Shameful European Conduct Towards Israel 

Israel Today wrote on August 29: 

“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s July 25 statement regarding the recognition of a Palestine state was ‘shameful,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a recent interview… Asked… whether recognition of a Palestine state would ‘encourage Hamas to continue their resistance,’ Netanyahu said, ‘Of course, it does…  They commit the greatest savagery against Jews since the Holocaust, and the prime minister of Britain says, “We’ll reward you with a de facto state,”… which is committed openly to repeating the October 7 massacre over and over and over again.’ 

“Western leaders like to repeat that Israel has a right to defend itself, but ‘they recognize Israel’s right to defend itself as long as Israel doesn’t exercise that right,’ Netanyahu said… The capitulation of leaders of the UK, France and others is a product of weak leadership caving in to distorted media, social media manipulation and radical extremist minorities, the Israeli leader said… Describing as ‘shameful’ the way Western leaders in Britain, France, Canada and New Zealand, ‘buckle under,’ Netanyahu added that 80 years after the Holocaust, European leaders want to ‘give a prize for those who would destroy the one and only Jewish state.’… 

“However, Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel is losing the public relations war… He dismissed as a ‘fraud’ the genocide and starvation accusations. He likened the starving children slander to the blood libel during the Middle Ages claiming Jews killed Christian children. ‘If we wanted to commit genocide, we would have done it in one afternoon,’ he said, noting that Israel has the ‘capacity’ to do so… He said Israel had taken unprecedented steps to protect civilians, issuing millions of warnings to residents in areas where the IDF plans to conduct combat operations, while Hamas forces people to stay, shooting those who try to leave…

“Asked what lessons he wants people to take from history, Netanyahu said that the key lesson Jews have drawn from history is to take threats of annihilation seriously and act before it is too late…” 

Still, the world will hate Israel even more and gang up against it. 

Belgium Too 

The Guardian wrote on September 2: 

“Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, has said his country will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly later this month… 

“The recognition of Palestine would only be formalised if Hamas releases all remaining Israeli hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led 7 October attack on southern Israel in 2023 and the militant group ‘no longer has any role in managing Palestine,’ Prévot added.”

Hamas and Palestinian Authority Attack Godly Injunctions 

Israel 365 News wrote on August 28: 

“Ha’arun Nasser al-Din, the Hamas official overseeing Jerusalem affairs, issued a warning against Jews visiting the Temple Mount on the upcoming Rosh Hashanah [Feast of Trumpets], claiming they represented a ‘dangerous escalation’ as part of a broader ‘religious war’ targeting Islamic holy sites [what about Jewish holy sites?]. He urged Palestinians in Jerusalem, Israel, Judea, and Samaria to come to Al-Aqsa Mosque, pray there, and remain present at the site in order, he said, ‘not to abandon it to the settlers.’ 

“It should be remembered that the Hamas-led massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, was launched to take place on the Jewish holy day of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, which falls on the eighth day of Sukkoth [the Last Great Day following the Feast of Tabernacles.] Dubbed the Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas and Hezbollah claimed the attack was sparked by the arrival of five red heifers in Israel, which they said would lead to the construction of the Third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year [according to Jewish calculations of the civil calendar; not the religious calendar according to which the New Year starts in the spring, the Hebrew month of Nisan or Abib], will begin on Monday, September 22… 

“Similarly, on Monday, the Palestinian Authority condemned attempts by Jewish activist groups to sound the shofar on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount… [They] warned in a statement that the Jewish tradition of sounding the shofar throughout the Hebrew month of Elul is ‘no longer a passing religious ritual, but has become one of the most dangerous tools of the occupation to impose its alleged sovereignty.’ The statement denounced attempts to sound the shofar on the Temple Mount as a ‘direct assault’ on the Al-Aqsa Mosque… [Blowing the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets is pursuant to Old Testament injunctions.]”

One can see how this kind of propaganda may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. 

Blair, Kushner and Trump on Ending the Gaza Crisis 

The Independent wrote on August 28: 

“President Donald Trump was being briefed Wednesday on ideas for a post-war Gaza by his son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister… Kushner and Blair met with the president to discuss what to do with the devastated enclave, which is currently facing a famine after three years of war started by the October 7, 2023 terror attacks by Hamas… 

“Trump has previously suggested an American takeover of the strip using U.S. troops as a way to bring an end to the war and satisfy Israeli demands that neither Hamas nor the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority have any say in Gaza governance… Pressed on what authority would permit the United States to take over Gaza — which is considered occupied territory under international law — Trump replied that he saw the United States taking ‘a long-term ownership position’ that would bring ‘great stability to the Middle East’ region. He also said the US could send troops to Gaza to accomplish this… 

“The comments drew widespread criticism around the world with Saudi Arabia saying it ‘unequivocally rejected’ the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza… Trump later appeared to back down from his plan to take over Gaza, but on Tuesday his roving special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that the administration was formulating a ‘very comprehensive plan’ on ‘the next day’ in Gaza… 

“Meanwhile, a United Nations official told the Associated Press Wednesday that if Israel’s military goes ahead with a planned offensive in Gaza City, then ‘all hope is gone that we’re ever going to see the end to this.’ But Israel says the evacuation of Gaza’s most populated city is ‘inevitable’…” 

Palestinian Leader Abbas Barred From Attending UN General Assembly 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 30: 

“The United States said it would not allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestinian statehood. 

“A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. Abbas had planned to attend the annual high-level UN General Assembly, followed by a summit where France, Australia and Canada have pledged to formerly recognize a Palestinian state. The United Kingdom also vowed to recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel does not meet certain conditions by the General Assembly meeting. 

“Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the decision and said it violated the UN ‘headquarters agreement,’ a 1947 accord that requires the US to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. The Trump administration, however, has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons. The State Department said the PA and PLO had failed to renounce extremism while pushing for ‘unilateral recognition’ of a Palestinian state…. 

“Several European foreign ministers arriving at a European Union meeting in Copenhagen criticized Washington’s decision to block Mahmoud Abbas’s visa… French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot… told reporters that the assembly ‘cannot be subject to any restrictions on access.’ Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the US move was ‘unacceptable,’ while Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said the EU should protest the decision ‘in the strongest possible terms.’ Both Spain and Ireland officially recognized Palestinian statehood in 2024… In 1988, the US refused to issue a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat, forcing the UN General Assembly to be moved from New York to Geneva so he could address it.” 

The Associated Press added on August 30: 

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office on Saturday urged the U.S. government to reverse its unusual decision to revoke his visa… Abbas has addressed the General Assembly for many years, and generally leads the Palestinian delegation. 

“‘We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision. This decision will only increase tension and escalation,’ Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told The Associated Press in Ramallah on Saturday. He urged other countries to put pressure on the Trump administration to reverse the decision, notably the countries that have organized a high-level conference on Sept. 22 about reviving efforts for a two-state-solution for the Middle East. It is co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.” 

Demonic Behavior 

New York Post wrote on August 28: 

“Transgender mass shooter Robin Westman confessed that he ‘was tired of being trans’ and wished he ‘never brain-washed’ himself in a manifesto posted online… Westman used to horrify classmates by walking around saying ‘praise Hitler,’ according to a former friend who denounced him as ‘demonic.’… ‘It’s demonic, I’m sorry, it is, she said of her one-time friend’s behavior.”

See our new StandingWatch program from August 27, titled, Demons Rule This World! 

Trump Without Constitutional Authority Towards States 

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano on August 28: 

“‘It is (my) intention to … demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government’ (President Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1981). 

‘When I heard President Ronald Reagan utter the words above, my heart leapt with joy. I couldn’t imagine a modern-day president recognizing the sovereignty of the states and understanding their role in the creation of the American republic… Oh, how the presidential attitude has changed. 

“Last week, President Donald Trump purported to order the states to reform their policies on bail so as to incorporate a variant of pre-conviction incarceration. He also ordered them to prosecute people for burning their own flags. His own observations have apparently caused him to conclude that bad people — including flag burners — should be picked up off the streets, incarcerated and kept there until trial. In another breath, he referred to the states as ‘agents’ of the federal government… where is his constitutional authority to do so? In a word: NOWHERE… 

“When the first 13 states formed the federal government and when the succeeding 37 joined — some voluntarily and some literally with guns aimed at the heads of state officials — they did so embracing subsidiarity… James Madison, the chief draftsman of the Constitution and the author of the Bill of Rights, insisted that the 10th Amendment declare that the powers not given away to the federal government are retained by the people and the states. Foremost among them is the police power — the power to regulate and enforce laws for the health, safety, welfare and morality of all persons in the states. 

“The federal government is one of limited powers… Madison made it clear, just because a problem is national in its scope does not make it federal in its nature. A national problem is one common to vast areas across America. A federal problem is one the governance of which is articulated and delegated to Congress in the Constitution… This system was crafted to prevent the accumulation of power in Washington…” 

The underlying goal to make America a dictatorship under the President is only too obvious. 

Stupid Raids Endanger America 

MSNBC added on August 31: 

“Authorities in Washington have been fighting the state’s largest wildfire nonstop for almost two months. Since early July, the Bear Gulch Fire has burned nearly 9,000 acres, and officials say it is only 13% contained. In fact, it’s so big that the state has to rely on contract firefighters. But on Wednesday, one group of firefighters who were battling the blaze had to take a three-hour timeout from their work after their camp was raided by Border Patrol officials. Video of the raid shows dozens of fire contractors being lined up and asked to show their IDs. Border Patrol officers ultimately arrested two of the firefighters, whom they believed were in the country illegally… 

“In a statement to NBC News, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the arrests followed a criminal investigation into two companies contracted to assist with fighting the fire. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on X, which said the two men ‘apprehended were NOT firefighters’ but worked in a ‘support role, cutting logs into firewood.’ Adding: ‘The firefighting response remained uninterrupted the entire time.’ 

“According to reporting from The Seattle Times, one of the firefighters told the men they were not allowed to take video of the incident. ‘You risked your life out here to save the community,’ that firefighter told the Times. ‘This is how they treat us.’… As the Times notes, ‘It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area.’ Earlier this year, Donald Trump rescinded a Biden-era policy that barred immigration enforcement at so-called sensitive locations, which applied to natural disasters…. And now [we see]  raids on camps of firefighters as they literally battle the largest wildfire in the American Northwest. It appears Trump, JD Vance, Stephen Miller and [others] are willing to burn the country to the ground if that’s what it takes, all so they can rule over the ashes.” 

Reuters added on August 31: 

“Two firefighters who were responding to a wildfire in the state of Washington when they were detained by U.S. border agents are being held at an ICE detention center in Tacoma… officials there confirmed they were holding the two people working for companies that had been contracted to help fight the 9,000-acre Bear Gulch fire in the Olympic National Forest… lawyer Stephen Manning said his Portland, Oregon, firm was representing one of those arrested, an Oregon resident Manning said was unlawfully detained. Manning… said the man had come to the United States with his family as a four-year-old about 19 years ago and was awaiting a response to a visa application… 

“ICE officials have criticized the Trump administration’s push for high daily arrest quotes that have led to the detention of thousands of individuals with no criminal record, as well as long-term green card holders, others with legal visas, and even some U.S. citizens, according to Reuters reporting….” 

This is INSANE! 

Court of Appeals: Most Trump Tariffs ILLEGAL! 

CNBC wrote on August 29: 

“A federal appeals court ruled Friday that most of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are illegal, striking a massive blow to the core of his aggressive trade policy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in a 7-4 ruling, held that the law Trump invoked when he granted his most expansive tariffs does not actually grant him the power to impose those levies. ‘The core Congressional power to impose taxes such as tariffs is vested exclusively in the legislative branch by the Constitution,’ the court said. ‘Tariffs are a core Congressional power.’ 

“The appellate court paused its ruling from taking effect until Oct. 14 in order to give the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision. Trump later Friday attacked the appeals court… ‘If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. ‘If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America.’…” 

Trump might be right with his assessment, but the irony is: The Bible prophesies that the USA WILL BE destroyed. 

Newsmax added on August 29: 

“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Trump wasn’t legally allowed to declare national emergencies and impose import taxes on almost every country on earth, largely upholding a May decision by a specialized federal trade court in New York… The decision complicates Trump’s strategy, which has upended decades of American trade policy. His tariffs — and the at times unpredictable way he’s rolled them out — have shaken global markets, alienated U.S. trading partners and allies and raised fears of higher prices and slower economic growth…

“[A] possibility is that the government might have to refund some of the import taxes that it’s collected, delivering a financial blow to the U.S. Treasury. ‘It would be 1929 all over again, a GREAT DEPRESSION!’ Trump said in a previous post on Truth Social.” 

A great depression of Trump’s making. 

Further Planned Investigations in the Epstein Case 

The Independent wrote on August 30: 

“Jeffrey Epstein’s estate will hand the infamous ‘birthday book’ at the center of President Donald Trump’s defamation case with the Wall Street Journal to Congress, according to the top Democrat on the House committee [Rep. Robert Garcia of California] leading the investigation into the handling of the late sex offender’s case… Garcia… said that Epstein’s estate would comply with the subpoena issued earlier this week by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee and turn over the 2003 book and ‘other documents.’… 

“The birthday book is the subject of a WSJ article… Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit… The House committee hopes to examine [on September 8] the book of messages from friends and associates, which was a gift to Epstein for his 50th birthday, compiled by his confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump, who denies writing a birthday message to Epstein, has not been accused of any wrongdoing… 

“Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel are expected to testify before Congress on the Trump administration’s handling of the case. Patel is scheduled to give testimony on September 17, while Bondi is scheduled for October 9…” 

This will be interesting. The Epstein case is not going away.  

Ridiculous Allegations by J.D. Vance Against Germany and Politico 

The Straits Times wrote on August 30: 

“The White House lashed out Aug 29 over what it called a ‘foreign influence operation’ by German-owned US news outlet Politico after it criticised the efforts of President Donald Trump’s envoy, Mr Steve Witkoff, in Ukraine negotiations. Vice-President J.D. Vance slammed Politico, bought in 2021 by German media giant Axel Springer [who also owns Bild], over an article that quoted unnamed officials as saying Mr Witkoff’s ‘inexperience shines through’ in his talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. 

“‘This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it’s more than that: it’s a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members,’ Mr Vance said on X. A string of other White House officials made similar attacks, with Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair calling the article a ‘foreign influence operation run through a German-controlled online media outlet’. The officials did not offer evidence of any foreign party or government behind the story [Of course, because there is none.] 

“The attacks came as Berlin and France cast doubt on whether Mr Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts would bear fruit, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the war would last ‘many more months.’ Mr Witkoff is a property tycoon whom Mr Trump has named as his special envoy for peace talks to end the Ukraine and Gaza wars despite having no diplomatic experience.” 

These accusations against Politico and German interference are totally ridiculous. Politico is by far not the only outlet which has pointed out Mr. Wirkoff’s perceived incompetence (we have reported about this in prior Current Events). J.D. Vance has recently made some other questionable comments, such as that Russia has made serious concessions, and that we are close to seeing the end of the war. The evidence proves the opposite.  J.D. Vance also stated that if it should become necessary, he would be ready to be President.   

Because of Trump—Germany and Switzerland Drawing Closer 

ntv wrote on September 2: 

“The high tariffs imposed on Switzerland by US President Donald Trump are bringing the Swiss Confederation and Germany closer together… While EU membership is not on the cards for Switzerland, integration to varying degrees is possible, emphasized [Friedrich Merz]. 

“The Federal President [Karin Keller-Sutter] also pointed out that Switzerland is not even a member of the European Customs Union, but nevertheless wants significantly closer cooperation with Germany and the EU… ‘Switzerland is particularly affected by very high tariffs. We must therefore come together and work together all the more closely in Europe,’ said Merz. He hoped that the ‘exorbitant’ US punitive tariffs for the country can still be avoided… 

“Noting that Switzerland is not only not an EU member but also not a NATO member, Keller-Sutter said that the neutrality is firmly anchored in the Swiss population. However, the Federal Council wants at least the War Material Act to be watered down, which has so far made arms exports and deliveries very difficult.” 

Trump Can’t (Won’t) Stop the War 

Express wrote on August 30: 

“Donald Trump’s muted response to the latest deadly missile and drone strikes on Kyiv has been condemned as a sign of weakness by a leading Ukrainian commentator, who warned that only China’s Xi Jinping now has the power to halt Russia’s war. But Mr Boycheko also believes Russia is now China’s ‘little brother’ with Beijing effectively waging a proxy war on the West. 

“The US President spoke after the massive August 28 raids on Ukraine’s capital that killed at least 23 people, including four children. Russian forces targeted residential areas, a shopping mall, and offices used by the European Union and the British Council in one of the largest bombardments of the war. In comments posted on X and reiterated by aides, Mr Trump said he was ‘not happy’ about the attacks but ‘not surprised,’ describing them as ‘not necessary’ and of ‘very bad timing’… 

“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went further, stressing that Mr Trump’s reaction reflected Ukraine’s own drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. The comparison — effectively treating Moscow’s bombardment of civilian areas as equivalent to Kyiv’s targeting of energy infrastructure — has drawn criticism for failing to condemn Russia’s aggression outright. 

“Mr Boycheko, Founder and CEO of Hope for Ukraine, who now lives in the United States, believes Mr Trump fundamentally misreads both the war and the Russian president’s psychology. He told [Express:] ‘He started this whole journey on the wrong foot. He thought he could come into office, use his personal relationship with Putin, charm him, bribe him, or sweet-talk him into leaving Ukraine. But Putin is not that type of person. Putin has no feelings. He is like a computer.’ [Putin is a “computer” led and directed by demons.] 

“In Mr Boycheko’s view, the drawn-out ‘peace process’ that Mr Trump has promoted, including this summer’s summit with Putin in Alaska, is merely buying Russia time to inflict further damage on Ukraine… 

“Mr Boycheko also urged European powers to assume greater responsibility as US policy drifts. He said: ‘The whole strategy of relying on the United States for your security is a road to nowhere. Britain, Germany and France need to come up with their own plan to help Ukraine, build more drones and weapons themselves, and restructure their militaries to deal with Russia…’ Mr Boycheko also called on Western governments to intensify pressure on Russia’s finances, particularly through sanctions against the ‘shadow fleet’ of ships carrying its oil.” 

Dangerous AI Warfare 

Politico wrote on September 2: 

“… some AI scientists believe the Pentagon has already started down a slippery slope by rushing to deploy the latest generations of AI as a key part of America’s defenses around the world. Driven by worries about fending off China and Russia at the same time, as well as by other global threats, the Defense Department is creating AI-driven defensive systems that in many areas are swiftly becoming autonomous — meaning they can respond on their own, without human input — and move so fast against potential enemies that humans can’t keep up.

“Despite the Pentagon’s official policy that humans will always be in control, the demands of modern warfare — the need for lightning-fast decision-making, coordinating complex swarms of drones, crunching vast amounts of intelligence data and competing against AI-driven systems built by China and Russia — mean that the military is increasingly likely to become dependent on AI. That could prove true even, ultimately, when it comes to the most existential of all decisions: whether to launch nuclear weapons. 

“That fear is compounded by the fact that there is still a fundamental lack of understanding about how AI, particularly the LLMs, actually work. So while the Pentagon is racing to implement new AI programs, experts… are scrambling to decipher the algorithms that give AI its awesome power before humans become so dependent on AI that it will dominate military decision-making even if no one ever formally gives it that much control… Most troubling to experts on AI and nuclear weapons is that it’s getting harder and harder to keep decisions about targeting and escalation for nuclear weapons separate from decisions about conventional weapons…” 

The Wall Street Journal added on September 2: 

“In a new frontier for warfare, Ukraine is using technology to allow groups of drones to communicate and make decisions independent of their operator… On a recent evening, a trio of Ukrainian drones flew under the cover of darkness to a Russian position and decided among themselves exactly when to strike. 

“The assault was an example of how Ukraine is using artificial intelligence to allow groups of drones to coordinate with each other to attack Russian positions, an innovative technology that heralds the future of battle…”

China, Russia and North Korea

NPR wrote on August 29: 

“When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits China next week for a military parade, he’ll make his debut at a large gathering of foreign leaders, an event with the heads of China, Russia and North Korea all together for the first time. The Sept. 3 parade marks the end of World War II after Japan’s formal surrender to Allied forces… China’s State Council this week published a list of 26 leaders it said would attend that would also include the leaders of Iran, Cuba, Belarus and Serbia. Slovakia is so far the only NATO member on the list. This will also be Kim’s first known visit to China since 2019… South Korean President Lee will not attend the parade, but the government will be represented by Parliamentary Speaker Woo Won-shik…. 

“China and Russia have cooperated in helping North Korea avoid international sanctions imposed because of its nuclear and missile programs. And China and North Korea have helped Russia in different ways with its war in Ukraine…. 

“Chinese media, meanwhile, have focused on… China’s contributions to victory in World War II, officially known in the country as the ‘Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.’ That conflict started with Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931, a decade before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Some 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded in the conflict, according to official Chinese government figures.” 

Still, even Japan might become part of the Kings of the East. So will India. Note the next article. 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 31:

“Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi has arrived on his first visit to China in seven years. Modi met with Xi, with the two sides looking forward to improving ties after border tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin was received with a red carpet welcome. China upgrades relations with Armenia during Xi’s meeting with Armenian PM Pashinyan.” 

The Axis of Evil 

The Sun wrote on September 2: 

“The powerful leaders, often dubbed the ‘Axis of Evil’ due to how they rule over their nations with an iron fist, are seeking to challenge the dominance of the US-led West. All three have an explosive relationship with the rival bloc from China’s constant threats to invade Taiwan by force, Russia’s refusal to end the war in Ukraine and Kim’s worrying nuclear arsenal… 

“Nato chief Mark Rutte has already sounded the alarm saying Russia and China together could light the fuse on World War Three. He laid out a nightmare scenario saying if Beijing seizes Taiwan while Putin strikes eastern European Nato territory then a global war will break out instantly…. Xi and Putin have already caught the eyes of the globe after announcing plans to form a new group to directly rival Nato.” 

Xi also claimed that China and Russia ended World War II, totally ignoring the role of the USA, Great Britain, and other instrumental allies. 

Wagner Group in Africa 

The Sun wrote on August 30: 

“THOUSANDS of miles from Ukraine’s bloody frontline, Vladimir Putin is quietly waging a brutal second war in the desert… From Mali to the Central African Republic and across the Sahel, Russia has rechristened its notorious Wagner group to form a new Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force – the Africa Corps… But the tyrant is also thought to be using the dark operations as a strategic ‘conveyor belt’ to train Russian troops for his meat-grinder war in Ukraine… 

“For years, Russia’s infamous Wagner Group was used as proxy by the Kremlin to battle rebels and armed groups abroad in brutal military operations. But their chief… –  a former ally of Putin – was wiped out in a fireball crash in 2023 following an extraordinary failed coup. With a much tighter grip from the Kremlin, Wagner reinvented itself as Africa Corps – with goals to shore up military leaders, extract gold and undermine Western influence… The mercenaries have a strong foothold in the Sahel, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali – along with ‘interest’ in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire…” 

The Danger of Mirror Life 

Neoscope wrote on August 27: 

“It’s a technology that doesn’t even exist yet, but its effects could be so drastically destructive that scientists in the field are calling for it to be banned now, before it’s too late. We’re talking, of course, about ‘mirror life’ — synthetic organisms that quite literally turn natural biology on its head… 

“Mirror lifeforms contain DNA structures that are the mirror image to all known organisms. In all life on Earth, the DNA double helix is right-handed, meaning its strands, a sugar-phosphate backbone, twist to the right… The opposite is the case for proteins, the building blocks of cells, which are left-handed. 

“… So what happens when humans engineer a synthetic organism where its DNA twists to the left, while its proteins twist to the right? The scary thing is that we can’t say for sure — but many biologists fear the worst. In December, a group of leading figures in the field… published a massive technical report warning that the consequences of mirror life ‘could be globally disastrous,’ possibly even wiping out all life if the new organisms prove pathogenic to existing life, like us humans… 

“Most scientists agree that the technology is at least a decade away, perhaps three. But their sense of urgency in preventing it is palpable…” 

The Bible warns that no flesh would be saved alive if Christ was not to come back to shorten these days.

Strange Series of Deaths Among AfD Candidates 

Report 24 wrote on August 30: 

“The statistics don’t really support such a ‘coincidence.’ Shortly before the local elections on September 14, four promising candidates between the ages of 59 and 72 died – suddenly and unexpectedly. What they had in common: They were candidates for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the established, unified party in Germany fears and [it] does not want any changes to the political structure… 

“The background to this is a mood in the country that is the fault of the established, unified party [talking about all the “established” parties, such as CDU, SPD, FDP or the Green.] For example, the party had ensured that completely innocent AfD candidates were excluded from elections, most recently Joachim Paul of the mayoral election in Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Uwe Detert’s election in Lage. [This makes] it increasingly clear that the German population is only being fooled into believing in their right to democratic participation… 

“Equally part of the depressing overall picture is the tragic death of a doctor who dared to criticize former Green Party leader Habeck. The 76-year-old critical physician Wolfgang Conzelmann was tied up and suffocated—in other words, murdered. A connection to his political statements cannot be ruled out. One should also not forget that the authorities largely give the thugs and terrorist groups of the so-called ‘Antifa‘ a free hand in Germany. 

“And so it is hardly surprising that many questions have arisen surrounding the deaths of four AfD candidates for the upcoming local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. From a purely mathematical and statistical perspective, such a cluster of deaths is extremely unlikely and difficult to explain as coincidence… 

“Stefan Berendes ran for city council in Bad Lippspringe. He was 59 years old at the time of his death. Wolfgang Seitz ran as a direct candidate for the Wesel district council in Rheinberg. He was also 59 years old. He is said to have died on August 16. Ralph Klaus Norbert Lange, 66 or 67 years old, ran for city council in Blomberg. Wolfgang Klinger ran for city council in Schwerte; he was 71 or 72 years old. The date of death is given as August 19, 2025. 

“No public information on the causes of death is currently available. Deaths among candidates from other parties running for election are unknown, which raises even more questions, at least in the mathematical and statistical field, about the deaths of the four AfD candidates.”

Elon Musk posted the following comments on X on August 30:  “Either Germany votes AfD or it is the end of Germany.” 

More Deaths 

Report 24 added on September 2: 

“Now two more AfD politicians have died: René Herford and Patrick Tietze. Both were reserve list candidates. Herford is said to have died of kidney failure and reportedly suffered from a pre-existing liver condition. Tietze is said to have committed suicide… 

“The fact that now… six politicians from the successful (and also promising in these elections) opposition party have died is certainly something to think about. No other party is being agitated and incited against as much as the AfD.” 

Subsequently, another AfD candidate died “of natural causes.”

Civil War in Europe 

Report 24 wrote on August 28: 

“Europe is no longer a haven of security. Its peoples and societies are deeply divided, trust in state institutions is in free fall, the economic foundation is crumbling… The risk factors for civil war have long been present; the only question is when the spark will ignite.” 

“The parallels to Yugoslavia in the 1990s are unmistakable. There, too, people lived in a deceptive normality until shortly before the escalation. Public life still functioned, people still went to work, and the cafes were still full. Until suddenly, nothing was normal anymore, and neighbors who had lived side by side for decades became enemies. Anyone who claims today that something like this could never happen in Paris, Brussels, or Berlin is falling prey to the same… dangerous self-deception that things will stay as they are – just because they are so used to it. 

“The ingredients for the big bang are already in place. A majority society that feels increasingly marginalized and is forbidden from any self-assertion [by being accused to be] ‘right-wing extremist’… A political establishment that sees mass immigration not as a problem, but as a ‘project’ for social transformation. And an economy driven to the brink of collapse by debt, deindustrialization, and centrally planned energy fantasies… 

“The question of ‘critical mass’ is particularly important. Studies… show that it takes no more than around 3.5 to 5 percent of a population to bring about a revolution or profound change – if this part acts decisively enough. Applied to the European Union and individual states, this means: Even a relatively small but radicalized minority can destroy the fragile balance. In an age when entire cities have already developed parallel societies (some with no-go zones), this is no longer a theoretical threat… 

“Trust in parliaments, governments, and the media regularly reaches historic lows in surveys… While the broad public still believes in the fairytale of the ‘European peace project,’ reality is gradually being determined by the conditions that, according to conflict research, make civil wars almost inevitable. Anyone who ignores this development is not only engaging in self-deception, but is endangering the survival of their own society. Europe is no longer a safe continent. The question is not whether conflicts will escalate, but when and where they will begin.” 

The Bible warns us that devastating developments will occur suddenly. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

John Bolton Raid Shows Weaponization of FBI 

The Guardian wrote on August 22: 

“When Kash Patel, the FBI director, faced senators during his confirmation hearings on 30 January,  he bristled at suggestions that his 2023 book contained an ‘enemies list’. The appendix to Government Gangsters, which included a list of names of around 60 people, was simply documentation of those who had ‘weaponized’ the government, he insisted. 

“Seven months later, that denial appears increasingly hollow. Friday’s FBI search of the former national security adviser John Bolton’s home and office, reportedly to find classified documents, marks the fifth investigation targeting people from Patel’s book. Bolton now joins a growing list of Trump critics from Patel’s roll the administration has targeted with what appear to be retaliatory federal investigations… 

“Bolton’s investigation… is unprecedented in how it is calculated to target a critic…” 

Deutsche Welle added on August 22: 

“… his critics claim Patel lacks experience to lead the FBI, and point to his previous statements about going after Trump’s political enemies… Trump himself was… indicted by a Florida court for retaining classified documents at his private Mar-a-Lago beach club. That case was dropped in 2024 after Trump was elected. Patel had given interviews blasting the raids by federal agents on Trump’s residence related to the case.  

“John Bolton served as national security adviser during the first term of Donald Trump, but has since turned into an outspoken critic of the US president, often questioning the president’s mental aptitude. Since leaving the first Trump administration, Bolton has been widely critical of Trump and his policies, especially on the second administration’s handling of the war in Ukraine. During an interview with DW in June, Bolton said he believes Vladimir Putin perceives Trump as a ‘useful idiot.’ ‘He doesn’t know history, he doesn’t read briefing papers,’ Bolton said, referring to Trump.  

“In a DW interview yesterday, Bolton said Trump did not understand the situation on the ground in Ukraine, assuming that he could ‘bounce Ukraine and Russia into a peace deal in a couple of weeks and therefore get the Nobel Prize for it.’”  

In this light, the FBI’s action clearly looks like political retribution and persecution of a popular Trump critic. The FBI’s action most certainly reminds us of the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to locate “classified” information. 

More to Come? 

The Hill wrote on August 23: 

“Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, signaled Saturday that he could be the next target of President Trump’s FBI… ‘Yeah, we expect it… we can… be so certain of the president’s revenge campaign to know potentially who that next target might be or one of those next targets.’

“The former DHS aide added, ‘I mean when my wife and I woke up and saw the news, she basically said to me, “It’s coming.”’… 

“The search of Bolton’s home and office marked an escalation in the feud between Trump and his former national security adviser, with critics seeing it as a potential act of retribution. Taylor, who previously suggested the president kept a ‘blacklist’ for persecution, said as much… ‘Folks don’t have to play the violin for John Bolton or Miles Taylor. Maybe they don’t like either of us. That’s fine, because it’s not about us… It’s about the criminal justice system that all Americans expect to be able to treat them fairly… It’s a president of the U.S. weaponizing the tools of his office to reshape our society. And he’s doing that. He’s making sure the scales of justice tip in his favor… There’s no telling where this could go next.’ 

“Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he was not told ahead of time about the raid… Vice President J.D. Vance defended the raid…, pushing back on allegations that the raid is related to retribution.” 

In fact, Trump declared that he “didn’t want to know about it” (compare Fortune, dated August 23). 

JD Vance’s Comments Very Suspicious 

Raw Story wrote on August 23: 

“Hours after FBI Director gave the go-ahead to his agents to raid the home and office of John Bolton, Vice President J.D. Vance was well prepared and ready to discuss it with NBC’s Kristin Welker during an extensive interview… Vance stated, ‘We are investigating Ambassador Bolton, but if they ultimately bring a case, it will be because they determine that he has broken the law. We’re going to be careful about that… You should let the law drive these determinations, and that’s what we’re doing.’

“After watching a clip of the Vance interview…, former DHS official Miles Taylor claimed Vance’s comments should set off alarms. ‘This is very, very unusual for the vice president to be this read into a criminal investigation that he should be at arm’s length from… And then… we heard that the CIA director himself might have been the one to provide the evidence to the FBI director.’ 

“‘You know, as more of these details come out, it’s starting to look completely unprecedented that all of these very top senior officials that work under Donald Trump, that know he wants to get revenge against John Bolton, are personally involved in the investigation of John Bolton,’ he added. ‘I mean, the vice president’s attestation that this had nothing to do with revenge was about as believable as what… the administration has said on the Epstein files, because it would be a truly extraordinary coincidence that they’ve decided to focus their investigative powers on a man that Donald Trump has wanted investigated for years.’” 

It does not pass the smell test for sure. And Trump did not know anything about this, while Vance knew all about it? 

Right-Wing Media Skeptical of FBI Raid 

The Independent wrote on August 24: 

“The investigation has sparked criticism from usually reliably supportive right-wing media outlets. On Friday, panelists appearing on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom said they were ‘skeptical’ of the FBI’s decision to execute the raid. 

“Chris Swecker, former assistant FBI director from 2004 to 2006, said that he had consulted with former agency colleagues about the raid. ‘We’re looking at this a little bit skeptically because we were very heavily critical of the Mar-a-Lago raid. Just because you have the authority and discretion to do something like this, doesn’t mean you should,’ he told Fox News… 

“Attorney and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley alluded to the ‘longstanding disagreement’ between Trump and Bolton. ‘There is a great concern about whether this is retaliation against a political opponent,’ he said… 

“Other conservative media warned that the raid could signal Trump is using the FBI to exact political retribution.  

“The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board said the raid reeks of political vengeance… Trump may hope that the raid leads Bolton to stop criticizing him publicly, the board suggested, adding that ‘the real offender here is a president who seems to think he can use the powers of his office to run vendettas’… the board… [characterized] the recent FBI raid…   a ‘vendetta campaign.’ The newspaper’s editorial board described [it] as ‘hard to see … as anything other than vindictive’… the board asserted that ‘it is increasingly clear that vengeance is a large part, maybe the largest part of how [Trump] will define success in his second term.’… The editorial board also noted the immediate termination of Bolton’s protective security detail upon Trump’s return to the White House, despite threats to his life connected to actions against Iran. ‘This is the kind of gratuitous viciousness that has increasingly defined Mr. Trump’s return to office,’ the board wrote… 

“The WSJ’s editorial board had previously warned about Trump and his allies pursuing political revenge, including in December 2024, weeks before his inauguration. ‘We said this was one of the risks of a second Trump term, and it’s turning out to be worse than we imagined,’ the board wrote.”

The whole matter is also suspicious for the simple reason that a highly publicized blowup occurred between Attorney General Pam Bondi (supported by Trump) and FBI Director Kath Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, in the screwed-up Epstein matter, with Bongino threatening to quit. Is the FBI perhaps trying to regain Trump’s favor? 

