“UN Calls For Immediate End to Afghan Deportations”
Deutsche Welle wrote on July 18:
“Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, called for all countries to immediately end deportations to Afghanistan on Friday… His statement came just hours after Germany deported what it said were 81 criminals to Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Islamist Taliban…
“Though many countries halted deportations when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, many have now resumed deportations. According to the UN, Iran alone deported more than 500,000 Afghans in June. More than 1.9 million Afghans have been returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan since January 1…
“[German Chancellor] Friedrich Merz… made tougher migration policy a key pillar of his February election campaign.”
Merz might be trying to imitate Trump. He will fail in this.
“Merz: Israel’s Approach to Gaza ‘No Longer Acceptable’”
Deutsche Welle wrote on July 18:
“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took the unusual step of criticizing Israel on Friday. Merz, speaking at an annual summer press conference, said Israel’s approach to Gaza is ‘no longer acceptable.’
“The chancellor called for an immediate ceasefire in the beleaguered enclave as the death toll there surpassed 58,000 this week. He also called for more humanitarian assistance for those in Gaza — something that has been gravely hampered by Israel’s decision to boot all international aid programs out of Gaza in favor of the highly controversial US-run and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which critics have called a cynical death trap for desperate Gazans seeking to find food for their families.
“Merz also noted that his government ‘does not support’ Israel’s settlement policy, adding that he clearly expressed that sentiment in his calls with Netanyahu.”
The rift between Europe, including Germany, and Israel will get wider and deeper.
Pope Leo Calls For Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza
The Associated Press wrote on July 20:
“Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza… Leo also expressed his ‘deep sorrow’ for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest… The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating…
“‘The world no longer tolerates war,’ Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral. Asked about his phone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leo said, ‘We insisted on the need to protect the sacred places of all religions.’”
No Ceasefire In Sight
In an accompanying article, the Associated Press wrote on July 20:
“The Israeli military published new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza on Sunday, in one of the few areas where the military has rarely operated with ground troops… The announcement comes as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs…
“Also on Sunday, 65 Palestinians were killed, many while attempting to seek aid, according to local hospitals… It is unclear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both…
“Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Hamas triggered the 21-month war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
“Israel’s military offensive that followed has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many militants are among the dead but says more than half of the dead have been women and children…
“The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization that represents many of the families of hostages, condemned the evacuation announcement and demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military explain what they hope to accomplish in the area of central Gaza, accusing Israel of operating without a clear war plan… On Saturday night, during the weekly protest, tens of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv to the branch of the U.S. Embassy, demonstrating for an end to the war… Israeli bombardments continued to pound the Gaza Strip overnight. Large explosions in northern Gaza were visible from Israel as plumes of fire shot into the sky.”
Even though Trump has not publicly rebuked Netanyahu, it was reported that six White House officials openly criticized him, allegedly stating, “Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time… This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.”… “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.”
Further, Trump allegedly called Netanyahu to demand an explanation for the shelling of the Catholic Church in Gaza.
It was also reported that “US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has threatened to publicly declare that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel over what he said was Jerusalem’s failure to approve tourist visas for evangelical missions” (The Times of Israel, dated July 18). However, unconfirmed reports suggested on July 20 that the matter had been “resolved” (Jewish Insider).
Erdogan Attacks Israel (Again)
Times of Israel wrote on July 18:
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for expanding into the war-torn country. ‘Israel, using the Druze as an excuse, has been expanding its banditry into neighboring Syria over the past two days,’ Erdogan says in a televised speech after the weekly cabinet meeting, calling Israel a ‘terror state.’
“Erdogan says Turkey will not allow Syria to be divided or its multicultural structure and territorial integrity harmed, after Israel’s actions allegedly sought to ‘sabotage’ a ceasefire in the country.”
But others did too. Note the next article.
Ynet wrote on July 17:
“Foreign ministers of Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt issued a joint statement, saying they ‘support Syria’s security, unity, stability and sovereignty – and reject any foreign interference in its affairs.’…
“Additionally, the ministers condemned Israel’s attacks in Syria.”
In June, Trump had terminated the Syrian sanctions program.
Not Totally Destroyed?
The National Security Journal wrote on July 14:
“In mid-June, after weeks of bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites by Israel, the U.S. carried out strikes of its own, using B-2 bombers to deliver bunker-buster bombs to the Fordow nuclear site and other locations throughout Iran.
