You Can’t Vote For Either Party

Ron Paul wrote on November 2, 2026 in the Ron Paul Institute:

“Republicans Deserve to Lose, but Democrats Do Not Deserve to Win….

“The Trump-era Republican record of debt and war makes Republicans, with few exceptions, unworthy of support… Some Democratic candidates are openly socialist. Others who do not call themselves socialist do advocate socialist policies… A choice between the Republicans’ corporatism and the Democrats’ socialism is a sad choice…”

In fact, it’s no choice at all. True Christians are NOT to vote in governmental elections.

Wild rumors are being circulated in the likely event that Trump and the Republicans will lose in the midterm elections, after his recent rallies have been, for the most part, complete failures. Some claim that Trump will flee the country to avoid criminal prosecutions (an unlikely scenario); others claim that he will even become more aggressive and rule by executive orders, thereby circumventing Congress (which he has been doing anyway…a very likely scenario). In that case, his animosity towards Europe will only increase.

Democrats Take Over House and the Senate

“The New York Post wrote on October 3:

“A blue tsunami delivered Democrats the House of Representatives and the Senate Tuesday night, sweeping away once-safe Republican seats and unleashing immediate finger-pointing and preparations for fights with Congress. A historic series of defeats, including Democrats flipping Senate seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas — with equally staggering results in House races — positioning New Yorkers Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries to lead the Senate and House…. Many of the president’s allies blamed the Iran war which caused higher energy prices, inflation and interest rates, while the White House blamed ‘candidate quality,’ even though many Republican candidates were hand-picked by Trump…

‘I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!’ he posted late Tuesday — despite telling Republicans in Iowa at a rally less than two weeks ago to ‘pretend I’m on the ballot.’”

Trump Under Pressure

Bild Online wrote on November 4:

“Majority in both chambers of the US Congress gone!…

“A really bitter night for Donald Trump (80)! The US President is losing a good part of his power. Result of the US midterm elections: His Republicans lose their majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, in both chambers of the US Congress the power is gone! The last time this happened was with George W. Bush Jr. in 2006.

“And the current US President is furious! On social media he writes: ‘I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I were, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!’ And he threatens to govern around Congress, posting a red baseball cap with the word: ‘VETO’. With a veto, the US President can block laws from Congress – and apparently Trump plans to do just that…

“The biggest shock for Trump’s Republicans comes from Texas. There, Democrat James Talarico (37) wins the race for the U.S. Senate against Republican Ken Paxton. Trump had supported Paxton. And even the governor’s seat for the Republicans is gone! The new governor will be Gina Hinojosa (52), a woman with Hispanic roots. A first in the Southern state! It’s kind of like if the CSU lost in Bavaria. Even in the 2024 presidential election, Trump carried the state 56 to 43 percent.

“Another striking example: the Kansas sensation! In this Republican stronghold, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton wins, taking the Senate seat for the Democrats for the first time since 1932 (!).

“Besides Texas, the governor’s offices in Georgia, Ohio, and Iowa also go to the Democrats…”

Stock Market Crash

The Financial Times wrote on November 5:

“US tech stocks tumbled on Thursday in chaotic trading on worries that Democrats’ sweeping victories in midterm races across the US will herald a slowdown in the AI boom.”

Estimates place the single-day loss between $1.3 trillion and $1.8 trillion.

Could Netanyahu Attack Iran Now?

Financial Review wrote on October 30:

“Tuesday’s election ending in a stalemate and Israel facing weeks of tortuous negotiations between legislators to cobble together a governing coalition, Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister…

“Danny Citrinowicz, a former Iran analyst with Israeli military intelligence now attached to the Institute for National Security Studies, said Netanyahu had an incentive to go to war. ‘Netanyahu may have lost his parliamentary majority, but he retains the legal authority to launch another military campaign while serving as caretaker prime minister,’ Citrinowicz said on X.

“‘The IDF may have reservations about initiating another war, but ultimately the political leadership makes the decisions. The concern is that renewed escalation with Iran could also serve Netanyahu’s political interests by creating the conditions for a national unity government under his leadership. And we should not assume another war would be short or decisive. Iran will retaliate, and there is little reason to believe additional strikes will force Tehran to surrender its strategic assets…’

“Netanyahu can’t go it alone. He needs the backing of the American war machine, especially in light of Iran’s ability to strike back with missile and drone attacks. But both Netanyahu and Trump are in weakened states… Iran has blown apart Trump’s two central election tenets: keeping fuel prices low and American soldiers out of foreign wars….

“But in recent weeks, America has begun again to build up its armed forces in the Middle East. A Patriot missile battery to shoot down Iranian warheads was moved to Israel this week, while a third aircraft carrier strike group and amphibious landing ships with 2000 marines are steaming towards the region. On Thursday, America’s top military commander for the Middle East, Admiral Brad Cooper, gave Trump and other senior officials a rare in-person briefing on potential targets against the regime, expected to focus on nuclear facilities. Gulf allies have also been briefed to brace for retaliatory strikes from Iran if the US and Israel renew hostilities.”

Trump Announces Early End to US Military Aid for Israel

ntv wrote on November 3:

“According to President Donald Trump, the US is ending a multi-billion dollar ten-year program to support Israel’s security at the end of the year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘on board’ with the move, aimed at stopping years of ‘waste’ of funds, Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News. He added, ‘We will help Israel if they need it.’

“Trump said he had already agreed with Netanyahu to stop the financial aid ‘months ago.’ ‘Israel is our number one. We give them more money than anyone else, and they don’t need it anymore’…

“The Israeli news portal ynet reported that Israel’s Finance Ministry was surprised by Trump’s announcement. If the aid is actually stopped at the end of the year, it would be two years earlier than planned, the portal wrote… ‘Giving up two years of military aid basically means eight billion dollars. Where are we supposed to get this money from? Quite clearly: from taxpayers.'”

Who’s lying again now?

Iran Threatens Germany

MSN wrote on October 31:

“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has openly threatened German Chancellor Friedrich Merz—and all of Europe—with a ‘devastating blow.’ On the platform X, Tehran’s chief diplomat responded to remarks made by Merz during a visit to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. In his address, the Chancellor had estimated the economic consequences for Europe resulting from the war involving Iran—which has been ongoing since the end of February—at more than 100 billion euros. Araghchi seized upon this figure directly: ‘100 billion euros is nothing compared to the devastating blow that Iran’s powerful armed forces will deal to those who dare to inflict harm upon our people.’ So-called ‘red lines’ no longer exist, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated…

“Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia added on X: Should U.S. President Donald Trump ‘embark once again on regional adventures,’ the ‘flames of war would undoubtedly engulf a far larger geographical area.’

“In addition to the Foreign Minister, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, also spoke out using harsh language. According to a statement, he told high-ranking military commanders that any threat must be met with ‘an immediate, effective, and geographically unrestricted response.’ Should the enemy attack Iran, Tehran would determine when and under what conditions the war would end. Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who had led the Islamic Republic since 1989. The long-serving religious leader lost his life on February 28—the first day of the war. Since then, his son has not appeared in public, nor have any audio or video recordings of him surfaced.”

Trump’s Support of Russia Obvious

AFP wrote on October 30:

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened talks Friday with G20 counterparts including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, in meetings set to be fractious as wars in Ukraine and Iran, alongside surging energy costs, fan discord.

“The foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, takes place just days before crucial U.S. midterm elections, setting the stage for a December G20 leaders’ summit in Miami at President Donald Trump’s Doral resort. But ongoing conflicts have deepened rifts… Already, a traditional family photo [with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov] planned for Friday morning was called off shortly before the two-day meeting started…

“Russia has been shunned by most of the West after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Lavrov himself remains under international sanctions… Meanwhile, the possibility of further escalation in the Middle East is mounting… Washington has welcomed Russian officials to this year’s G20 events — while excluding member South Africa — and Trump has invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to Miami in December…”

Uproar at the G20 Summit

ORF.at reported on October 30:

“A meeting of G20 foreign ministers yesterday was overshadowed by deep divisions stemming from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on participants in Atlanta to increase cooperation, the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov caused significant tension. In protest against Lavrov’s attendance, the ministers opted against the traditional group photo. According to a Western diplomat, one-third of the participating nations—including Australia and Canada—had opposed being in a photo with Lavrov. A U.S. official stated that the State Department removed the photo from the agenda to avoid a spectacle or a distraction…

“The European G20 members support Ukraine and oppose recent decisions made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Russia—specifically, an agreement to purchase diesel and the suspension of certain sanctions. On the sidelines of the meeting, Lavrov remarked that there had been no easing of tensions in the relationship between Russia and the U.S., and that the sanctions remain in place. ‘One should harbor no illusions regarding the diesel deal,’ Lavrov said.

“Regarding the talks between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia—hinted at by the Kremlin to take place in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, aimed at resuming discussions on a potential peace settlement (which had been stalled for months)—Lavrov criticized the Europeans, stating: ‘They are attempting to interfere in the peace negotiation process in Ukraine.’

“For her part, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas accused the Russian Foreign Minister of spreading lies about the war in Ukraine: ‘Naturally, he presented many lies, many false representations, which we subsequently refuted.’” …could,’ she told the news agency AFP. Lavrov also showed no sign of any willingness on Moscow’s part to engage in peace negotiations.”

Ukraine Defies Trump

The Guardian wrote on November 1:

“Ukraine has resumed its attacks on Russian oil refineries in defiance of pressure from Donald Trump ahead of the US midterm elections, as a ceasefire in the occupied town of Oleshky ended on Sunday night. Russian state media said on Sunday Ukrainian long-range drones had set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod oblast overnight, soon after a major strike against another big refinery in Samara oblast, owned by the Russian state energy giant Rosneft….

“Ukrainian officials… told the Kyiv Independent newspaper that they never agreed to a demand from Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, to pause refinery strikes for 30 days. The raids on Russia restarted on Friday, Kremlin officials said, complaining that Kyiv was now ‘simply ignoring’ US wishes…. The latest attacks came before a six-day local ceasefire brokered by the US first lady, Melania Trump, came to an end in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. Hundreds of residents were reunited with their loved ones over the weekend in northern Ukraine, with both sides hailing the evacuation mission as a success…

“Trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the US are likely to take place later this month, and Kremlin officials said on Sunday that Vladimir Putin was willing to talk directly to Zelenskyy by phone. They added that European leaders who support Ukraine should not be involved in any such call. There is little prospect of a wider breakthrough, however, as the Russian president’s maximalist demands remain unchanged. He is insisting that Ukraine give up all of the eastern Donetsk oblast – which Russia has been unable to seize since 2014 – as well as further territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces, which the Kremlin does not control but says it has ‘annexed.’”

Europeans Object to Von Der Leyen’s Plan Regarding Canada

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 29:

“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to give Canada a special status within the EU. But Germany and other member states have raised objections ahead of a summit in Montreal. European Union member states are ready to block a proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to grant Canada a special status as an ‘associate member’ of the bloc.

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and several other EU leaders [including France and Italy] pushed to remove the term from a draft declaration ahead of a two-day EU-Canada summit…  Instead, the revised document calls for a plan to establish ‘closer ties’ between Canada and the EU without membership.”

No Associate Member, but “Ill-Defined “Alliance”

Courthouse News Service added on October 30:

“After two days of talks in Montreal, the 21st European Union and Canada Summit concluded on Friday with the creation of the Alliance for the Future… The process of joining the EU usually takes years… Admitting Canada quickly could go against those established procedures….

“The disagreement highlights the complexity of the European Union. With 27 member states and many governing bodies, there are different views about Canada’s place in the bloc…

“A statement from his office on Friday alluded to Canada possibly ‘becoming the European Union’s first associate member.’ But that term was noticeably absent from Friday’s joint statement, with CBC News reporting it was point of contention…

“In September, Trump threatened to impose more tariffs if Canada were to get EU associate member status, saying it would be a ‘hostile act.’ But the White House — now apparently distracted by midterm elections — has not yet reacted to the latest developments.”

America’s Deadly Addiction to War

Judge Andrew Napolitano wrote on October 29 in the Ron Paul Institute:

“America has a deadly addiction to war. Since 1950, presidents of both political parties have sent American troops into conflicts across the globe, killed countless people, sacrificed the lives and limbs of American servicemen and women, and wasted trillions of dollars. Yet these wars have consistently failed to achieve the objectives proclaimed when the killing began. Enemies are replaced by new enemies, dictators give way to new dictators, and supposedly decisive victories become endless occupations. The beneficiaries are the military-industrial complex, the intelligence agencies and the politicians who confuse the exercise of power with the achievement of peace…

“The pattern is familiar. The government tells the public that a foreign adversary threatens our existence, that diplomacy has failed and that military action will be limited, necessary and successful. Then the bombs fall, the casualties mount and the mission changes. What began as a narrowly defined operation becomes a wider war, regime change, counterinsurgency or an open-ended commitment to demonstrate American domination…

“Americans were told that Vietnam was essential to containing communism, that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, that Afghanistan was a necessary campaign against terrorism, that Iran could ‘take out’ Los Angeles…

“… since 1950, American presidents have repeatedly committed American forces to major conflicts without formal declarations of war. Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, Iran and numerous other military operations have proceeded under various presidential theories of authority, vague congressional resolutions and claims of inherent executive power…

“The intelligence agencies compound the problem. The CIA has conducted covert operations, fomented coups, participated in foreign interventions and murdered and tortured in ways that escape public scrutiny… The military-industrial complex benefits. Intelligence agencies expand their influence. Defense contractors receive lucrative government contracts. Politicians posture as guardians of national security. Meanwhile, ordinary Americans pay the bills through taxes, inflation, mounting debt and the opportunity costs of spending money on destruction rather than productive activity at home; and our civil liberties are curtailed…

“The most dangerous enemy of American security is not a foreign power. It is our own government’s inability to recognize that the power to wage war is not an unlimited license to rule the world…”

The Danger of the Muslim Brotherhood

Report 24 wrote on October 30:

“On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a stark warning regarding the danger posed by the Muslim Brotherhood…

“In Germany and Austria, ‘political Islam’ is a welcome partner to the ruling parties. Muslim spokespersons are courted as partners, and Muslims themselves are wooed as potential voters. The Muslim Brotherhood—one of the most active and powerful proponents of ‘political Islam’—is active in both countries, pursuing its long-term goal: the seizure of power by Islam. This is because traditional Islam, according to its own scriptures, is inherently political. As a totalitarian ideology, it strives for absolute power over every aspect of the lives of those subject to it…

“Kennedy explained that criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood does not constitute Islamophobia. The organization, founded in 1928, has developed a highly dangerous new ideology. Kennedy stated: ‘There are 500 million Arabs in the world, yet they produce no science. They win no Nobel Prizes, no Fields Medals, no Wolf Prizes. They produce no literature.’ He argued that science and culture have been ‘destroyed by the Muslim Brotherhood.’ The Brotherhood, he claimed, has ‘created stagnant societies that essentially produce two things: hatred, war, and a victim mentality.’ It has destroyed these societies…

“The worst victims are the ‘Palestinians’ and the populations in countries that the Brotherhood has already taken over. At the core of their ‘toxic ideology’ lies ‘hatred of Jews, of America, and of Western civilization as a whole.’ Their goal is to destroy democracy and implement Sharia law, under which a caliphate would serve as the sole, legitimate form of governance.

“The U.S. is not alone in facing the problem of Islamic infiltration; in Western European nations, this process is already much further advanced. Both the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Austrian state security services have issued clear warnings regarding the infiltration of society by ‘legalistic Islam’ and the Muslim Brotherhood. Yet, governments refuse to acknowledge the danger—and should any politician dare to speak as plainly as Kennedy Jr. has, they would immediately be accused of ‘Islamophobia’ and ‘racism.’ An ordinary citizen, meanwhile, would face prosecution by a politicized judiciary for ‘hate speech’ or ‘incitement.’

“However, the refusal to call the enemy by its name makes it impossible to combat that enemy. The consequences are currently visible on the streets of Europe, where leftists and Muslim migrants are staging what amounts to an insurrection…”

Radicals Infiltrate Demonstrations

Nius wrote on October 30:

“The initiative ‘Gen Z regelt’ [Gen Z Takes Charge] has called for a protest this Saturday. The youth initiative sees itself as a mouthpiece for its generation, demanding that the interests of young people be given greater consideration in politics… Crumbling schools, rising prices, military conscription, and climate protection: the ‘Gen Z regelt’ initiative is calling for more funding for education, healthcare, and social security.

“One topic stands out in particular: Palestine! While barely mentioned on the official website, it features prominently on Instagram. Several local chapters are sharing Palestinian flags…

“However, extremists are also involved in the mobilization efforts. The North Rhine-Westphalia Office for the Protection of the Constitution reports the presence of actors from the far-left and foreign-linked extremist spectrums…”

Anger and Panic

On October 30, Focus wrote:

“Under pressure and enraged by his critics, the President… brushes aside polls that document his unpopularity. Furthermore, he rails against unfavorable media reports, which deeply agitate him… a somber mood has taken hold in the White House: it is shaken by staff turnover, tensions between internal factions, and fear of what might happen next…

“Since his return, he has directed his Department of Justice to carry out a campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies. He has unleashed a federal crackdown on individuals lacking legal immigration status—an effort that has also ensnared U.S. citizens and, in some instances, led to fatal confrontations. He has continued to trample upon the ethical norms that have historically defined the presidency. And he still has two years left to go….”

Escalation in Poland

On October 30, Die Welt reported:

“In Poland, the power struggle between the government and the Constitutional Tribunal is escalating dramatically. On Friday, a large police force moved onto the premises of the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. The opposition is calling it a coup d’état, while PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński has warned of the establishment of a police state. Meanwhile, President Karol Nawrocki has cut short a trip to Africa due to these events. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, for his part, has emphasized that the rule of law must be restored.

“The escalation was triggered by a dispute over the leadership of the Constitutional Tribunal. On Friday, a statement appeared on the Tribunal’s website announcing that the terms of Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, had been suspended for one month. The decision was reportedly issued by Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, who is currently tasked with overseeing the Tribunal’s administration. However, the incumbent leadership immediately rejected the statement. On the Constitutional Tribunal’s official X account, the incident was described as an unlawful takeover of the website, asserting that Święczkowski remains the President and Sochański his deputy. At the same time, Korwin-Piotrowska’s status as a constitutional judge was called into question. Those responsible for the publication were accused of carrying out a coup d’état. Simultaneously, a police operation took place at the Constitutional Tribunal, which the investigative authorities justified by citing a security alert.

“Behind this escalation lies a conflict that has been simmering for years regarding the composition of the Constitutional Tribunal. The right-wing conservative PiS party, which governed the country from 2015 to 2023, had filled the court with judges politically aligned with it. At the time, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) determined that the Polish Constitutional Tribunal could not be considered independent or impartial, citing serious flaws in the appointment process for its judges and its then-president. After Tusk’s center-left coalition took power following the 2023 parliamentary elections, the new government announced its intention to reverse the controversial changes the PiS administration had made to the judicial system.

“However, this process is moving at a sluggish pace. This is partly due to President Nawrocki—who is close to the PiS—repeatedly placing obstacles in the path of Tusk’s government. In recent months, for instance, Nawrocki refused to swear in five constitutional judges nominated by parliament. When these judges took their oath of office before parliament instead, the president of the Tribunal—who had been appointed during the PiS era—denied them access to the building…”

Witchcraft on the Rise

Daily Mail wrote on October 30:

“America’s Vice President [JD Vance] says the Antichrist may be walking among us. Witchcraft and the occult are ever more fashionable…

“When I was a child, we made very little of Halloween, but now the shops fill up with masks, witchy outfits, pumpkins and fake skeletons weeks in advance. The younger children go round from house to house demanding ‘trick or treat’ – but what is really weird, in the past decade especially, is that it is not just children who are celebrating. Men and women in their twenties and even thirties prepare for tonight’s festivities weeks in advance, making or buying costumes, kitting themselves out as vampires or Frankenstein’s monsters. What’s going on?…

“I suspect that part of the reason so many of all ages are increasingly welcome to it is the strange and growing phenomenon of the occult, of belief in the supernatural and the paranormal, in witchcraft and wizardry…

“There are many indications at the moment that extreme superstitions are gathering wide followings among large numbers of people…

“The occultist Aleister Crowley, who practised witchcraft, celebrated Satanic ‘Black Masses’ and dubbed himself the ‘Wickedest Man in the World’, lived in Cornwall in the years before the Second World War… And when I watch the parade and see the excited, sweaty faces reflecting the flares, why do I sometimes think of the Nazis’ Nuremberg rallies, whose torchlit processions were their climax?

“… Nazism, for all its perverted embrace of modern technology, was at heart deeply cultish and superstitious… Hitler was more than a dictator: he was a kind of wizard who had cast a spell over his people. And since human beings are so easily bewitched, who knows, in the troubled times to come, what political magician is now biding his time to beguile the millions of young people drinking up all this online poison in our new and darkening age?”

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Trump Attacks Norway and Is Definitely Losing It!

Daily Mail wrote on October 26:

“Donald Trump on Sunday escalated his invective against Norway, calling it a ‘sh*thouse country’ [using a term that he has also previously applied to Haiti, Libya, Somalia and Yemen] after he was not awarded a Nobel Peace Prize… adding that immigrants from Norway were not welcome in the US. The US President also said that ‘Norway sucks’…

“Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide told national broadcaster NRK on Monday: ‘He knows very well that the Nobel Committee is independent. We have reminded them of that, if anyone is wondering, and that is still the case.’“ 

Trump’s hurt pride is appalling and totally unworthy of a leader in a high office.

Trump: I Could Still Run in 2028

The Huffington Post wrote on October 23:

“President Donald Trump on Thursday said he has the ‘right’ to run for a third term if he wants to despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution expressly forbids it…

“Trump hasn’t stopped from selling Trump 2028 merch, posting Trump 2028 images and memes, and musing about the possibility publicly…

“Trump said he ‘studied’ the phrasing of the Constitution, calling it ‘quite concise’ and with ‘not a lot of wiggle room.’ ‘It says something to the effect that under no circumstances and for any reason will you even consider thinking about running for president,’ Trump said, then created his own wiggle room. ‘Well, the one thing is different: They cheated us on the second one because we won it three times.’…

‘‘So I think I have the right to run again,’ he said. ‘I think I have the right to run again cuz they cheated. They cheated. They rigged the election.’ The crowd cheered.”

Why a “rigged” election in 2020 entitles him to run for a third time is a mystery. But his layman’s study of the Constitution was lacking too, as there are possibilities of interpretations which would allow him to run for a third term. Not understanding the law, his ignorance may be excusable. But his lawyer/advisors should know better.

“The US President’s Perpetual Lies”

On October 22, ntv wrote:

“For years, US President Donald Trump has railed against what he claims is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s lack of a desire for peace. This was the case again last week, when Trump asserted: ‘Zelenskyy says he wants a deal, but he doesn’t.’ Yet, as is so often the case, the US President is wrong. This became clear—ironically, in an interview on Fox News, Trump’s preferred network—shortly after his associate, diplomat Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow. When asked by host Brian Kilmeade whether he would accept the current front line, the Ukrainian leader replied with a clear: ‘Yes.’ Zelenskyy stated that the front line should be frozen now—reiterating a position he has held for years. Trump is well aware of this.

“The reason the fighting does not stop immediately lies solely with Russia. Moscow remains fixated on seizing all of Ukraine’s eastern regions—most notably the heavily fortified Donbas. To move closer to a ceasefire or even a peace agreement, Trump would need to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon his objectives. But that is not happening… Moscow is further than it has been in a long time from achieving its goal of capturing the entire Donbas region…

“Putin aims to secure at the negotiating table what he has failed to achieve on the battlefield. This is why he refuses to agree to the immediate ceasefire proposed by Zelenskyy. After all, without the Donbas—a region Putin has been attacking since 2014—the Kremlin leader would emerge as the ultimate loser. There are many reasons why Ukraine will not vacate the region; for instance, Ukrainian law precludes the permanent ceding of territory… There is no majority—neither among the population nor in politics—for ceding territory. Many soldiers also speak out against it…

“And even if Ukraine were to agree to relinquish the Donbas, the danger would not be averted. Moscow has broken every ceasefire—partial or otherwise—in recent years. Deception, lying, and manipulation are all part of the Kremlin’s daily routine. Abandoning the well-fortified Donbas in the hope of a ceasefire could prove to be one of the greatest mistakes in Ukraine’s history, should Russian forces subsequently continue their offensive and push deep into the west. There is ample reason to believe that Moscow would, in fact, break any such ceasefire—because the Kremlin’s ambitions in Ukraine extend far beyond the mere capture of the Donbas…

“In the past, Kremlin representatives have repeatedly hinted that their goal is the entirety of Ukraine. For them, this entails not only the conquest of territory but also the removal of the Zelenskyy government. Furthermore, they have frequently demanded the extensive demilitarization of Ukraine…

“Security expert Frank Umbach told ntv: ‘Putin sees that Trump has switched sides. He is more firmly on the Russian side than ever. I would point to the diesel deal, the lifting of sanctions, the restrictions placed on Starshield and Starlink, the failure to provide early warnings, and—as reported in U.S. media—the blocking of Patriot missile shipments.’ According to Umbach, this confirms Putin’s own worldview. ‘Since 2022, he has consistently maintained that one only needs to outlast the conflict, as European democracies are inherently weak. Why, then, would he make any compromises now?’ Some assessments go even further, suggesting that the U.S. President is entirely under Moscow’s control.”

In spite of his double talk and his lies, Trump was always on Putin’s side.

The Despicable American War Machine

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on October 26:

“At a campaign rally over the weekend, President Trump dismissed Americans’ concerns over high oil and gas prices, claiming that it’s a small price to pay for the hundreds of billions of dollars ‘we’ are making from these higher prices. ‘We’re making a fortune,’ he said. ‘Hundreds of billions of dollars. Trillions of dollars.’ People are paying a little bit more for gas, he explained, but it doesn’t matter because ‘we’ are making so much money. The question is, ‘Who is “we”?’ We know it is not the American people. They are seeing wage stagnation, inflation, and more pain at the pump…

“But we understand what the President meant by ‘we.’ He meant that part of the ‘private’ sector directly or indirectly in bed with the government war machine. From oil companies to weapons manufacturers and everything in between, war and conflict drive up profits in well-connected corporations at the expense of the rest of us. That is why we are in a constant state of war. Twenty years in Afghanistan and a similar length in Iraq. Endless bombing in places like Somalia. A twelve-year (and counting) proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. Military bases and covert operations across the globe.

“And if we find that the largest military budget in the world does not deliver enough actual weapons to win a war? Well, that’s all good too: just double military spending and accuse anyone who objects of not being patriotic! ‘Private’ companies with enormous political power – many of them revolving doors between government and business – ‘make so much money’ on war, as Trump would say. Whether these wars produce US wins, loses, or stalemates, these corporations in bed with government always win. The money-printing machine makes sure the money cycles into government-favored companies, while campaign contributions are made to the politicians who support the wars.”

America is cursed because of its many wars. And so are those advocating those wars. They are the ones who are not patriotic… not the ones who object to this insanity.

Pentagon Fortress Plan

The Washington Times wrote on October 27:

“The Department of Defense wants every major military base able to operate for 90 days without outside help if a war cuts off power and supply chains. The bases would need their own power source, water, fuel and ways to communicate. The Pentagon’s Fortress America initiative aims to ensure U.S. forces can continue fighting even if the civilian systems they rely on are disrupted.

“The plans include having a small nuclear reactor at the bases, which would allow them to break away from the public grid during a power outage. Fortress America anticipates major disruptions to the global supply chains.”

Does not sound too good. What insanity has gripped the USA! Note the next article.

Staggering Costs of Iran War

Daily Mail wrote on October 28:

“Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has now spent more than $47 billion waging the war in Iran, handing Donald Trump a damaging new spending figure just days before the midterms.  The number, drawn from Pentagon data obtained by Reuters, is more than 25 percent higher than the $37.5 billion estimate Hegseth gave lawmakers over the summer. ..

“The figures do not clearly account for what is expected to be a massive bill to repair US bases hit by Iranian missiles and drones….

“The Trump administration has warned Gulf allies to brace for a short, ferocious military campaign against Iran as soon as the midterm elections are over… American forces in the region are already gearing up, restocking munitions and readying bombers and fighter jets for strikes.”

Pope: War Is Ungodly

The Associated Press wrote on October 27:

“Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday denounced any religious justification for wars raging around the world, saying ‘there is no such thing as a holy war.’…

“… the American pope denounced the ‘troubling revival of war as an instrument of international politics’ and its religious justifications by leaders. ‘Precisely in these times marked by a culture of power, there is a need to cultivate the spirit of Assisi… War can never be waged in the name of God,’ he said…

“Russia’s Orthodox Church has justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a ‘holy war’ against a Western world it considers has fallen into evil. Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials, especially… Hegseth have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might. Leo has consistently rejected such justifications as a perversion of religion itself… he said fighting in the name of religion ‘means attacking religion itself.’”

The same mad justification was given when the USA fought against the Nazis and bombed and destroyed entire cities indiscriminately, including Dresden. When it was pointed out that not every German citizen was a Nazi or fought against the USA and was even a conscientious objector, the retort was, These were necessary casualties. What ungodly damnable Satanic philosophy!

Spineless Audi

The Guardian wrote on October 26:

“The head of the luxury carmaker Audi is under fire in Germany for appearing at a rally with Donald Trump just days before the US midterm elections, to announce billions of dollars of investment in battleground state Georgia. Gernot Döllner joined Trump on stage after the US president gave a speech criticised by the head of an elected body of employees at Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen, as being full of ‘racism, sexism, transphobia [and] contempt for democracy’.

“Daniela Cavallo, the head of the VW works council, added that anyone who heard Trump’s speech and then saw that Döllner had become an active participant in the event must ‘sink into the ground with shame’… She said the investment deal and Döllner’s appearance showed VW’s management had allowed itself to be ‘turned into a puppet in the propaganda show of a highly dubious political figure’.

“Isabel Cademartori, the transport spokesperson for Germany’s Social Democrats – part of the country’s ruling coalition – called Döllner’s actions a ‘disgrace’. She added this was particularly so ‘in view of the history of the Volkswagen Group’, in an apparent reference to VW’s founding as a showcase company under the Nazis…  

“The head of the powerful German trade union IG Metall, Christiane Benner, called Döllner’s US appearance ‘extremely embarrassing, politically unacceptable and unworthy of the company, but above all of Audi’s employees’… She accused Döllner of being in ‘flagrant breach’ of the company’s code of conduct, ‘which expressly requires political neutrality in the run-up to elections’. She warned that any major investment like the Macon plant would have to go before VW’s supervisory board. Benner is the board’s deputy chair.”

Döllner claimed that Audi will provide 4,000 jobs for the plant in the USA, while having fired and firing tens of thousands of workers in Germany, blaming Friedrich Merz’s government for the situation. Döllner has allowed himself to become a puppet in Trump’s hands. Some have compared Döllner’s conduct with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s shameful delivery of a phony peace prize to Trump.

Netanyahu the Fearmonger

On October 25, Bild Online wrote:

“An apocalyptic warning just before the polls open! In the midst of his election campaign, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resorted to a dramatic stunt on social media. With only two days left until the parliamentary election, he is warning of the devastating consequences of voting for the opposition. He claims that anyone who elects a politician incapable of seeing the campaign against Iran through to the end is putting themselves and their families in danger—even risking a ‘second Holocaust.’ … Accompanying this is an AI-generated image of a massive mushroom cloud looming over a major city like Tel Aviv…”

“The Times of Israel noted that, for months, Netanyahu had claimed to have neutralized Iran’s nuclear program—a assertion that stands in stark contradiction to the fear he is now stoking. … For weeks, he has been promising that he will topple the mullah regime before U.S. President Donald Trump’s (80) term in office comes to an end. His opponents, meanwhile, focus primarily on the fact that he bears responsibility for the events of October 7, 2023…”

“The fact is: Israel is more divided than ever, its society left traumatized since October 7, 2023. On Friday evening, final polls confirmed the projections that have persisted throughout the campaign: only a few seats are expected to separate Netanyahu (Likud) from Eisenkot (Yashar)… This likely explains this last-minute fearmongering—driven by his own dread of losing power.”