Maxwell’s Fairy Tales 

The Independent wrote on August 23: 

“Skepticism abounds following the release of transcripts and recordings of Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case. Four years after her conviction and sentencing on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other crimes, how credible is her testimony? 

“Ranking House Oversight Committee Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia was especially damning in the hours after the interview transcripts were released Friday, writing on X: ‘Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted sex trafficker and known liar. Her interview with Trump’s DOJ lawyer shows she’s desperate for a pardon. She claims no involvement in wrongdoing, which is insulting to the girls and young women she victimized and trafficked. She cannot be trusted.’… 

“Having been convicted of federal crimes, her only likely hope for getting out of prison early is either a pardon or a commutation from the president… In addition to her flattering portrayal of Trump, Maxwell also denied the existence of the infamous Epstein client list…. On Fox News, prime time host Jesse Watters… reminded viewers of the existence of a trove of… potential evidence: ‘The list doesn’t exist? So, flight manifests don’t exist? The surveillance tapes don’t exist? The bank records don’t exist?’ 

“Attorney and legal scholar Jonathan Turley joined Watters to share his thoughts… ‘She clearly also does want something from Trump; she wants a commutation… she is clearly angling for it.’…”

Maxwell also said that the famous picture with Prince Andrew and the underaged girl Virginia Giuffre was a fake, and that even though she does not believe that Epstein killed himself, he was not murdered because of fear that he could produce some discriminatory evidence against famous people, or blackmail them. 

So, now we are also to believe that elephants can fly? 

Virginia Giuffre’s Family Outraged 

NBC News wrote on August 23: 

“The family members of a prominent survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse said they were ‘outraged’ by the Justice Department’s decision to release transcripts from Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony last month to a federal prosecutor, arguing it provided Maxwell a ‘platform to rewrite history.’ ‘The content of these transcripts is in direct contradiction with felon Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction for child sex trafficking,’ the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre said in a statement. The family added, ‘This travesty of justice entirely invalidates the experiences of the many brave survivors who put their safety, security, and lives on the line to ensure her conviction, including our sister.’ 

“During the interview last month…, Maxwell said Giuffre’s allegation against Andrew ‘doesn’t hold water,’ and disputed key facts in the case, including an alleged photo of Giuffre with Andrew… Giuffre’s family accused the deputy attorney general of not sufficiently challenging Maxwell’s assertions during her testimony, suggesting that by publicly releasing the interview, the Justice Department provided Maxwell the opportunity to dispute her case in the court of public opinion… 

“Giuffre’s family also condemned the Justice Department’s decision to transfer Maxwell to a minimum-security prison following her meeting with Blanche. ‘By moving convicted felon Maxwell to a minimum-security, country club prison, the DOJ sends a disturbing message that child sex trafficking is acceptable and will be rewarded,’ the family said Saturday in a statement.” 

It was also reported by the Miami Herald, dated August 23, that only 3% of the Jeffrey Epstein files turned over so far to a House committee this week, in response to a congressional subpoena, contained new information, and less than 1% of all the files, estimated to be around 100,000 pages, not in the public domain, have been released to the public. 

The Justice Department’s conduct in this entire matter is more than questionable. Trump’s statements are not helpful either, calling “the whole Epstein thing… a Democratic hoax.” Really? Tell that to the family of Virginia Giuffre and the many hundreds, if not thousands, of underaged victims. 

To Send or Not to Send? 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 23: 

“Politicians have been arguing about whether Germany might send soldiers [to Ukraine] for a possible peacekeeping force… Many have said Germany could hardly be absent from such a force… in Germany, it seems clear that it will not be easy for Merz to obtain approval for such a force… 51%… were opposed to a German participation in a peace mission in Ukraine. Only 36% said they thought it would be the right thing to do… 

“… politicians from all political parties have been speaking out daily on the idea of deploying troops to Ukraine. Most of them are skeptical or flat-out opposed. Almost all of them point out that any decision on this matter is still a long way off. Politicians from eastern Germany are especially opposed to the plan… AfD leader Alice Weidel warned that Germany could itself become a target and demanded: ‘Germany needs reconciliation with Russia instead of constant confrontation.’ 

“Meanwhile, Wolfgang Ischinger, the long-standing head of the Munich Security Conference, wrote on X: ‘There is not a single indication that President Putin is prepared to end this war at the moment.’ Many observers in Germany agree.” 

The German government’s two coalition parties are hopelessly divided on about EVERY major issue. As Bild Online commented on August 23: 

“The CDU/CSU and SPD are emerging from the summer recess even more divided than when they entered it… There’s hardly a significant issue on which the coalition partners agree… Moreover, a deep mutual distrust has eaten into the coalition… After the three disastrous years of the traffic light coalition, Germany cannot afford another phase of standstill… this autumn will decide the future of the government—and of Germany.” 

Trump Very Angry With Ukraine 

Newsweek wrote on August 22: 

“President Donald Trump has expressed his anger at recent Ukrainian attacks that disabled the Russian oil pipeline Druzhba, which supplies Hungary and Slovakia, both NATO allies… ongoing attacks by both sides have frustrated the self-styled peacemaker Trump as he seeks to bring about an end to a war that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed parts of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. 

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban shared a handwritten note from his political ally, Trump, in a private Facebook group for his supporters… Hungary has sought to stay out of the Russia-Ukraine war and maintain relations with the Russian government… It opposes Ukraine’s ambition to join the EU. The country has accused Brussels and Kyiv of seeking to drag it into the war. 

“Orban had written to Trump to complain about the attacks on Druzhba and the impact on Hungarian energy. Ukraine said the pipeline also supplies the invading Russian armed forces, which is why it was targeted. ‘Viktor—I do not like hearing this,’ Trump… wrote in the note. ‘I am very angry about it. Tell Slovakia. You are my great friend.’… 

“In the statement to which Trump had replied, Orban noted that Ukrainian strikes on Druzhba had happened days before the ‘historic meeting’ in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has since struck the pipeline again. ‘This pipeline supplies Hungary and Slovakia, two countries that have no other means of importing crude oil,’ Orban had said. ‘Hungary supports Ukraine with electricity and petrol, in return they bomb [a] pipeline that [supplies] us…’” 

Two More Weeks? 

The Sun wrote on August 23: 

“Donald Trump has announced that he will give Vladimir Putin a couple of weeks to set up a peace meeting with rival Volodymyr Zelensky… Trump said that there’s a ‘tremendous amount of hatred’ that he’s trying to navigate through as he fights for a ceasefire… 

“Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, warned on Friday that Putin is laying a trap for the West by demanding to keep hold of Ukrainian land…. Trump has backed the need for ‘swapping of territories’ in peace negotiations – raising fears he could be strolling straight into this trap.” 

The Hill added on August 22: 

“One aspect of the deal that remains a sticking point is security guarantees. A possibility would be that Ukraine joins the European Union instead of joining NATO. On the recommendations of European leaders, Trump called Orban on Monday to attempt to sway his vote in order to let Ukraine join the EU’s 27 member states.  

“Orbán posted on Facebook that Ukraine’s accession to the EU ‘does not provide any security guarantees,’ therefore, ‘linking membership with security guarantees is unnecessary and dangerous.’” 

No Meeting Anytime Soon 

The New York Post wrote on August 24: 

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threw up yet another roadblock Sunday to direct talks between his leader, Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — suggesting that a summit is still far off… Lavrov said Sunday that Russia has an ‘agenda’ in mind that must to be agreed before the two sides can sit down together. ‘There is no meeting planned,’ Lavrov told [NBC].

“The summit to end the war will only happen if it has a ‘presidential agenda’ that pleases Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said — but that agenda is ‘not ready at all.’”

So why wait two more weeks? 

Ceasefire an Easy Fix? 

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 25: 

“Clearly no one in the world with a heart would like to see the fighting go on. So at first glance a ceasefire seems like a quick fix… Earlier in Ukraine hostilities both Germany and France achieved Putin’s agreement to a ceasefire while a negotiated peace agreement was underway. The efforts were called the Minsk Accords… 

“Certainly [Friedrich] Merz [Germany’s Chancellor] must know the background of this. He would be remiss not to understand that a ceasefire without a peace agreement might be as unattainable as the end of a rainbow.” 

Russia Threatens to March on Paris 

Express wrote on August 26: 

“Russia has issued a terrifying warning to France as tensions between the two countries threaten to explode. The French President is the latest Western leader to be singled out for rough treatment by Kremlin propagandists and to become ‘public enemy number one’… During an interview with the French TV news network LCI, Emmanuel Macron called Putin ‘a predator and an ogre at our doorstep.’ The remarks seemingly went down like a lead balloon with the sensitive Kremlin tyrant, who unleashed his propaganda hounds on the unfortunate Macron. Vladimir Solovyov has relished his role as the Putin regime’s top attack dog… 

“Once again referencing deep Russian grievances about Nato expansion, the Kremlin stooge said [on his TV show]: ‘Originally, back in December 2021, we stated that NATO moving closer to our borders was unacceptable… And now they’re saying: “We’ll be at your borders, we’ll send Nato troops there. That’s why we’ll be on Champs-Elysées. And Macron will be polishing the boots of a Russian officer.’… The last time Russian soldiers graced Paris with their presence was in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars in the 19th century. Russian forces, along with other Coalition allies, reached and entered the French capital on March 31, 1814.” 

Russian Children Taught to Murder 

The New York Post wrote on August 27: 

“Baby-faced Russian children as young as 8 have been taught how to throw hand grenades and carry rifles at a bizarre summer camp designed to train up the next generation of Putin’s military. The twisted exercises, supervised by soldiers who have fought in Russia’s war in Ukraine, saw young children given real rifles or convincing replicas at a camp in the Rostov region, close to the Ukrainian border…

“Some 83 children — ages 8-17 — took part in last week’s activities, including a ‘route march’ along the River Don involving running and crawling on their bellies across sand and shallow water while holding weapons. The camp is part of President Putin’s attempts to indoctrinate even young children to be prepared for eventual military service.”

This world is indeed ruled by demons. 

Putin’s Spirits 

Express wrote on August 20: 

“Vladimir Putin allegedly consulted Mongolian shamans regarding the potential deployment of nuclear weapons, according to Russian sources. The Russian leader has long been recognised for his ‘special attitude to mysticism’ throughout the years, with speculation emerging in 2018 that he bathed in Siberian red deer blood to enhance his vitality. Nevertheless, during his trip to Mongolia in early September this year, it’s alleged that Putin advanced his mystical convictions even further, reports the Daily Star… Mikhail Zygar, founder of the prohibited opposition channel TV Dozhd, indicated that Putin possesses a strong fascination with ‘pagan traditions.’ 

“In a piece for the German news website Der Spiegel, Zygar penned: ‘Mongolia and Tuva are considered the home of the most powerful shamans in the world. Vladimir Putin has long been known for his special attitude towards mysticism. And he apparently combines his interest in Orthodox mysticism with pagan traditions.’ 

“Mongolia maintains membership of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin last year following his deportation of Ukrainian children. Despite the warrant, Mongolian authorities failed to apprehend Putin during his visit, citing their substantial dependence on Russia as justification for their inaction. 

“Zygar proposed that Putin was prepared to risk detention to seek counsel from the spirits. The Kremlin has rejected recent claims put forward by an opposition figure, declaring: ‘The mentioned circumstances related to the Russian President’s visit to Mongolia in September 2024 have no connection to reality.’ This marks not Putin’s initial venture into mysticism – he allegedly consulted spiritual advisers before his 2012 invasion of Ukraine.   

“According to a report last year, Russian state media asserted that the nation’s ‘supreme shaman’ Kara-ool Dopchun-ool had called upon ‘the sun, the moon and the stars’ to safeguard Kremlin forces in Ukraine, all at Putin’s request.” 

This would explain Putin’s insane and demonic conduct towards Ukraine.

Deportation of Garcia Paused 

The New York Post wrote on August 25: 

“A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to deport alleged MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda. US District Judge Paula Xinis, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, paused the deportation plan until the Trump administration allows Abrego Garcia the opportunity to contest his removal… 

“‘Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation,’ Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. ‘President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer.’” 

By way of background, Garcia (29), a Salvadorian citizen and Maryland resident, is married to an American citizen. They have 3 children together, who are all American citizens. He entered the USA illegally in 2011. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him withholding of removal status due to the danger he would face from gang violence if he returned to El Salvador. This status allowed him to live and work legally in the US. He was illegally transported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The United States Supreme Court found that he needed to be returned to the USA.

He was returned, but was charged immediately with human smuggling following a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. He had nine passengers in the car and officers allegedly discussed their suspicions of smuggling before allowing him to go with just a warning. He was detained by ICE this week when he showed up in immigration court for an scheduled interview. No charges were ever filed against him for being a child predator or a MS-13 gang member. The allegation that he lives illegally in the USA is at least questionable. So is the allegation that he is a “serial domestic abuser.” His wife filed for protective orders against him in 2020 and 2021, though she has since made conflicting public statements regarding the allegations. He was never convicted of any crime.

Politifact wrote on August 25, in fact-checking the U.S. government’s allegations: “Some of these statements are exaggerated, and others are based on information from dubious informants.” 

EU Postal Services Suspends Shipment of Packages to the USA 

Breitbart wrote on August 23: 

“Multiple postal services around Europe announced Saturday that they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid a lack of clarity over new import duties. Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy said they will stop shipping most merchandise to the U.S. effective immediately. France and Austria will follow Monday, and the United Kingdom Tuesday. 

“Under a decree signed by President Donald Trump last month, international goods that were previously exempt from U.S. tariffs – those valued under $800 – will be subject to import duties from Aug. 29. Letters, books, gifts and small parcels worth less than $100 will continue to be exempt.

“A trade framework agreed by the U.S. and the European Union last month set a 15% tariff on the vast majority of products shipped from the EU. Many European postal services say they are pausing deliveries now because they cannot guarantee the goods will enter the U.S. before Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what kind of goods are covered by the new rules, and the lack of time to process their implications.

“Starting Saturday, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany said they ‘will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US.’ Postnord, the Nordic logistics company, and Italy’s postal service announced similar suspensions effective Saturday… In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen said the Trump administration is pressing ahead with the new duties despite U.S. authorities lacking a system to collect them… 

“Austrian Post, Austria’s leading logistics and postal service provider, stated that the last acceptance of commercial shipments to the U.S., including Puerto Rico, will take place Tuesday. France’s national postal service, La Poste, said the U.S. did not provide full details or allow enough time for the French postal service to prepare for new customs procedures… The UK’s Royal Mail said it would halt U.S. shipments on Tuesday ‘to allow time for those packages to arrive before duties kick in.’ Items originating in the U.K. will require a 10% duty for items over $100, it said. PostEurop, an association of 51 European public postal operators, said that if no solution can be found by Aug. 29 all its members will likely follow suit.”

Money Watch added on August 23:

“India’s government also said the country will temporarily suspend postal deliveries to the United States starting Monday, except letters, documents and gift items of up to $100 in value… India’s communications ministry said in a statement that the executive order issued last month requires transport carriers or other ‘qualified parties’ approved by US authorities to collect and remit the tariff duties, but ‘several critical processes relating to the designation of “qualified parties” and mechanisms for duty collection and remittance remain undefined.’”

This is the kind of damage and uproar Trump’s ridiculous tariff policy creates. 

US-India Relationship Sours 

Express wrote on August 26: 

“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected four phone calls from US President Donald Trump as the countries’ relations sour, a German newspaper reported. The report in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) claimed that Modi remained frustrated and cautious about engaging in dialogue due to mounting pressure over tariffs. The US threatened India with a 25% tariff on exports to the US due to its purchases of Russian oil, on top of a 25% tariff due to a trade imbalance, meaning the country is facing a steep 50% duty in total on major industries like textiles, gems and jewellery, auto parts, and seafood. 

“Modi is reportedly maintaining his stance on continuing to buy Russian oil, which has been claimed to be financing ‘Putin’s war machine’, and resisting Trump’s pressure to open India’s markets to US agribusiness. The new rate [came into effect on] August 27, according to the executive order. A response from India’s foreign ministry on Wednesday August 6 said Delhi had already made clear its stance on imports from Russia, and deemed the tariff ‘unfair, unjustified and unreasonable’. 

“Analyst Mark Frazier said the American concept of an Indo-Pacific alignment—in which India plays a central role in containing China—’is falling apart’, according to the F.A.Z. report.” 

Of course it does. India will become part of the prophesied kings of the East under Russian-Chinese leadership. 

Coming… A Universal Vaccine? 

npr wrote on August 5: 

“The Department of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines that are being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a statement Tuesday that 22 projects, totaling $500 million, to develop vaccines using mRNA technology will be halted. 

“Kennedy’s decision to terminate the projects is the latest in a string of decisions that have put the longtime vaccine critic’s doubts about shots into full effect at the nation’s health department. Kennedy has pulled back recommendations around the COVID-19 shots, fired the panel that makes vaccine recommendations, and refused to offer a vigorous endorsement of vaccinations as a measles outbreak worsened. 

“The health secretary criticized mRNA vaccines in a video on his social media accounts, explaining the decision to cancel projects being led by the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, that offer protection against viruses like the flu, COVID-19 and H5N1. ‘To replace the troubled mRNA programs, we’re prioritizing the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don’t collapse when viruses mutate,’ Kennedy said in the video… Kennedy said work is underway on an alternative.

He said a ‘universal vaccine’ that mimics ‘natural immunity’ is the administration’s focus. ‘It could be effective — we believe it’s going to be effective — against not only coronaviruses, but also flu,’ he said.” 

So, replacing certain vaccines with another “universal vaccine” is the solution? 

“Army Base Used for WWII Japanese Internment Will Be Nation’s Largest ICE Detention Center” 

USA Today wrote on August 24: 

“Americans of Japanese heritage say they hear echoes of their families’ forced internment in the Trump administration’s newest immigrant detention site… erecting the nation’s largest immigrant detention site on Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

“Eighty years ago,  Fort Bliss housed dozens of [American] people [of Japanese heritage] labeled ‘alien enemies’ by the government in a detention camp that included two compounds surrounded by double barbed wire fences… Smaller numbers of immigrants from Germany and Italy were also sent there after the United States joined European Allies and declared war against those countries. At least 113 first-generation Japanese Americans were shipped to the base before being sent to other holding areas across the country… 

“The people detained at Bliss… [were] the first in the eventual internment of over 125,000 Japanese Americans across the country, most of them U.S. citizens. For the vast majority, there were no accounts of wrongdoing other than being seen as ‘enemy aliens’ …. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government viewed Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans as potential traitors… President Franklin Delano Roosevelt immediately invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to detain people and confiscate their property.” 

Terrible. And it’s all repeating itself. 

Coming… Mass Deportations in the UK? 

Newsmax wrote on August 23: 

“Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage set out plans on Saturday for ‘mass deportations’ of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats if his Reform UK party forms Britain’s next government… Farage said he would withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights and sign deals with Afghanistan, Eritrea, and other top countries of origin to repatriate illegal migrants… 

“Asked if he was concerned that asylum seekers would be killed or tortured if they were sent to countries with poor human rights records, Farage said he was more worried about the threat he believed asylum seekers posed to Britons. ‘I can’t be responsible for despotic regimes all over the world. But I can be responsible for the safety of women and girls on our streets,’ he said… 

“Broader opinion polls show that immigration and asylum are the public’s greatest concern, just ahead of the economy… 

“Last year 37,000 people — mostly from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Vietnam, and Eritrea — arrived in Britain from France by crossing the English Channel in small boats. The total was up by a quarter from 2023 and accounted for 9% of net migration. About two-thirds of people who arrive via small boats and claim asylum are successful and only 3% have been deported… 

“Farage told The Times he would end the right to claim asylum or to challenge deportation for those who arrived by small boats by replacing existing human rights legislation and opting Britain out of refugee treaties, citing a national emergency… The Times said Farage wanted to create holding facilities for 24,000 migrants on air bases at a cost of $3.4 billion and operate five deportation flights a day with total deportations reaching the hundreds of thousands. If that failed, asylum seekers could be held on Ascension Island, a British territory in the South Atlantic, to send a symbolic message, Farage said.” 

Politico added on August 23: 

“… the far-right politician, whose party currently leads consistently in the polls, said migrants coming to Britain by small boats should be arrested on arrival, detained in Royal Air Force bases, denied the right to asylum, and deported within 30 days…” 

Sky News added on August 23: 

“Only last autumn the Reform leader repeatedly shied away from the concept of ‘mass deportations’, describing the idea as ‘a political impossibility.’ But now he’s embraced Trump-style immigration rhetoric. 

“It’s not surprising that Reform want to capitalise on the outpouring of public anger over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. The policy was started by the previous Conservative government, in response to housing shortages – and Labour has failed to make significant progress on its promise to stop it. But all the major parties have shifted firmly to the right on this issue. 

“There’s been very little political criticism of the aggressiveness of Farage’s policy suggestions, and the premise that the UK should no longer offer sanctuary to anyone who arrives here illegally…. current efforts to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029 are clearly not working. That’s a credibility gap Farage is more than ready to exploit.” 

Adopting Trump’s controversial approach to immigration is most certainly not an act to follow. 

UK Economy Heading for Collapse 

Express wrote on August 25: 

“They’re under the misapprehension that they can keep raising taxes without consequences – and have another £50 billion in store for us in autumn. Everyone else in the country knows the reality that if you push taxes too high some businesses go bust, others go abroad, and some move to the black market where they operate a cash-in-hand system to bypass handing over their hard-earned money to the Treasury… 

“It is so apparent those in government have never run anything commercially… What a bunch of clueless [politicians] we have in charge – they are not so much running the country as running the country into the ground…” 

Mystery of Bermuda Triangle Solved? 

Daily Mail wrote on August 25: 

“Dr Simon Boxall, an oceanographer from the University of Southampton,… says that the Bermuda Triangle’s record of disappearances is due to ‘rogue waves’… Towering up to 100 feet (30 metres) in the air, rogue waves are abnormally steep and can hit unexpectedly from directions other than the prevailing wind. According to Dr Boxall, a large ship trapped by one of these killer swells could ‘sink in a matter of two or three minutes’… 

“Theories surrounding the deadly pull of the Bermuda Triangle have spread widely ever since the disappearance of the USS Cyclops in 1918… Despite an extensive search, no trace of the 542-foot (165-metre) vessel or its 306 crew members has ever been found…” 

From all the “explanations,” this one seems to be one of the least convincing. It does not even address the disappearance of airplanes. At least 50 ships disappeared, as well as at least 20 airplanes, which never left any trace of a wreckage or survivors. But “scientists” who deny the existence of the “supernatural,” do not even consider that Satan and his demons might be behind many of these occurrences. However, the Church of God has been considering this possibility for over 60 years. 

No Two-State Solution 

Israel 365 News wrote on August 22: 

“US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has firmly stated that establishing a Palestinian state is not a priority for the Trump administration, suggesting that Israel’s Arab neighbors could instead provide territory for such a state… effectively ruling out the establishment of such a state in the occupied West Bank… Huckabee went further, suggesting that no Palestinian state is likely ‘in our lifetime’, marking a significant departure from decades of US policy supporting a two-state solution… 

“‘One of the reasons we’re seeing the more aggressive decision [by Israel] to move into some of these areas is because it’s in reaction to what the Europeans have done — in concert with the Palestinian Authority — pushing for a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,’ Huckabee said. He added that these actions have had ‘a totally disastrous effect’ on stability in Judea and Samaria and on efforts to resolve the situation in Gaza…. ‘Pushing for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state without the cooperation and participation of Israel is a violation of Oslo,’ Huckabee said… 

“Huckabee has long been a vocal supporter of Israeli settlement expansion in what he refers to as Judea and Samaria, the biblical names for the West Bank. The former Arkansas governor has previously argued that ‘there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian’ and has stated there is ‘no such place as the West Bank’… 

“The push for Palestinian recognition has gained momentum globally, particularly following Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The State of Palestine is recognised by 146 countries around the world… In the spring of 2024, more European and Caribbean nations recognized a Palestinian state, including Barbados, Ireland, Jamaica, Norway and Spain, while Slovenia also joined this group. Looking ahead, France, Malta, and Australia have announced plans to recognize Palestine as a state in September 2025 at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly, with Canada and the United Kingdom stating they will as well subject to certain conditions. In 2014, Sweden became the first country in Western Europe to recognise Palestine, setting a precedent that others have followed…”

Australia Expels Iran’s Ambassador Over Antisemitism 

JTA wrote on August 26: 

“Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador on Tuesday, accusing Tehran of orchestrating antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish institutions, as police in Melbourne announced a series of arrests tied to synagogue fires and vandalism that have rattled the country’s Jewish community. 

“Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Iranian-directed attacks were ‘extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression’ designed to destabilize Australia. The government will also designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and suspend operations at its embassy in Tehran. It has already moved Australian diplomats to a third country… 

“The Australian response appears to be the most extensive. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the expulsion of Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other Iranian officials was the first time Australia has taken such a step since World War II.” 

Increasing Antisemitism in France 

ntv wrote on August 25: 

“France has summoned US Ambassador Charles Kushner for today following a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron regarding antisemitic incidents. In the letter, Kushner expressed his ‘concern about the increase in antisemitic acts in France and pointed to an alleged failure of the French authorities to combat these acts,’ the French Foreign Ministry said. ‘The allegations are unacceptable,’ it added. It regrets the increase in antisemitic incidents in France since October 7, 2023, which are a reality. The French authorities will take all necessary measures to combat them, the ministry said… 

“The US ambassador to France has joined Israel’s criticism and accused French President Emmanuel Macron of ‘inadequate’ efforts to combat anti-Semitism. In a letter to Macron, he expressed his ‘deep concern about the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism in France and your government’s inadequate response to it.’ In France, not a day goes by ‘without Jews being attacked in the streets, synagogues or schools vandalized, or Jewish businesses vandalized,’ Kushner wrote. 

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the French president last week of promoting anti-Semitism with the planned recognition of a Palestinian state. Nearly 500,000 Jews live in France, making it the largest Jewish community in Europe. Since the major attack by the radical Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resulting war in Gaza Strip, the number of anti-Semitic acts in France and other countries has risen sharply.” 

Major Step Towards Compulsory Military Service 

The Washington Post wrote on August 27: 

“Germany took a major step Wednesday toward a controversial return to compulsory military service… On Wednesday… Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet approved a plan that would reinstate a form of conscription, which has not existed in Germany since being suspended in 2011. 

“The measure — subject to parliamentary approval this fall — would not subject Germans to draft cards and lotteries. Instead, starting next year, it would require 18-year-old German men to fill out a questionnaire about their physical fitness and willingness to serve. For women, the form would be voluntary. The bill also allows compulsory military service to be reinstated in the future, with parliamentary consent. Beginning in 2027, the bill would require all 18-year-old men to undergo a physical fitness exam. These measures would save time ‘if mandatory conscription for basic military service has to be activated, because conscription data will then already be available and will not have to be collected in this situation,’ according to the draft legislation… 

“‘The Bundeswehr must grow,’ Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said… ‘The international security situation, especially Russia’s aggressive behavior, demands this.’ If compulsory conscription is reinstated, conscientious objectors would be able to avoid the military, as was permitted previously, by performing civil service such as hospital work or disaster relief, the bill states… 

“‘There will be no way around conscription,’ Markus Söder, minister-president of the state of Bavaria and head of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party to Merz’s CDU, said on German TV ahead of the cabinet vote. Merz said Wednesday that the goal was to ‘make military service more attractive and bring in more young people to serve in the Bundeswehr.’ But, he added, ‘if we determine that we need to make adjustments, we will do so.’ Even Pistorius, a Social Democrat, conceded that voluntary measures might fall short. ‘There is no guarantee that voluntary participation will be sufficient.’”

Of International Interest? 

Nius wrote on August 25: 

“AfD politician Joachim Paul addressed high-ranking US politicians (Marco Rubio and JD Vance) and entrepreneur Elon Musk in a video on the X platform. In the English-language message, he reports having been excluded from the upcoming mayoral election in Ludwigshafen. Paul calls it a ‘case of international interest’ and asks for support… 

“‘The pretext is that I met with the wrong people, I spoke to the wrong people. The real reason is: They want to stay in power at all costs, and they don’t want to change the migration policy – ​​which has led to a major crisis in Germany and especially in Ludwigshafen.’ 

“Elon Musk already commented on the video: ‘Excluded from the election without having committed any crime?'” 

No Longer a Democracy? 

Focus wrote on August 25: 

“Germany calls itself a democracy, but the reality is sobering: Parties have hijacked the political system… At the same time, citizens’ trust is plummeting. According to studies by the Allensbach Institute and the Research Group on Elections, trust in parties is at historic lows. More and more people are turning away or seeking salvation in protest votes. This is no coincidence. It is the direct result of a politics that has lost touch with the people… 

“Parties control every access to power…. In the Bundestag, voting is based on party discipline, not individual conviction… We must not fool ourselves: Hardly anyone will develop the perfect solution from within… It is naive to believe that change comes from within. Anyone who reaches the executive board or even the top of a party is living proof that the system works for them. Why should someone change a system that made them great? That is the paradox: We expect reform from party leadership that costs them power… Germany doesn’t need a steward of the old, but an Innovator of the future…” 

Grenell: “Germans Sick and Tired of Weak Woke Response.” 

Brussels Signal wrote on August 25: 

“Richard Grenell, the US Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, has criticised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over Germany’s lax response to a rise in immigrant crime. In a post on X on August 24, Grenell – who served as the US ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020 during Donald Trump’s first presidency – wrote: ‘Friedrich Merz must understand that the German people are sick and tired of this weak and woke response.’ 

“Grenell’s remarks came as a reaction to the stabbing of a US student on a German tram that was allegedly committed by a Syrian asylum seeker. The US student himself had posted a video from hospital shortly after the attack that showed him with a bandaged face. ‘If [allegedly criminal asylum seekers] can do this to the people of Germany and then just get released 12 hours later, where’s the law?’ he said. 

“The 21-year-old student said he had witnessed two men accosting a group of young women on a tram in Dresden (Saxony) late on the night of August 23. According to German police the US citizen intervened to help the harassed women. In reaction the two then allegedly started hitting him. A short while later one of them pulled out a knife and allegedly stabbed him in the face several times. The student was seriously… injured and rushed to the hospital with several slash wounds to his face. Photos in German newspapers showed the blood-spattered interior of the tram. 

“The alleged attackers fled but one was later apprehended. According to German newspaper Bild on August 24, he… reportedly has a police record including alleged bodily harm, robbery and illegal immigration to Germany. The suspect was taken into custody but released a couple of hours later by decision of the public prosecutor’s office. Public prosecutor Jürgen Schmidt told Bild: ‘According to the assessment of the duty prosecutor, there were insufficient grounds for detention. He cannot be held responsible for the knife attack.’… Germany only allows pretrial detention as a rare exception. Reportedly, the prosecutors saw no chance of obtaining an arrest warrant from the investigating judge in this case as there was no risk of Majd A fleeing, concealing evidence or reoffending as he has a permanent place of residence…” 

Due to national and international pressure, the Dresden prosecutors seem to have awakened from their sleep. Note the next article. 

Deutsche Welle added on August 26: 

“Dresden police and prosecutors said on Tuesday that they had arrested a 21-year-old Syrian… and was put in investigative custody on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, among other offenses. 

“The man in question had already been detained once before and was released soon after the incident… Police said… that after further investigation there was now reasonable grounds to suspect that he was ‘involved in the knife attack against the 20-year-old American and also himself injured the victim with a dangerous object.’ Tuesday’s statement made no direct mention of the second suspect [who is still at large]. 

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

“Boris Johnson: Trump-Putin Summit ‘Most Vomit-Inducing’ Ever” 

Upday.com wrote on August 16: 

“Boris Johnson delivered a scathing assessment of Donald Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, calling it ‘the most vomit-inducing episode in all the tawdry history of international diplomacy.’ The former Prime Minister condemned the red carpet treatment given to the Russian leader during their three-hour meeting… on August 15. 

“Writing in his Daily Mail column, Johnson described his visceral reaction to watching Putin welcomed on American soil. ‘It was emetic to see him applauded on the red carpet,’ he wrote, particularly criticising Putin being invited to ride in Trump’s presidential limousine – a privilege rarely extended to world leaders facing war crimes accusations. 

“The former Prime Minister compared Putin directly to Hitler, arguing the Russian leader’s ‘continual lies, dissimulation and aggression’ mirror the Nazi dictator. Johnson expressed outrage at hearing Trump refer to Putin as ‘the boss’ and describe their ‘fantastic relationship’ while Ukrainian civilians face daily bombardment… 

“The former Prime Minister assessed that Putin fundamentally wants to control Ukraine and make it a vassal state of Moscow… The former Prime Minister challenged European allies to match American leadership on sanctions. ‘This is our continent. We continually demand leadership from America – and yet when we get that leadership we don’t even have the guts to follow suit,’ Johnson wrote.” 

Trump Embarrassed by Fox News 

Express wrote on August 16: 

“US President Donald Trump was embarrassed on Fox News after failing to make a deal with Vladimir Putin… Fox News’ Jacqui Henrich, a senior White House correspondent, called out the President in a live video link to the studio, in a move that is extremely rare for the news channel… 

“She said: ‘It was very unusual, atypical… the way it felt in the room was not good, it did not seem like things went well and it seemed Putin came in and steamrolled, got right into what he wanted to say and said what he wanted to say to the President and then left.’” 

Putin Got Everything… Trump Got Nothing! 

The Independent wrote on August 16: 

“Vladimir Putin wanted to stave off the threat of US sanctions, he wanted to gain more time to prosecute his war against Ukraine, he wanted to end his and Russia’s diplomatic isolation, he wanted to peel the US off from the rest of Europe, he wanted to keep Zelensky as far away from this as far as possible and he wanted to flatter his host, Donald Trump… [Putin] flew back to Moscow having achieved everything he wanted. There are no new sanctions. Donald Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for him and applauded Putin before shaking his hand warmly. The meeting took place on US soil, with all European leaders thousands of miles away…. 

“Steve Witkoff, [Trump’s] special envoy (and a man with zero diplomatic experience), who laid the ground for this summit, has been turning up in Moscow with only his girlfriend for company. At the Kremlin meetings, he has set completely alone opposite the combined might of Putin, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and key adviser Yuri Ushakov. Witkoff had no note takers, no advisers, and was 100 per cent reliant on a Kremlin translator… 

“Should Ukraine be concerned? Should Europe be concerned about the way this summit has come about and the way it’s unfolded? They’d be stark raving mad not to be.” 

Change of Plans? 

Newsmax wrote on August 17: 

“President Donald Trump has reportedly privately indicated to European leaders he is open to offering U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine — a significant shift in his stance toward America’s role in ending the war. The change in position came after Trump’s high-profile summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Trump sought to push Moscow toward a ceasefire, but according to Trump’s own account, Putin told him he would not stop fighting and demanded that Kyiv cede parts of eastern Ukraine in exchange for freezing the front line elsewhere…

“Despite Trump’s vow to secure a ceasefire at the risk of ‘severe consequences’ to Putin and Russia, the Alaska summit produced no ceasefire agreement and Trump has pivoted toward what he described as a ‘direct path to a peace agreement,’ aligning with Putin’s preference to negotiate final terms rather than interim pauses in fighting.” 

