancellations, missing luggage and missed family connections suffered through another wave of scrubbed flights, with more than 2,500 pulled from arrival and departure boards Wednesday… In all, Southwest has canceled more than 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel Thursday… And the chaos seemed certain to continue. Southwest already has scrubbed nearly 1,400 for Thursday…

“Southwest’s problems began over the weekend and snowballed Monday, when Southwest called off more than 70% of its flights. That was after the worst of the storm had passed…  Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said the airline failed to fix problems that caused a similar meltdown in October 2021. ‘There is a lot of frustration because this is so preventable,’ Murray said. ‘The airline cannot connect crews to airplanes. The airline didn’t even know where pilots were at.’…

“The size and severity of the storm created havoc for many airlines, although the largest number of canceled flights Tuesday were at airports where Southwest is a major carrier… Spirit Airlines and Alaska Airlines both canceled about 10% of their flights, with much smaller cancellation percentages at American, Delta, United and JetBlue…”

Obviously, the storm cannot be blamed for Southwest Airlines’ incredible incompetence.

Shameful Omnibus Bill Approved

Breitbart wrote on December 23:

“The House passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill Friday by a vote of 225-201-1. Nine Republicans voted for the bill… Many of the GOP ‘yes’ votes came from outgoing members who lost their reelection bids in the 2022 cycle or are retiring [Of course, “RINOs” Adam Kinzinger  and Liz Cheney were among those “Republicans” voting for the scandalous bill. They might have figured, “I might as well vote for it, because my political career is over anyhow.”]…. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was the only Democrat ‘no’ vote. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) voted present…

“The House rushed to vote on the bill before the looming government shutdown Friday night. The omnibus passed the Senate by a vote of 68-29 on Thursday afternoon. Eighteen Republican Senators voted for the 4,155-page bill [Shame on them]…

“Critics of the bill opposed the $45 billion aid to Ukraine. That $45 billion is in addition to the $66 billion of taxpayers’ money lawmakers have already approved for Ukraine… America’s debt stands at over $31 trillion.”

Republican Opposition

Fox News wrote on December 23:

“House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy blasted the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill after it passed on Friday, calling it a ‘stain’ on this Congress… ‘For the first time in history, a bill in the House was passed without a physical quorum present—more people voted by proxy than in person,’ McCarthy tweeted… adding that proxy voting will be repealed…

“In total, the omnibus contains 7,200 earmarks that add up to over $15 billion. The bill drew complaints from Republicans and some Democrats, with Sen. Rand Paul R-Ky., saying that ‘The process stinks. It’s an abomination. It’s a no good, rotten way to run your government. $6 trillion entity. And they want 24 hours to process this and then they want to go forward,’ Paul said.”

McCarthy also criticized the bill for forwarding various “left-wing pet projects.” He said: “This is a monstrosity. That is one of the most shameful acts I’ve ever seen in this body,” continuing, “The appropriations process has failed the American public, and there’s no greater example of the nail in the coffin of the greatest failure of a one-party rule of the House, the Senate, and the presidency.”

Washington is doomed. America is doomed. Competent leadership is missing. This is a fiasco with a circus of leaders who should never be responsible for running the country. But Satan is the god, prince and ruler of this world, and those not being called by God (and very few are in this day and age) are following the Devil’s evil desires and devices.

This is even more appalling when considering the incredibly high amount of taxes which hard-working Americans have to pay to the government which is just misusing, pilfering and wasting taxpayers’ money. But an accounting will come when Jesus Christ returns to this earth, replacing all these incompetent leaders and demanding a reckoning for their evil deeds.

Just to name a few “pork” examples, the ludicrous omnibus bill includes, according to Breitbart, $11 million for LGBT-related projects; $410 million for border security for other countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman; $1.5 million for the “COVID–19 American History Project”; $3.6 million for the establishment of a Michelle Obama Trail in Georgia; and $2 million in taxpayer dollars for the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; and $2.3 million for the Allotment (going to the Secretary of Education) to “conduct outreach to borrowers” who could qualify for the Biden administration’s stalled plan to cancel the debt of student loan borrowers.

We doubt that tax-payers, IF they were asked, would approve of any of this wasteful spending, while they are suffering to bring food on the table and make ends meet. Please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Omnibus Bill—An Insane Way to Run the Country.” 

The entirely POLITICAL nature of this bill can also be seen, when considering the following two examples.

It’s Just Political

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 23:

“The sweeping package includes $45 billion for Ukraine aid… The legislation was passed just days after… Zelenskyy visited the White House to argue for the $45 billion aid. Failure to place the bill on Biden’s desk would have been a foreign policy embarrassment.

“One of the key provisions of the bill includes an overhaul of the 1887 Electoral Count Act… The new revision makes it clear that vice presidents do not have the power to overturn elections… Trump had exploited the loosely worded text of the 19th century law to argue that his deputy—Mike Pence—could halt the transfer of power.

“In response, Pence issued a statement rejecting the then-president’s claims that he could subvert the outcome of the election.”

Under the old law, Pence’s conclusion was highly debatable.

America’s Absolutely Corrupt and Incompetent Congress

Fox News wrote on December 25:

“Believe it or not, despite weeks of machinations, a 4,100-page bill and a House roll call vote on Dec. 23, Congress still missed its deadline to fund the government… Lawmakers dithered for weeks – dragging out the final vote on the omnibus spending bill until nearly the last moment…

“A big, complicated bill like the omnibus must be ‘engrossed’ and ‘enrolled.’ Engrossment refers to the final version of legislation when passed by one body or other – but before it’s sent to the other chamber. In other words, the Senate passed the omnibus and then altered the legislation on the fly, adopting a host of amendments. So, upon passage, the Senate sent the tweaked version to the House to pass.

“Once the House approved the bill [better, rubber-stamped, without even reading it], both bodies were in sync. But, it would take time for congressional enrollment clerks to finalize the bill for President Biden’s signature. This is not an easy process. In fact, it was likely the enrollment clerks would need a couple of days to get the bill into proper parliamentary form as it was…

“Federal law requires Congress to print the legislation on parchment. That’s a practice which dates back to the beginning of the republic. Printing the bills on parchment was a method to protect Congress against forgeries. Plus, the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate need to sign the bill. So, the technical process of getting the omnibus to the president to sign before the Friday night deadline was out of the question. This was going to take until a few days after Christmas at the earliest…

“Very quietly… both the House and Senate approved yet another interim spending bill. This would just keep the lights on for a few days, giving the enrollment clerks time to prepare the bill. It would only run through Dec. 30…”

This is SO incompetent and appalling. America’s governmental system is becoming a mockery.

Kamala Harris Strong Leader?

The New York Post wrote on December 23:

“Vice President Kamala Harris complained this week about poor media coverage — during a friendly interview with a Washington Post columnist — moaning that the press doesn’t focus on what she called ‘the strength of my leadership.’…

“[Interviewer] Capehart argued that contrary to conventional wisdom, Harris, 58, has ‘had a most excellent year’… Capehart [cited] Harris’ appearance at the Munich Security Conference in February just prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What he did not mention was that Harris was roundly mocked for telling reporters at that conference that Europe had enjoyed ‘peace and security’ since the end of World War II.

“That remark, as many critics pointed out, ignored the 40-year Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe, the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and annexation of Crimea in 2014.”

We would be hard-pressed naming a vice president as incompetent as Kamala Harris. Her proud self-adoration of strong leadership would be laughable, if it were not that serious.

The Shameful Action of the FBI

The Ron Paul Institute published on December 23 the following article by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“It is not clear what is more chilling: the menacing role played by the … FBI in Twitter’s censorship program or its mendacious response to the disclosure of that role. This week saw another FBI ‘nothing-to-see-here’ statement to the release of files detailing how it actively sought to suppress the Hunter Biden story before the 2020 election, gave millions to Twitter, and targeted even satire or tiny posts that did not conform with its guidelines… The FBI has largely shrugged and said that there is nothing concerning about over 80 agents working on the censoring of posters, including many American citizens.

“… the FBI is now adopting the language of pundits on the left that any objections to its role in censorship is a ‘conspiracy theory’… it is attacking free speech advocates who are raising the concern that Twitter had become an agent of the government in censorship. Notably, Twitter itself now believes that such an agency relationship existed.

“[The FBI] is still engaged in framing public opinion and echoing the narrative being advanced by the White House…”

As is so often the case, the villain becomes a denier or even the accuser.

How Twitter Suppressed COVID Information

Newsmax wrote on December 26:

“Twitter helped manipulate the COVID-19 debate by relenting to government pressure and censoring content related to the virus, according to the latest ‘Twitter Files’ release.

“Reporter David Zweig on Monday morning took to Twitter to post about COVID-19-related actions by the social media platform before billionaire Elon Musk assumed control… The reporter cited numerous examples, including how Twitter suspended journalist Alex Berenson hours after President Joe Biden, in the summer of 2021, said social media companies were ‘killing people’ for allowing vaccine misinformation. ‘Berenson sued (and then settled with) Twitter. In the legal process Twitter was compelled to release certain internal communications, which showed direct White House pressure on the company to take action on Berenson,’ Zweig tweeted.

“A recent summary of meetings with the White House by Lauren Culbertson, Twitter’s head of U.S. public policy, said the Biden team ‘was “very angry” that Twitter had not been more aggressive in deplatforming multiple accounts. They wanted Twitter to do more,’ Zweig tweeted… Twitter ‘did suppress views — many from doctors and scientific experts — that conflicted with the official positions of the White House. As a result, legitimate findings and questions that would have expanded the public debate went missing.’

“That included some experts’ opinions, despite being in line with vaccine policies in numerous other countries, being labeled ‘false information’ because they differed from the CDC guidelines. Zweig said that internal files he viewed showed that both the Trump and Biden administrations pressed Twitter executives and other social media platforms to moderate pandemic content.

“Zweig’s 40 posts on Monday morning concluded with an obvious question. ‘What might this pandemic and its aftermath have looked like if there had been a more open debate on Twitter and other social media platforms — not to mention the mainstream press — about the origins of Covid, about lockdowns, about the true risks of Covid in kids, and much more?’…”

A good question, but this was not in the government’s interest, showing how WRONG the government [with the “guidance” of Dr. Fauci and others] has been in dealing with COVID 19. And the government CONTINUES to be wrong with its ridiculous vaccine “recommendations” and mandates.  

How the Mass Media and the US Government Colluded on the Corona Narrative

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 28:

“From the beginning of the Covid panic, it felt that something was very wrong. Never had a pandemic, much less a seasonal pathogenic wave, been treated as a quasi-military emergency requiring the upending of all freedoms and rights… And what applies at Twitter pertains equally to Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and all platforms associated with those companies (YouTube, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp)… These platforms colluded with the federal government’s administrative arm to craft a particular Covid narrative, throttling and censoring dissidents and boosting any credentialed expert who was willing to toe the line.

“At this point, it is wise to trust no one and nothing but those who fought against this nonsense… I watched the population gradually fall into a medieval-style disease panic that tore families apart, kept loved ones from traveling, wrecked businesses and churches, and even violated the sanctity of the homes… The closing down of opinion and debate resulted in unspeakable human carnage. And even as I write, the largest sources of the mainstream media are still refusing to report on this...”