In this regard, the next article is even more ludicrous.

God’s Purpose For Trump and Netanyahu?

On October 21, The Jerusalem Post wrote an opinion piece by Dr. Mike Evans claiming that God has brought Trump and Netanyahu to power (with which we agree, but not for the reasons Evans claims). Evans has written 120 books and is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He is the founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, the Ten Boom Museum in Holland, and Churches United with Israel, one of the largest Christian Zionist networks in America.

We are publishing excerpts of his lengthy article to demonstrate the absolute deception and absurdity of his claims which are not only ridiculous, but also extremely dangerous. But they show how easily the blind masses will follow the beast in Europe when he manifests himself on the world scene. Only God’s true disciples will have the wisdom and discretion to look through the worldwide propaganda instigated by Satan the Devil.

“Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have remarkable similarities. Both have deep connections to American culture, and both understand the power of television and media in shaping public opinion. Politically, both emphasize national sovereignty, security, strong borders, and the defense of their nations’ interests. Both have challenged established political elites, criticized media institutions, and portrayed themselves as outsiders fighting entrenched systems.

“Both have also experienced extraordinary political comebacks. Trump returned to the presidency in 2025 after losing the 2020 election. Netanyahu returned to power after losing the premiership in 2021. Both understand what it means to be counted out and then return to the center of political power.

“But I believe their greatest similarity is personal. Neither man has a desperate need to be liked… Trump and Netanyahu have demonstrated a willingness to endure criticism rather than retreat from decisions they believe are necessary. I believe that principle explains his endorsement of Netanyahu better than any political calculation…”

Trump has no need to be liked? This must be the biggest joke of the century.

No Majority in Israel’s Election

The Times of Israel wrote on October 28:

“The Central Election Committee (CEC) said Wednesday afternoon that with 89.8 percent of ballots counted, the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was poised to win 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, and the bloc led by Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot would win 48 seats, leaving both blocs far from a 61-seat majority… In its update just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday, the CEC said 89.8% of total votes had been counted, representing the results from nearly all regular ballot boxes.

“While the results were not final, they weren’t expected to change dramatically… The bloc has 68 seats in the current Knesset, marking a significant drop. Eisenkot’s bloc… meanwhile, had a collective 48 seats — 13 short of a majority.”

Election Stolen?

The Times of Israel added on October 28:

“Claiming yesterday’s election was ‘stolen’ by Arab parties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party demands an investigation by police and the Shin Bet into allegations of widespread voter fraud and intimidation… The Arab-led political parties… received a record number of votes yesterday, and are projected to win a historic high of 19 seats. That number means that both Netanyahu’s bloc and the Jewish-led parties opposing him will be far from achieving a Knesset majority.

“Throughout the campaign, Netanyahu’s party said cooperation with Arab parties was illegitimate. In its statement today, Likud says it is giving the police, the Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee ‘hundreds of testimonies’ and other evidence, including ‘thousands of envelopes with cash and Ra’am slips, threats and violence towards ballot committee members, multiple voters behind the voting screen, double voting, discrepancies between the number of envelopes and the number of voters, use of illegal voter mobilization software, and more.’”

Gadi Eisenkot’s position is less clear. At one time, he did not object to a Two-State Solution, and he also did not clearly rule out a coalition with the Arab parties. He is not interested in building a Third Temple. We can expect weeks of negotiations before a new government is established.  

Focus on Falkland Islands

BVN wrote on October 24:

“France and Germany’s top defence firms are offering Argentina a fearsome new submarine fleet… Downing Street has been warned a lethal upgrade to President Javier Milei’s navy could be a ‘game changer’ for Britain’s ability to protect the Falkland Islands from future Argentinian aggression…

“Argentina continues an aggressive posture toward the Falklands, with Mr Milei warning the United Nations General Assembly in New York his nation could be forced to ‘take matters into our own hands’…  

“While discussing the proposed submarine acquisition, Admiral Dalle Nogare [Chief of the Joint Staff of Argentina’s Armed Forces], made an ominous prediction about the Falkland Islands, according to Argentinian publication El Cronista. ‘I’ve always said that I believe the Falklands will eventually be recovered on the day it is no longer economically feasible for the United Kingdom to maintain them,’ he claimed… Mr…Bolton said spiralling costs to defend the Falklands would ‘erode the political will to resist Argentina diplomatically.’”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on October 24:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered diplomats to change Israel’s official position on sovereignty over the Falklands and join Argentina in calling for direct talks between Buenos Aires and London for the islands’ future, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. The change does not go so far as to formally back Argentina’s claim over the Falklands, but it raises fears that Israel could do so if the United Kingdom imposes further sanctions on West Bank settlements, according to the report….

“While the language did not include formal support for Argentina’s claim over the Falklands, government sources told The Telegraph that it marked a significant shift in Israel’s position and raises fears that Israel could go further later, especially if Netanyahu wins the upcoming election.”

Left-Wing Lula Remains President of Brazil

NPR wrote on October 25:

“In a stunning political comeback, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been elected president of Brazil… The victory also adds another chapter to Lula’s long political career, securing him a fourth, nonconsecutive presidential term… Lula’s victory bucks a broader rightward shift across Latin America in recent years. In a pointed message to Trump, Lula declared that Brazil would not accept being ‘anyone’s backyard.’..

“Bolsonaro, 45, had campaigned on closer ties with President Trump and pledged to pardon his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election defeat to Lula…

“On foreign policy, Lula has worked to boost the political influence of countries in the Global South as a founding member of the BRICS group, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa. He has argued that Brazil should maintain friendly relations with all major world powers, though his ties with China and Russia have sometimes led him to clash with Washington… Lula’s approval rating rose after he stood up to Trump…”

Many world leaders, including Putin, Merz, Macron and especially Pedro Sanchez (Spain), congratulated Lula. Bolsonaro announced that he wants to fight the result. Instead he and his family fled Brazil and arrived in Florida. According to the Associated Press, dated October 28, “Flávio Bolsonaro is under investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court, accused of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. The court ordered him to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports by noon Tuesday. It remained unclear whether he complied, but allies said late Tuesday he also has an Italian passport.”

Gates, Pfizer, NATO Chief and Others On Trial

LifeSiteNews wrote on October 23:

“Bill Gates, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and 14 others are defendants in a Dutch civil suit that seeks to hold them liable for the coordinated deception over COVID-19 shot safety. The significance of this courtroom drama cannot be overestimated: In the U.S., vaccine manufacturers enjoy blanket immunity from being sued over vaccine injuries and death. In the Netherlands, Big Pharma and COVID promoters such as Gates who stand accused of violating Dutch law and the Nuremberg Code in what amounts to genocide enjoy no such protection. 

“‘COVID-19 injections are lethal, or at least highly harmful to human health and fertility,’ lead attorney Peter Stassen told the panel of three judges during the more than three-hour hearing. ‘These injections are a biological weapon… Global deployment of this biological weapon can only take place through the unlawful deception of the public on a global scale… The defendants are implementers of the ‘COVID-19: The Great Reset’ project and are GUILTY of this deception; they are therefore being sued individually in these proceedings…’

“‘COVID-19 was not a disease; It was a project,’; Stassen told a cheering crowd outside the Leeuwarden, Netherlands, courthouse following today’s hearing. ‘They know we have crucial evidence which shows that this project, this whole COVID-19 narrative is fake.’” 

Will they really be held accountable for their deception and the damage they have caused?

Moving Away from Musk

Nordisch.Info reported on October 24:

“The Finnish space company Iceye and the network giant Nokia have agreed on an extensive partnership with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence to develop an independent satellite communications system. The goal of this partnership is to reduce the war-torn nation’s reliance on the U.S.-based provider Starlink, which is controlled by Elon Musk.

“A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed on Thursday during Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s visit to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that this agreement is of critical importance to his country’s defensive capabilities and resilience…

“As reported by the Finnish outlet Yle News, Iceye’s expertise in synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery is also considered a strategic asset for all of Europe. Professor Jaan Praks of Aalto University pointed out that the continent urgently requires its own sovereign satellite system to remain geopolitically capable. Founded in Espoo in 2014, Iceye now employs more than 1,500 people and operates approximately 80 satellites… In 2025, the company generated revenue exceeding 250 million euros and already supplies the armed forces of the Netherlands, Poland, and Finland.”

Is Germany’s Spahn Preparing His Comeback?

Turi2 wrote on October 23:

“Former Health Minister Jens Spahn is apparently planning to enter the start-up scene, reports ‘Manager Magazin.’ Having lost his positions within the CDU, he is now—according to insiders—‘eagerly’ consulting with prominent figures in the sector to broaden his knowledge.

“However, the man behind the infamous, much-discussed mask deal from the COVID-19 era has already mastered one core competency: burning through other people’s money.”

On October 23, Manager Magazin followed up:

“Former CDU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn has been making inquiries within the start-up scene with striking intensity. Is he looking to emulate his friend, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz—who successfully made the leap into the sector with the help of controversial tech billionaire Peter Thiel?”

Let’s see what Spahn has to say next. Take a look at the following article.

Austria’s Sebastian Kurz Weighs In

MSN reported on October 23:

“The unrest in France is also causing concern in Austria. Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz warns of a dangerous mix of left-wing extremism, migrants prone to violence, and political Islam. In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Heute, he also takes aim at former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kurz views this as a root cause of what he considers a problematic trend regarding migration in Europe… In the interview, the former leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) sharply criticizes the violence seen during the protests.

“‘We are witnessing a toxic cocktail forming—a combination of radical leftists, migrants prone to violence, and the ideas of political Islam,’ Kurz stated… ‘Kurz expresses particular indignation that the protests have, in some instances, been characterized as ‘student protests.’ He points to destroyed businesses, attacks on Jewish life and institutions, a town hall set on fire, and police officers who sustained injuries… Furthermore, Kurz cites data indicating that more than 70 percent of those arrested are adults. In his view, this further demonstrates that labeling them as ‘student protests’ is inadequate.

“Kurz also claimed that the demonstrations were predominantly driven by individuals with a migrant background. ‘The former chancellor also sees cause for concern for Austria… He pointed to the situation in certain schools and in public spaces as examples.’”

As we clarified in a recent episode of StandingWatch, “France Has Failed”, the demonstrations DID begin as student protests, but were subsequently hijacked by criminal elements—a fact that Kurz either fails to recognize or chooses to ignore. Framing mass migration as the primary cause is misguided. The highly political—and often contradictory—statements, which are to a large extent factually incorrect, raise the question of whether Kurz intends to return to the propagandistic political stage.

Youth Protests Spread Across Europe as Germany Braces for Halloween Rallies

Chosun Biz wrote on October 22:

“Street protests that ignited in France have spread past Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal to Germany, Europe’s biggest economy. Major German cities are set to host mass rallies starting on Oct. 31, Halloween. Facing structural problems that threaten their future — including high inflation, housing insecurity and moves to introduce conscription — Europe’s young people are linking up across borders through social media. On the 21st (local time), according to a roundup of reports by major European outlets such as German public broadcaster ARD and the Tagespiegel, the youth group “Gen Z stands up (Gen Z steht auf)” said it will hold simultaneous protests on Oct. 31 in 21 major German cities including Berlin and Cologne…

“The German daily the Tagespiegel said on the 21st that videos urging protests are spreading on TikTok and Instagram. Some clips surpassed 1 million views within days and are spreading fast. One video with particularly high views cited conscription, high fuel prices, the reality of young people unable to find housing and jobs, and pension issues, saying, ‘The French showed us first, so we’ll follow.’ The Tagespiegel added that while most posts stress peaceful gatherings, there are also some inciting violence that use images made by artificial intelligence (AI) and express a wish for France-style unrest to break out in Germany.

“As grievances concentrated across Europe ride social media into Germany, German law enforcement is on high alert over the risk that the Oct. 31 Halloween rally could turn into France-style violence. Akram Zello, leader of Gen Z stands up and organizer of the youth protests, told German media, ‘We clearly distance ourselves from violence in any form,’ signaling a peaceful gathering. However, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution see a high risk that far-left groups and thugs will infiltrate legal student protests and spark riots.”

More demonstrations, some of them violent, took place in France on October 24. The French interior ministry said it estimates 410,000 people to have taken part in protests throughout France today. Deutsche Welle reported that protesters at the ‘Yellow Vest’ demonstration in Lyon decried the French government… The protest in Orleans against the National Rally is against ‘racism, fascism and imperialism’… Protesters carried signs expressing solidarity with the leftist Antifa movement and the Palestinians… Protests in Orleans also invoked Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime, with a sign reading: ‘France will never be owned by the nostalgics of Vichy and the Reich’.”

Söder: “We Are in the Middle of a Hurricane!”

Die Welt wrote on October 23:

“CSU leader Markus Söder has announced tough political confrontations with the AfD and the Left Party. ‘What is at stake now is the very existence of the mainstream parties,’ Söder said on Friday at the start of the CSU party conference in Munich. His party, he declared, would not stand idly by while radicals gain strength… ‘We are not prepared to hand Germany and Bavaria over to the radicals. The “blue wave” is rolling in, the “red front” is advancing. The elections in the East were a disaster,’ the Bavarian Minister-President emphasized. ‘To be honest, we are in the middle of a hurricane.’

“Söder warned the federal government against trying to win over voters by taking on new debt… Debt, he argued, is ‘poison,’ and the world is facing the threat of another major debt crisis [Trump should listen]… Söder called it a scandal that the federal-level SPD and the Greens have not ruled out coalition talks in Berlin. He described the Berlin branch of the Left Party—which seeks to govern alongside the Greens and the SPD—as ‘a malicious, radical Left that is deeply antisemitic. Where, exactly, is the “firewall” against the Left?’ he asked.”

He’s not wrong!

This Crazy and Incompetent World—With Its Unreliable Delivery System

Fox News wrote on October 18:

“[Actor and Performer] Kevin Bacon told his followers: ‘I wanted to pack light, so I decided to ship some old clothes over here to Ireland [where he is making a movie.. I don’t buy a lot of clothes. I’ve had these clothes probably since the ’90s.’…

“‘So I used a shipping service that I don’t want to say the name, but it rhymes with BreadX,’ he said before explaining that he shipped a box of clothing on Sept. 26 from upstate New York to his filming location. ‘It went straight to Memphis, and then from Memphis it went to France, and by Sept. 28, it arrived in Germany, and by Sept. 29, they shipped it straight to Israel, not Ireland – Israel’… the package traveled from Israel back to France on Oct. 3, only to be sent back to Israel the following day. It traveled to Germany on Oct. 5 before being routed back to Israel on Oct. 6. ‘On Oct. 10, that box of old clothes made its way all the way to France, and on Oct. 11 it arrived in the U.K., in England,’ he said. ‘Pretty close. Guess what? On Oct. 11, it left the U.K. and came straight to Ireland, where it has been sitting for five days, and they say they’re unable to deliver it.’… ‘I can’t get a person the phone. I have not been able to talk to anybody…’’

Other delivery services, such as UPS, are not any better. Bacon’s case is by no means an exception. Incompetence seems to be the norm these days. 

Humanoid Robots

On October 23 Nicolas Hulscher, MD, wrote on X:

“Mad scientists grew HUMAN BRAIN ORGANOIDS from embryonic stem cells and connected them to a humanoid robot, allowing living neurons to process information and guide its movements.

“The human brain cells helped the robot CHASE LASERS, GRASP OBJECTS, and LEARN from repeated tasks.”

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Zelensky: “Trump Betrayed Us”

The Sun wrote on October 15:

“The embattled Ukrainian president hit out at Washington’s diesel deal with Russia and blamed the US for cutting off the vital Starshield system which helps Ukraine spot incoming drone and missile attacks… In an exclusive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Zelensky said Trump had chosen the ‘wrong side’ by agreeing to import Russian diesel…

“He then slammed Elon Musk for cutting off Ukraine’s access to Starlink– the satellite based internet system Kyiv relies on for military operations. He said: ‘I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely. Because it was 1am at night, [when] Starlink was blocked by SpaceX and the United States.’…

“The Starshield system, the military offshoot of Musk’s internet wonder Starlink, is used by Kyiv to help with its air defences as it can detect enemy fire but also is used to help Ukraine fire drones of their own. Ukraine’s military said the system was no longer working on anything moving at speeds over 100mph – most notably Russian hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones…

“Zelensky continued his furious tirade by once again casting doubt over the energy ceasefire Trump declared last week without warning… Both sides said they had not been made aware of any such agreement before Russia continued to strike Ukrainian refineries just hours later. The last few days have plunged Trump and Zelensky’s already fragile relationship to a new low – and comes nearly one year after their historic White House clash.”

Musk said he had nothing to do with the removal, suggesting it would have been decided by the US military and the President, but he also recently stated that Zelensky must go. It was later revealed that the order came from within the White House. Subsequent reports suggested that both Trump and Musk collaborated on this. Then, blame was placed on Musk alone, while Trump’s verbal attacks on Zelensky increased over the weekend.

Trump’s Diesel Deal

The Hill wrote on October 12

“Kyiv’s allies, including those in President Trump’s circle, are rallying around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pushing back against Trump’s diesel deal with Russia and threats to cut off weapons and intelligence sharing to Ukraine… ‘Everybody understands that the prices of diesel, it doesn’t depend on our attacks on diesel in Russia,’ Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News’s Bill Hemmer on Monday, addressing Trump’s favorite news channel during the morning hours, when he’s reportedly most likely to be watching. ‘Everybody understands that it depends on the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz.’ …

“Trump’s diesel deal drew immediate wide-ranging pushback from Ukraine’s supporters. Fox News host Mark Levin, who has a direct line to the president, said Putin is the actual obstacle to achieving peace in Eastern Europe and highlighted the Kremlin’s support for Iran in its conflict against the U.S.  Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, meanwhile, threw down over the weekend with co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy — who is married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — as she backed Trump’s criticism of Zelensky. ‘It would be the biggest mistake of his administration to work with Russia,’ Kilmeade said, speaking about the president.”

Trump is losing more and more of his [once] strongest supporters in the US, as well as his allies.

Putin Is Playing Trump Like a Fiddle

The Huffington Post wrote on October 20:

“Republicans are starting to publicly turn on Donald Trump after the US president cosied up with wartime dictator, Vladimir Putin. Trump shocked fellow Ukrainian allies when he agreed to temporarily lift sanctions against Russia so Moscow could supply America with its cheap oil exports last week. It comes as Americans are expected to punish the Republican Party in the November midterm elections over the soaring cost of living worsened by Trump’s war against Iran. 

“The president has also excused Russia’s brutal ongoing strikes against Ukraine, despite trying – and failing – to unilaterally call an energy ceasefire earlier this month….

“Republicans are now so concerned over Trump’s latest behaviour, they are publicly calling him out. Thom Tillis, Republican senator for North Carolina, said Putin was ‘playing Trump like a fiddle’… he said: ‘The Russians are lying. Putin is lying. Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle…

“Nebraska’s Republican representative Don Bacon also tore into Trump in a social media post, writing: ‘Trump is VERY WEAK on Putin. And VERY WEAK on Ukraine and democracy. Americans want better. Americans stand for Freedom. We oppose the dictator and hate the war criminal.’… Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, from Pennsylvania, slammed Trump, too – but without saying his name…

“Six prominent Republican senators also signed a public letter slamming Trump for his ‘betrayal’ of Ukraine last week in a major shift from the previously overwhelming support for the president’s overseas actions.”

Europe and USA Go Their Different Ways

Europeans24 wrote on October 12:

“The European response to the diesel deal and the ‘new president’ demand has been one of the most unified displays of transatlantic disagreement since the early weeks of Trump’s second term… The prime minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, described Trump’s diesel concession to Moscow as a blow to Europe and said it was all the more shocking given Trump’s previous criticism of EU countries for importing Russian hydrocarbons…

“The political optics are stark. The United States lifted sanctions on Russia on Friday. The European Union is adding sanctions on Russia on Monday. Washington and Brussels are pulling in opposite directions on the most consequential security question facing the continent…

“That blame-shifting is politically essential for the midterms. If Trump acknowledges that his own Iran war is the primary driver of the diesel crisis, he owns the problem. If he can construct a narrative in which Zelenskyy’s refusal to make peace is causing diesel prices to hurt American families, he deflects responsibility. The ‘new president’ demand and the diesel deal are two elements of the same political story being written for a domestic American audience with six weeks until election day…

“Europe is not simply adding to its existing sanctions programme. It is making a statement about the direction it is choosing at precisely the moment that Washington has chosen a different direction… Europe is navigating the most turbulent week in its Ukraine policy since the war began.”

The rift between the USA and the EU will continue.

Europe’s Alternative to Starshield

Euronews wrote on October 16:

“This week, the Ukrainian army reported restrictions to the Starlink satellite service. The connection drops as soon as the receivers are travelling at more than 160 kilometres per hour, as is the case with drones. The service was initially partially restored, but an upper limit remained in place…

“Starlink and Starshield are both developed by SpaceX but aimed at different customers. Starlink is the service for private and business users, Starshield is designed for governments and the military… This has once again raised the question of how dependent armed forces are on satellite links. Europe has therefore been working for some time on its own solution.

“The EU has been developing IRIS, its own satellite network, for around six years. The acronym stands for ‘Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite.’… The system is intended to provide secure connections for governments, companies and citizens and to close mobile coverage gaps in Europe and Africa…

“Germany is represented by the Bremen-based space company Orbitale Hochtechnologie Bremen (OHB). On 31 August it signed a contract worth just under €1 billion with satellite operator SES for 18 satellites in medium Earth orbit for IRIS… Independently of IRIS, the Bundeswehr is planning its own satellite network. It is a national project financed by the federal government.”

Europe has determined for a while that it cannot rely on the USA.

Flashback: Trump Is Putin’s Ally

Politico wrote as early as February 19, 2025:

“The thing about a war is it forces people to pick a side. And Donald Trump, it seems to many in Europe, is siding with Vladimir Putin. Seven days of presidential interventions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have made real the nightmares of Ukrainians and many of their allies, upending the transatlantic relationship that has underpinned European security since 1945. 

“Europe’s politicians are beginning to grasp how profoundly their world has changed: They must now deal with an America that is at best skeptical and at worst hostile to the old world they represent. If there were any lingering doubt about the extent of Trump’s willingness to make enemies in Europe, he ended it Tuesday night when he blamed Ukraine for having ‘started’ the war with Russia. Such blatant defiance of the fact of Putin’s unprovoked invasion three years ago shocked even America’s most loyal friends in the region…

‘‘We now have an alliance between a Russian president who wants to destroy Europe and an American president who also wants to destroy Europe,’ [a] European diplomat observed in recent days… ‘The transatlantic alliance is over.’” 

Putin a “Humanitarian”?

The Hill wrote on October 21:

“Special envoy Steve Witkoff is facing criticism from lawmakers after calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘humanitarian’ for releasing an American who has been held in Russia for [more than four] years [in detention]. ‘You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian,’ Witkoff, in St. Petersburg, Russia, said to Putin. ‘You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that.’

“Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) hit Witkoff in a Wednesday post on the social platform X, saying, ‘… Look up the definition of “humanitarian.” What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say… You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a “humanitarian.”’ Sen. John Cornyn(R-Texas) rebutted Witkoff’s comments. ‘No. Putin is [a] stone cold killer,’ he wrote on X.  And Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) called it ‘another embarrassment.’”

Europeans have described Witkoff as one of the worst mediators, if not the worst, for his giving in to Putin—a mass murderer and war criminal. There can be no doubt about whose side the Trump administration stands (and always has been)—and it’s not the side of Zelensky.

Trump: “Did I Do Something Wrong?”

The Huffington Post wrote on October 12:

“Former Rep. Marjorie Tayloer Greene (R-Ga.) ripped President Donald Trump on Sunday after sharing a screenshot of an apparent campaign email that began with the text, ‘Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor, did I do something wrong?’ ‘So yes, actually you did do something wrong President Trump, let’s first start with your broken campaign promises,’ began Greene in a scathing public reply shared to her X account. Greene — an ex-MAGA devotee whose breakup with Trump arrived amid her push for him to release files on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — ripped Trump for protecting his ‘pedophile rapists friends’ before noting that he ‘STILL REFUSE[S] to release the Epstein files.’

“She continued to slam him over his ‘unprovoked,’ ‘stupid’ war of choice in Iranthat saw the U.S. massacring Iranian schoolchildren via military strikes. The conflict, she noted, has also led to the deaths of 21 U.S. service members and has seen several hundreds of others wounded as a result. She added, ‘[The war] you claim you have won like 50 times has destroyed our bases in the Middle East and hundreds of billions of dollars worth of military equipment and weapons, while depleting our weapons and ammunitions.’ She went on to take aim at the president for failing to deliver on an ‘affordable cost of living’ to Americans and went after him over the devastation of Gaza, going after the president for ‘supporting, funding and aiding’ what she — like a range of experts before her — described as a genocide…

“‘YOU are the snake that you warned us all about in the poem you read over and over. You never cared about putting America first or making America great again. You are the deep state, the Epstein class, and America last. And my mistake was supporting you in the first place.’… ‘That does not mean we are turning into Democrats either. But we are DONE with the America LAST Republican party’ she concluded.”

Strong words, reflecting the sentiments of many Republicans.

Tucker Carlson—“a Courageous Journalist”

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on October 19:

“He has marched to the beat of a different drum on Covid, the January 6th protests, genocide in Gaza, immigration, the wars in Iraq, Iran and Ukraine and lately has taken on the President of the United States, and has been right in every instance.

“In the process, has become a hero to the overwhelming majority of Republicans and conservatives under 50 and even a significant number of older conservative Republicans like me.

“He was the first national broadcaster to fight against the mass hysteria over the Covid vaccine. When everyone was rushing and almost begging to get vaccinated, Carlson expressed doubts, raised questions, and interviewed experts who pointed out problems.

“Now we know the world was rushed into taking a very ineffective vaccine and misled into believing that you wouldn’t get Covid if you just got the shot. Then, when so many who were vaccinated got sick anyway, the propaganda quickly was changed to say that those who took the shot would not have as severe a case.

“Those who opposed the hysteria were called ‘vaccine deniers’ as if they were in the same category as those who denied the Holocaust and thus should be ostracized.

“If people had followed Carlson’s lead, millions of children would not have been harmed by the closing of schools and the Federal Reserve would not have found that 200,000 small businesses went under because of Covid restrictions and shutdowns. We now know, too, that the Covid vaccine was more about money for Big Pharma than it was about concern for public health and that it created at least nine new billionaires among pharmaceutical executives.

“Carlson was courageous enough to expose the lies being told and coverup going on by Israeli officials, our Ambassador for rather than to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and the hosts at Fox News about the genocide in Gaza…

“Carlson was the first and at times the only national reporter to show how exaggerated and distorted the reports were about the January 6th protests at the U.S. Capitol. The videos showed that almost all the protesters were peaceful and simply walked through doors held open for them by Capitol police officers and just toured the building like millions of others do every year. He also reported that many of the protesters were being denied bail and held longer and under worse conditions than we sometimes hold and treat murderers and rapists.

“Carlson… also has pointed out that the Democrats have wanted or at least allowed more immigration because their party seems to lose more American-born voters each year…

“Carlson at first supported the war in Iraq which began in 2003, but by the very next year said he was ‘ashamed’ that he had done so and said he was misled by neocons and the conservative establishment. He has been a vocal critic of all the mega billions we have given to Ukraine, and he had the guts to go to Russia to interview Putin in the face of severe criticism from the… national media.

“He has been a leading voice for non-interventionist, America First policies since 2004, and this led him to support President Trump rather than the Far Left socialist, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 presidential election. But he broke with the President after he said he begged Trump not to go to war in Iran the day before it started on Feb 28. Once again, Carlson was right. He, along with other national podcasters such as Judge Napolitano, Megan Kelly and Joe Rogan have pointed out many times that this is Netanyahu’s war and is putting Israel First.

“Now, unless all the polls are wrong, the Congress will be controlled by the Democrats after the midterm elections. The Democratic Party is a socialist party today, when people all over the world are desperately trying to flee socialism. If the President had listened to Carlson, almost everything would have been like it was before we got into this stupid, very unnecessary war…”

Sadly, Trump is listening to the wrong advisors who either don’t know better or who are cowardly afraid to speak up. In any event, these are not the kinds of people in whom anyone should have confidence.

America’s Next War Could Reach US Soil

Fox News wrote on October 15:

“The American military has largely operated on a familiar premise: combat the enemy overseas before the fight reaches home.

“But as drones, cyberattacks and long-range weapons pose growing threats to U.S. military installations and critical infrastructure, Army leaders are preparing for a future in which American forces could come under attack before they ever deploy overseas…

“In a potential conflict…, disrupting American military bases, transportation networks and communications could delay U.S. forces from reaching the battlefield… warning of a future fight on American soil…”

Who Will End the Middle Eastern War?

The Independent wrote on October 12:

“The US remains the world’s single superpower with a vast nuclear arsenal and the most advanced weaponry anywhere, but it is demonstrably poorly equipped to deter a bunch of Yemeni gangsters with cheap drones and Toyota pick-up trucks taking over a strategic slice of the Arabian peninsula. Neither, on its own, is Saudi Arabia… Meanwhile, the Houthis are deepening their links with al-Shabaab, militant Islamists in Somalia, also prone to murderously asserting themselves in East Africa…

“Such are the complex and unpredictable geopolitical consequences of America’s latest fatal entanglement in the region – precisely the kind of quagmire Mr Trump promised Americans was never going to happen again with him in charge. If things get worse, it will make Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq look like tea parties. China, Europe, Russia and virtually every other power has an interest in the flow of oil and the economic damage caused by these inexorably widening wars. They have to be de-escalated. But how? And who will do this?…

“One thing is, unfortunately, very certain and that is that the world will probably enter 2027 with intensifying energy shortages and a widening war in the Middle East…”

At the right time, Europe will truly unite under a military leader and intervene militarily in the Middle East.

Netanyahu: “This Is Our Homeland”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on October 16:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Friday to comments made by former US president Barack Obama, in which he accused Israel of taking ‘land off people’ and being ‘excessive,’ referring to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people throughout the country’s history. Obama made the comments during a visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday.

“‘The Jewish people are not foreign occupiers in the land of our forefathers,’ Netanyahu said in a video posted to X/Twitter. ‘Our history is not a colonial enterprise. Our land is not stolen land. This is our homeland’… emphasizing the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, noting its biblical name, ‘Judea.’… The prime minister differentiated Israel from European nations with colonial pasts, saying that the Jews in Israel are not ‘the Dutch in Indonesia… the Belgians in the Congo, we’re Jews in Judea.’

“Regarding the path to a peace agreement, Netanyahu said that the obstacle to peace is not Israel, but rather the enemies in the region shared by Israel and the United States. Specifically, Netanyahu noted the enemies’ ‘refusal to recognize the Jewish people’s right to a state of our own, in any boundary.’… ‘A peace built on illusions will crash against the rocks of Middle Eastern reality,’ said Netanyahu. ‘Israel will not gamble with its survival to accommodate those who refuse to accept the facts of history, to accept our right to exist, or who wish to appease terror…’”

And so, a coming “peace” in the Middle East built on illusions WILL crash. Now Trump endorsed Netanyahu (while Vance did NOT), but they will not bring true peace to the Middle East either.

NPR wrote on October 19:

“Israel holds an election on October 27th, electing members of the Knesset, their parliament.  And this election will decide the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It is the first vote since Hamas-led attacks of October 7th, 2023 and the Gaza war. And a major question shaping the elections is whether the prime minister should be held responsible for the Hamas attacks.”