“The attacks took place, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire soon after, and the strikes did not lead to a wider or protracted war in the Middle East or any oil shock or other economic calamity, as many had feared. But while some in the West had hoped that the strikes would imperil the future of the Iranian regime, that doesn’t appear to have happened, either.
“There have been bitter debates over whether or not President Donald Trump’s insistence that the nuclear sites had been ‘obliterated’ was true, but the president is now talking about the circumstances under which another attack could be necessary…. Trump… told Netanyahu that he ‘favored a diplomatic settlement with Tehran,’ but ‘didn’t otherwise object’ to Israel’s view of the situation.
“… In addition, the [Wall Street Journal] quoted a senior Israeli official as stating that Israel ‘wouldn’t necessarily seek explicit American approval to resume strikes on Iran,’ although Trump would likely pressure the Israelis to commit to the diplomatic track. And despite Trump’s assurances about ‘obliteration,’ ‘Israel has concluded that some of Tehran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium at Isfahan survived last month’s attacks and that with considerable effort Iran could recover some of the fissile material from that site,’ the Journal said.”
The claim that Iran’s nuclear sites had been “obliterated” was dubious from the outset.
50 Days Delay
CNN wrote on July 15:
“President Trump has effectively handed Vladimir Putin an extraordinary green light: 50 days to finish off his brutal summer offensive in Ukraine before facing any consequences.
Only if there is no deal to end the war by the end of that period, in early September, would the threatened 100 percent tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on Russian trading partners kick in. That must seem like an eternity for millions of sleepless Ukrainians now enduring an escalating Russian onslaught of deadly missile and mass drone strikes on their towns and cities…
“… in Moscow, officials are already quietly breathing a sigh of relief. After all, it could have been much worse for them. Sanctions could have been immediate, if President Trump had wanted, or much higher – such as the 500 percent tariff rate being proposed in a bi-partisan bill in the US Senate. Not that a renewed threat of sanctions is certain to alter the Kremlin’s course in Ukraine. Far from it… Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia would be able to deal with further sanctions should Trump follow through with his threats.”
The New York Post agreed, writing on July 17:
“… why give the Russian strongman yet another chance, this one to last 50 days? That’s just 50 days of additional bloodshed… Indeed, within hours of Trump’s threat, Moscow launched more massive attacks on Ukraine — including, notably, on civilian sites, like a shopping center and energy infrastructure.
“… the 50-day grace period gives Russia an incentive to ratchet up the killing and seize as much of Ukraine as possible before the deadline. Meanwhile, many — on both sides — will die during those seven weeks, for no good reason, before Russia feels any fresh pain… there’s little logic in waiting.”
Tricked and Outsmarted?
Bild Online wrote on July 18:
“It was the great hope against Putin’s missiles: On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that he would supply weapons to Ukraine, and the Europeans would only have to pay for them. Now it’s clear: Germany not only has to pay up – it also has to supply them itself. And yet the Bundeswehr already lacks air defense.
“The Ukrainians urgently need air defense to defend themselves against missile and drone terror from Russia. The plan: Ukraine will receive additional Patriot systems. Germany wanted to cover the cost of two units (two billion euros)… But now it turns out: Germany will not only pay, but will probably have to send Bundeswehr air defense itself because Trump doesn’t want to give up its own weapons.
“…The idea was actually that the Americans would supply Ukraine from their own stocks and that Germany would cover the costs of reordering. But then Trump insisted that the US military could not give up any of its air defense. Europe would have to procure the air defense system from its own stocks… The fact that Germany is paying for the weapons for Ukraine is not enough. Europe must also make cuts in its depots and can only reorder replacements from the American arms industry… [A new] Patriot system is still being completed by the US arms company Raytheon and is not expected to be ready for at least six to eight months.
“In order to help Kyiv more quickly, BILD reports that it is being examined whether Germany will (once again) step in. And transfer another Bundeswehr Patriot unit to Ukraine. The replacement would then have to be ordered from Raytheon, and delivery would take years. However, the Bundeswehr already lacks air defense. At the beginning of the Ukraine war, the troops had twelve Patriot systems to protect our country against air attacks. Three units have already been transferred to Ukraine. Two systems are in use in Poland to secure the airport through which NATO flies all weapons for Ukraine. According to BILD reports from the Bundeswehr, three systems are currently being updated and are therefore not currently operational. At least one system is needed for soldier training.