The Corrupt Conduct of the January 6 Sham-and-Farce Committee

On December 213, Life Site News reprinted the following article by WND News Center:

“A partisan congressional committee this week blamed former President Donald Trump for the January 6 riot at the Capitol that left an unarmed protester dead at the hands of police, asking the Department of Justice to investigate and charge him with four crimes. However, a new report from the House GOP suggested that outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her staff were more culpable than they’ve ever admitted…

“Jim Jordan (R–OH) who soon will be the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and heading up various investigations, said, ‘The reason there wasn’t a proper security presence on that day goes right to the speaker’s staff and the speaker’s office.’ It’s been reported before that Trump had offered additional National Guard troops to be present at the Capitol that day, but those responsible for security of the building, including Pelosi, refused.

“That day hundreds of protesters amassed outside the Capitol to protest the expected congressional confirmation of President Joe Biden’s move into the White House, on the belief the election was stolen from President Trump… what has been documented are at least two significant influences on the election, either of which could have taken the win away from Trump.

“One was the $400 million-plus Mark Zuckerberg handed out, through foundations, to various local election officials who often used it for get-out-the-vote schemes in Democrat strongholds. The other was the decision by the FBI to interfere in the election and tell social media to beware of ‘disinformation’ about Hunter Biden’s scandal-ridden laptop computer, which he abandoned at a repair shop. However, the reporting on the Biden family schemes revealed that was all accurate…

“Just the News said while Pelosi denied any power over Capitol police or influence on security, ‘Two years later, that claim is directly challenged by contemporaneous text and email messages made public by five House Republicans showing her staff had direct contact with the officials who planned the security and even edited some of the plans and notifications in the fateful days before tragedy struck.’ And the details ‘are prompting serious questions about whether the January 6 Capitol breach could have been prevented while creating a new push for Republicans to summon Pelosi for testimony after they take over the House next month.’…

“Just the News reported police whistleblowers confirmed there were enough warnings that violence would occur, but ‘the leadership of the Capitol Police failed to adjust the security plan to address the threat while the political leadership in Congress repeatedly refused to provide resources to secure the building.’ Whistleblowers confirmed ‘congressional security leaders turned down resources like armed officers or National Guard troops ahead of the tragedy because of concerns about the political optics.’

“The document reveals House security planners slammed Pelosi for failing to provide the resources necessary for Capitol security. It was House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving who had to resign after the riot, but Just the News reported staff members believed he, and Capitol Police Chief Steve Sund, were made the ‘fall guys.’…”

All of this, and much more, has been reported before, but the sham-and-farce Committee, in its desire to blame Trump and protect Pelosi and other Democrats, chose to ignore these reports. In regard to Trump’s asking for National Guards, the Committee just said there was no “evidence” for that claim. And even though admitting that Trump did tweet twice right after the riot had begun, stating that violence should cease, the Committee said the tweets had no impact, apparently concluding that it could therefore ignore them.

American Rabbis Oppose Israel’s New Government

The Algemeiner wrote on December 23:

“Over 330 senior American rabbis are vowing to ban members of the far-right Religious Zionism bloc in Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming government from appearing at their synagogues… Following a convincing victory to the right-wing bloc in November’s general election, Netanyahu brought in members of a far-right faction and promised an expanded national security ministry to firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir… The incoming government, which Netanyahu announced he formed late Wednesday, is expected to be the most right-wing in Israel’s history…

“An open letter from rabbis and other Jewish community leaders in the U.S. charges that the policies of Ben-Gvir and his associates ‘will cause irreparable harm to the Israel-Jewish Diaspora relationship.’ The signatories say they will not invite members of the bloc ‘to speak at our congregations and organizations. We will speak out against their participation in other forums across our communities. We will encourage the boards of our congregations and organizations to join us in this protest as a demonstration of our commitment to our Jewish and democratic values.’

“… However, not a single Orthodox rabbi signed the document.”

The anti-Israel stance by many left-wing American Jews is well-known. The rabbis’ “open letter” is another interesting development as the Bible says in the Book of Zechariah that Judah will fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:14; Revised Standard Version).

Russia’s Plan on the World Scene

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said there will be no more joint projects with the European Union and said Moscow will instead turn to ‘like-minded’ allies for future diplomatic partnerships… The minister’s comments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin has increasingly looked to bolster ties with China and Iran in recent months, turning to the latter for arms as its looks to shore up economic ties with Beijing…

“The Russian foreign minister accused the EU of following in the footsteps of the U.S. and NATO… Lavrov has repeatedly accused the U.S. and its Western allies of waging war against Russia by providing Ukraine with defensive and humanitarian aid – including financial support to help Kyiv restore its energy infrastructure which Russia began targeting ahead of winter…”

Preparations are being made for the prophesied emergence of the kings of the East.

Putin Calls Netanyahu

Israel Today wrote on December 23:

“Just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was feted in the White House and US Congress, Wednesday, and hours after incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had formed a government, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Israeli to congratulate him on winning the General Election seven weeks before…  The two leaders reportedly spoke about Ukraine, with Netanyahu expressing his hope that a way would be found to bring the conflict to an end… Some journalists speculated that, going forward, Netanyahu might make an effort to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow…

“Other observers pointed to another ‘coincidental’ state visit taking place as Zelenskyy jetted across the Atlantic – that of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese President Xi Xinping in Beijing to discuss ‘advancing the bilateral relations in a new era and jointly promot[ing] global governance in a more just and reasonable direction’. These commentators suggested that Putin might have thoughts about trying to manoeuvre Israel into Russia’s orbit by driving a wedge between allies.”

No doubt, and Europe in particular will turn against Israel even more forcefully. And that with the help of Turkey, Jordan and other Arab nations, as Psalm 83 explains. We even read that America will be against Great Britain, and vice versa, and both will be against Israel (Isaiah 9:21).

Knesset Members Strongly Condemn the EU

Israel 365 News reported on December 23:

“Forty Knesset members sent an open letter to European Union leaders on Tuesday, protesting the recently exposed E.U. document outlining a strategy to expand the Palestinian presence in Israeli-controlled territory in Judea and Samaria. ‘[W]e learned of an official policy document of the European Union, a document the gravity of which cannot be overstated, one that leaves no room for doubt as to the one-sidedness and animosity of the E.U. towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people,’ the Knesset members wrote.

“Their letter was addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; Charles Michel, president of the European Council; and Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament.

“‘The document completely ignores our people’s historical affinity to our homeland, completely ignores the political agreements and the status of the State of Israel in Area C and seeks to establish the 1949 borders as Israel’s final-status permanent borders—in complete disregard of the Jewish communities in the area,’ the letter continued… ‘Your efforts to expedite the Palestinian Authority’s seizure of Area C… constitute an extremely grave breach of the relationship between Israel and the European Union, causing irreplaceable damage to natural and archaeological treasures throughout Judea and Samaria,’ the lawmakers said.

“‘We were apparently mistaken in thinking that racist, religious hatred of Jews and Israel was a thing of the past. It saddens us to discover time and time again that under the thin veneer of the E.U.’s civility and manners and the seeming concern for human rights, the same old blood libels can be found, along with the same flames of primitive hatred that seek this time to persecute—not the individual Jew, but the tiny Jewish state,’ the Knesset members wrote.

“The letter concludes by calling on the E.U. to halt all illegal construction in sovereign Israeli territory, especially Area C; halt the damage done by E.U.-funded illegal activity to heritage sites and nature in Judea and Samaria; desist from funding delegitimization groups that promote antisemitism against the State of Israel; and cease funding Israeli organizations that promote E.U. foreign policy interests.”

Strong words. Will Europe listen? The answer should be obvious, and all lip-services aside, the Bible is very clear that there is a deep-seated European hatred for the state of Israel.

The EU’s Subversion of Israel

 Jewish News Syndicate wrote on December 22:

“Earlier this week, Israel’s Channel 13 revealed that a document drafted by the European Commission in eastern Jerusalem proposed helping the Palestinian Authority secretly take control of land in Area C—which is supposed to be under full Israeli control according to the Oslo Accords—and suggested using left-wing NGOs in Israel for this purpose.

“The document… said the E.U. should map the land to ‘prove’ Palestinian Arab rights in the disputed territories, as well as violate local land-planning law, without leaving any trace of its activities. The document also called for ‘following and monitoring Israeli archaeological activity in the area,’ claiming that this was being used as a pretext for settlement building in Judea and Samaria.

“What this really means is that the E.U. wants to stop these excavations because they are consistently uncovering indisputable archaeological proof that the Jews are the indigenous people of the land. By saying it wants to ‘prove’ Palestinian rights to the land, the E.U. revealed its true intention: to fabricate an entitlement that doesn’t exist. The only people with a legal, historical and moral claim to the land are the Jews… the E.U. and the Palestinian Arabs who are stealing land to which the Arabs have no entitlement… the Palestinian Authority and the E.U. are rapidly annexing areas surrounding Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria…

“The E.U. is in effect helping the Palestinians build a state in Judea and Samaria. It is also helping the Bedouin illegally carve up the Negev in a further dire threat to Israel’s security…

“Now the E.U. has been engulfed by revelations of a corrupt relationship with Qatar—the sponsor of Hamas and mortal foe of Israel. While details are still unfolding, this axis isn’t surprising. There’s a nexus between the universalism embodied by the E.U. and the desire to bring down Israel…”

Ultimately, the EU, under German leadership, WILL become a mortal enemy of the state of Israel. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Europe Against Ukraine and Israel – YouTube”

Discussions in a Knesset Committee about the Third Temple

Israel 365 News wrote on December 22:

“During a discussion in a Knesset committee concerning a new law, a question was raised about its application after the construction of the Third Temple. Though the suggestion was in jest and generated light-hearted banter, most of the opposition to the law came from the religious MKs while many of the non-religious lawmakers said they supported the law and did not oppose the Temple…

“The question was raised by MK Michal Shir (Yesh Atid), a non-religious MK, if the government would be able, or even required to appoint an additional minister if the Third Temple is constructed. It should be noted that Shir opposed the bill and clearly intended the question to be a critical note of sarcasm to illustrate the shortcomings of the intended law.

“The suggestion caused a bit of consternation as questions were raised if voting in favor of the amendment implied support for the construction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Several MKs noted that they favored the law but not the Temple. Others noted that they opposed the law but not the Temple.

“This caused a moment of confusion when a vote was called with one MK asking if they were voting for the Temple or the amendment. Several of the religious MKs voted ‘Nay’, presumably opposing the amendment but not necessarily opposing the Third Temple. ‘You see, the Reform Jews will make the Temple for us,’ one religious MK noted. ‘I have no problem that there will be a Temple,’ MK Shir said. ‘It may as well come tomorrow, as far as I am concerned.’”

One must ask the question why “schizophrenic” RELIGIOUS MKs opposed the concept of building the Third Temple. Is it because of fear of political repercussions and reactions?

Croatia Adopts the Euro

The Los Angeles Times wrote on December 22:

“More than nine years after Croatia became the European Union’s newest member, the country is on a roll to make the most of its status as the EU member in the Western Balkans. [Croatia joined the EU in 2013, the last time the bloc admitted a new member]…

“Croatia is adopting the EU’s common currency, the euro, and joining the Schengen Area, Europe’s visa-free travel zone, on Jan. 1. Officials in the small nation of 4 million people say the developments will be remembered as one of the country’s biggest achievements since it gained independence during the breakup of Yugoslavia 31 years ago.

“Adopting the euro offers economic benefits stemming from deeper financial ties with the currency’s 19 other users and with the European Central Bank. It also means that the 340 million people who live in the current Eurozone will no longer need to exchange their euros for Croatian kuna. Schengen Area membership allows travelers to enter the country… from other Schengen nations without stopping at border controls.