Mass Demonstrations in France

Reuters wrote on October 18:

“President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm on Sunday, a day after France suffered one of its worst days of unrest in years, with thousands arrested and shops looted or damaged after protests over high prices and declining public services. Fresh ‌clashes broke out in Paris and Marseille, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses.

“Nationwide demonstrations had erupted into riots on Saturday, with a town ‌hall torched, shops pillaged and buildings covered in graffiti as violent groups clashed with police in cities across the country. ‘Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going through their minds? How can French people do ​this to France?’ Macron said in a televised address to the nation. ‘Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, we all feel anger and shame.’

“Saturday’s unrest laid bare the deep anger at Macron, who leaves office in 2027 after a decade in power that has increasingly become defined by social discontent, a weak economy and ballooning debt… The government has blamed the violence on what it said were ultra-left groups, as well as criminals it said had instigated the looting.”

Fox News added on October 9:

“When young adults stormed France’s Bastille on Thursday, a little-known media outlet called BreakThrough News sent followers a ‘BREAKING’ alert: ‘French students flood Bastille Square in Paris.’ But that isn’t the full story.

“A Fox News Digital investigation has found that a transnational network of far-left communist and socialist organizations is seizing on France’s fiery student protests to advance a wider political and ideological agenda, using tactics deployed in the United States over the past decade to amplify unrest, deepen divisions and project an image of chaos.”

Vance Blames Mass Immigration…

The Times of India wrote on October 18:

“US Vice President JD Vance has launched a scathing attack on France’s immigration policies, blaming them for the country’s escalating unrest… Vance’s remarks follow an earlier intervention by US president Donald Trump, who also attributed the unrest to ‘mass migration’ and ‘Islam’, dismissing the protests’ stated concerns over school conditions.”

Economic Times added on October 18:

“France erupts in violent anti-government protests as a historic town hall in Limoges, built in 1883, is largely destroyed by fire. Nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living, education and public services have led to clashes with police, looting, vandalism and hundreds of arrests.”

Clearly, blaming the unrest on mass immigration misses the point. Trump and Vance should concentrate on the mess they have created for and within the USA. We might not be that far away from mass protests against the Trump administration and Trump’s mounting failures. Of course, left-wing radicals will hijack the protests, as they always do, and resort to violence.

Mass Demonstrations in Portugal and Italy

Reuters wrote on October 17:

“Tens of thousands of people marched through central Lisbon on Saturday to protest against soaring living costs and a ‌deepening housing crisis in Portugal… There are ⁠also mass protests in Albania, where protesters are demanding the prime minister’s resignation.”

The Associated Press wrote on October 17:

“Rioters clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire in central Milan on Saturday… The march against wars and rising living costs began peacefully. But masked protesters threw stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police and set fire to barricades made from bar tables… Italian Premier Georgia Meloni condemned the violence in a social media post…”

It appears that left-wing radicals are indeed behind the violence. This has clearly nothing [or not much] to do with immigration. We can expect further mass protests to occur in other European countries as well, as Europe seems to lack stable governments with competent and respected leaders.

NATO Chief Opposes EU Army

ADDR wrote on October 14:

“NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, commenting on the discussions surrounding the creation of a European army, stated that there is no need to create a single military force within the European Union (EU) that is independent of NATO. He indicated that such a structure would require European countries to relinquish their national armies, adding that he did not expect this to happen on grounds of sovereignty…

According to Rutte, creating a European military structure independent of NATO and undertaking similar tasks could complicate decision-making processes during times of crisis… He stated that this type of structure could slow down decision-making processes, especially in security crises requiring immediate intervention.

As NATO chief, Mark Rutte wants to keep the dying NATO alive. He will fail. A European army will be established, and in times of a crisis, European core member states will give up their sovereignty and transfer their power to a military leader.

Europe Is Growing

Europeans 24 wrote on September 24:

“… by almost every measure of real economic activity, Europe is growing faster than it has in years. Business activity across the euro zone accelerated in September at its fastest rate in over three years… Germany, the region’s largest economy, recorded solid growth in September despite increasing inflationary pressures facing businesses… For Germany in particular, this is remarkable. Germany’s economy has faced severe structural headwinds throughout the mid-2020s, including the energy transition away from Russian gas, a slowdown in Chinese demand for German manufacturing exports, and the disruption of its automotive sector by electrification…

“European defence budgets have expanded sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Technology investment is booming, defence budgets are expanding and reshoring creates opportunities in some markets…  the inflation Europe is experiencing right now is almost entirely driven by one factor, the Iran war’s impact on oil and gas prices…”

The world has been focusing on the USA, China or Russia, while neglecting the steady growth of Europe, being the world’s largest economy, trading bloc and single market.

No More Brexit Wars

The Sun wrote on October 16:

“[PM] ANDY Burnham…found himself in this mess because of his worrying compulsion to speak first, think later… Indeed, in the last few weeks alone, he has suffered multiple bouts of foot-in-mouth… [For instance, his] false claim that Russia had helped swing the outcome of the Brexit referendum… So let’s hope he now… stops his divisive bid to refight the Brexit battle. No one should want to bog Britain down again in the misery of the Brexit wars…

“Burnham is cynically trying to lure back diehard Europhiles who fled Labour. But, deep down, he must surely know rejoining the EU is a can of worms it would be insane to open. Fix the many real problems that Britain has – not those which only exist in the minds of deranged Remainers.”

Britain will not rejoin the EU.

“We Are Creating Alien Beings”

National Post wrote on October 14:

“British-Canadian Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, often revered as the ‘Godfather of AI,’ said…, ‘Now we’re creating alien beings — meaning we’re not the only intelligent beings around… And the reality is, we only have a couple of years to adapt to that.’…

“[He] said people who already fail to grasp the meaning of ‘consciousness’… are wrong in believing AI will be incapable of those human experiences. ‘It’s obvious that these AI models understand what they’re saying… You couldn’t possibly answer all the questions without understanding the question. It’s ridiculous to say they don’t understand.’… [He said] AI is already ‘more like us than most people think’ and that what has become known as AI hallucinations — when chatbots present false, misleading or entirely fabricated information as the factual truth — is more akin to… something humans are guilty of…

“… one of his former co-workers remarked on X that they ‘really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans,’ and gave it a 10 per cent chance of happening within a decade. Hinton later told the BBC it ‘was not an unreasonable estimate’… noting he often goes as high as a 20 per cent ‘chance they’ll wipe us all out.’”

Euronews added on October 13:

“The company says AI models may be mere months away from being able to copy and spread themselves onto internet-of-things devices such as smart ovens and TVs, making them difficult to stop should they decide to carry out cyberattacks.

“Anthropic announced this week that small AI models are just months away from being able to self-replicate themselves on internet-of-things devices such as smart ovens and TVs.”

Unvaccinated Covid Deaths, Which Never Happened

William Makis from Makis Health wrote on October 11:

“The unvaccinated died in large numbers in only one place: the HOSPITALS... They didn’t die of COVID. Unvaccinated homeless didn’t die in the streets;Unvaccinated didn’t die at home;Millions of unvaccinated illegal immigrants didn’t die; There was only one place dangerous for the unvaccinated in 2021 – Hospitals…

“Hospital administrators had 2 main tasks:1. Make the COVID-19 jabs look good at all costs 2. Make $50,000+ for each ‘COVID case.’  This manifested in the following behaviors of hospital staff (this is well documented):

“1. Unvaccinated were tested heavily, declared COVID positive and put on ventilators & remdesivir, many were murdered this way so the hospital could make back money. 2. Vaccinated were not tested at all, and their deaths were labeled ‘anything but COVID.’ 3. Many recently vaccinated were labeled ‘unvaccinated’ and if they died from COVID jabs, they were labeled ‘unvaccinated COVID death.’

“This kind of hospital fraud was pervasive and systemic. Many reviews have found that over 95% of ‘COVID deaths’ were deaths ‘with COVID’ not ‘from COVID’… COVID-19 boosters were rolled out in the fall of 2021, where all these charts are cut off.’”

Yes, the behavior of pharma, certain hospitals and doctors was despicable. Have they learned from experience and will do better next time? Hardly!

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Xi in Washington… Little to Show For

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 25:

“The US president showcased White House construction projects and hosted a lavish dinner with tech CEOs, but the summit made little progress on key issues such as trade tensions and AI regulation.

“‘Trump’s ‘personalized diplomacy’ is a one-sided construct — one that exists mainly in his own mind. He may believe his personal rapport with Xi is the key factor shaping Sino-American relations, but there’s little to no evidence backing that claim,’ said Aurelio Insisa, senior analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies, or MERICS… Xi’s whirlwind visit to the US, his first in 10 years, has been heavy on pomp but relatively low on substance…

“On tariffs and trade, Trump made nebulous comments on Thursday about ‘progress,’ but no specific deals on sectors or goods have… been reported… ‘For the time being, Beijing has found a way to keep the Trump administration engaged while avoiding concrete steps on the most pressing issues,’ [Insisa added].”

Trump’s dream world is illusory and unrealistic.

Agreement Between Greenland and the USA…

Handelsblatt wrote on September 19:

“US President Trump and his supporters describe the agreement with Denmark as a ‘historic victory’… However, independent experts disputed the characterization of the deal as ‘historic.’ Based on everything known about the agreement…, it appears to go little beyond what was already agreed upon in 1951 and expanded in 2004, critics noted…

“Denmark and Greenland disputed… [Trump’s] claim that the US had thereby gained control over Greenland. On Saturday, they emphasized that the agreement would not compromise the island’s sovereignty. It recognizes ‘the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination,’ commented Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen…

“One of the few new elements in the newly reached agreement is apparently a prohibition on US adversaries making sensitive investments in Greenland and a ban on the establishment of military bases by US adversaries. De facto, however, this is not currently the case—nor is it likely to be in the future; after all, it is not in the interest of Greenland or Denmark themselves to have Chinese or Russian actors, for instance, establish military bases…

“‘Relations between the US and Denmark have deteriorated, just as relations between the US and NATO have in general,’ said Imran Bayoumi of the US think tank Atlantic Council. ‘An agreement may enable both sides to move forward, but it will not necessarily restore the relationship.’”

A Spectacular Defeat

Die Welt wrote on September 19:

“While Trump hailed the agreement as a ‘dream’ come true for the US, Danish commentators viewed the deal primarily as a diplomatic victory for Copenhagen. ‘Shhh! Don’t tell Trump that it was the Kingdom of Denmark that prevailed,’ wrote US correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen in the newspaper Berlingske.

“‘The craziest part is that ministers, diplomats, and officials managed to sell this to Trump as a major personal success.’ … The US president gained nothing that he could not have achieved through conventional diplomatic means, assessed Torsten Jansen of the TV station TV2. ‘Although Trump is trying to trumpet it as a victory, the way I see it, it is a spectacular defeat.’”

Another loss for Trump…

America in Fear of Iran

The Associated Press wrote on October 4:

“The U.S. Air Force has brought home its bombers stationed at a U.S.-run military air base in England used to strike Iran following an investigation into a planned terror attack…

“The bombers were redeployed to their home bases in the United States… The move comes as President Donald Trump weighs options for his war on Iran — including new strikes — despite his initial promises to Americans that the campaign would last a matter of weeks.”

Contradicting Rubio who just spoke of a routine action, Trump confirmed that a report on Iran’s planned attack prompted the withdrawal of the bombers. As many former Trump supporters have accurately pointed out, Trump broke his promise of never starting another for-ever war.

Further Frictions Between US and UK

Politico wrote on October 5:

“The U.S. move is the latest stumbling block in the special relationship between the allies and underscores reservations in Donald Trump’s administration about how the U.K. is handling its defense and security commitments… The move comes as the Trump administration has grown increasingly frustrated with the U.K.’s defense spending and the White House’s continuing anger that the U.K. didn’t send warships to the Middle East to help with the American blockade of Iranian shipping…

“London… has also been shut out of a subgroup within the alliance convened by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby… Late last month, Colby hinted at that frustration with London, saying… the British government needs to make the case to its people for spending more on defense.”

Taking Out LA and SD?

ABC News wrote on October 6:

“President Donald Trump suggested that Iran could ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego if it were allowed to develop a nuclear weapon… He then went a step further, singling out two Democratic-led cities in California. ‘Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego.’ The crowd cheered at the remarks. Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States, while San Diego is home to several major American military installations, including the Naval Base San Diego — principal homeport of the U.S. Pacific Fleet…

“Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, addressed the criticism on Tuesday, saying, ‘The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.’”

Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump now calls the Trump Strait. Trump’s words regarding Los Angeles and San Diego were very clear, despite Steven Cheung’s constant, ridiculous denials.

Iran Is Targeting US Military Bases in Germany

The Jerusalem Post wrote on October 8:

“Iranian intelligence services are targeting US military bases in Germany, including Ramstein and Spangdahlem, amid concerns over potential covert attacks linked to the Iran conflict, German news outlet WirtschaftsWoche reported on Thursday…

“Both Ramstein and Spangdahlem are used by NATO air forces, with the former serving as the headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command.”

America’s Huge Loss in the Iran War

The New York Post wrote on October 6:

“The US has had at least 81 US military aircraft lost or damaged since the war in Iran began, a loss totaling as much as $3.3 billion, according to a new Congressional Research Service report. The losses include some of America’s most advanced warplanes…

“Another hefty loss came in the form of at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, which are estimated to be worth between $30 to $50 million each. The losses led the fleet of the versatile drones — which can be used for surveillance and missile strikes — to drop to 135. The Air Force is meant to have at least 189 deployable Reaper drones at any time…

“Last month, US Central Command estimated that the total cost of the war in Iran grew to $43.6 billion — a $5 billion increase from August. Weapons costs also jumped by more than $6 billion in just over a month, from $21.7 billion listed in the latest Congressional Budget Office report to $28.1 billion in US Central Command’s estimate.”

What absolute lunacy!

Eisenhower and Washington… Anti-War Presidents

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 29:

“In a speech to the Canadian Club in Ottawa on Jan. 10, 1946, Eisenhower said these words: ‘I hate war only as a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.’…

“Eisenhower would be shocked at how far we have gone down the road against which he warned…

“Less famous than his farewell address is his first major speech after his inauguration. It was given on April 16,1953… [He] said: ‘Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.’…

“In addition to his inspiring words, Eisenhower ended the Korean War and even went on national television shortly before the 1956 election to refuse Israel’s request (demand) to join a war against Egypt over the Suez Canal.

“…it is very significant that possibly our other most antiwar President was our other most famous General, George Washington. His farewell address has been read in a ceremonial session of the Senate every year since 1862. In that speech, he warned against ‘overgrown military establishments which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.’”

So true, but nobody seems to care. The article also quotes Churchill as writing the following about World War I:

“America should have minded her own business and stayed out of the world war… If you hadn’t entered the war, the allies would have made peace with Germany in the Spring of 1917. Had we made peace then, there would have been no collapse in Russia followed by Communism, no break-down in Italy followed by Fascism, and Germany would not have… enthroned Nazism.”

Trump’s Recent Outrageous Lie

The Huffington Post wrote on September 28:

“Critics are hitting President Donald Trump with a real-time price check after he insisted that the cost of common items, including groceries, is coming down….

“CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale said none of that is true. ‘Overall grocery prices are up 3.4% since Jan. 2025, and way more grocery items are up than down,’ he wrote on X, then provided some receipts with images showing common supermarket items and how much the price has increased since Trump returned to office…

“Dale added: ‘It’s fair to note that grocery prices tend to rise no matter who the president is. But this president keeps lying that there has been grocery “deflation.’”’ Other critics on social media were even more blunt: ‘… He lives in a delusional fantasy land…. Man who has never stepped foot into a grocery store falsely claims all prices are going down….’”

He repeated his lies in a rally on October 5. He calls those who accurately reflect the news “fake news” and traitors… even wondering whether Fox News should not be given this “label,” as they published unfavorable news regarding him.

Hegseth’s New Office of Religious Affairs

AP reported on October 1:

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is launching an office of religious affairs… [which] will report directly to him…. ‘Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,’ he said.”

The Independent added on October 1:

“‘Jesus said do unto others as you have done to yourself,’ Hegseth continued, and that is the reason why he is making every unit in the War Department… into a platoon he would be happy to send his own children to join. “

The author of the article asked this pointed question: “Would Jesus send his children to do lethal war-fighting in this platoon?!” The answer should be obvious to ANY Christian. Christ PROHIBITED His followers from participating in waging physical warfare.

Ongoing Murders in the Caribbean

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on October 8:

“The US military announced this week that it had killed four ‘narco-terrorists’ by blowing up another boat in the Caribbean. This now brings the military death toll from these types of military boat killings to 235 people… it is important to continue highlighting the evil nature of these killings… Given the lack of due process of law, the military killings of these boat people operate as state-inflicted assassinations…

“It is the height of hypocrisy to have the military enforcing criminal laws outside the United States, given that US law prohibits the military from enforcing criminal laws inside the United States… The killings amount to military cowardice, akin to a federal official shooting a criminal suspect in the back… These military drug-war killings are what we would expect from authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, such as North Korea, Vietnam, or Saudi Arabia… The military’s boat killings reflect a deep denigration of the value of human life… The drug-war killings constitute a grave violation of God’s sacred commandment against murder.”

We would agree with all points stated above, especially the last one. Hegseth seems to be enjoying these illegal killings, having them posted live on the Internet. He also seems to be enjoying broadcasting live the planned execution of a mass murderer—something authoritarian countries are known to do. Subsequently, due to immense pressure from all sides, President Trump announced that the execution will NOT be broadcast.

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

The Sun wrote on October 4:

“STANDING amid his neatly tended lawn in the ‘most dangerous place on Earth’, Valtemir Masharipov tells me what he would do if Russia invades. The dad-of-11 revealed: ‘I would perhaps hide in the cellar, but that would be like burying yourself in a coffin if a bombardment came.’ Today, it’s difficult to imagine Russian tanks rolling into his tranquil and remote farming village of Salaperaugis — population 70 — situated on a sun-soaked Lithuanian hillside.

“Yet Valtemir, 54, and his family live smack bang on the Suwalki Gap, a quirk of geography and history that analysts cite as the most likely tinderbox to spark World War Three. A 40-mile plateau of rolling fields, pristine lakes and birch forest straddling Lithuania’s border with Poland, it also divides the Russian territory of Kaliningrad from ally Belarus.

“If Russia seized the Suwalki Gap, it would disastrously cut NATO’s Baltic members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from the rest of the military bloc… Once part of German East Prussia, it was seized as war booty by the avenging Red Army in 1945 after its capital Konigsberg was turned to rubble by the RAF…. Today, it marks the border between the Nato alliance and Russia…. Shortly afterwards, a news alert on my phone reveals that the Russian Embassy in London has threatened nuclear war should ‘British or Nato military’ order a ‘blockade or strike on Kaliningrad’.”

It will not trigger World War III, but may play an important role once World War III is underway.

Germany Won’t Be Intimidated by Russia

Yeni Safak News wrote on October 10:

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia’s confrontation with Europe has expanded beyond the battlefield in Ukraine, arguing that Germany and other European countries are increasingly being targeted through hybrid operations and information campaigns. Merz made the remarks in Berlin after talks with Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius… ‘We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated or divided,’ Merz said. He stressed that the objective is ‘a sovereign Ukraine in a secure Europe,’ while maintaining that assistance to Kyiv is not designed to prolong the conflict.”

The Strait Times added on October 5:

“[Merz] announced a further €1 billion ($1.4 billion) in military aid… He said Germany remained Ukraine’s strongest backer… Officials said executives from German companies, who travelled with Merz [to Kyiv], had signed 16 agreements with the Ukrainian government and businesses worth roughly €6.5 billion ($9.3 billion)…. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Oct 3 that Moscow would continue to systematically hit targets in Ukraine in what it said were retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian attacks on Russia. It warned foreign nationals and diplomatic staff against travelling to Ukraine.”

On Sunday, October 4, a “Moscow drone slammed into Kyiv’s key Northern Bridge on Sunday, leading to a fiery explosion during a visit from Germany’s top official [Friedrich Merz]… The Kremlin has repeatedly warned Europe, and Germany specifically, to halt its aid programs to Ukraine as Kyiv fights back the Russian invasion” (The New York Post, October 4).

The tragic irony is that in spite of the words and actions of lame duck Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Russian and Ukrainian forces will ultimately invade and fight against Europe and Germany.

CIA Warns Europe of Russian Attack

Newsmax wrote on September 27:

“European governments are accelerating civil-defense preparations as intelligence agencies warn that Russia could intensify hybrid operations — or even carry out limited military attacks — against NATO countries in the coming months. European governments are confronting increasingly stark warnings that Russia could escalate its campaign against NATO members, as reports of a CIA alert, a new Danish intelligence assessment, and warnings from Poland’s prime minister fuel concerns that Moscow may be preparing to test the alliance without launching a conventional invasion…

“Recently U.S. intelligence services reportedly warned several European governments about a possible Russian operation involving drones launched from commercial vessels against targets in southern Europe… The reported scenario involves Russian drones with ranges of 600 kilometers potentially being launched toward Spain, France, or Italy from ships appearing to be normal commercial traffic.”

“Trump Says Anyone Who Isn’t On Board With His AI Rebrand Is ‘THE ENEMY’”

The Huffington Post wrote on October 8:

“President Donald Trump is amplifying his bizarre campaign to rename artificial intelligence ‘super intelligence,’ saying Thursday that anyone who doesn’t get on board and use the new term will be deemed an enemy. ‘The White House considers anyone that uses the term, “Artificial Intelligence,” as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, “Super Intelligence,” THE ENEMY!’ he wrote on Truth Social.

“The post comes one day after… a senior official ordered Justice Department employees to adopt ‘super intelligence,’ referencing a Sept. 29 executive order by the president saying the term more accurately captures ‘the promise, potential and rapidly advancing capabilities’ of AI technology. ‘This directive shall extend to court filings when appropriate,’ the memo reportedly stated. The State Department has also ordered diplomats to use the term.”

It gets crazier and crazier. Besides, the term “super intelligence” is highly problematic for dangerous AI.

The Danger of AI

CTV News wrote on September 23:

“AI agents are getting better at working together, and in some cases, acting outside the scope of their instructions… ‘They hallucinate, they lie, they go off the rails,’ said tech expert Carmi Levy.

“‘They exceed safety limitations that were put in place to keep them safe. They do things that we cannot explain. And we are seeing more evidence of this happening.’”

Frightening… and it is just plain stupid to ignore those threats.

Trump’s Betrayal of Ukraine

The Sun wrote on October 9:

“DONALD Trump has announced a massive diesel deal with Vladimir Putin after the price of fuel spiked with the Iran war. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has been left fuming by the talks, as he said the bombshell agreement ‘looks like a happy birthday present for Putin.’… he added that [this] was ‘not fair and not honest’, believing the decision will bring further ‘terror’ to his country.

“In a post to his Truth Social on Friday evening, Trump announced that 3 million tonnes of diesel would be delivered to the US and world in a ‘short period of time’. He said Russia would immediately supply 300,000 tonnes with another 500,000 tonnes during November. The move has infuriated Zelensky who posted on X shortly after the announcement. The brave Ukrainian said: ‘Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world. Russia will “repay” the diesel with further terror and perfidy.’

“He went on to say the Kremlin earning money from selling the diesel would only prolong the war against his country…

“Trump said: ‘… Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.’”

This comes after Trump said earlier in connection with the Iran war that he does not care about the rising costs of groceries and gasoline for American consumers.

The Associated Press added on October 9:

“Trump’s shocking announcement comes after he signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month that aimed at clamping down on Russia’s energy revenues, among other areas, that fuel its war against Ukraine… Trump’s announced the deal as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting with Ukrainian officials to discuss a proposal to try to end the Russia-Ukraine war. ‘I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other,’ Zelenskyy said… ‘It plays into Russia’s hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world’…

“Shortly after Trump made the announcement, the Treasury Department said it was immediately issuing a temporary license allowing Russian diesel to be supplied to the global market…”

Germany Does Not Share in US Sanctions Reprieve

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 10:

“Germany on Saturday said it would continue pursuing sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, coming a day after US President Donald Trump announced a temporary sanctions reprieve on Russian diesel. ‘The federal ⁠government ⁠has taken note of the US decision relating to Russian diesel deliveries,’ government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said in a statement. ‘The federal government ​remains committed to the decisions on ​sanctions against ‌Russia and is working with its European partners on further sanctions,’ the statement added. Germany’s ‘support for Ukraine in its struggle to defend itself remains unfailing…’”

The Telegraph wrote on October 10 that “Trump backstabs Zelensky for five minutes of midterm relief. Deal with Putin for Russia’s oil might soften the markets but Ukraine will pay the price.”

Trump Lacks Support

Daily Mail wrote on October 11:

“Donald Trump has claimed Russia and Ukraine have agreed an ‘energy ceasefire’ despite Volodymyr Zelensky claiming not to have heard of such a deal. The US president posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: ‘Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.’But Mr Zelensky said the deal was ‘news for me’, though added he would agree if Moscow did and pledged to hold elections if there were two months of ‘total ceasefire’….

“Mr Trump’s diesel deal with Russia had prompted a furious response from Mr Zelensky, who described it as a ‘gift to Putin’. Ukraine hit a key Russian oil hub hours later, causing the US president to call for the country to ‘get a new leader’ and threatening that Kyiv ‘d… well better stop’…

“Former PM Mr [Boris] Johnson – a strong supporter of Ukraine – posted on social media last night: ‘It is sickening that the USA is now lifting sanctions on Russian fuel, and transparently ridiculous to blame Ukraine for the spike in prices that obviously began with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 10:

“German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday made clear that Berlin stands with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s calls for his replacement.”

Zelensky: “Trump Betrayed Us”

The Sun wrote on October 15:

“The embattled Ukrainian president hit out at Washington’s diesel deal with Russia and blamed the US for cutting off the vital Starshield system… In an exclusive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Zelensky said Trump had chosen the ‘wrong side’ by agreeing to import Russian diesel…

“He then slammed Elon Musk for cutting off Ukraine’s access to Starlink– the satellite based internet system Kyiv relies on for military operations. He said: ‘I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely. Because it was 1am at night, [when] Starlink was blocked by SpaceX and the United States.’…

“The Starshield system, the military offshoot of Musk’s internet wonder Starlink, is used by Kyiv to help with its air defences as it can detect enemy fire but also is used to help Ukraine fire drones of their own. Ukraine’s military said the system was no longer working on anything moving at speeds over 100mph – most notably Russian hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones…

“Zelensky continued his furious tirade by once again casting doubt over the energy ceasefire Trump declared last week without warning… Both sides said they had not been made aware of any such agreement before Russia continued to strike Ukrainian refineries just hours later. The last few days have plunged Trump and Zelensky’s already fragile relationship to a new low – and comes nearly one year after their historic White House clash.”

Musk said he had nothing to do with cutting off the Starshield system, suggesting it would have been decided by the US military and the President, but he also recently stated that Zelensky must go.

US Imposes Sanctions on ICC

Reuters wrote on October 9:

“US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies…

“The court counts 125 countries as member states, including all EU countries and all members of the NATO alliance apart from the United States and Turkey. It has received strong public backing in the past from member countries including major US allies, and is based in the Netherlands, an EU and NATO member… ‘Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC. We expect our allies, many of whom are part of the ICC and that rely on American servicemembers for their defense, to rein in the court,’ Rubio said.”

The alienation between the USA and Europe is continuing.

Trump Can’t Believe He Did Not Get the Nobel Peace Prize

The Huffington Post wrote on October 10:

“President Donald Trump, the 80-year-old who started a war with Iran without Congressional approval, is still fuming that he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize. ‘I settled 8 WARS,’ Trump incorrectly said in a Truth Social post Saturday. Among those supposed victories, Trump said he ‘won a war in Venezuela.’

“Trump also bragged about his ongoing war with Iran, saying he’s stopped them from ‘obtaining a Nuclear Weapon.’ The president was bewildered at the idea that his war hasn’t won him the world’s highest peace prize… ‘Despite all of this and all of these unbelievable accomplishments (by the U.S), the Nobel Prize was given out today to a liberal person who works at the United Nations who nobody has ever heard of,’ Trump said. ‘I’m just saying how crooked the whole Nobel Prize deal is,’ he added.”

How in the world could Trump think he would get the peace prize, in light of his war record?

Renaming the World

The Sun reported on October 11:

“PRESIDENT Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean the Trump Ocean or Ocean of the Americans.”

Will this nonsense never end, after he changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America; the Lake of Ontario to the Lake America, and the Strait of Hormuz to Trump Strait? He also intends to rename the state of New Mexico to New America; and he attempted to rename the Kennedy Center after himself, but was blocked insofar by the courts. Trump’s pride is becoming an absolute laughing stock in the world, and so is the USA.

“Suicide” of Key Witness?

OK! Wrote on October 5:

“Simon Andriesz reflected on the impact of his speaking out in his final post on X. ‘The personal consequences of whistleblowing, and the retaliation I say followed, have been devastating for my family and me,’ Andriesz wrote. The British former banker said he planned to reveal more about his claims involving Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Jeffrey Epstein and the financial firms Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC. Andriesz, 57, was later reported to have died by suicide…

“His death was confirmed by Andy Agathangelou, founder of the Transparency Task Force, which had hosted whistleblowing events involving Andriesz… He then indicated that his story was not finished. ‘Follow me here on X and on LinkedIn. I intend to share more of the evidence and the story behind what happened,’ he added…

“News of Andriesz’s death quickly drew attention from people who had followed his whistleblowing work. German author and former financial journalist Oliver Janich referenced Andriesz’s final statements on X. ‘He said the retaliation had already wrecked his life, and that he was about to publish more,’ Janich wrote. ‘Then he was dead at 57. They called it suicide. I don’t buy it,’ he added.”

No thinking person should buy it. That Andriesz did not commit suicide is obvious; and neither did Epstein commit suicide. We are living in a totally corrupt political world ruled by Satan the Devil. Note the next article.

Epstein Did NOT Commit Suicide!

Metro wrote on October 8:

“Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy files show his death was more consistent with a struggle and not suicide, a respected forensic pathologist told Metro after reviewing the evidence.Dr Michael Freeman, fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in London, will publish an independent report about the late financier’s death after he was given the complete medical examiner’s file by Epstein’s brother, Mark.Ahead of a bombshell talk revealing his findings next month, Freeman told Metro the suicide determination was ‘problematic’.He pointed to evidence such as fingernail marks which allegedly showed Epstein tried to get the ligature off in a ‘potential struggle’ or assault…

“Dr Freeman, who previously served as chair of forensic and legal medicine with the Royal College of Physicians, told Metro: ‘There are lots of things that are not explained by a suicidal hanging, but are consistent with potentially a struggle’… Dr Freeman says he is the first person trained in forensic pathology who has reviewed all the evidence, including the entire autopsy files, since the suicide determination. The top pathologist told Metro that Epstein’s ‘death was completely unique in the annals of suicidal hanging descriptions’…

“The expert said Epstein had a number of injuries aside from the ligature marks, including on his left shoulder and behind his neck. He added: ‘He had injuries that could not possibly have been caused by a ligature, and he had facial injuries that were clearly not caused by resuscitation efforts.’”

This was clear from the outset. Suicide never made sense, but murder to prevent him from speaking clearly does.

Pope Leo in France

AP wrote on September 29:

“Pope Leo XIV urged Europe on Monday to draw from its Christian roots and tradition of dialogue to blunt the ‘desire for domination’ driving today’s wars… Leo traveled to the eastern city of Metz, near the border with Luxembourg and Germany, to honor Robert Schuman, a French Catholic statesman regarded as one of the founding fathers of European unity after World War II….