Complete Disappointment 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 17: 

“A red carpet for Vladimir Putin and no results for Ukraine. The Alaska summit, which many had pinned high hopes on, turned out to be a complete disappointment from the perspective of many Ukrainians….  Oleksandr Kraiev of the Ukrainian Prism think tank told DW: ‘…The war criminal Putin came to the US and shook hands with the leader of the free world.’  According to Kraiev, apart from ‘Trump’s deference toward Putin, there were no final answers to the most important questions.’ He believes that Putin dealt with Trump ‘with surgical precision’ and told him everything Trump wanted to hear. This way, Putin got everything he wanted out of the summit.   

“According to Ivan Us from Ukraine’s Center for Foreign Policy of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Russian president never wanted the summit to lead to an end to the war. Instead, Putin’s goal was to legitimize himself and end his international isolation… Judging by discussions among ordinary Ukrainians, what angers them most is the red carpet that was rolled out for Putin at the US military base in Anchorage. Countless angry comments on social media leave little doubt over how this was perceived in Ukraine.” 

The reaction of the German and European press has been devastating. Headlines read like, “The nightmare of the Europeans has become true.” Hypocritical and quite silly comments by European politicians thanking Trump and saying he brought the world closer to peace only contribute to the anger of the German and European people. 

Zelensky Set Up to Fail? 

Express wrote on August 17:

“Donald Trump knows there is zero chance of a workable peace deal…, former defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood has warned. And the Ukrainian President is being ‘set up to fail’ by his US counterpart, who was himself ‘manipulated’ by Vladimir Putin during their high-profile summit on Friday, the ex-British Army officer claimed. 

“Mr Ellwood said: ‘I see Trump deliberately setting this up to fail so he can then walk away and say, “I tried, they didn’t want to play ball.”’ The former MP… painted a picture of a summit dominated by strategic manoeuvring rather than concrete support for Ukraine.” 

No Security Guarantees? 

Fox News wrote on August 18: 

“The Russian Foreign Ministry roundly rejected the idea of NATO forces serving as peacekeepers in Ukraine, a provision sought by Ukrainian President Voldodymyr Zelensky and his European allies in U.S.-brokered peace talks. 

“‘We confirm the position that has been voiced more than once about our categorical rejection of any scenarios involving the appearance of Ukraine military contingent with the participation of NATO countries (which is fraught with an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences),’ a foreign ministry statement reported by Russian state media outlet Ria read. President Donald Trump already suggested a European-led peacekeeping force to ensure Russia does not invade Ukraine again would be a part of peace talks. Asked if U.S. would contribute forces, Trump said: ‘[Europe is] first line of defense, because they’re there, they’re Europe, but we’re going to help them out also, we’ll be involved…’” 

There are discussions on the Ukrainian, American and European side to guarantee protection “similar to” the one afforded in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (which would require NATO membership). Newsmax said on August 18 that “President Donald Trump told Ukraine to give up hopes of getting back annexed Crimea or joining NATO.”  

But even Article 5 is no absolute guarantee of protection for NATO members. It states: 

“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them . . . shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking . . . such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.” 

Brennan Center for Justice wrote on March 4, 2022:

“This language is relatively flexible. It permits each NATO member to decide for itself what action should be taken to address an armed attack on a NATO ally. It does not require any member to respond with military force, although it permits such responses as a matter of international law. A member may decide that instead of responding with force, it will send military equipment to NATO allies or impose sanctions on the aggressor.”

It may also conclude that no actions are necessary at all. 

No American Boots on the Ground 

Newsmax wrote on August 19: 

“President Donald Trump said American soldiers will not be on the ground, as long as he is president, despite pledging participation in Article 5-type security guarantees in a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal… The ‘coalition of the willing’ – a subset of major NATO countries including France, Germany, and the U.K. – is ready to commit their troops in Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression…” 

Tentatively, a meeting is planned soon [within the next two weeks?] between Zelensky and Putin, suggested by Putin to be held in Moscow, with Trump as mediator. Reportedly, Zelensky rejected the location. According to other reports, Budapest (Hungary) could be chosen as the place for negotiations, or Geneva (Switzerland), which has promised Putin immunity if he travels to the city for peace talks.   

Who Would Send Troops?

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 21:

“‘Germany’s contribution to security guarantees has not yet been determined and this issue will be decided at the political and military levels,’ German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. He added that there were still too many uncertainties…

“Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and the Baltic states have also signaled their willingness to participate in a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

However other European states are more cautious. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rejects the deployment of Polish soldiers… Hungary and Slovakia are also opposed to the deployment of European troops…

“Austria and Italy are also cautious. Italian Prime minister Giorgia Meloni is particularly skeptical… [and] has so far avoided making any clear commitments….

“In any case, nothing will happen without a prior agreement with Russia. But Moscow has so far categorically rejected the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine and there is little indication that would change.”

How the Phone Call Came About… 

Focus wrote on August 19: 

“Chancellor Friedrich Merz apparently played a decisive role in Donald Trump interrupting the Ukraine summit on Monday evening to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone. As ‘Bild‘ reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly told the group about a child who had been abducted to Russia. The child’s parents knew where the child was but had no way of contacting him or bringing him back home. 

“In total, Russia is said to have abducted 19,500 children. Many of them were given up for adoption. Zelensky is also said to have given Trump a letter from his wife, Olena, to Melania Trump, in which she thanked the US President’s wife. A few days earlier, [Melania] had asked Putin in a letter to ‘protect the innocence of children.’ 

“According to the ‘Bild‘ report, Zelensky’s story is said to have deeply affected Trump. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is said to have advised the US President to call Putin immediately and confront him about it. Trump then left the room and, contrary to his plan, spoke to the Kremlin chief on the phone before the end of the summit.” 

Newsmax added on August 19: 

“Trump left the European leaders seated in the Oval Office when he went to another room to privately call Putin at 1 a.m. local time in Russia… [Reportedly, the call lasted 40 minutes.] ‘I didn’t do that in front of them, that would be disrespectful to President Putin,’ Trump said. ‘President Putin wouldn’t talk to the people from Europe – that is part of the problem.’…” 

Merz Challenges Trump 

DPA wrote on August 18: 

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday took a hard stance on the need for a ceasefire in Ukraine before a peace deal with Russia can be signed, as European leaders convened in Washington with US President Donald Trump. In a public statement in the White House, alongside Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giogia Meloni, Britain’s Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron [as well as Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte], Merz said that ‘the path is open’ for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. However, he warned that a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky should not take place without a ceasefire in force. 

“‘I can’t imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire,’ Merz said. ‘Let’s try to put pressure on Russia because the credibility of these efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations.’ 

“The meeting came days after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, after which he dropped his long-held calls for an immediate ceasefire in the war.” 

Fox News added on August 18: 

“Trump was asked about the prospect of a pre-deal ceasefire earlier Monday.  ‘I don’t think you’d need a ceasefire. If you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war – I didn’t do any ceasefires…’”

Trump’s Claims He Ended Six Wars 

The New York Post wrote on August 18: 

“President Trump repeated his frequent claim Monday that he’s ended six wars during his term in office. The White House has claimed that Trump resolved conflicts between the following countries:

“lsrael and Iran less than two months ago, during which the US bombed three of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites; Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda; Cambodia and Thailand; India and Pakistan; Serbia and Kosovo; Egypt and Ethiopia. 

“The extent to which Trump played a role in resolving these disputes is debatable. Furthermore, some of the conflicts ended with fragile accords. The peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda, for example, concluded with the involvement of a key Rwanda-backed rebel group. The conflicts between Israel and Iran, as well as India and Pakistan, are frozen rather than resolved.” 

The following article gives more insight. 

Politico wrote on August 18: 

“The list of wars Trump professes to have ended starts with the clash between India and Pakistan last May… India, however, vociferously denies any U.S. involvement in bringing the fighting to a close… Actual peace would mean settling the competing claims over Kashmir, which have resulted in violent clashes and wars between the two nations for decades… And while the active fighting may have ended for now, the underlying conflict very much continues to mark relations between the two countries. 

“Next on Trump’s list of peace deals is the clash between Israel and Iran… Trump’s decision to target core parts of Iran’s nuclear program did clearly play an important role in ending Israel’s bombing strikes and Iran’s counterstrikes. But that’s a far cry from achieving lasting peace. Instead, Iran will now likely intensify its effort to build a nuclear weapon, and Israel has made clear it reserves the right to strike at any time if Iran were to rebuild its nuclear or missile program and air defenses. 

“Not long after, in late June, came a comparatively more substantial deal to end the fighting between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Brokered by the U.S. and signed in the Oval Office, the agreement requires Rwanda to withdraw its troops from the DRC within 90 days… But while this deal is, indeed, a real step toward ending the conflict, it’s important to remember that the key lies in its implementation. And on that front, news is much more mixed, as fighting between the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group and the DRC continues unabated — in part because M23 didn’t sign on to the deal. 

“The following month then saw Trump have a hand in securing a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, after violent border clashes had erupted in late July. Facing pressure from China, Malaysia and the promise of trade deals with the U.S., the two countries eventually agreed to stop shooting and halt dispatching more troops to the region. Yet again, the underlying conflict that resulted in these armed clashes remains unresolved. Cambodia and Thailand have been fighting over the demarcation of their border, including for the crucial location of centuries-old Hindu temples along their 800-kilometer frontier, for decades now… 

“Finally, earlier this month, the U.S. president presided over the conclusion of a major agreement ending the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Following major clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh — an enclave in Azerbaijan that Armenia had seized in 1992 and Baku regained in 2023 — much of the leg work on this agreement had been completed before Trump took office. But two sticking points remained: A demand from Azerbaijan that Armenia erase any claim to Nagorno-Karabakh from its constitution — which will require a referendum — and a transportation link between two parts of Azerbaijan that runs through Armenian territory. Under Trump, the U.S.-brokered talks did lead to an agreement, including a U.S.-leased roadway connecting the two areas of Azerbaijan — a substantial deal and a real accomplishment. But, again, implementation will be key. 

“Nonetheless, Trump’s boast of ending six wars in six months is a lot less than meets the eye. The fact is, even if he had been completely successful in ending these wars, his record would still be overshadowed by his failure to end the two wars he actually vowed to solve— the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Far from ending them in 24 hours, as he boasted he would do during his reelection campaign, the situation in both has worsened since Trump’s return: In Gaza, the U.S. leader has essentially given the Israeli government a green light to occupy the strip, washing his hands of any effort to secure an end to the fighting. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, he sought to move the peace process forward by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska — only to come up empty-handed and seemingly more in sync with Moscow than Kyiv…” 

The subsequent meeting in Washington turned out to be much better. However, Trump (and others) keep talking about a land swap… that Ukraine will have to give land to Russia… a demand which Ukraine had continuously rejected. 

Russia and China Demand a Say on Security Guarantees

Daily Mail wrote on August 21:

“Ukraine peace talks were in disarray on Wednesday after Russia effectively demanded Moscow and Beijing get a veto on any security guarantees…

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow must be part of the security guarantees. Putin’s man also said these ‘should be provided on an equal basis with the participation of countries such as China, the United States, the UK and France’. Lavrov added: ‘I’m sure in the West they understand that seriously discussing security issues without Russia is a utopia, it’s a road to nowhere.’

“[It would mean] none of the guarantors would be allowed to defend Ukraine from Russia unless they all agreed, including China and Russia.”

Trump’s Confession

 The Daily Mail reported on August 19: 

“President Donald Trump talked about his desire for eternal salvation as he discussed ongoing efforts to negotiate a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine. 

“He invoked the Bible during an interview on Fox & Friends one day after hosting historic meetings at the White House to broker peace between the countries. ‘I want to get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I hear I’m at the bottom of the totem pole,’ Trump said.”

ICE Deportations of the Wrong People Harmful to the US 

The New York Post wrote on August 17: 

“President Donald Trump delivered on his key campaign promise: Securing the border. Yet the only thing falling faster than illegal crossings has been his approval rating on immigration. The problem: Instead of building on his win at the border with more popular arrests of criminal threats inside the country, the administration is going after migrants indiscriminately.  

“Democrats can’t deny it: The border crisis is over. Border Patrol arrests have fallen nearly 90% since December to near-record lows. Nonetheless, only 40% of voters approved of the president’s handling of immigration… while 55% disapproved… Of course, people don’t actually want more illegal immigration. Polls consistently show that the president is the most trusted on the border. Instead, it’s the deportations from within the United States driving the discontent…  

“That doesn’t mean voters back the other side — 84% disagree with Democrats who want to suspend deportations completely… But Trump emphasized that he would prioritize ending ‘sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals’ — the position of 81% of voters. Unfortunately, most voters don’t believe the president is doing that right now. 

“Even as late as June, voters told CBS News they thought that the president was prioritizing ‘dangerous criminals’ over peaceful immigrants 53%-47%. By mid-July, it was 44%-56% the other way — an 18 point swing in a month. What happened? Voters started to see how the priorities shifted… agents were instructed in late May to focus on ‘quantity over quality’ to meet a 3,000-per-day ‘goal’ set by the White House. ICE was advised to target people looking for work at Home Depot and to raid businesses in industries likely to employ illegal workers. 

“Rather than scooping up violent criminals recklessly sent back to the streets by New York City…, ICE is arresting immigrants who are helping power the Trump economy. Since the White House ordered the change, there has been a dramatic escalation in arrests of people without criminal records. In June, the number of immigrants arrested without criminal convictions was 1,100% higher than it was even in 2017 during the first Trump term: nearly 6,000 per week. 

“Yet there are still half a million illegal immigrants with criminal convictions out there to remove — and ICE should locate them before spending its time and resources on workers. It’s common sense: ICE agents told The Post that the policy was ‘leading them to leave some dangerous criminal illegal migrants on the streets.’   

“Setting aside politics and crime, Trump has already publicly acknowledged there’s an economic downside to these non-criminal deportations. ‘Our aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long-time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,’ he said in June, referencing farms, hotels, and leisure businesses.  The president is correct. Besides the border, the president’s other primary election issue was inflation. And immigrants reduce inflation — not, as critics claim, by depressing wages for American workers, but by increasing production of goods and services. When supply decreases, prices go up for consumers, as we painfully saw throughout the pandemic… 

“Whatever the immigration politics are, Trump’s midterm success will ultimately depend most on his economic outcomes. Americans re-elected him because they remember his first term before the pandemic as a period of stable wage and job growth — but random mass deportations are both politically unpopular and economically destabilizing. Although the president has promised ‘changes are coming’ on deportations, none have yet occurred….”

In addition, Donald Trump promised to prioritize arrests, detentions and deportations of dangerous criminal illegal migrants. This promise has been clearly broken by Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, Tom Homan and others. 

Don’t Pull the Plug on Israel 

The Algemeiner wrote on August 15: 

“US Sen. Lindsey Graham delivered a forceful defense of the US-Israel alliance at a South Carolina Republican Party meeting on Wednesday, warning that withdrawing American support for the Jewish state would carry both strategic and spiritual consequences. ‘If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us,’ Graham told the crowd, framing the alliance as a moral imperative for the US. 

“The South Carolina Republican, a longtime supporter of Israel, criticized the use of the term ‘genocide’ to describe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, arguing that the label is politically weaponized. ‘If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they could. They have the capability to do that. They choose not to,’ he said. ‘Hamas … would commit genocide in 30 seconds. They just can’t.’ Graham cast Israel as the most reliable ally of the US and emphatically defended the Jewish state as a force for good in the Middle East… 

“While Graham’s comments echoed the staunchly pro-Israel position favored by the Republican Party’s foreign policy establishment, some in the party, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-SC) have called for greater scrutiny of US backing of Israel… Greene… falsely accused Israel of attempting to eradicate the Palestinian population. Greene, a conservative Republican with an extensive history of antisemitic statements, has recently accused Israel of committing a so-called ‘genocide’ in Gaza… In recent weeks, Greene has established herself as a vocal critic of Israel, breaking ranks with the rest of the Republican party…” 

Unexplained Fatalities in the Epstein Orbit

The Drudge Report referred to the following article by the National Enquirer of August 14:

“Jeffrey Epstein’s mysterious death occurred six years ago this month — but the National Enquirer has discovered 22 people in the sketchy billionaire’s orbit have also died under murky circumstances, fueling fears of a cover-up by powerful figures seeking to erase potential witnesses. From the predator’s alleged victims to house managers, lawyers, accountants, investigative journalists and pimps, the list of unexplained fatalities traces a dark money trail that leads straight to Epstein’s inner circle, sources say… 

“Financier Steven Hoffenberg confessed in a final account before his death to the Enquirer’s Doug Montero that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted pedophile’s now-imprisoned recruiting madam, were ‘taping’… videos of sleazy VIPs with underage girls for a cabal of deep-state blackmailing power brokers… 

“Epstein’s final cellmate, Efrain ‘Stone’ Reyes, 51, died of COVID in November 2020 just weeks after talking with federal investigators probing the monstrous moneyman’s death. Reyes was transferred out of Epstein’s cell just one day before the bigwig’s death… 

“Three of Epstein’s outspoken accusers also suspiciously perished. Virginia Giuffre, 41, was found dead on April 25 in an apparent suicide, while sex slaves Carolyn Andriano, 36, and Leigh Skye Patrick, 29, died of drug overdoses in May 2023 and May 2017. The three women are not the only dead bodies related to Epstein’s days in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he was accused of abusing and pimping out dozens of young girls. 

“Despite overwhelming evidence of his purported obscene operation, Epstein received a sweetheart deal orchestrated by the feds in 2008 — and was allowed to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges and served only 13 months in a cushy county jail work-release program. 

“Joe Recarey, the Palm Beach Police detective who led the Epstein investigation and pushed officials for justice, died May 25, 2018, after a brief illness at 50. Epstein’s ex-butler Alfredo Rodriguez — who swiped his former boss’ infamous little black book and offered to sell it to an undercover FBI agent — died in December 2014 of mesothelioma at 60, after serving 13 months in federal prison on obstruction charges… 

“Two high-powered attorneys who helped Epstein skate in the West Palm Beach case have also passed away: Kenneth Starr in September 2022 at 76 after surgical complications and Roy Black, 80, who died last month at home… 

“Marvin Minsky, the MIT artificial intelligence pioneer named in Giuffre’s Epstein allegations, suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage in January 2016 at 88, while Ronald R. Eppinger Sr., a Miami pimp who was allegedly the first to traffic Giuffre, died at 80 in November 2006. Two investigative journalists chasing the Epstein scandal have also met their end. Former NYPD detective and Epstein book author John Connolly passed away in January 2022 at 78…  Celebrity biographer Wendy Leigh’s body was found beneath her London balcony in May 2016. Her death remains questioned as initial reports suggested suicide, but her agent emphasized the 65-year-old’s optimistic view on life… 

“Jean-Luc Brunel, 75, a French modeling agency boss awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking girls to Epstein, was found hanged inside a Paris prison cell in February 2022. Movie producer Steve Bing, 55, plunged from the 27th floor of his L.A. apartment building in June 2020 after talking to the FBI about Epstein. Mark Middleton, 59, an advisor to former President Bill Clinton with ties to Epstein, was found hanged and shot in Arkansas in May 2022 in what was ruled a suicide. 

“Thomas Bowers, 55, a head of the Deutsche Bank wealth management division that moved money for Epstein, was also found hanged inside his California home in November 2019. Epstein pal and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson died in his sleep in September 2023 at 75, and physicist Stephen Hawking, who is known to have visited Epstein’s island, passed away in his U.K. home in March 2018 at 76… 

“The Enquirer can also reveal unusual deaths followed Epstein even before he became a household name. The death toll began 40 years ago, when the since-disgraced mogul began working as a trusted financial advisor for tycoon Les Wexner, the L Brands founder and former owner of lingerie company Victoria’s Secret and fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. Epstein’s predecessor at L Brands, 43-year-old lawyer Arthur Shapiro, was gunned down in March 1985 just weeks before he was expected to be questioned by the IRS about illegal tax shelters… Soon after Shapiro’s death, Epstein took over managing Wexner’s finances. FBI documents mention Shapiro’s unsolved murder and the sex peddler’s possible link to prime suspect Berry L. Kessler. Kessler died at age 84 in 2005 inside a Georgia federal prison after being convicted a decade earlier of masterminding two separate murder-for-hire plots unrelated to Shapiro. 

“Now, Ghislaine Maxwell — the only known living Epstein accomplice currently behind bars — was mysteriously transferred from a Florida penitentiary to a minimum-security facility in Texas that has no surveillance cameras or recordings. Maxwell’s brother Ian exclusively tells the Enquirer that his sister is ‘not suicidal,’ and experts believe the deep-state cabal wants to make sure the last remaining witness is silenced. An insider warns, ‘She’s got a bull’s-eye on her back!’” 

Some of the fatalities mentioned above appear to be rather “natural,” given the old age of those who died. Others however do appear somewhat or very suspicious. 

Mandatory Military Service in Germany? 

Politico wrote on August 14: 

“Germany’s grand coalition is headed for a fight over whether the country’s effort to increase the size of its military should include the option of compulsory military service. The conservative Christian Democrats are sparring with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) within the ruling coalition over the shape of the country’s new military draft law… which is set to be presented in Cabinet on Aug. 27…

“The bill is Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ attempt to address the Bundeswehr’s chronic personnel shortage without fully reintroducing mandatory conscription, which Germany suspended in 2011. Under the proposal, all draft-age men would be required to register and undergo a screening process, but only a targeted number would be called up for service. Women could volunteer… Crucially, compulsory service would only kick in if parliament votes for it in a separate decision.  

“The Christian Democrats want the law to go further by introducing a mandatory service year, which would include compulsory military service as one option, alongside civilian alternatives like work in hospitals or schools. They also reject the idea of requiring a parliamentary vote to trigger conscription in a crisis, a prerequisite in the legislation… Multiple parliamentary advisers told POLITICO they doubt the bill, as drafted, could win the political backing needed to pass.” 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

Trump Repeats Controversial Claim 

The Independent wrote on August 12: 

“President Donald Trump raged against Goldman Sachs, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and even his former Treasury secretary as he defended his global reciprocal tariffs – and continued to promote claims its countries, not consumers, are footing the bill… It has become a long refrain for the president that others pay tariffs, despite the fact that the cost is typically passed on to consumers. 

“Goldman Sachs released a report last week warning that U.S companies ate 64 percent of tariffs and consumers ate 22 percent of tariffs, which contradicts Trump’s claims about tariffs costing consumers. A Yale Budget Lab study found that Trump’s trade war would cost consumers about 1.8 percent more in the short term and the effective tariff rate would be 18.6 percent, the highest since the Great Depression… 

“Last week, Trump’s massive reciprocal tariffs resumed after he had initially paused them. Earlier this week, Trump said that he would once again pause tariffs on China for 90 days.”   

Trump’s repeated claims that consumers don’t have to pay for the tariffs are demonstrably false. Note the next articles as well. 

Consumers Will Have to Pay! 

The National Post wrote on August 8: 

“Last Friday, Trump imposed a 35 per cent tariff on Canadian goods not compliant with the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement, adding to existing high duties on steel, aluminum, autos, and copper… Now, those industries must pass increased costs along to U.S. buyers, pushing prices higher on items ranging from groceries and clothing to cars and farm equipment… 

“‘It definitely is indicative of a weakened economy, an economy that’s not acting in a robust fashion. I’ve all along felt like there’s a lag between tariffs and actual economic downturn,’ Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, told the press this week, adding that retailers have told him they think they will have to raise prices this fall… Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran also warned this week of rising costs for consumers and businesses…. 

“Earlier this year, Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator from Kentucky, also railed against Trump’s tariffs. ‘With so much at stake globally, the last thing we need is to pick fights with the very friends with whom we should be working with to protect against China’s predatory and unfair trade practices,’ he said in a statement.” 

Most Republicans are afraid to oppose Trump publicly, even though they sense the dangers for the 2026 midterm elections. 

Prices Are Up Because of Tariffs, But…? 

Mediaite wrote on August 10: 

“Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) acknowledged that prices were up as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, yet emphasized that it’s ‘for the good of the country’ in a Saturday appearance on Fox Report With Jon Scott.  

“Host Jon Scott asked the congressman… to explain a Fox poll showing only a 55% approval rating for Trump on the economy. ‘I think a lot of people are seeing higher prices,’ said Norman. ‘Our family’s in the construction business, and we get a lot of our timber from Canada and other countries. Yes, it’s higher. Steel prices are up, but it’s for the good of the country.’ ‘Should we expect high prices for a short time? Yes,’ he continued….” 

How about that twisted “logic”?

The Trade War Isn’t Over 

MSN wrote on August 8: 

“Trump, after saying for months that a trade deal with India was imminent, imposed a 25% levy on the longstanding ally, then doubled it less than a week later. The stated reason was purchases of Russian oil, though he didn’t do the same thing to China, an equally heavy buyer… 

“Japanese media reported that their government’s understanding of tariff calculations appears to be very different than the Trump administration’s understanding… 

“The German finance minister reportedly blasted [the] EU deal and set off for Washington to try to renegotiate parts of it, before any of it was even finalized. The Swiss president also went to Washington to deal with her own surprisingly heavy tariffs, and left empty-handed…

“The bottom line: We’re only approaching the end of the beginning.” 

“Next Blow” Against Switzerland: Trump Imposes Tariffs on Gold Bars 

Focus wrote on August 9: 

“As the ‘Financial Times’ reports, gold bars that weigh more than one kilo will in future be subject to tariffs when imported into the USA. These are also at 39 percent, a previous exception no longer applies. One kilo gold bars is the most traded type of gold and make up the majority of Swiss gold imports into the USA… [Now] additional tariffs amounting to 24 billion dollars would be incurred. 

“The country with a population of nine million lives from exports, the USA is the most important market with an 18 percent share last year… Since Thursday, US tariffs have been higher in Switzerland than in almost any other country… The Swiss tech industry association, Swissmem, speaks of a ‘horror scenario’. ‘If this horrendous tariff burden persists, the Swiss tech industry’s export business to the USA will effectively be dead…'” 

Immigration Raids Continue 

Democracy Now wrote on August 11: 

“… immigration raids and arrests continue to terrorize communities across the United States… 

“In Los Angeles, nurse and community activist Amanda Trebach [a US citizen] was released from federal custody this weekend without criminal charges, after she was violently arrested early Friday morning while recording the operations of federal immigration agents in the area… ICE has faced widespread backlash over the arrest of community advocates who have been swept up while documenting raids, including U.S. citizens.” 

How Trump Fights Crime and Homelessness 

The Associated Press wrote on August 11: 

“Trump said Monday he’s taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard in the hopes of reducing crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling in the nation’s capital… He said he was declaring a public safety emergency and his administration would be removing homeless encampments… adding he’d also be ‘getting rid of the slums.’… 

“Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act in an executive order to declare a ‘crime emergency’ so his administration could take over the city’s police force… Trump has emphasized the removal of Washington’s homeless population, though it was unclear where the thousands of people would go… Jesse Rabinowitz, [the campaign and communication director for the National Homelessness Law Center and an] advocate for homeless people, called Trump’s plan ‘fascist’ and a ‘waste’ of resources. He said the move wasn’t about safety… ‘If Donald Trump wanted to keep D.C. safe, he would fund housing and support…’ 

“Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26% compared with this time a year ago.” 

Legalizing Medical Marijuana? 

The New York Post wrote on August 9: 

”President Donald Trump  is reportedly eyeing reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a move that could expand medical marijuana research and ease industry restrictions… Former President Joe Biden was considering such a classification change that would have also made it easier to buy and sell weed before losing last year’s presidential election to Trump… 

“Trump last year backed a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida, which narrowly failed to secure the 60% of voters’ support it needed to pass. Weed has been legal in New York for medical purposes since 2016 and recreational purposes since 2021.” 

The reclassification of medical marijuana has been long overdue.  

Invasion of Flesh-Eating Flies Imminent? 

Ars Technica wrote on August 8: 

“Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims…  

“In Colombia, endemic screwworms have apparently grown bolder in their taste for flesh…  it’s unclear why the fly has suddenly emerged in mountain tapirs, which resemble wild pigs with trunks…”

Meeting in Alaska??? 

The Independent wrote on August 9: 

“President Donald Trump is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska [on August 15]… Critics pointed out that Russia once laid claim to the state of Alaska at the beginning of the 1770s—where they mercilessly exploited Alaskan natives to hunt fur for the Russians—and nationalists have long wanted to take it back. Alaska was purchased from the Russians by the U.S. for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867—the equivalent of between $129 million and $153.5 million today. 

“‘Trump has chosen to host Putin in a part of the former Russian Empire. Wonder if he knows that Russian nationalists claim that losing Alaska, like Ukraine, was a raw deal for Moscow that needs to be corrected,’ said Michael McFaul, a professor of political science at Stanford University and former. U.S. ambassador to Russia. ‘Let’s all hope that Putin doesn’t ask to take Alaska home with him as a souvenir, or Trump might give that away too,’ political commentator David Frum said in a post on X… 

“Trump’s former national security adviser-turned foe, John Bolton, said the move reminded him of a blunder the president allegedly nearly made in his first term. ‘This is not quite as bad as Trump inviting the Taliban to Camp David to talk about the peace negotiations in Afghanistan… it certainly reminds one of that.’… 

“Putin is wanted by the ICC on a warrant dating back to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine… At least 19,000 Ukrainian children are thought to have been kidnapped and taken to Russia since the invasion began in February 2022, although Ukrainian officials say the total is probably far higher… Trump has also publicly blamed Zelensky—rather than Putin – for starting the war.” 

Confusion and Incompetence? 

Bild Online wrote on August 9: 

“Guess work [persists] after the agreement on a Ukraine peace summit between US President Donald Trump (79) and Vladimir Putin (72)… in Alaska. On Thursday it looked as if Trump negotiator Steve Witkoff (68) had made progress in his meeting with Putin… 

“According to BILD information, even before the peace summit on August 15, the Kremlin did not deviate from its maximum demand of wanting to completely dominate the five Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea before the weapons fall silent. The Russian side only brought ‘sectoral ceasefires’ into play- such as the mutual renunciation of attacks against energy facilities or larger cities behind the front. 

“Under no circumstances, however, does Putin want a halt to Russia’s large-scale offensives along the front – even though the USA had proposed largely lifting sanctions against Russia and concluding new economic agreements in return. Trump even brought up a ‘territorial swap’, which stipulates that Russia would be allowed to keep parts of the occupied Donbas in exchange for giving up additional areas (which the Ukrainian president categorically rejected). 

“And even worse: Trump’s special envoy Witkoff is said to have completely misunderstood some of the Russians’ statements and misinterpreted them as concessions from Putin. He misinterpreted a ‘peaceful withdrawal’ of the Ukrainians from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia demanded by Russia as an offer of a ‘peaceful withdrawal’ of the Russians from these regions… 

“… on Thursday evening [there was] a telephone conference between representatives of the US government – including special envoy Witkoff as well as Foreign Minister Marco Rubio (54) and Vice President JD Vance (41) – and the European partners. As BILD learned, the American side was perceived as chaotic and disunited. This was primarily due to Witkoff, whose statements about his conversation with Putin on Wednesday in the Kremlin were perceived as confusing. He himself appeared overwhelmed and incompetent to the Europeans when he spoke about the territorial issues in Ukraine. 

“Apparently there was also disagreement about how to proceed between Witkoff and Rubio, as the Secretary of State emphasized that the Europeans should be involved in the further process, while Vance and Witkoff only wanted to inform Europe about the results of Trump’s further steps.” 

EU Rejects Putin’s and Trump’s Proposal 

The New York Post wrote on August 9: 

“European officials rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calls that Ukraine give up territories annexed during the war — instead demanding Saturday an immediate ceasefire from Moscow and NATO membership for Kyiv. The counter-offer demands rock-solid security guarantees for Ukraine — namely the long-coveted membership in NATO for the war-torn country before any territorial concessions… 

“If Putin were to attack a NATO member it would compel all others member countries to respond with military force — under its defense pact — a move that could ignite a global war. The European plan – put forward by the UK, France, Germany and Ukraine — also proposes that any land exchange must be reciprocal. If Ukraine removes troops from some regions, Russia must pull out of others. And a cease-fire agreement would need to be reached before any other steps are taken… 

“‘The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now,’ French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X…  The Russian ruler had previously called for the total demilitarization of Ukraine and replacement of its current government, as well as more Kyiv-controlled regions to be ceded to Moscow.” 

Zelensky Not on Board 

The New York Times wrote on August 9: 

“President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday flatly rejected the idea that Ukraine could cede land to Russia after President Trump suggested that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia could include ‘some swapping of territories.’ ‘Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,’ Mr. Zelensky said in a video address from his office in Kyiv, several hours after Mr. Trump’s remarks, which appeared to overlook Ukraine’s role in the negotiations. ‘Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,’ Mr. Zelensky said. ‘They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work.’… 

“Because Ukraine holds no Russian land, a swap would mean ceding Ukrainian-controlled territory in return for land currently occupied by Russia. But that approach clashes with a widely held view in Ukraine against surrendering territory to end the war, which left Mr. Zelensky little choice but to reject any land concessions.” 

Putin Can’t Be Trusted 

CNN wrote on August 9: 

“The conditions around Friday’s summit so wildly favor Moscow, it is obvious why Putin leapt at the chance, after months of fake negotiation, and it is hard to see how a deal emerges from the bilateral that does not eviscerate Ukraine. Kyiv and its European allies have reacted with understandable horror at the early ideas of Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, that Ukraine cede the remainders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for a ceasefire… 

“Europe is also wary of mirroring the failure of former UK Foreign Secretary Neville Chamberlain to stand up to Nazi Germany in 1938 – of the worthlessness of a ‘piece of paper’ signed by a Kremlin that has repeatedly agreed to deals in Ukraine and then simply used the pause to regroup before invading again.” 

Putin Does Not Change 

Newsmax wrote on August 11: 

“Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark told Newsmax on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains committed to restoring the old Soviet Union — including taking Ukraine, threatening NATO’s eastern flank, and pulling former Soviet states like Georgia and Moldova back under Moscow’s control… Clark compared the situation to 2014, when Russia took Crimea under President Barack Obama, paused, and then struck again in 2022 under President Joe Biden. He said Putin acts when he senses weakness in the White House… 

“Clark stressed that abandoning Ukraine would be a strategic mistake… Clark also noted that European nations have contributed more to Ukraine’s defense than the U.S., pushing back against critics of American spending. He added the U.S. must remain engaged and strong.” 

JD Vance said this week that the USA was done funding the Ukraine war. 

Trump’s Big Blunder 

Express wrote on August 11: 

“Donald Trump was caught in a major blunder as he held a press conference on Monday… talking about his forthcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin, scheduled to take place on Friday in Alaska. ‘It’s embarrassing for me to be up here,’ he told reporters. ‘I’m going to see Putin. I’m going to Russia on Friday.’ The remarks provoked a social media meltdown, with many unable to resist poking fun at the US President over his huge gaffe… 

“One wrote: ‘The so-called president of the United States thinks that Alaska is in Russia. What an ongoing embarrassment!’… [Another wrote:]  ‘Can you imagine a Fortune 500 chairman talking like this and not being relieved before he fell off the podium?’” 