“‘After 10 years of membership [in the EU], we intentionally and deservedly reached the stage where we would become the only country in history to join the Schengen and euro zones on the same day,’ Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at a recent business conference on the upcoming integration milestones. ‘Some countries achieved the two goals one after another over a relatively short period of time, but none achieved both on the same day,’ he said…

“But not all Croats are so excited by the upcoming changes, especially the phasing out of their national currency. Some are sentimental about the kuna, which was introduced to secure monetary autonomy after Croatia’s split from the former Yugoslavia and after a devastating 1991-95 war…

“The Croatian kuna and the euro will be in dual use for cash payments for only 14 days, but as people enjoy post-holiday sales in January, they will receive only euros in change.”

More and more nations are joining the euro and the Schengen community, but this alone will not help Europe become a great economic powerhouse. Note the next article.

Europe—and Especially Germany—Is a Mess!

The Hill wrote on December 20:

“Europe is a mess. The three basic pillars of power have remained the same since the time of the ancient Greeks. What is the state of a country’s army? What is the state of a country’s economy? How politically unified is a country to act both within and beyond its borders? By these exacting and unchanging political risk standards, Europe remains a busted flush as a great power, a political entity promising much and perpetually underdelivering.

“First, the continent punches way below its weight in terms of its military. Germany, both Europe’s greatest power and the source of many of its ills, is a case in point. Berlin long has outsourced its military policy to America, its energy policy to Russia (ruinously), and its trade policy to China. Rather than serving as the engine of the European Union as a rising power, instead Germany has been an intellectual black hole over the past generation where every good idea for Europe’s revival goes to die.

“Whereas the U.S. will spend 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense, only France comes close to NATO’s required 2 percent of spending at 1.9 percent. In contrast, Italy will spend only 1.5 percent, Germany a laughable 1.4 percent, and Spain a risible 1 percent. This isn’t remotely intellectually serious even as the problem has festered for a generation…

“Economically, Europe is also so much less than meets the eye… Germany — the continent’s undoubted economic powerhouse — best explains the problem. Here the Ukraine war has done more than point out Germany’s military follies; it also underlines the fact that its vaunted economic model is now irretrievably broken.

“The German model was based on buying cheap Russian energy to make high-end products (machine tools, petrochemicals, luxury cars)… Now, in our dawning age of insecurity, the Russian cheap energy inputs that the German model requires are definitively at an end… The German model is definitively broken, and nothing has yet emerged to take its place…

“Finally, Europe is a Tower of Babel. How could it be otherwise? There are 27 countries in the European Union… As such, the EU’s policy outputs, even when generally on the money, will always amount to half-measures, compromises that do not genuinely ‘solve’ any of its problems.

“The common position on Ukraine is a case in point. Beneath a surface agreement about the war, deep fissures exist on the continent… As the war drags on into 2023, look for these hairline cracks to become canyons.

“Militarily anemic, economically sclerotic, and politically divided — this is the reality of a Europe that has been mastered by history over the past generation. It must face up to these festering problems… And there is simply no more time to waste.”

That is why ten European core nations or groups of nations will emerge, and they will in turn give their power to a European dictator of German or Austrian descent (compare Revelation 17:12-13).

Europe’s Humiliation

The Telegraph wrote on December 22:

 “Naturally, President Zelensky’s appearance before Congress as a war-time leader appealing for American support, has been likened to Winston Churchill’s address on almost exactly the same date in 1941. Yet by then the US had declared war on Germany and victory was arguably assured. Today in Ukraine, victory is far from assured. Putin could still win.

“A more appropriate comparison would be with Churchill’s conference with Franklin D Roosevelt on board the USS Augusta and HMS Prince of Wales in August 1941. As with Ukraine, the US had been supplying arms to the UK. Churchill’s purpose, like Zelensky’s, was to consolidate US support for a long war ahead.

“Though even this is not like-for-like. In 1941, with all of Europe occupied, Churchill had nowhere else to turn. That is, of course, not the situation today – Europe is free and prosperous. So why did Zelensky not make his address to the European Parliament in Brussels instead? Indeed, how extraordinary that after decades of peace on the Continent, with European nations claiming to have learnt the lessons of the Second World War, a fellow European nation battling tyranny still has to rely on the United States above its neighbours.

“Despite a comparable GDP to the US… EU countries are supplying less than half that of the US… Some of the wealthiest nations on the Continent have inadequate supplies to maintain their own sovereignty, let alone that of Ukraine or the West.

“But this is no excuse. The weakness of European will since February has been disgraceful. Remember when, as Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders, several Western European countries were so terrified of antagonising Putin that they balked at the idea of providing even small, defensive-only equipment? For a time, Germany refused all arms exports, limiting military aid to 5,000 combat helmets and doing its best to hold up weapons supplies from Eastern European Nato members…

“France, with the second largest economy in the EU, is still only the 11th largest donor in the world. Germany, meanwhile, has repeatedly failed to follow through on the commitments it eventually made. Its ‘tank swap’, a scheme to replace Soviet-era tanks with German models, still remains largely unfulfilled. Thus, with the notable exception of brave Eastern European governments like those of Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, the Continent’s leaders have failed Ukraine.

“No wonder Zelensky had far more praise for Boris Johnson than either Macron or Scholz. And who can blame him for travelling across the Atlantic first? For without British and American strategy and leadership, EU nations would almost certainly have defaulted to their habitual compromise and capitulation, pressuring Zelensky into negotiations on Putin’s terms. Indeed, Macron pretty much confirmed that on his recent visit to Washington when he ridiculously spoke of Nato making security guarantees to Russia if negotiations began, when his talk should only have been of Russian guarantees to Ukraine… In 2022, the EU showed the world that, when push comes to shove, it is nowhere to be found. Now Britain, like Zelensky, is better off staying closer to Washington than Brussels.”

Ultimately, Ukraine and Russia will unite AGAINST Europe. And Europe will become a deadly enemy of the USA and Britain.

The Pope’s Cryptic Message

Life Site News wrote on December 22:

“In his annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia, Pope Francis claimed that ‘true heresy’ involved not only ‘preaching another Gospel’ but in neglecting to ‘translate it into today’s languages and ways of thinking.’…

“Reiterating his argument for some kind of development of doctrine in ‘form,’ Francis employed the words of Scripture and placed his own interpretation on them, stating: ‘True heresy consists not only in preaching another gospel… as… Paul told us, but also in ceasing to translate its message into today’s languages and ways of thinking, which is precisely what the Apostle of the Gentiles did. To preserve means to keep alive and not to imprison the message of Christ.’

“The Pontiff did not expand on what imprisoning the message of Christ might look like, or how the Roman Curia was to change the ‘form’ of the Gospel while somehow keeping the ‘substance’ the same…

“Pope Francis has used such language… with increasing regularity over the past years. In his recent address to the International Theological Commission, Francis urged them to avoid ‘going backward’ in ‘Tradition’ instead asking them to promote the Gospel by consulting non-Catholic ‘experts.’… Pope Francis’ promotion of such themes is being evidenced through the agenda of his Synod on Synodality – which is pushing for female deacons and wider ‘inclusion’…”

Core Europe will unite with and under the tutelage of the Catholic Church. A new “Holy Roman Empire” will emerge—the last European revival of ancient Rome.

Pope Ignorant of the True Jesus

The Associated Press wrote on December 24:

“Recalling Jesus’ birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those ‘ravenous’ for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty and greedy consumerism. In the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis presided over the evening Mass attended by about 7,000 faithful, including tourists and pilgrims… ‘Jesus was born poor, lived poor and died poor,’ Francis said…

“When the Mass ended, the pope, pushed in a wheelchair by an aide, moved down the basilica with a life-sized statue of Baby Jesus on his lap and flanked by several children carrying bouquets. The statue then was placed in a manger in a creche scene in the basilica.”

The contrast between the Catholic Church’s incredible riches and the Pope’s plea to help the poor should be noted, as well as the irony of making that plea “in the splendor” of St. Peter’s Basilica. But it is absolutely false to say that Jesus lived and died poor. Also, to carry a statute of Jesus is in violation of God’s Ten Commandments. Please read our booklets, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?” and “The Ten Commandments.”

Christmas Customs in Germany

The Local wrote on December 24:

“As is the case across most of Western Europe, Germany’s main day of celebration for Christmas is the 24th, the so-called ‘Heiligabend’. In the morning of the 24th, the Christmas tree is put up and decorated, and in the evening, children get to open their presents. Shops usually close earlier on this day, and businesses shut for the whole day or a half day.

“However, while Christmas Eve is the main event of the German Christmas calendar, the 25th and 26th are still designated ‘Feiertage’ (celebration days/holidays) with their own festive traditions…

“Christmas tree praising is a fabulous tradition in southern Germany, specifically southern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where visitors come to your home to admire and compliment your tree, usually with a reward of one (but probably a few more) glasses of schnapps. Because Christmas trees are traditionally put up on Christmas Eve in Germany (at least traditionally), the praising of the Christmas tree occurs during the period “zwischen den Jahren”, or between the years, meaning the period between Christmas and New Year.

“While this tradition can happen between neighbours – and can be a great way to get to know your community – it is often a feature of a group; for example, the staff of a small business or members of a football team will go to each individual’s house to praise their Christmas trees one by one. The praising can sometimes take an entire day and can end up quite merry. It can also get pretty competitive, with the most lavish, over the top tree being hailed the winner and given a special prize (most likely also in the form of a festive beverage).”

This adoration and worship of the Christmas tree is aptly described and condemned in the Bible. Compare Jeremiah 10.

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.

The FBI’s Inappropriate Conduct in the Twitter Scandal

The New York Post wrote on December 19:

“The FBI reimbursed Twitter to the tune of more than $3 million as it pushed the social media company to ban accounts and target so-called ‘foreign influence’ operations, the latest installment of the ‘Twitter Files’ revealed on Monday.

“In an email dated Feb. 10, 2021, an unidentified Twitter employee told then-deputy general counsel Jim Baker and then-general counsel Sean Edgett that ‘we have collected $3,415,323 since October 2019! The email, published by independent journalist Michael Shellenberger, explained that Twitter’s Safety, Content & Law Enforcement (SCALE) division had instituted a ‘reimbursement program’ in exchange for devoting staff hours to ‘processing requests from the FBI.’

“The message added that Twitter had opted not to exercise its right of reimbursement prior to October 2019, though it did not say why… The reports by Shellenberger and fellow independent journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss, have revealed extensive collaboration and employee overlap between Twitter and the FBI, who Taibbi reported last week treated the social media company as a ‘subsidiary’ and repeatedly reported supposed ‘misinformation.’

“In the sixth installment of the Twitter Files, published Friday, Taibbi revealed that the bureau was so aggressive in sending Twitter ‘possible violative content’ to review that an employee described one set of materials as a ‘monumental undertaking’ that required several colleagues to pitch in and help.

“On Monday, Shellenberger reported that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies repeatedly primed Twitter’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth to dismiss The Post’s bombshell October 2020 report on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop as a Russian ‘hack and leak’ operation. The files reveal the FBI could communicate with top Twitter executives through multiple channels, including email accounts and specially built encrypted portals. The bureau would often send the company lists of users they wanted investigated for terms of use violations.

“In some cases, Shellenberger noted, Twitter would probe cases presented by the bureau but come up empty, not finding evidence of a foreign influence campaign… ‘Time and again, FBI asks Twitter for evidence of foreign influence & Twitter responds that they aren’t finding anything worth reporting,’ Shellenberger writes. The FBI also made repeated requests for internal data from Twitter that the social media company refused to send over, citing privacy concerns.

“As recently as August 2022, Twitter continued to work with the FBI, which pressured the company to disclose more sensitive information. Baker and Edgett were fired after billionaire Elon Musk bought the social network in October.”