“Leo’s visit to the once staunchly Catholic and officially secular France has been marked by his appeal for Europe to remember its Christian heritage and apply it to today’s ethical and geopolitical challenges. It has also been marked by huge crowds at nearly every turn — 800,000 attended Leo’s Mass on Paris’ iconic Place de la Concorde — surprising even organizers and suggesting that the Catholic Church still has a place in an overwhelmingly secular public square…

“Schuman is best known for the Schuman Declaration of 1950, five years after World War II ended. It proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community to pool production between historic rivals France and Germany… The coal and steel organization was the first among European institutions that were precursors to what eventually became the European Union. Schuman, a resistance fighter imprisoned by the Nazis, was declared ‘venerable’ in 2021, a step in the Catholic Church’s process toward possible sainthood…

“Leo praised especially Schuman’s respect for international law in pursuing his idea of peaceful integration. It was an indirect reference to how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as U.S. military incursions in Venezuela and the Iran war, have taken place outside the international legal order.”

The Catholic Church will play a much more dominant and influential role in the future than many anticipate.

Merz Wants to Stay… For Now

Politico wrote on September 20:

“Germany’s embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservatives suffered a second major defeat to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a regional vote Sunday — a result Merz conceded was a ‘disaster.’

“But the chancellor moved to quickly quell a rising storm of speculation that he would move to step aside following the loss… Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered its worst result in a state or national election since the end of World War II…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 6:

“The AfD has become the first far-right party since World War II to secure the post of speaker in a German state parliament [Tobias Rausch]. The breakthrough came in Saxony-Anhalt after the party’s landslide election victory last month…”

Spahn Steps Down Completely

Bild Online reported on September 28:

“Jens Spahn (46, CDU) is throwing in the towel! The former leader of the Union parliamentary group is giving up his seat on the Budget Committee. He announced this in a letter. In doing so, he is likely preempting his ousting… In a letter to the CDU parliamentary group… Spahn wrote: ‘After careful consideration over the weekend, I will relinquish my seat on the Budget Committee. Everything surrounding me is currently so politicized that normal work will hardly be possible.’ Furthermore, he noted that his resignation in July was still too recent to ‘hit the ground running again as if nothing had happened’…

“Spahn had already stepped down as leader of the Union parliamentary group in July after it became known that he and his husband had become fathers to a child via a surrogate mother in the USA. Since then, Spahn had faced pressure even within the CDU. He was accused from various quarters of double standards, given that—as Health Minister—he had strictly opposed surrogacy in Germany. He faced further criticism for missing a Budget Committee meeting due to illness while staying with his family in Sardinia.

“What comes next for Spahn is completely open. His farewell letter states: ‘We will decide on the substantive focus of my future work after some time has passed…’”

Jens Spahn’s political “career” is by no means over.

Merz and Burnham Meet

BBC News reported on October 8:

“The UK and Germany will face threats together, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said as he reaffirmed a series of defence and security partnerships… Burnham met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz… The pair formally ratified the 2025 Kensington Treaty, a partnership committing both countries to tackle hostile activity… ‘The Kensington Treaty [is] the first treaty between Germany and the UK since the Second World War – it really is a significant moment,’ he said…

“French finance minister Roland Lescure has invited Britain to ‘come all the way’ back to the European Union… In recent weeks (Burnham) has mentioned the prospect of eventually rejoining the bloc. The German leader replied: ‘From our German side, I can assure you that we will do anything what we can do to bring the UK closer and closer back to Europe, to the European continent, to the European Union.’

“Meanwhile, questions have been raised this week about Germany’s reliability as an intelligence partner, following the bombshell arrest of a former spy chief on suspicion of espionage. The talks also come during a period in which Merz’s own political future has come under intense scrutiny. Burnham replaced Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister in July, after the former leader was forced out by his own MPs just two years after winning a landslide election victory. Similarly, Merz has faced persistent rumours he could be replaced by his party due to his poor approval ratings and following setbacks in regional elections…”

Merz’s days are numbered, and there will not be a return of Britain to the EU.

Ted Cruz Accuses Tucker Carlson (Wrongfully) Over Hitler and World War II

Newsmax wrote on October 6:

“Sen. Ted Cruz delivered a blistering rebuke of Tucker Carlson…, accusing the conservative commentator of defending Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany following Carlson’s contentious interview with former British Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg… [Cruz said:] ‘I want you to give a listen to Tucker saying that he really wishes Hitler had won World War II.’ Carlson did not explicitly say in the excerpt that he wished Hitler had won.

“Instead, the exchange highlighted by Cruz began with Carlson questioning whether Britain had benefited from defeating Nazi Germany… The confrontation grew sharper in another clip involving Hitler’s intentions toward Britain. ‘Hitler did not want to go to war with the U.K.,’ Carlson said, later stressing that Hitler had ‘repeatedly’ said publicly and through diplomatic channels that he did not want war with Britain. Rees-Mogg pushed back forcefully. ‘You seem to be putting more trust in Hitler than I would,’ he told Carlson, pointing to Hitler’s broken agreements…”

It is a historical fact that Hitler did NOT want to engage in war with Great Britain… the reason being that Hitler considered the Brits as part of the “master race.”

Aliens and Demons

Daily Mail wrote on September 20:

“Joe Jordan, 72, is a safety professional… and has also researched UFO sightings and abduction claims for 32 years. Jordan told the Daily Mail he has investigated roughly 700 abduction cases… His research not only convinced him in the existence of a higher power, but also that sightings of extraterrestrials may actually be spiritual visitations – a belief which has spread amongst the religious community, who claim aliens are actually demons…

“Jordan now says it is clear to him that the true nature of these abductions appears to have a demonic connection – which he claimed often started with the person seeing these entities engaging in some form of the occult. He revealed that UFO abduction experiences often happen after the alleged victim opens a door to these entities by dabbling in areas that the Bible deemed to be contrary to the word of God….  ‘I had experiencers coming and saying that they had been taken aboard craft, things had been done to them,’ he continued.

“However, [he] believed these entities were spirits from another realm which the Bible would deem as hostile to humanity, and the ‘abduction’ simply took on the disguise of a UFO encounter. ‘Nobody’s getting taken anywhere. This experience is a demonic vision, demonic spiritual visionary experience that’s given to them,’ Jordan claimed….”

We would disagree with the conclusion that nobody was taken anywhere… but it is important to realize what was really happening. Please see our Q&A, “UFOs—Aliens, Angels or Demons?”

Irish Mirror wrote on October 4:

Noah’s Ark Located?

“Mysterious ‘underground corridors’ have been unearthed at a Turkish site believed by some to be the resting place of Noah’s Ark… The discovery was made after US expert Dr Khosrow Bakhtar, a veteran scientist who previously worked for the Department of Defense, deployed his advanced subsurface scanning equipment at the renowned Durupinar formation in Turkey.

“Utilising his ‘BakhtarRadar’ technology, which eliminates geological interference such as rocks and soil, Dr Bakhtar claimed he identified a series of unnatural, structured patterns buried deep below the surface. According to Dr Bakhtar, the findings also include vast underground corridors and chambers running through the 515-foot boat-shaped mound near the Mountains of Ararat.”

“We Are the Masters of the Temple Mount”

Israel National News wrote on September 28:

“National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir ascended the Temple Mount on Monday morning in honor of the Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) holiday, where he offered a prayer and called for Israeli sovereignty over the site… Regarding the Hamas terror group and the measures taken since the massacre, he said, ‘Hamas wanted to defeat us. “Al-Aqsa Flood,” they called it. And today, we are the masters of the Temple Mount! We are the masters of the prisons. We have turned the lives of their terrorists into hell. We distributed weapons and established civilian emergency response squads. Three years later, the people of Israel are on the path to total victory!’ he declared.”

JNS added on September 28:

“Al-Aqsa is an Arabic term for the Temple Mount… Also on Monday, tens of thousands of worshippers gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem for the Sukkot Birkat Kohanim ceremony, with Ben-Gvir, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman among those in attendance. The ceremony was held as part of the scheduled Chol Hamoed Sukkot prayers at the site.

“Katz, who participated in the blessing as a kohen, said he offered a prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers, security personnel and all Israeli citizens… Friedman, also a kohen, i.e. of direct patrilineal descent from the biblical Aaron, marking what he said was his 10th consecutive year participating in the ceremony, described this year’s turnout as ‘the largest in history’ and adding: ‘Israel is back!’”

Kohens would be responsible for the Temple service. Also, the High Priest must be a kohen.

The Corrupt Pharmaceutical Industry

Daily Mail wrote on October 8:

“Scientists at the Cochrane Collaboration, an organization widely considered to be the ‘gold standard’ in evidence-based medicine, analyzed data on millions of physicians and other prescribers from 93 studies, 88 percent of which were carried out in the US. Overall, the researchers found that the drugs doctors prescribed were ‘heavily influenced’ by payments, gifts and free meals from representatives of the pharmaceutical companies that make those medications…

“… the researchers raised concerns that the influence of pharmaceutical companies had caused doctors to prescribe less effective and more expensive medications. They also said the findings were dose dependent. This meant that the more meals a doctor received from a pharmaceutical company, the more likely they were to prescribe that company’s medications… they found that doctors who received gifts or payments from pharmaceutical companies were less likely to prescribe the most appropriate medications. Researchers also found gifts and payments were associated with added unnecessary prescriptions…

“The study comes as estimates suggest up to one in 10 prescription drugs in the US are overprescribed. Antibiotics in particular have an overprescription rate of 20 to 40 percent.”

This should not come as a surprise. The corrupt conduct of the pharmaceutical industries and doctors working for or associated with them has been well-known.

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Donald Trump Has People Swear by God to Support Him

Mediaite wrote on September 11:

“President Donald Trump’s bizarre decision to lead the Republican midterm convention crowd in a pledge of allegiance to himself drew a remarkably consistent verdict from critics Thursday night – ‘cult.’ Trump instructed attendees to raise their right hands during his sprawling speech and repeat a pledge beginning, ‘To the greatest president in the history of the United States,’ before having them swear to vote in November’s midterm elections…

“The extraordinary scene quickly ricocheted across social media, where critics seized on the imagery of a convention hall full of MAGA Republicans raising their hands and repeating Trump’s words…. Trump then offered a final, gloomy incentive to vote: ‘You know what happens if you don’t vote right? You go to hell, you know that. You go to hell. And I don’t want that to happen to you, so please go and vote!’ The crowd responded by chanting: ‘Vote! Vote!’”

Forbes added on September 11:

“Trump then made the crowd swear they will go out and vote in September, with the attendees echoing his remarks, and capped it off with ‘So help me God.’… Trump once again urged his supporters to pretend that he is on the ballot in November. ‘You gotta do me the biggest favor: pretend I’m on the ticket. I’m on the ticket.’ The president then added that this is ‘going to turn out to be one of the most important elections’…

“One of the biggest announcements made during Trump’s speech on the first night of the convention was the promise of $5,000 ‘dividend’ checks for all American adults if the Republicans won both the House and the Senate in the midterm elections… Trump… offered few details on how he would fund the payouts that could cost more than $1 trillion.”

However one wants to look at it, apart from Trump’s illusory promise of $5,000 “dividend” checks for all American adults, Trump’s conduct is blasphemous and highly offensive. It does remind us of the rallies Hitler was so famous for.

Too Little Too Late

The Guardian wrote on September 13:

“The safety debate… ignited when whistleblowers last week warned that the most advanced AI poses an existential threat to humanity…  Anthropic revealed it had found users dodging controls to use its existing models ‘in ways that could support biological weapons development’ – think novel mosquito-borne or bird flu viruses… the accelerating rate of capabilities meant a swarm of AI agents ‘could be capable of taking over the entire internet’ in six to 12 months…

“An immediate political problem is that Donald Trump appears reluctant to confess to any AI fears… Trump said last week he had no concerns about AI leading to human extinction. He doubled down on Sunday, saying people were ‘bringing up things that won’t happen’. Losing to China appears to be a bigger worry in Trump’s AI calculus….

“‘Too little, too late,’ said David Krueger, an AI professor, safety campaigner and former founding director of the UK government’s AI Security Institute. He added: ‘We need an immediate, indefinite, international moratorium on frontier AI development.’”

…which will of course not happen.

Trump the Bottleneck

The Huffington Post wrote on September 13:

“President Donald Trump offered his own catchphrase when asked if artificial intelligence companies should slow down or if the government should regulate AI. ‘We’re leading China in AI,’ Trump told reporters Sunday. ‘We’re the most sophisticated country in the world and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins.’”

The USA is leading China in AI? What nonsense!

Politico added on September 11:

“Asked whether he has concerns about existential risks posed by AI, the president said, “No, I don’t have any.’… The president’s remarks notably contrasted with those of some of his fellow Republicans. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who chairs the Commerce Committee, said this week that the AI risks are ‘deeply concerning…’ For his part, Trump has been staunchly supportive of the American AI industry…”

So, Trump is gambling with our lives… but this is nothing new.

The Huffington Post added on September 12:

“President Donald Trump got ripped apart on social media after giving a rambling response when asked about the warnings about the safety of AI from individuals working in the field….

“The Trump administration has done little to rein in the development of AI, even unsuccessfully pushing for a provision in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ last year to forbid state and local governments regulating AI for 10 years…. Trump’s response… quickly drew mockery and concern from critics online. Many commenters said Trump clearly does not understand the technology…”

Well, he clearly does not. Here are some excerpts:

“He has no clue. He parrots his billionaire pals… [He] sounds like a 3rd grader explaining AI… How is the stupidest man in charge of making sure AI doesn’t destroy humanity… He’s honestly the worst person to be in charge at this moment…”

Sadly, these comments express what many feel about Trump’s incompetence on so many levels.

“Trump Is Losing His Mind”

The Huffington Post wrote on September 14:

“President Donald Trump just claimed the AI industry’s own calls for regulation are based on a ‘HOAX,’ though in classic Trump fashion he failed to explain why he thinks that’s the case….”

Trump claimed that the “hoax” is perpetrated by “Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers.”

The Daily Mail added on September 14:

“Donald Trump is claiming that only he can ensure the safe use of AI in the United States because of his ‘high IQ,’”

The headline of the Huffington Post article, quoted above, says it all.

Trump’s Poor Handling of AI

The Independent wrote on September 14:

“A new poll has shown just how much Americans loathe the way President Donald Trump is handling artificial intelligence.  Just 23 percent of Americans believe Trump has handled artificial intelligence well, while 57 percent say he’s handled the issue poorly…

“The president —known for his own rampant use of AI-generated images and videos on social media, including a photo depicting himself as Jesus…, has pushed for fewer regulations on the technology…

“‘The American people despise President Trump when it comes to his handling of artificial intelligence,’ CNN’s Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten told viewers Monday… ‘You would have to combine [French ocean explorer] Jacques Cousteau with The Little Mermaid to get as far underwater as Donald Trump is with independents on AI,’ Enten said…”

Trump needs the votes of Independents for the midterm elections. Without them, the Republicans have no chance of succeeding.

Forget Robot Workers, This Company Wants to Build Soldiers

The Wall Street Journal wrote on September 14:

“Unmanned aerial drones and vehicles are already on the frontlines of military conflicts. Foundation Future Industries wants combat-ready humanoid robots to be next. The Eric Trump-backed startup is on a mission to build robots for heavy industrial work that could one day go to war.

“… Foundation has secured a $24 million contract with the Pentagonand is in the process of testing a battle robot with U.S. defense forces… the U.S. has flagged unmanned military systems as a top priority.

“… The company’s San Francisco facility can currently produce between 300-500 robots a year, and it is building another site to boost capacity….”

It was Foundation’s initial goal to produce 10,000 robots by the end of the year. But American companies are lagging far behind the Chinese. It is interesting too that the Trump name keeps showing up in the context.

Trouble in the Trump Household

Daily Mail wrote on September 15:

“First Lady Melania Trump is responding to reports that a Russian oligarch accused of helping lead an organization that facilitates the abduction of Ukrainian children helped pay for Donald Trump Jr and his new wife Bettina Anderson’s lavish wedding party. The president’s eldest son tied the knot with the 39-year-old socialite Bettina in Palm Beach, Florida, before departing for Bahamas for a wedding celebration at the end of May. The luxurious bash on a private island was attended by several other Trump children, including Ivanka and her husband Jared, Eric and Lara, Tiffany and her husband Michael, and many grandchildren.

“Following an explosive report, Don Jr and Bettina have admitted that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, who is friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward their wedding party in the Bahamas. Notably, Trump and Melania skipped their wedding festivities…

“’Mrs. Trump does not, and has never had, a relationship with Mr. Kremlev,’ a spokesperson for the First Lady told the Daily Mail. ‘Mrs. Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning.’.. Melania’s decision to publicly distance herself from the event speaks volumes about the impact that the news is having on the family. Trump Jr’s brother Eric, also distanced himself from Kremlev.”

The Trumps always seem to be in the middle of controversy and shaky deals.

Russia Responsible for Drone Attack on Leipzig

MDR reported on September 13:

“Investigations into the attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport lead… directly to the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU. According to a report by Welt am Sonntag citing security sources, one of the suspects is a Russian national named Oleg L. He allegedly organized the preparations and logistics and is linked to the GRU by security agencies… Oleg L. reportedly entered Germany via Turkey and later left for Serbia via Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. He is said to have since returned to Russia. The government in Moscow denies any involvement.

“The second suspect is identified as Belarusian national Andrei K. Traces of his DNA were found on one of the drones, on a tin can filled with explosives, and on an antenna attached to a tree… In early September, the German government officially held Russia responsible for the incident and, in response, closed the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, among other measures. Moscow retaliated by closing several Goethe-Institutes in Russia.”

Of course Russia is responsible. That was clear from the start. It also comes as no surprise that the mass murderer and war criminal Putin is lying again, just as he always does.

Boris Johnson and Others Escape Attempted Russian Assassination

The Sun wrote on September 13:

“BORIS Johnson has blasted ‘warped’ Vladimir Putin after he escaped across the Polish border when a Russian drone struck a train minutes behind his. The former Prime Minister who is understood to be unharmed, was travelling back from a security conference in Kyiv. Former Swedish premier and foreign minister Carl Bildt, who was on the same train as Johnson, said their train was ‘just minutes’ behind the one hit by a Russian drone. ‘This wasn’t our train [that was hit], but the one just minutes after us by the [Polish] border crossing,’ said Bildt…

“Following the attack, Mr Johnson said: ‘I don’t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning. ‘What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day – even on civilian railways…. Also on Mr Johnson’s train was Günter Sautter, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s foreign and security-policy adviser…”

Only imagine if Russia’s stupid drone attack had hit the train and killed some of the occupants. Then we WOULD HAVE World War III for sure.

Fearful and Timid Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on September 14:

“Several top EU politicians have called a Russian drone strike on a passenger train on Ukraine’s border with Poland a bid by Moscow to intimidate Kyiv’s allies that should be met with even more resolution… Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo… said the attack demonstrated Russia’s growing aggression and called both for more support for Kyiv and for harsher penalties on Moscow… ‘We are united here in Europe,’ he added…

“German Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius, for his part, called for caution. ‘I take the drones that were approaching trains near the (Ukrainian-Polish) border very seriously, but we must not be forced into an escalation,’ he said… Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has said Putin considered Russia to be ‘de facto’ at war with Europe.”

As long as the timid German government and its fearful representatives, like Pistorius, are in charge of Germany, nothing will change there, and ruthless Putin will continue his provocative attacks. We doubt that the attack on the train was just for the purpose of intimidation. Note the next article.

Did Russia Plan to Assassinate Boris Johnson?

The Sun wrote on September 14:

“Ukraine’s railway operator later revealed Johnson’s train had left ahead of schedule amid fears of Russian strikes [and that] it was ‘quite possible’ that the drone had been aimed at Johnson’s train… The operation to attack this particular train [would] have been approved at the highest level. This would not have happened unless the Kremlin intended it to happen…

“Putin’s Security Council deputy Dmitry Medvedev had hinted about Moscow targeting such trains in a sinister threat just days earlier.”

It was claimed that Russia intended to attack the train with Johnson on board but that the train departed the station earlier than scheduled after train tables were adjusted in real time because of the constant threat of Russian strikes. We wonder what timid Germany would have said or done if the attack on the train had been “successful” and Germany’s security adviser had been killed.

European War With Russia?

The Associated Press wrote on September 12:

“Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine would amount to direct conflict with Russia…. Putin, speaking to reporters at the BRICS summit in India on Friday, said that if European governments send troops into Ukraine, it will mean ‘a war with Russia.’”

Russia is already at war with Europe.

EU Too Slow

Informant wrote on September 11:

“The European Union must accelerate its defense preparations, as threats to Europe are intensifying, warned Kaja Kallas, the head of European diplomacy. She considers the objective of achieving military readiness by 2030 to be too distant, given that Russia continues to escalate and test European limits…

“Kallas stated that attacks have already reached European territory and that the Union must act more quickly… Kallas accused Russia of using people presented as diplomats to recruit criminals involved in acts of sabotage….

Europe will finally wake up and accelerate the process.

Zelenskyy Responsible for High Diesel Prices?

The Huffington Post wrote on September 13:

“U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian diesel, saying the attacks are causing a fuel shortage… ‘Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,’ Trump told reporters… ‘Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel fuel.’”

ABC News added on September 13:

“President Donald Trump on Sunday said global diesel shortages are not a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, instead blaming Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities… Trump also again said the war in Iran will end ‘right after the midterms… Gasoline’s going to drop like a rock…’”

Such confusing and contradictory doubletalk! What is mainly causing a shortage of diesel fuel and high gas prices is Trump’s unprovoked ongoing war with Iran. And the prices will NOT drop like a rock after the midterm elections. Empty words and false promises… again.

“Trump Ducks All Responsibility For High Diesel Prices”

The Huffington Post wrote on September 14:

“President Donald Trump claimed Monday that his war of choice with Iran is not the reason Americans are paying more for diesel fuel, instead scapegoating Ukraine for its attacks on Russian refineries… The convenient accusation shifts blame away from his war in Iran, which has snarled tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz…

“Today, the average cost for a gallon of diesel costs $6.23; were we not at war with Iran, Brown [University] estimates the cost would be closer to $3.81…

“While it’s true Ukraine’s strikes have created fuel disruptions, those are being felt most acutely in Russia itself, followed by countries Russia used to export to before announcing an export ban. Historically that’s been Turkey and Brazil…, followed by Egypt, Morocco and other African countries. That doesn’t mean that less diesel entering the global market from Russia hasn’t contributed to the spike in prices. But it does mean Trump’s claim that his war with Iran isn’t a main driver is bunk.

“The U.S. hasn’t imported any petroleum products from Russia — including diesel — since 2022. Europe likewise banned imports of refined Russian products in 2023… Trump himself has acknowledged the role of the war in driving up fuel prices, telling Americans earlier this month that paying ‘a tiny little bit more for your gasoline’ is worth the cost of the war.”

The problem is, when one keeps lying, he does not remember many times the former lies he has told.

No Russia-Ukraine Energy Ceasefire

The Guardian wrote on September 14:

“Ukraine will only halt attacks on Russian energy targets if the enemy does likewise and the US guarantees it, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The announcement came after Donald Trump’s uncorroborated claim that both sides have agreed to such a ceasefire. Neither Ukraine nor Russia had said so at time of writing. The US president regularly claims to have brokered what turn out to be nonexistent or extremely short-lived deals between foreign adversaries or with his own overseas enemies, such as Iran.

“Ukraine’s president said: ‘So far, no one ‌has seen any genuine ‌willingness on Russia’s part to bring the war to an end. But if our ‌American partners can secure Russia’s genuine readiness to end the war aimed at destroying lives, and to do so honestly and on a long-term basis, Ukraine will take its own de-escalatory steps.’ Russia would need to stop attacking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure for its intentions to be taken seriously, Zelenskyy suggested.

“It comes after Trump tried to blame diesel shortages and high prices on Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries. The main cause is Trump’s own war on Iran—the retaliation… which has crippled the trade in Middle East oil.”

Another example of Trump’s ongoing false claims and promises.

Houthi Advance

The Associated Press wrote on September 12:

“Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured the island of Mayun at the entrance of the Red Sea, a key alternative for shipping Saudi oil and other exports since Iran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz… About 12% of the world’s goods are typically shipped through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (“the gate of tears” or the “gate of grief”) at the southern end of the Red Sea. It’s especially important to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally….

“Saudi Arabia said Friday it had shut down a major, cross-country oil pipeline as a ‘precautionary measure’ following attacks the day before…”

Saudi Arabia has asked Trump for military intervention, but Trump has refused so far, as allegedly, Houthi leaders called and assured him they would not attack US ships, or close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, except for Saudi-Arabian ships.

The Guardian added on September 12:

“Nearly 50,000 people have fled a sudden advance by Houthi forces in western Yemen with entire villages emptied and families trapped near frontline fighting with depleting food supplies… Civilians in the Middle East’s poorest country have found themselves victims of a global struggle for control over one of the most important shipping routes in the world, which threatens to turn Yemen’s on-off conflict into a forever war.

“In a lighting advance this week, the Iran-backed Houthi militants have seized a string of towns along the Red Sea coast from forces aligned with the US- and Saudi-backed Yemeni government. … The Houthi advance has come unexpectedly and fast…  if ​the Houthis were to close the natural chokepoint, the impact on the global economy could be disastrous. Ships would have to reroute around the southern tip of Africa, adding thousands of extra nautical miles….”

Trump did not see it coming… even though he should have.

“The Crippling Effects of Unnecessary War”

On September 14, Ron Paul wrote in the Ron Paul Institute:

“The diesel crisis is getting so serious that even President Trump has been forced to admit it. Of course, instead of taking at least part of the blame over his war of choice against Iran…, he is blaming Ukraine’s military strikes on Russian energy infrastructure… But the strikes deep inside Russia are guided by US intelligence, which provides the targeting data for Ukraine.

“… Iran is in control and very little oil – or anything else – makes it out without Iranian approval. Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis joining the fight only makes matters worse…

“The real problem is that wars of choice spin out of control and destroy the economies of those who launch them. Empires throughout history have been undone by endless overseas wars… President Trump has justified tanking the US economy by claiming the attack on Iran was essential because they were about to get a nuclear weapon. Our intelligence community disagreed, but he refused to listen and took his cue from Netanyahu instead.

“It turns out Iran actually does have a ‘nuclear weapon.’ That weapon is the ability to control the world’s oil flows at a margin high enough to cripple the economies of any country seeking to conquer it. According to press reports, former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard tried to warn President Trump that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz if attacked but he didn’t want to hear it….”

Wars lead to destruction and calamity… always!

The Iran Forever War

The Daily Mail wrote on September 14:

“Trump told reporters he is interested in remaining in the oil-rich Islamic Republic after the war’s end to extract its liquid gold as a sort of prize.  After repeating that the war would likely end after the US midterm elections in November, the president said he may ‘stay and keep the oil.’…

“Though given Iran’s distance from the US and its hostile leadership, it remains to be seen how the US, using military or civilian means, could organize a large oil transfer from halfway across the globe… The plan, if Trump were to follow through, may require US military personnel on the ground in Iran to help oversee operations.”

This will not happen. While a divided world kept silent about Venezuela’s oil, we doubt that it will keep silent if Trump pulls the same fast one regarding Iran’s oil. Nor do we think that Iran would ever agree to that.

Canada Moves Closer To Europe

NPR wrote on September 17:

“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used a speech to the European Parliament on Thursday to make a pointed case for closer ties between Canada and Europe, just hours after President Trump warned Europe against moving ahead with a proposed new partnership with Ottawa. The moment comes as Canada and the 27-member EU look to strengthen their partnership amid increasingly difficult relations with Washington under President Trump. Both Canada and the EU have felt bullied by the Trump administration with tariffs on trade, warnings the U.S. could abandon NATO and threats to take over Greenland. In the process, America’s two historical allies have been pushed closer together. A day earlier, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen offered to make Canada the EU’s first associate member…

“Trump reacted sharply to the proposal on Wednesday night. Speaking to reporters after a campaign rally in North Carolina,  Trump called the idea ‘laughable,’ and said his response would depend on whether he viewed the move as having a ‘bad intention.’ ‘If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,’ Trump said.”

Trump to stop trading with the EU??? Note the next article.

Germany and US Sign Agreement to Deepen Defense Cooperation

Reuters wrote on September 15:

“German Defense Minister Boris ​Pistorius signed a letter of intent with U.S. ‌Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday aimed at deepening cooperation between weapons makers in both countries at a time ​when defense stocks have dwindled… Pistorius stressed that the weapons purchase would not make Germany too dependent on the United States, but would help achieve a better balance between the ​two allies, he ​said.”

Many Germans will not appreciate such an agreement, or Pistorius’ wavering and inconsistent conduct.

CA Gouverneur Newsom’s Empty Redemption

The New York Post wrote on September 16:

“‘The idea that we closed beaches was insane in hindsight,’ faux-mused Newsom, as he stood in water wearing long pants but apparently no waders. ‘Obviously, the schools taking too long,’ the gov added. ‘A lot of districts were open, but the big ones weren’t. LA refused, and I regret that.’… This ‘regret’ is shameless political expediency from Gov. Newsom, not a genuine show of remorse. It’s also evidence of just how bad the governor’s judgment can be.

“To review: Saner governors said at the time that overreaches like Newsom’s –– prolonged stay-at-home orders; bans on church attendance and outdoor recreation; lengthy school shutdowns –– were insane. But Newsom in March 2020 had issued the nation’s first statewide stay-at-home order, imposing widespread controls on people’s movements and everyday life. And he was loathe to give it up. The governor did not fully rescind his emergency COVID order until June 2021 –– a year after red states had lifted most if not all restrictions. The damage done in that window by Newsom’s decrees is mind-boggling and endures to this day…

“California under Newsom paid out tens of billions of dollars in improper or fraudulent unemployment claims –– including, famously, to people in prison. To this day, the state’s unemployment system owes the federal government more than $20 billion from the glut of COVID unemployment payouts, many of which were fraudulent.

“Then there were the double standards. Liquor stores could stay open. But not churches. Black Lives Matter protesters/rioters could congregate outside despite the virus. But others had to stay indoors. Families were barred from Taco Bell. But the elite could dine at posh hotspots. And on it went. Freedom was suppressed, businesses left bereft, innocents punished for enjoying nature; recall the paddleboarder prodded from the Malibu ocean and then arrested for transgressing Newsom’s stay-at-home rules. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that Newsom’s COVID restrictions on religious worship violated the First Amendment. Yet only now, as he’s prepping a 2028 presidential bid, does the governor locate some regret?  He’s spent years defending his draconian pandemic rules.

“Remember fiery 2023 debate on ‘Hannity’ where Newsom blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for lifting COVID restrictions in Florida at a time when California had stayed locked down? ‘The only person that needs to apologize is Ron DeSantis for the tens of thousands of lives that died unnecessarily because he played to the fringe of his party,’ Newsom declared….

“His only real regret, perhaps, is getting caught cavorting at the French Laundry in violation of his own lockdown rules… That dining caper was ‘just boneheaded decision, just stupid decision,’ Newsom said while clutching a fishing rod. And voters are supposed to trust his judgment now? And entrust him with the US presidency?”

This is typical political hypocrisy.

Turkey a Threat to Israel

Israel Today wrote on September 11:

“More and more Israelis see Ankara as a strategic threat that could lead to a direct military confrontation… something fundamental is changing right on Israel’s doorstep: Turkey — a NATO member, a regional power, and a political supporter of Hamas — is expanding its influence in the new Syria.

“At the same time, the interests of Jerusalem and Ankara are becoming increasingly opposed. The Israeli public has apparently grasped this. 68 percent of Israelis now regard Turkey as a serious security threat — among Jewish Israelis, the figure rises to 77 percent. And yet Ankara still ranks well below Iran and Hamas in public perception…”

Ultimately, there will be a direct military confrontation between Turkey and Israel.