“This means that a maximum of three units are currently available for domestic air defense. If another system is transferred, that would leave two. The situation will not improve for several years. The previous ‘traffic light’ government ordered eight Patriot systems. The first is scheduled to arrive at the Air Force at the end of 2026, and the remaining ones by 2029.”
Merz was maneuvered into accepting this “deal.” Germans are not happy.
Most Germans Oppose Ban of AfD
Breitbart wrote on July 23:
“A majority of Germans oppose efforts to ban the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, with many believing that it is merely an attempt by the Berlin establishment to sideline its opposition.
“In May, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s political spy agency, under the direction of then-far-left Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, ruled that the AfD is a ‘right-wing extremist’ organisation. While the classification is currently under legal challenge, if upheld, it would allow for state surveillance of the party and potentially clear the way for the government to ban the party to supposedly protect German democracy…
“The survey follows warnings from Professor Andreas Rödder of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who cautioned last week that banning the country’s second-largest party could fundamentally undermine faith in German democracy. The professor said that ‘a ban’… would be a ‘sure path to civil war’.
“The justification for a ban of the party has also come into question, including from the former head of the same BfV political intelligence agency, which classified the party as an extremist organisation. Former Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution chief Hans-Georg Maaßen said last month that the classification was likely a result of political pressure from the then-left-wing government and the Antifa-tied former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, to whom the agency reported at the time of the ruling.
“‘This is a clear case of using domestic intelligence services to suppress opposition,’ Maaßen said, adding that the ‘BfV has been weaponised to attack political rivals in an unscrupulous way. This damages its public reputation and undermines its core mission.’ The ex-spy chief also questioned the evidence used by his former agency…”
According to the newest polls, the AfD has now become as popular as Chancellor Merz’s CDU party.
Alleged Birthday Letter From Trump to Epstein Surfaces
Daily Mail wrote on July 17:
“President Donald Trump sent a salacious birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein that included a risqué hand-drawn picture of a naked woman with a cryptic message inside, according to a new report. Trump has furiously denied the allegations published in The Wall Street Journal that he took part in a 50th birthday album organized for the disgraced billionaire by his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The birthday letter included what appears to be Trump’s famous signature and was obtained by the WSJ…. [According to the Independent, dated July 18, “Trump is accused of writing a cryptic note that made mention of a ‘wonderful secret’ in his note to the disgraced financier.”]
“Trump categorically denied any involvement in the drawing or writing of the text. ‘This is not me,’ he said. ‘This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story. ‘I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words… not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures… I told Rupert Murdoch [owner of WSJ] it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his a… off, and that of his third rate newspaper.’
“Although Trump claimed he ‘never wrote a picture in my life’, several sketches he made of New York City landmarks as early as 2004 are readily available online.
“In a separate post, he called on Attorney General Pam Bondi [after the WSJ story broke] to seek the court’s approval to release [some evidence]. ‘Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!’…
“There is no evidence former Democratic officials tampered with the documents or played any role in promoting conspiracies about the files, which members of Trump’s administration stoked for years.”
It is also unclear “whether the move will be enough to quell the calls from Trump’s supporters to release the entirety of the so-called Epstein files, given the grand jury transcripts [and only “pertinent” testimony] represent a small portion of the evidence collected” (CNN, dated July 18).
Fox News added on July 18:
“Before joining the Trump administration, [Attorney General Pam] Bondi was among the staunchest advocates for releasing the Epstein list, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity in 2024: ‘It should have come out a long time ago.’”
So said many other Republicans, including Donald Trump Jr.
The Daily Mail wrote on July 23:
“Trump was informed months ago by Pam Bondi that his name appears ‘multiple times’ [‘more than previously thought’] in the Jeffrey Epstein files the same day she recommended against releasing all documents… because they contained child pornography and personal information for victims…”
Never Drawn Pictures?
Mediaite wrote on July 17:
“Several drawings made by President Donald Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s resurfaced on Thursday after the president claimed to have ‘never wrote a picture in my life.’.. Trump has sketched a number of drawings over the years, including a drawing of the Manhattan skyline dated 2004 – just one year after he is accused of drawing the naked woman for Epstein. The 2004 Manhattan drawing was reportedly sketched by Trump for a charity art sale before being put up for auction again in 2019…
“Trump sketched another drawing of the Manhattan skyline in 2005, this time for another charity auction. It was put up for auction again in 2017. These sketches from the early to mid-2000s were reportedly drawn with Sharpie markers.