Has the USA become an autocratic dictatorship?

How the FBI and Twitter Suppressed the Hunter Biden Laptop Story

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“Jim Baker, Twitter’s top lawyer and ex-FBI general counsel, personally intervened to say it [the Hunter Biden laptop story] should be banned. Baker told Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of security, that the laptop story should be blocked – a day after getting a top secret briefing from his former FBI colleagues… Baker’s shameless attempts to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story – which has since been proven to be accurate – where also shared by Shellenberger.

“Monday’s Twitter Files release also showed that so many ex-FBI staffers had joined the social media network, there was now a private Slack channel set up just for them… the latest batch of Twitter files have sparked concerns about what else those former government operatives may have been up to.

“The most recent ‘Twitter Files’ also revealed how an FBI official-turned Twitter lawyer sent a letter thanking the Bureau for its help suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story…

“Baker became involved… because he had previously held top secret security clearance during his work for the FBI – during which he had been involved in one of the Bureau’s investigations into Donald Trump… Once Baker was given clearance [by the FBI]… the FBI fed him information intended to influence… Twitter executives into believing that the [Hunter Biden] laptop story was hacked… Hours after The Post published their laptop story the next day, it was almost immediately censored by Twitter and thus undermined in the public eye. The files showed that… Hunter Biden was earning millions in foreign business dealings…”

The conduct of the FBI has been appalling. It might also have been illegal. Notice the next article.

Dismantle the FBI

Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column, which was published by the Ron Paul Institute, on December 19:

“As we learn more and more from the ‘Twitter Files,’ it is becoming all too obvious that Federal agencies such as the FBI viewed the First Amendment of our Constitution as an annoyance and an impediment. In Friday’s release from the pre-Musk era, journalist Matt Taibbi makes an astute observation: Twitter was essentially an FBI subsidiary.

“The FBI, we now know, was obsessed with Twitter. We learned that agents sent Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth some 150 emails between 2020 and 2022. Those emails regularly featured demands from US government officials for the ‘private’ social media company to censor comments and ban commenters they did not like.

“The Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), a US government entity that included the FBI as well as other US intelligence agencies expressly forbidden from domestic activities, numbered 80 agents engaged regularly in telling Twitter which Tweets to censor and which accounts to ban. The Department of Homeland Security brought in outside government contractors and (government-funded) non-governmental organizations to separately pressure Twitter to suppress speech the US government did not like.

“US Federal government agencies literally handed Twitter lists of Americans it wanted to see silenced, and Twitter complied. Let that sink in.

“This should be a massive scandal… As Constitutional Law Professor Jonathan Turley wrote over the weekend, a new Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found that even though the mainstream media has ignored the ‘Twitter files,’ Americans have not. Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe that Twitter was involved in politically-motivated censorship in advance of the 2020 election. Some 70 percent of those polled believe Congress must take action against this corporate/state censorship.

“As Professor Turley points out, although the First Amendment only applies to the US government, ‘it does apply to agents or surrogates of the government. Twitter now admits that such a relationship existed between its former officials and the government.’ So now we have proof that the FBI (along with US intelligence agencies and the Department of Homeland Security) have been acting through ‘private’ social media companies to manipulate what Americans are allowed to say when they communicate with each other. Is there anything more un-American than that? Personally, I find it sickening.

“We do not need the FBI and CIA and other federal agencies viewing us as the enemy and attacking our Constitution… End the Federal Bureau of Investigation!”

A demand which should be considered. But it won’t happen. Apart from the Democratic opposition to such a move, even too many House and Senate Republicans are unwilling to entertain that possibility.

The FBI “Responds”

Newsmax wrote on December 21:

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation defended itself following a slew of accusations levied against it by journalists releasing Elon Musk’s Twitter files… In a Wednesday statement, the agency suggested reporters Matt Taibbi, Lee Fang, and Bari Weiss, as well as author Michael Shellenberger, were ‘conspiracy theorists’ in their threads exposing internal Twitter documents. ‘The correspondence between the FBI and Twitter show nothing more than examples of our traditional, longstanding, and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries,’ the statement read.

“The FBI further argued its tips from agents to Twitter employees provided ‘critical information’ to the social media platform to protect themselves and their customers… It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency,’ it added.”

The FBI’s “defense” is even more troublesome, as the underlined sentences prove.

Europe Threatens Musk

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Professor Turley on December 17:

“I was struck by the European Union (EU) rushing into the controversy to threaten, again, sanctions against Musk.. We have been discussing efforts by figures like Hillary Clinton to enlist European countries to force Twitter to restore censorship rules… Clinton and others are resorting to good old-fashioned state censorship, even asking other countries to censor the speech of American citizens. It is an easy case to make given the long criminalization of speech in countries like France, Germany, and England.

“The EU responded immediately by threatening Musk that restoring free speech could result in immediate sanctions or an entire ban. Now, EU commissioner Vera Jourova warned that the EU’s Digital Services Act was preparing to act to defend press freedom…

“Jourova’s self-righteous tirade was almost comical given the EU’s long-standing attacks on free speech and silence of prior media suspensions… Where was Jourova and the EU when Twitter was aggressively suspending media like the New York Post for publishing the true story of Hunter Biden’s laptop? How about the slew of conservative writers and experts barred for questioning official accounts on issues ranging from Covid to climate change?

“Not surprisingly, the EU is threatening to use the unprecedented anti-free speech law recently passed by the body… [This is] a roadmap for state censorship on the Internet. It is the Western embrace of Chinese style speech controls on the Internet…”

And it will only get much worse in Europe.

Title 42 Stays, Pending Further Order

Fox News wrote on December 19:

“The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked an order that would lift Title 42, the pandemic-era health policy that has been used to deter migrants more than 2.5 million times. The order Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts comes as cities along the U.S. Mexico border have been scrambling to prepare for an expected influx of migrants in anticipation of Title 42’s end. Earlier Monday, 19 states had asked the high court for an emergency stay that would keep Title 42 in place. In the one-page order, Chief Justice Roberts granted a stay pending further order…

“El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico on Sunday were preparing for a surge of as many as 5,000 new migrants a day in anticipation of Title 42’s expiration… Immigration advocates sued to stop the use of Title 42 to limit who can apply for asylum, saying that the policy goes against American and international obligations to people fleeing to the U.S. to escape persecution…”

This controversy won’t end any time soon.

No More Vaccine Mandates for Members of U.S. Military

Breitbart wrote on December 16:

“Members of the U.S. military deserve ‘healthcare freedom,’ Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said on Thursday following the Senate approving the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which repeals the military vaccine mandate enforced under the Biden administration. The Senate on Thursday passed the NDAA — it saw overwhelming bipartisan support with a 83-11 vote — which repeals the military vaccine mandate…

“Lawmakers on the House side, while celebrating the end of the vaccine mandate on members of the military, are also warning that it does not go far enough... Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has… called for further action, demanding the end of ‘all COVID vax mandates’ remaining across the board:… ‘The military COVID vaccine mandate will end! Page 407 & 408 of NDAA text just released. Next steps: end all COVID vax mandates (healthcare workers and foreign visitors), and reinstate all members of military wrongfully terminated due to vax.’

“After passing both the House and Senate, the NDAA now heads to President Biden’s desk.”

The TSA will announce on or before January 8 whether to uphold or abolish the current vaccination mandate for tourists entering the USA.

The House Committee Urges DOJ to Charge Trump Criminally

The Associated Press wrote on December 19:

“The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president… the committee alleged violations of four criminal statutes by Trump, in both the run-up to the riot and during the insurrection itself…

“The panel… will dissolve on Jan. 3 with the new Republican-led House…

“House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California… decided not to participate after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected some of his appointments. That left an opening for two anti-Trump Republicans in the House — Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — to join seven Democrats... The committee members said that full accountability can only be found in the criminal justice system. ‘No one should get a pass,’ said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.”

Schiff is one to talk. Note that the Wall Street Journal had published the following article on May 22, 2020:

“In the good old days if a member of Congress was caught in a major lie, knowingly misleading Congress and the American public, there were consequences. His own party would denounce him, the electorate would surely vote him out of office but perhaps he would resign in disgrace beforehand. But not today.

“Rep. Adam Schiff was playing to the base with a calculated lie, cheered on by fellow party members and supported by most of the media. He is a hero—to some. There are not, nor will there be, consequences for him. How times have changed. Any wonder the approval rating of Congress is at such an abysmally low rating?”

No Legal Relevance of a “Political Stunt”

Fox News wrote on December 19:

“The committee’s unprecedented criminal referral holds no official legal weight, and a final determination in whether to pursue the charges will be up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department.

“The committee also referred several GOP House lawmakers Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Scott Perry, R-Pa., to the House Ethics Committee for not complying with subpoenas.

“A spokesperson for Jordan responded to the committee’s referral in statement to Fox News: ‘This is just another partisan and political stunt made by a Select Committee that knowingly altered evidence, blocked minority representation on a Committee for the first time in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives, and failed to respond to Mr. Jordan’s numerous letters and concerns surrounding the politicization and legitimacy of the Committee’s work.’”

Of course, this entire Committee consisting of Trump-haters has been a sham and a farce all along.

Newsmax wrote on December 19:

“… it’s unconstitutional for members of Congress to recommend prosecution for anyone, making the committee’s determination a ‘worthless piece of paper,’ Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said… not only should the DOJ reject the committee’s recommendation, but it should reprimand the committee for referring the former president to face charges, said Dershowitz.

“However, Dershowitz said he hopes for a reprimand, but he does not think that will happen, even if he does expect that the DOJ won’t take the recommendation seriously. ‘The Justice Department will say [to] Congress, Look we process, we investigate,’ said Dershowitz. ‘Don’t tell us who to investigate and who to prosecute. You had a kangaroo hearing. One-sided. You didn’t allow a cross-examination. You didn’t allow any adverse witnesses, so don’t expect us to take seriously any recommendations. You made a bad prosecution, so the American public should make no conclusions based on this one-sided recommendation and it should ignore it as well.’”

That is what the DOJ should say. We doubt that it will say that.

Pelosi’s Kangaroo Court

Newsmax wrote in a related article, on December 19:

“Former President Donald Trump’s campaign blasted the House Jan. 6 select committee on Monday for being a ‘Kangaroo court’ that ‘makes a mockery of democracy.’… When creating the committee in 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flouted House rules by not allowing the House Republican leadership to select their members. ‘Nancy Pelosi refused to accept two Republican members (Jim Banks and Jim Jordan) for the January 6^th select committee,’ Trump’s statement read.

“Instead, Pelosi and her committee itself selected the Republicans, picking Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., both among Trump’s biggest GOP detractors… Cheney was so zealous in her efforts to ‘get Trump,’ the Washington Post reported, that at least 15 former and current committee staff members suppressed other key findings in the final report…

“In revelations made by the House Committee…, no evidence has been provided to the public that indicated Trump or his top aides orchestrated or encouraged the protests at the Capitol. But significant evidence, including text messages from top White House officials, Trump family members, and other close supporters, showed that the protests caught the president and his inner circle completely by surprise.”

All of this is truly shameful and unworthy of the USA—or any supposedly free democratic nation.

Democrats and Republicans in Opposition to the Law of God

Life Site News published on December 20 the following editorial by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America:

“A large scandal has been created, as well as discouragement, upon learning the news of the gala event hosted by President Donald J. Trump for openly homosexual supporters of the Republican Party. This endorsement of LGBT ideology is even more serious if one considers that, only two days previously, Joe Biden signed the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ which recognizes the legal validity of so-called homosexual marriages in the United States, in violation of the Natural Law and also the Law of God.