And they [rightly] made fun of Biden’s gaffes… Some have openly wondered whether Trump might be suffering from the beginning stages of dementia. 

Trump Attacks Zelenskyy Again 

Fox News wrote on August 11: 

“President Donald Trump  took aim at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a press event on Monday over his frustration with the Ukrainian leader’s objection to ‘land swapping.’ ‘… I disagree with what he’s done, very, very severely, disagree. This is a war that should have never happened,’ Trump said, reiterating his belief that the Ukrainian president is in part at fault for Russia’s illegal 2022 invasion. 

“‘I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, “Well, I have to get constitutional approval”’, Trump said. ‘I mean, he’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap, because there’ll be some land swapping going on.’… 

“Zelenskyy – who did not declare war on Russia, as Moscow had already invaded, did declare Martial Law on Feb. 24, 2022 with the approval of Ukraine’s parliament, which gave him presidential powers to mobilize a military response — made clear over the weekend that he objected to Trump’s ‘land swapping’ proposal and has repeatedly said it would require a national referendum under the nation’s constitution–not a unilateral decision by him.” 

Even Fox News had to correct Trump’s claims. 

Ukraine Giving In? 

The Telegraph wrote on August 11: 

“Ukraine could agree to stop fighting and cede territory already held by Russia… Volodymyr Zelensky told European leaders… 

“This would mean freezing the front line where it is and handing Russia de facto control of the territory it occupies in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea.” 

That would be a major defeat for Ukraine and a huge victory for Russia. 

EU Appeals to Trump Not to Give In to Putin 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 12, 2025: 

“EU leaders have appealed to the US leader to defend European security interests and to give Ukraine a say in any agreement. 

“The appeal, signed by all EU leaders, bar Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, comes after Trump said on Monday that both sides would be forced to cede land to end the ongoing conflict. Ukraine and its allies fear that Trump might make territorial concessions to Putin that are tantamount to rewarding the Russian leader for launching his illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion in February 2022.” 

Britain Worried About EU Demands 

The Telegraph wrote on August 12: 

“British [officials] are increasingly concerned about public comments on the future of Ukraine by the likes of Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat. 

“They fear that issuing public demands to the US president may backfire and cause him to cut Europe out of talks altogether.” 

The real “worry” might turn out to be the USA/UK against the EU. 

Teleconference Between EU, Zelenskyy and Trump 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 13: 

“European and Ukrainian leaders have talked with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon. During a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin following a teleconference with Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that any agreement regarding Ukraine must first include a ceasefire. Merz added that a legal recognition of Russian ownership of Ukraine cannot happen. 

“Meanwhile, Zelenskyy stressed that ‘there can be no discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine’ … Zelenskyy added that his country wants strong security guarantees and that US President Donald Trump supports this. He also said that Trump assured him he would contact him after the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss the results and next steps.” 

Die Welt added on August 13: 

“Ukraine is also ready to negotiate territorial issues. However, the so-called contact line [the strip separating the Ukrainian army from Russian-backed fighters] must be the starting point.” 

The Guardian added: 

“Merz says that Trump ‘largely shares’ the European position, and says it was a ‘very good, constructive talk.’… Macron [added that ] US president Donald Trump told European leaders that he ‘wanted to obtain a ceasefire in Ukraine during meeting with Putin.’” 

If Trump “largely shares” the European position, what is it that he does not share? 

Another Proposal? 

The Sun wrote: 

“RUSSIA and the US are considering a West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine to secure a truce, according to reports, as Zelensky and Euro leaders hold emergency talks. 

“The superpowers have discussed using Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as a model for ending the war in Ukraine, sources revealed. This would give Russia military and economic control of the occupied parts of Ukraine, which would run its own governing body.” 

Allegedly, Trump’s special envoy Witkoff supported this proposal. 

Trump’s and Rutte’s Confusion

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 14:

“Trump caused some geographical confusion in the run-up to Friday’s meeting, repeatedly referring to the event set to take place in Alaska as a meeting ‘in Russia’ — even though the US purchased the state from Russia in 1867. Trump then went on to say that he wanted to arrange a ‘land swap’ between Russia and Ukraine. This is a misnomer, however, as Ukraine does not currently control any Russian territory which it could exchange. Its counteroffensive into Russia’s Kursk region, which began in August 2024, is largely over. Ukraine, therefore, has no bargaining chip that would allow it to engage in a land exchange. That’s why Ukraine and its allies fear Trump could be aiming for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia…

“NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte caused a stir on Sunday when he told US broadcaster ABC that a future deal could acknowledge that ‘Russia is controlling de facto, factually some of the territory of Ukraine.’ Would this mean NATO accepting the surrender of Ukrainian territory and thus the redrawing of borders by brute force in its immediate neighborhood? Rutte said the West ‘can never accept that in a legal sense,’ and that only de facto recognition was acceptable.”

Anxiety in Europe

Politico wrote on August 14:

“The prospect of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Alaska meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is, unsurprisingly, causing Ukrainian and European anxiety to rise. It’s a point that was echoed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier this week, who noted he harbored ‘many fears’ about Friday’s summit — although he added he had ‘a lot of hope’ as well, presumably to avoid offending Washington…

“[The] European allies… have been hoping to persuade Trump not to agree to anything over Ukraine’s head. But is there really a chance that Trump can overcome what his former Russia czar Fiona Hill identifies as a ‘deferential’ attitude toward Putin? Or will the former KGB apparatchik advance his agenda to subjugate Ukraine, return it to being a Russian vassal and, by doing so, crack an already brittle Western alliance? With all the preconditions for Alaska being set by Russia — and not by Washington — it seems the latter is more likely…

“The problem is, any withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donetsk and Luhansk would be a military disaster for Ukraine. It would be a surrender of the country’s so-called eastern ‘fortress belt,’ where it has dug in and held Russian forces back for more than a decade, and would assist Russia to strike further west whenever Moscow wants. It would essentially be a Munich moment, with Trump brandishing a piece of paper and declaring peace in our time…

“Indeed, few seasoned observers of the Kremlin believe Putin is serious about giving up his ultimate goal of subjugating Ukraine — a nation he doesn’t believe should exist…”

Merz’s Decision on Gaza Not Made Alone? 

t-online wrote on August 10: 

“Merz’s decision, announced on Friday [to stop sending military equipment to Israel which could be used in Gaza], sparked fierce criticism from parts of the CDU and CSU. The CSU accused the Chancellor of failing to involve them. Merz responded: ‘I didn’t make this decision alone, but at the end of the day, it is a decision for which I alone must take responsibility. And I alone am responsible. But I can’t put it to a democratic vote either.'” 

Excuse me? And who supported him in his decision? Jens Spahn, who once again discreetly remains silent in the background? According to Bild Online from August 11, Spahn made dubious statements: “Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (45), Merz’s most important deputy, spoke as cautiously as possible. He called the Chancellor’s decision against Israel ‘justifiable,’ but made it clear: ‘We are doing everything we can to ensure that German-Israeli relations remain intact, and that Germany can resume deliveries as soon as possible…'” 

Really? 

Can You Still Believe Merz? 

Bild Online wrote on August 9: 

“Does Chancellor Merz actually know what he’s done?… People can have different opinions about the war in Gaza and German weapons. But one thing is certain: Chancellor Merz has reversed a position that he has championed for years with more credibility than almost any other politician. As recently as January, Merz promised that with him as Chancellor, Israel would get everything it needed; this was ‘unmistakably clear.’ Judging by his own statements, the Chancellor has now betrayed his foreign policy convictions.. 

“It is unmistakably clear that even Friedrich Merz’s most sacred promises cannot be believed. Doubts about Merz’s credibility have long existed within his own ranks. Economic policymakers believed Merz when he swore off new debt and promised reforms during the election campaign. Ukraine supporters believed Merz when he vowed to deliver Taurus cruise missiles. Conservatives believed Merz would defend their pro-life positions – instead, he unconditionally supported a judicial candidate with a fundamentally different legal assessment of abortion. 

“The CDU/CSU, like all other parties, has plenty of experience with watering down political positions. But for a chancellor to single-handedly dismantle the core identity of an entire party and silently go on vacation simply shows how little respect he has for the members of parliament who elected him to office…” 

The days of Merz and the coalition are numbered… 

European Chat Control  

Cointelegraph wrote on August 5: 

“A controversial European Union proposal dubbed ‘Chat Control’ is regaining momentum, with 19 out of 27 EU member states reportedly backing the measure. The plan would mandate that messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, must scan every message, photo and video sent by users starting in October, even if end-to-end encryption is in place… 

“Denmark reintroduced the proposal on July 1,  the first day of its EU Council presidency. France, once opposed, is now in favor… Belgium, Hungary, Sweden, Italy and Spain are also in favor, while Germany remains undecided. However, if Berlin joins the majority, a qualified council vote could push the plan through by mid-October… A qualified majority in the EU Council is achieved when two conditions are met. First, at least 55 percent of member states, meaning 15 out of 27, must vote in favor. Second, those countries must represent at least 65% of the EU’s total population… 

“The proposal cites the prevention of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as its justification. However, it would result in… mass surveillance… of messaging and chats and the end of privacy of digital correspondence… Beyond scanning, the package includes mandatory age verification, effectively removing anonymity from messaging platforms… 

“Last month, Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned that France risks societal collapse if it continues down a path of political censorship and regulatory overreach. Durov was arrested in France in August 2024 after being accused of failing to moderate his app to reduce criminality. He also alleged that French intelligence officials approached him earlier this year with requests to censor pro-conservative content ahead of the May 2025 Romanian election, a request he says he refused.” 

Western Propaganda and Hypocrisy 

Israel 365 News wrote on August 8: 

“Recently, Hamas released horrific videos depicting two Israeli hostages… who have now been held in captivity in inhuman conditions for 670 days. One particularly harrowing video shows [one hostage], visibly emaciated, being forced to dig what appears to be his own grave in a Hamas tunnel beneath Gaza. These images evoke painful historical parallels of the Holocaust and the brutal conditions of Nazi concentration camps… 

“The release of these videos followed controversial announcements by world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, declaring their intention to recognize a Palestinian state. Many critics argue that this political move only emboldens Hamas and other terrorist organizations, offering them a dangerous form of legitimacy and encouragement to continue their atrocities.  Certainly, it does not give them reason to moderate, or release the 50 hostages still held in the hell of Gaza’s tunnels. 

“What’s particularly troubling is the moral inconsistency demonstrated by these purported global leaders… Since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, numerous graphic images and videos have surfaced: mass murders of Israeli civilians, women raped, burning and beheading of people while alive, and the abduction of women, children, and Holocaust survivors…  What’s alarming is how shamelessly such evidence of brutality is circulated by terrorist groups, confident that the global media—fixated mainly on a one-sided narrative of Palestinian victimhood—will look the other way. Hamas, like the Nazi regime, relies heavily on propaganda to distort reality and rally support… 

“Western societies must wake up. If people genuinely care about the well-being of Palestinians, they must address the root cause of their suffering: the Islamic regime in Iran. It is the regime’s financing, indoctrination, and exporting of radical Islam that fuel movements like Hamas and perpetuate conflict in the region…” 

Trump Clashes With Netanyahu 

Israel 365 News wrote on August 8: 

“The relationship between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, once characterized by unprecedented warmth and mutual admiration, has taken a dramatic turn as the two leaders reportedly engaged in a heated shouting match over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Citing unnamed sources, the report claimed the phone call devolved into a shouting match. While the White House refused to comment, the Prime Minister’s office claimed it was ‘fake news’. 

“According to NBC News, citing unnamed senior U.S. officials, the dramatic phone call occurred on July 28, following a public dispute over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The conflict began when Netanyahu declared at a public event that ‘there is no starvation in Gaza,’ despite widespread reports of hunger and suffering in the Palestinian enclave. Trump publicly contradicted his former ally the following day during a visit to Scotland, stating he was ‘not particularly convinced’ by Netanyahu’s assurance. The president said there was ‘real starvation’ in Gaza, adding pointedly, ‘You can’t fake that.’ He mentioned seeing images of children in Gaza who ‘look very hungry.’ 

“Angered by Trump’s public contradiction, Netanyahu reportedly demanded a phone call with the president. What followed was described by officials as ‘a direct, mostly one-way conversation about the status of humanitarian aid’ with Trump ‘doing most of the talking.’ During the call, Netanyahu maintained that reports of starvation in Gaza had been ‘fabricated’ by Hamas and that hunger was not widespread in the territory. However, Trump interrupted the Israeli leader and began yelling, according to the NBC report. The president insisted that his aides had shown him proof that children in Gaza were starving and that he didn’t want to hear such evidence dismissed as ‘fake.’” 

Maybe, Trump should have consulted first with his Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. Note the next article. 

Huckabee: Hamas Responsible for “Starvation” 

Breitbart wrote on August 13: 

“U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Breitbart News on Tuesday that Hamas, not Israel, is to blame for whatever food deprivation is being suffered by Palestinian people in Gaza, because it hoards food aid… Huckabee said that while there was hunger in Gaza, Israel was trying to make sure that Palestinians received food aid. Hamas, however, was more concerned with controlling and profiting from aid — and damaging Israel’s image — than it was in helping the Palestinian people whom it purports to represent. 

“He explained:  ‘The simple truth is, Hamas is the one responsible for the starvation, to the degree that there is starvation. I point out that if you look at the people from Hamas, they aren’t starving. These are well-fed people. I even said to Piers Morgan last night on an interview with him, I said, you know, there may be starvation going on in Gaza, but it’s not Hamas. These people don’t need food… I’ll tell you, who’s starving: the [Israeli] hostages are starving. And it really ticks me off when these European leaders like [France’s Emmanuel] Macron and [the UK’s Keir] Starmer, you know, they’re putting all this pressure on Israel to drop food in for people in Gaza, and I want them to maybe put a little pressure on Hamas to start feeding the hostages, and tell them to stop making these hostages dig their own graves, which I find revolting and disgusting. And where’s the condemnation for that?  

“‘If there’s hunger in Gaza, and I believe there is — I’ll be the first to say I think that in pockets, not everywhere, but in pockets, there’s hunger. But the reason is twofold. One, Hamas prevents people from getting to the feeding sites and shoots some of them — and I heard that from the Gazans themselves — but a lot of the food that goes into Gaza is stolen and looted by Hamas, who put it in warehouses, and then they turn around and sell it to people on the black market. Last year, Hamas made $500 million — that’s half a billion dollars — selling the relief food, the humanitarian food. By the United Nations’ own numbers… 88% of the food that they send into Gaza is stolen or looted. I think about that. 88% — that’s a 12% effective success rate and an 88% failure rate.’ 

“Huckabee also faulted the United Nations (UN) for worsening the problem, and effectively helping Hamas: 

“‘… They take billions of dollars of money, and I watch what they do with it, and it’s disgusting, and there should be accountability for it, and I don’t think the US should continue to fund some of these programs and projects they have, as ineffective as they are…’” 

Huckabee has always been a “straight shooter.” His words should not be dismissed or rejected.  

Israel Kills Al Jazeera’s Reporters 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 11: 

“Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera’s reporter Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues were killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City… The Israeli military has claimed that al-Sharif headed a Hamas cell, an allegation Al Jazeera has rejected… Gaza health officials and Al Jazeera said the journalists were killed when an Israeli missile hit a tent near the hospital. An official at Shifa said two other people were also killed… 

“Al-Sharif had worked as a prominent correspondent for Al Jazeera and was previously part of a photography team for the Reuters news agency that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. He was described by the network as ‘one of Gaza’s bravest journalists’ and a vital voice in reporting on the war. His coverage often included interviews with residents directly affected by the fighting, as well as footage from sites immediately after Israeli strikes…

“Germany has pressed Israel for a full and transparent explanation over the killing of Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, ‘Israel is now expected, from our perspective, to explain itself in the most transparent and comprehensible manner possible,’ a spokesperson for the German Foreign Office told the German press agency dpa, while calling the killing of media workers ‘absolutely unacceptable’ under international humanitarian law.”  

The Frankfurter Allgemeine wrote on August 11:

“The German government has called on the Israeli government to explain the killing of six journalists in the Gaza Strip. This is absolutely inadmissible under international humanitarian law, said a spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office. The fact that the case is not clear-cut can be seen in the spokesperson’s postscript: ‘If it happens as it has now, then it is up to the party carrying out such a killing to clearly explain why it was necessary.’ Israel must explain ‘in the most transparent and comprehensible manner possible’ how it can justify the targeted killing of journalists.

“Israel, however, has already done so, according to its own opinion. Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was not a journalist, but the leader of a Hamas terrorist cell, the Israeli army announced. Intelligence information and documents found in Gaza prove that al-Sharif was responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers…

“From a distance, the case is as difficult to assess as the situation in the Gaza Strip itself, which is why one should be cautious about jumping to conclusions…

“Was Anas al-Sharif a journalist or a terrorist? The question of who acts as a neutral reporter and who as a propagandist in Gaza has been raised ever since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, when ‘journalists’ were on the scene, and people wondered how that could be, why they spread Hamas’s terror cheers unfiltered and helped lay the foundation for Hamas propaganda that this was a just liberation struggle…”

Developments like these will only lead to further international outrage towards the state of Israel.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

Job Report Not to Trump’s Liking 

The Daily Mail wrote on August 1: 

“The president is taking out his frustration on Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of labor statistics, who was appointed to the role by former President Joe Biden. He accused her of ‘faking’ jobs numbers before the 2024 election to ‘try and boost Kamala’s chances of victory,’ in a blistering post to Truth Social that did not provide evidence of the stunning accusation… 

“Hiring growth dropped dramatically last month and unemployment ticked up, the latest jobs report released on Friday showed. Non-farm payrolls added 73,000 in July, far lower than the 100,000 expected by analysts. The unemployment rate also ticked up to 4.2 percent. The report also sharply revised down the figures for May and June by a combined 258,000 jobs from the previously released figures. 

“Following the revision June’s total was left at just 14,000 and May’s at 19,000 — effectively flat. Analysts say July’s figure is also likely to be revised lower, possibly into negative territory.

Trump hammered the economist for those revisions, although they are routine in the government’s monthly job reports – sometimes going up, sometimes going down as businesses around the country report on their payrolls. .. The latest figures suggest cracks are in fact starting to show up in the economy, despite a slew of previous better-than-expected economic data released recently… 

“It is just the latest example of Trump demanding that even traditionally independent parts of the government bend to his preferences – although a president who is denied bad information about the unemployment situation would be deprived timely information to change course for their own political benefit.”

“Trump Lies About Labor Statistics Chief” 

The Guardian wrote on August 2: 

“Speaking to reporters on Friday, Donald Trump defended his decision to fire Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of labor statistics, and falsely accused her of having released reports just before the 2024 election that overstated the number of new jobs created by the Biden-Harris administration. Asked by a reporter, ‘Why did you fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics?’ Trump replied: ‘Because I think her numbers were wrong, just like I thought her numbers were wrong before the election.’

“The president then went on to give a wildly inaccurate account of the jobs data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. ‘Days before the election, she came out with these beautiful numbers for Kamala, I guess Biden-Kamala, and she came out with these beautiful numbers trying to get somebody else elected,’ Trump said, entirely misrepresenting the jobs report released on 1 November 2024, four days before the election, which in fact showed the US added just 12,000 jobs over the previous month. 

“At the time, the Trump campaign called the jobs report ‘a catastrophe’ that ‘definitively reveals how badly Kamala Harris broke our economy.’ On Friday, however, the president offered a very different account of that report released just nine months ago. ‘Then, right after the election,’ Trump claimed, ‘she had an 8- or 900,000 dollar [sic] massive reduction, said she made a mistake.’ 

“What Trump was misremembering is a Bureau of Labor Statistics announcement, on 21 August 2024, that updated data showed that there had been 818,000 fewer jobs added in the US in the previous year than it had initially estimated. That downward revision was large, but part of an annual process, in which the bureau updates its initial estimates when it gets better data.

“The same day that revision was announced in 2024, Trump [posted] that the Biden-Harris administration had been ‘caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics’ and the ‘New Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Administration PADDED THE NUMBERS with an extra 818,000 Jobs that DO NOT EXIST, AND NEVER DID.’ On Friday, however, Trump repeatedly insisted that the August revision had not come until after the November election…” 

Express wrote on August 2: 

“Pressure inside the White House has risen once again as Donald Trump erupted, sacking the head of the US statistics agency after they released data about the nation’s weakening jobs market… [despite] zero evidence that any data was tampered with…

“His brash move has triggered concerns for bankers and markets around the world, who believe Trump may now interfere in the publishing of financial stats and reports that decide the prices of a wide variety of assets.” 

This will contribute to America’s economic downfall. 

Trump’s Tariffs Policy Backfires 

The New York Post wrote on August 1, 2025: 

“New cracks emerged in the U.S. economy on Friday after the government reported a significant slowdown in job growth, a sign of the serious and accelerating effects of President Trump’s punishing new tariffs... The jobs data offered only the latest indication that Mr. Trump’s policies, particularly his expanding global trade war, had started to put the squeeze on the economy. Tariffs are taxes on imports, paid by U.S. companies purchasing those goods abroad. Other economic data released this week offered fresh evidence that Mr. Trump’s duties had slowed trade and started to send prices higher… 

“Adding to its challenges, the president late Thursday announced a dramatic widening of his trade war, slapping major new tariffs on dozens of countries that take effect on Aug. 7. Switzerland was stunned by a 39 percent tariff, among the highest. Syria, Laos and Myanmar were handed rates of 40 to 41 percent… Earlier in the week, Mr. Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazil as punishment for its prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, his ally, who is accused of plotting a coup after he lost the last presidential election.”

New Tariff Rates… For Now! 

The New York Post wrote on August 1: 

“Among the notable rates that will be charged at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 7 — rather than on the Friday deadline initially announced by the White House — are 15% for Iceland and Israel, 30% for South Africa, 39% for Switzerland and 20% for Taiwan and Vietnam… 

“The steepest tariff rates will be carried by Syria (41%), Laos and Myanmar (40%), Switzerland (39%) and Iraq and Serbia (35%). The list also denotes a 35% rate on imports from Canada after Trump signed an order upping the current tariff by 10 percentage points.” 

More and more Americans are waking up to the fact that Trump’s economic policies just don’t work and are harmful to America. Note the next article. 

Most Americans Unhappy with Trump 

The Guardian wrote on August 1: 

“Americans are struggling financially, grappling with debt and the rising cost of living, and are blaming the Trump administration and corporate interests for worsening economic outlooks for working families, according to a new poll. Six out of 10 Americans place blame on the Trump administration for driving up their cost of living, according to a poll conducted by Morning Consult for the Century Foundation… 

“Sixty three per cent said Trump had had a negative impact on grocery prices, and 61% said he had had a negative impact on the cost of living. Nearly half, 49%, said the Trump administration had had a negative impact on their finances. Nearly eight out of 10 Americans, including 70% of Republicans, fear that Trump’s tariffs will increase the price of everyday goods. ‘Donald Trump has simultaneously raised prices on everyday goods through a reckless approach to tariffs, a decimation of programs that help Americans afford healthcare, education, food and childcare, and then kneecapping federal regulators who keep banks and other big businesses from swindling consumers,’ said Julie Margetta Morgan, president of the Century Foundation…

“According to the poll, more than six out of 10 Americans said it had become more difficult to find a good paying job, buy a home and afford childcare. More than four out of five Americans, 83% said they were concerned about the cost of groceries, with 46% saying they were very concerned. Some 47% said they were worried about being able to pay their rent or mortgage, 64% said they were worried about affording an unexpected medical expense. 

“About 48% said they believed they would have trouble affording an unexpected $500 bill without borrowing. One in four said it would be ‘very difficult’… Americans also fear things are getting worse economically, with 76% of those polled saying they fear a looming economic recession…” 

These are terrible figures, but sadly, they reflect reality. 

Switzerland Faces Unpredictable Bad-Tempered Trump 

The Guardian wrote on August 4: 

“Switzerland, home to some of the world’s best-known luxury brands, was left stunned after the US president on Friday imposed one of the highest tariff rates [39%] in his global trade reset. Industry associations said tens of thousands of jobs were at risk. 

“Local media had reported that after three months of talks, negotiators believed they had secured a 10% tariff on exports to the US, a key market for Swiss products such as luxury watches, jewelry and chocolate but also machinery and pharmaceuticals. But after a 30-minute call with Keller-Sutter on Thursday evening variously described as ‘bad-tempered’, ‘disastrous’ and ‘badly misjudged’, Trump imposed a levy even higher than the 31% he had announced on his so-called ‘liberation day’ in April… 

“Analysts have said tariffs could still change at any moment because of the unpredictability of the Trump administration…” 

A subsequent meeting between Marco Rubio and Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter in Washington did not result in any changes.

India Not Happy 

Breitbart wrote on August 1: 

“President Donald Trump increased the pressure on [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi on Wednesday by threatening to impose a 25% tariff on Indian imports, plus additional penalties if India continues to do business with Russia… Trump… castigated India for buying the ‘vast majority of their military equipment from Russia,’ and he seemed to accuse the Indians of financing the invasion of Ukraine by purchasing large quantities of Russian oil… 

“In another Truth Social post, Trump appeared to wash his hands of India altogether. ‘I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,’ he grumbled…” 

The New York Times wrote on August 3:

“Indian officials said on Saturday that they would keep purchasing cheap oil from Russia despite a threat of penalties from President Trump, the latest twist in an issue that New Delhi thought it had settled… 

“India has drastically increased its purchases of Russian oil since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine. Russia is now the source of more than one-third of India’s oil imports — up from less than 1 percent before the war. It brings in about two million barrels of crude oil a day, making it the second largest importer of Russian oil, after China.” 

Newsmax wrote on August 4: 

“President Donald Trump said on Monday he will substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil. ‘India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social.”

India will become part of the kings of the East, joining Russia, China and other Far Eastern nations. 

Court of Appeals to Decide on Trump’s Tariffs 

Politico wrote on July 31: 

“Federal appeals court judges on Thursday sharply questioned President Donald Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners under an unprecedented use of emergency powers. Several judges of the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Circuit Court of Appeals repeatedly wondered how Trump could justify the broad tariffs using a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, that presidents have used to set economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign countries — but never previously tariffs… 

“However, the 11 judges vigorously questioned attorneys for the states and the private companies as well… 

“The New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump had exceeded his authority under IEEPA to impose the tariffs and ordered them to be vacated. The Trump administration appealed that ruling to the Federal Circuit, which allowed the government to continue collecting the duties while the case proceeds. The appeals court set a rapid-fire schedule to consider the matter in front of the court’s full 11-member bench, which is made up of eight Democratic appointees, three Republican appointees and no Trump appointees. The lawsuit is expected to end up at the Supreme Court.” 

A decision of the Court of Appeals is expected to be announced in August. 

Focus wrote on August 1: 

“The court could prohibit Trump from pursuing the tariff war. Then the 15 percent tariffs on most goods would also be invalidated [including those against the EU and Germany] … Trump is imposing his tariffs… without parliamentary approval… In parliament, the Republicans hold a narrow majority in both chambers (Senate and House of Representatives). This majority could be enough for Trump to push through his tariffs after all. 

“However, the next elections are scheduled for 2026. Parliament will largely be re-elected. The parliamentarians must already seek re-election. Trump’s tariffs are also rather unpopular among Republican voters. It is possible that some Republican dissidents will oppose Trump… Even if the appeals court rules against Trump, the tariff war is likely to continue to occupy Germany for a long time.” 

Meaning, the relationship between the USA and Germany will continue to deteriorate drastically. 

US-EU Deal Unenforceable 

Politico wrote on July 28: 

“The European Union has admitted it doesn’t have the power to deliver on a promise to invest $600 billion in the United States economy, only hours after making the pledge at landmark trade talks in Scotland. That’s because the cash would come entirely from private sector investment over which Brussels has no authority… ‘It is not something that the EU as a public authority can guarantee. It is something which is based on the intentions of the private companies,’ said one of the senior Commission officials. The Commission has not said it will introduce any incentives to ensure the private sector meets that $600 billion target, nor given a precise timeframe for the investment… 

“The Commission pointed out that the figure would come from private companies, not European taxpayers, contrasting with Japan’s promise to mobilize $550 billion of both public and private investments in the U.S. as part of a recently agreed trade deal.

“But the idea that the private sector can be relied upon to provide that level of investment was met with skepticism… ‘[The EU] is not China, right? So nobody can tell private companies how much they invest in the U.S.’...” 

In addition, all 27 EU member states would have to approve the deal. Some, like France, Hungary and now even Germany have expressed reservations. 

Trump Threatens EU 

The New York Post wrote on August 5: 

“President Trump warned Tuesday that if the European Union fails to deliver on its commitment to invest $600 billion in the US,  he will ramp up tariffs against the 27-nation bloc… ‘Then they pay tariffs of 35%,’ Trump [said] when asked what would happen if the EU doesn’t pony up. ‘They brought down their tariffs, so they paid $600 billion and because of that, I reduced their tariffs from 30% down to 15%,’ the president explained. 

“‘They gave me $600 billion and that’s a gift. … They gave us $600 billion that we can invest in anything we want.’… ‘The details are $600 billion to invest in anything I want. Anything. I can do anything I want with it,’ Trump reiterated when pressed for more specifics…” 

EuroNews wrote on August 5: 

“The European Commission is unable to design and implement investments on behalf of the private sector. The $600 billion has been described by the Commission as an indication based on the executive’s contacts with industry. ‘It’s not something the EU, as a public authority, can guarantee – it’s something based on the intention of private companies,’ a senior official said last week.” 

Euractiv wrote on August 5: 

“An official White House account of the deal also states that the EU has committed to purchase  ‘significant amounts of US military equipment’ – a claim rejected by Brussels.” 

NPR wrote on August 5: 

“Four European countries have agreed to buy $1 billion worth of U.S. weapons and send them to Ukraine… ‘We already have commitments from the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark – over one billion dollars for American weapons that Ukraine will receive…’, Zelenskyy wrote on X.” 

Major Tourist Visa Change 

MSN wrote on August 4: 

“The State Department is proposing a rule requiring some business and tourist visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, a step critics say could put the process out of reach for many… The new visa bond program will take effect on August 20… 

“Under the plan, U.S. consular officers can require a bond from visa applicants who meet certain criteria. This includes nationals of countries with high visa overstay rates, countries with deficient screening and vetting, and those that offer citizenship-by-investment programs, particularly where citizenship is granted without a residency requirement. Visitors subject to the bond will receive it back upon leaving the U.S., naturalizing as a citizen, or in the event of death. If a traveler overstays, however, the bond may be forfeited and used to help cover the costs associated with their removal… 

“Citizens of countries in the Visa Waiver Program are exempt, and consular officers will retain the discretion to waive the bond on a case-by-case basis… The list of affected countries will be published at least 15 days before the program begins and may be updated with similar notice. In the 2020 version of the pilot, countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen were included.” 

Ex-Obama Officials Face Federal Grand Jury Probe 

The New York Post wrote on August 4: 

“The Justice Department is opening a federal grand jury investigation of former Obama administration officials… including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey… 

“Trump and current DNI Tulsi Gabbard have called for a federal probe into the early days of the Russia collusion probe dubbed ‘Crossfire Hurricane’… The president has accused the former officials of a treasonous and seditious conspiracy to undermine his first-term agenda, which ultimately led to more than two years of leaky investigations before special counsel Robert Mueller turned up no evidence of collusion…

“Treason does not have a statute of limitations, but no American has been convicted of that charge since 1949. It’s possible that prosecutors could develop a novel legal theory to revive seemingly expired charges, as performed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last year when he won a 34-count felony conviction against Trump for falsifying business records to conceal 2016 hush money payments.”

Banks Debanked Trump

The New York Post wrote on August 5:

“JPMorgan and Bank of America  ‘debanked’ President Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol Hill melee following pressure from the Biden administration’s banking regulators and the Federal Reserve… sources at the banks — the largest and second-largest in the US in terms of assets — confirmed… threats from President Joe Biden’s bank regulators that banking the former president’s money put them in danger of falling afoul of rules that prohibit financial institutions from doing business with individuals and companies that present a ‘reputational risk.’…

“Trump himself revealed that he was debanked… He said he was denied services at both institutions sometime after his first term ended in January 2021, just weeks after the storming of the Capitol…  First, he said, he was booted by JPMorgan. ‘I had 100s of millions. I had many, many accounts loaded up with cash. I was loaded up with cash, and they told me, “I’m sorry, sir, we can’t have you. You have 20 days to get out.” I said, “You’ve got to be kidding. I’ve been with you for 35, 40 years.”’ Then he was denied services by Bank of America…. 

“Trump and his regulators have sought to end the practice and he’s issuing an executive order imminently to end politically motivated debanking.”

This is really outrageous. Trump’s executive order would be more than overdue. 

Fight Between Republicans and Democrats Intensifies in Texas 

Texas Tribune wrote on August 4: 

“The Texas House voted Monday afternoon to track down and arrest more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who were not present when the chamber gaveled in. After the 85-6 vote, House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he would immediately sign civil warrants for each of the legislators, empowering the chamber’s sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to arrest and bring them to the Capitol. They will not face civil or criminal charges from the arrests. The warrants apply only within state lines, making them largely symbolic as most of the legislators in question decamped to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts to forestall passage of the GOP’s proposed redraw of Texas’ congressional map… 

“The current congressional map, drawn by a Republican-dominated Legislature in 2021, has netted 25 GOP seats in the last two elections. But after pressure from President Donald Trump’s team, Abbott directed lawmakers to redraw the map during the special legislative session, which started July 21. Last week, the House proposed new congressional lines dividing up existing districts in Austin, Houston and Dallas with the aim of netting five more Republican seats… 

“Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement Sunday, accusing Abbott of ‘using an intentionally racist map to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans, all to execute a corrupt political deal.’… The departed House members will face fines of $500 for each day that they miss, as well as the threat of reprimand, censure and expulsion, although that would require a two-thirds vote among members.” 

Newsmax wrote on August 6: 

“Defiant [Democratic] House members remaining absent from the Texas Legislature stand to be fined nearly $400,000, according to the state chamber’s rules… A total of 57 Democrats skipped Monday’s session, bringing the penalties to $28,500.” 

CNN wrote on August 5: 

“For a second day in a row the Texas House failed to reach a quorum as dozens of Democrats have left the state in protest over GOP plans to potentially eliminate five Democratic US House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections… Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would seek court rulings against the Democrats if they don’t return by Friday ‘ensuring that their seats are declared vacant.’…” 

This would be an unprecedented and, legal experts say, likely futile effort requiring individual lawsuits against each member and new elections to fill their seats 

Two US Nuclear Submarines Positioned to Reach Russia 

Express wrote on August 1: 

“The war of words between US President Donald Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, escalated on Friday evening. The American leader announced on the platform Truth Social that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned ‘in appropriate regions’ in light of ‘foolish and inflammatory statements’ coming from Russia… It comes after Medvedev warned Mr Trump to remember Russia has Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort. That came after Mr Trump told Medvedev to ‘watch his words’… 

“[Medvedev] said Mr Trump should remember how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be. This was a reference to a secretive Russian command system designed to launch nuclear missiles if Russia’s leadership were to be taken out in an enemy strike.” 