“Yet another sketch – this one displaying the Empire State Building – was produced by Trump for a charity auction in 1995, where it sold for less than $100. It was sold again at auction in 2017 for $16,000. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump’s alleged 2003 letter to Epstein ‘contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker…”
According to the Independent, dated July 18, “At least five sketches from the late 1990s and early 2000s have been sold at auction,” including the “Money Tree Drawing.” The article also said: “In his 2010 book Trump Never Give Up, the president boasted, ‘Each year I donate an autographed doodle to the Doodle for Hunger auction at Tavern on the Green… Art may not be my strong point,’ he admitted.”
… and the Truth will find you out…
Trump Letter a Fabrication?
Politico wrote on July 17:
“President Donald Trump’s allies rushed to dismiss a report that he sent a salacious birthday letter to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein… ‘Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter [BS],’ Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. ‘The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?…
“Even Elon Musk… said the letter ‘really doesn’t sound like something Trump would say’ and ‘sounds bogus.’ Other high-profile MAGA figures and far-right activists… deemed the letter… a fabrication.”
Speaker Mike Johnson also rushed to Trump’s defense. Paradoxically, the publication of the alleged letter might have united many MEGA supporters in defense of Trump. Steve Bannon told CNN on July 18 that “he believed the story had united a base that had been showing signs of fraying.”
It has been said that the WSJ would have never published the article if they hadn’t been absolutely certain that the Trump letter was legit.
JD Vance’s Head-Spinning Reversal
The Independent wrote on July 18:
“When he was a best-selling author with designs on running in Ohio’s Senate race four years ago, JD Vance was one of the multitudes of Republican figures who assailed the mainstream press for not giving enough attention to multimillionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Now, as Donald Trump’s vice president, Vance would prefer Epstein stay out of the headlines…
“Vance’s admonishment represents a head-spinning reversal from the attitude he expressed in December 2021, when he wrote on the same platform (then known as Twitter) to ask what interest the U.S. government would have in ‘keeping Epstein’s clients secret.’ He also shared a post by conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec alleging that the government had made a deal with Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, purportedly to keep a ‘little black book’ of her and Epstein’s contacts from being made public.
“Continuing, he said: ‘If you’re a journalist and you’re not asking questions about this case you should be ashamed of yourself.’”
Trump Sues WSJ
Business Insider wrote on July 18:
“President Donald Trump has made good on his pledge to sue over The Wall Street Journal’s Thursday report that Trump wrote a ‘bawdy’ letter to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday [in 2003]. Trump on Friday filed suit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, the CEO of News Corp, Robert Thomson, and Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo, both reporters for the Wall Street Journal, accusing the group of committing defamation by publishing the article. The suit seeks at least $10 billion in damages. [As the lawsuit includes two causes of action, for which $10 billion in damages are sought in each cause of action, many point out that Trump is actually suing for at least $20 billion in damages, not even including punitive damages, court costs etc. Some legal experts predict that the suit will be dismissed even before reaching the deposition stage. We will see.]
“‘Despite the glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting, Defendants Dow Jones and News Corp. — at the direction of Defendants Murdoch and Thomson — published to the world the false, defamatory, and malignant statements authored by Defendants Safdar and Palazzolo,’ the filing reads. It continues: ‘Hundreds of millions of people have already viewed the false and defamatory statements published by Defendants. And given the timing of the Defendants’ article, which shows their malicious intent behind it, the overwhelming financial and reputational harms suffered by President Trump will continue to multiply.’..
“Trump’s name and those of some of his family members were listed in one of Epstein’s contact books, and Trump is mentioned as a passenger in flight logs for Epstein’s private jets. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club was regularly referenced during the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, who was convicted of sex trafficking multiple women on Epstein’s behalf. One woman testified that Epstein, during the course of several years of abuse, took her to Mar-o-Lago and introduced her to Trump when she was 14 years old. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide in April, has testified that she and Maxwell were at Mar-a-Lago when Giuffre was recruited as a victim of Epstein’s.”
Virginia Giuffre was famously pictured as a young underage girl together with Prince Andrew. She was “spotted one day by Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell while working a summer job, aged 15, at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. Virginia described how she was ‘passed around like a platter of fruit’ among the Epstein and Maxwell’s friends until she managed to escape, aged 19” (The Times, dated July 1, 2025).