“The Democratic Party is totally anti-Christian and obstinately determined to implement the globalist agenda of the New World Order. On the other hand, the Republican Party is recklessly pursuing a minority of voters who are indulging in lifestyles that are contrary to the Commandments and to the common good. American Catholics find themselves today in the impossible situation of being represented by a political class that is revealing itself to be completely incapable of representing and expressing Catholic convictions in moral and religious matters. This causes voters to become disaffected, which is added to electoral fraud and scandals that are emerging about media censorship and the manipulation of electoral consensus.

“Up until now, certain aspects of the political platform of the Republican Party were able to be overlooked to some extent due to the much more serious threat embodied by the Democratic Party. But it is now evident that the action of the deep state has contaminated the entire political elite without distinction, even involving Donald Trump, who up until now seemed to be a source of hope for the future of the United States.

“A nation that offends the Law of God cannot hope to be blessed by the Lord, and those who support sinful lifestyles ought to think of the Judgment that awaits them rather than pleasing those who are corrupt in a calculated effort to win votes. This nonchalance in political action by Republicans is no less harmful than the open opposition to the perennial Magisterium of the Church on the part of Democrats.”

This world is thoroughly in the hands of Satan the Devil.

Germany’s Disastrous Military

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 19:

“The German military faced yet another PR disaster on Monday after reports emerged over the weekend that a training exercise involving one of its key weapons, the Puma tank, left not a single one operational. The conservative opposition was quick to jump on the news as supposed evidence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s mismanagement of the Bundeswehr, particularly under the control of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. ‘It’s a nightmare,’ Christian Democrat (CDU) parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul told German  public broadcaster ARD. ‘The Puma is supposed to be a main weapon system of the German army. And if the Puma is not operational, then the army is not operational.’…

“The new debacle comes on top of several alarming headlines in the German media recently about the state of the country’s military. These suggested the Bundeswehr only has enough ammunition for two days of intense fighting — a figure apparently leaked by unnamed sources in defense circles. If this is true (and such information cannot be confirmed, as it is a state secret), German ammunition supplies are well below the standards expected by NATO, which requires each member to have 30 days’ worth of ammunition. To make up that shortfall alone, defense experts say Germany needs to invest another €20 to €30 billion.

“The state of the Bundeswehr’s hardware has long been a topic of concern: There have been several stories in recent years about tanks and helicopters that needed repairing, rifles that fail in hot weather and soldiers having to train in the cold without thermal underwear.

“Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a ‘Zeitenwende’ (turning of the times) which was hailed as a sea-change in the country’s approach to foreign policy and military strategy.

“To prove he meant it, Scholz announced an increase in the annual defense budget, making it the largest in all of Europe, as well as a €100 billion ($112.7 billion) one-off ‘special fund’ to modernize the military. Nine months later, some are wondering where that mountain of money is… Rafael Loss, a defense analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)… says Germany lacks a sense of urgency in reacting to the geopolitical implications of Russia’s attack on Ukraine…

“NATO partners in northeastern Europe have already expressed concern that Germany is not a military partner to rely on in a crisis. At a conference in Berlin in late October, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks asked his European colleagues, ‘We’re prepared to die, are you?’ Addressing the Germans specifically, he said, ‘A lot will depend on the military power of your country, and, I’m sorry, your military power is currently not there.’…

“Germany has signed a deal to buy 35 American-made F-35 fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of Tornados, at a cost of €200 million each. But it will take until 2027 before these are ready for use… Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upended everything. The stories about Germany’s ammunition shortages emerged partly because questions were raised about maintaining supplies for the weapons Germany is sending to Ukraine. ‘We need roughly 15 times more ammunition to ensure a sustained supply of ammunition for the weapons provided to Ukraine, while rebuilding the German armed forces at the scope required,’ said [defense analyst] Loss.

“But there are also underlying long-term issues. In the past few decades, the Bundeswehr has sold off many of its Cold War-era storage bunkers — meaning that even if it did have the NATO-stipulated 30 days’ worth of ammunition, the military would be struggling to find anywhere to keep it.

“For that reason, defense analyst Loss thinks the criticism from the opposition conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) sounds hollow. ‘Things weren’t different for the last 16 years when the CDU was in power,’ he said. ‘It’s funny seeing the SPD and the CDU blaming each other for the sad state of the German armed forces, but I think both share roughly equal blame.’”

That is why the current political system in Germany with all its incompetent leaders will be replaced soon with a charismatic dictator—the “beast” of the Bible—with horrible consequences for the entire world.

Hungary for Dissolution of EU Parliament

Radio Free Europe wrote on December 21:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose right-wing nationalist government has been targeted by corruption accusations and criticized for backsliding on the rule of law, on December 21 accused the European Union of ‘Hungarophobia’ and pointed the finger at the scandal-ridden European Parliament, calling for its dissolution…

“One of the European Parliament’s vice presidents earlier this month was charged in connection with allegations of bribery by soccer World Cup host Qatar. ‘The swamp should be drained,’ Orban said, using a phrase first coined by former U.S. President Donald Trump, a close Orban ally… ‘What the EU is doing today is a few rule-of-law people trying to impose their will on a few countries,’ Orban said.

“Orban is widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest EU ally and has repeatedly claimed that sanctions prompted by Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have caused more damage to European economies than to Russia.”

The irony is, Europe WILL change in that ten nations or groups of nations will emerge, leading to a total autocracy and dictatorship.

Russia To Increase Military By More Than 30 %

France 24 wrote on December 21:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin supported a proposal by [the] Defence Minister to boost the Russian military by more than 30% on Wednesday… ‘It is necessary to increase the number of armed troops to 1.5 million servicemen, including 695,000 contract soldiers,’ Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin…

“Shoigu also proposed raising the age range for mandatory Russian military service to 21-30, compared to 18-27 at the moment.”

The military buildup by Russia, China and other Far Eastern nations will lead to a powerful collaboration between those nations, called in the Bible the “kings of the East.”

Russia Fumes After Zelenskyy’s Visit

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 22:

“Moscow on Thursday denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington claiming that it showed Kyiv was ‘not ready for peace.’ Zelenskyy met with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday and addressed Congress in his first official trip outside of Ukraine since Russia launched the war in February.  

“Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow regretted that neither Biden nor Zelenskyy said ‘even a few words that could be perceived as potential readiness to listen to Russia’s concerns.’    

“Biden announced on Wednesday that the US would provide Kyiv with an additional security aid of $1.85 billion (€1.737 billion), including the Patriot air defense system. Peskov said that this signaled that the US was ‘continuing its line of de facto fighting an indirect war with Russia to the last Ukrainian,’ adding that the Patriot missile would not deter Russia from achieving its goals in Ukraine.

“In a statement issued by the Russian Embassy in the US on Thursday, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov’s [said]: ‘What was essentially announced […] was the need to continue the ‘proxy war’ against our country’…

“The Russian envoy said the US supplying weapons to Ukraine was ‘deeply disturbing.’ He added that Moscow stressed that ‘the provocative actions by the US are steadily leading to an escalation, the consequences of which cannot even be imagined.’”

Tucker Carlson Bashes Biden Over Zelensky’s Visit

Express wrote on December 22:

“Tucker Carlson (Fox News) … bashed Biden for refusing to ‘specify’ the details of what winning conditions would look like for the administration… [He asked:]  ‘Push the Russian Army back to pre-invasion borders? That sounds reasonable, that’s what most Americans likely assume, those still paying attention…

“‘But that is not what Zelensky means, it is not what he is asking for, Zelensky is demanding regime change in Russia… What happens if he wins? What does the ensuing chaos look like? Who secures the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons? Strangely those questions didn’t come up today… The point was to fawn over the Ukrainian [leader] and hand him billions more dollars from our own crumbling economy.’”

Riots Break Out in Jordan

Israel Today wrote on December 21:

“In recent days, violent demonstrations in the Kingdom of Jordan have been expanding, leading to, among other things, fatalities in the security forces. Escalating fuel prices have triggered the current spate of violence… truck and taxi drivers went on strike and demonstrated in the streets of the kingdom. Many Jordanians joined them. They burned tires and blocked roads. The Jordanian government opened an emergency command center to monitor and deal with the crisis, and a decision was taken to expand the Jordanian army’s forces in the south of the kingdom to prevent further demonstrations…

“The riots climaxed Friday, when one of the patrols sent to suppress the protesters came under fire. Jordanian TV officially reported the death of Ma’an’s deputy police chief, Lt. Col. Dr. Abdel-Razzaq Al-Dalba… In response to violent incidents, the Jordanian government announced that it had taken steps to block some social media countrywide.”

At the same time, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has been able to form a right-wing and extremely conservative government, which is bound to clash with Jordan and other Middle Eastern nations. JTA wrote on December 21:

“Netanyahu hasn’t officially signed any coalition deals yet with other parties (he has until 48 hours before the new government is seated Jan. 2 to do so), and some of his expected new partners are first demanding new legislation that has been delayed until after coalition talks.”

Vatican Defrocks Pro-Life Priest

Newsmax wrote on December 18:

“The Vatican has defrocked Father Frank Pavone — who has been described as ‘the most vocal Catholic priest in America for the pro-life movement’ — in a move that has shocked Church conservatives… [The] priest [was stripped] of his religious title and powers, returning him to the laity with no official status in the Church.

“The letter [of the Vatican] alleges that Pavone was guilty of ‘persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop’ and ‘blasphemous communications on social media.’ The letter doesn’t spell out what the disobedient acts Pavone had engaged in, or identify the ‘blasphemous communications,’ but supporters of Pavone were quick to come to his defense.

“‘The blasphemy is that this holy priest is canceled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth & the murder of the unborn at every turn,’ Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas wrote on his Twitter account Saturday. ‘Vatican officials promote immorality & denial of the deposit of faith & priests promote gender confusion devastating lives…,’ Bishop Strickland continued…

“Pavone has come under fire in the past over his statements in support of former President Donald Trump and actions he has taken as a leader in the pro-life movement…

“Pope [Francis’s] decision to laicize Pavone appears to be part of a wider effort to undermine the Church’s traditional stand to protect the unborn…”

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The [Vatican’s] letter… says Pavone will not be allowed to appeal… After Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Pavone was among Trump supporters who questioned the validity of the elections…

“In a one hour, 40 minute video on Sunday… he said: ‘I’m never going to leave the priesthood.’”

The ongoing conflict between liberals and conservatives within the Catholic Church may ultimately lead to an “explosion.”

The Elegant Demon in the Vatican

The Daily Mail wrote on December 22:

“The Pope told Vatican staff to beware the ‘elegant demon’ that lurks in self-righteous Catholics in his traditional Christmas speech. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia to again put the cardinals, bishops and priests who work in the Holy See on notice that they are particularly vulnerable to evil. Pope Francis has long used the annual speech as a chance to rebuke bureaucrats in an examination of conscience to help them repent before Christmas.

“Francis told attendees that by living in the heart of the Catholic Church, ‘we could easily fall into the temptation of thinking we are safe, better than others, no longer in need of conversion.’ ‘Yet we are in greater danger than all others, because we are beset by the ‘elegant demon’, who does not make a loud entrance, but comes with flowers in his hand,’ Francis told the churchmen…

“Francis appeared to also want to take broader aim in this year’s speech at arch-conservatives and traditionalists who have become his biggest critics. Francis blasted their way of living the faith, insisting that being Catholic doesn’t mean following a never-changing set of strict rules… Some have even gone so far as to accuse him of heresy for some of his gestures and preaching, including allowing ‘pagan’ statues in the Vatican.