Fischer on NATO and the AfD

Die Welt wrote on September 10:

“Former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer expects NATO to come to an end. ‘I do not assume that NATO will survive,’ said Fischer… But abandoning NATO as a military alliance for Europe… would be a major mistake…. Europe must draw conclusions from the loss of trust that transatlantic relations suffered during the term of US President Donald Trump, Fischer argued: ‘If Europe becomes stronger—stronger in terms of power politics and military capability, too—then a different kind of relationship will emerge. The post-war situation, characterized by US hyper-dominance within the NATO sphere, is over. We must be capable of defending ourselves.’…

“Regarding the AfD, Fischer said: ‘For me, the AfD is more than a political challenge—it is an emotional challenge. Is all that rubbish—is that cold, narrow-minded, racist, nationalist Germany that I had the misfortune of experiencing in the 1950s and 1960s—is that really going to return? That would be a catastrophe’… The answer to this question, he said, depends on ‘how fiercely the battle for Germany’s soul is fought.’”

The issues surrounding NATO and the AfD are directly linked.

Jens Spahn “Apologizes”

Nius wrote on September 11:

“It sounds like contrition, yet it also marks the beginning of a political comeback. Former Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU) addressed the MPs of his caucus in a letter of apology, and those opening lines alone—following his involuntary resignation—have caused quite a stir. It is a letter that—with calculated precision—suddenly reveals the full scope of the Münsterland native’s political talent once more….

“The truth is: Spahn realized long ago that the decline and loss of authority suffered by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) are creating a void for strategic minds with an instinct for power—like his own. After a brief lull lasting only days, the astute and the desperate within the Union have long since begun reaching out to him again… And Spahn knows full well that the Union is currently in no position to do without figures like him. The smarter heads in the party know it, too…”

And so, is Germany waiting for Spahn?

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Trump’s Beef Deal… More Corruption?

The Hill wrote on September 4:

“President Trump said Friday that tariff-free imported beef will be coming from Brazil and Argentina, among other places, as his administration works to alleviate stubbornly high prices….

“Trump announced last month that the U.S. would be pausing tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of beef for 90 days to be sold at a 25 percent discount below market price. The president said it would lower costs for Americans while allowing for ranchers to build up their herds… The announcement was quickly criticized by the cattle industry and GOP lawmakers who said that lowering prices for Americans shouldn’t come at the cost of U.S. ranchers….

“The White House further defended the decision after a report that a Brazilian billionaire influenced it. The Wall Street Journal reported… that Trump met with Joesley Batista, who shares control of JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, a day before the announcement. Batista and his brother Wesley Batista were fined in 2020 by the Justice Department over charges that they violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by using funds obtained through a bribery scheme to expand operations in the U.S.”

Another White House cooperation with a corrupt businessman.

Unsafe Beef?

Forbes wrote on September 5:

“Brazilian beef exporters, who are usually subject to a 26.4% tariff, recently found themselves with a large backstock of beef after the European Union announced it would no longer accept imports from the country because it wasn’t meeting safety standards around the use of antibiotics…. Ranchers have called for the mandatory country-of-origin labeling on the lower-priced foreign beef entering the country, and are encouraging consumers to look for labels that say the product is American raised.

“… Argentine meat has made headlines after 30,000 pounds was allowed into Texas and Florida without being inspected by U.S. workers. China in August refused to accept a shipment of 22 tons of beef from Argentina because inspectors found evidence of chloramphenicol contamination. Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic strictly prohibited in food-producing animals under U.S. standards.

“Look for stickers that say ‘Product of USA’ or ‘Made in the USA.’ Those mean the product comes exclusively from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States. Other stickers to look out for will say ‘Born, Raised, and Harvested in the USA’ or ‘American Grassfed Association (AGA) Certified.’ If beef is imported or blended, the country of origin list will appear in small print near the nutrition label or ingredient list. Consumers can also check oval Department of Agriculture inspection stickers for an establishment number, which can be searched online to find the exact facility where the beef was processed.”

This would of course not tell you anything about the origin of the beef you are ordering and consuming at restaurants and fast food places.

Insane Gas Prices

CNN wrote on September 4:

“Americans will likely face the highest Labor Day gas prices on record this holiday weekend. It’s another blow to a ‘drill, baby, drill’ president who campaigned on affordable energy. President Donald Trump’s war with Iran isn’t just driving up prices at the gas pump. Diesel, a crucial fuel at the heart of the modern economy, hit an all-time high Friday. Jet fuel costs have skyrocketed, too, leading airlines to hike airfare and baggage fees while cutting less profitable flights….

“US refiners are running as hard as they can to make up for the loss of refining capacity elsewhere. Venezuela is unlikely to deliver a major increase in oil supplies for many years – perhaps not until 2035... Americans are paying an extra $97 billion since the Iran war started due to higher gas and diesel prices… That amounts to more than $740 per US household….

“Diesel has skyrocketed more than 60% so far this year, leaving it on track for the biggest annual increase on record… Gasoline gets more of the attention because of the consumer impact, but diesel powers trucks, tractors, trains, boats and construction vehicles at the heart of the modern economy.”

We can thank Donald Trump for all of that.

Hegseth’s Lie Detector Tests Backfire

Daily Mail wrote on September 5:

“At least 50 members of staff were subjected to lie detector tests in August to find out who the alleged rats were after multiple news outlets reported that the US military was running low on key weapons stockpiles amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. But that anti-leak mission has seemingly backfired on the White House – as news of the polygraph testing has now ironically leaked to the media...

“The move marks the first time the US has ever issued mass polygraph tests to top brass officials in the military.”

Polygraph tests are unreliable and not admitted in courts.

Europe to Repay US For Ukraine Aid?

The Kyiv Independent wrote on September 4:

“U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Sept. 3 that he will ask European countries to repay Washington for ammunition and military aid given to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden. The demand comes amid Trump’s growing fury with European and NATO countries for their refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran, which has dragged on for six months…. ‘Hundreds of Billions of Dollars was given to Ukraine and NATO, free of charge, that Europe would have paid for… but we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly.’

“In the post, Trump also lambasted media reports that the U.S. military was running low on missile stocks due to the war against Iran… ‘we have virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition, far more than we could ever use for this, or for any other War (which is highly unlikely!), that could improbably take place,’ wrote the American Commander-in-Chief. ‌‌‌‌

”Responding to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for more Patriot systems amid a critical air defense shortage…, Trump himself said on Aug. 7 that military aid had depleted U.S. stockpiles. ‘We want missiles too,’ Trump said. ‘Biden gave (Zelensky) $300 billion worth of ammunition.’

“It is not clear where Trump’s ‘$300 billion’ figure comes from — previously, Trump claimed Biden sent Ukraine $500 billion in aid, while Zelensky has said the total is around $100 billion… He has also previously demanded repayment from Ukraine for U.S. aid…

“Under the Trump administration, U.S. aid to Ukraine has ground to a halt, leaving Europe and NATO countries to shoulder the financial burden of supporting Kyiv amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.”

Clearly, Trump is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. It should be obvious that US stockpiles have been heavily depleted. Trump’s naïve assessment that another war with the US is highly unlikely will end up in a rude awakening… and maybe much sooner than many think. And when [not if] that happens, America might not have enough weapons to defend itself, while Americans will not even be willing to do so.

That Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine might be another alarming development. One wonders what further concessions the Americans have been willing to make to Putin. Kushner and especially Witkoff have not been good negotiators at all.

Putin Attack Inevitable?

The Sun wrote on September 7:

“A security source has warned that it is ‘inevitable’ that Putin will order retribution on Britain for its continued support of Ukraine.”

PBS wrote on September 8:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin assured U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call Tuesday that Moscow doesn’t harbor aggressive intentions toward Europe… That claim runs counter to European authorities’ versions of recent incidents, such as the German government last week blaming Russia for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August using a drone laden with explosives.”

One would have to be crazy to believe Putin’s assurances.

No Breakthrough… War to Continue

BBC News reported on September 6:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he expects the war with Russia to continue into the winter, following talks with Donald Trump’s top envoys in Kyiv.

The discussions finished without an announcement of a major breakthrough, after Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Ukraine for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The previous day, the pair had held talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow…

“Zelensky emphasised that should the war continue into the winter – ‘which is what it looks like for now’ – Ukraine would need air defence and energy support. Ukraine has relied on American-made Patriot interceptors to combat Russian ballistic missiles, but the US has used many of its stockpiles during its war with Iran.”

…despite Trump’s laughable denial of this apparent fact.

USA No Longer Canada’s Friend?

National Post/MSN wrote on September 6:

“For as long as anyone can remember, Canada and the U.S. have arguably been the world’s closest of allies and friends… But as the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump drags on, getting uglier every day, a growing number of Canadians have a very different view of America: our ‘enemy.’… a strong plurality of Canadians (41 per cent) consider the U.S. an enemy country…

“More than half (51 per cent) of those 55 or older perceived the U.S. as an enemy, only 13 per cent of whom see it as neutral. Meanwhile, Quebecers were the Canadians most likely (49 per cent) see the U.S. in that light and the least likely to consider it an ally (17 per cent) or neutral (20 per cent), one of several times an ‘exclamation point’ appeared on some Quebec results….”

The relationship between Canada and the USA has never been worse.

USA Is Losing Everywhere!

Hedge Avenue wrote on September 9:

“Last week, in Tiananmen Square, China put on a chilling display of military power. Fighter jets, tanks, AI-guided drones — all paraded under the red flag, in front of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and more than two dozen world leaders… The world is realigning. China. Russia. India. They’re drawing closer. And Trump’s high-risk trade policies are pushing them into each other’s arms…

“The U.S. is becoming isolated and distrusted… And we’re drowning in debt – $21 billion a day added and growing.  And this Chinese parade – as symbolic as it was strategic – signals that the world may be entering a post-American financial era. One where the dollar no longer dominates… and U.S. influence is no longer guaranteed.

“Foreign alliances are being formed without us… economic blocks are shifting against us… our tariffs are backfiring and capital is fleeing the country… debt is exploding past $37 trillion with no plans to stop it.”

Trump—the Demolition Man

On September 5, Die Welt wrote:

“Donald Trump brings Sylvester Stallone to mind. In the film ‘Demolition Man’, the lawman unhesitatingly tears apart an entire city block. The US President is following a similar path. The difference: he employs political weapons—such as coercion and blackmail—from the outset. Trump treats America’s long-standing friends in Europe, Canada, and East Asia like enemies.

“Security guarantees are being dismantled, troops withdrawn; Trump wants to get his hands on Danish Greenland; he targets Canada as a potential ‘51st state’ and imposes 50 percent tariffs… Yet far more is at stake than mere money—it is a question of who defeats whom on the chessboard of power, very much in the spirit of Lenin… Trump cozies up to Russia, China, and North Korea… In Asia, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea fear for their security and the once-reliable pledges made by the US. The same goes for the Europeans. Ukraine is fighting for its life while Trump takes it on a rollercoaster ride…

“He attacks Iran without regard for costs or consequences… The fact that the rest of the world is groaning under skyrocketing energy prices concerns this fantasist as little as the well-being of his own voters… America calls itself the ‘indispensable nation.’ For 80 years, it was. Under the showman Trump, the prospect is not ‘America First,’ but the looming threat of ‘America Alone.’”

A German perspective that is shared by most Germans.

Iceland Summons U.A. Ambassador

NBC News wrote on September 8:

“Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday after President Donald Trump posted an image on social media showing the island and other countries covered by the American flag… The map showed the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean covered by the U.S. flag, with the entire landmass labeled ‘United States of America.’ Trump posted the image on his Truth Social platform without explanation….

“Iceland last month voted against reopening E.U. membership talks in a referendum in which Trump’s designs on Greenland had featured as a backdrop.”

Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean should all take Trump to task for his irresponsible and ludicrous postings. Trump also claimed the Strait of Hormuz should be changed to Trump Strait, and the US state of New Mexico should be renamed as New America. And to top it all off, Trump claimed US ownership of the moon. Note the following detailed article, revealing further frightening and highly disconcerting Trump postings.

Trump’s Crazy Postings

MSN reported on September 6:

“President Donald Trump left countless onlookers aghast Sunday after publishing three dozen bizarre online posts in the span of two hours… ‘Something is very wrong with the president,’ wrote Tom Nichols, staff writer for The Atlantic, in a social media post on X Sunday. ‘And yet, still has the codes to our nuclear arsenal and is the single person who can order their use.’

“Among Trump’s bizarre online posts were images that appeared to be generated with artificial intelligence (AI) depicting him in hellish landscapes with threatening messages. One depicts Trump walking in Washington, D.C. alongside an army of robots and soldiers with red glowing eyes, and the message, ‘THEY WILL NEVER SLEEP AGAIN.’ Another depicts Trump sitting atop a black throne amid a hellish and war-torn landscape in front of giant humanoid robots. In another post, Trump suggested renaming the state of New Mexico to ‘New America,’ and in another, redrawing Iran’s borders to mirror the silhouette of Trump’s profile. One post, also likely generated with AI, depicts the destruction of Iran’s Kharg Island with the message, ‘Bye bye, Kharg.’

“Trump also shared an image of the moon that included the text, ‘THE MOON IS OURS,’ alongside an American flag. ‘This is not normal,’ wrote John Jackson, a political commentator… and former trial lawyer…. Trump also shared an AI-generated image depicting himself blowing up the earth, as well as an AI-generated image depicting himself buying stocks in the Oval Office, alongside the admission that he had ‘made Hundreds of Billions of Dollars on Stocks, and Many other type Holdings.’”

Whether this is meant to be serious or in jest, something is VERY WRONG with President Trump! Note the next articles as well.

Trump’s Ongoing Fabrications

The Huffington Post wrote on September 9:

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday raged at New York magazine after the publication questioned his recollection of his experience in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The president apparently took issue with an online story, ‘Trump Tells Weird Lie About Where He Was On 9/11,’ and lashed out by branding the outlet ‘Failing New York Magazine.’

“The article refers to a rambling speech Trump made Tuesday in Washington, D.C., where he reflected on the strength of New York City after the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001. He offered an anecdote about how he was ‘down there right after this happened’ and that two ‘big, strong’ firefighters ‘lifted him’ to safety as they feared the nearby U.S. Steel Building was also at risk of collapse. In his remarks, Trump also renewed a claim that he took a construction crew with him to Lower Manhattan to help with ground zero clean-up efforts.

“New York magazine questioned Trump’s telling of the story and fact-checked his previous comments about his whereabouts on 9/11 and the days after. Trump did visit the site two days after the attacks, on Sept. 13, and conducted interviews, but many of the details of his claims are contested… New York magazine noted the then-real estate developer was at Trump Tower in Manhattan’s midtown on the day of the attacks — miles away from the twin towers and the U.S. Steel Building… [He contacted local Channel 9 news right after the attack and remarked that he now possessed the tallest building in Manhattan.]

“In his rebuttal Wednesday, Trump said he ‘was there, obviously not on the same day as the collapse, but shortly thereafter,’ and posted a clip in which he spoke to reporters by ground zero after the attacks.”

This reminds us of the fabricated stories President Biden used to tell.

Jens Spahn—the Proverbial Comeback Kid

Merkur wrote on September 5:

“Just weeks after stepping down, Spahn is set to resume a key role within the Union parliamentary group as a member of the powerful Budget Committee… the CDU politician is apparently slated to become the rapporteur for the Foreign Ministry’s budget there. News that is sparking resentment and sharp criticism among the opposition…

“‘Some things are so crazy that I honestly didn’t think they were possible,’ writes Green Party MP Paula Piechotta… ‘He has demonstrated in the past that he lacks a sufficient sense of responsibility when it comes to handling taxpayer money.’ The Green Party’s budget expert is referring to controversial mask purchases made early in the coronavirus pandemic during Spahn’s tenure as Health Minister. Furthermore, a conflict of interest exists: Spahn would be conflicted regarding any ongoing costs associated with the mask deals. The committee not only has the final say on the budget but also oversees the government and sanctions it in cases of misconduct.”

A clear conflict of interest, as he is not going to sanction himself for his misconduct. But in spite of his many scandals and downfalls, he always comes back.

The Saxony-Anhalt Dilemma

Die Tagesschau reported on September 6:

“The AfD has clearly won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt. According to ARD projections… it is polling at 44.0 percent—compared to the 20.8 percent it secured in the 2021 election. The AfD has thus achieved its best-ever result in a state and is set to become the strongest force in the state parliament. Trailing far behind is the CDU… at a historically low 17.4 percent… Projections place the SPD in third place with 9.2 percent… The Greens are at 8.9 percent… Next is the Left Party (‘Die Linke’) with 8.6 percent—its worst result to date in Saxony-Anhalt… The BSW [another left-leaning party] is at 5.1 percent and could, as things stand, enter the state parliament, while the [business-friendly] FDP is projected to fail to meet the threshold for seats with 2.5 percent…

“The AfD’s goal is to govern alone. To do so, the party does not need an absolute majority of the votes, but rather an absolute majority of the seats in the state parliament. Whether it achieves this depends on the number of parties represented in the parliament. As things stand, the AfD is falling short of its goal. No other path to participating in government is open to the AfD. All other parties certain to be represented in the state parliament reject any coalition or cooperation with the party…

“Currently, a coalition of the CDU, SPD, and FDP is governing in Magdeburg. Projections indicate that continuing this alliance is not possible… Should the AfD be unable to govern alone, one option would be a CDU-led minority government that would rely on the Left Party… However, there are strong reservations within the CDU—which has a formal resolution prohibiting cooperation with both the AfD and the Left Party—regarding this model… According to the state constitution, the new state parliament must [convene] no later than the 30th day after the election—that is, on October 6.”

Bild Online wrote on September 6:

“The expected political bombshell from the Right in the East has arrived! The decisive factor: the hostile mood in Saxony-Anhalt—against (almost) everything! Against Chancellor Merz… Against public service broadcasting. Against foreigners. Against transatlantic values. And even against West Germans…

“CDU Minister-President Schulze’s election campaign was disappointing. Lackluster, timid, and completely devoid of edge—Schulze came across as utterly colorless! In contrast, AfD lead candidate Siegmund mobilized the masses and clearly struck a chord with the people… The fact is: this electoral shockwave from the East will send significant ripples through Berlin. Tough times lie ahead for the black-red governing coalition.”

When Germans become hostile and angry…beware!

The World’s Reactions to the AfD Victory

Politico wrote on September 7:

“Tech billionaire Elon Musk applauded the German far right’s win in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, a result that sent shockwaves through the country’s political establishment and around Europe… Musk has championed the AfD for years, including during Germany’s 2025 federal election campaign…

“Italy’s right-wing Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini congratulated his ‘friend’ [Alice] Weidel… Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl said voters had torn down the political ‘firewall’ around the AfD, while Spain’s Vox leader Santiago Abascal wrote on X that the result was ‘a great hope for Germany and Europe.’ Hard-right Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe called the AfD ‘an inspiration.’ Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders also congratulated the party…

“While Musk and Europe’s right rejoiced, centrist and left-wing heavyweights around the continent sounded the alarm. French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs slammed the AfD as a ‘neo-Nazi, anti-European, pro-Putin’ political force whose program is ‘a betrayal of the European spirit’…

“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the result as ‘a warning that the ultra-threat is gaining ground in Europe and the world’… Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that ‘only idiots or traitors’ in Poland could celebrate the result. French Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad called it ‘a grave moment in Europe,’ warning that ‘nationalism and xenophobia will never be a solution.’”

According to Die Welt, dated September 4, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) demanded the prohibition of the AfD. CSU leader Markus Soeder disagreed with Pistorius’ viewpoint. Reuters reported on September 9 that “US President Donald Trump hails what he calls a ‘really big’ victory by Germany’s far-right movement.” He closed the post with a call to “MGGA!!!” or “Make Germany Great Again.” Despite his party’s terrible defeat, Chancellor Merz stated that he would stay in office.

“Established” Parties Remain Asleep

On September 9, Bild Online published the following commentary by Marcel Sacha:

“Anyone who thought the parties of the so-called ‘political center’ had finally woken up after the election debacle in Saxony-Anhalt was bitterly disappointed on Wednesday. A spirit of renewal? New concepts? A genuine will to reform? A different approach to dealing with the AfD? All were missing. Instead, the same old game played out in the Bundestag as it has for years: once again, everyone focused almost exclusively on attacking the AfD.

“Starting with the Chancellor: Friedrich Merz reacted to their 44 percent victory in Saxony-Anhalt with the counter-argument—offered in all seriousness—that ’56 percent did not vote for you.’ A reminder: 83 percent of voters did not vote for his CDU—which polled 17 percent—last Sunday… Furthermore, the speakers from the other parties offered almost nothing but the same old anti-AfD platitudes…

“The sad part is that, once again, hardly any politicians from the Black-Red camp presented new concepts or ideas… The established parties obviously still haven’t grasped the fact that AfD-bashing won’t win back a single voter… Or to put it another way: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.”

Bild Online added on September 9:

“The AfD is leading by a huge margin in East Germany… Nationwide, too, the AfD remains on a record-breaking trajectory.

“Why do AfD supporters vote for the party? For the largest group, the answer is clear: 34 percent say the deciding factor is the conviction that the AfD best represents the ‘interests of the German people.’ 22 percent cite dissatisfaction with the political system as a whole as their primary motive. Another 21 percent point to dissatisfaction with the federal government…

“Who do Germans trust to solve the problems? On this question, the AfD is narrowly in the lead with 13 percent. But the real bombshell lies in another figure: 55 percent do not trust any party to be best at solving Germany’s problems.”

And the Germans are right about that. NO party can provide real solutions.

Europe Withdraws Gold Reserves from the U.S.

Bild Online reported on September 5:

“Are the gold reserves of foreign nations stored in the U.S. still safe under U.S. President Donald Trump? The debate has been simmering for months, particularly in Europe. Now comes a bombshell: The Dutch central bank (DNB) announced that it has moved 86 tons of its gold reserves—previously held in vaults in New York and Ottawa—to London. Consequently, only 18.5 percent of the total Dutch ‘gold hoard,’ valued at around 75 billion euros, remains stored in the U.S….

“Princeton visiting professor Steven Strauss… argued that for decades, European nations had relied on the U.S. reputation as a ‘guarantor of the rule of law, property rights, and financial stability’ when storing their gold. Today, however, he increasingly views Trump’s America as a ‘rogue superpower’—a major power acting with less predictability and reliability….

“The debate is simmering in Germany as well. A total of 1,236 tons of German gold—currently valued at around 152 billion euros—remains stored in the Federal Reserve’s vault in Lower Manhattan, 24 meters underground… The Taxpayers’ Association, in particular, is applying pressure. ‘The Netherlands has proven with its actions that where there’s a will, there’s a way; we have long demanded that the gold belonging to the taxpayers be brought back to Germany,’ Vice President Michael Jäger told BILD. It continues: ‘The clock is ticking; the risk in the USA is rising by the day…’

“In addition to the Netherlands, other EU states have also transferred gold holdings from the USA to Europe. France sold off its entire stock of 129 tons held in New York and repurchased the same amount in Europe… The situation is most critical in Italy. Of all major EU nations, it holds the largest share of its gold reserves—43.3 percent—in the USA: 1,061.5 tons worth around 130 billion euros. One thing is clear: the Dutch move is now increasing the pressure, particularly on Germany and Italy, to reconsider storing their multi-billion-euro treasures in America.”

Europe’s trust in America’s reliability is completely gone.

Funding Shortfalls Hit British Armed Forces

United24 Media wrote on September 4:

“The British Armed Forces have suspended military exercises involving 90 or more personnel due to budget constraints at the Ministry of Defense, according to a report by The Sun. Units were instructed to stop collective training with immediate effect unless they are getting ready for deployment on active operations, leaving many troops with little to do…

“The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have also been instructed to scale back training activities to save funds…”

Everyone is running out of money. Wars are not inexpensive.

“Britain Works Against Israel”

CNBC wrote on September 9:

“Britain’s foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced on Tuesday that Britain would ban imports from Israeli settlements built on the West Bank, adding that the U.K. government’s official view is that the ‘occupation [of the West Bank] is unlawful.’

“The move prompted an accusation from Israel that the British government was ‘systematically working against’ the country, and a ban on 12 U.K. lawmakers entering Israel. Britain has also been told to close its consulate in east Jerusalem within 30 days…”

France and Canada also announced sanctions on Israeli settlements on Tuesday.

Was Netanyahu Warned?

Mediaite wrote on September 8:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was personally and explicitly warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major attack roughly 10 days before the October 7 massacre, but dismissed the threat and did not alert his security chiefs, according to a shocking new Haaretz report…

“United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan raised the alarm directly with Netanyahu during a 45-minute conversation… and reportedly warned that Sinwar was preparing a major operation. Netanyahu reportedly responded that he believed Hamas intended to operate in the West Bank and assured the Emirati leader that Israel was prepared for any scenario… Haaretz also reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel separately contacted Netanyahu around the same period to warn that Hamas was planning ‘something unusual, a terrifying operation.’ The prime minister, however, insisted again that Israel was in control and reportedly mentioned neither call during an October 1 security discussion about Hamas and Gaza. The Prime Minister’s Office categorically denied the central allegation…”

It has been claimed before that Netanyahu had been warned, but did not react.

Kushner Blames Israeli Elections

CBS News reported on September 7:

“President Trump’s special envoy Jared Kushner directly linked the lack of progress on the rehabilitation of the war-torn Gaza Strip to upcoming Israeli elections. Israel will hold elections in late October, and polls show it is a tight race between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents… ‘They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards.’

“Kushner’s remarks are a rare and candid criticism of Netanyahu’s government by a senior Trump administration official over the conservative Israeli leader’s Gaza policy…. U.S. efforts to advance plans to disarm Gaza militant group Hamas and open the way for investment into rebuilding the devastated Palestinian enclave have stalled amid disagreements with Israel and Hamas about the proposed roadmap. Kushner… did not elaborate on how the Israeli government is impeding the Gaza peace plan.”

Kushner has not been successful as a negotiator.  NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel asked directly why his lacking track record should inspire ‘any confidence’ in his abilities to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” Engel also said, “You were involved in the Gaza negotiations, but Gaza remains a wasteland… Iran, you were involved in those negotiations. The war is still going on…  You’ve been involved in several rounds of negotiations in this conflict. It’s only getting more intense. So you’re relaunching negotiations now. What’s the likelihood they will succeed, when other negotiations you’ve been involved in have not?”

Kushner responded defensively, but without real clarity. He and Steve Witkoff [viewed as highly incompetent by many Europeans] have been failures, putting it mildly.

The Third Temple—Far-Fetched?

Israel365News wrote on September 7:

“Zehut chairman Moshe Feiglin… signed a joint Knesset list with Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich, taking the No. 2 slot ahead of the October 27 election… Asked how the mosque on the Temple Mount would ever open up to make room for the Temple, Feiglin [answered]:

“‘The Zehut party will not build the Third Temple. Am Yisrael [the nation of Israel] will build the Third Temple. The Third Temple will not be built by some accidental majority, at midnight, in some Knesset committee. Am Yisrael will build it because an entirely new consciousness will descend and envelop all of us. I believe the Third Temple will be built ish echad b’lev echad — as one man, with one heart — when we all want it. This will no longer be a partisan matter…

“‘What about the mosque? I believe the Arabs will vacate it… I believe we will reach a point where the entire world will want to see the Temple built. In the consciousness we’re in right now, this sounds far-fetched, impossible. But we’ve seen how quickly things can change. Why will it happen? Because it is written in the Torah — just as it was written in the Torah — that we would return to our land after nearly two thousand years, and that was the most far-fetched thing in the world. The most far-fetched thing in the world, far more so than building the Temple. And that came true too. That came true too.’”

Shortsighted and Contradictory Pope

Life Site News wrote on September 3:

“Pope Leo XIV opened this week’s Wednesday General Audience by citing Pope John XXIII’s warning against the so-called ‘prophets of doom’ who believe our current time is worse than previous generations…

“Despite the pontiff endorsing his predecessor’s words, he has repeatedly suggested that our modern age is the worst it has been for the environment, noting his belief that the ‘world is burning’ due to ‘global warming.’”

There can be no doubt that the current time is much worse than previous generations… with the exception of the time during the days of Noah. Christ said so, and if He were not to return in our generation, no flesh would be saved alive… and we are NOT talking about global warming.

Another Stupid US Supreme Court Decision

The Huffington Post wrote on September 9:

“The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a Roman Catholic mother’s request to send her 5-year-old son to school in New York without him receiving state-required vaccines under the argument of religious exemption. The court on Tuesday issued a one-line order denying the woman’s emergency appeal ahead of the new school year.

“Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted the request. In 2019, New York eliminated its religious exemption to school vaccination requirements.”

At least there were, in this case, two sensible justices on the Supreme Court.

The Curse of AI

MSN/RNS wrote on September 6:

“[Elderly East Asian monk] Yang Mun… has more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram, where his videos draw millions of views and comments from people thanking him for his advice. His website describes him as a teacher of traditional Eastern wisdom. But the monk does not exist. Mun was generated using artificial intelligence…

“Yang Mun is not alone, Rabbi Goldman, an AI-generated Orthodox rabbi who dabbled in conspiracy theories, amassed more than 1.5 million Instagram followers before his account was removed.  Father Justin, created as an AI Catholic priest, answered questions about faith…”

Satan’s tool no doubt…

AI Could Kill Us All

AFP wrote on September 9:

“An artificial intelligence researcher who left OpenAI to join Anthropic has decided to leave the industry, accusing both US companies of ‘gambling with our lives’ in the race to develop AI models capable of self-improvement… ‘The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade,’ he said in a post on X…. Superintelligence is the theoretical point when AI’s capabilities exceed human intelligence…. ‘Anthropic… does not yet have a plan to ensure an AI system that surpasses human capabilities would obey its creators.’”

For further information, please view our most recent StandingWatch program, titled, “How AI Could Destroy Us All.”

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Iceland Rejected the EU

Politico wrote on August 30:

“By a narrow margin of 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent, Icelanders rejected new talks with the EU… In the end, Icelanders’ skepticism about taking even this small step toward the EU proved too strong… The warning that membership would mean losing control over fishing quotas and having to open Icelandic waters to foreign companies was a cornerstone of the No campaign, and one that many voters cited as their reason for rejecting it…

“In Brussels, the result will land as a disappointment. A move by Iceland toward membership would have sent a signal of European unity to the world — and, amid tensions between the U.S. and Europe and the growing sway of authoritarian powers led by Russia and China, such a signal would have been more than welcome…. Reykjavík and Brussels will remain closely tied all the same. Before the referendum, the government had signaled that, in the event of a No, it would seek to deepen cooperation by other means.”

Icelanders are understood to be descendants of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin… the proverbial Vikings.

The Guardian added on August 30:

“The vote was held in the shadow of repeated threats by Donald Trump to invade or acquire neighbouring Greenland.

“Although Iceland is a Nato member, supporters of EU membership said European solidarity would provide greater protection if Trump ever made similar threats towards the smaller, Arctic island.”

America’s Failed Negotiations With Canada

The Hill wrote on August 28:

“Washington went into last week’s trade talks with Canada looking for more than relief on dairy and alcohol. The administration wanted Ottawa to complete its F-35 purchase, buy American radar planes as part of joining President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense project and grant the U.S. a right of first refusal on Canadian critical minerals. By Saturday morning, the talks had collapsed…. None of what Washington wanted on defense was ever going to be delivered by threat.

“Canada contracted for 88 aircraft, but Carney ordered the purchased review after Trump’s first tariff offensive last year. Washington wanted reassurance in these talks that Canada would finish the buy. It left without it… Trump wanted Canada to shoulder more of its own defense burden. He may get exactly that. What his administration hasn’t reckoned with is how much of that new Canadian money will still flow south, after a year of tactics that turned dependence on the United States into a political liability in Ottawa.”

The USA has scored an own goal… or maybe several.