In an interview with the New York Magazine in 2002, Trump said about Epstein: “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” In turn, Epstein believed himself to be Trump’s “closest friend”. Eventually, they had a falling out in 2004 over a bidding war on a property in Florida.
More appalling statements are made about the close relationship between Trump and Epstein in an article by the Guardian, dated July 18, 2025—too appalling to be repeated here.
With his lawsuit, Trump might have opened up Pandora’s Box. Many feel, it might contribute to his downfall. Note the next article.
Risk for Trump
Focus Online wrote on July 20:
“Trump’s lawsuit also poses risks for the president: The issue will remain a part of media coverage as long as the proceedings continue. Furthermore, the Journal’s lawyers could attempt to question Trump under oath as part of the trial…
“It is certainly not expected that Donald Trump’s name will be visible [in released documents], especially since the Department of Justice has already indicated that it will redact large portions of the documents, particularly victim-related and personally identifiable information…
“Nearly 80 percent of Americans want the government to release all documents it has on convicted child molester Epstein. And more than two-thirds, including half of Republicans, believe the government is covering up evidence.”
MSN wrote on July 19 that the US president is facing an uncontrollable loss of power.
Mossad and the Client List
The Daily Mail wrote on July 20:
“John Kiriakou, an ex-CIA officer who was jailed in 2012 for leaking the agency’s waterboarding interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay, shared his views on the controversial pedophile [Epstein] – including his opinion on the alleged list of clients. Kiriakou… believes the alleged list… will not see the light of day because it holds incredibly valuable intelligence information that the CIA would never hand over simply because the public demanded to see it…
“The CIA whistleblower specifically said he believes that Epstein, 66, was employed by Israel’s intelligence service Mossad – and that is why the list will not come out… Epstein’s convicted madame Ghislaine Maxwell’s family also had alleged ties to Mossad. Her father, Robert Maxwell, was allegedly an Israeli spy… ‘I believe there was a list, a client list. There had to have been. We know there was a black book… So where is it? Was it destroyed?…’
“Kiriakou isn’t the only one who believes Epstein allegedly worked for Mossad, as Tucker Carlson made the same claim earlier this month… Carlson questioned where all of the billionaire’s wealth came from, going from a math teacher to ‘having multiple airplanes, a private island, and the largest residential house in Manhattan.’”
“As MAGA World Focuses on Epstein, Trump Seeks Focus on Anything Else”
The Washington Post wrote on July 22:
“Over the past 48 hours, President Donald Trump has asked his Truth Social followers ‘How did [former USAID administrator] Samantha Power make all of that money?’ He said he might scuttle a stadium deal if the Washington Commanders football team doesn’t change its name back to the Washington Redskins. He highlighted a memo from his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, that said Obama administration officials planned a ‘treasonous conspiracy in 2016’ aimed at Trump. Emphasizing the point, he posted an AI-generated video of Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office.
“During a fusillade of posts on the social network he owns, Trump even released a three-minute mash-up of clips that would seem more at place on-screen at a sports bar than in a president’s official feed: a woman snatching an approaching snake from the grass, a car sliding under a truck barreling along a highway, and no fewer than four people doing tricks on motorcycles and jet skis. On Monday, Gabbard added another item to the list — announcing the release of hundreds of thousands of documents related to the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The through-line connecting those disparate posts? They have nothing to do with the political problem that has dogged Trump for weeks — the 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein As the controversy over Epstein… has refused to dissipate, Trump and those closest to him have tried repeatedly to divert attention to other subjects, with limited success.
“Republican strategist Alex Conant said the Epstein episode has called into question Trump’s ability to evade electoral consequences of actions that would kneecap other politicians. ‘Nobody turns the page better than Donald Trump,’ Conant said. ‘His entire first term was constantly changing narratives. We lost track of all the dramas because he’s always adding a new one to distract from the previous ones… Normally his base helps change the topic by latching on to a new outrage. But now he’s in a fight with his base’… efforts to change the subject have been so far unsuccessful, experts and observers say. Instead, new attention has focused on Trump’s own well-documented friendship with Epstein… polls show that large majorities of the public believe the government is hiding facts about the Epstein case. As a result, the president… finds his political power threatened by a conspiracy theory he can’t shake.