It won’t come to that. No major war between the USA and Russia, let alone a nuclear war, is prophesied in the Bible. But, a nuclear war between Russia and a German-led Europe IS foretold in Scripture. 

Russia and China Begin War Games 

MSN wrote on August 4: 

“Russia and China are staging mock combat drills and other war games in the Sea of Japan in a sign of strengthening military ties. 

“Though pre-planned, the joint naval exercises that began on Sunday came a day after Donald Trump moved US nuclear submarines closer to Russia in response to inflammatory comments from Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev.”  

Putin Moves Nuclear Bombers Closer to Europe

Express wrote on August 4: 

“Vladimir Putin has moved at least four heavy Tu-95MS nuclear bombers closer to Europe. 

“The strategic aircraft are often used to bomb Ukraine, and Insider UA says they have been loaded with missiles, leading to a ‘high probability’ of an imminent major attack.” 

“Only 16% of Germans Would ‘Definitely’ Fight for Country” 

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 4: 

“Around one in six Germans say they would join the military in the event of a conflict or a call to arms, a new survey… recorded that 16% of participants said they would ‘definitely’ fight, while another 22% said they would ‘probably’ do so. 

“However, 59% said they would ‘probably not’ or definitely not be willing to defend Germany in the event of an attack… More than one in four respondents (27%) said they considered a military attack on Germany within the next five years to be very or somewhat likely. Meanwhile, 59% of respondents said they felt it was likely that Germany would have to provide military assistance to another NATO member.” 

These results make little sense. But these “opinions” are only temporary anyhow.  

Recognizing Palestine? 

The New York Post wrote on August 1: 

“French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this week that their countries would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The first problem with that is ‘Palestine’ is a fictional place. There never was any such thing… 

“What happens when a civil war breaks out? Because the prospects are quite high… The French and Brits should recall that the first thing Gazans did when handed a protostate in 2005 was to destroy over 3,000 greenhouses and modern farming systems that American Jews had purchased for $14 million and handed them, gratis. The second thing they did, though, was put Hamas in charge.

“So, will France and Britain support open elections in this new nation?… What if Hamas, or some other iteration of that organization, wins those elections? Will France and Britain recognize such a state?… 

“Is France or Britain going to disarm Hamas? Is France or Britain going to bring back the more than 50 hostages still being held and tortured in Gaza?…” 

Canada has also declared that they want to recognize a Palestinian state. Germany has said that they are supporting a two-state solution. But a two-state solution is fiction. Israel does not want it, and neither do Hamas and the Palestinians. They want a one-state solution—without Israel. 

Hamas Sabotages Humanitarian Supplies 

Nius wrote on August 2: 

“The German government has increased its concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius stated that despite ‘initial slight progress’ in providing aid to the population, the emergency remains acute. Of particular concern is the systematic diversion of aid supplies by Hamas and other criminal organizations, which are blocking urgently needed aid for the civilian population. 

“According to German security sources, a significant portion of the aid supplies entering the Gaza Strip are stolen by Hamas and other groups. 50 to 100 percent of the aid is intercepted by armed forces or criminal organizations, according to a security insider. Since May 19, a total of 2,010 trucks carrying aid from the United Nations have entered the Gaza Strip. However, official UN figures show that only 260 of these trucks reached their destination. The majority, approximately 1,753 trucks, were forcibly intercepted by armed forces. These goods then often end up on the black market and do not reach the affected civilian population.” 

But it’s easy to blame Israel for this as well. Anti-Semitism is in high gear. 

Prayer on the Temple Mount 

BBC News wrote on August 4: 

“Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and prayed there, violating a decades-old arrangement covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Photos and videos of his visit show Ben-Gvir leading Jewish prayers at the compound, which is known by Jews as the Temple Mount, in occupied East Jerusalem. Praying at the site breaks a long-time arrangement that allows Jews to visit the site but not pray. 

“The Israeli prime minister’s office released a statement saying there had been no change to Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo agreement that allows only Muslim worship there. Jordan, custodian of the site, called Ben-Gvir’s latest visit ‘an unacceptable provocation’. Hamas called it ‘a deepening of the ongoing aggressions against our Palestinian people’, while a spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the visit ‘crossed all red lines’. 

“The site is the holiest place for Jews because it was the site of two Biblical temples. It is the third holiest place for Muslims, who believe it was where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It was captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war… Palestinians… complain that in recent years Jewish visitors have often been seen praying without being stopped by Israeli police. The Waqf, the Islamic endowment which runs the site, said Ben-Gvir was among 1,250 Jews who ascended the compound on Sunday morning. Ben-Gvir, an ultra-nationalist who as national security minister oversees the police, has visited the site before, but the Times of Israel reported this was the first time that he openly prayed at the site. He was flanked by police officers while entering and touring the compound. 

“In a statement at the site, Ben-Gvir said ‘horror’ video of hostages recently released by Hamas, in which they appear emaciated, were aimed at putting pressure on Israel, and called for the hostages’ return. The minister also repeated his call for Israel to occupy the whole of the Gaza Strip (so is Netanyahu) and to encourage what he described as ‘voluntary emigration’ of Palestinians from the territory…” 

Why is it that Muslims are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount, but Jews are not?

More Discrepancies in the Epstein Tale 

The Daily Beast wrote on August 1: 

“A mystery third person was spotted on camera in jailhouse footage from Jeffrey Epstein’s final night alive, a CBS News investigation has revealed. The person, who was not identified or even mentioned in a Department of Justice investigative report, is seen entering a common area near where Epstein’s cell was located just after 4 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2019, two hours before he was found dead. 

“A CBS analysis of footage determined that the guards on duty, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, did not unlock a door to let the unknown person into the Special Housing Unit within the Metropolitan Correctional Center. That reportedly contradicts what Noel told the DOJ, when she said that the opening of the door to the area ‘requires a physical key.’ Without the key, which was supposedly only accessible to Noel and Thomas, it is unclear how the mystery person entered the unit. 

“Footage released by the government this month comes from a security camera that did not have a visual on the entire common area for Epstein’s unit. It recorded the guard’s desk, which was a floor below where Epstein was held, and only a sliver of the staircase that led to the convicted sex offender’s cell block. The limited footage is extremely grainy, making it challenging to analyze movements in the area. 

“CBS notes that the lone security camera with footage—the DOJ says other cameras were broadcast live to a security center, but their footage was lost—did not capture enough of the staircase leading to Epstein’s cell block to say definitively that the mystery person did not approach it. ‘There is no way to know from the video if it indeed was possible for someone to enter the unit and climb the stairs to Epstein’s cell without being seen,’ the network reported…

“White House officials from the administrations of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have said that all evidence points to Epstein’s cause of death being a suicide. Still, debate over whether the alleged sex trafficker died via suicide or was murdered—as his brother, Mark, and many MAGA figures believe—has been widely debated. The CBS analysis includes the expertise of video forensics specialists. They said they saw multiple issues with the government’s conclusions about what went down on Epstein’s final night alive. Among the reported ‘discrepancies’ was a mysterious ‘orange shape’ that was recorded ascending the stairs to where Epstein’s cell was located… 

“Despite the guards on duty being required to check on Epstein every half-hour, as he was on suicide watch and temporarily did not have a cell-mate, the DOJ said no guards checked on him that night. His body was found at breakfast the next morning…” 

at.com reported on August 1: 

“President Donald Trump’s name [as well as the names of other prominent public figures were] redacted ‘numerous times’ in the Jeffrey Epstein files by an FBI team determining which information potentially could be released to the public, according to an explosive report published Friday.” 

It was also revealed that the redaction took place before it was announced that “no further disclosure” of the Epstein files “would be appropriate or warranted” (Common Dreams, August 1). 

Newsmax wrote on August 6: 

“Maxwell… reportedly told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during their interview last month that President Donald Trump never did anything inappropriate in her presence… Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison after being convicted of sexually trafficking minors, further said nothing that could be considered harmful to the president…” 

Her attempt to get a pardon or at least leniency is obvious. 

Kennedy Bans Mercury in Vaccines 

Breitbart wrote on August 2: 

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr…. confirmed the move on Saturday, blasting federal health agencies for allowing a known neurotoxin to be injected into pregnant women and children for decades… Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that thimerosal, a mercury based preservative still found in flu shots given to children and pregnant women, has now been fully banned in the United States… 

“A… study found that this highly toxic mercury remains in the brain for over 27 years. Kennedy cited a CDC-funded 2017 study linking flu shots during pregnancy to miscarriage, which found the odds of miscarriage within 28 days were 7.7 times higher for women who received the vaccine. He also referenced a 2017 study… that reported an elevated risk of autism spectrum disorders in children whose mothers received a flu shot during the first trimester…

“Despite intense pressure and smears from the pharmaceutical industry and its media allies—many of whom labeled him an ‘anti-vaxxer’—Kennedy never backed down. ‘I’ve spent 20 years trying to get mercury out of vaccines,’ he declared… 

“Kennedy framed the decision as the beginning of a reform movement to restore public trust in federal health agencies… He called on global health bodies, particularly the World Health Organization and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, to end the use of mercury-based preservatives in vaccines administered to babies in developing countries… 

“The call comes just weeks after the Gates Foundation pledged $1.6 billion to GAVI, a global vaccine initiative that says it helps immunize children in poor countries. Gates [is] a longtime vaccine advocate and former associate of Jeffrey Epstein…” 

A good and much needed decision by Kennedy. 

Shroud of Turin Was Not Laid on Jesus’ Body 

The Daily Mail reported on August 1: 

“For centuries, devout Christians have flocked to the Italian city of Turin to pay their respects to one of the most famous relics in the world. The Shroud of Turin is a piece of linen, measuring 14ft 5in by 3ft 7in, that bears a faint image of the front and back of a man. Many believe that this image was created when Jesus was wrapped in the venerated shroud shortly after his death on the cross 2,000 years ago. 

“However, according to a new study, the Shroud of Turin was never laid on Jesus’ body. Brazilian 3D designer and researcher Cicero Moraes, an expert in reconstructing historical faces, says that the shroud is nothing more than a ‘masterpiece of Christian art’. Mr Moraes used digital modelling software to examine how cloth drapes over the human body compared to a low, flat sculpture of a body. These results… show that the shroud’s distinctive pattern could only have been produced by a sculpture.” 

Canada’s Shameful and Appalling Hypocrisy 

The New York Post wrote on August 2: 

“According to Canada’s top prosecutors, the only thing worse than tyranny is ‘mischief.’  And the worst possible ‘mischief’ is objecting to tyranny. 

“In a sentencing hearing earlier this week, the Canadian government sought a ludicrous eight-year sentence for Chris Barber, one of the leaders of the Covid ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest that riled Ottawa in early 2022. For another leader, Tamara Lich, the Crown asked for an outlandish seven years. 

“In April, a court ruled that Barbers and Lich were not guilty of obstructing police or intimidation during the demonstrations. But they were convicted of ‘mischief’ — in part because the truckers in the 40-mile convoy honked their horns to protest some of the most oppressive Covid mandates in the world… From the start of the pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acted as if Covid entitled him to absolute power. Anyone who refused to get the approved Covid vaccines was castigated as a public enemy…. Banks were authorized to freeze the personal accounts of anyone suspected of donating to the truckers.  

“The Covid vaccines were catastrophically failing to prevent infections at the same time Trudeau dropped an iron fist on anti-vax protestors. Almost 90% of Canadian adults had been vaccinated by the start of 2022 as Covid cases were soaring… Even though he was vaxxed and boosted, Trudeau himself came down with Covid during the trucker protest. Trudeau pretended that no Canadian had a right not to get injected because he personally proclaimed that the Covid vaccine was safe. But the rushed approval process ignored potential adverse side effects. 

“In January 2024, Canadian federal judge Richard Mosley ruled that Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act had been unreasonable, illegal and unconstitutional. Trudeau’s regulations ‘criminalized the attendance of every single person at those protests regardless of their actions.’  The judge slammed ‘the absence of any objective standard’ for freezing bank accounts, but the court decision provided no relief for any of the victims whose bank accounts were unjustifiably seized or whose freedom and privacy was shredded. 

“America saw similar absolute immunity for politicians who fueled fear and fabricated emergencies to seize absolute power, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s disastrous decree forcing nursing homes to accept Covid patients, President Joe Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate for large private companies and Covid Czar Tony Fauci’s presidential pardon for sending U.S. tax dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology that killed 7 million people worldwide…” 

Appalling, shameful, disgusting, despicable. You name it. 

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

France to Recognize Palestinian State 

JTA wrote on July 25: 

“President Emmanuel Macron says France plans to recognize a Palestinian state during his appearance at the United Nations’ General Assembly in September. The move is ‘consistent with [France’s] historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,’ Macron wrote… The announcement — which appeared in French, English, Arabic and Hebrew — came as a surprise after Macron backed out of a meeting with Saudi Arabia next week, delayed from June, at which Palestinian statehood was expected to be discussed. 

“The announcement is largely symbolic. But it is a powerful symbol, coming as France and other allies have grown frustrated with Israel’s war in Gaza and alarmed by the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there. France is by far the largest and most influential country to recognize a Palestinian state. It also has the largest Jewish population of any country to have done so. [And it is the only known nuclear power in Europe besides the UK.] 

“Israeli officials panned Macron’s announcement. ‘Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. ‘A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launchpad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it.’ 

“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the United States ‘strongly rejects’ Macron’s move. ‘This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,’ Rubio wrote… ‘It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.’ 

“Hamas praised Macron’s move as ‘a positive step in the right direction’… Spain, Norway and Ireland all announced last year they would recognize a Palestinian state, joining roughly 140 other countries that had already done so…”

Trump responded to reporters, “What he says doesn’t matter… that statement doesn’t carry weight.” Germany said it has no plans to recognize Palestinian statehood in the short term. 

Newsmax added on July 25: 

“U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee ridiculed the plan, noting on X that ‘Macron’s unilateral “declaration” of a “Palestinian” state didn’t say WHERE it would be. I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera & the new nation will be called”’Franc-en-Stine”.’ 

“In another post, he wrote: ‘How clever! If Macron can just “declare” the existence of a state perhaps the UK can “declare” France a British colony!’… [Or, perhaps, France could declare Britain a French colony—based on prophecy, this would be more likely to happen.] 

“Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also commended Macron’s announcement as ‘historic’ and called on other countries to his example.” 

Breitbart added on July 25: 

“[Israel’s immigration minister] said that Jews in France are no longer safe and should emigrate to Israel. Many have done so already in recent years, fleeing antisemitism.” 

Sooner or later, the whole world will turn against Israel in favor of the Palestinians. 

Canada and Great Britain to Recognize Palestinian State

MSN wrote on July 31:

“Canada has joined France and Britain in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September as international pressure builds on Israel over the ongoing starvation crisis and war in Gaza. The move leaves the United States increasingly isolated from some of its closest allies on the issue of Israel and how it has conducted its military campaign. US President Donald Trump blasted Canada’s decision, threatening to derail ongoing trade talks with Ottawa.”

Catholic Church Shows Its True Colors 

LifeSiteNews wrote on July 25: 

“The announcement [of France to recognize a Palestinian state] comes on the heels of France — along with 27 other western nations — issuing a joint statement condemning Israel for its ‘drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians’ in Gaza while calling for ‘an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire’ to end its genocidal war…

“In a phone call last week with Abbas, Pope Leo XIV echoed the demand for immediate humanitarian aid to be admitted into the Gaza Strip to feed the starving population while condemning the use of indiscriminate force against civilians and Israel’s U.S. -backed plan to ethnically cleanse the native Palestinian population. 

“He then recalled with the Palestinian president, ‘the auspicious 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on 26 June 2015’ said the Holy See’s statement.

“This commemoration marked one of the milestones in a long list of public expressions of support for the Palestinian cause from Catholic prelates in the Holy Land, the Holy See, and around the world. The unanimous and constant voice of these spiritual leaders has demanded an end to the ‘sin’ of Israel’s ongoing illegal 58-year military occupation of internationally recognized Palestinian territory, which is seen as the ‘root’ aggression of the seemingly perennial conflict.” 

No Ceasefire 

Newsmax wrote on July 25: 

“President Donald Trump accused Hamas on Friday of not wanting to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza… After U.S. and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Trump said that ‘it was too bad. Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die.’… 

“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that ‘together with our U.S. allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace.’’

Of course, one cannot trust or “negotiate” with terrorists.

Israel Halts Attacks on Gaza 

The Guardian wrote on July 27: 

“Israel has said it will halt military operations each day for 10 hours in three areas of Gaza and allow aid to come in through new corridors as it seeks to quell international fury… The pause would be repeated every day from 10am to 8pm local time until further notice and Israel would continue fighting in other areas of Gaza… 

“Israel said the measures were designed to improve the humanitarian situation and ‘refute the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip’, releasing footage of an overnight aid airdrop, that included flour, sugar and canned food. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also carried out airdrops on Sunday afternoon. 

“Israel also said it would establish humanitarian corridors to allow the UN to deliver food and medicine to Gaza…”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on July 29 that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to a Gaza ceasefire. 

Worldwide Persecution of the Jews and the Jewish State 

Israel Today wrote on July 25: 

“Over the past few days, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish feeling has been ratcheted up into an absolute frenzy… On the Greek island of Rhodes, a mob armed with knives attacked a group of Jewish teenagers. About 50 French Jewish children, returning from a summer camp in Spain, were thrown off a flight at Valencia airport after the children sang Hebrew songs, and their tour leader was arrested and thrown to the ground. 

“The BBC’s obsession with demonizing and delegitimizing Israel has reached pathological proportions. This week, it gave pride of place on its flagship radio show Today to ever-more twisted accusations and blood libels casting Israel as an evil and murderous state, including the claim by a British surgeon working in Gaza that the Israel Defense Forces were playing a game in shooting Gazan boys in the food queues by targeting a different part of their body every day. 

“The broadcasting behemoth could scarcely contain its excitement as reporters and interviewees joined in chorusing that ‘a reckoning was coming’ with the imminent end of the war in Gaza, after which Israel’s ‘war crimes’ would be revealed, and the case for declaring a Palestine state was therefore now overwhelming…

“This week, the media published distressing pictures of skeletal children as evidence of starvation in Gaza. But the adults in these pictures were all conspicuously well-fed… 

“There may be increasing hunger in Gaza, but to blame Israel for this is grotesque… 950 trucks have been stuck inside Gaza because the United Nations and its agencies are refusing to distribute the food and other aid they are carrying… That’s because it’s working hand-in-glove with Hamas, which is determined to cause deaths from starvation as a weapon of war, just as it’s used Gaza’s civilians as human shields and cannon fodder…” 

Sadly, the worldwide hatred against Jews and the state of Israel will continue. 

Why a Third Temple? 

Israel 365 News wrote on July 29: 

“This time of year, the Jewish people take on many additional practices to mourn the destruction of the Temple.  Judaism places a tremendous amount of emphasis on having a Temple… 

“When the Jewish nation builds the Temple, God’s presence (“Shechinah”), as it were, rests within it… The return of the Shechinah is promised in the third Temple… the Temple unites the entire nation… At its core, building a Temple is a mitzvah (commandment or good deed). Moreover, it enables the Jewish people to fulfill many additional mitzvot. Over one-third of the 613 mitzvot are dependent on the existence of the Temple… 

“…the Torah emphasizes that the Temple service provides atonement for the sins of both individuals and the nation… The Temple was intended as a spiritual center not just for Jews, but for all nations… 

“The Temple’s rebuilding is central to numerous prophecies… When prophecies are fulfilled, they sanctify God’s name by affirming the truth of His messengers…

“Without the Temple, we risk losing sight of our higher purpose, placing too much value on human achievements while neglecting the divine connection that gives life its deepest meaning. The Temple is not just a building; it is the bridge between heaven and earth, the place where the infinite touches the finite, and where humanity can truly feel the presence of God.” 

A third temple will be built prior to Christ’s return, but it will be polluted by the “man of sin,” sitting in the temple of God and proclaiming to be God.

The Costs of Tariffs

 ABC News wrote on July 25: 

“President Donald Trump’s tariffs cost German auto giant Volkswagen about $1.5 billion over the first half of 2025, the company said on Friday. Sales in North America plunged 16% due primarily to U.S. tariffs, said Volkswagen, which owns a host of brands including Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche. 

“The company warned of further ‘challenges’ that will arise from ‘an environment of political uncertainty, expanding trade restrictions and geopolitical tensions,’ among other factors.

Volkswagen marks the latest in a string of major carmakers to announce billions in tariff-related losses. 

“General Motors on Tuesday said tariffs on cars and auto parts drove $1.1 billion in losses over three months ending in June. A day earlier, Jeep maker Stellantis said it expects to have suffered $2.7 billion in losses over the first half of 2025 due in part to U.S. tariffs. 

“Electric-vehicle maker Tesla this week reported a roughly $3 billion drop in revenue over three months ending in June when compared to the same period a year earlier. In a statement on Wednesday, Tesla touted a ‘strong balance sheet’ but acknowledged a ‘sustained uncertain macroeconomic environment resulting from shifting tariffs.’ 

“Tariffs of 25% on vehicles imported into the United States went into effect on April 2. The auto tariffs, which apply to cars and auto parts, threaten to raise costs for carmakers that often oversee an intricate supply chain snaked between the U.S., Mexico, Canada and beyond… 

“A trade agreement struck between the U.S. and Japan this week dropped auto tariffs from the universal level of 25% to 15%, putting foreign carmakers in other countries at a disadvantage…” 

Trade Deal Between USA and EU? 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 27: 

“The United States and the European Union on Sunday reached a trade deal, ending a months-long standoff… ‘We are agreeing that the tariff straight across, for automobiles and everything else, will be a straight across tariff of 15%,’ according to Trump. Currently, most EU goods face a 10% tariff, with levies of 25% on cars and car parts [as well as on semiconductors and pharmaceutical goods]. But the rate would not apply to steel and aluminum, which are being taxed at 50%.

“Trump also said the bloc had agreed to purchase ‘$750 billion (€638 billion) worth of energy’ from the US, as well as $600 billion more in additional investments. ‘Purchases of US energy products will diversify our sources of supply and contribute to Europe’s energy security. We will replace Russian gas and oil by significant purchases of US LNG, oil and nuclear fuels,’ von der Leyen told reporters… 

“The 15% rate is the same as the one announced with Japan earlier this week. But it marks a significant compromise, especially given that von der Leyen offered a ‘zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods’ when talks began. Still, the EU chief said they agreed ‘zero-for-zero tariffs on a number of strategic products’ including aircraft and aircraft parts, some chemicals, and certain agricultural products. 

“The trade pact will need to be approved by all 27 member states.” 

That will still have to be seen… 

American Blackmail and European Weakness 

ntv wrote on July 27: 

“It was already clear in advance that imports from the EU to the US would be subject to significantly higher tariffs than before the start of Trump’s second term. .. The EU Commission… considers the tariffs unjustified and doubts their compatibility with the rules of the World Trade Organization. That the EU is now accepting a compromise is due to the fact that many member states consider the risks of an escalation of the trade dispute to be more significant than higher tariffs…” 

“That the automotive sector, as well as the steel and aluminum industries, had already suffered from high tariffs in recent months also played a role. The EU’s negotiating position was also weakened by Europe’s dependence on US military capabilities. There were fears that Trump could once again question the NATO pledge of assistance in the event of an escalation of the trade dispute. Given the threats posed by Russia, this was seen as a major risk, especially in eastern EU states. 

“In the economic sphere, however, the EU could have put considerable pressure on the US with retaliatory tariffs…” 

Europe won’t forget this American blackmail and coercion… 

Please view in this regard our in-depth analysis of this situation with many articles not quoted in these Current Events in our new StandingWatch program, titled, “US-EU Trade Deal—Biggest Deal Ever Made, or a Disaster?” 

In addition, please note this article:

Macron Attacks Trade Deal

Express wrote on July 30:

“Emmanuel Macron has ripped into the European Union in an extraordinary rant. The French President fumed at Brussels for failing to agree a better trade tariffs deal with US President Donald Trump.  He said Europe ‘does not see itself sufficiently’ as a global power…

“‘To be free, you have to be feared. We have not been feared enough. There is a greater urgency than ever to accelerate the European agenda for sovereignty and competitiveness.’”

Much Worse Than Imagined—Obama’s “Big Lie” 

Fox News wrote on July 24: 

“Lies and lying people comprise the sorry epitaph of Barack Obama’s presidency. The Big Lie was that then-candidate Donald Trump colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 presidential election. It derived from a phony dossier commissioned and financed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Obama’s national security team happily peddled to destroy his successor… 

“The Russia hoax took off like a rocket. It crash-landed on Wednesday, July 23, when Tulsi Gabbard, the director of National Intelligence, accused Obama, Brennan and others of engineering the false intelligence… Newly declassified documents show that a December 8, 2016, draft of Obama’s Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) debunked the notion of Russian electoral meddling to help Trump. But… FBI Director James Comey and his cohorts reportedly scuttled it… 

“The next day Obama convened a highly confidential meeting at the White House. The president ordered his intelligence cronies to expedite a new ICA that would reverse the PDB’s conclusion and energize the collusion fiction. With his marching orders in hand, Brennan immediately went to work on it… Other intel agencies that typically contribute to the assessment were deliberately excluded to stifle dissent. Evidence shows that Brennan then selected a handful of sycophants — with only one principal drafter — to craft the entire ICA that bore little resemblance to the truth and established facts. On January 6, 2017, the rushed-to-completion ICA was produced… 

“Obama’s dirty fingerprints were all over the cooked-up intelligence claiming that Moscow helped Trump in some grand collusion conspiracy. On Wednesday, Gabbard held a news conference to lift the veil of secrecy and malevolence. She leveled the following broadside: ‘President Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey and others, including their mouthpieces in the media, knowingly lied as they repeated the contrived narrative that was created in this January 2017 intelligence community assessment with high confidence, as though it were fact.’… As ‘irrefutable proof,’ she unlocked the 2020 report of the House Intelligence Committee that had never before been seen publicly, thanks to the machinations of then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who buried it as classified in a limited-access vault at CIA headquarters… 

“The heretofore hidden House Intelligence report reveals how Russian intelligence ‘possessed DNC communications that in 2016 Clinton was suffering from “intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.” Clinton was placed on a daily regimen of “heavy tranquilizers” and while afraid of losing, she remained “obsessed with a thirst for power.”’ Obama and Democrat Party bosses apparently knew all about Clinton’s mental instability and found it ‘extraordinarily alarming.’… 

“In sending a criminal referral for possible prosecution to the Justice Department, Gabbard stated, ‘The evidence that we have found and that we have released directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment.’… Obama denies any wrongdoing. But he should thank Trump for winning the recent landmark Supreme Court decision that provides all presidents with immunity. Ironically, the former president can now hide behind its broad protections. However, no such shield extends to others involved.   

‘It is folly to predict at this stage what prosecutions, if any, the future may hold. But the stain of corruption is already embedded in the epitaph of Obama’s presidency.”

See our recent StandingWatch program on lying politicians, titled, “Politicians, Wars and the Lies of This World” 

Veterans Oppose Deployment of Marines to Assist ICE 

Click Orlando wrote on July 24: 

“Local veterans are speaking out against the deployment of 200 Marines to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida… 

“Alexander McCoy, a Marine Corps veteran who served six years as an embassy guard in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, expressed his unease about the deployment. ‘The U.S. military is for fighting America’s enemies and if we’re using them here in the United States, the implication is that Americans are enemies,’ McCoy said. In response, McCoy drafted an open letter denouncing the use of Marines in ICE operations, stating, ‘We swore an oath to the Constitution, and the law makes clear what the U.S. military is for and not for. Using Marines to participate in ICE operations on U.S. soil dishonors that oath.’… 

“Since issuing the letter, over 200 veterans have added their names in support. Among them is Doug Jackson, a fellow Marine and infantryman who deployed to Iraq in 2007. ‘Marines train for war or they’re going to war, so this is not a mission that Marines want or are trained for,’ Jackson said. He emphasized that opposition is not limited to ‘hysterical, far-left people on the news,’ but represents a genuine concern among service members.” 

Will ICE Raids Backfire?

Politico wrote on July 26: 

“President Donald Trump and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller set a goal of deporting 1 million undocumented immigrants each year — a staggering number that would require a massive expansion of immigration enforcement. Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ delivered just that, throwing roughly $170 billion to the administration’s immigration restriction program, including $45 billion for new detention centers and $30 billion to hire 10,000 new ICE officers. ICE will now become the largest law enforcement agency in the country. 

“Anti-immigration hardliners view it as a major victory. But as ICE transforms into a massive, un-uniformed, masked domestic army — one that critics fear will have carte blanche to arrest, detain and deport persons without cause or due process, whether they enjoy legal status or not — there’s reason to believe it could backfire. Think what you will of the administration’s immigration agenda, but there is little denying that mass deportations on the scale that Trump and Miller envision will necessarily require brute displays of force that may shock the public conscience, even among people who theoretically support the broader goals… 

“The political backlash remains to be seen. It’s not impossible to imagine blue states and cities enacting variations on Personal Liberty Laws, setting off a collision between federal and local authorities… 

“More ominous, still, is the potential for violent reaction. In a country as heavily armed as the United States, where many states allow gunowners to use lethal force when they believe their property or lives to be at stake, it is not impossible to imagine [violent] riots. The protests that rocked Los Angeles this year, while largely disciplined and peaceful, devolved into instances of violence as police clashed with protesters… As the administration’s raids intensify and spread…, the potential for violence will only increase.” 

FCC Approves 8 Billion Dollar Merger 

CNN wrote on July 25: 

“The pending merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media was formally approved by the Trump administration on Thursday, concluding months of regulatory uncertainty. FCC commissioners voted 2-1 along party lines to give the $8 billion deal a green light. The approval means that Skydance CEO David Ellison can complete the deal and take control of Paramount in the coming weeks. 

“The usually lengthy merger review process was pockmarked by allegations of political interference stemming from President Trump’s scathing criticism of Paramount’s CBS News division… the current and future owners of Paramount had made ‘over $36 Million Dollars’ in commitments to him.

“One part is publicly known: On July 1, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million toward Trump’s future presidential library to resolve the president’s legally dubious lawsuit against CBS News… [That’s an understatement. The lawsuit was frivolous from the outset, with no chance of success.] 

“Trump said the future owners of Paramount had also promised millions of dollars worth of public service announcements, which is how he arrived at the $36 million figure…” 

This does not sound too good… 

Why Veteran Journalist Terry Moran Lost His Job 

The Huffington Post wrote on July 25: 

“Former ABC News reporter Terry Moran isn’t letting up on his ‘vicious’ criticism of Stephen Miller more than a month after his ‘world-class hater’ post about Donald Trump and his senior White House aide led to his abrupt exit at the network. Moran… referred to old clips of Miller while arguing that he’s been ‘spitting the same kind of venom and lies’ as he has in the Trump administration. 

“In one video, a 17-year-old Miller said that the torture of Iraqis during the Iraq War is the ‘way to go’ because it’s a ‘celebration of human life and dignity.’ ‘The cruelty is the point,’ said Moran of Miller… ‘Trump sees him as essentially putting kind of some intellectual gloss on his own gut instincts and they work together to bludgeon the country with almost a disheartening and depressing level of cruelty and falsehood every day.’… Moran argued that Miller ‘clearly sees lying as a way of exerting power’… 

“His post [in June]… led to swift outrage from top White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance. He was subsequently suspended by ABC News, which called the post a ‘clear violation’ of the network’s policies. The network would later announce that his contract would not be renewed.”  

Birthright Citizenship—Court of Appeals Rules Against Trump 

Daily Mail wrote on July 24: 

“A federal appeals court delivered a blow to Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, deeming it unconstitutional… The ruling from a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes after Trump’s plan was also blocked by a federal judge in New Hampshire. It brings the issue one step closer to coming back quickly before the Supreme Court… The 2-1 ruling keeps in place a decision from U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle, who blocked Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship… 

“The Supreme Court has…  restricted the power of lower court judges to issue orders that affect the whole country, known as nationwide injunctions. But the 9th Circuit majority found that the case fell under one of the exceptions left open by the justices [a class-action lawsuit]. The case was filed by a group of states who argued that they need a nationwide order to prevent the problems that would be caused by birthright citizenship only being the law in half of the country… 

“Judge Patrick Bumatay, who was appointed by Trump, dissented. He found that the states don’t have the legal right, or standing, to sue… Bumatay did not weigh in on whether ending birthright citizenship would be constitutional.” 

Further Birthright Decisions Against Trump 

The Associated Press wrote on July 25: 

“A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship… 

“U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin [US District Court, District of Massachusetts], joining another district court as well as an appellate panel of judges, found that a nationwide injunction granted to more than a dozen states remains in force under an exception to the Supreme Court ruling. That decision restricted the power of lower-court judges to issue nationwide injunctions…. Sorokin said a patchwork approach to the birthright order would not protect the states in part because a substantial number of people move between states.” 

More and More US Citizens Fleeing USA 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 27: 

“An increasing number of Americans are choosing to leave the United States due to what they perceive as a growing atmosphere of hostility, particularly toward marginalized groups. 

“Traditionally, Mexico has been a popular destination for retirees and digital nomads from the US, but now it’s also attracting individuals who feel threatened because of their political beliefs, sexual orientation or human rights work… For many, Mexico represents not just a geographical escape, but a refuge from what they see as an increasingly intolerant and repressive environment in the United States.’ 

What a terrible development in the “land of the brave and the free.” 

Succeeding Trump? 

The Hill wrote on July 25: 

“… it’s no longer absurdly premature to start talking about succession. And… there are three leading contenders. 

“Vice President JD Vance — seemingly the obvious successor — is clearly positioning himself as heir apparent to Trumpism 2.0: similar themes, better vocabulary, a little more polish and (crucially) a future. 

“Tucker Carlson now also seems to be testing out what it would look like to actually run for office. And Donald Trump Jr. is lurking around the perimeter; the assumption is that his name will carry him somewhere, though it’s not clear where (or even if) anyone would follow him… 

“For the first time in nearly a decade, the right is confronting a future without a clear standard-bearer. And every would-be successor faces the same paradox: To win Trump’s base, you have to sound like Trump. But the more you sound like Trump, the more you remind people you’re not him… 

“Of course, Trump isn’t gone yet. Republicans… could still hold on to Congress in November [although this might be rather doubtful]. Maybe Trump can ultimately find a way to outrun the Epstein controversy and set the terms for the next four years. And, regardless, he could also play a vital role in picking (or sabotaging) whoever inherits his mantle. 

“But that doesn’t change the fact that his era is already ending. The spell is finally starting to wear off. And somewhere, just beneath the surface, it feels like the scramble for 2028 has already begun. The question isn’t whether someone can pick up the torch. It’s whether that person can prevent the flame from being extinguished entirely.” 