“Francis dedicated the bulk of his speech this year to the need to be vigilant about the work of the devil… He told the Vatican bureaucrats it’s not enough to merely condemn evil or root it out, since it often comes back in different guises, stronger than before. Francis used the term ‘we’ repeatedly, suggesting he includes himself among those in the Vatican who must remain mindful of the devil in their midst… ‘That is how these elegant demons are: they enter smoothly, without our even being conscious of them.’…”

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.

Ten Days Extension for Netanyahu

The Times of Israel wrote on December 9:

“President Isaac Herzog on Friday granted Likud leader and Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu 10 additional days to finish forming a government, while indicating concern that the coalition Netanyahu is assembling — set to be the most right-wing in Israeli history — could potentially damage Israel’s democratic checks and balances, breach the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and alienate Jews overseas.

“The presumed incoming prime minister formally asked Herzog for the maximal extension of two weeks on Thursday, saying that the complexity of cobbling together his coalition required extra time, but Herzog gave him only 10 days. Netanyahu’s 28-day mandate to assemble a government was set to expire at midnight on Sunday night, and he will now have until December 21 to form a government. Herzog did not specify why he chose not to grant Netanyahu the maximum 14-day extension…

“Herzog told Netanyahu to form a government that ‘must work for the entire public in Israel.’ With the incoming coalition determined to constrain or even neuter the power of the High Court of Justice to block legislation and government decisions it deems contradict Israel’s quasi-constitutional basic laws, via a so-called ‘override clause,’ Herzog added that ‘the coalition being formed must maintain a respectful and responsible dialogue between the authorities—executive, legislature, and judiciary.’…

“Nonetheless, Netanyahu is widely expected to ultimately resolve remaining differences with his allies, secure Knesset approval for his new coalition, and take office in the coming weeks…”

Trump Attacks American Jewish Leaders

JTA wrote on December 9:

“Donald Trump said Jewish leaders ‘lack loyalty’ and ‘should be ashamed of themselves,’ his latest broadside against the American Jewish community, this time because of criticism of his dinner with two prominent antisemitic figures.

“‘How quickly Jewish Leaders forgot that I was the best, by far, President for Israel,’ Trump said Friday on his social media platform Truth Social… ‘They should be ashamed of themselves. This lack of loyalty to their greatest friends and allies is why large numbers in Congress, and so many others, have stopped giving support to Israel.’

“This is not the first time Trump has accused American Jews of being disloyal, but in the past he has said they were not loyal enough to Israel, not other ‘greatest friends.’ Calling out ‘Jewish leaders’ instead of Jewish Democratic voters also is a new point of rhetoric.”

Poland Afraid of German Dominance in the EU

The Associated Press wrote on December 9:

“Poland’s ruling party leader claims Germany seeks to dominate Europe. He warns that Poles could end up under the ‘German heel.’… Many Poles, like others in central Europe, have been critical of Germany’s stance toward Russia in the years leading up to Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, particularly for gas deals that created dependence on Russian energy and helped Russia build up its war chest…

“Kaczynski also said that ‘Germany’s attitude so far gives no reason to believe that they will decide to intercept Russian missiles.’… It remains unclear how successful anti-German rhetoric will be in the elections next year, coming 77 years after the end of WWII and with many Poles highly anxious about the current war in Ukraine. Many voters also see the economy as their top concern…

“Kaczynski last year accused Germany, which is the largest country in the 27-member EU, of using its role in the bloc to try to rebuild the ‘Fourth German Reich.’”

Twitter Blacklisted Conservative Voices

Breitbart wrote on December 8:

“Released by former New York Times reporter Bari Weiss in yet another lengthy Twitter thread, the revelations on Thursday showed that several mainstream conservative voices, from Charlie Kirk to Dan Bongino, were shadowbanned by the social media company…

“At one point, Twitter even placed Stanford professor, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, under the label ‘Trends Blacklist’ [which prevented his tweets from trending] for arguing that coronavirus lockdowns would harm children…”

Newsmax wrote on December 9:

“Former President Donald Trump on Friday morning assailed the FBI and Justice Department for conspiring with Big Tech to carry out ‘their most sinister act in history.’ Trump used his social media platform, Truth Social, to comment following revelations that Twitter colluded with the Biden 2020 presidential campaign, and also censored conservative voices and posts… ‘What everyone is REALLY waiting to see, however, is the Twitter information and thought process leading up to the time of the so-called “Election,” and ultimately the “Deplatforming” of the President of the United States…’

“Musk on Thursday, via journalist Bari Weiss, revealed ‘that teams of Twitter employees build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts or even trending topics — all in secret, without informing users.’

“Following Taibbi’s report, Musk said ‘more smoking guns’ would be revealed. He also noted the anger directed at him by progressives and Democrats for exposing Twitter’s political bias. ‘I do not have any suicidal thoughts,’ Musk said Saturday night on the Twitter Spaces audio platform. ‘If I committed suicide, it’s not real,’ he added, a reference to the theorists that repeat the mantra that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself.”

In an obvious attempt to detract from the revelation of Twitter’s political bias and their censoring conservative voices with the help of the Democrats,  Adam Schiff sent a threatening letter to Elon Musk. But his action has already backfired. Note the next article.

Schiff “Demands” Action?

Fox News reported on December 9:

“Twitter users roasted Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for his tweet Thursday ‘demanding action’ from Elon Musk on his claims of rising hate speech, which the CEO denied. Schiff spoke on behalf of Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., after they wrote a formal letter to Musk and condemned his leadership, tweeting: ‘On Elon Musk’s Twitter:- Slurs against Black people have tripled – Slurs against women are up 33% – Slurs against Jewish people are up 61% – And slurs against gay men are up 58%,’ Schiff tweeted. ‘These numbers are abysmal – and unacceptable. Today, @RepMarkTakano and I are demanding action.’ Musk replied, ‘False, hate speech impressions are actually down by 1/3 for Twitter now vs prior to acquisition.’

“Musk was far from the only user to torch Schiff’s tweet. Many on Twitter slammed Schiff’s credibility, while also debating about the nature of what does or does not count as hate speech. Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton offered his assessment of the situation: ‘Corrupt congressman abuses office to call for mass censorship using fake stats. Threatens @ElonMusk.’ Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald used Schiff’s tweet as an educational moment for his audience: ‘Aside from these made-up numbers: do you see how — to Democratic Party politicians — dictating to social media companies what they can and can’t platform, how they must censor, the role Democratic politicians play in all this, is just assumed as normal?’

“Lawyer Will Chamberlain offered a similar critique of the cozy relationship between government officials and big tech companies: ‘Read the First Amendment again, Adam. You don’t get to bully private companies into censoring lawful speech.’ ‘The Rubin Report’ host Dave Rubin targeted Schiff’s credibility itself: ‘Got any evidence of this? Or is it like Russia collusion? Resign in shame.’

“Former Biden Senate aide Tara Reade, who accused the president of sexual assault in 2020, called out Schiff as well. ‘Yet @RepAdamSchiff you will not investigate Biden though I filed complaint w[ith] Senate at the time and there is a police report,’ she tweeted. ‘I was a Senate staffer sexually harassed and assaulted by Biden. Where is my justice? You have the nerve to call out @elonmusk while Dems abused power?’

“Other commentators claimed Twitter has changed for the better since Musk took over…

“Conservative news personality Rob Schmitt tweeted, ‘Child exploitation on twitter has been gutted, not sure why you don’t care about that…’

“Yet more Twitter personalities balked at the suggestion that the government should be policing offensive phrases at all. ‘Musk denies this is accurate. But even if it’s true, what exactly does “demanding action” mean?’ Substacker Damon Linker asked… Author Michael Malice asked Schiff…, ‘Have you ever considered the possibility that you are one of the bad guys?’”

Schiff’s demand for action against Musk is incredible and laughable. At the same time, the EU threatened Musk that if he does not abide by European laws regarding hate speech and sexual discrimination, Twitter may be taken down.

More Revelations of Twitter Suppression with Help of FBI

The New York Post wrote on December 9:

“Twitter executives decided to ban then-President Donald Trump from their social media platform after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, while maintaining regular check-ins with the FBI and other federal authorities as they decided what postings should be targeted for censorship, the latest report from new company CEO Elon Musk reveals.

“In one of a series of tweets Friday evening, independent journalist Matt Taibbi said internal company messages showed how Twitter’s internal standards eroded during the months leading up to Jan. 6, with high-ranking executives violating their own policies while interacting with various federal agencies.

“Taibbi posted messages that he said ‘show Twitter executives getting a kick out of intensified relationships with federal agencies.’ In one, Yoel Roth, then Twitter’s head of trust and safety, appears to describe how he struggled to disguise the purpose of weekly meetings with FBI and other government officials that helped guide the company’s decisions on policing posts on its platform.”

Breitbart wrote on December 9:

“Elon Musk’s Twitter released another batch of internal discussions on Friday night, which revealed that executives at the social media company had established the ‘framework’ for banning Donald Trump’s account before the events of January 6, and used the Capitol riots as their excuse to finally blacklist the President. The goal of the left-wing executives is clear in statements such as, ‘the narrative that Trump and his friends have pursued over the course of this election and frankly the last 4+ years must be taken into account.’…

“[The documents also]  revealed that executives at the social media company had met with federal agencies amid the Hunter Biden laptop story, and that the FBI reported tweets it didn’t like to workers at the company.”

Jack Dorsey Gave Up Fighting Twitter’s Powerful Activists

The New York Post wrote on December 14:

“Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has taken full responsibility for the social media platform’s many failings — admitting he ‘completely gave up’ pushing back against powerful activists in the company… He said his ‘biggest mistake’ was helping to build tools for Twitter to ‘manage the public conversation’ rather than ‘tools for the people using Twitter to easily manage it for themselves.’ ‘This burdened the company with too much power, and opened us to significant outside pressure,’ he conceded.

“‘I generally think companies have become far too powerful, and that became completely clear to me with our suspension of… Trump’s account in January last year,’ he said. That suspension — only recently overturned by new owner Elon Musk — was ‘the wrong thing for the internet and society.’ Now, Dorsey is a ‘strong believer that any content produced by someone for the internet should be permanent until the original author chooses to delete it.’ ‘Content takedowns and suspensions should not be possible,’ he wrote.”

It’s called “free speech.”

Twitter, Democrats and FBI Guilty of a Form of Treason?

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 12:

“The biggest story of the past decade is not the covid pandemic, the January 6th protests, the war in Ukraine, the BLM riots, or even the stagflationary crisis in the US. Behind these major events is another story, one that connects them all together in a disturbing way. Even more important than the effects of geopolitical and economic chaos is the effect of mass censorship; without the free exchange of information and debate the public remains ignorant.

“…governments and elitists from around the world often seek to manipulate the ways in which people digest information. The idea is rather simple – They believe that ‘we the people’ cannot be allowed to come to our own conclusions. They think we cannot be trusted to develop the ‘proper’ viewpoints and we are not smart enough to understand the implications of governmental decisions.

“… The establishment will give numerous reasons why they need to censor, suppress, spin and misrepresent the facts of any given situation… This is pure authoritarianism. It’s the stuff of nightmares and revolutions. But for many years now a large subsection of the world has denied such a dynamic exists. It’s ‘conspiracy theory’… to claim that a small number of elites work together in secret to control public perception and govern our society from the shadows. After all, where is the proof?

“… Proof of such secretive governance and control is everywhere these days, but some people prefer willful denial. Take for example the ongoing data drops for what is now being called ‘The Twitter Files.’