“… Russell Muirhead, a professor of democracy and politics at Dartmouth College and a Democratic state legislator from New Hampshire [said:] ‘… it looks like he’s just another elite, corrupt like all the rest, and that impression will remain, to some extent, regardless of whether this particular story is at the top of people’s attention.’”
Obama vs. Trump
The Daily Mail wrote on July 22:
“Former President Barack Obama tore into Donald Trump in a rare and blistering statement after the president dramatically accused him of ‘treason’ and said the Justice Department should probe his rival over the Russia ‘hoax.’
“’Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one,’ said Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesman for Obama’s office…
“The former president’s spokesman then turned to the report of Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, who alleged that the Obama administration ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence’ against Trump. ‘Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.’
“That last line needled Trump’s secretary of state and national security advisor, who was seated next to the president during his extended discourse on Obama and his team.”
Rubio sat there quietly and visibly uncomfortably.
ICE Raids Invasive
The Los Angeles Times wrote on July 18:
“It might be hard for outsiders to realize how pervasive the Trump administration’s immigration raids feel here in Southern California. Friends describe relatives been pulled over for no apparent reason. Neighbors tell me of housekeepers and gardeners too afraid to come to work… the vast majority of those hauled away have had no prior criminal convictions…
“A few of the actions stand out because of their size, like last week’s raid on Glass House Farms, the Camarillo cannabis operation. Federal officials arrested more than 300 people and one man trying to flee… fell to his death from the top of a greenhouse. The death of the 57-year-old worker reinforced the high stakes of the raids.
“The arrests of 31 people at a Home Depot in Hollywood also got a fair amount of attention…
“The Fashion and Flower District emptied out after the raids… people are carrying their passports, fearing the color of their skin could get them stopped. Day care centers stand quiet because parents are afraid if they leave their children there, they might not get to see them again…
“American citizens swept up in the raids are among the ones that have troubled readers the most…”
Many Americans still don’t recognize the horror caused by ICE and its discriminatory raids and arrests.
Horrible Abuses at US Detention Camps
The Guardian, July 21:
“Migrants at a Miami immigration jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates ‘like dogs’, according to a report published on Monday into conditions at three overcrowded south Florida facilities. The incident at the downtown federal detention center is one of a succession of alleged abuses at jails operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice) in the state since January, chronicled by the advocacy groups Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Sanctuary of the South from interviews with detainees.
“Dozens of men had been packed into a holding cell for hours, the report said, and denied lunch until about 7pm. They remained shackled with the food on chairs in front of them… Degrading treatment by guards is commonplace in all three jails, the groups say. At the Krome North service processing center in west Miami, female detainees were made to use toilets in full view of men being held there, and were denied access to gender-appropriate care, showers or adequate food.
“The jail was so far beyond capacity, some transferring detainees reported, that they were held for more than 24 hours in a bus in the parking lot. Men and women were confined together, and unshackled only when they needed to use the single toilet, which quickly became clogged… When the group was finally admitted into the facility, they said, many spent up to 12 days crammed into a frigid intake room they christened la hielera – the ice box – with no bedding or warm clothing, sleeping instead on the cold concrete floor…
“Immigration detention numbers nationally were at an average of 56,400 a day in mid-June, with almost 72% having no criminal history, according to the report…”
CBS News had already reported on this on July 9:
“Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, arrested last week in Miami-Dade on assault charges, was transferred to South Florida’s new immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades, the singer confirmed in a phone call. He and other detainees claim they are enduring inhumane conditions at the site, including lack of access to water, inadequate food and denial of religious rights…
“In a phone call from inside the facility, La Figura described what he called horrific conditions… ‘They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants,’ La Figura said… Other detainees echoed La Figura’s concerns… A… detainee, who said he is Colombian, described deteriorating mental health and lack of access to necessary medical care… He also claimed his Bible was confiscated…
“On Tuesday, state officials responded to the allegations made by detainees at the facility, saying they are ‘completely false’…”
Of course, what else would they say?
NBC Miami wrote on July 21:
“Over the weekend, Miami’s archbishop prayed for the detainees outside the facility [“Alligator Alcatraz”]. The archbishop… wants to hold mass inside. That hasn’t been granted.”
God Angry With the USA?