Trump will stay in power as long as he is needed to fulfill biblical prophecy. And that might even mean, beyond 2028… 

Trump’s Art of Detraction…Failing or Not? 

Reuters wrote on July 26: 

“President Donald Trump’s super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican’s well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier’s case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown… the president’s right-leaning base… has long believed the government was covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful. 

“A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump’s administration is hiding information about Epstein… 

“Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump’s work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of Republican respondents favored the administration’s immigration workplace raids, while 24% were opposed and 20% unsure….” 

It’s truly shocking how ANYONE can support those raids… 

The Truth According to Trump 

The Huffington Post wrote on July 28: 

“‘You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton, who went to the island 28 times,’ Trump told reporters [just before leaving for Scotland], referring to the notorious private island where Epstein ran an underage sex trafficking ring. ‘I never went to the island.’… The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bondi informed Trump on May he was named multiple times in Epstein’s case documents. On Friday, Trump denied ever being briefed on his name appearing in the Epstein files… 

“Both Trump and Clinton’s names appeared on flight logs from Epstein’s private jets…” 

If not to Epstein’s island, where did Trump go on Epstein’s planes? Flight logs reflect that Trump flew on Epstein’s planes at least eight times. Trump also denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that he allegedly wrote and sent a racy X-rated birthday card to Epstein. He sued the WSJ over this report. As a public figure, he would have to prove that the WSJ had “actual malice”—that they knew that their report was false or that they acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The WSJ has maintained that their report is true. Trump’s lawsuit does not seem to have any chance of success. Also note the next article: 

The Guardian wrote on July 29: 

“Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Jeffrey Epstein…’stole’ Virginia Giuffre and other young female staffers whom he hired away from the president’s Mar-a-Lago country club… 

“Senior White House aides have repeatedly suggested in recent weeks that Trump broke with Epstein in about 2004 and expelled him from the Mar-a-Lago club for inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature… [Virginia Giuffre] was hired away from the Mar-a-Lago spa by Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000, when she was 16… but two years later, Trump spoke highly of Epstein to a reporter.” 

Originally, it was claimed that Trump and Epstein severed their relationship in 2004 over a business deal. Trump and the White House need to get their stories straight.

King Charles Concerned That President Trump Will Break Protocol 

Express wrote on July 28: 

“King Charles is allegedly ‘very concerned’ that US President Donald Trump could launch into a massive rant about immigration during his second state visit to the UK in September…  It comes shortly after the US president sent Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘advice’ about the ongoing small boat crisis.

“While on a private visit to Scotland, Mr Trump warned the Prime Minister that those coming across on dinghies are ‘bad people’, but praised efforts to end crossings. Meanwhile, after arriving in Scotland on Friday, the US politician made headlines after he declared that illegal migration is a ‘horrible invasion’ that is ‘killing Europe.’  

“Now, civil servants have issued warnings that he could break protocol and make politicised comments during his visit to England in a few weeks… ‘He will be appalled by what Trump said on Friday, which seems to be entirely driven by his domestic agenda, and will be very concerned about the possibility of a repeat of Trump’s outburst in September.’…

“… aides fear the US president might give an impromptu interview to the media with political statements, which could put the monarch in a difficult position. They said: ‘If Trump starts sounding off about the evils of immigration to the cameras while the King is standing next to him, the King would find that hard to take.’”

With Trump, everything is possible. 

“Get Ready For a Big Foreign Crisis” 

The Future of Freedom Foundation published the following article on July 22: 

“With President Trump’s MAGA supporters in full rebellion over his refusal to release all the records relating to the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia investigation, get ready for a big crisis in foreign affairs designed to distract attention from the Epstein scandal. 

“It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a ruler engaged in such a strategy. In fact, it’s a time-honored way to get people to set aside their rebellion and instead ‘rally ’round the flag.’ Consider the immortal words of James Madison, the father of the Constitution: ‘The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended.’ 

“Madison was saying that in the old Roman Empire the populace would periodically go into rebellion mode, rebelling against things like exorbitant taxation or monetary debasement at the hands of their rulers. Whenever that would happen, the emperor would simply instigate a war against some scary foreign enemy, which would stir up both fear and patriotism within the populace. People would forget their rebellion in order to be kept safe from the new official enemy with which they were now at war… 

“What might U.S. officials do this time to distract people away from Jeffrey Epstein? The Ukraine-Russia war provides an excellent opportunity to do that. All that needs to be done is furnish Ukraine with long-range missiles that are used to attack Moscow, St. Petersburg, or other big Russian cities. In that case, Russia will be tempted to strike at NATO countries that are providing such missiles… What better way to create a diversion away from Jeffrey Epstein than producing the prospect of all-out nuclear war between the United States and Russia? 

“Of course, there is also China… Ginning up a crisis with nuclear-armed China, say over Taiwan, would be another excellent way to cause people to stop thinking about Epstein. 

“There is also, of course, nuclear-armed North Korea. As we learned in the first Trump administration, it is fairly easy to stir up a crisis with that communist regime. Even if North Korea might not be able to strike the U.S. with its nuclear missiles, it can certainly strike South Korea and Japan. Would that prospect be enough to get people’s minds off Jeffrey Epstein?… 

“Needless to say, Iran is always available whenever a scary official enemy and a big foreign-policy crisis is needed. All that needs to be done is to proclaim that Iran is still producing nuclear weapons and plans to use them against Israel or the United States… A big, scary official enemy and another big foreign crisis that would easily cause all those MAGA people to forget Jeffrey Epstein. 

“One thing is certain: Given the fact that Epstein obviously had very wealthy and very powerful clients — and, more important, given the very real likelihood that Epstein had connections to either Israeli or U.S. intelligence or both — there is no reasonable possibility that Trump is going to order the release of all the federal investigative files in the Epstein case. Will his MAGA supporters simply accept the inevitable and give up? If they don’t, then everyone should prepare himself for the prospect of a big foreign crisis in the near future.” 

The real irony is this: Some of the scenarios described in the article are not only imagined and in need of “creation” by the USA, but they are already very real. This includes an escalation of the Ukraine-Russia war; China’s anticipated invasion of Taiwan; North Korean attacks on South Korea; and Iran’s continuation of the production of nuclear weapons. Another crisis is of course the situation in the Middle East, involving Israel, Hamas and the Gaza Strip. 

Jay Leno’s Advice For Late-Night Comedians 

Fox News wrote on July 27:

“Jay Leno reflected on why he always kept his jokes politically balanced while hosting ‘The Tonight Show’ for over two decades. The 75-year-old comedian recently sat down for an interview with David Trulio, the president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, during which he was questioned about his approach to political humor… 

“‘It was fun to me when I got hate letters [like] “Dear Mr. Leno, you and your Republican friends” and “Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy” — over the same joke,’ Leno recalled. ‘And I go, “Well, that’s good,”’ he said. ‘That’s how you get a whole audience.’ 

“Leno went on to note how late-night comedy has changed amid the current divisive political landscape. ‘Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have [to] give your opinion,’ Leno said… ‘I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group… I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be… 

“‘And I love political humor… but it’s just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other… Funny is funny… It’s funny when someone who’s not….when you make fun of their side and they laugh at it, you know, that’s kind of what I do… why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole [audience]…’” 

Good advice, which applies to left-wing and right-wing “comedians.” 

Ukraine a Corrupt Dictatorship? 

Politico wrote on July 24: 

“As a democratic state, Ukraine is under assault from two sources. Its first and most obvious adversary is Moscow, which has long wanted to return the country to the days of being a Kremlin plaything, a mere Russian satellite. But arguably there’s another insidious and corrosive adversary from within — the country’s own semi-autocratic leadership. This is what opposition lawmakers and civil society activists have been arguing for months, as Ukraine’s presidential administration has been grabbing more power, weakening other governing and regional institutions — including the country’s parliament — while also intimidating critics in a bid to silence them with hue-and-cry campaigns or by labeling them as Russian stooges. 

“They say the extent of this democratic backsliding became clearer this week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gutted Ukraine’s two key anti-corruption agencies which had been zeroing in on top government officials. The move prompted the first country-wide street protests since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. 

“In Kyiv, hundreds of protesters gathered near the presidential complex while crowds of veterans, active-duty soldiers and civilians gathered in dozens of other towns… Despite the rallies, Zelenskyy approved the new law, which will hand substantial authority over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) to the politically appointed prosecutor general… 

“With public and EU pressure mounting on Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader appeared to offer a concession Wednesday night, saying in his regular evening address that he will advance new legislation responding to protest demands that will ensure ‘all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place.’ What he meant remains unclear and hasn’t quelled public anger over a law he signed in such haste.  

“The two agencies in question came into being in 2015 at the insistence of the EU and other international partners, including the administration of then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Washington and Brussels wanted to see Ukraine genuinely combat its deep-rooted and endemic corruption problem, and pressed for the establishment of anti-graft bodies independent of the government, ones that would be powerful enough to probe wrongdoing by top officials and those with political connections. 

“But Law No. 12414, which Zelenskyy quickly signed after it was rushed through the Verkhovna Rada with almost unprecedented haste, now strips both NABU and SAP of that independence. Instead, it grants the prosecutor general’s office the power to issue orders to these agencies and reassign cases to their own prosecutor, in effect dismantling the safeguards that protect those bodies from undue political meddling… 

“For months [EU officials and diplomats have] been complaining bitterly — though always in private — about the Ukrainian president’s democratic backsliding. They’ve been unhappy with the purges and reshuffles that have seen the departure of more independent-minded ministers and officials from government… 

“Posting on social media before the new law’s approval, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the situation would hurt Ukraine’s accession negotiations. ‘Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine’s EU path,’ she wrote. Meanwhile, the ambassadors of G7 nations in Kyiv issued a joint statement expressing their ‘serious concerns.’… 

“So why are EU officials only now publicly expressing their worries about this monopolization of power? In part it’s because the move on the anti-corruption agencies was so blatant. According to both public record and anti-graft officials who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, NABU had opened probes into the dealings of presidential office insiders and ministers. Added to which, the presidential administration had started going after anti-corruption activists like Vitaly Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center NGO. Shabunin warned on social media: ‘Zelensky’s prosecutor general will stop investigations against all the president’s friends.’ 

“The fierceness of the public response likely caught the EU’s attention as well. The Kyiv Independent, an English-language media outlet read closely in Brussels, headlined its sharply critical editorial: ‘Zelensky just betrayed Ukraine’s democracy.’” 

The Kyiv Independent also wrote on July 25: 

“Lawmakers, experts, and activists say that over the past week, Ukraine has made a leap towards authoritarianism and lawlessness.” 

Huge Earthquake Off Russia

Reuters wrote on July 30:

“The 8.8 magnitude quake off Russia that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific occurred on what is known as a “megathrust fault”, where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, scientists said. The Pacific Plate has been on the move, making the Kamchatka Peninsula area off Russia’s Far East coast where it struck especially vulnerable to such tremors…

“With its epicentre near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, it was the biggest earthquake since the devastating Tohuku event in 2011… The 8.8 magnitude event on Wednesday came less than two weeks after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the same area, which has now been identified as a ‘foreshock’.”

Radioactive Animals

The Independent wrote on July 30:

“A terrifying discovery was made at a nuclear facility in South Carolina: radioactive wasps…

“There are other examples of nuclear activity affecting the animal world, from German forests and Japanese mountains to the Enewetak Atoll between Australia and Hawaii. Large parts of the radioactive contamination across the world came after superpowers conducted tests as they raced to create devastating weapons during the 20th century. For instance, the U.S. tested nuclear weapons on Enewetak Atoll between 1948 and 1958, leading to sea turtles becoming radioactive in the surrounding waters. After the test, the U.S. buried the waste in a concrete tomb that has started to leak…

“Wild boars in the forests of Bavaria, at times, have high levels of radiation, with scientists long believing that it stemmed from the 1986 nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl, Ukraine. However…, 68 percent of the contamination in boars in the area stemmed from global nuclear testing. The boars became contaminated after eating truffles, which had absorbed radiation from nuclear fallout that had settled in the ground.

“Norwegian reindeer were contaminated after Chernobyl, after the fallout was blown northwest, later falling as rain…. Europe is heavily contaminated by Chernobyl…”

And so man continues to destroy the environment, including the animal world. 

Britain EU’s Cash Cow? 

Express wrote on July 25: 

“Eurocrats are preparing to treat Britain as a ‘cash cow’ under a controversial £130 billion EU defence fund, with a Brussels insider claiming the bloc sees Sir Keir Starmer as a ‘pushover’ rather than a genuine partner. The warning comes as the Prime Minister prepares to negotiate UK participation in the Security and Action for Europe (SAFE) fund—part of the EU’s wider £700 billion effort to rearm itself… 

“The SAFE fund, expected to launch formally this summer, will offer low-interest loans to member states for joint procurement of weapons, ammunition, and defence systems. While British companies would theoretically be eligible to bid for contracts, the EU has made it clear that access will not come free—and that non-member countries like the UK will have to pay for the privilege. Under the proposed terms, any British firm awarded a SAFE-backed contract would trigger an obligation for the UK Government to contribute an equivalent share back into the fund. 

“That contribution would effectively subsidise the rest of the scheme without granting Britain… any voting rights over how the money is spent. Frank Furedi, Executive Director of the think tank MCC Brussels, warned: ‘EU powerbrokers see Starmer as a pushover—desperate for approval and ready to sell out British interests to curry favour in Brussels. They view the UK not as a partner, but as a cash cow—ripe for exploitation… And they’re counting on him to hand over billions just for the “honour” of joining their EU Defence Fund, plugging their financial holes at Britain’s taxpayer’s expense.’” 

Starmer’s wish to return to the EU will not work out… 

Friedrich Merz’s Fateful Summer 

Nius wrote on July 25: 

“… the problems of the Merz government… could plunge the entire country into a [dramatic] crisis because the CDU/CSU and SPD lack a common project, speak different political languages, and have to compete with each other almost daily. 

“And yet, Friedrich Merz’s popularity ratings… at an all-time low (32 percent satisfied, 64 percent dissatisfied) are the smallest of the problems. Less than a hundred days after the change of government, the CDU/CSU and AfD are hovering around the 25 percent mark in the polls, the SPD is sinking toward the 10 percent mark, and there is little indication that things will improve anytime soon. It is Friedrich Merz’s fateful summer!… 

“Merz is running up billions in debt, but wants to prohibit the EU from doing the same. Merz’s billions for Ukraine and the arms purchases from the US for Kyiv are not easy to explain everywhere in the country and are only moderately popular… 

“Merz’s perception that if this government fails to deliver and convince the people of the centrist parties, future majorities without the AfD might no longer be possible, and the country might be headed for a bleak future, may be shared or not… The fact is… that the potential of those who could imagine voting for the AfD has grown continuously in recent years and is currently measured at 33 percent… 

“In a remarkable in-depth analysis, Allensbach head Renate Köcher recently showed that reservations about Alice Weidel’s [AfD] party are also diminishing because more and more people in their circles know AfD supporters and do not perceive them as a threat. 80 percent of AfD voters, Köcher writes, do so to send a protest signal that they are dissatisfied with the current political course. 

“But precisely on this, the government of Friedrich Merz, due to its internal paralysis and external distancing from the AfD, cannot send a political signal and persuade protest voters to change their minds… 

“The Merz government’s classic 100-day deadline expires, according to the German Press Agency, exactly on August 13th, the day the Wall was built. Some believe the ‘firewall’ could become for the Union what the inner-German Wall was for the GDR…”

Germany’s current coalition government is doomed… sooner or later…

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

“UN Calls For Immediate End to Afghan Deportations” 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 18: 

“Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, called for all countries to immediately end deportations to Afghanistan on Friday… His statement came just hours after Germany deported what it said were 81 criminals to Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Islamist Taliban… 

“Though many countries halted deportations when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, many have now resumed deportations. According to the UN, Iran alone deported more than 500,000 Afghans in June. More than 1.9 million Afghans have been returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan since January 1… 

“[German Chancellor] Friedrich Merz… made tougher migration policy a key pillar of his February election campaign.” 

Merz might be trying to imitate Trump. He will fail in this. 

“Merz: Israel’s Approach to Gaza ‘No Longer Acceptable’” 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 18: 

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took the unusual step of criticizing Israel on Friday. Merz, speaking at an annual summer press conference, said Israel’s approach to Gaza is ‘no longer acceptable.’ 

“The chancellor called for an immediate ceasefire in the beleaguered enclave as the death toll there surpassed 58,000 this week. He also called for more humanitarian assistance for those in Gaza — something that has been gravely hampered by Israel’s decision to boot all international aid programs out of Gaza in favor of the highly controversial US-run and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which critics have called a cynical death trap for desperate Gazans seeking to find food for their families. 

“Merz also noted that his government ‘does not support’ Israel’s settlement policy, adding that he clearly expressed that sentiment in his calls with Netanyahu.” 

The rift between Europe, including Germany, and Israel will get wider and deeper. 

Pope Leo Calls For Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza 

The Associated Press wrote on July 20: 

“Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza… Leo also expressed his ‘deep sorrow’ for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest… The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating… 

“‘The world no longer tolerates war,’ Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral. Asked about his phone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leo said, ‘We insisted on the need to protect the sacred places of all religions.’” 

No Ceasefire In Sight 

In an accompanying article, the Associated Press wrote on July 20: 

“The Israeli military published new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza on Sunday, in one of the few areas where the military has rarely operated with ground troops… The announcement comes as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs… 

“Also on Sunday, 65 Palestinians were killed, many while attempting to seek aid, according to local hospitals… It is unclear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both… 

“Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Hamas triggered the 21-month war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive. 

“Israel’s military offensive that followed has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many militants are among the dead but says more than half of the dead have been women and children… 

“The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization that represents many of the families of hostages, condemned the evacuation announcement and demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military explain what they hope to accomplish in the area of central Gaza, accusing Israel of operating without a clear war plan… On Saturday night, during the weekly protest, tens of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv to the branch of the U.S. Embassy, demonstrating for an end to the war… Israeli bombardments continued to pound the Gaza Strip overnight. Large explosions in northern Gaza were visible from Israel as plumes of fire shot into the sky.” 

Even though Trump has not publicly rebuked Netanyahu, it was reported that six White House officials openly criticized him, allegedly stating, “Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time… This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.”… “Netanyahu is sometimes like a child who just won’t behave.” 

Further, Trump allegedly called Netanyahu to demand an explanation for the shelling of the Catholic Church in Gaza. 

It was also reported that “US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has threatened to publicly declare that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel over what he said was Jerusalem’s failure to approve tourist visas for evangelical missions” (The Times of Israel, dated July 18). However, unconfirmed reports suggested on July 20 that the matter had been “resolved” (Jewish Insider). 

Erdogan Attacks Israel (Again) 

Times of Israel wrote on July 18: 

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for expanding into the war-torn country. ‘Israel, using the Druze as an excuse, has been expanding its banditry into neighboring Syria over the past two days,’ Erdogan says in a televised speech after the weekly cabinet meeting, calling Israel a ‘terror state.’ 

“Erdogan says Turkey will not allow Syria to be divided or its multicultural structure and territorial integrity harmed, after Israel’s actions allegedly sought to ‘sabotage’ a ceasefire in the country.” 

But others did too. Note the next article. 

Ynet wrote on July 17: 

“Foreign ministers of Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt issued a joint statement, saying they ‘support Syria’s security, unity, stability and sovereignty – and reject any foreign interference in its affairs.’… 

“Additionally, the ministers condemned Israel’s attacks in Syria.” 

In June, Trump had terminated the Syrian sanctions program. 

Not Totally Destroyed? 

The National Security Journal wrote on July 14: 

“In mid-June, after weeks of bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites by Israel, the U.S. carried out strikes of its own, using B-2 bombers to deliver bunker-buster bombs to the Fordow nuclear site and other locations throughout Iran. 

“The attacks took place, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire soon after, and the strikes did not lead to a wider or protracted war in the Middle East or any oil shock or other economic calamity, as many had feared. But while some in the West had hoped that the strikes would imperil the future of the Iranian regime, that doesn’t appear to have happened, either. 

“There have been bitter debates over whether or not President Donald Trump’s insistence that the nuclear sites had been ‘obliterated’ was true, but the president is now talking about the circumstances under which another attack could be necessary…. Trump… told Netanyahu that he ‘favored a diplomatic settlement with Tehran,’ but ‘didn’t otherwise object’ to Israel’s view of the situation. 

“… In addition, the [Wall Street Journal] quoted a senior Israeli official as stating that Israel ‘wouldn’t necessarily seek explicit American approval to resume strikes on Iran,’ although Trump would likely pressure the Israelis to commit to the diplomatic track. And despite Trump’s assurances about ‘obliteration,’ ‘Israel has concluded that some of Tehran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium at Isfahan survived last month’s attacks and that with considerable effort Iran could recover some of the fissile material from that site,’ the Journal said.” 

The claim that Iran’s nuclear sites had been “obliterated” was dubious from the outset. 

50 Days Delay 

CNN wrote on July 15: 

“President Trump has effectively handed Vladimir Putin an extraordinary green light: 50 days to finish off his brutal summer offensive in Ukraine before facing any consequences.

Only if there is no deal to end the war by the end of that period, in early September, would the threatened 100 percent tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions on Russian trading partners kick in. That must seem like an eternity for millions of sleepless Ukrainians now enduring an escalating Russian onslaught of deadly missile and mass drone strikes on their towns and cities… 

“… in Moscow, officials are already quietly breathing a sigh of relief. After all, it could have been much worse for them. Sanctions could have been immediate, if President Trump had wanted, or much higher – such as the 500 percent tariff rate being proposed in a bi-partisan bill in the US Senate. Not that a renewed threat of sanctions is certain to alter the Kremlin’s course in Ukraine. Far from it… Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia would be able to deal with further sanctions should Trump follow through with his threats.” 

The New York Post agreed, writing on July 17: 

“… why give the Russian strongman yet another chance, this one to last 50 days? That’s just 50 days of additional bloodshed… Indeed, within hours of Trump’s threat, Moscow launched more massive attacks on Ukraine — including, notably, on civilian sites, like a shopping center and energy infrastructure. 

“… the 50-day grace period gives Russia an incentive to ratchet up the killing and seize as much of Ukraine as possible before the deadline. Meanwhile, many — on both sides — will die during those seven weeks, for no good reason, before Russia feels any fresh pain…  there’s little logic in waiting.” 

Tricked and Outsmarted? 

Bild Online wrote on July 18: 

“It was the great hope against Putin’s missiles: On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that he would supply weapons to Ukraine, and the Europeans would only have to pay for them. Now it’s clear: Germany not only has to pay up – it also has to supply them itself. And yet the Bundeswehr already lacks air defense. 

“The Ukrainians urgently need air defense to defend themselves against missile and drone terror from Russia. The plan: Ukraine will receive additional Patriot systems. Germany wanted to cover the cost of two units (two billion euros)… But now it turns out: Germany will not only pay, but will probably have to send Bundeswehr air defense itself because Trump doesn’t want to give up its own weapons. 

“…The idea was actually that the Americans would supply Ukraine from their own stocks and that Germany would cover the costs of reordering. But then Trump insisted that the US military could not give up any of its air defense. Europe would have to procure the air defense system from its own stocks… The fact that Germany is paying for the weapons for Ukraine is not enough. Europe must also make cuts in its depots and can only reorder replacements from the American arms industry… [A new] Patriot system is still being completed by the US arms company Raytheon and is not expected to be ready for at least six to eight months. 

“In order to help Kyiv more quickly, BILD reports that it is being examined whether Germany will (once again) step in. And transfer another Bundeswehr Patriot unit to Ukraine. The replacement would then have to be ordered from Raytheon, and delivery would take years. However, the Bundeswehr already lacks air defense. At the beginning of the Ukraine war, the troops had twelve Patriot systems to protect our country against air attacks. Three units have already been transferred to Ukraine. Two systems are in use in Poland to secure the airport through which NATO flies all weapons for Ukraine. According to BILD reports from the Bundeswehr, three systems are currently being updated and are therefore not currently operational. At least one system is needed for soldier training. 

“This means that a maximum of three units are currently available for domestic air defense. If another system is transferred, that would leave two. The situation will not improve for several years. The previous ‘traffic light’ government ordered eight Patriot systems. The first is scheduled to arrive at the Air Force at the end of 2026, and the remaining ones by 2029.” 

Merz was maneuvered into accepting this “deal.” Germans are not happy. 

Most Germans Oppose Ban of AfD 

Breitbart wrote on July 23:

“A majority of Germans oppose efforts to ban the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, with many believing that it is merely an attempt by the Berlin establishment to sideline its opposition.

“In May, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s political spy agency, under the direction of then-far-left Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, ruled that the AfD is a ‘right-wing extremist’ organisation. While the classification is currently under legal challenge, if upheld, it would allow for state surveillance of the party and potentially clear the way for the government to ban the party to supposedly protect German democracy…

“The survey follows warnings from Professor Andreas Rödder of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who cautioned last week that banning the country’s second-largest party could fundamentally undermine faith in German democracy. The professor said that ‘a ban’… would be a ‘sure path to civil war’.

“The justification for a ban of the party has also come into question, including from the former head of the same BfV political intelligence agency, which classified the party as an extremist organisation. Former Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution chief Hans-Georg Maaßen said last month that the classification was likely a result of political pressure from the then-left-wing government and the Antifa-tied former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, to whom the agency reported at the time of the ruling.

“‘This is a clear case of using domestic intelligence services to suppress opposition,’ Maaßen said, adding that the ‘BfV has been weaponised to attack political rivals in an unscrupulous way. This damages its public reputation and undermines its core mission.’ The ex-spy chief also questioned the evidence used by his former agency…” 

According to the newest polls, the AfD has now become as popular as Chancellor Merz’s CDU party. 

Alleged Birthday Letter From Trump to Epstein Surfaces 

Daily Mail wrote on July 17: 

“President Donald Trump sent a salacious birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein that included a risqué hand-drawn picture of a naked woman with a cryptic message inside, according to a new report. Trump has furiously denied the allegations published in The Wall Street Journal that he took part in a 50th birthday album organized for the disgraced billionaire by his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.  The birthday letter included what appears to be Trump’s famous signature and was obtained by the WSJ…. [According to the Independent, dated July 18, “Trump is accused of writing a cryptic note that made mention of a ‘wonderful secret’ in his note to the disgraced financier.”] 

“Trump categorically denied any involvement in the drawing or writing of the text. ‘This is not me,’ he said. ‘This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story. ‘I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words… not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures…  I told Rupert Murdoch [owner of WSJ] it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his a… off, and that of his third rate newspaper.’ 

“Although Trump claimed he ‘never wrote a picture in my life’, several sketches he made of New York City landmarks as early as 2004 are readily available online. 

“In a separate post, he called on Attorney General Pam Bondi [after the WSJ story broke] to seek the court’s approval to release [some evidence]. ‘Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!’… 

“There is no evidence former Democratic officials tampered with the documents or played any role in promoting conspiracies about the files, which members of Trump’s administration stoked for years.” 

It is also unclear “whether the move will be enough to quell the calls from Trump’s supporters to release the entirety of the so-called Epstein files, given the grand jury transcripts [and only “pertinent” testimony] represent a small portion of the evidence collected” (CNN, dated July 18). 

Fox News added on July 18: 

“Before joining the Trump administration, [Attorney General Pam] Bondi was among the staunchest advocates for releasing the Epstein list, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity in 2024: ‘It should have come out a long time ago.’” 

So said many other Republicans, including  Donald Trump Jr. 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 23:

“Trump was informed months ago by Pam Bondi that his name appears ‘multiple times’ [‘more than previously thought’] in the Jeffrey Epstein files the same day she recommended against releasing all documents… because they contained child pornography and personal information for victims…”

Never Drawn Pictures?

Mediaite wrote on July 17: 

“Several drawings made by President Donald Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s resurfaced on Thursday after the president claimed to have ‘never wrote a picture in my life.’.. Trump has sketched a number of drawings over the years, including a drawing of the Manhattan skyline dated 2004 – just one year after he is accused of drawing the naked woman for Epstein. The 2004 Manhattan drawing was reportedly sketched by Trump for a charity art sale before being put up for auction again in 2019… 

“Trump sketched another drawing of the Manhattan skyline in 2005, this time for another charity auction. It was put up for auction again in 2017. These sketches from the early to mid-2000s were reportedly drawn with Sharpie markers. 

“Yet another sketch – this one displaying the Empire State Building – was produced by Trump for a charity auction in 1995, where it sold for less than $100. It was sold again at auction in 2017 for $16,000. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump’s alleged 2003 letter to Epstein ‘contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker…” 

According to the Independent, dated July 18, “At least five sketches from the late 1990s and early 2000s have been sold at auction,” including the “Money Tree Drawing.” The article also said: “In his 2010 book Trump Never Give Up, the president boasted, ‘Each year I donate an autographed doodle to the Doodle for Hunger auction at Tavern on the Green… Art may not be my strong point,’ he admitted.” 

… and the Truth will find you out… 

Trump Letter a Fabrication? 

Politico wrote on July 17: 

“President Donald Trump’s allies rushed to dismiss a report that he sent a salacious birthday letter to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein… ‘Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter [BS],’ Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. ‘The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?… 

“Even Elon Musk… said the letter ‘really doesn’t sound like something Trump would say’ and ‘sounds bogus.’ Other high-profile MAGA figures and far-right activists… deemed the letter… a fabrication.” 

Speaker Mike Johnson also rushed to Trump’s defense. Paradoxically, the publication of the alleged letter might have united many MEGA supporters in defense of Trump. Steve Bannon told CNN on July 18 that “he believed the story had united a base that had been showing signs of fraying.” 

It has been said that the WSJ would have never published the article if they hadn’t been absolutely certain that the Trump letter was legit. 

JD Vance’s Head-Spinning Reversal 

The Independent wrote on July 18: 

“When he was a best-selling author with designs on running in Ohio’s Senate race four years ago, JD Vance was one of the multitudes of Republican figures who assailed the mainstream press for not giving enough attention to multimillionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Now, as Donald Trump’s vice president, Vance would prefer Epstein stay out of the headlines… 

“Vance’s admonishment represents a head-spinning reversal from the attitude he expressed in December 2021, when he wrote on the same platform (then known as Twitter) to ask what interest the U.S. government would have in ‘keeping Epstein’s clients secret.’ He also shared a post by conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec alleging that the government had made a deal with Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, purportedly to keep a ‘little black book’ of her and Epstein’s contacts from being made public. 

“Continuing, he said: ‘If you’re a journalist and you’re not asking questions about this case you should be ashamed of yourself.’” 

Trump Sues WSJ 

Business Insider wrote on July 18: 

“President Donald Trump has made good on his pledge to sue over The Wall Street Journal’s Thursday report that Trump wrote a ‘bawdy’ letter to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday [in 2003]. Trump on Friday filed suit against Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, the CEO of News Corp, Robert Thomson, and Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo, both reporters for the Wall Street Journal, accusing the group of committing defamation by publishing the article. The suit seeks at least $10 billion in damages. [As the lawsuit includes two causes of action, for which $10 billion in damages are sought in each cause of action, many point out that Trump is actually suing for at least $20 billion in damages, not even including punitive damages, court costs etc. Some legal experts predict that the suit will be dismissed even before reaching the deposition stage. We will see.] 

“‘Despite the glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting, Defendants Dow Jones and News Corp. — at the direction of Defendants Murdoch and Thomson — published to the world the false, defamatory, and malignant statements authored by Defendants Safdar and Palazzolo,’ the filing reads. It continues: ‘Hundreds of millions of people have already viewed the false and defamatory statements published by Defendants. And given the timing of the Defendants’ article, which shows their malicious intent behind it, the overwhelming financial and reputational harms suffered by President Trump will continue to multiply.’.. 

“Trump’s name and those of some of his family members were listed in one of Epstein’s contact books, and Trump is mentioned as a passenger in flight logs for Epstein’s private jets. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club was regularly referenced during the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, who was convicted of sex trafficking multiple women on Epstein’s behalf. One woman testified that Epstein, during the course of several years of abuse, took her to Mar-o-Lago and introduced her to Trump when she was 14 years old. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide in April, has testified that she and Maxwell were at Mar-a-Lago when Giuffre was recruited as a victim of Epstein’s.” 

Virginia Giuffre was famously pictured as a young underage girl together with Prince Andrew. She was “spotted one day by Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell while working a summer job, aged 15, at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. Virginia described how she was ‘passed around like a platter of fruit’ among the Epstein and Maxwell’s friends until she managed to escape, aged 19” (The Times, dated July 1, 2025). 

In an interview with the New York Magazine in 2002, Trump said about Epstein: “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” In turn, Epstein believed himself to be Trump’s “closest friend”. Eventually, they had a falling out in 2004 over a bidding war on a property in Florida. 

More appalling statements are made about the close relationship between Trump and Epstein in an article by the Guardian, dated July 18, 2025—too appalling to be repeated here. 

With his lawsuit, Trump might have opened up Pandora’s Box. Many feel, it might contribute to his downfall. Note the next article. 

Risk for Trump 

Focus Online wrote on July 20: 

“Trump’s lawsuit also poses risks for the president: The issue will remain a part of media coverage as long as the proceedings continue. Furthermore, the Journal’s lawyers could attempt to question Trump under oath as part of the trial… 

“It is certainly not expected that Donald Trump’s name will be visible [in released documents], especially since the Department of Justice has already indicated that it will redact large portions of the documents, particularly victim-related and personally identifiable information… 

“Nearly 80 percent of Americans want the government to release all documents it has on convicted child molester Epstein. And more than two-thirds, including half of Republicans, believe the government is covering up evidence.” 

MSN wrote on July 19 that the US president is facing an uncontrollable loss of power. 

Mossad and the Client List 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 20: 

“John Kiriakou, an ex-CIA officer who was jailed in 2012 for leaking the agency’s waterboarding interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay, shared his views on the controversial pedophile [Epstein] – including his opinion on the alleged list of clients. Kiriakou… believes the alleged list… will not see the light of day because it holds incredibly valuable intelligence information that the CIA would never hand over simply because the public demanded to see it… 

“The CIA whistleblower specifically said he believes that Epstein, 66, was employed by Israel’s intelligence service Mossad – and that is why the list will not come out… Epstein’s convicted madame Ghislaine Maxwell’s family also had alleged ties to Mossad. Her father, Robert Maxwell, was allegedly an Israeli spy… ‘I believe there was a list, a client list. There had to have been. We know there was a black book… So where is it? Was it destroyed?…’ 

“Kiriakou isn’t the only one who believes Epstein allegedly worked for Mossad, as Tucker Carlson made the same claim earlier this month… Carlson questioned where all of the billionaire’s wealth came from, going from a math teacher to ‘having multiple airplanes, a private island, and the largest residential house in Manhattan.’”  

“As MAGA World Focuses on Epstein, Trump Seeks Focus on Anything Else” 

The Washington Post wrote on July 22: 

“Over the past 48 hours, President Donald Trump has asked his Truth Social followers ‘How did [former USAID administrator] Samantha Power make all of that money?’ He said he might scuttle a stadium deal if the Washington Commanders football team doesn’t change its name back to the Washington Redskins. He highlighted a memo from his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, that said Obama administration officials planned a ‘treasonous conspiracy in 2016’ aimed at Trump. Emphasizing the point, he posted an AI-generated video of Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. 