“The mainstream media is barely responding to the information dump initiated by Elon Musk. They seem to be far more interested in Donald Trump’s tax records. When they are forced to acknowledge the story, they are hostile… It’s a classic psychological tactic of typical narcissists and criminals – When they get caught, they act indifferent, as if neither the evidence nor their crimes really matter…

“The content of these files is astonishing, but at the same time it is true that the conclusions are not surprising. The files simply confirm almost everything conservative and libertarian commentators have been saying for years; all those ‘conspiracy theories’ about Big Tech censorship of conservatives turned out to be true. Not only that, but the theory that government agencies and officials from the DNC worked with Big Tech to silence and undermine their political opponents was also true.

“Twitter has long denied that they ‘shadow ban’ users, but this was a lie. The data shows that small groups within Twitter… suppressed up to 200 accounts per day. Usually these were accounts of larger and more influential conservative politicians and celebrities. And, these teams operated in coordination with Democrat officials and agencies like the FBI. In some cases the goal was to mute a particular individual. In other cases the goal was to steer national elections…

“The exposure of Twitter is the biggest story of the decade because it provides proof of a hidden cabal. It shows the ugly mechanics behind the scenes and exposes a network of elites and their errand boys who were involved in direct operations to destroy the 1st Amendment for the sake of ideological supremacy.

“It’s the classic definition of fascism, a definition that Benito Mussolini reiterated when he argued: ‘Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.’ And, if this brand of Fascism was happening within the halls of Twitter, then there is little doubt it is also happening at companies like Google/YouTube, Apple, Facebook, etc. Before we had evidence, now we have confirmation…

“The bottom line is this: According to the Bill of Rights, it is illegal for agents of the US government to obstruct the free speech of law abiding American citizens. It does not matter if the action is done by using ‘private businesses’ as middlemen. And, if a private business is colluding with government to implement political policy then it is no longer a private business. Twitter was participating in a form of treason, along with the agencies that they cooperated with. It’s a huge story, and one that should lead to punishment for those involved.”

America’s decline into dictatorship, authoritarianism and – it appears – a form of fascism, allegedly committing treason, is stunning.

Another Win for Putin against Biden

The New York Post wrote on December 8:

“It is good news that Brittney Griner, a political pawn of Vladimir Putin, is free. Too bad it is because of a terrible deal by Team Biden. It’s an outrage that Washington sprang notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange, without even also winning the release of as-unjustly ‘convicted’ Paul Whelan, who’s been languishing in Russia since 2018 with a decade-plus left to serve.

“This is fresh ugly proof of how weak the United States has become on the world stage, thanks significantly to the doddering foreign policy emanating from the White House. Griner’s arrest, sham trial and subsequent outrageous sentence to nine years’ hard labor earlier this year (for accidentally packing pot oil-filled vape cartridges in her suitcase) were nothing less than Putin making a big bet against the US with a naked act of political targeting.

“Well, with the Bout exchange, he’s won. We folded. And we couldn’t even get this bad deal done ourselves. We had to outsource it to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Yes, getting Griner back was 100% the right thing to do morally — but at what cost? Bout is a true war criminal responsible for endless death and chaos, who at one point was the second-most-wanted man in the world after Osama bin Laden…”

Biden Signs Key Gay Marriage Regulation

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 13:

“US President Joe Biden signed key gay marriage legislation into law in front of thousands, in a symbolic ceremony for the growing acceptance of same-sex unions. ‘This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms,’ Biden said on the South Lawn of the White House. ‘And that’s why this law matters to every single American.’’

“The ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ is supposed to safeguard gay marriages if the US Supreme Court were to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges, its 2015 decision to legalize same-sex unions. The new law also protects interracial marriages. ‘Congress has restored a measure of security to millions of marriages and families,’ Biden said in a statement when the legislation passed last week. ‘They have also provided hope and dignity to millions of young people across this country who can grow up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they build.’

‘‘Together, we showed that it’s possible for Democrats and Republicans to come together to safeguard our most fundamental rights,’’ Biden said.”

Biden is a professing and practicing “good Catholic,” according to the Pope. The Catholic Church declares same-sex marriages as sinful.

Soros Willing to Buy 2024 Presidential Election

Life News wrote on December 9:

“Liberal billionaire George Soros is upping his accolade as the ‘largest donor’ for the 2022 midterm elections to the next level by reportedly signaling that he’s ready to buy the 2024 presidential election. Politico revealed Dec. 7 that Soros pumped a whopping $50 million into his leftist super PAC — Democracy PAC — ‘building on an already large investment in Democratic groups and candidates for the 2024 election cycle and beyond.’ This is on top of the $128 million he spent during the 2022 midterm elections…

“The talking heads at the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news shows predictably ignored the report during their Dec. 7 broadcasts…

“The news of Soros’ new political spending also comes on the heels of MRC Business’s latest report documenting Soros’ financial ties to 253 journalism and activist media groups across the world. These groups wield massive power over the flow of information in national and international politics. So not only is Soros spending hundreds of millions of dollars to elect his radical candidates, he’s also ensuring that the global media amplify his radical leftist messaging on issues including abortion, Marxist economics, anti-Americanism, defunding the police, environmental extremism and LGBT fanaticism to help secure the political outcomes he desires.”

Democrat Senator Sinema Becomes Independent

Axios wrote on December 9:

“Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said… that she’s leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent… It’s a political earthquake that will shake up the Senate — and a gut punch for Democrats just three days after they secured a 51-49 majority…

“Arizonans — including many registered as Democrats or Republicans — are eager for leaders who focus on common-sense solutions rather than party doctrine,’ Sinema says… in The Arizona Republic, her state’s largest paper. ‘That’s why I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington.’’”

Even without Sinema, Democrats still have the majority in the Senate, with a 50 to 49 lead.

The Coup That Never Would Have Happened

On December 8, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung criticized that several media outlets were informed about the operation in advance and were present during the raids:

“Obviously, the investigating authorities as well as the accompanying media were focused on strong images and their popular education effect. Anyone who is led away in public is expelled from society for the time being. In a liberal constitutional state which is based not least on the presumption of innocence, such an advance conviction is no trifling matter. … It leaves an unpleasant aftertaste, the conflicted impression that the security authorities wanted to flex their muscles for all the world to see, muscles that are used far less energetically when it comes to other threats.”

The Neue Zuercher Zeitung wrote on December 8:

“The raid on the ‘Reichsbürger’ was also staged for the media. It is good that the rule of law is taking tough action against violent extremists. However, it weakens itself if it announces its measures to numerous media in advance and thus turns arrests and searches into a public spectacle. Of course, not even the investigating authorities claim that a coup by the so-called Reichsbürger was imminent…

“Did Germany’s security authorities really thwart the great Reichsbürger conspiracy, or did they shoot sparrows with cannons? The historic large-scale operation and the accompanying media coverage raise questions.”

Deutschlandfunk wrote on December 7 that the raid had been an open secret with the media for at least a week and that the addresses of the raids had been known to the press for at least a week.

Cicero wrote on December 7:

“According to the excited media coverage and the statements by politicians and security authorities, an imminent coup d’état was just prevented. Viewed in the light of day, however, the hype surrounding the environment of two crazy Reichsbürger revolutionaries and their plans to overthrow [the government] seem rather grotesque… Even at the risk of being considered ‘trivial’: I have now read through all the available news about the allegedly imminent coup d’etat – and find the downright hysterical reporting somewhat grotesque.”

Of course it is… but the reaction of the “establishment” is the dangerous consequence.

The following is an example of the typical reaction by the mainstream media:

The Tagesschau wrote on December 7:

“It was not a quarter to twelve: the attempted coup was not imminent. But anyone who tries to laugh this off is making a mistake. … The remarkable thing about this group is its composition: the Reichsbürger (the self-annointed ‘Citizens of the Reich’) joined forces with people from what is considered the centre of society – lawyers, doctors, plus quirky esoterics and former soldiers with access to weapons. Some of the people in this group were already present as agitators at Covid-related protest events. … The constitutional state must answer such people with all its might. That is what it has done today.”

They must be bad people and a danger to democracy when they demonstrated against the unconstitutional governmental corona restrictions.

Proving Your Innocence?

Die Welt wrote on December 9:

“After soldiers and a judge were also arrested during the ‘Reichsbürger’ raid, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) wants to change the disciplinary law: officials with ‘subversion fantasies’ should in the future have to prove their innocence. An idea that gives a deep insight.”

This was so predictable. Rather than being concerned about the alleged planned “Reichsbuerger” putsch, we should be concerned about the resection by the German government, the opposition parties, and the mass media.  One has to ask whether the entire raid was instigated by the police and the government to bring about their secret goals of suppressing dissenting and unpleasant voices, thereby attempting to abrogate constitutional rights and freedoms… as was done before by enacting unnecessary and illegal coronavirus restrictions.

Controversial Plan

Bild Online wrote on December 9:

“Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said in the Bundestag and on TV that she wanted to reverse the burden of proof for officials on the subject of loyalty to the constitution! Lawyers are appalled. Professor Ulrich Battis from the Humboldt University: ‘Demanding a reversal of the burden of proof is legal nonsense…’

“Constitutional lawyer Josef Franz Lindner (University of Augsburg): ‘What the interior and constitutional minister explains here is frightening from the point of view of the rule of law. It is correct that the BVerfG accepts the dismissal of civil servants by administrative act. However, the civil servant can bring an action before the administrative court. In a constitutional state, the burden of proof or determination of the existence of the grounds for dismissal naturally lies with the employer and not with the civil servant who was dismissed…’”

Report 24 wrote on December 11:

“So-called Reichsbürger are perceived by politicians as the greatest threat. Federal Minister of Health Lauterbach allegedly almost fell victim to a kidnapping by such a group. After the raid on the scene, the politicians, who were already plagued by fear, find themselves exposed to another danger: this is said to come from the AfD. Demands for increased protection of the Bundestag are becoming louder.

“Germany is a safe country and there is danger – if at all – only from the right, that’s what politicians want the citizens to believe. This is not surprising given that quite a few members of the government have veered so far to the left that anyone who thinks otherwise must simply be a rightist, Home Secretary and Antifa sympathizer Nancy Faeser being a good example…

“3,000 officers were involved in the large-scale operation, who risked their lives and arrested a total of 25 people (there are probably 54 suspects in total) and an interesting arsenal of weapons, consisting of, believe it or not, two long guns, a handgun, as well as swords and crossbows, blank and signal guns. Cash was also found…

“Faeser recognizes an ‘abyss of terrorist threat’ in the group’s foiled ‘plans for overthrow.’ The media at home and abroad are literally falling over themselves with reports; according to the ‘Washington Post’ even a ‘Fourth Reich’ was prevented…

“The fact that the judge and former AfD member of parliament Birgit Malsack-Winkemann was among those arrested in the raid seems to trigger further fears in politics, as the entire AfD is now identified as a threat – how could it be otherwise? For this reason, SPD and Greens politicians are now not only calling for increased security measures for the Bundestag, but also for measures such as monitoring the party by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The AfD is once again under general suspicion.

“So, in a major operation, a few poorly armed pensioners are arrested who supposedly wanted to overthrow the government. Whether there were actually realistic plans and what they looked like is not known. The mainstream cheers the supposed blow against the right in the usual way. For the citizens, the whole thing seems staged and is reminiscent of a farce...

“The government seems to have no interest in a discussion about the violence they imported from migrants, to which the population is exposed on a daily basis. As is well known, migrants are not to be placed under general suspicion, but politicians of the AfD obviously can be. Incidentally, there are actual fantasies of a coup among left-wing groups, but that doesn’t seem to matter: Left-wing crackpots don’t pose a threat, they’re the good guys…”

As expected, the AFD is now being accused by the Greens of playing down the danger from Reichsbürger members. And that makes headlines again in the German mass media.