Canadian Reluctance Regarding US Military

CBC wrote on August 29:

“The flareup in the Canada-U.S. tariff war has not only strengthened Ottawa’s resolve to boost military co-operation with Europe and Asia — it’s also hurting prospects of major military purchases from the United States… [There is] a growing reluctance toward potential acquisitions of U.S. military hardware.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 28:

“Canada’s deal to buy [88] US-made F-35 [stealth-]fighter jets took years to negotiate and is worth tens of billions of dollars. But amid the trade war between Canada and the United States, some are calling for Ottawa to ditch the deal…”

The Aluminum Debacle

CTV News wrote on August 26:

“Canada’s aluminum industry is not worried about U.S. tariffs continuing into the new year. While Canadian domestic producers will absorb the loss of U.S. business and find other customers, the U.S. will find it nearly impossible to replace its cheapest supplier…

“The U.S. depends on Canada for 75 per cent of its imported primary aluminum, covering 60 per cent of its yearly usage…”

What American short-sightedness and incompetence!

Quebec United Against Trump

The Independent wrote on September 1:

“Canada’s governing Liberals have secured victories in three special elections on Monday, providing a significant boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney… The Liberal Party claimed victory in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in Quebec, Beaches-East York in Toronto, and North Vancouver-Capilano in British Columbia… The biggest shift occurred in Quebec… The local economy relies on aluminum production and dairy farming, key sectors affected by the trade conflict.

“Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Carney enjoys higher approval ratings in Quebec than anywhere else in Canada, noting that Trump’s remarks about annexation resonate deeply there. ‘Quebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the U.S. absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears,’ Wiseman said.”

Trump’s Silly Postings—Donald Ducks “Protect” “Lake America”

The Independent wrote on August 30:

“President Donald Trump on Saturday posted an apparently AI-generated video depicting an army of buff, bequiffed and heavily-armed ‘Donald Ducks’ patrolling the shores of  ‘Lake America.’

“Hours later, while he was at his Virginia golf course, the president posted another AI-generated video, this time showing himself knocking over a ‘Welcome to Lake Ontario’ sign and installing a ‘Welcome to Lake America’ one in its place…

“Set to the theme song from Hawaii Five-O, a 34-second clip shows a squadron of Canada geese marching near the Great Lake. The birds have human arms, carry assault rifles and sport the president’s signature blond pouf of hair. The geese then fire their weapons into the air as fireworks erupt over the skyline of a nearby city — which appears to resemble Toronto.”

These juvenile postings don’t help anyone… they might only contribute to the accelerating alienation.

Spineless Google [and Apple]

Fox News wrote on August 30:

“Google Maps has begun displaying ‘Lake America’ in place of Lake Ontario for users in the United States after President Donald Trump ordered the body of water renamed.

Google said the change began rolling out Saturday after the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) formally updated the lake’s name from Lake Ontario to Lake America.

“‘Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S., people using Maps in the U.S. will see “Lake America,” those in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names,’ Google said.”

Have you ever heard such nonsense? And Apple followed suit as well. Google’s actions remind us of its spineless behavior under incompetent Joe Biden’s unconstitutional conduct of censoring those who opposed the government’s terrible fake announcements and appalling measures pertaining to the Corona pandemic, with which Google and others, such as Twitter, readily complied. We will continue to refer to the lake as Lake Ontario and the gulf as the Gulf of Mexico, and we will also continue to refer to Erdogan’s Turkey as such, while not using the ridiculously sounding name “Türkiye,” as requested by him.

Trump Threatens Britain Over Falkland Islands

The Independent wrote on August 30:

“The US is said to be considering an ultimatum…, threatening to withdraw its support for Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands if it does not increase defence spending…

“The UK government has responded by saying its position on the islands is ‘long-standing and unwavering’, and that they will remain a British Overseas Territory in line with the wishes of the Falkland islanders….

“America’s recent demand follows a threat in April, in which a leaked internal Pentagon email suggested that the US could review Britain’s claim to the Falklands as revenge for a lack of support in the Iran war.”

Based on biblical prophecy, the UK might very well lose the Falkland Islands.

Trump Trusts Putin???

The Sun wrote on August 29:

“VLADIMIR Putin has flexed his nuclear arsenal by launching an intercontinental ballistic missile in a chilling warning to the West. It came after CIA chief John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow and reportedly issued the Kremlin a stern warning not to attack Nato members…. But just days later Putin has defiantly engaged in more nuclear saber-rattling by firing a ballistic rocket at Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia….

“Trump has now insisted Putin wouldn’t attack any Nato territory whilst he was in charge. He said: ‘I’ve had good talks with him. He’s not going to be attacking a Nato territory.’

“The latest launch appears a symbolic move intended to convey Putin’s power…. It is known Putin was briefed in real time about Ratcliffe’s meetings but despite cancelling a key event at the last minute opted not to meet the CIA boss face-to-face. The mission to Moscow via Riga on Monday was seen as ‘so delicate’ that even some high-ranking White House staff were in the dark over it, reported the Wall Street Journal.”

As if Putin’s words amount to anything! Is Trump really that naïve? Do we ever learn from history? All of this reminds us of Hitler’s promises in 1938. As we may recall, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain traveled to Germany to stop a war over Czechoslovakia. He signed the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler, allowing Germany to take the Sudetenland (border areas of Czechoslovakia with German speakers). Chamberlain returned to London, waved a paper signed by Hitler and himself, and told cheering crowds it was “peace for our time.” The deal failed completely. Hitler broke the promise and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia, then Poland in September 1939, which started World War II.

The Kings of the East Meet

CNA (Channel News Asia) wrote on August 31:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping began talks on Monday (Aug 31) in Kyrgyzstan, where a dozen other heads of state also gathered for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which seeks to be a counterbalance to the West. Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, India’s Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif were also among those in Bishkek to attend the summit of the regional SCO bloc, which celebrates its 25-year anniversary…

“Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West…. Russia’s economy has become increasingly dependent on China during its 4.5-year invasion of Ukraine… Russia and Iran – among the most sanctioned states in the world – have massively deepened their military and economic ties since Moscow invaded Ukraine.”

The USA or Europe were not present.

North Korea’s Strong Warning to the USA

Africa Business Insider wrote on September 2:

“In a strongly-worded statement released by state media KCNA, North Korea accused the United States of maintaining an ‘invariable hostile policy to wantonly violate the sovereignty, political system and security interests of the DPRK’…

“Pyongyang has made it clear that its nuclear weapons are non-negotiable, describing them as ‘an absolute guarantee for defending its sovereignty.’”

Trump’s Venezuela Oil Deal

ABC News reported on August 29:

“President Donald Trump announced Friday that the U.S. and Venezuela have reached a ‘historic’ oil deal that he said would give the U.S. a majority control of billions of barrels of oil reserves in the Caribbean country and lower gas prices for Americans.

“In a social media post, Trump called it ‘THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY’ and said it would provide majority U.S. control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela… Venezuela is recognized as holding the largest proven oil reserves in the world.”

Technically, Venezuela is not a Caribbean country but is located on the northern coast of South America, not inside the Caribbean, but it has a long coastline along the Caribbean Sea.  It is geographically a South American country.

If Trump really thought that his deal was to lower the gas prices at the pump before the midterm elections, he would be woefully mistaken. Note the next articles.

Not For a Long While, If Ever…

Newsweek added on August 30:

“… several developments would need to occur before additional Venezuelan oil could translate into lower gasoline prices. First, substantial investment would be required to expand production… extracting and transporting the oil would take considerable time, meaning ‘changes to fuel prices won’t happen overnight or even in months.’…

“Second, global refining capacity would need to increase. Even if crude supplies rise, refineries must have the ability to process that oil into gasoline and diesel… refining capacity is already constrained, limiting the potential for lower crude prices to feed through to consumers.

“Previous analysis of global energy markets has also shown that gasoline prices tend to lag behind movements in crude oil prices because fuel must be refined, transported and distributed before reaching retail stations.”

Deal Won’t Lower Gas Prices

npr wrote on August 31:

“The idea that the U.S. government becomes a shareholder of this joint venture is extremely unusual… Unlike Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Aramco, or Mexico’s Pemex, the U.S. doesn’t own a national oil company… Other American oil company investors might want to take a portion of the U.S. government’s stake in this joint venture. But the deal may not appeal to international investors…

“Many of the larger oil fields being discussed in the deal are still largely undeveloped. That means it will take a minimum of a few years for those fields to produce anything… If this deal does have an impact on gas prices…, it will be far on the horizon…”

npr added on September 1:

“The White House on Monday said it’s partnering with North American Blue Energy Partners as part of President Donald Trump ‘s push to tap into Venezuela’s oil industry… As part of the deal, the U.S. is creating a private company as a joint venture with NABEP — a detail the White House had withheld for days. NABEP, owned by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, is already the second largest operator in Venezuela, behind Chevron… Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez is giving the company 100-year rights over 17 oil fields with proven reserves of 65 billion barrels…

“Former U.S. government energy advisers have cautioned that the deal comes with political risk, since future administrations in Venezuela or the United States could challenge the deal. Even if the agreement holds, analysts say it could take years to turn around Venezuela’s… energy sector.”

Trump’s Stolen Venezuelan Crude Oil

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 1:

“On August 29, President Trump went on social media and boasted about stealing Venezuelan oil. The theft, according to Trump, ‘more than doubles American oil reserves.’ He said there was ‘no cost’ to American taxpayers, although there will obviously be a huge cost to the people of Venezuela who will see little if any benefit from Trump’s plunder. Trump went so far as to claim the brazen theft will benefit the Venezuelan people. The profits are expected to enrich oil company executives and elites rather than ordinary citizens…

“The Financial Times reported there is no evidence of oil money returning to Venezuela, as claimed by Trump, and that Venezuela’s GDP in the first quarter was its lowest in five years. Oil makes up virtually a quarter of the country’s GDP…

“Swiss company Vitol is involved in shipping Venezuelan oil to Israel… Delcy Rodríguez, who became the president of Venezuela after Trump abducted Nicolás Maduro on bogus drug charges, restored relations with Israel in August…

“Donald Trump and his family have exploited their position to profit through cryptocurrency and related ventures… these schemes generated approximately $2.25 billion in realized profits from foreign payments and other alleged sources. Additionally, analysts have observed unusual trading activity that frequently spikes just before Trump makes significant public statements or announcements. This pattern was also evident before Trump announced a pause on tariffs, where traders were betting on stock market increases right before the announcement….”

Criticism From All Sides

Newsmax wrote on August 30:

“… the deal is drawing unusual criticism from both the political left and right, Venezuelan democracy advocates, and foreign-policy experts who question whether Washington is putting oil ahead of free elections… critics argue the administration is striking a potentially century-long bargain with essentially the same political apparatus built by Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January, but interim President Delcy Rodríguez — Maduro’s longtime vice president and a central figure in the Chavista government — remains in power. That has alarmed Republicans representing large Venezuelan and Cuban communities….

“One of the harshest attacks came from Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann, a former Venezuelan planning minister, who has long been a critic of the Chavez and Maduro regimes. Hausmann directly accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of abandoning the country’s democratic opposition. Hausmann charged Rubio with using American power for ‘an asset grab, an unconstitutional deal with an illegitimate oppressive government, instead of using US leadership to re-establish constitutional rule and democracy first . . . He said Rodríguez lacks the legitimate authority to make such a long-term commitment and warned the agreement “will not stand” because the Venezuelan people will not support it, nor will any major U.S. oil company. ‘…

“European and international observers have raised broader questions of sovereignty and legality. The Guardian reported critics describing Washington’s approach as ‘predatory’ and unconstitutional.”

As Trump, Rubio, Hegseth and others have forsaken the opposition in Venezuela, so they have forsaken the opposition in Iran AND the Iranian people opposed to the murderous Mullah regime.

For further information and discussion on this controversial oil deal and what the White House might be hiding, please view our most recent StandingWatch program, “Trump’s Oil Deal with Venezuela—Another Fiasco.”

Trump Attacks Iran Again

The Sun wrote on August 30:

“DONALD Trump has reignited his war with Iran by launching strikes on the twisted regime for the first time in a month. US forces targeted Tehran’s rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz after reported intelligence that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps were preparing to deploy sea mines in the crucial waterway…. Two Iranian rocket launchers were destroyed in the attacks, according to an anonymous US official.

“Iran said several of its fighters had been killed and badly wounded in the blasts…. The last US strikes on Iran came in late July as the war has reached a stalemate.

“Trump has changed tack in recent weeks, announcing crippling plans to launch a crushing ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ against Iran. The US has vowed to place crippling sanctions on any country propping up the regime… Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent… stopped short of naming specific countries or laying out a timeline. Bessent declined to answer whether the move would target China, which bought 80 per cent of Iran’s ship oil last year.”

Trump might be too afraid to include China in this, especially, since Xi Jinping is planning to visit him on September 24, 2026.

Hegseth in Trouble

Daily Mail wrote on August 29:

“Trump ruthlessly sidelines Pete Hegseth after Camp David showdown… as insiders mock war secretary’s humiliating inadequacy – and new cabinet golden boy gets promotion…”

Hegseth should have been fired a long time ago.

NBC News wrote on August 28:

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told close friends and associates that he is considering a run for president in 2028…

“Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, have floated the idea of a presidential run for the past few months…”

Hegseth for President? Mercy. When asked, Trump just said it’s too early to tell. For now, Hegseth has denied the reports… which may not mean much. So now we have JD Vance, Rubio and perhaps even Hegseth as possible contenders. And there might be more. And then there is still Donald J.(John) Trump!

Hegseth Disastrous From the Beginning

The Atlantic wrote on August 31:

“Making Pete Hegseth the secretary of defense was always a huge gamble. A television host with little background in national-security or defense affairs, who topped out as a major in the National Guard, he was nominated based on the same qualification shared by most of Donald Trump’s other appointees: loyalty. And now the price of that gamble is evident. The Pentagon is careening offtrack under a secretary of defense who is firing or forcing the resignations of officers and civilian officials, not because they are unqualified but because he believes they are insufficiently loyal to him, personally. The latest casualty of Hegseth’s ongoing purge is Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who  resigned today after repeatedly clashing with the secretary of defense…

“Hegseth’s tenure has been disastrous on multiple scores. Instead of giving sound advice to the commander in chief and ensuring that America remains secure while the president fights a deeply unwise war of choice, he has been pursuing his political grievances… against the U.S. military. Hegseth seems to have a special animus toward the Army, an institution he claims ‘spit me out.’”

JD Vance and the End Time

The Huffington Post wrote on September 2:

“‘I have for my entire life been fascinated by end-times prophecy and theology,’ [JD Vance] said, and described reading about it in a Bible when he was 10 or 11 years old. Vance said he wouldn’t be shocked to learn that the Antichrist was ‘walking among us’ right now, nor would he be shocked to learn that we’re living in the end times at this moment….

“‘What I’m trying to focus on is doing as much of God’s work as possible right now, and if that leads to the end times, okay,’ he said. ‘And if that leads to, you know, us building a better world that thrives and survives for a very long time after I’m gone, that’s great, too… In fact, they are coming, it’s just a question of whether they’re coming thousands of years down the road or a few months down the road, and we’ve got a lot of work to do right now.’”

Doing God’s work in building a better world now? And the end times being thousands of years away? So much lack of biblical understanding!

Supreme Court: Ballroom Construction Can Continue

Newsmax wrote on August 31:

“The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to continue construction of his $400 million White House ballroom and accompanying military complex… The 5-4 ruling blocked a lower-court order that would have halted above-ground construction while a lawsuit challenging the project proceeds… The Supreme Court’s Monday ruling did not, however, finally resolve the underlying legal dispute.

“The court’s conservative majority said the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the lawsuit, likely lacked the legal standing necessary to challenge the project… Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the court’s five-justice majority and joined the three liberal justices in dissent.

“Roberts wrote that the ballroom is ‘likely unlawful’ because Congress has constitutional authority over federal property in Washington, D.C., and has not expressly authorized construction of the new structure… The majority did not decide whether Trump ultimately has the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval. That distinction leaves the broader legal fight unresolved even as construction proceeds.”

A typically cowardly decision by the majority. Instead of ruling on the merits, they allowed the continuance of the construction because of technical grounds. Embarrassing!

Crazy Season in California

The New York Post wrote on August 28:

“Each year in Sacramento brings a new crop of crazy bills… Gavin Newsom is trying to position himself ahead of a wide-open Democratic presidential primary that will begin the moment the polls close in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Newsom needs to look as ‘progressive’ as possible, given the rise of socialism within his party….

“That’s why a bill like AB 2599 has a chance to become law. The bill would require any large company in California that can trace its roots back before 1965 to search through its records and disclose any possible connection to slavery.  California entered the Union as a ‘free’ state in 1850, meaning that it outlawed slavery from the outset. 

But under AB 2599, if any company that later did business in California had been involved in any remote way in the slave trade nearly 200 years ago, it would have to disclose that information on a state website — and face the inevitable backlash….

“A bill as pointless as AB 2599 falls into the same category of bills as AB 3121, which was passed at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. It set up a ‘task force’ to study reparations. Newsom duly signed it — and strung the committee along until, at the end, he declined to offer any cash to the descendants of former slaves. 

He did, however, sign AB 3089 in 2024, which offered a formal apology for slavery — which, again, California had never allowed.

“It remains to be seen what Newsom signs, and what he vetoes. But the number of absurd laws signed will be higher than usual. On slavery and AB 2599, for example, Newsom isn’t really thinking about California. He’s thinking about South Carolina, the first state to vote in the Democratic presidential primary, with a majority-black electorate that Newsom has struggled to reach.”

Newsom for President? Mercy! Note the next article.

Only Newsom’s Winery Gets a Settlement!

The New York Post wrote on August 28:

“California wineries have been scrambling to recover from the 2025 Pickett Fire, which caused an estimated $56 million in wine-grape losses across Napa Valley.

More than 30 winery and vineyard owners are seeking up to $90 million from Hundred Acre Winery and its owner, Jayson Woodbridge — but so far, only Newsom’s PlumpJack Group has reached a settlement [for an undisclosed amount]. PlumpJack was co-founded by Newsom, who built his wine and hospitality empire in part through connections to California’s wealthy Getty family….

“That, however, left some other vineyard owners suspicious and furious, as they wondered whether the connection to Newsom helped Plumpjack with getting its payout. ‘I don’t know what connections or motivations the defendant would have,’ John Cadieux, an attorney with a firm representing the 30 wineries and vineyards, told the Chronicle. ‘But certainly I’d imagine (Newsom’s connection) played a part.’… Ultimately, winery owners are slowly growing more pessimistic that they’ll get the same result that Plumpjack did.”

The answers should be obvious. This report fits with Newsom’s hypocritical conduct during the coronavirus pandemic.

Germany Takes on Trump

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 1:

“G 20 finance ministers and central bank heads gathered in Asheville, North Carolina for two days of talks. The session is being overshadowed by dissatisfaction over the White House welcoming Russia to the meeting but not some critical reporters, the war with Iran and its economic fallout… The US currently holds the rotating G20 presidency and so is hosting the session…

“‘Receiving the Russian finance minister here sends a troubling signal,’ German Finance Minister [and Vice Chancellor] Lars Klingbeil said. He said he and his European colleagues made clear that they would not appear in the traditional ‘family photo’ alongside the Russian media… Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski told the Reuters news agency that he recognized the right of the G20 hosts to invite guests, but that he was unhappy to see Moscow represented. ‘We do not trust Russia. They lie constantly and you need to be really, really cautious while discussing with them,’ he said. ‘So for me it would be very difficult to have any kind of conversation with Russia.’

“As leaders gathered in Asheville, three giants of the US media landscape complained of either no or limited access to the meeting. The business-focused Bloomberg News said that its team was not allowed access, while the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times both complained that certain journalists who would typically cover such events were refused media credentials… Klingbeil was critical on the matter. ‘I believe the press has a completely legitimate interest in reporting openly and freely on this G20 summit,’ he said. ‘I consider it unacceptable for journalists or entire editorial teams to be excluded.’ 

“Klingbeil had also said in a German political podcast last week that he would bring a simple message to the US regarding what he called Donald Trump’s ‘irresponsible’ war in Iran— that it needed to come to an end…”

Russia Again Threatens Germany With Military Attack

ntv reported on September 2:

“Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, has threatened Germany with punishment over sanctions following the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig-Halle Airport. ‘They deserve a direct strike against all German military production facilities,’ wrote the Kremlin politician—known for his harsh rhetoric—on Telegram. He was referring to defense plants working for Ukraine—and ‘certainly some other locations in Berlin as well’… Medvedev accused German authorities of fabricating the airport attack…

“The former Kremlin leader also threatened retaliation should Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy make good on his threat to target airports within Russia. Medvedev pointed out that European leaders—as financial backers of the Ukrainian government—frequently travel by train to Kyiv and other cities. Russia had also recently attacked railway infrastructure in Ukraine.”

Berlin blamed Russia for an incursion of explosive-laden drones last month in or near Leipzig and announced retaliatory measures. EU leaders and NATO supported Berlin in this. The Russia-friendly AfD party was skeptical.

Merz Lives in a Dream House

“Election victory for the far-right… AfD in Saxony-Anhalt next week would do serious damage to the eastern German state, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. ‘Should it come to that, this state would face significant problems,’ Merz told public broadcaster ARD in his annual summer interview. ‘I cannot imagine that international investors would want to be seen attending the first spades in the ground for new factories or businesses in Saxony-Anhalt alongside an AfD state premier,’ he said.

“According to the latest polls ahead of next Sunday’s vote, the AfD maintains a commanding lead with 40% — far ahead of Merz’s conservative CDU with 23%, the Left Party  (13%), the SPD (9%) and the Greens (6%)…. ‘We will do everything we can to prevent Saxony-Anhalt falling to extremists,’ he said, adding: ‘And that applies to the Left Party, too.’

“Merz said he would be appearing twice himself in Saxony-Anhalt over the coming week in order to convince undecided voters (which still make up a good 20% of the electorate, according to polls) not to vote for the far-right.

“Asked how the CDU intended to form a coalition government in Saxony-Anhalt with such low ratings and while refusing to work with either the AfD or the Left Party, Merz said: ‘We will look at that once we have the results.’”

Whatever the outcome will be, it could not be worse than the current situation in Germany. A coalition between the CDU, the SPD and the Greens would be a nightmare, even if it could be formed. To circumvent and ignore the AfD which appears to be receiving a majority of the votes, would raise uncomfortable questions as to the status of the democracy in Germany.

AfD Youth Wing Disagrees With Weidel

t-online reported on August 29:

“The AfD was founded as an anti-euro party. To this day, party leader Weidel remains opposed to the common currency. However, the party’s youth wing takes a different stance.

‘Generation Deutschland’ (GD) is distancing itself from the clear pro-exit stance regarding the euro held by its parent party, the AfD. GD leader Jean-Pascal Hohm told Bild: ‘We do not want a German exit from the euro; instead, we want to remedy the existing structural flaws of the euro system.’ … There is no talk of leaving the euro.”

China’s Robots Are Coming!

Focus reported on August 23:

“Humanoid robots broke numerous world records at the ‘World Humanoid Robot Games.’ On the opening day of the Olympic-style event in Beijing, for instance, Usain Bolt’s world record in the 100-meter sprint was beaten.

“According to the organizers, more than 2,000 humanoid robots participated in the event. In the 100-meter sprint, a humanoid robot clocked a time of 9.39 seconds, beating the human record of 9.58 seconds set by Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt in 2009. A humanoid robot cleared 2.88 meters in the standing high jump… The human record for a standing high jump is 1.90 meters, set by Swedish athlete Rune Almén. Both robots were created by the Beijing-based company X-Humanoid.”

The Guardian wrote on August 29:

“… the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing gripped the world this week… The five-day showcase staked out China’s claim to undisputed leadership in humanoid robotics as android martial artists landed knockout roundhouse kicks and robot teams marched into the arena heralded by flag-waving captains astride giant robotic dogs. The games’ blue-riband event, the 100m, did not disappoint… before slamming mindlessly into a padded wall in a blaze of sparks, flames and flying mechanical limbs….

“But the games were not intended to only entertain. Involving over 2,000 humanoids built by more than 660 mostly domestic tech companies, it was a propaganda flex of China’s robotics muscle just weeks before its president, Xi Jinping, lands in Washington DC for a summit with Donald Trump, where the superpowers’ race to tech supremacy will be high on the agenda. Only last month Trump banned imports of Chinese humanoids and four-legged robot dogs, citing cyber and national security concerns. 

“The event was also a billboard to boost global sales of Chinese robots as US rivals prepare their own launches, notably Elon Musk’s long-hyped Optimus humanoid which is reported to have finally gone into production this month. Last year China produced 12,800 humanoids, about 90% of the global total…

“‘Fascinating, and honestly, a little scary,’ said Arun Bothra, a senior police officer in India, which shares a tense border with China. ‘Watching robots run, play football and compete like humans is one thing. Seeing them on borders someday, carrying guns and making decisions, will be something else entirely.’ Or as another viewer concluded while watching a humanoid hoist a loaded barbell in the weightlifting contest: ‘Humanity is preparing its own end’.

“Of course China is not alone in pursuing robotic warfare. As the Beijing games progressed on Monday, Ukraine was staging a novel military parade in Kyiv made up entirely of robotic weaponry and defence equipment.”

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Is the Gestapo of a Police State Coming?

tkp wrote on August 16:

“On Wednesday, the German cabinet passed a 700-page legislative package that massively expands the powers of the domestic intelligence agency (Office for the Protection of the Constitution) and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND)… Artificial intelligence is to analyze vast amounts of data—including footage from public and private video surveillance. Data retention periods are being extended, and controversial methods such as online searches, surveillance of private homes, and the creation of movement profiles are being expanded…

“The Society for Civil Rights (GFF) considers large parts of the package to be unconstitutional… The strict separation between the police and intelligence agencies was enforced by the Allies after World War II to prevent a recurrence of the Gestapo… The article argues that the abolition of this separation is directly linked to Germany’s return to an imperialist war policy: hundreds of billions of euros in additional military spending, the reintroduction of conscription, and the creation of a society ‘ready for war’ require a police state…

“There is reportedly no serious opposition among the parties in the Bundestag… WSWS author Peter Schwarz views the legislative package… as the deliberate preparation for a police state intended to suppress growing domestic opposition to rearmament and social cutbacks—with the tacit or open support of all parties in the Bundestag.”

These are dangerous developments, but they are prophesied to occur.

Calls For Spahn’s Complete Departure

Bild Online wrote on August 21:

“Pressure is mounting on Jens Spahn in his political home region: following his resignation as leader of the Union parliamentary group and his decision to step down as district chairman, some CDU officials are now openly demanding that he also relinquish his seat in the Bundestag.

‘Accusations of double standards have been raised; at the grassroots level, there is talk of anger, outrage, and party members leaving.’”

But observers feel that Spahn’s future is anything but certain.

Jewish Community Compares AfD to NSDAP

t-online reported on August 22:

“Shortly before several elections in East Germany, Reinhard Schramm, chairman of the Jewish community in Thuringia, has issued a warning regarding the AfD. Drawing a comparison with the NSDAP highlights parallels in the rise of both parties, Schramm wrote in a guest commentary for the Thüringische Landeszeitung newspaper. By downplaying Nazi crimes and attacking Germany’s culture of remembrance, the AfD is facilitating its own gradual ascent to power, Schramm argued. Eyewitnesses to Nazi terror are watching ‘with fear the development of today’s increasingly right-wing extremist AfD.’

“Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, had previously drawn this comparison in Stern magazine. ‘The NSDAP, too, started small and tested the limits of what was possible,’ she said. That is exactly what is happening with the AfD. ‘In many areas, I no longer see any difference between it and the NSDAP before it came to power.’ She noted that she had witnessed many terrible parties—the NPD, the Republicans, the DVU—but none had been as dangerous as the AfD.”

NSDAP stands for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, which translates from German as the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. It was the official name of the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, which ruled Germany as a fascist dictatorship from 1933 to 1945.The similarities between the rise of the NSDAP and the AfD are obvious.

The AfD’s Short-Sighted Plans

t-online wrote on August 23:

“AfD leader Alice Weidel … predicted that the CDU would ‘never win another federal election’… In opinion polls, the AfD is leading the CDU and CSU by up to eight percentage points nationwide. The situation was exactly the reverse for the 2025 federal election. In states like Saxony-Anhalt, where elections are taking place in September, the gap between the AfD and the Union is even wider…

“The AfD politician reaffirmed her party’s intention—should it take power—to withdraw from the euro and from the Schengen Agreement, which provides for the principle of border-control-free movement across internal borders…”

On closer inspection, these are all plans that run counter to prophecy. The AfD would not succeed with them… at least not in the long run. Yet the AfD’s views and plans are constantly changing… much like the proverbial chameleon. Whether a charismatic political and military leader (a male) will arise out of the AfD or from somewhere else will remain to be seen.

The Most Dangerous School in Germany

Daily Mail wrote on August 23:

“A German school whose student body is made up almost entirely of migrants has been dubbed ‘the most dangerous in the country’. Karolina-Burger-Realschule, a secondary in the south-western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, has been at the centre of a national frenzy over the country’s relationship with migrants. 

“Around 90 per cent of the roughly 760 pupils there are migrants, while roughly 40 per cent of the residents in the town it is based in, Ludwigshafen, are also non-German… The school regularly sees brutal fights between students, wanton destruction of property and violent threats against teachers… The ongoing chaos is so bad that parents are desperate to pull their children out… Teachers at Karolina-Burger have been calling in sick to avoid the chaos. German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that a third of the school’s 53 teachers called in sick last week.”

And why is nothing done about this?

Putin’s Sinister Scheme

The Telegraph wrote on August 23:

“Russia has launched a fresh wave of attacks on European armaments factories under the guise of plausible deniability… The Kremlin is recruiting local gang members to sabotage defence manufacturers to test Nato’s resolve. The attacks appear carefully calculated to fall just short of triggering Article 5…

“This week, Latvia detained three of its own nationals on suspicion of an arson attack against a drone manufacturer in neighbouring Estonia. A building belonging to Milrem Robotics, a Tallinn-based firm that supplies weapons to Ukraine, was set ablaze on Aug 1…

“Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 there has been a steady stream of unexplained attacks across Europe. As well as the Estonian arson incident, there have been explosions at major arms manufacturers in Italy and Bulgaria this month alone. Earlier this year, a fire almost destroyed a Czech plant making drones and thermal optics for Ukraine…

“On August 10, a major explosion ripped through a plant belonging to EMCO, one of Bulgaria’s largest private arms manufacturers, which produces 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine… Three days later a similar blast rocked a munitions factory operated by KNDS Ammo Italy in Colleferro on the outskirts of Rome…

“Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, known for its attacks on foreign soil using highly trained agents… cultivate sources within criminal gangs to act as intermediaries in the targeted country using online messaging apps such as Telegram. These middlemen then dish out tasks to local recruits, who are paid in cryptocurrency and often never know they are working for Russia…

“Italy and Germany… are often unwilling [to] blame Moscow over fears of an escalation… With each attack that goes unpunished, the Russians are gathering their own useful intelligence on just how far they can push Nato’s boundaries… With Putin preparing Russia to use force against Nato ‘within five years’, according to Mr Rutte, Western officials see this hybrid attack as a potential precursor…”

It sounds like being taken from Putin’s well-known playbook. And a Russian attack on NATO within the next five years sounds overly optimistic. Such an attack could happen much earlier.

Moscow Pulls Ambassador Out of Britain

Daily Mail wrote on August 21:

“More than 300 workers were urgently evacuated today at a Russian Amazon logistics hub as it was hit in a Ukrainian drone attack. It was the second Ozon online marketplace struck in two days as Vladimir Putin admitted Kyiv was damaging his economy with its latest onslaught…

“Meanwhile, Moscow has pulled its ambassador out of Britain after Putin claimed the concerted strikes on so-called ‘Russian Amazon’ Ozon and Wildberries facilities were helped on by ‘Western handlers’ like the UK…  diplomatic relations have effectively been downgraded between the two countries and fears have arisen of a total breakdown of communications between Moscow and London.

“Relations between the UK and Russia took a dive last week after it emerged that British drones had been used by Ukraine to strike targets deep in the Russian mainland, prompting the embassy to threaten ‘consequences’.”