“During a fusillade of posts on the social network he owns, Trump even released a three-minute mash-up of clips that would seem more at place on-screen at a sports bar than in a president’s official feed: a woman snatching an approaching snake from the grass, a car sliding under a truck barreling along a highway, and no fewer than four people doing tricks on motorcycles and jet skis. On Monday, Gabbard added another item to the list — announcing the release of hundreds of thousands of documents related to the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The through-line connecting those disparate posts? They have nothing to do with the political problem that has dogged Trump for weeks — the 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein As the controversy over Epstein… has refused to dissipate, Trump and those closest to him have tried repeatedly to divert attention to other subjects, with limited success. 

“Republican strategist Alex Conant said the Epstein episode has called into question Trump’s ability to evade electoral consequences of actions that would kneecap other politicians. ‘Nobody turns the page better than Donald Trump,’ Conant said. ‘His entire first term was constantly changing narratives. We lost track of all the dramas because he’s always adding a new one to distract from the previous ones… Normally his base helps change the topic by latching on to a new outrage. But now he’s in a fight with his base’… efforts to change the subject have been so far unsuccessful, experts and observers say. Instead, new attention has focused on Trump’s own well-documented friendship with Epstein…  polls show that large majorities of the public believe the government is hiding facts about the Epstein case. As a result, the president… finds his political power threatened by a conspiracy theory he can’t shake. 

“… Russell Muirhead, a professor of democracy and politics at Dartmouth College and a Democratic state legislator from New Hampshire [said:] ‘… it looks like he’s just another elite, corrupt like all the rest, and that impression will remain, to some extent, regardless of whether this particular story is at the top of people’s attention.’”

Obama vs. Trump

The Daily Mail wrote on July 22:

“Former President Barack Obama tore into Donald Trump in a rare and blistering statement after the president dramatically accused him of ‘treason’ and said the Justice Department should probe his rival over the Russia ‘hoax.’  

“’Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one,’ said Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesman for Obama’s office…

“The former president’s spokesman then turned to the report of Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, who alleged that the Obama administration ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence’ against Trump. ‘Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.’

“That last line needled Trump’s secretary of state and national security advisor, who was seated next to the president during his extended discourse on Obama and his team.”

Rubio sat there quietly and visibly uncomfortably. 

ICE Raids Invasive 

The Los Angeles Times wrote on July 18: 

“It might be hard for outsiders to realize how pervasive the Trump administration’s immigration raids feel here in Southern California. Friends describe relatives been pulled over for no apparent reason. Neighbors tell me of housekeepers and gardeners too afraid to come to work… the vast majority of those hauled away have had no prior criminal convictions… 

“A few of the actions stand out because of their size, like last week’s raid on Glass House Farms, the Camarillo cannabis operation. Federal officials arrested more than 300 people and one man trying to flee… fell to his death from the top of a greenhouse. The death of the 57-year-old worker reinforced the high stakes of the raids. 

“The arrests of 31 people at a Home Depot in Hollywood also got a fair amount of attention… 

“The Fashion and Flower District emptied out after the raids… people are carrying their passports, fearing the color of their skin could get them stopped. Day care centers stand quiet because parents are afraid if they leave their children there, they might not get to see them again… 

“American citizens swept up in the raids are among the ones that have troubled readers the most…” 

Many Americans still don’t recognize the horror caused by ICE and its discriminatory raids and arrests.

Horrible Abuses at US Detention Camps 

The Guardian, July 21: 

“Migrants at a Miami immigration jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates ‘like dogs’, according to a report published on Monday into conditions at three overcrowded south Florida facilities. The incident at the downtown federal detention center is one of a succession of alleged abuses at jails operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice) in the state since January, chronicled by the advocacy groups Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Sanctuary of the South from interviews with detainees. 

“Dozens of men had been packed into a holding cell for hours, the report said, and denied lunch until about 7pm. They remained shackled with the food on chairs in front of them… Degrading treatment by guards is commonplace in all three jails, the groups say. At the Krome North service processing center in west Miami, female detainees were made to use toilets in full view of men being held there, and were denied access to gender-appropriate care, showers or adequate food. 

“The jail was so far beyond capacity, some transferring detainees reported, that they were held for more than 24 hours in a bus in the parking lot. Men and women were confined together, and unshackled only when they needed to use the single toilet, which quickly became clogged… When the group was finally admitted into the facility, they said, many spent up to 12 days crammed into a frigid intake room they christened la hielera – the ice box – with no bedding or warm clothing, sleeping instead on the cold concrete floor… 

“Immigration detention numbers nationally were at an average of 56,400 a day in mid-June, with almost 72% having no criminal history, according to the report…” 

CBS News had already reported on this on July 9: 

“Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, arrested last week in Miami-Dade on assault charges, was transferred to South Florida’s new immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz  in the Everglades, the singer confirmed in a phone call.  He and other detainees claim they are enduring inhumane conditions at the site, including lack of access to water, inadequate food and denial of religious rights… 

“In a phone call from inside the facility, La Figura described what he called horrific conditions… ‘They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants,’ La Figura said… Other detainees echoed La Figura’s concerns… A… detainee, who said he is Colombian, described deteriorating mental health and lack of access to necessary medical care… He also claimed his Bible was confiscated… 

“On Tuesday, state officials responded to the allegations made by detainees at the facility, saying they are ‘completely false’…” 

Of course, what else would they say? 

NBC Miami wrote on July 21: 

“Over the weekend, Miami’s archbishop prayed for the detainees outside the facility [“Alligator Alcatraz”]. The archbishop… wants to hold mass inside. That hasn’t been granted.” 

God Angry With the USA? 

The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) wrote on July 8: 

“President Donald Trump’s social media team at Homeland Security… has clearly not read any of Isaiah… The prophet famously includes the call to ‘make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.;’ … During a speech announcing the bombing of Iran, Trump invoked God. ‘I want to just say, we love you, God,’ Trump said… 

“It isn’t a stretch to imagine that if Isaiah were prophesizing today, the United States would be the subject of his righteous fury. And though many social media users were quick to admonish the administration, there were still thousands who… commented with apparent glee.”

Where Are the Deals? 

Express wrote on July 22: 

“In a stunning development that has sent shockwaves through Washington and the Trump political orbit, CNN interrupted its regular programming to air a scathing montage highlighting unfulfilled trade promises made by Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary. The montage, released late Monday evening, compiled repeated assurances by Howard Lutnick, a close Trump ally and a key architect of the Trump administration’s economic agenda, claiming that significant trade deals were imminent. Trump once hailed him as a ‘brilliant negotiator’ but has now been exposed for making bold claims that, according to critics, were rooted in smoke and mirrors. 

“The visuals were striking: side-by-side clips showed Lutnick promising that trade deals were in their final stages, while official documents and expert analyses indicated that negotiations had either stalled or had never truly begun… This comes after President Donald Trump threatened on July 12 to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1. This threat followed weeks of failed negotiations with major U.S. trading partners to reach a comprehensive trade deal…” 

Subsequently, Trump announced a “massive” trade deal with Japan. But note the following articles. 

A Massive Deal with Japan? 

The Independent wrote on July 23:

“Japan agreed a trade deal that would see the US cut import tariffs on automobiles from the East Asian country from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. The deal is a significant boost to the Japanese automobile industry which sends over a quarter of its total exports to the US market… Trump described it as the ‘largest TRADE DEAL in history’ and an ‘exciting time for the United States of America’…

“The deal commits Japan to investing $550bn in the US economy. Prime minister Shigeru Ishiba confirmed the deal had been struck on Wednesday, just days after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered a major loss in a key upper house election. Despite facing calls to step down in the wake of the loss, Mr Ishiba vowed to move forward with the agreement, insisting it didn’t compromise Japan’s agricultural interests… adding that US rice imports would remain within existing quotas.

“The agreement expands market access for American goods like automobiles, rice and other agricultural products. The full terms are still to be made public, however. Mr Ishiba said he would closely review the agreement before releasing it, noting his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, had made eight trips to Washington since April to negotiate with treasury secretary Scott Bessent and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.

“Japanese markets reacted positively to the deal… However, Japanese bond futures fell sharply, with the 10-year benchmark dropping 0.92 yen to its lowest since March… The dollar index fell for the third consecutive day…

“The agreement drew criticism from American carmakers who argued that the deal gave preferential treatment to Japanese imports. ‘Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no US content than the tariff imposed on North American-built vehicles… is a bad deal for US industry and US auto workers,’ said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council. Tariffs on vehicles made in North America remain at 25 per cent…

“The new agreement does not address the longstanding issue of 50 per cent American tariff on Japanese steel and aluminium. It also excludes provisions related to defence budgets…”

There was some confusion regarding alleged Japanese investments in the USA. 

Confusion Abounds…

CNBC wrote on July 23:

“‘Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits,’ Trump wrote in the post… The card on Trump’s desk displays a 10% tariff, in addition to a 15% levy rate on the automotive, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. However, Trump said in his Truth Social post only that Japan would face a rate of 15%, without elaborating… Below the tariff rate, ‘$400B’ appears on the board in large lettering. The number four is crossed out, with ‘500’ written above it… Trump used a different figure in his post than even the altered amount on the card, saying in the post that Japan would invest $550 billion in the U.S. It is not clear why the amount in his post was $50 billion higher than the altered amount on the card…

“Wall Street was left a bit confused by the terms of the deal. Andy Laperriere, head of U.S. policy research at Piper Sandler, said Japanese officials are ‘describing it differently’ when it comes to the investment plan. Japan’s leaders, he said, see the $550 billion figure as a cap and inclusive of government loan guarantees. ‘Especially given that the Japanese believe they are being bullied into this commitment, they will almost certainly slow walk whatever investments they don’t think are in their own economic self-interest,’ Laperriere wrote to clients in a Wednesday note.”

Please read our Editorial this week, titled, “They Are Lying to Us!” 

US Government Destroys Contraceptives Worth Almost 10 Million Dollars 

The Guardian wrote on July 18: 

“The Trump administration has decided to destroy $9.7m worth of contraceptives rather than send them abroad to women in need. A state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision had been made – a move that will cost US taxpayers $167,000. The contraceptives are primarily long-acting, such as IUDs and birth control implants, and were almost certainly intended for women in Africa, according to two senior congressional aides, one of whom visited a warehouse in Belgium that housed the contraceptives. It is not clear to the aides whether the destruction has already been carried out, but said they had been told that it was set to occur by the end of July… 

“The department decided to destroy the contraceptives because it could not sell them to any ‘eligible buyers’, in part because of US laws and rules that prohibit sending US aid to organizations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right to it overseas, according to the state department spokesperson. Most of the contraceptives have less than 70% of their shelf life left before they expire, the spokesperson said, and rebranding and selling the contraceptives could cost several million dollars. 

“However, the aide who visited the warehouse said that the earliest expiration date they saw on the contraceptives was 2027, and that two-thirds of the contraceptives did not have any USAID labels that would need to be rebranded. 

“The eradication of the contraceptives is part of the Trump administration’s months-long demolition of the Agency for International Development (USAID), the largest funding agency for humanitarian and development aid in the world. After the unofficial ‘department of government efficiency’ (Doge) erased 83% of USAID’s programs, [secretary of state Marco] Rubio announced in June that USAID’s entire international workforce would be abolished and its foreign assistance programs would be moved to the State Department… In total, the funding cuts to USAID could lead to more than 14m additional deaths by 2030, according to a recent study published in the journal the Lancet. A third of those deaths could be children. 

“‘If you have an unintended pregnancy and you end up having to seek unsafe abortion, it’s quite likely that you will die,’ said Sarah Shaw, the associate director of advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, a global family planning organization that works in nearly 40 countries. ‘If you’re not given the means to space or limit your births, you’re putting your life at risk or your child’s life at risk.’ 

“MSI tried to purchase the contraceptives from the US government, Shaw said. But the government would only accept full price – which Shaw said the agency could not afford, given that MSI would also have to shoulder the expense of transporting the contraceptives and the fact that they are inching closer to their expiration date, which could affect MSI’s ability to distribute them. 

The state department spokesperson did not specifically respond to a request for comment on Shaw’s allegation, but MSI does provide abortions as part of its global work, which may have led the department to rule it out as an ‘eligible buyer’…” 

This is another example of the rotten world with its evil demonic systems we are living in. 

500 Tons of Emergency Food to Be Destroyed 

The Atlantic wrote on July 14: 

“Five months into its unprecedented dismantling of foreign-aid programs, the Trump administration has given the order to incinerate food instead of sending it to people abroad who need it. Nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire…, according to current and former government employees with direct knowledge of the rations. 

“Within weeks, two of those sources told me, the food, meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, will be ash…” 

Doing Away With Capital Gains Tax on Home Sales? 

The New York Post wrote on July 22: 

“President Trump said Tuesday he is considering eliminating the capital gains tax on home sales — a potentially massive financial break for sellers… Trump was responding to a question from Real America Voice reporter Brian Glenn, who is in a relationship with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Georgia GOP congresswoman recently introduced a bill in Congress calling for the elimination of the tax on home sales… 

“Minutes earlier, the president had unloaded on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates. ‘It’s causing a problem for people who want to buy a home,’ Trump said… claiming that Powell will be out in ‘eight months’— despite his term expiring May 15… The president said the housing market could be unleashed ‘just by lowering the interest rates.’ 

“Single tax-filers can currently exclude a maximum of $250,000 in capital gains when they sell their homes, a limit that has been in place since 1997. Joint filers can exclude up to $500,000. ‘Families who work hard, build equity and sell their homes should not be punished with massive tax bills,’ Greene said in a statement about her bill. ‘The capital gains tax on home sales is an outdated, unfair burden…’ The elimination of capital gains tax would have to be passed by Congress.” 

This would be a step in the right direction. The fewer taxes, the better. 

Britain to Lower Voting Age to 16 

Semafor wrote on July 17:

“Britain’s government said it would lower the country’s voting age to 16 before the next general election in a bid to increase democratic participation. The proposal to allow 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in general elections represents the biggest change to the electorate since the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969…

“The move to extend the franchise was part of the governing Labour Party’s manifesto: Labour argued that the change would bring greater fairness to 16- and 17-year-olds, many of whom already work and are eligible to serve in the military.” 

What stupidity! So, one evil is used to justify the next.

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

Jens Spahn Faces Criticism Over Ongoing Costs From Mask Purchases 

The Munich Eye wrote on July 7: 

“The ongoing financial implications of mask procurement during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to draw scrutiny, particularly towards Jens Spahn, the former Health Minister of Germany. Despite the passage of time since the initial purchases, the federal government is still grappling with substantial follow-up costs associated with the acquisition of protective masks. According to a report by the Federal Court of Auditors submitted to the Bundestag’s Budget Committee, there remains a significant stockpile of 800 million masks as of 2024, for which no effective distribution strategy has been established. The expenses related to managing this excess procurement have surged by EUR57 million, totaling EUR517 million in 2024. Projections for the current year indicate an allocation of EUR45 million, with an anticipated total expenditure of EUR67.3 million for the years 2026 and 2027. This figure includes costs for storage, logistics, destruction of unused supplies, external consultancy, and legal advice. 

“Spahn is under increasing pressure due to the procurement strategies employed by the Health Ministry during his tenure. In 2020, the Ministry engaged directly in the procurement process, entering into fixed-price contracts without prior negotiations, which led to disputes with suppliers over unaccepted deliveries. The Federal Court of Auditors highlighted that the Ministry spent approximately EUR5.9 billion on 5.8 billion masks, yet only 1.7 billion were distributed domestically. Consequently, a significant portion of the procured masks had to be destroyed or remains pending destruction. 

“In response to the looming possibility of an inquiry, Spahn expressed a calm demeanor… He defended his actions during the pandemic, arguing that decisions made during that time should be contextualized within the crisis and criticized what he described as malicious allegations against him… However, subsequent investigations by several media outlets revealed that Spahn had played a crucial role in the mask procurement process, allegedly leading to inflated purchasing costs, favoring associates, and neglecting proper needs assessments. Spahn has denied all allegations of impropriety… 

“As discussions continue regarding the implications of the mask procurement strategy, further inquiries and testimonies are expected in the upcoming sessions of the Bundestag’s Budget and Health Committees.”

Germany’s Judicial Appointments Postponed 

Deutsche Welle reported on July 11: 

“The conservative CDU/CSU bloc has pushed for postponing the vote on one of the [three] judges… The union’s junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, were outraged by the decision… The conservative bloc, made up of the CDU and the allied Bavarian… CSU, requested postponing the vote on the appointment of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf following plagiarism allegations. Brosius-Gersdorf’s candidacy was put forth by the… SPD, the junior partner in the ruling coalition. 

“The conservatives had already expressed skepticism over her liberal stance on abortions and her support for mandatory vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic… A two-thirds majority is needed for judges to be elected to the high court. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has said it would support [Federal Labour Court judge Günter] Spinner [who was proposed by the CDU], but not the SPD candidates. The conservative may be reliant on AfD votes to get its candidate through as it has so far rejected talks with the Left Party. However, votes are secret so it will not necessarily be clear if the AfD votes are what gets Spinner across the line.” 

But there is much more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye. Especially “power-hungry” Jens Spahn is again in the midst of controversy. 

Note the next article. 

This Disaster Has a Name: Jens Spahn 

Bild Online published the following commentary by lead author Peter Tiede on July 11: 

“A catastrophic day for our parliament!… The election of three lawyers to Germany’s highest court has become a scandal today. A monstrous embarrassment for parliament, the constitutional court, and the country. A brutal blow to this coalition. A subterranean dismantling of a lawyer. A unique event in the history of our parliament. And this scandal… bears two names: that of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and, above all, that of Jens Spahn, his CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader. 

“Because: Spahn should have fixed all this for Merz. Spahn should have recognized that his parliamentary group would NOT elect the SPD candidate for the highest court with a majority. Now, the scandal’s glaring traces are also sticking with Merz. Spahn should have protected Merz, his own parliamentary group, and, above all, his coalition partner from this damage. Spahn slept through this for weeks, or underestimated it, or let it run. 

“But almost worse than his failure at work… is his cowardice. Because what happened that Friday morning was cowardly: Spahn hid behind a flimsy, barely investigated accusation of plagiarism against the SPD’s candidate for judge. When it became clear that even individual discussions with MPs who did not want to vote for the SPD candidate were fruitless, when it became clear that many dissenters had NOT contacted HIM, Spahn hid behind the plagiarism hedge. And then the star witness, the plagiarism hunter, came along and said: He never mentioned plagiarism. And whoosh: the hedge was gone! Behind it was a caught Jens Spahn. And a duped chancellor. 

“For this coalition… the debacle is a catastrophe. Brutal for Merz: The SPD now has every reason for bloody revenge. It can now demand even higher prices for everything it doesn’t actually want, but which is agreed upon in the coalition agreement. From pensions to citizen’s income to investments – the SPD can demand, block, and pay back. Thanks to Spahn, it can lead Merz around the ring. There’s only one thing, according to SPD leadership, the SPD can no longer do: work with Jens Spahn in a spirit of trust. And so Friedrich Merz must ask himself whether he can and wants to continue to rely on Spahn, whether [Spahn] has the trust of his parliamentary group – and whether he, the Chancellor, can still expect the SPD to put up with this Jens Spahn. 

“Merz had also been warned from within his own ranks against appointing the power-hungry Spahn as parliamentary group leader. He did it anyway. Even though Spahn, as Minister of Health, is under massive pressure due to the procurement of masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Spahn has been in self-defense mode for weeks. And now it’s obvious that Merz was wrong, that Spahn can’t do both: take care of himself and the parliamentary group; cover both his own back AND the Chancellor’s. 

“Today’s election disaster is far worse than a million pointless or overpriced masks… The damage to Merz, the CDU/CSU, and Spahn is one thing. The damage to our country is something else entirely: Friedrich Merz and the CDU/CSU must ask themselves what and who they want to continue to subject us to. Because our country has never seen such a scandalous drama as today. This must not go without consequences…” 

t-online reported on July 13 that Merz clearly supported Spahn and described the process as “undramatic.” Due to tremendous pressure, Spahn has finally admitted that he has “some” culpability and liability for the disaster.   

And More and More Tariffs 

Thomson/Reuters wrote on July 11: 

“U.S. customs duty collections jumped again in June as President Donald Trump’s tariffs gained steam, topping $100 billion for the first time during a fiscal year and helping to produce a surprise $27 billion budget surplus for the month, the Treasury Department reported on Friday. The budget data showed that tariffs are starting to build into a significant revenue contributor for the federal government, with customs duties in June hitting new records… 

“Trump has long touted tariffs as a lucrative revenue source, saying on Tuesday that ‘the big money’ would start to flow in after he imposes higher ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on U.S. trading partners on Aug. 1. Trump disagrees with economists who consistently say those taxes are paid by U.S. consumers and importers… tariffs have now grown into the fourth-largest revenue source for the federal government… 

“… the president has put his tariff assault into overdrive, announcing 50% levies on copper imports and goods from Brazil and a 35% tariff on Canadian goods, all due to start on Aug. 1. The Trump administration is preparing more sector-based tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.” 

Trade War Continues 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 12: 

“The US is set to impose a 30% tariff on all goods from the European Union from August 1, 2025… The 27-member bloc and the US failed to reach an agreement to strike a comprehensive trade deal, including zero-for-zero tariffs on industrial goods…. The US president said the trade relationship with the EU has been ‘unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,’ as such ‘we will charge the European Union a Tariff of only 30%.’ Trump has frequently described tariffs as charges on other countries, but in reality, the charge is usually paid by the consumer within the US. Tariffs make imported goods more expensive and thus less competitive… 

“The German economy, the biggest in Europe, is heavily reliant on exports and thus particularly vulnerable to a trade war with the US. 

“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is prepared to take the necessary steps to safeguard its economic interests if the US proceeds with imposing a 30% tariff rate on EU exports…’ including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required.’” 

Trump also announced a 30% tariff against Mexico. The AP wrote: “With Saturday’s letters, Trump has now issued tariff conditions on 24 countries and the 27-member European Union.” 

Politico wrote on July 12: 

“GOP warning sign in new poll: Trump’s voters don’t love his tariffs… About 1 in 4 self-identified 2024 Trump voters… said last month that the president’s tariffs are hurting the United States’ ability to negotiate better trade deals with other countries. They’re also evenly divided on whether Trump should have the ability to unilaterally impose tariffs on other countries in the first place, with 45 percent saying he should and 44 percent saying he should get approval from Congress 

“… while the tariffs he has raised on imports like steel, aluminum and auto parts, as well as a baseline 10 percent duty on all foreign goods, have brought in billions of dollars, they are paid for by the companies and individuals importing the goods — costs many companies pass onto their consumers.” 

Crazy! 

EU’s Proposed Retaliatory Tariffs 

Politico wrote on July 14:

“The European Union is looking at targeting €72 billion in U.S. goods in a second round of trade countermeasures, including aircraft, cars and car parts… 

“The bulk of those exports targeted are industrial goods, totaling €65.7 billion, while €6.4 billion in agricultural products would also be hit if EU countries back the new retaliatory tariffs. The list includes bourbon whiskey… The biggest line item in the 200-page list is aircraft and aircraft parts, with tariffs set to target almost €11 billion of U.S. exports — potentially dealing a heavy blow to plane maker Boeing… 

“Then comes machinery, followed by cars and car parts; chemicals and plastics; medical devices and equipment; electrical equipment; and industrial goods — all of which fall into multibillion-euro categories.” 

Chaotic Raid on California Cannabis Farm 

The New York Post wrote on July 11: 

“A migrant farm worker died after sustaining ‘catastrophic’ injuries from a 30-foot fall during Thursday’s chaotic immigration raid at a southern California marijuana farm… The worker… suffered a broken neck and skull, along with a severed artery, after immigration agents descended on Glass House Farms in Camarillo during a large-scale operation that erupted into a violent scene as authorities clashed with dozens of demonstrators… 

“Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the worker wasn’t being pursued by federal authorities when he climbed onto the roof of a green house and fell… Several other farm workers were also critically injured during the raid, which resulted in the arrest of about 200 migrants suspected of being in the country illegally. US citizens were also detained, with some still unaccounted for, farm union officials said. 

“Ten migrant youths, most of them who crossed the border unaccompanied, were also found at the Ventura County pot farm… The facility is now under investigation for child labor violations… Glass House Farms has since denied claims that it violated hiring regulations or employed minors. The farm, which uses half of its space for cannabis while the other is dedicated to tomatoes and cucumbers, said it ‘fully complied with agent search warrants’ ahead of the immigration operation… Thursday’s raid is believed to be the largest carried out under the Trump administration…. 

“President Trump announced Friday that he’s granting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ‘Total Authorization’ to arrest violent protestors following [the] chaotic California cannabis farm raid that resulted in rocks being hurled at federal law enforcement vehicles. The angry mob attempted to block a road between farm fields and several agitators appeared to be hurling rocks at the officers, who used canisters with an unknown substance and fired less-than-lethal rounds in an effort to get the crowd to retreat, according to ABC 7. 

“One man among the crowd of protesters appeared to fire a gun at advancing agents. The FBI is offering a reward up to $50,000 for information leading to the apparent shooter’s conviction.

Officers speeding away from the scene in SUVs and vans were also pelted with several large rocks… 

These violent confrontations will continue. They were so predictable. This won’t end well. 

Homan Admits: ICE Engaged in Racial Profiling 

Mediaite wrote on July 11: 

“President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, sparked a wave of angry reactions on Friday after he told Fox News that border patrol doesn’t need probable cause to detain suspected illegal migrants… ‘[They just need] articulable facts based on the location, the occupation, their physical appearance, their actions…’” 

The Forgotten Victims 

MSN wrote on July 12: 

“Federal immigration agents raided a Home Depot in Barstow last month and arrested a man who had his 3-year-old pit bull, Chuco, with him. A friend managed to grab Chuco from the scene and bring him back to the garage where he lives. The dog’s owner was deported to Mexico the next day. Pets belonging to people who are deported or flee are being left in empty apartments, dumped into the laps of unprepared friends and dropped off at overcrowded shelters… Unless people do take the initiative [and get the pets out], those animals will starve to death in those backyards or those homes… Yet with many animal refuges operating at capacity, it can be difficult to find temporary homes… Pets are like the collateral damage to the current political climate… 

“Animals suffer from the emotional strain of separation and unceremonious change when their owners vanish, experts said. When a mother and three young daughters from Nicaragua who were pursuing asylum in the U.S. were unexpectedly deported in May following a routine hearing, they left behind their beloved senior dog. She was taken in by the mother’s stepmom. Not long after, the small dog had to be ushered into surgery to treat a life-threatening mass. The small dog is on the mend physically, but ‘is clearly depressed, barely functioning and missing her family,’ the stepmother wrote… She is used to spending all day with the girls and sleeping with them at night, the stepmom said. From Nicaragua, the girls have been asking to get their dog back. For now, they’re using FaceTime.” 

LA Judge Orders ICE to Stop 

NPR wrote on July 11: 

“A federal judge in Los Angeles [who is black and was appointed by Joe Biden] ordered the Trump administration to stop carrying out immigration sweeps in which she said federal agents have been indiscriminately arresting people across southern California without reasonable suspicion that they’re in the country illegally. Since early June, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Border Patrol and other federal agencies have been roving Los Angeles and surrounding counties arresting thousands of people in what civil rights lawyers characterized in a lawsuit last week as an unconstitutional and ‘extraordinary campaign of targeting people based on nothing more than the color of their skin.’ 

“In her order, Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, said there is ‘a mountain of evidence’ to support the claim that agents are arresting people solely based on their race, accents, or the work they’re engaged in, in violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable government seizure. ‘The seizures at issue occurred unlawfully,’ Frimpong wrote. 

“She issued two temporary restraining orders — one prohibiting immigration agents from arresting people without reasonable suspicion that they’re in the country illegally, and the other requiring agents to give people they arrest immediate access to lawyers. The orders, which apply to Los Angeles and six surrounding counties, are temporary while the case moves forward. But they could severely restrict the Trump administration’s ability to continue carrying out the raids that have sown fear and terror in immigrant and Latino neighborhoods since they started on June 6… 

“In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin criticized the ruling. ‘A district judge is undermining the will of the American people,’ McLaughlin said. ‘America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists — truly the worst of the worst from Golden State communities. Law and order will prevail.’ 

“But the ruling is the latest potential roadblock for President Trump as he escalates his immigration crackdown by focusing on large, Democratic-run cities whose leaders he’s accused of trying to sabotage his efforts to carry out his mass deportation plans. 

“It came a little more than a week after Public Counsel, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups filed an emergency class action lawsuit alleging that ICE and Border Patrol agents are engaged in widespread racial profiling, arresting people they encounter in public solely because they have brown skin or because they’re doing work often done by immigrants. Since early June, agents have repeatedly raided known hubs for Latino workers, including car washes, day laborer gathering spots, and street vendor corners. They’ve also pulled people who appear to be Latino out of their cars, and picked them up from bus stops and on sidewalks. They’ve arrested immigrants without legal status and U.S. citizens alike. Many of the arrests have been filmed by bystanders and posted to social media… 

“Judge Frimpong said during Thursday’s hearing that she was skeptical of the government’s general assurances that immigration agents are not arresting people arbitrarily… Whether immigration agents will scale back their aggressive tactics in response to the judge’s order is unclear…”

California’s Original King of Deportation 

The Los Angeles Times wrote on July 12: 

“He sent federal immigration agents into Southern California communities, farms and workplaces vowing to drive ‘illegal aliens’ back across the border. His raids regularly netted hundreds of arrests a day and he once boasted about apprehending 70,000 people in a single month in San Diego County alone. 

“When L.A. declared itself a ‘sanctuary city’ for Central American migrants, he vowed to have Washington cut off the city’s federal funding. He took pride in arresting undocumented workers when they showed up to collect their lottery winnings… Before Donald Trump and Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem, there was Harold Ezell. 

“Ezell… ran one of — if not the — biggest deportation operation in California history… using his troops to, as he put it, turn back the ‘invasion’ and return America to ‘Americans’… 

“Ezell himself admitted in 1986 that all the arrests were not keeping up with the estimated 2,000 new border crossings each day. He insisted it was about sending a message. That same year, Congress passed the landmark Immigration Reform and Control Act, which gave a path to citizenship to more than three million immigrants here illegally… 

“Ezell eventually became a major supporter of Proposition 187, the California measure that prohibited undocumented workers from receiving public assistance. The measure passed, but it began a political backlash to anti-immigration policies. Changing attitudes and demographics made California much more supportive of immigration as a benefit to the economy and the culture… Ezell died in 1998… the extremism of the 1980s and 1990s anti-immigration movement were also the seeds of its destruction… Stephen Miller should learn well from Ezell, but not in the way he would like to think… History has not been kind to Ezell… that’s how history is already remembering Miller…” 

“Support For Immigration Reaches Historic High in US Despite Trump Crusade” 

El País wrote on July 12: 

“Against the backdrop of an unprecedented crusade against migrants, the United States is experiencing a surprising turnaround in public perception on immigration, according to a recent Gallup poll. Despite the fact that this was one of the issues that marked the presidential election and delivered the presidency to Donald Trump just eight months ago, support for immigration in the country has now reached record highs, even among Republicans. About 8-in-10 Americans, 79%, say immigration is ‘a good thing’ for the country today, up sharply from 64% a year ago and a high point in a nearly 25-year trend. In contrast, only two in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a bad thing, down from 32% last year. 

“The poll, conducted between the 2nd and 26th of June, shows that the change in perception is across the political spectrum. While Democrats remain the most positive on immigration, at 91%, there was also a significant increase among Independents and Republicans over the last year: from 64% to 79%, and from 39% to 64%, respectively…. 

“More specifically, when asked about their opinion of President Trump’s immigration policy, only 35% approve of his administration’s management on migration, while 62% disapprove. Among Hispanics, support drops to 21%, 14 points below the national average, reflecting their strong opposition to policies such as mass detentions and deportations. However, the partisan breakdown on this point is stark: 85% of Republicans approve of Trump’s work on immigration, compared to just 28% of independents and a minimal 2% of Democrats. In contrast, 81% of Democrats report ‘strong’ disapproval.” 

Hundreds at Alligator Alcatraz Without Criminal Charges 

The Miami Herald wrote on July 15: 

“Hundreds of immigrants with no criminal charges in the United States are being held at Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility state and federal officials have characterized as a place where ‘vicious’ and ‘deranged psychopaths’ are sent before they get deported… Mixed among the detainees accused and convicted of crimes are more than 250 people who are listed as having only immigration violations but no criminal convictions or pending charges in the United States… 

“A third of the detainees have criminal convictions. Their charges range from attempted murder to illegal re-entry to traffic violations. Hundreds of others only have pending charges… The information… suggests that scores of migrants without criminal records have been targeted in the state and federal dragnet to catch and deport immigrants living illegally in Florida… 

“Nationally, nearly half of detainees in ICE custody as of late June were being held for immigration violations and did not have a criminal conviction or charge…” 

And so, we are consistently being lied to. Note the next article

Mistrust the Government

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article on July 14 which was written by Ron Paul in his weekly column:

“The willingness of so many Trump allies to openly criticize the Epstein announcement and other actions like the bombing of Iran is a positive development. Advancing liberty requires that more people refuse to automatically trust government officials, whether concerning Epstein, wars, the economy, or other important matters… 

“Those who understand the philosophy, history, and economics of liberty can explain that it is not just that some government officials lie. Instead, all governments lie, and the more important the issue the bigger the lie. In fact, the modern state is built on a series of lies…

“Exposing such lies is key for restoring liberty…” 

So true! That’s why converted Christians must not have anything to do with it. 

Mistrust the (Fake) Media

The Record wrote on July 14:

“A Kremlin-linked disinformation group has been impersonating real journalists and publishing fake articles on spoofed news websites to spread false narratives in France, Armenia, Germany, Moldova and Norway, researchers have found… Storm-1516 used the names and photos of legitimate reporters on bylines to lend credibility to false claims published on the fake news sites…

“A fake article targeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed that he had illegally killed a family of polar bears during a hunting trip in Canada. The story was unsigned but listed several staff members of the Toronto Star as authors, none of whom were involved…” 

Is Trump Falling Apart Over Epstein? 

Showbiz411 wrote on July 12:

“The presidency is falling apart [over] Pam Bondi’s announcement that no Epstein files exist. They existed a short time ago, of course, when binders were waved around reading ‘Epstein Files.’… We can imagine Trump is [in the files] since Epstein called him his best friend and there is plenty of video evidence of their hanging out together. 

“So what does Trump do? He announces this morning, apropos of nothing, that he might revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship. Rosie has been living in Ireland just to get away from the madness here. She’s very much a US citizen, born in New York to American parents. 

“Trump knows he can’t do this, but it’s a misdirection, a fake out to get the press off the Epstein story. He also announced 30% tariffs on the UK and EU today. He’s trying to get away from the court ruling last night stopping ICE from acting like the gestapo. Trump is losing bigly. Trump also lost his final appeal to not pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million in the sex abuse case.”