“Germany to Weigh Stricter Gun Laws After Suspected Coup Plot”

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 11:

“Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the German government needed to ‘exert maximum pressure’ to remove weapons from far-right extremists of the Reichsbürger movement.

“Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told German newspaper Bild am Sontag on Sunday that the government had plans to tighten its gun laws… ‘We need all authorities to exert maximum pressure’ to remove their weapons, Faeser was quoted as saying…

“Although citizens in Germany can own guns, the country has some of the strictest gun laws in Europe. Private possession of firearms is rare…

“German domestic intelligence agencies estimate the number of members at around 23,000, which Faeser said represented an increase of 9.5% compared with last year. ‘These are not harmless crazy people but suspected terrorists who are now sitting in pre-trial detention,’ Faeser was quoted as saying.”

Is Faeser saying that 23,000 members of the Reichsbürger “movement” are suspected terrorists? Only 25 suspects are in detention at this point.  

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser No Stranger to Controversy

News 64 had written on January 20, 2022:

“Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, of all people, is questioning the constitutional right of assembly for critics of corona measures.

“According to media reports, Faeser is said to have published a very confusing tweet in which she asked demonstrators to stop taking their protest to the streets.

“The interior minister wrote verbatim on the social network Twitter: ‘I repeat my appeal: you can express your opinion without meeting in many places at the same time.’

“But what does the minister mean exactly, and whom is she addressing? Here are the attempts of explanation by the spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior: ‘The statement by the minister should be seen in the context of the corona protests and against the background of the dramatically high number of corona infections,’ she explained to the media.

“Demonstrating against Corona measures: No. Demonstrating for climate protection: Yes. The minister seems to use double standards. As late as September 2019, Faeser wrote on her Facebook page: ‘I am absolutely amazed at how many people took to the streets yesterday for climate protection… schoolchildren in particular have changed the consciousness of many people. I think this is great and it’s time for action,’ she wrote. Even during the pandemic, the minister advocated demonstrations for other causes.

“Article 8 of the Basic Law states: ‘All Germans have the right to assemble peacefully and without weapons without prior registration or permission.’

“Constitutional expert and constitutional lawyer Prof. Josef Franz Lindner from the University of Augsburg made the following statement to the media: ‘The basic right of freedom of assembly means that people get together and do not make their opinion known in the living room. That is a problematic statement for a constitutional minister.’”

Of course, Article 8 of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) has been flagrantly violated consistently by the German government in connection with the coronavirus restrictions.

The Limited Times had written on February 2, 2022, crediting “Merkur” as the source:

“A right-wing newspaper criticizes Nancy Faeser, Bild joins in and CDU/CSU politicians also agree… The reason for the debate is a guest contribution by Faeser to the Association of People Persecuted by the Nazi Regime…

“The first criticism from a new-right newspaper, Junge Freiheit… With her contribution to the VNN-BdA, Faeser showed her affiliation with left-wing radicals. A few days later, the Bild newspaper followed suit. Faeser wrote… for an ‘anti-constitutional newspaper’.

“Further criticism of her guest contribution follows – including from Matthias Hauer (CDU). He commented on Twitter as follows: ‘A federal interior minister who wrote a guest article for a left-wing extremist newspaper six months ago has completely disqualified herself for her position. As a minister, Nancy Faeser is supposed to fight enemies of the constitution instead of supporting them.’ CDU politician Christoph de Vries also spoke of a ‘highly explosive process’ in the matter…

“De Vries criticized that the SPD was ‘largely blind in the left eye’… the former State Secretary at the Federal Minister of the Interior, for Construction and Homeland, Stephan Mayer (CSU) also commented. He said that Faeser’s guest post was a ‘big mistake’ and that he expected a ‘rapid apology and the withdrawal of the post’.”

To our knowledge, none of that ever happened, and naturally, the political party “Die Linke” (the Left”) supported Faeser. But Faeser did not seem to have a problem with any of this, as these were not alleged “right-wing extremists”, but alleged “left-wing extremists.” And what about Sharia Law in Germany? Note the next article.

Sharia Law in Germany

Bild Online wrote on December 13:

“In the name of the people was yesterday, now the capital [Berlin] is apparently supposed to be trained in the name of the Islamic Sharia…

‘In November, an advanced course on solving social problems in ‘immigrant communities’ took place in the Berlin Senate Department for Justice. According to the Senate paper, ‘conflict solvers’ would work there to ‘resolve disputes out of court and restore legal peace in accordance with the traditions accepted in the communities.’

“In plain language: so-called ‘peace judges”’ who ensure law and order bypassing the German judiciary.”

War Between Russia and Ukraine to Escalate?

Life Site News wrote on December 12:

“The United States has given the green light to long range strikes inside Russia. This was a measure which was effectively off limits to the Ukrainians before last week, which saw drone strikes take place deep inside Russian territory.

“Another strike came last week, on a civilian hotel in Russian-held Melitopol. This betokens a change in policy by the United States, whose former refusal to supply long range HIMARS missile capability has now been effectively rescinded…

“The Russian leadership has warned that attacks on Russian territory will be met with an overwhelming response… Contrary to the blanket reportage in the West, which presents an image of Russian failure and suggests victory is inevitable for Ukraine, there are serious problems in Ukraine…

“Generations of Western leaders worked successfully to avoid direct military conflict with the Soviet Union. They recognized that, unlike Moscow, the West has very little strategic interest in who controls Donetsk…”

Russia’s Powerful Nuclear Weapons

The U.S. Sun wrote on December 14:

“VLADIMIR Putin has renewed his nuke threat against the West by appearing to ready a nuclear missile for launch.

“Footage shows a huge Russian Yars rocket able to hit the UK and the US being loaded into a silo at a base near Moscow. The intercontinental ballistic missile has a 7,500 mile range and when nuclear-armed is reportedly 12 times more destructive than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

“It was seen in Russian propaganda being installed in a launch-pad using a special transport and loading unit – but there is no indication of any order for an imminent launch… Russia is building up to more nuclear showboating as it marks the annual Strategic Missile Forces Day on 17 December.”

Turkey’s Dictatorship

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 14:

“A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to two years and seven months in prison for allegedly insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council. Imamoglu is a key opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan…

“The court also imposed a political ban on Imamoglu that could lead to his removal from office and would be even more likely to rule him out from standing in next year’s presidential election. The sentencing and the political ban must be confirmed by an appeals court… Imamoglu narrowly won local elections in 2019. His victory, which was confirmed after a rerun, ended a 25-year domination by Erdogan’s conservative allies in Istanbul.

“He was tried over a 2019 speech in which he said the annulment of the first round of the election was ‘foolishness.’ Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu publicly accused Imamoglu of ‘defaming’ the election officials. Imamoglu denies insulting the officials, and says that the comment was a response to Soylu for using the same language against him.

“The Turkish regime has used defamation and ‘insulting’ charges to crack down on dissent. Those convicted of particularly insulting the president face a jail sentence of between one and four years. Since Erdogan became president in 2014, thousands in Turkey have been convicted of insulting the president…”

Turkey is clearly a dictatorship under autocrat Erdogan.

Unchristian Brits

IFN wrote on December 10:

“Great Britain, where King Charles III is the head of the Church of England, is facing a dramatic change in religious identity–for the first time, less than half of the inhabitants of England and Wales declared themselves Christians.

“The results of the 2021 census have just been released, showing that the British society, which has had its own national church since the 16^th century, is increasingly secularized and demographically diverse. In terms of religion, statistics show a new trend among the English and the Welsh: abandoning the Christian faith and turning to new cults, such as shamanism, paganism and Wiccanism.

“The government’s Office for National Statistics announced that 46.2 percent of the population in England and Wales (27.5 million people) declared themselves as Christian, down from 59 percent (33.3 million people) in the 2011 census. The data for Scotland has not yet been fully processed… the Church of England can be worried because its spiritual flock is gradually falling away. According to the Telegraph, between 2010 and 2019, a total of 423 Anglican churches closed.

“The new British monarch, who will be crowned by the Bishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on 6 May 2023, is aware of the changes related to the religious status of his subjects, which is why he recently said: ‘I am obliged to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who want to live in accordance with secular ideals.’”

We wonder how God looks at comments like these.

Unbelieving Americans

Israel 365 News wrote on December 11:

“A recent survey showed that in the wake of the global pandemic, the belief that we are currently at the end of days is rising. This contrasts sharply with Jewish tradition…

“A recent Pew Research survey found that 39% of Americans surveyed believed that they were currently living at the end of times as compared to 59% who did not.

“47% of Christians believed we are at the end of time. For Christians, the end of days marks the imminent return of Jesus… 49% of Christians say we are not living in the end times, including 70% of Catholics and 65% of mainline Protestants…

“When asked if Jesus ‘will return to Earth someday,’ more than half of all U.S. adults (55%), including three-quarters of Christians, say this will happen. Protestants in the evangelical (92%) and historically Black (86%) traditions are more likely than other Christians to say there will eventually be a second coming of Jesus. Roughly four-in-ten Americans either do not believe Jesus will return to Earth (25%) or say they do not believe in Jesus (16%).”

Public Outcry Forces San Francisco to Reverse Its Decision on Robots

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 8:

“On Tuesday of last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to authorize police to use drones or robots to kill via remote control in the California city. Then, a week later — on Tuesday of this week, the board reversed course, voting to prohibit this siccing of killer robots or drones on people. The board voted 8-3 for the reversal — the same vote total by which the board the week before had approved the police using robots or drones to kill… the reversal by the Board of Supervisors followed a ‘wave of public outcry from community members’ and outvoted board members threatening they would push for the matter to be decided by a public vote if the board did not reverse its decision.

“The remote killing authorization, though, is still not itself fully killed… Concerned individuals in San Francisco will need to remain vigilant in their effort to ensure that a remote-control killing authorization does not creep back into the city’s police policy over the next week or in the longer term. And concerned individuals across America would do well to keep close watch over the police policies of their local, state, and national governments.”

Volcanic Eruptions on the Rise

Israel 365 News reported on December 9:

“27 different volcanoes are erupting at this moment and many others are showing signs of waking up. Several of these eruptions have experts concerned.

“The two biggest volcanoes in Hawaii erupted simultaneously two weeks ago. Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted for the first time since 1984 while the smaller but more active Kilauea also erupted. Both are located on the archipelago’s Big Island. Dual eruptions haven’t taken place since 1984.

“On Sunday, the Stromboli volcano off the coast of Sicily erupted, spewing dark ash and generating volcanic lightning. Stromboli is considered one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has continuously erupted since 1932. Meanwhile, Mount Semeru in Indonesia just erupted as well. Authorities raised the volcano’s warning status to the highest level and called for the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people. People have been urged to keep at least 5 miles away, as ‘hot avalanches’ of lava poured from Semeru… The eruption also follows a series of earthquakes, one of which hit last month, killing 300 people. Indonesia sits on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes…

“The Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile-long horseshoe-shaped region encompassing the Pacific Ocean, is the most seismically active area on the planet. It includes most of California, Washington State, and Alaska. The Ring of Fire includes a total of 452 volcanoes, more than 75 percent of active volcanoes existing in the world today. About 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 81 percent of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. All but three of the world’s 25 largest volcanic eruptions of the last 11,700 years occurred at volcanoes in the Ring of Fire.

“There is no doubt that volcanic activity is on the rise. There were about 25 significant volcano eruptions globally in the first 18 years of this century compared with approximately 65 in the entire 20th century…”

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.