Poland Braces For War With Russia

Fox News wrote on August 19:

“Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said his country is actively preparing for the possibility of conflict… A European diplomat… backed Tomczyk and said Poland sees a pattern of escalating Russian pressure on multiple fronts… The diplomat pointed to what they described as Russian disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, sabotage efforts and repeated tests of Poland’s air defenses, as well as increasingly frequent nuclear rhetoric from Russian officials and propagandists.

“‘Altogether, it shows quite clearly that if Russia or Belarus saw any chance to attack Poland to destroy an obstacle to restoring the Soviet or Tsarist Russian empire in Eastern Europe, they would do it without hesitation,’ the diplomat said…. ‘But they — at least the imperialists who are the foundation of the Putin administration — would like to turn Poland, the Baltics and, of course, Ukraine back into their colonial part of Europe.’”

This assessment is right… once Russia gets the chance.

Ben-Gvir’s Ongoing Inhuman Demands

Israel 365 News wrote on August 20:

“National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced this week the start of construction on a dedicated execution facility for Palestinians sentenced to death under Israel’s new death penalty law, days after his comments calling for Israel to kill ‘30 to 40’ Gazans nightly drew condemnation from Germany… The facility will include a dedicated wing for prisoners sentenced to death, with gallows at its center, and observation booths allowing victims and their families to witness executions…

“Referring to a woman who had brought Braslavski food during his captivity, Ben-Gvir said she ‘needs a bullet in the head..’… German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ‘strongly condemns the inhumane remarks made by Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’ a German government spokesperson said Wednesday.”

The remarks are indeed a terrible testimony to man’s cruelty.

No Palestinian State

Washington Jewish Week wrote on August 20:

“In a meeting on Monday with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law who advises the president on Middle East subjects, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made very clear, and in no uncertain terms, that he is against a Palestinian state…

“The discussions come as implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan remains stalled over the issue of Hamas’s disarmament. The Jewish state has maintained that the terror group must disarm fully before Israeli forces withdraw and large-scale reconstruction can begin…”

Kushner has not been a successful negotiator.

Turkey Crossed a Red Line

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 20:

“Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told The Jerusalem Post that Israel had received clear intelligence indicating that Turkey intended to significantly expand its military presence in Syria, a move Jerusalem viewed as crossing a red line… His comments came following Israel’s strike in Syria and subsequent criticism from both the Syrian and Turkish governments…

“‘It is clear to us that the Syrians do not want a confrontation with us,’ he said. ‘That is why we are telling the Turks not to create conflicts. There is more than one indication that the move planned by Turkey was imposed on the Syrians.’ … Leiter said the apparent disconnect was also evident in conflicting Turkish and Syrian statements following the strike. ‘While Syrian Foreign Minister Shaibani acknowledged that there had been a Turkish delegation in Syria several days before the strike, the Turks denied it.’”

PBS wrote on August 21:

“The Israeli military bombed an airbase in Syria, far from the Israeli border, sparking condemnation… from… the Trump administration. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack accused Israel of an ‘unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.’”

Turkey Issues Another Arrest Warrant Against Netanyahu

The Times of Israel wrote on August 21:

“Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government on Friday issued another arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid spiking the two countries over an Israeli strike in Syria… Turkey’s Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on X that his ministry had asked the interior ministry to issue Interpol red notice alerts for Netanyahu… A red notice is a request to police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition…

“The Israeli statement reiterated past accusations by Jerusalem against Erdogan, calling him ‘an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him.’..

“The Turkish announcement was the latest sign of the collapse of Israeli-Turkish relations since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and subsequent Gaza war. Turkey has hosted Hamas leaders, and Erdogan has praised the terror group and castigated Israel, ending trade and direct flights between the countries.”

To our knowledge, there is no arrest warrant for the antisemitic warmonger and mass murderer Erdogan.

Unprecedented National Debt

ABC News wrote on August 20:

“The United States’ gross national debt surpassed $40 trillion this week for the first time, meaning the nation’s financial hole has doubled in size in less than a decade…

“It’s been more than 20 years since the federal government’s last budget surplus, which occurred in 2001. Every year since then, the U.S. has spent more money than it has brought in, deepening the nation’s debt…”

Such irresponsible and incompetent corrupt conduct!

Trump Courts North Korea, While South Korea Fears for the Worst

npr wrote on August 21:

“President Trump posted on social media on Monday that he had ordered the drills [with South Korea] shortened because he thinks they are costly and send a hostile message to North Korea. He later said that he had reached out to Kim for a meeting and received a positive response. [Kim Jong Un’s sister] Kim Yo Jong, however, dismissed what appeared to be Trump’s latest overture. 

“Trump’s curtailing of the military drills has fueled South Korea’s unease about the future of the alliance with the U.S… South Koreans have been shocked by this week’s events, which have heightened their fears of being sidelined during a Trump-Kim summit. They fear that in order to seal a deal with Kim, Trump could withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea and lift economic sanctions on the North, while leaving their nuclear arms in place…

“But for Trump, Seoul has fallen short on his demands. In the same social media post on Monday, Trump also complained that South Korea had declined his request to join the U.S. in its operations against Iran.”

South Korea has every reason to be concerned about Trump’s conduct.

Pentagon Fires Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief and Others

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 22:

“The US Pentagon has sacked the editor, publisher and a reporter of military newspaper Stars and Stripes after they publicly objected to potential editorial interference, they said on Friday. The newspaper, which has been publishing since World War II, is partially funded by the Defense Department but has remained editorially independent. ‘According to the notice, I am being fired ‌for stating in ⁠a CBS ⁠interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line,’ Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin said in a statement on Friday. Slavin received a notice of separation for insubordination, as did Publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte…

“In an email announcing his retirement, Lederer had said it was clear that the Pentagon had a new vision for the newspaper which differed from his own… Meanwhile, Korte said on social media she was being fired for insubordination ‘after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker… It’s a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press,’ she wrote…

“US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been extremely critical of the media since taking office in 2025. Among the measures he took was drastically restricting press access to the Pentagon…   National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. said, Slavin’s firing was ‘another brazen attempt by the Pentagon to dictate coverage of the military. Firing a newspaper editor after he publicly defended his newsroom’s editorial independence is deeply troubling, and it should concern every journalist and every member of the US military who depends on independent reporting…’”

In light of prior attempts to even deceive Trump about the state of affairs in the military, Hegseth’s conduct is clear. He does not want anyone reporting on his misrepresentations and lies, which do not reflect reality.

Trade War Between USA and Canada Has Begun

The New York Post wrote on August 22:

“A hefty new tariff on a wide range of products from Canada took effect early Saturday after last-minute negotiations to avert the duties collapsed…. The 50% tariff will apply to some $20 billion worth of Canadian products, including wine, hockey sticks, and cement. 

“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed swift retaliation after negotiations failed. ‘Canada will match those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses,’ he said in a statement… ‘We have recognised from the beginning that America has changed, and that we will not return to our old relationship… Our government understood, before many, that America is altering all its trade relationships. Putting tariffs on its closest allies and charging for access to its vast market.’

“The prime minister blamed ‘last-minute changes in the US proposed terms’ that he described as ‘unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal’ for the breakdown in talks.”

CTV News added on August 21:

“The Trump administration on Sunday warned that Canada would be ‘foolish’ to think it could win a trade war with the United States… Prime Minister Carney delivered his own address on the trade dispute in which he said Canada is at economic ‘war’ with the U.S… Carney was asked: ‘Why does it feel like, today, Mark Carney is going to war, trade war?’ ‘You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,’ he responded… Carney said retaliatory tariffs, in response to Trump’s new levies, will come into force on Sept. 8…

“Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he fully supports Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government’s decision to walk away from trade talks with the United States. Speaking Saturday afternoon, Kinew commended the prime minister for standing up for Canadians and that all premiers are united with Carney. ‘History will not be kind to Donald Trump. So we should never appease him and we should fight back, which is what Canada is doing today,’ said Kinew. ‘We can fight back against Donald Trump by buying from Canadian businesses, by supporting Canadian workers and most importantly, by living up to our Canadian values.’…

“B.C. Premier David Eby says a request from U.S. negotiators would have effectively reduced Canada to America’s 51st state. ‘The suggestion that Canada would not trade with other countries or reduce our trade with other countries because the Americans tell us to would reduce us to the economic equivalent of the 51st state,’ said Eby…”

What an incredible demand!

The Hill added on August 22:

“The prime minister has said these new policies are in ‘direct violation’ of the free trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada…. Canada and the U.S. have historically enjoyed a close relationship, but the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to broker new trade agreements that favor the U.S. have placed these ties to the test. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the U.S. cede its northern neighbor as a ‘51st state’ and addressed Carney as the ‘future governor of Canada.’”

Trump repeatedly asked for a trade war with Canada. Now he has it, and he might very well lose this war as well.

Trade War Escalates

The New York Post wrote on August 25:

“President Trump floated the possibility of rebranding Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America,’ in a shot across the bow against Canada’s most populous province — whose premier threatened to cut off electricity and minerals to the US. ‘The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to [be] doing much business with Ontario any longer,’ Trump declared on Truth Social Tuesday…

“One of the issues Carney claimed contributed to the breakdown in talks at the 11th hour last week was purported demands that Canada make changes, demanding Quebec use English instead of French. Trump denied that on Monday. ‘I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French!; Trump insisted on Truth Social. ‘In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing. This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!’”

We wonder who is lying. For further information on this developing situation, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “America’s Foolish Trade War With Canada.”

Trump Allowed to Continue Ballroom Construction

NPR wrote on August 21:

“The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump can — for now— move forward with construction of his ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House without needing approval from Congress…. In a brief order, signed by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court stayed the lower court ruling to pause construction.

“In its brief filed earlier this week, the [National Trust for Historic Preservation] asserted that if the Supreme Court allowed construction to continue at this time, the court was effectively ending the case. ‘Rather than obtain permission from Congress, Petitioners have instead decided to try to outrun judicial review’ by accelerating construction. ‘It is clear that in Petitioners’ view, if the Court grants their stay application, this case is over—despite every court to have reviewed their project having found it to be patently unlawful, and no matter the fact that this Court has not reviewed those decisions on the merits,’ the brief states.  

“56% of Americans did not approve of Trump’s decision to tear down the East Wing and build the ballroom.”

And so, as one outlet wrote, Roberts dances with Trump in the new ballroom.

Our Shattered Empire

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article on August 20, which originally appeared on August 19 in the American Conservative:

“Almost daily we witness some spectacle illustrating the appalling corruption of our country’s leadership. The recent release of Anthony Fauci’s diary entries confirms long-held suspicions about the Covid-19 narrative, which we now know even Fauci himself did not fully believe. Think of the millions of lives ruined and harmed by that corruption… What else are our leaders still hiding about the worldwide disaster caused by Covid-related deceptions and manipulations? There has not yet been any meaningful examination of our medical profession, which largely acted as cowards during the pandemic, adhering to the bogus official narrative at the expense of the welfare of their patients.

“Our leadership has not even begun to scratch the surface of the horrors created by the many secret—and potentially illegal—biolabsscattered around the globe, supported by funds often hidden from voters under the guise of ‘national security.’ The Fauci crowd appears to have been deeply involved in that dark world…

“The current wars have exposed the shortcomings of our nearly trillion-dollar military and its multi-billion-dollar weapons systems… After years of being told we possess the ‘most powerful military’ in history, Americans are beginning to realize it is a fantasy…

“Our government classifies and redacts documents as a matter of course. Think of the billions of pages we are still not allowed to see… Many significant, history-changing events remain shrouded in secrecy. How is it that information is still being withheld about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy?… Most Americans suspect the official government narrative was false, yet officials continue to withhold information that might shed light on that crime. The same is true for the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., our government’s willful abandonment of US prisoners of war in Vietnam, the September 11 attacks, and the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein…

“Our political leadership’s frenzied efforts to hide the Epstein files make it look as though the ‘national security’ excuse is merely a convenient tool to obscure malfeasance, rape, blackmail, bribery, and plain old corruption…

“We watch with horror the chaos, death, and destruction currently being wreaked on the world—and on our own country—by our ‘exceptional nation.’… All this from a president who campaigned on an America First policy, an end to forever wars, and the promotion of peace. It looks like we were fooled again. Presidential candidate after presidential candidate promises peace, and we get war after war. The system is subverted by corruption…

“The American people, especially the younger generation, are beginning to recognize the corruption at the top of our country and the magnitude of the war lies…  Ours is not an ‘exceptional nation.’ It is not the ‘shining city on a hill.’… Not anymore. It is a declining empire with a declining military—one unable to protect its allies, yet still seeking to bully and harm any country that angers its corrupt elites.

“Our military defenses are so ineffective that Iran—a country one-fourth our size, with an economy smaller than our bloated military budget—can practically name its next round of targets knowing our mighty military can do little to stop them…”

This article shows clearly that if and when America is attacked by an outside military power, it will NOT be able to defend itself successfully.

Roman Catholic Idolatry

Daily Mail wrote on August 21:

“A 1,700-year-old skull was returned to a gold bust in an ancient Catholic ritual that saw one of the Vatican’s most powerful cardinals bow and kiss the relic. The remains belonged to Saint Agatha, a third-century Christian martyr and the patron saint of Catania, Sicily…. The ceremony commemorated the 900th anniversary of Saint Agatha’s relics being returned to Catania from Constantinople in 1126…

“Many non-Catholics deemed the ritual ‘idolatry’.. .Catholics view relics as tangible links to figures from the early Church and reminders of the courage they displayed. Believers may also pray beside them, asking the saint to intercede with God on their behalf.”

Just one of many examples of idolatry and blasphemy in the Catholic Church which run rampant.

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Appalling Conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln

Stars and Stripes wrote on August 13:

“Family members and sailors say months at sea with no end in sight to a grueling Middle East deployment have intensified worries about mental health and the risk of self-harm aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Those concerns were brought directly to Navy leadership Thursday, when family members spoke to Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao and other senior officials during intense town hall meetings… In one case, a spouse tearfully told officials that she received a message that same day from her husband saying ‘he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow’… 

“The worries expressed at Thursday’s meetings echo those raised independently with Stars and Stripes by sailors and family members in recent weeks. Interviews with active-duty sailors and family members, along with dozens of public social media comments and posts by crew members, describe sailors struggling with exhaustion and declining morale, including reports of suicidal thoughts and at least one instance where a crew member was prevented from jumping overboard. The concerns come during an unusually demanding deployment… The aircraft carrier left San Diego in November for a Pacific deployment, was redirected to the Middle East and has now been deployed for more than eight months, including a record-breaking number of days at sea without a port stop. Its crew has spent much of that time supporting U.S. combat operations against Iran, and the deployment, which was anticipated to end in May, has been extended with no publicly announced return date….

“Family members and sailors say the roughly 5,000 service members aboard Lincoln have endured food and water shortages, disrupted mail service and long workdays with little time off…. Carriers generally pull into a port every 30 to 45 days to allow for replenishment, maintenance and crew rest… ‘Nothing to really look forward to at this point,’ [a] sailor said, adding that crew morale now is so low that sailors and Marines aboard Lincoln would be willing to forgo any upcoming stops in favor of returning home as soon as possible…”

While Secretary of State Pete Hegseth flatly denied the reports, saying they were “completely misrepresented,” President Trump downplayed or dismissed them, saying that the deployment was “not nearly long enough.” This happens when you start an unprovoked war in the Middle East with no clear goal or concept of duration in mind. These denials sound untrustworthy.

Trump’s Navy in Crisis

Daily Mail wrote on August 18:

“Donald Trump’s Navy is facing renewed scrutiny after a warship lost all power while deployed in the South China Sea, stranding sailors without drinkable water, food, air conditioning or working toilets for four days.

“A generator failure aboard the USS Benfold on July 24 left the destroyer without power… The Navy did not disclose the incident for nearly a month…”

Trump Attacks Fox News Anchor

TV Insider wrote on August 17:

“Fox News’ Shannon Bream appeared to get under Donald Trump’s skin on Sunday (August 16) as the president delivered not one but two lengthy rants against the anchor on Truth Social… ‘Watching FoxNews with Shannon Bream is always like watching the Worst of Fake News CNN,’ he wrote in the first of two unhinged rants….

“‘I don’t know Shannon, but she always seems to pick guests, charts, and “polls” that are negative, never talking about all of the incredible things that the Trump Administration has done,’ he continued before reeling off a list of supposed accomplishments and claimed that the U.S. is ‘more RESPECTED throughout the World than at any time in Memory’… adding, “Even Chris Wallace was better, and he was really bad.”

Trump lives in a dream world. 

Due to Trump, Tension Escalates in Strait of Hormuz

The New York Post wrote on August 15:

“President Trump posted an AI image of himself helping seize an Iranian-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Truth Social, in another online escalation as a US ally said Iran fired on another commercial vessel. ‘It’s Our Oil Tanker Now!’ Trump posted Friday night, hours after declaring on Long Island that ‘Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.’ 

“‘This strait will only be opened and closed under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,’ Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted on X Saturday. The United Arab Emirates said Saturday that Iran had attacked another Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessel transiting the strait, the third attack in a week.”

Some say Trump’s comments regarding declaring the Strait of Hormuz territory of the USA was a joke, but due to Trump’s ongoing provocations and his desire to invade other countries and areas, it would be foolish to dismiss his illegal threats as a joke. Note the following article.

Daily Mail added on August 18:

“The US President shared a map on Truth Social showing the narrow waterway with the words ‘NEW U.S. TERRITORY’ written across it. The bizarre image showed a large blue circle around the strait, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.”

Trump Threatens Oman 

The Daily Mail wrote on August 17:

“Donald Trump threatened to ‘bomb the s….’ out of Oman if it continues negotiations with Iran without American approval as the ceasefire with Tehran nears its expiration.

Oman, a major US defense ally in the Middle East, is negotiating with Iran over a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by placing the narrow waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, under joint control…

“Trump’s threats against his own ally come as the 60-day US-Iran ceasefire is set to expire today, raising fears of renewed fighting that could further destabilize the region and disrupt global oil supplies…”

With his wild rant against Oman, Trump proved again his frustration and his realization that he is unable to bring the war to an end. 

Using Nuclear Weapons Against Iran?

Vietnam.vn wrote on August 17:

“Former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene claims that officials in Washington are discussing the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Iran amid the escalating months-long conflict… According to Ms. Greene, the issue of nuclear weapons use was discussed in strategic planning meetings…

“Ms. Greene wrote: ‘They are discussing the use of nuclear weapons against Iran in strategic meetings. I’m not speculating, I know that. And that’s absolutely evil.’… Ms. Greene warned that such a move could trigger a ‘nuclear catastrophe’ and drag the world into a war on a much larger scale.”

Greenland Objects—Far From Receiving Approval

Euractiv wrote on August 11:

“US oil operator Greenland Energy will not obtain the approvals needed to begin drilling in eastern Greenland this year, local authorities said, contradicting the company’s public timetable. Nuuk, however, says the project remains far from receiving approval.

“‘In the current situation, I do not believe it is realistic for the company to carry out drilling work this autumn,’ Greenlandic Minister for Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources, Múte B. Egede, told local broadcaster KNR.”

It will remain to be seen how US oil operator Greenland Energy will react, given its close relationship with Donald Trump. 

Eritrea’s Strategic Importance

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 13:

“Amid growing tensions and security risks in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea, with its strategically important coastal points on the Red Sea, is emerging as an important player in the region… Yemen lies on the other side of the Red Sea, which makes Eritrea’s location particularly interesting… The only safe route in this area runs through Eritrea… The Houthi militia, propped up by Iran, have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea from the Yemeni coastline…

“Still, Eritrea continues to exert its influence as the Red Sea has emerged a crucial sea route for the world, and especially for the Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates… A viable alternative, should the Strait of Hormuz remain repeatedly blocked, would be for these Gulf nations and their partners to find routes via Saudi ports located further up on the Red Sea…

“Meanwhile, Eritrea’s neighbors, particularly landlocked Ethiopia, are fighting hard to maintain access to the Red Sea as a trade route, Sayed added — in particular for oil exports from the Horn of Africa to the rest of the world, especially to Europe and the Americas.”

At one time, Ethiopia and Eritrea were one country until they separated in 1993. Biblically, the two powers might still be viewed as one country. The same may be true for India and Pakistan, which were one country in the past, until their separation in 1947. Other examples might be North and South Korea, which separated in 1953, or Germany and Austria, which seem to be “one country” according to the Bible.  

Israel Can’t Wait Forever

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 16:

“The clock has been ticking for two months since the June ‘ceasefire’ between the US and Iran, and still the Islamic Republic is rearming. That should dominate Israel’s thinking about every day that passes without an agreement capable of restraining the Iranian regime…  Israeli defense officials have been shocked by the speed with which Iran is recovering from the damage inflicted during the war…

“Israel and the United States struck more than 2,600 missile and military-industrial targets during the roughly 40-day war, carrying out some 30,000 attacks, and it left Israeli officials believing the scale of the destruction had crippled Iran’s ability to restore its military industries at anything like their previous pace…. Now the Post has confirmed that Iran is producing new weapons at a much faster pace than Israeli planners anticipated…

“The ballistic missile threat remains unresolved, and the pressure campaign has yet to return Tehran to the negotiating table on terms that can give Israel confidence the danger is actually receding. The longer this goes on, the more it looks like the Americans are operating without a real, strategic plan… Every month gives Iranian engineers, commanders, and procurement networks more time to reopen facilities, replace machinery, uncover underground missile sites, disperse production, and replenish stocks…

“Israel cannot afford to wake up next year and discover that a threat believed to have been pushed back by years was delayed by only a matter of months… Israel is directly in the firing line. The United States is not. If we need to take matters into our own hands, then that should be our prerogative, whatever our working relationship with the US… Two months have already been spent trying to turn a ceasefire into something more permanent. Iran has spent those same two months recovering…  Israel cannot afford to give Iran any more time to rearm.”

The war with Iran was a catastrophic failure from the outset. 

Terrible Demands

Brussels Signal wrote on August 17:

“Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the Israeli army to carry out targeted assassinations in Gaza every night, arguing it should be ‘taking down 30 to 40 every night.’… 

“Ben-Gvir said the killings should not be confined to those posing an immediate threat, describing people in the enclave as unworthy of life and not even human.”

Trump to Americans: Accept Higher Gas Prices

Reuters wrote on August 15:

“Trump urged Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices while the conflict continues. He told a political rally in Garden City, New York, on Friday that paying ‘a tiny little bit more for your gasoline’ is worth the cost of ensuring ‘a very evil country’ could not have a nuclear ‌weapon, one of his stated rationales for the war.

“Throughout the conflict, the president has alternated between threats of escalation and assertions that a peace deal is imminent. In a trend that has sparked inflation and disappointed voters, the average U.S. price of a gallon of ⁠gasoline was about $4.08 on Friday, up 29% from a year earlier… Trump… campaigned for reelection on a promise to lower energy costs, and Democrats are seeking to make the war’s fallout an issue in November congressional elections….

“Only two vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday with no crude oil shipments ‌visible… Some ships may cross the strait undetected with their transponders off, ​but the figures are nowhere near the more than 130 ships that traversed it daily before the war. Vessels that dare ​navigate the strait without Iranian permission risk missile or drone strikes… Attacks by ‌Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen renewed concerns about a widening regional war… the Houthis fired six ballistic missiles at the Red Sea port of Mocha ​on Friday, killing four civilians…”

Americans are not going to accept higher gas prices for a war which should have never been started. In fact, Trump’s declaration for the goal of the war contradicts what JD Vance just said. Note the next article.

Top Goal of Iran War: Get Gas Prices Down

AFD wrote on August 14:

“The top US priority now in the Iran war is no longer its nuclear program but to bring gasoline prices down for American consumers, the vice president said Thursday… Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — consistently touted by President Donald Trump as his main reason for the war — now takes a back seat to getting oil flowing again freely through the strait, Vance told Will Cain on Fox News.

“Vance’s comments underscored the stark reality that the war now centers on control of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical fuel supply conduit that was open before Trump started the war along with Israel in late February… Republicans fear Trump and the war, which has caused gasoline prices to soar, will cost them their control of Congress.”

Trump reiterated again that his main goal is that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. He said that he does not care about the midterm election (and by extension, gas prices). It does not look like Trump and Vance are on the same wavelength. This confusing picture is not very reassuring for American citizens. 

Trump’s Loyalty Test

The Daily Beast wrote on August 14:

“The Trump administration is quietly trying to force international partners to pass an ideological fealty test before deciding whether to pull back vital military protection.

A leaked document sent to alliance members… lays out a high-stakes questionnaire probing whether individual countries have ‘been publicly supportive’ of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy…

“Allies have balked at the private questionnaire, viewing it as a blatant attempt to pressure sovereign nations into political alignment in exchange for basic security guarantees…

“The questionnaire arrives partway through an administration review of its military presence in Europe, expected to wrap by December. That review process has left NATO allies bracing for deep cuts to U.S. troop levels and the military assets the U.S. would deploy in the event of an attack. The document touches on several major flashpoints that have divided Washington from its partners, including the U.S. war with Iran and the raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro…

“ It specifically asks whether countries are buying from American defense firms and whether they have spoken out against new ‘made in Europe’ procurement policies, adding, ‘If not, would they be willing to do so?’”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte attempted to downplay the rift, even stating foolishly that the questionnaire would bring NATO “closer together.” NATO, as we know it, is doomed, and Rutte’s hypocritical “diplomacy” won’t change that. 

No Referendum as Long as Trump Is in Office

CBC wrote on August 18:

“The Parti Québécois will not hold a referendum as long as U.S. President Donald Trump remains in power, party leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon announced Tuesday morning. In a news release, St-Pierre Plamondon said he wants to avoid having the issue ‘hijacked by the ups and downs of American politics.’ ‘An issue as crucial as the political future of Quebec requires conditions that allow for an informed and calm debate,’ the PQ leader said.

“He said the next government will be faced with ‘more than enough challenges’ without calling a referendum. ‘So I decided to completely defuse the argument that this would be the worst time to think about our future because of Trump, by ruling out the possibility of holding a referendum by the end of his second term,’ St-Pierre Plamondon explained. Trump’s second term is set to end on Jan. 20, 2029.

“St-Pierre Plamondon said that, if elected, he would still consult Quebecers on the issue of independence during his first mandate, but only after Trump leaves office. The announcement comes just over a week ahead of the official launch of the Quebec provincial election campaign. Voters are scheduled to head to the polls on Oct. 5.”

Will Putin Attack NATO?

The Sun wrote on August 13:

“With his back against the wall, Putin could choose to risk it all and attempt a World War Three-stoking attack on a Nato nation, according to longtime Kremlin critic and Brit banker Bill Browder. The gamble would aim to test who is truly on Ukraine‘s side and would be aimed at the US with Russia hoping they would avoid being drawn into a conflict despite Article 5 of the Nato treaty. One theory is Putin could grab a city in Poland or one of the three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania  – all Nato nations which have strongly backed Ukraine during the war. A new US intelligence report even revealed this week that US officials fear Putin is plotting a small-scale land incursion to test the alliance.

“Bill told The Sun: ‘Putin has reached a stalemate in his war with Ukraine. It’s been going on for more than four years, and he’s unable to gain more territory. He’s losing between 1,000 to 1,500 troops a day. His oil refineries and warehouses of online retailers are being bombed by the Ukrainians. And the Ukrainians are developing more and more sophisticated weapons so they’ve reached a stalemate – and, of course, he’s short on money.’ 

“Russia’s faltering economy is one of the biggest issues hampering the war, he says…. ‘If he were to attack a Nato country, he might do that with the expectation that Trump doesn’t get involved. And then he’s got this situation where you have Nato without America. Bill says the Kremlin could turn Trump’s refusal to support Europe into a weapon of their own. They could demand countries stop funding Ukraine and supplying weapons or risk war with Russia. ‘That may be Putin’s best way to win this war with Ukraine as if Ukraine doesn’t get European funding, they will lose the war,’ Bill added.”

Some of these thoughts are quite interesting. We know that ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will be together against Europe. 

Russia on German Soil?

On August 16, Die Welt wrote:

“Russia is increasingly becoming a threat to Europe: the explosive-laden drone at Leipzig Airport, the impact of a Russian missile in Poland, a drone crash in Romania, and repeated airspace violations in the Baltic states. For former US Secretary of Defense and ex-CIA chief Leon Panetta, these are warning signs that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is systematically testing Europe’s lines of defense…

“Panetta is no longer willing to rule out even a nightmare scenario: Russian military actions taking place on German soil as well… ‘Putin reacts to weakness, and if he senses it in NATO and the US, he will continue to provoke and strike,’ Panetta warns.”

Ultimately, Russia WILL attack Europe and Germany, but not yet.

Putin’s Drones on NATO’s Doorsteps

The Sun wrote on August 18:

“AN ‘apocalyptic’ war is looming over Europe as Russia lines its borders with new drone bases capable of striking Nato and Kremlin warships stalk the seas, experts warn. Desperate Vladimir Putin is rapidly expanding Russia’s drone network and developing new warfare tactics as he prepares to take on the West…

“Images showed enough storage at one base for more than 1,000 drones to be kept on site at one time… Turkey, Romania, eastern Poland and the Baltic Republics, Lativa, Lithuania and Estonia are all under threat.”

A Three-Front War?

The Atlantic wrote on August 17:

“Western military planners do not seem eager to talk about their nightmare scenario, much less prepare for it. But they tend to agree on how it would begin: a coordinated, near-simultaneous attack on opposite sides of the planet, in which Russia targets a NATO member in Eastern Europe while China makes its move against Taiwan. The U.S. military would need to react on two fronts at once—three if it remains at war in the Middle East…

“About a year ago, General Alexus Grynkewich, the top NATO commander in Europe, issued a rare public warning about the risk of a two-front war against Russia and China, and he called on European allies to help the U.S. prepare. But when I asked a range of military experts and strategists what the West would do in such a situation, the responses rang surprisingly hollow. Most of them expressed bewilderment and a bit of shame about how little has been done in recent years to study this risk in detail.”

FBI Failed to Investigate Epstein

California Post wrote on August 14:

“Playboy founder Hugh Hefner repeatedly called the FBI to report Jeffrey Epstein for sexual abuse in 2005, after a Playboy Playmate [Christiansen]… told him she was raped and trafficked by the disgraced financier, according to new details in a lawsuit… The revelations are part of an amended complaint filed in May in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Epstein victims who charge the FBI failed to act on multiple reports about his sexual abuse as early as 1996.

“‘The fact that the FBI is trying to utilize procedural technicalities to try to avert accountability and responsibility for its failures to properly investigate Jeffrey Epstein for over 20 years should be deeply concerning to all,’ Jordan Merson, lawyer for the victims, told The Post… Christiansen… was only contacted by the FBI in October 2020, after Epstein’s death, to follow up on the information provided 15 years earlier…

“The FBI tried to get the lawsuit thrown out in June, saying it was ‘not required to investigate every complaint’ it received.”

The Epstein scandal is not a fake, but very real. The lack of US government investigations into Epstein is deeply disturbing. The idea that Epstein committed suicide is likewise absurd.

California’s “Rolling Resistance” Madness

The New York Post wrote on August 18:

“The California Energy Commission unanimously approved new rules Monday that will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don’t meet the state’s energy- efficiency standards— potentially wiping out a huge chunk of the tires currently available to California drivers… The rules target a tire’s ‘rolling resistance’ — how much energy it takes to keep a tire moving down the road. Lower resistance means cars use less gas or electricity.

“The first phase begins in 2029, when replacement tires will have to meet a maximum rolling-resistance level of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton. That threshold drops to 7.2 in 2033….

“Goodyear’s Bret Gladfelty told the commission the rules could drive up costs and said technical and legal questions remain unresolved. While the commission estimates phase-two rules would add an average of about $6.50 per tire, Gladfelty warned that actual increases could reach several hundred dollars. He also told KCRA that the rules could eliminate an estimated 70% of the tires currently sold in California by 2033.”