The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) wrote on July 8:
“President Donald Trump’s social media team at Homeland Security… has clearly not read any of Isaiah… The prophet famously includes the call to ‘make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.;’ … During a speech announcing the bombing of Iran, Trump invoked God. ‘I want to just say, we love you, God,’ Trump said…
“It isn’t a stretch to imagine that if Isaiah were prophesizing today, the United States would be the subject of his righteous fury. And though many social media users were quick to admonish the administration, there were still thousands who… commented with apparent glee.”
Where Are the Deals?
Express wrote on July 22:
“In a stunning development that has sent shockwaves through Washington and the Trump political orbit, CNN interrupted its regular programming to air a scathing montage highlighting unfulfilled trade promises made by Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary. The montage, released late Monday evening, compiled repeated assurances by Howard Lutnick, a close Trump ally and a key architect of the Trump administration’s economic agenda, claiming that significant trade deals were imminent. Trump once hailed him as a ‘brilliant negotiator’ but has now been exposed for making bold claims that, according to critics, were rooted in smoke and mirrors.
“The visuals were striking: side-by-side clips showed Lutnick promising that trade deals were in their final stages, while official documents and expert analyses indicated that negotiations had either stalled or had never truly begun… This comes after President Donald Trump threatened on July 12 to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1. This threat followed weeks of failed negotiations with major U.S. trading partners to reach a comprehensive trade deal…”
Subsequently, Trump announced a “massive” trade deal with Japan. But note the following articles.
A Massive Deal with Japan?
The Independent wrote on July 23:
“Japan agreed a trade deal that would see the US cut import tariffs on automobiles from the East Asian country from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. The deal is a significant boost to the Japanese automobile industry which sends over a quarter of its total exports to the US market… Trump described it as the ‘largest TRADE DEAL in history’ and an ‘exciting time for the United States of America’…
“The deal commits Japan to investing $550bn in the US economy. Prime minister Shigeru Ishiba confirmed the deal had been struck on Wednesday, just days after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered a major loss in a key upper house election. Despite facing calls to step down in the wake of the loss, Mr Ishiba vowed to move forward with the agreement, insisting it didn’t compromise Japan’s agricultural interests… adding that US rice imports would remain within existing quotas.
“The agreement expands market access for American goods like automobiles, rice and other agricultural products. The full terms are still to be made public, however. Mr Ishiba said he would closely review the agreement before releasing it, noting his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, had made eight trips to Washington since April to negotiate with treasury secretary Scott Bessent and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.
“Japanese markets reacted positively to the deal… However, Japanese bond futures fell sharply, with the 10-year benchmark dropping 0.92 yen to its lowest since March… The dollar index fell for the third consecutive day…
“The agreement drew criticism from American carmakers who argued that the deal gave preferential treatment to Japanese imports. ‘Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles… is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers,’ said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council. Tariffs on vehicles made in North America remain at 25 per cent…
“The new agreement does not address the longstanding issue of 50 per cent American tariff on Japanese steel and aluminium. It also excludes provisions related to defence budgets…”
There was some confusion regarding alleged Japanese investments in the USA.
Confusion Abounds…
CNBC wrote on July 23:
“‘Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits,’ Trump wrote in the post… The card on Trump’s desk displays a 10% tariff, in addition to a 15% levy rate on the automotive, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. However, Trump said in his Truth Social post only that Japan would face a rate of 15%, without elaborating… Below the tariff rate, ‘$400B’ appears on the board in large lettering. The number four is crossed out, with ‘500’ written above it… Trump used a different figure in his post than even the altered amount on the card, saying in the post that Japan would invest $550 billion in the U.S. It is not clear why the amount in his post was $50 billion higher than the altered amount on the card…
“Wall Street was left a bit confused by the terms of the deal. Andy Laperriere, head of U.S. policy research at Piper Sandler, said Japanese officials are ‘describing it differently’ when it comes to the investment plan. Japan’s leaders, he said, see the $550 billion figure as a cap and inclusive of government loan guarantees. ‘Especially given that the Japanese believe they are being bullied into this commitment, they will almost certainly slow walk whatever investments they don’t think are in their own economic self-interest,’ Laperriere wrote to clients in a Wednesday note.”
Please read our Editorial this week, titled, “They Are Lying to Us!”
US Government Destroys Contraceptives Worth Almost 10 Million Dollars
The Guardian wrote on July 18:
“The Trump administration has decided to destroy $9.7m worth of contraceptives rather than send them abroad to women in need. A state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision had been made – a move that will cost US taxpayers $167,000. The contraceptives are primarily long-acting, such as IUDs and birth control implants, and were almost certainly intended for women in Africa, according to two senior congressional aides, one of whom visited a warehouse in Belgium that housed the contraceptives. It is not clear to the aides whether the destruction has already been carried out, but said they had been told that it was set to occur by the end of July…
“The department decided to destroy the contraceptives because it could not sell them to any ‘eligible buyers’, in part because of US laws and rules that prohibit sending US aid to organizations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right to it overseas, according to the state department spokesperson. Most of the contraceptives have less than 70% of their shelf life left before they expire, the spokesperson said, and rebranding and selling the contraceptives could cost several million dollars.
“However, the aide who visited the warehouse said that the earliest expiration date they saw on the contraceptives was 2027, and that two-thirds of the contraceptives did not have any USAID labels that would need to be rebranded.
“The eradication of the contraceptives is part of the Trump administration’s months-long demolition of the Agency for International Development (USAID), the largest funding agency for humanitarian and development aid in the world. After the unofficial ‘department of government efficiency’ (Doge) erased 83% of USAID’s programs, [secretary of state Marco] Rubio announced in June that USAID’s entire international workforce would be abolished and its foreign assistance programs would be moved to the State Department… In total, the funding cuts to USAID could lead to more than 14m additional deaths by 2030, according to a recent study published in the journal the Lancet. A third of those deaths could be children.
“‘If you have an unintended pregnancy and you end up having to seek unsafe abortion, it’s quite likely that you will die,’ said Sarah Shaw, the associate director of advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, a global family planning organization that works in nearly 40 countries. ‘If you’re not given the means to space or limit your births, you’re putting your life at risk or your child’s life at risk.’
“MSI tried to purchase the contraceptives from the US government, Shaw said. But the government would only accept full price – which Shaw said the agency could not afford, given that MSI would also have to shoulder the expense of transporting the contraceptives and the fact that they are inching closer to their expiration date, which could affect MSI’s ability to distribute them.
The state department spokesperson did not specifically respond to a request for comment on Shaw’s allegation, but MSI does provide abortions as part of its global work, which may have led the department to rule it out as an ‘eligible buyer’…”
This is another example of the rotten world with its evil demonic systems we are living in.
500 Tons of Emergency Food to Be Destroyed
The Atlantic wrote on July 14:
“Five months into its unprecedented dismantling of foreign-aid programs, the Trump administration has given the order to incinerate food instead of sending it to people abroad who need it. Nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire…, according to current and former government employees with direct knowledge of the rations.
“Within weeks, two of those sources told me, the food, meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be ash…”
Doing Away With Capital Gains Tax on Home Sales?
The New York Post wrote on July 22:
“President Trump said Tuesday he is considering eliminating the capital gains tax on home sales — a potentially massive financial break for sellers… Trump was responding to a question from Real America Voice reporter Brian Glenn, who is in a relationship with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Georgia GOP congresswoman recently introduced a bill in Congress calling for the elimination of the tax on home sales…
“Minutes earlier, the president had unloaded on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates. ‘It’s causing a problem for people who want to buy a home,’ Trump said… claiming that Powell will be out in ‘eight months’— despite his term expiring May 15… The president said the housing market could be unleashed ‘just by lowering the interest rates.’
“Single tax-filers can currently exclude a maximum of $250,000 in capital gains when they sell their homes, a limit that has been in place since 1997. Joint filers can exclude up to $500,000. ‘Families who work hard, build equity and sell their homes should not be punished with massive tax bills,’ Greene said in a statement about her bill. ‘The capital gains tax on home sales is an outdated, unfair burden…’ The elimination of capital gains tax would have to be passed by Congress.”
This would be a step in the right direction. The fewer taxes, the better.
Britain to Lower Voting Age to 16
Semafor wrote on July 17:
“Britain’s government said it would lower the country’s voting age to 16 before the next general election in a bid to increase democratic participation. The proposal to allow 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in general elections represents the biggest change to the electorate since the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969…
“The move to extend the franchise was part of the governing Labour Party’s manifesto: Labour argued that the change would bring greater fairness to 16- and 17-year-olds, many of whom already work and are eligible to serve in the military.”
What stupidity! So, one evil is used to justify the next.
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.