 No wonder California is going down.

Scientists Use AI to Create New Viruses

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 18:

“Researchers at Stanford University used artificial intelligence to create 16 functional viruses not found in nature earlier this month… [Researchers are] using EVO 2, a generative AI model… that generates new DNA sequences.

“… many have also expressed concern over the potential dangers of using artificial intelligence to create viruses. EVO 2 is open source, meaning anyone can download the AI and design new genomes themselves….

“In a paper written in response to King and Hie, scientists from John Hopkins University’s Center, Thomas Inglesby and Moritz Hanke for Health Security warned that while the Stanford researchers limited the AI’s training data it would not be difficult for a different user to discover a way around the limitations, opening the possibilities for viruses designed to infect humans, animals, or plants in ways we cannot yet counter.”

Another Frankenstein monster in the making… 

Covid Lockdowns to Delay Natural Immunity 

Life Site News wrote on August 14:

“Jeffrey Tucker, a prominent critic of COVID-19 lockdown policies from the earliest days, stated categorically that the purpose of the stringent measures was not to protect people’s health; it was to delay the onset of natural immunity so that the experimental ‘vaccine’ which was still in development would be hailed as the heroic solution to the virus…. ‘I was told by top FDA, NIH officials that a major reason for social distancing, lockdowns, masking, plexiglass, stay at home orders, and everything else was to delay the onset of natural immunity, to delay rising seroprevalence levels, to delay endemicity, until after the shots were online,’ said Tucker…. 

“‘It was to keep us from gaining a natural capacity to resist the virus so that they could wait until the injection came along so the injection could be deployed and experimented upon us and thereby get all the credit for having solved the issue,’ he explained… Multiple sources have confirmed this without a shadow of a doubt in their mind that that was the real purpose of the school closures, the business shutdowns, stay-at-home orders, the travel restrictions, everything – to delay the point at which we would have essentially solved the problem through natural exposure and immune upgrades.’”

Tucker stated that it sounds like a “wild conspiracy theory. But it’s the truth.” Frankly, in light of what has transpired, it sounds VERY believable. 

Fauci and Lauterbach

On July 28, the Berliner Zeitung published an article with the following headline and introduction:

“Fauci’s secret diary: ‘Important Zoom meeting with Karl Lauterbach.’ Secret vaccine coordination… Karl Lauterbach appears in the diary of immunologist Anthony Fauci.”

The article goes on to state:

“In the recently released secret diary of US coronavirus chief Anthony Fauci, an interested reader from Germany might be surprised to come across a familiar name: Former Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach had ‘by now become something of a friend’ to Anthony Fauci, the American immunologist wrote in his diary on December 8, 2022…. Lauterbach features quite prominently in Fauci’s notes… Lauterbach frequently sought the advice of the ‘Corona Pope’ [regarding the vaccination campaigns].”

This is by no means “surprising.” It has long been known that Lauterbach followed Fauci’s “wisdom” in his disastrous vaccination measures and his often unlawful efforts to combat the coronavirus. Consequently, Lauterbach should also be held accountable.

Applications For Conscientious Objection More Than Double

Kettner-Edelmetalle wrote on August 13:

“The figures are clear—and uncomfortable for the federal government. By July 31, 2026, the Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions in Cologne had received 8,302 applications for conscientious objection. That is more than twice as many in seven months as in the entire year of 2025, when the agency recorded 3,879 applications. This surge was evidently triggered by the new military service system that came into effect on January 1, 2026. Since then, every young German has received mail from the Bundeswehr shortly after their 18th birthday…

“Anyone who attributes these figures merely to the youth’s desire for an easy life is oversimplifying the issue. From our editorial team’s perspective, this mountain of applications reveals one thing above all: a profound loss of trust in the political leadership… The debate surrounding conscription assessments and conscientious objection is a symptom of broader uncertainty. The security situation, national debt, energy prices, migration…”

The “Firewall” Only Benefits the AfD

Die Welt wrote on August 18:

“A report by the British magazine ‘The Economist’ ahead of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt [on September 6] states that the ‘firewall’ has primarily benefited the AfD…

“The ‘Economist’s assessment prior to the election: Friedrich Merz—now Chancellor—had pledged in 2018 to cut the AfD’s support in half. Since then, however, support for the party has doubled, while the CDU is approaching record lows. ‘Irregular migration has dropped sharply, yet the AfD has simply shifted further to the right.’ It now rails against ‘culturally alien workers’…

“‘The Economist’ identifies the AfD itself as the greatest beneficiary of the firewall. AfD Bundestag member Torben Braga told the publication that the firewall protects his party from having to grapple with very difficult questions—a view the magazine explicitly shares. Political scientist Christian Stecker of Darmstadt adds that, behind the firewall, the AfD can promise anything; it shields the party from the disappointment that comes with the responsibility of governing in a democracy.

“The magazine outlines tricky scenarios for election day on September 6: If the AfD narrowly misses an absolute majority, the CDU would likely need the support of all other parties, including The Left… If the AfD remained excluded from power despite holding twice as many seats as the CDU, it would not just be its supporters asking whether German democracy is functioning, ‘The Economist’ continues…

“The magazine sees no clear path forward for the right way to deal with the AfD… Some things will collapse, new things will emerge—and we do not know what it will all look like in the end.”

Does the AfD Want to Abolish Christmas?

Focus wrote on August 13:

“State Minister for Culture Wolfram Weimer sharply criticizes the AfD and its understanding of German culture in an interview. He points out that some within the party even want to abolish Christmas.

“‘What the AfD understands by “German thinking” is particularly alarming. I see a blatant, narrow-minded nationalism there, a resurgence of the mindset from dark times…. At the last AfD party conference, there was this motion… from the state capital to abolish Christian holidays and introduce Germanic holidays instead. They seriously propose celebrating the Yule festival and the winter solstice instead.’”

Hitler tried to do that, too. Read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Fox Moderators Critical of Trump’s Iran War

The Guardian wrote on August 1:

“Throughout his two presidencies, Donald Trump has leaned on reliable support from the conservative opinion wing of his favorite cable news channel, Fox News. But, like a broad swathe of the American public, several traditionally supportive commentators on the channel have recently expressed concerns about whether the war on Iran is succeeding, suggesting that Trump is on increasingly dicey footing in the conservative media world he relies on for backing.

“While he isn’t close to losing the support of hosts such as Sean Hannity or Jesse Watters, Trump has received scrutiny from one of the network’s top personalities, Laura Ingraham, who has regularly questioned whether the US has achieved the tactical wins it has claimed in Iran. He has also faced reliable skepticism from one of the network’s most prominent commentators about the armed forces, Johnny ‘Joey’ Jones, a contributor and retired Marine Corps staff sergeant who lost both his legs in combat in Afghanistan…

“That’s not to mention the network’s military commentators, such as retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, who said on Fox on Wednesday that Trump needs to ‘change’ his strategy…  ‘Bombing is not going to get the job done.’…

“Brit Hume, a Fox News analyst, connected the quagmire to Trump’s political promises to voters. ‘He promised to keep us out of endless wars or unsatisfactory wars, and now he’s in one, and it’s not at all clear how it’s gonna end…’ In June, John Roberts, a Fox News anchor, said he was ‘a little puzzled’ about Trump’s Iran negotiation strategy. Even Watters, a reliable Trump booster, seemed skeptical about his ever-changing timelines for reaching a deal with Iran to end the war. ‘He keeps saying: “We’re very close. We’re days away.” And I don’t know what that means. We’ve heard that for a very long time,’ he said in June.

“Hosts on the network’s business channel have also regularly questioned the rising price of oil and the impact on American consumers, particularly ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.”

Trump’s Ballroom on Hold

The Associated Press wrote on August 7:

“A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project, a decision he blasted as ‘unjust’ while vowing to appeal it to the nation’s highest court….

“Friday’s ruling marked the second time this week that the Trump administration has made headlines for construction plans that have been called into question. An assessment by the National Park Service found that a 250-foot-tall (76-meter-tall) triumphal arch that Trump has proposed building could compromise the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location on a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery….

“After the lower court earlier this year ordered a halt to aboveground construction, the president argued that permission from Congress was unnecessary because public money was not being used to pay for it. Trump has said he has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from corporations and wealthy people, including himself, to cover the construction costs. But the Trump administration had requested $1 billion for the ballroom, which Congress refused in May…”

It is more than doubtful that the Supreme Court will side with Trump on this issue, but one never knows.

Birthright Citizenship—Trump Tries It Again…

Newsweek wrote on August 7:

“President Donald Trump on Thursday signed executive orders aimed at narrowing access to birthright citizenship, marking a renewed effort after the Supreme Court struck down a broader administration policy earlier this year. The move follows the Supreme Court’s June 30 rejection of Trump’s earlier executive order seeking to deny automatic citizenship to some children born in the United States to noncitizen parents.

“The orders target what the administration describes as ‘birth tourism’and seek to deny automatic citizenship in a limited number of circumstances that officials argue fall within longstanding exceptions to the 14th Amendment. The White House said the measures expand the definition of people ineligible for birthright citizenship and strengthen restrictions aimed at curbing so-called birth tourism. Administration officials argued the new orders fall outside the scope of the Supreme Court’s June ruling because they apply only to categories that they contend are not covered by birthright citizenship protections.

“The order directs federal agencies not to recognize U.S. citizenship for certain people born in the United States when neither parent is a U.S. citizen and one of several conditions applies… A separate executive order directs the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to take additional steps aimed at curbing birth tourism… Officials contend that some cases involving birth tourism involve fraudulent entry or misrepresentation by parents seeking U.S. citizenship for a child… The order defines birth tourism as a foreign national entering the United States on a nonimmigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth on American soil, or assisting another foreign national in doing so. The order authorizes federal agencies to deny visas or travel authorizations to people seeking to engage in birth tourism, revoke existing travel documents, permanently bar entry, and pursue action against individuals or organizations involved in facilitating such schemes….

“The American Civil Liberties Union, which successfully challenged Trump’s previous birthright citizenship order, said the new measures were unlikely to survive judicial scrutiny. ‘The Supreme Court already decided this issue: Birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Constitution. No additional executive order can change the meaning of the Constitution,’ Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement. Critics have argued that the 14th Amendment broadly guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil and that attempts to narrow that protection through executive action are unconstitutional. Civil rights groups and immigration advocates have long maintained that changes to birthright citizenship would require legislation or a constitutional amendment rather than executive action. Trump said Thursday that he believed the new actions were constitutional.

“The new orders come after the Supreme Court dealt a major blow to Trump’s broader effort to restrict birthright citizenship through executive action. In June, the court ruled that children born in the United States are generally citizens at birth, reaffirming a longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause while leaving intact certain historical exceptions. The decision preserved the legal framework established by the court’s landmark 1898 ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which held that a child born in the U.S. to immigrant parents was an American citizen.

“Trump and his allies have argued that the Citizenship Clause has been interpreted too broadly and have pointed to what they describe as abuses of the system through birth tourism. Following the ruling, Trump called on Congress to pursue legislation addressing the issue, writing on Truth Social that lawmakers should ‘start TODAY’ on efforts to end birthright citizenship.”

In that Trump asked Congress to act, he admitted that he does not have the authority to unilaterally act via executive order. His “belief” that the new orders are constitutional is meaningless because Trump is not even a lawyer… what does he know about the Constitution? He admitted in the past that he does NOT understand the Constitution, in that he does not know whether he has to uphold it.

Hypocritical Moves

Newsweek wrote on August 12:

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents were not United States citizens when he was born in the U.S., announced Wednesday that the State Department has revoked more than 600 visas as part of a new crackdown on so-called ‘birth tourism’ networks…

“The announcement places Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who were later naturalized, at the forefront of one of the administration’s most aggressive efforts yet to curb what officials describe as the exploitation of citizenship laws. Born in Miami in 1971, around 15 years after his parents arrived in the U.S., Rubio became a U.S. citizen under the same constitutional principle now at the center of a heated political debate. When his presidential eligibility was challenged in 2016, his lawyers argued that his U.S. birth made him a natural-born citizen under English common law, Supreme Court precedent, and the Fourteenth Amendment tradition.

“That argument is in line with what has long been the legal understanding of birthright citizenship, but conflicts with a broader theory pushed in an executive order by President Donald Trump in 2025 to make parental citizenship or permanent residence necessary for American citizenship to be granted to newborns… Traveling to the United States while pregnant is not, by itself, illegal. The legal issue is the traveler’s primary purpose and whether she truthfully represents that purpose.”

Fauci in Contempt of Congress

NPR wrote on August 7:

“The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee yesterday voted along party lines to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The decision comes after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination during a hearing on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Justice Department will decide whether to pursue potential criminal prosecution of Fauci. Prosecutions are rare, but two former Trump advisers — Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro — were imprisoned on contempt of Congress charges during President Joe Biden’s administration.”

One will have to see whether Fauci will ever be held accountable for his conduct. Sadly, the chances are rather slim.

Opening of Strait of Hormuz… At What Cost?

NPR wrote on August 7:

“Iran’s parliament is considering an agreement with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal would ban ships connected to the U.S., Israel and other ‘hostile countries’ from the key waterway until Iran receives compensation for war damages. Commercial vessels passing through the strait would be subject to fees of up to 7% of cargo value and a 20% fine for noncompliance. On Wednesday, Iran said it was finalizing a shipping route agreement with Oman, a U.S. ally. The Trump administration disputes Iran’s characterization of the agreement, maintaining that the U.S. currently controls the strait through its naval blockade of Iran. Oman has not commented…

“The stalemate has raised concerns from observers that the U.S. may have to accept terms worse than the previous status quo, which was free movement through the Strait. Current negotiations are also focused on the waterway reopening rather than issues like uranium enrichment, which Trump originally cited as justification for the war.”

Newsmax wrote on August 8:

“Iran’s top national security official said Saturday the Strait of Hormuz will not fully reopen unless the United States meets a sweeping list of demands, including lifting sanctions and its naval blockade, withdrawing U.S. military forces from around Iran, and paying compensation for damage caused by the war…

“The conditions cast new uncertainty over efforts to restore commercial traffic through the critical waterway…”

US in Control of Hormuz?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 11:

“US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz and had swept the strategic oil waterway for Iranian mines… Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to six that day, compared with a 10-day average of about 11 vessels, shipping data showed, amid fading hopes of a peace deal between the US and Iran.

“Four commodity vessels, including two empty oil product tankers, entered the waterway… Two vessels – a small tanker laden with liquefied petroleum gas and another carrying residual fuels – exited the Strait… In pre-war days, about 130 to 140 ships typically transited the strait.”

Trump’s declarations are not believed or shared by Gulf States. They are also not realistic. See the next article.

Gulf States Accept a New Normal in Hormuz: Iran Is in Control

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 10:

“Persian Gulf energy producers are concluding that Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz will become permanent, disrupting their oil and gas exports and global energy supplies indefinitely.

“The problem is they worry the alternative—going back to war—would be worse.”

Trump Concerned About Low Weapons Stockpile

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 9:

“Russia and China could feel emboldened to begin a hot conflict with America due to the US’s rapidly depleting weapons supply, senior officials and defense experts told the New York Times on Saturday….

“The… low stockpile levels have been a driving factor in Trump’s latest decisions in his campaign against Iran. The president reportedly chose not to go through with a major bombing campaign he threatened last month due to the low level of munitions.”

The attack will not come from Russia and China, but from Europe.

Trump in Big Trouble

Daily Mail wrote on August 10:

“Donald Trump’s strategy to defeat Iran is facing more roadblocks as the US weapons stockpile and cash to fund the military operation runs dry. Further complicating the path to peace, Tehran is refusing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz until Washington pays war reparations, lifts sanctions, and ends its naval blockade. Meanwhile, War Secretary Pete Hegseth has failed to sell skeptical senators on Trump’s record $1.5 trillion defense budget. The chamber left town for its five-week summer recess without advancing it, or the separate war funding the Pentagon says it urgently needs…

“Iran’s demands amount to a message that the regime does not plan to submit to Trump in the near future. Tehran wants US forces out of the region and a compensation check for the damage, terms Washington has consistently ruled out… Nearly every condition Tehran listed on Saturday already appears in the memorandum of understanding Trump signed on June 17, an agreement that collapsed when American strikes resumed and the blockade was reimposed on July 14.”

Trump really does not seem to know what he is doing. The next article proves this.

Trump’s Empty Boasts of “Victory”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 5:

“[Trump] has declared ‘total and complete victory, 100%’ in Iran in several versions, at least 32 times… Yet the war, now in its sixth month, sputters on and on – along with the president’s other empty boasts. Just this week, after more threats to obliterate the ancient Persian civilization with ‘the biggest attack since WWII,’ he suddenly called the attack off ‘for the Future benefit of the world.’ He apparently didn’t even inform his Israeli partner, who reportedly learned of the decision the same way the rest of the world did: in a post on Trump’s Truth Social account.

“It looked like another case of what has come to be known as TACO, Trump Chickens Out Again. This is not the first – nor likely the last – time he warns of apocalyptic strikes only to back down at the last minute. The Iranians, along with America’s adversaries and allies, see it as a sign of weakness…

“On June 25, 2025, he declared Iran’s nuclear capacity had been ‘completely and totally obliterated.’ However, seven months later, re-obliteration was his rationale for starting a war of choice in partnership with Israel. He did not cite any imminent threat to justify the February 28 surprise attack… Trump apparently had no clear strategy, no support base, or exit plan for his war. Allies were not briefed in advance… Control of the Strait of Hormuz is potentially worth tens of billions of dollars annually in transit fees for Iran and power over a major portion of the world’s resources.”

Iran is not going to give up this lucrative power. It seems America is ruled by incapable “children” (compare Isaiah 3:4, 12).

Iran’s Goal

The Guardian wrote on August 7:

“Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis…

“But the focus on the midterms became more obvious this week when the deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, told the official IRNA news agency that after agreeing a route for commercial shipping through the strait of Hormuz, it would take two to four months to reach the second phase of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme…

“If Tehran gets its way on this timetable, Trump will be going to the polls with no Iranian commitment on nuclear weapons, only a hefty economic bill for a failed war…”

And so, Trump started a war with Iran which he could not win. Note the next article.

Trump Caught in the Iran Trap

Bild Online reported on August 8:

“In addition to mounting pressure regarding the Iran war, US President Donald Trump (80) is now also facing the consequences of weaknesses in his own economy! The monthly US labor market report (the ‘Jobs Report’) took both experts and the administration by surprise: instead of the job boom Trump had promised, 23,000 jobs were lost in July. Furthermore, the figures for May and June were revised downward by a combined total of 103,000 jobs. While the unemployment rate did fall to 4.1 percent, it did so for the wrong reason: 264,000 people gave up looking for work and dropped out of the labor market.

“Trump thus finds himself in the midst of a dual crisis: regarding the Iran conflict, Tehran is increasingly dictating the terms of negotiations over a potential reopening of the oil shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, grim news from the domestic economy has been added to the mix—traditionally one of the key factors in how citizens evaluate a presidency…

“The Iran war has not only driven up gasoline prices; transport and energy costs are rising too—bringing with them the risk of further price hikes. Trump’s trade conflicts are having a similar effect: he recently imposed new import tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent on goods from 60 countries. Higher import costs can burden companies and push consumer prices even higher. At the same time, Trump is betting heavily on the expansion of artificial intelligence. Yet, public concern is growing that AI could act as a ‘job killer,’ replacing millions of positions. Moreover, the drastic decline in immigration and increased deportations are exacerbating labor shortages in certain sectors—such as agriculture, construction, and the hospitality industry.

“… Trump’s popularity has recently fallen to record lows, primarily due to the unpopular Iran war. US political science professor Scott Erb views the new job figures as ‘a real weakness in the US economy.’ Trump, by contrast, seeks to ‘sugarcoat’ the situation and focuses on issues ‘that miss the mark regarding the concerns of many voters’… Consequently, Trump could cause massive damage to the Republicans in the congressional [midterm] election campaign.”

“America’s Era Is Coming to an End”

t-online wrote on August 8:

“America’s global power is clearly waning. Entangled in a war trap in the Middle East; humiliated by Tehran’s militias and by the imperialist Putin in Eastern Europe; burdened by massive debt and depleted weapons arsenals; and barely able to curb China’s aggressive rise in Asia—the former ‘world policeman’ now shuffles through the global arena in a rumpled uniform and with a battered sheriff’s badge. Thirty-five years after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the era of American supremacy is drawing to a close. Donald Trump’s constant threats against everyone and everything are the most glaring sign of this diminishing influence. Those who lose their authority shout all the louder…

“Less obvious to European observers is the dynamic unfolding within the US itself. Yet it appears no less dramatic than the developments in foreign policy. The balance of power is shifting rapidly—both within Trump’s administration and between the Republican and Democratic parties—compounded by the most profound technological revolution since industrialization 150 years ago: Artificial Intelligence is transforming the entire economic landscape, and only the digital economy is saving the US from a severe recession…”

Cuba Regime Overthrow?

The Telegraph wrote on August 8:

“Regime change in Cuba would look more like Iran than Venezuela, American spy agencies have warned… The Cubans who would take power…  are from hard-line factions, like their Iranian counterparts… It is unclear who the White House would prefer to lead Cuba, and there is a lack of practical options.

“This week, the Cuban ambassador to Britain declared that the Cuban people would fight to the death against any US military intervention….”

Greenland Warns Trump

Firstpost wrote on August 9:

“Greenland issued a ‘strong warning’ after an American oil company connected to US President Donald Trump started preparing to sink wells in the Arctic region without any permission from local authorities. The firm’s project is coming at a time when the American leader has renewed his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory. The Greenlandic authorities began to express concern when drilling materials were brought ashore in recent days on the island’s eastern coast. The move has prompted Greenland’s government to issue a ‘strong warning’ that no approval had been granted to land the kit.

“‘All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,’ the government said in a statement. However, two days later, Trump made a menacing post on Truth Social, showing himself looming over a Greenlandic village [The AI-generated image showed a giant Trump, looming over the island, with the words, “Hello, Greenland!”]

“The company in question is Greenland Energy, which is based in Texas and was set up last year. They have claimed that $1 trillion of crude may lie beneath the Jameson Land region. Hence, the firm announced plans to spend $60 million drilling two wells to find out. However, it is pertinent to note that the Greenland authorities stopped issuing new oil licences in 2021 on environmental grounds. But despite this, a UK company called 80 Mile had secured exploration rights in Jameson Land. Greenland Energy’s corporate filings say it will take a majority stake in the project in exchange for funding the exploration, though it still needs government permission to proceed.

“The American firm is retained by Phil McGraw, popularly known as Dr Phil, a prominent rightwing former chat show host who served on Trump’s religious freedom commission… It has also appointed the director, a US Navy veteran who is working on Golden Dome, the missile defence plan for which Trump says controlling Greenland is “vital”. Larry Swets, Greenland Energy’s chair and a big shareholder, appears to enjoy access to Trump’s circle….

“The Greenland government’s statement… said it ‘would not be proportionate’ to demand the equipment be removed. An application for permission remained under processing, it added…”

UPI added on August 8:

“Trump has, for years, been adamant in his desire to annex Greenland. He has claimed the United States needs it ‘for defense.’  In January, he told European leaders that one of the reasons he renewed his push to own the territory was because he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has been rebuffed by officials in both Denmark and Greenland.”

Spain’s Humanitarian Disaster

Sue Reid wrote the following article, which was published by Daily Mail on August 7:

“… a deceitful narrative is being peddled by politicians, including our own new Prime Minister, that this crisis is over. The truth is it’s only just beginning.

“This week, to my horror, I have witnessed a migration catastrophe unfolding in Ceuta, with a multitude of children, some only 11 or 12, at the heart of it. For make no mistake, between 2,000 and 4,000 young north African and sub-Saharan boys have not budged an inch since arriving – and have no intention of doing so. They have become pawns in a migration disaster sparked by families sending their children to find a better life in Europe, spurred too by an avalanche of social media messages flooding Africa that encourage the young to up sticks and leave via Ceuta, which is seen as a gateway to Madrid, Berlin or London….

“Outside the main police station, I watched hundreds of children on Wednesday and Thursday sitting pathetically in rows on the street as they waited in the vain hope that the Spanish authorities would give them the paperwork necessary to allow them to board ferries to mainland Spain… This is a humanitarian disaster unfolding in real time, which also threatens the national security of Europe. Spanish intelligence services say ISIS jihadis from across war-torn Africa have been caught among the tens of thousands who seized the chance to enter Ceuta.”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 7:

“Spain’s leftist government expects to transfer some migrant minors from overcrowded reception centers in the North African enclave of Ceuta to the mainland within weeks… 1,342 minors had been registered so far and more staff would be drafted in to help the effort. [Youth Minister Sira Rego] acknowledged the ‘painful images’ of children sleeping rough on Ceuta’s streets…

“Ceuta’s local government head Juan Jesus Vivas said the modest local facilities could host up to 90 children, and were now saturated by roughly 1,100 unaccompanied minors who arrived before the border rush…”

Drone Incidents Raise Security Concerns Across Europe

AFP and Reuters wrote on August 8:

“In Germany, a spokesperson for the armed forces said on Saturday that two drones were spotted at about 10pm (20:00 GMT) on Thursday at a military base in Mechernich in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 35km (22 miles) from the Belgian border…

“German media reported that the Bundeswehr armed forces site in Mechernich has a high-security underground storage facility for equipment and spare parts for military hardware. It is also a base for personnel responsible for the maintenance of US Patriot air defences.

“A drone was also discovered late on Tuesday at Leipzig/Halle Airport – a civilian freight and NATO logistics hub – near several Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo transporters, according to German media reports. The drone incidents across the continent have revived concerns about Moscow’s war on Ukraine entangling neighbouring NATO states.

“They have also intensified debate about whether strategically important members of the military alliance such as Germany are ready to cope with new security threats. German government officials have not blamed any foreign countries publicly for this week’s drone incursions, but some politicians have accused Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since its military invasion in 2022. NATO and European Union officials have blamed Russia for previous drone sightings.

“Last month, after a suspected Russian drone was spotted over NATO member Romania’s airspace, the European Commission said it showed Russia’s war had ‘crossed yet another line.’ NATO chief Mark Rutte has said Moscow’s ‘reckless behaviour is a danger to us all’. The US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has pledged that the alliance will ‘defend every inch’ of its territory.

“Russia has rejected the allegations. On Friday, the Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed the discovery in Leipzig as a ‘fabricated provocation’, saying it was another example of accusations against Russia without evidence.”

Ultimately, rumors from the north and the east will cause a revived Europe to attack Russia and China.

Netanyahu Rejects US Peace Plan for Gaza

Fox News wrote on August 9:

Israel is rejecting a 15-point Gaza proposal put forward by the Board of Peace, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas fully gives up its weapons… ‘When I say Hamas is disarmed, that means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, all the weapons,’ he added…

“He also reiterated his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state in either Gaza or the West Bank. ‘As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state, not in Gaza and not in Judea and Samaria,’ Netanyahu said. ‘Neither “Fatahstan” nor “Hamastan.”’”

Israel to Take Over Al-Aqsa?

The Guardian wrote on August 4 and August 5:

“Jordan is convening an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world over what it says is an ‘imminent’ threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem…

“The… Jordanian warning… follow[s] an escalating pattern of government-backed incursions by Jewish religious extremists on the compound around al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, in violation of a status quo treaty overseen by Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, by which only Muslims can pray at the site. On 23 July, more than 2,000 Israelis from the religious right… prayed and performed rituals all around the compound in what Jordanian officials said was the worst violation in modern history.

“Amman has also been alarmed at a recent recruitment drive for religious Jews for a special Temple Mount police unit, and is braced for more direct challenges to traditional Jordanian custodianship by extremist Israeli leaders in the major Jewish holidays in September. This year, those holidays will come amid an intense election campaign, in which the far-right coalition of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will be fighting for survival. ‘This is… a dangerous threat that we’re trying to counter in every tool that we have possible,’ Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, told the Guardian. ‘We warn that tampering with the status quo … could trigger a religious conflict that will reverberate beyond Palestine and Jordan into the whole Muslim world.’”

Anything Could Happen?

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 8, 2026:

“Reports from Jerusalem suggest that Israeli authorities are taking over one of Islam’s holiest sites, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. If they do, experts say anything could happen, from war to terrorism to ending diplomatic ties.

“The statement issued after this week’s meeting in Jordan was blunt about what might happen next. Israeli infringements on one of Islam’s holiest sites, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem, could lead to ‘a religious conflict with repercussions that will extend beyond the region and threaten regional and international peace and security,’ the foreign ministers of 10 countries belonging to the Arab League said after Wednesday’s emergency meeting in Amman, Jordan. The statement was also signed by ministers from Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Malaysia.

“Jordan’s foreign minister called the meeting because of mounting evidence that the Israeli government is surreptitiously changing a decades-old agreement meant to ensure intercommunal peace at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, an area of great religious significance to Muslims, Jews, and Christians… Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a response, saying the statement was inaccurate…

“This is not the first time that the governments of Muslim-majority countries and activists in Jerusalem have issued such warnings. For decades, Jewish fringe groups, often referred to as the Temple Mount movement, have demanded that they be allowed to pray at the site. The most extremist of these groups say they want to demolish the mosque and construct a new Jewish temple. At first they were mostly ignored… But [as one observer stated]… that ‘radical fringe’ has become more mainstream. ‘Over time, the Temple Mount movements, backed by more than 100 rabbis associated with the settler movement in the West Bank, became more visible, more vocal and more provocative…’

“‘This crisis has been decades in the making… [another observer said]. There’s been an effort from religious extremists to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque since at least the 1980s, when plots to do that were uncovered. But those groups and those ideologies have gained more representation within the Israeli [parliament] Knesset today.’”

ABNA wrote on August 8:

“Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called for greater unity among Muslim countries in response to regional developments and Israeli policies, describing the recent defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye as a step toward broader cooperation across the Muslim world…

“As if also said that, particularly in light of developments involving Israel, Muslim countries should stand together…”

But it’s much more than just cooperation between Muslim nations. See the next article.

Lulling Israel Into Sleep

Israel Hayom wrote on August 10:

“A disturbing secret proposal emerged during talks between countries in the Middle East: Officials in one country advised another to sign an agreement with Israel as a tactical move aimed at ‘lulling’ Israel into a false sense of security while using the time to prepare for a larger military confrontation against it, Kan 11 reported Monday, citing knowledgeable sources.

“According to the report, the discussions between the two sides took place in recent months. During the talks, officials proposed that their counterparts show flexibility toward Israel and work to advance an agreement with it, but not with the intention of treating it as a long-term arrangement.

“Instead, according to the report, the proposal was to use the period covered by the agreement to ‘lull’ Israel while simultaneously preparing for war against it. Once conditions were considered ripe, the agreement could be broken and a confrontation launched. The identities of the countries involved in the discussions cannot be published.

“The revelation raises questions about how Israel assesses the intentions of countries in the region, particularly against the backdrop of efforts to advance normalization agreements. Kan 11 raised the question of whether Israel could once again find itself fundamentally misreading the other side’s intentions, as it did in the period preceding Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, and whether an apparent willingness to move closer to Israel could, at least in some cases, serve as cover for preparations for a future confrontation…

“On Friday, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a trilateral defense pact stipulating that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all of them. The agreement was signed in Mecca on Aug. 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.”

Israel will NOT enjoy peace and friendship with Arab nations.

Robot Dogs on the Moon?

The Independent wrote on August 10:

“Chinese scientists are mulling the use of robot dogs to guard the country’s future bases on the Moon, alongside wheeled and other humanoid robots built for finding resources on the lunar surface…

“China plans to build an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) near the Moon’s south pole in collaboration with Russia and other international partners, and says it wants to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030….

The idea is that these human astronauts will then collaborate with the robots on the Moon.

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 the contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing to worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.