Trump Responds… But Fails 

NBC News wrote on July 13: 

“On the weekend President Donald Trump decided to pick his biggest political fight to date with the MAGA base he created in his own image, thousands of his adherents were gathered together… Trump pulled the rug out from his base Saturday evening when he released a lengthy social media post that completely dismissed the importance of the issue, which has consumed the right for the past week — and longer…

“Trump’s supporters have gone along with him through every scandal and policy shift. When he made a decision, his base backed him. But the Epstein issue is challenging this alliance like never before... There was no escaping the topic of the Epstein files this weekend in Tampa, with many attendees and speakers calling for Bondi to be fired — even as Trump sent the clear message that he wants his supporters to move on…

“Former Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who was among Trump’s biggest supporters when in the state Legislature and was in attendance at the event, called Trump’s Truth Social post ‘out of touch.’ 

“On the main stage at the Student Action Summit on Friday night, Megyn Kelly, a high-profile conservative commentator and Trump supporter, asked crowd a simple question: Bondi or Bongino? ‘Bongino!’ the crowd screamed in unison Friday night. ‘It’s 7,000 to 0,’ responded Charlie Kirk, prominent conservative activist and the head of Turning Points USA, who was the master of ceremonies for the weekend.” 

Trump’s Achilles Heel

The Hill added on July 13:

“Elon Musk blasted President Trump on Saturday over his defense of Attorney General Pam Bondi… ‘Just release the files as promised,’ Musk added. Musk, a few minutes later, responded to a separate post calling the Epstein case Trump’s ‘Achilles’ heel,’ rebuking the president for pledging to release the files on the campaign trail and now dismissing the significance of the case. 

“‘This is a very big deal,’ Musk responded. ‘What… kind of system are we living in if thousands of kids were abused, the government has videos of the abusers and yet none of the abusers are even facing charges!?’… The president suggested some of his political opponents ‘created’ the Epstein files…” 

Trump’s opponents created files which don’t exist? Words fail… 

Epstein Scandal Will NOT Go Away! 

Fox News wrote on July 13: 

“Longtime conservatives and supporters of Trump sounded off on social media this weekend, as well as in person during a convention in Florida, with various messages pledging that the Epstein scandal will not ‘go away.’… 

“‘Donald Trump please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away,’ retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump’s national security advisor from his first administration, posted to X on Saturday. ‘If the administration doesn’t address the massive number of unanswered questions about Epstein, especially the ABUSE OF CHILDREN BY ELITES (it is very clear that abuse occurred), then moving forward on so many other monumental challenges our nation is facing becomes much harder.’…

“‘We cannot allow pedophiles to get away. I don’t personally care who they are or what elite or powerful position they hold. They must be exposed and held accountable!!!’ Flynn continued in his X post.” 

Lingering Doubts Regarding Epstein’s “Suicide” 

Breitbart wrote on July 12: 

“[A] Wired article said on Friday that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released several hours of what it labeled ‘full raw’ video from a camera near the criminal’s cell the night before his demise. 

“Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as ‘raw’ footage. 

“Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative… 

“During a recent episode of The Drill Down podcast, hosts Peter Schweizer and Eric Eggers interviewed Epstein’s former attorney David Schoen… He continues to doubt that Epstein killed himself… based on the findings of Dr. Michael Baden, whom he called the best forensic pathologist in the world. He also said Epstein asked him to do work that would only have had an impact much later, suggesting he had no intention to kill himself…” 

Epstein Mysteries 

Daily Mail wrote on July 14: 

“Critics have pointed to the fact that there is a crucial minute missing from the jail house video that also does not show the door or, indeed, the inside of Epstein’s jail cell.” 

Only two cameras were operational in the vicinity of the Special Housing Unit at the time Epstein was found, and neither of them captured his cell door. Closer cameras, which might have captured the door, were reportedly malfunctioning at the time.  

Jeffrey Epstein’s cellmate was removed from his cell on the morning of August 9, 2019, as part of a routine, prearranged transfer. Despite a previous determination that Epstein needed to be housed with a cellmate, no replacement was assigned after this transfer. This left Epstein alone in his cell at the time of his death the next day. 

Coverup to Protect Prominent Pedophiles? 

Alter Net wrote on July 10:

“Alan Dershowitz… alleged in a bombshell disclosure that key documents tied to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein are being withheld — not to protect victims, but to shield powerful figures… Dershowitz continued: ‘I know who’s suppressing them, but I’m bound by confidentiality from a judge and cases, and I can’t disclose what I know… But… I know the names of people whose files are being suppressed in order to protect them, and that’s wrong…’ 

“Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) reacted to Dershowitz remarks Thursday and wrote on the social platform X: ‘RELEASE THE EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST!!!!’ Political analyst Dominic Tripi wrote: ‘The names, the concealed documents, who’s being protected, all of that is available. It’s a pure coverup, they think if you find out the truth it will thoroughly destroy the legitimacy of governing institutions.’” 

Some claim that Epstein might have worked for the Mossad (Israeli intelligence) which Israel has denied. 

Trump Supporters Unhappy With Trump

Mediaite wrote on July 16:

“President Donald Trump, in a stunning Truth Social post Wednesday, branded the Jeffrey Epstein story — which has been perpetrated by the highest ranking members of his Justice Department for years — a ‘hoax.’… The president made clear he no longer wants the support of those who remain interested in the Epstein investigation…

“The comments from Trump come amid a raft of public criticism from prominent MAGA influencers over his handling of Epstein, and even public polling showing broad dissatisfaction among his base.”

Deutsche Welle added on July 15:

“Trump repeated his claim [on Tuesday]  that the Epstein files were fabricated by the Democratic presidents before him, despite having previously said during his 2024 election campaign that he would ‘probably’ release them… Many of Trump’s supporters… are accusing the administration of shielding powerful figures allegedly tied to the case…

“…far-right figures… and even his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump… have demanded more transparency. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also broke with Trump, calling for full disclosure of any Epstein-related files, saying, ‘We should put everything out there and let the people decide.’ Several other Republicans have echoed the same view… ‘For this to go away, you’re going to lose 10% of the MAGA movement,’ said Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, amid the growing political fallout…”

Other prominent Republicans demanding the release of all the Epstein files include former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator John Kennedy, and Senator Ted Cruz.

AFP wrote on July 16:

“US President Donald Trump blasted ‘foolish’ [and ‘stupid’] Republican supporters Wednesday as he went on the attack against anyone questioning his administration’s handling of the case of dead sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein… “Trump is facing the most serious split in his loyal right-wing base since he returned to power…”

Trump needs to be careful that he does not lose more and more supporters. Attacking them like that is not the way to do it.

Most Americans Disagree With Trump

The New York Post wrote on July 16:

“As much as President Trump and the White House would like everyone to shut up and move on from the dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a new poll shows that the scandal isn’t going away.

Rasmussen polling this week shows Trump has suffered a sharp drop in approval over the period of the Epstein brouhaha, plummeting from a plus-4 popularity rating to a negative-4 in three weeks.

“The poll of 1,164 likely voters conducted on July 8-10 found that just 21% believe the Trump FBI and DOJ are telling the truth about Epstein, who was found hanged in his jail cell in 2019.

While FBI Director Kash Patel and deputy Dan Bongino insist that Epstein committed suicide, only 31% of voters believe them.

“Roughly two-thirds of every political category — 68% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans and 69% of unaffiliated voters — reject the idea that the Epstein case is closed and instead believe that there are dozens of powerful and wealthy offenders who need to face justice.”

Three Minutes Missing

 WIRED wrote on July 16:

“Newly uncovered metadata reveals that nearly three minutes of footage were cut from what the US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation described as ‘full raw’ surveillance video from the only functioning camera near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead…

“The metadata confirms that the first video file, which showed footage from August 9, 2019, continued for several minutes beyond what appears in the final version of the video and was trimmed to the 11:58:58 pm mark, right before the jump to midnight.”

Judge Blocks Trump Order on Birthright Citizenship 

Newsweek wrote on July 11: 

“The legal fight over President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship could soon return to the U.S. Supreme Court.  A judge in New Hampshire on Thursday blocked Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship for children born to those without legal status from taking effect anywhere in the U.S. Judge Joseph LaPlante, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, issued a preliminary injunction and certified a class-action lawsuit that includes all children who will be affected. 

“The judge’s decision comes just weeks after the Supreme Court limited judges’ authority to issue nationwide injunctions… without settling the underlying question of the constitutionality of Trump’s order. 

“The court didn’t rule out whether judges could accomplish much the same thing by a different legal means, a class action. Birthright citizenship, enshrined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, makes anyone born in the U.S. an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. 

“LaPlante wrote in his order…: ‘Respondents’ arguments about irreparable harm remain unconvincing to the court, which has no difficulty concluding that the rapid adoption by executive order, without legislation and the attending national debate, of a new government policy of highly questionable constitutionality that would deny citizenship to many thousands of individuals previously granted citizenship under an indisputably longstanding policy, constitutes irreparable harm, and that all class representatives could suffer irreparable harm absent an injunction…’ 

“LaPlante’s order included a seven-day stay to allow for appeal.” 

Judges Stand Up to Trump 

The Editorial Board of the New York Times wrote on July 12: 

“Many Americans in positions of power, including corporate executives and members of Congress, seem too afraid of President Trump to stand up to his anti-democratic behavior. Federal judges have shown themselves to be exceptions. ‘Judges from across the ideological spectrum are ruling against administration policies at remarkable rates,’ said Adam Bonica, a political scientist at Stanford University. 

“These rulings have halted Mr. Trump’s vengeful attempts to destroy law firms, forestalled some of his budget cuts and kept him from deporting additional immigrants. Yes, the Supreme Court has often been more deferential to the president. Still, it has let stand many lower-court rulings and has itself constrained Mr. Trump in some cases… 

“Courts have blocked some policies, including the deportation of additional detainees to a Salvadoran prison. Other policies remain in effect, including the confinement of immigrants previously deported to El Salvador. Many cases are still being heard.”

We are setting forth below findings by some of the judges appointed by Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump: 

“J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed by Ronald Reagan 

“On the refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador: ‘This is a path of perfect lawlessness, one that courts cannot condone.’… 

“Patrick J. Schiltz, District of Minnesota. Appointed by George W. Bush 

“On the revocation of a student’s visa: ‘The court cannot imagine how the public interest might be served by permitting federal officials to flaunt the very laws that they have sworn to enforce.’ 

“Clay D. Land, Middle District of Georgia. Appointed by George W. Bush 

“On an attempt to designate someone as an ‘alien enemy’ without due process: ‘Allowing constitutional rights to be dependent upon the grace of the executive branch would be a dereliction of duty by this third and independent branch of government and would be against the public interest.’ 

“Roger L. Gregory, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed by George W. Bush 

“On a claim that Venezuela has invaded the U.S.: ‘As is becoming far too common, we are confronted again with the efforts of the executive branch to set aside the rule of law in pursuit of its goals.’ 

“Stephanie A. Gallagher, District of Maryland. Appointed by Donald Trump 

“On the deportation of an asylum seeker to El Salvador: ‘Defendants have provided no evidence, or even any specific allegations, as to how Cristian, or any other class member, poses a threat to public safety. … This is a court of evidence.’ 

“Richard J. Leon, District of Columbia District. Appointed by George W. Bush 

“On an executive order targeting the law firm WilmerHale: ‘There is no doubt this retaliatory action chills speech and legal advocacy, or that it qualifies as a constitutional harm.’ 

“John D. Bates, District of Columbia District. Appointed by George W. Bush 

“On an executive order targeting Jenner & Block: ‘In short, the order raises constitutional eyebrows many times over. It punishes and seeks to silence speech ‘at the very center of the First Amendment.’ 

“Trevor N. McFadden, District of Columbia District. Appointed by Donald Trump 

“On The Associated Press’s access to the White House being restricted for not using ‘Gulf of America’: ‘Indeed, the government has been brazen.’ 

“John C. Coughenour, Western District of Washington. Appointed by Ronald Reagan 

“On the order denying birthright citizenship: ‘I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.’ 

“Joseph N. Laplante, District of New Hampshire. Appointed by George W. Bush 

“On the order denying birthright citizenship: ‘The executive order contradicts the text of the 14th Amendment and the century-old untouched precedent that interprets it.’ 

“Royce C. Lamberth, District of Columbia District. Appointed by Ronald Reagan 

“On a funding cut for the agency overseeing Voice of America: ‘It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the defendants’ actions here.’ 

“Mary S. McElroy, District of Rhode Island. Appointed by Donald Trump 

“On a claim that an agency was not responsible for a funding freeze it had announced: ‘In short, the government asks the court “to overlook the simplest, most logical explanation” for what happened. The court declines.’ 

“William G. Young, District of Massachusetts. Appointed by Ronald Reagan 

“On a cut in funding for research into health disparities: ‘I have never seen government racial discrimination like this.’ 

There have of course been many more judges, appointed by Democratic presidents, taking issue with Trump’s actions. 

The article continues: 

“The judiciary’s willingness to confront Mr. Trump over the past six months has been vital. In other democracies that have slid toward autocracy, the complicity of judges has frequently been a key reason. For now, many American judges are standing firm. They have done so even as Mr. Trump and his allies have personally threatened judges and made many feel unsafe. It remains unclear what will happen next. 

“One scenario is optimistic — namely, that judges on lower courts will continue to constrain Mr. Trump, the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold most of these rulings and the administration will largely obey them… Other scenarios are more disturbing: that the Supreme Court becomes even more deferential to him, or that the administration flouts court rulings more blatantly than it already has. Either way, federal judges have made clear that they consider Mr. Trump’s conduct to be more worrisome than the conduct of any other modern president.” 

The Houthis as Powerful as Ever 

The Telegraph wrote on July 10: 

“A little over two months ago, Donald Trump was emphatic in claiming to have halted Houthi militants’ attacks on shipping in the Red Sea… Despite Mr Trump’s confidence, this week the Houthis have sunk two vessels in quick succession on the critical shipping route and shattered months of relative calm off Yemen’s coast… The Houthi resurgence has taken some nations by surprise, especially after its biggest backer – Iran – was hit first by Israel and then by US B2 bombers. 

“But through careful alliance building, ruthless extortion rackets and more independence, the group is more powerful than it has been in years. This week’s attacks, which the Houthis said were conducted in solidarity with the Palestinians, not only show the hollowness of Mr Trump’s supposed ceasefire, but also the resilience of the militant group and the limits of air strikes… 

“Mr Trump’s declaration of victory in May was murky from the start… While Mr Trump had publicly said the Houthis had agreed to stop attacks, the group itself had continued to say it would attack vessels linked to Israel and its allies. Any deal between the two was in fact probably only restricted to US vessels… 

“A two-year campaign of strikes conducted under Joe Biden and then Mr Trump is estimated to have cost at least $7 billion… Last year, United Nations experts said the Houthis were allegedly collecting as much as $180 million each month from shipping agencies to allow vessels to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden without being attacked. While the report was questioned by maritime safety experts, such income would be one of the Houthis’ main revenue streams….” 

Iran Wants Trump Assassinated 

Newsmax wrote on July 11: 

“Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, Iran’s top Shiite cleric, and Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamedani issued fatwas against Trump after the U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities last month, citing alleged threats against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and that anyone who works with the U.S. and Israel is an ‘enemy of Allah.’ Shirazi proclaimed that any ‘Muslims of the world’ who successfully assassinate Trump or Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be deemed ‘warriors of Allah’ and ‘receive blessings.’ 

“The fatwas prompted the creation of an organization called the ‘Blood Covenant,’ which claims to have raised nearly $40.3 million for Trump’s assassination… Iranian religious figures at the Howza-e Ilmiyya seminary in Qom offered support for the fatwas on Trump, saying July 2 that the president’s ‘blood is permitted’…” 

More Weapons for Ukraine 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 14: 

“President Donald Trump said the US will send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine and that they will be paid for by the European Union. During his announcement, Trump expressed his frustration in dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin… Trump has threatened to impose secondary tariffs of 100% on Russia and countries that trade with it (unless a deal to end the war with Ukraine is reached within 50 days)— in an attempt to bring the war in Ukraine to an end… 

“Berlin has already provided Kyiv with three of the 12 Patriot systems it previously possessed. ‘We only have six left in Germany,’ [German defense minister Boris] Pistorius said. [He] added that at least one Patriot unit was always unavailable due to maintenance or training, and that two others had been lent to Poland. ‘We definitely can’t give any more,’ Pistorius said. Pistorius also stated that Germany would not deliver its long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine despite Kyiv’s renewed request.” 

The Associated Press wrote on July 14: 

“Trump said European allies would buy ‘billions and billions’ of dollars of U.S. military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine…  Germany has offered to finance two Patriot systems…” 

CNN added on July 14 

“Trump spoke last week to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on the call he was looking for the US to deliver the systems to Germany so they could be transferred to Ukraine.” 

EU Not Entirely Happy with USA Over Ukraine

 Deutsche Welle wrote on July 15:

“‘The 50 days that Mr. Trump has announced is rather long,’ Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said… The [European Union’s foreign affairs chief Kaja] Kallas told reporters after Tuesday’s meeting that she would like to see Europe and the US ‘share the burden’ of arming Ukraine… Denmark’s Rasmussen made a similarly veiled allusion…

“While the US ranks as Ukraine’s single largest donor since its full-scale invasion by Russia, the European Union as a whole has spent roughly the same amount as Washington over the same period… The EU outspends the US when the cost of hosting and assisting Ukrainian refugees is factored in.”

“US Navy’s Next-Generation Submarine Program Faces Alarming Delay” 

Fox News wrote on July 14: 

“The Navy’s next-generation attack submarine won’t be a reality for at least 15 years, according to a new report. The Navy’s SSN(X) was originally slated to enter production in 2031. That timeline has since slipped – to 2035 and now to 2040, due to escalating costs and budget constraints. 

“The Navy requested $623 million in its FY 2026 budget to advance the program… 

“Despite nearly doubling its shipbuilding budget over the past two decades, the Navy has consistently fallen short of its ship-count goals. The Government Accountability Office noted that Navy shipbuilding programs and yards are effectively operating in a ‘perpetual state of triage.’”

More Than Half of Canadians See U.S. as a Top Threat 

National Post wrote on July 8: 

“As U.S. President Donald Trump pursues his global trade war and talk of annexation, a new poll suggests the percentage of Canadians who view the United States as a top threat has tripled since 2019. 

“While this year’s survey by the Pew Research Center suggests that 55 per cent of Canadians still say the U.S. remains this country’s most important ally, it also says that 59 per cent now see the U.S. as a threat — up from 20 per cent in the 2019 poll… In Canada, roughly three-quarters of respondents said the U.S. poses an economic threat and 53 per cent said it poses a national security threat.” 

Israel-Syrian War Continues

Axios wrote on July 16:

“The Trump administration has asked Israel to halt its strikes on Syrian government targets and to open direct talks with Damascus, a senior U.S. official told Axios on Wednesday… U.S. officials are highly concerned that the Israeli attacks — including on Syrian military headquarters in Damascus and near the presidential palace — could destabilize the new Syrian government.” 

The Jerusalem Post added on July 16:

“As of Wednesday afternoon, the IDF had undertaken 160 aerial attacks on Syrian regime forces in and around the vicinity of Sweida in southern Syria, where Israel says the regime’s forces are slaughtering Syrian Druze.

“In addition, the IDF has attacked, and possibly destroyed, Syria’s Defense Ministry, and also attacked part of the Presidential Palace in Damascus. Dozens or more Syrian regime forces are said to have been killed in IDF attacks.”

Daily Mail wrote on July 9: 

“Spain’s hard-right Vox party has doubled down on a vow to deport illegal immigrants by declaring it would also remove foreigners who ‘have not adopted our customs’. .. 

“’We don’t know how many there are,’ he added. ‘But when we reach the government, we will. And they will all go.’ The fiery rhetoric comes as Vox enjoys a significant boost in the polls after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s  Socialist Party (POSE) slipped in the wake of a corruption scandal… Sanchez, who leads a minority coalition government comprising far-left party Sumar, has thus far resisted mounting calls from the opposition to resign and call a snap election… 

“The main opposition People’s Party was well ahead on 33.3% support, while Vox – the third-largest party in Spain’s parliament – climbed 1.3 percentage points to 15.2%… The People’s Party has previously rejected proposed deportation plans put forward by Vox.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

ICE’s Illegal Arrests Continue 

NPR wrote on July 4: 

“Immigrant advocates and civil rights lawyers say evidence is mounting that immigration agents carrying out the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown in southern California are engaging in widespread racial profiling. They’ve raided known hubs for Latino workers almost daily – hardware store parking lots, car washes, and street vendor corners. Videos of many of those operations, filmed by bystanders and posted to social media, have shown agents arresting people who appear to be Latino as they stand on sidewalks or wait at bus stops. 

“On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and other legal groups filed a federal class action lawsuit alleging that immigration agents roving the streets are targeting people based on the color of their skin or their apparent occupation. They want a judge to declare the raids unconstitutional. ‘There is a real sense that it is open season on anyone who appears to be an immigrant,’ said Eva Bitran, director of immigrants’ rights at the ACLU of Southern California. ‘They are arriving, corralling people before asking one single question, just based on their location and their appearance. Often they are handcuffing people even before they have asked for their papers, or even after a person has said “I am a US citizen, I have a green card, I have every right to be here”…’ 

“Advocates say the Trump administration’s ambitious daily arrest quotas are leading immigration agents to lean on the thinnest of justifications and on false assumptions about people they encounter to justify arrests. ‘If you’re asking these law enforcement agencies to arrest 3,000 people a day, they cannot form reasonable suspicion for each specific person,’ Bitran said…” 

And if that was not enough already… note the next articles. 

Even Much More Power For ICE 

Salon wrote on July 3:

“Trump’s budget… allocated some $175 billion towards his mass deportation campaign, more money than almost any country spends on its military… According to estimates from the World Food Programme, the funds going towards deportation would… be enough to fully fund the program to end world hunger for four years… 

“Americans have already had a preview of some of what’s to come with the increased deportation budget, like on Wednesday, when Trump traveled to Florida to tour a new camp being built there to house immigrants… The facility is expected to cost around $450 million a year, just a fraction of the $45 billion that Republicans have allocated towards building new detention facilities…. Trump also suggested that the new camp could be the first of many, foreshadowing a new incarceration system in the United States.”

Rather than fighting worldwide hunger, America is fighting unliked “illegal” aliens… 

7,000 a Day! 

The New York Post wrote on July 7: 

“President Trump’s ‘border czar’ Tom Homan wants ICE agents to arrest at least 7,000 illegal immigrants every day — more than double the current quota — after the agency received a giant budget boost for its mass deportation campaign with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. 

“‘And for those that say 3,000 a day is too much, I want to remind them, do the math, we have to arrest 7,000 every single day for the remainder of this administration just to catch the ones Biden released into the nation,’ Homan told reporters Monday outside the White House. Trump signed the nearly 900-page bill into law on July 4, opening the door for ICE to hire 10,000 new officers and double its capacity to detain illegal immigrants… 

“White House adviser Stephen Miller recently pushed ICE to make 3,000 arrests per day… The Trump administration originally gave ICE a quota of 1,800 arrests a day in January and increased the expectations in May.” 

Horrific! 

Charging “Remittance Tax”? 

Breitbart wrote on July 3: 

“Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons is praising final passage of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, mainly for its ‘unprecedented funding’ toward federal immigration enforcement… 

“The bill includes more than $46 billion for new border wall construction, $45 billion for ICE detention space, nearly $30 billion for ICE to go on a hiring spree and deport more illegal aliens, $10 billion to reimburse states who covered border security costs under former President Joe Biden, and $3.5 billion for the Department of Justice to issue grants to local governments who help locate and arrest illegal aliens, among other funding measures. Perhaps most significantly, the bill establishes a historic remittance tax to effectively fine illegal aliens who earn money in the U.S. and send that money back to their home countries.” 

A remittance tax refers to a tax on money transfers sent from the United States to recipients in foreign countries. It is primarily aimed at international cash transfers, particularly those sent by non-US citizens or nationals. The tax would typically be imposed on the sender of the remittance and collected by the entity facilitating the transfer (e.g., banks or money transfer operators). Imagine someone in the US wants to send money to their family abroad. A remittance tax would be an extra fee levied on that transfer, making the overall cost of sending the money higher. This is so abominable! But the next article describes even more abominable developments.

A Terrible Shift to Right Extremism 

Axios wrote on July 5: 

“Once-fringe tactics — an alligator-moated detention camp, deportations to war zones, denaturalization of immigrant citizens — are now being proudly embraced at the highest levels of the U.S. government. It’s an extraordinary shift from Trump’s first term, when nationwide backlash and the appearance of cruelty forced the administration to abandon its family separation policy for unauthorized immigrants. Six months into his second term… Trump is only just beginning to scale up his mass deportation machine… 

“Pro-Trump activist Laura Loomer drew outrage after tweeting that ‘alligators are guaranteed at least 65 million meals if we get started now’ — widely interpreted as a reference to the Hispanic population of the United States… 

“Some newer members of the MAGA coalition, such as podcaster Joe Rogan, have expressed deep discomfort with the targeting of non-criminal undocumented immigrants…. some MAGA influencers are pushing to weaponize denaturalization more broadly — not just as a legal remedy for fraud, but as a tool to punish ideological opponents… Prominent voices on the right have argued that immigrants who haven’t properly ‘assimilated’ — by their definition — should be vulnerable to losing their citizenship.” 

The hatred by political extremists is frightening. 

Federal Immigration Agents Descend on MacArthur Park in Los Angeles 

ABC Eyewitness News wrote on July 7: 

“Federal agents and National Guard troops descended on MacArthur Park while children were at a summer camp on Monday, sparking chaos and fear in the area. The neighborhood is home to a large immigrant population; however, agents appeared to have left largely empty-handed. 

“The raid began unfolding just before 11:30 a.m. AIR7 video shows what appears to be federal agents holding weapons and standing on an armored vehicle. The agents were not wearing any identification as they rolled through the park… Many large National Guard vehicles were also spotted in the area. Defense officials told ABC News that 90 armed troops were involved in the operation in support of immigration authorities in Los Angeles. All of the troops involved in the operation were activated members of the California National Guard. The operation included some 17 Humvees, four military cargo trucks and two military ambulances [with the agents seen carrying rifles and traveling across the grounds on foot, horseback and in armored vehicles.] 

“‘They brought terror to the community, but they didn’t have the guts to stick around because they knew if they stuck around here, to really do a big raid, the community would come out to defend the people,’ said Ron Gochez with Unión Del Barrio. ‘And that’s exactly why we’re here. They have all the courage when it’s a senior citizen vendor selling flowers by a cemetery. They had the courage to go kidnap her. But when the masses come out, where is the courage?’… 

“L.A. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said a summer camp was taking place at MacArthur Park when federal agents and troops moved in. She said the kids were quickly ushered into the lower level of the building used for the camp to keep them away from the immigration raid.” 

Just a Political Stunt? 

The Guardian wrote on July 7: 

“MacArthur Park has long been an immigrant neighborhood, with a history of political activism. In 2007, it was the center of the May Day rallies demanding amnesty for undocumented people, which were met with exceptional brutality by the Los Angeles police department… 

“‘This morning looked like a staging for a TikTok video,’ said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of the Los Angeles city council, adding if the border patrol wants to film in LA, ‘you should apply for a film permit like everybody else. And stop trying to… disrupt our economy every day.’”

The New York Post added on July 8:

“One Border Patrol official promised that federal agencies aren’t backing down… ‘The federal government is not leaving LA. … The federal government does not work for Karen Bass. We’re going to be here until that mission is accomplished,’ [he said]. ‘Better get used to us now because this is going to be normal very soon,’ he added.” 

Or a Botched Laughingstock? 

Ken Klippenstein wrote on July 7: 

“The news media is describing the operation as an ominous crackdown, but National Guard sources tell me that it was a botched laughingstock. The military aspect of the operation, codenamed Operation Excalibur, has not been previously reported. 

“The documents reveal that the erstwhile justification for the operation was to try to shut down the distribution of fake IDs. The mission of the 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry is described as protecting DHS [Department of Homeland Security] ‘security points and blocking positions’ while they undertook their assault. The operation was meticulously planned, the threat listed as ‘HIGH.’ ‘Criminal elements, likely including FTO [foreign terrorist organization] MS-13 consider the park their home “turf” and could escalate to lethal violence,’ a threat assessment warned. 

“Then all that planning went bust. Because ICE and CBP apparently failed to communicate or coordinate effectively, the military showed up too late (and Los Angeles authorities weren’t notified until two hours prior.)… 

“This is just the latest operation that didn’t go off as planned, amplifying the sense amongst the California Guardsmen that the whole spectacle is idiotic and shameful. Part of the reason for the confusion is the sheer number of government agencies involved… 

“One Army source told me that it all felt like some joint military operation overseas, where soldiers need to identify themselves as ‘friendlies’ on congested battlefields. Treating Los Angeles as a foreign country with insurgents to be defeated, military and homeland security intelligence views MacArthur Park as a viper’s nest of illegality… Many of the soldiers involved, I’m told, view their mission as unnecessary and even ridiculous, with the Trump administration ordering the spectacle and the Pentagon leadership and chain of command smartly saluting. .. 

“Similarly last month, when leadership discussed during a briefing the idea of having Guardsmen wear masks similar to ICE and CBP, rank-and-file members groaned at the stupidity and bad optics for the uniformed military. The Guard, they said, should be seen as members of the community, not shadowy interlopers… 

“Mayor Karen Bass, as if an interloper in her own city, rushed to MacArthur park in her own SUV motorcade and asked the feds to leave. Bass told the Los Angeles Times that the feds needed ‘to leave and they need to leave right now, they need to leave because this is unacceptable.’ The uniformed military I’ve spoken to seem to agree with her. 

“While military leadership is embracing the Washington-inspired mission, sources say, the rank-and-file see the California operation as more akin to Afghanistan: doomed to failure and ultimately withdrawal.” 

Whatever the purpose of the raid was, the optics were horrible, reminding us of actions by the Gestapo during the Third Reich or of NVA soldiers [“National People’s Army” or “Nationale Volksarmee”) in former East Germany; or Russian invasions of former East Block countries, such as the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. 

No Amnesty for Farm Workers 

Newsmax wrote on July 8: 

“Illegal migrants who work on U.S. farms will not be given amnesty and could be subjected to mass deportation efforts as the Trump administration strives for ‘a 100% American workforce,’ Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said Tuesday. Rollins, though, did say the administration needs to be ‘strategic in how we are implementing the mass deportation so as not to compromise our food supply.’

“President Donald Trump last week in Iowa said he’s willing to let migrant laborers stay in the U.S. if the farmers they work for will vouch for them…”

What Rollins is saying now is not what Trump had originally announced. 

Trump’s New Tariff Chaos

The Daily Mail wrote on July 7: 

“President Donald Trump hammered Japan and South Korea for running up a trade imbalance with the U.S., declaring both countries will be slapped with a new 25 percent tariff starting August 1. Trump issued a scathing attack in two letters he sent the leaders of both countries, declaring ‘our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal.’ Then he brought down the hammer, declaring what the new tariff would be, which could cripple the economies of two allies of the U.S…. 

“Markets immediately dropped on the news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 400 points, and the broader S&P 500 losing nearly a percentage point in value. Trump concluded with another threat: ‘If for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs, then, whatever then number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,’ he wrote… 

“The U.S. helped rebuild both economies after World War II and after the Korean War through extensive trade ties. For years U.S. consumers and companies have turned to both countries for automobiles and consumer products as well computer chips and technology vital to an array of other products… Japan already faced a 25 percent tariff on cars, auto parts, and steel, in addition to facing the 10 percent across the board tariff… 

“Following the briefing, Trump posted letters to a tranche of other countries: Malaysia, South Africa, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Kazakhstan, Vientiane, and others. The letter to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who clashed with Trump during an Oval Office meeting, included a 30 percent tariff.  

“Global markets are bracing for more tariff chaos as the White House plans to release a dozen or more letters signed by President Trump telling countries what taxes must be paid when they send goods to the United States.  The talk of the letters has now overtaken much of the conversation about ‘deals,’ with Trump’s team telling various nations in writing how much must be paid. The result could hike the costs that American pay for a variety of goods… 

“Trump has secured preliminary trade agreements with the United Kingdom, China, and Vietnam, though all three deals still require further negotiation to finalize terms. … In just one of the trade matters that is up in the air, Trump reportedly threatened the European Union with a 17 percent tariff on food exports, a move that could hammer that industry. Without a deal the EU faces a 50 percent tax on all goods going into the United States. EU officials told the Financial Times the new food tax is an escalation between the two trading partners….” 

Even though Trump had proclaimed that due to his tariff threats, countries would line up to make deals with the USA, this has simply not been the case. 

No Farmland for Chinese (and Others) 

The Washington Post wrote on July 8: 

“U.S. Department of Agriculture chief Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday that the U.S. government will move to ban sales of farmland nationwide to buyers tied to China and other foreign adversaries, citing threats to national security and food security — an effort that casts uncertainty over property currently held by China-linked investors. 

“Asked whether the U.S. government would seek to take back existing land owned by Chinese investors, Rollins said they are looking at ‘every available option’ as part of a clawback effort and that an executive order from the White House will probably follow ‘very soon.’… Rollins said that the USDA will also work with state legislators to quickly push through laws that will ban further purchases, with a particular focus on parcels of land near U.S. military bases… 

“The percentage of total U.S. farmland owned by Chinese investors amounts to just 0.0003 percent and has declined sharply in recent years…” 

Musk’s New Party 

Breitbart wrote on July 6: 

“Entrepreneur and former Department of Government Efficiency Director Elon Musk on Saturday announced the creation of the America Party. Musk says the American Party will restore democracy and freedom after suggesting he would start a new political party amid a high-profile feud with President Donald Trump. 

“He conducted a straw poll on his social media platform X on Friday, Politico reported. ‘By a factor or 2 to 1, you want a new political party, and you shall have it,’ Musk said Saturday afternoon in a post on X. ‘When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,’ Musk continued. ‘Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.’ 

“Musk suggested the political party would focus on two or three Senate seats and between eight and 10 House seats during the 2026 mid-term elections, CNBC reported. Given the narrow margins among House and Senate majorities in recent years, a small number of seats in both chambers would be enough to significantly influence legislation, Musk said. He said the party would caucus independently of Democrats and Republicans but enter into legislative discussions with both.” 

Deutsche Welle added on July 6: 

“He revived the idea of a new political party this week as US lawmakers approved Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill. Musk was among the legislation’s most vocal critics and has pledged to establish a new party to oppose Republicans who supported the bill… 

“A truly competitive third party could disrupt over a century of Democratic and Republican dominance at all levels of government. But Musk would not be the first person trying to establish a party to challenge their dominance. 

“Former President Theodore Roosevelt came the closest in 1912, after splitting from the Republican party. He ran as Progressive Party candidate and won 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes. More recently, Ross Perot, another billionaire, won 19% of the popular vote but no electoral votes in the 1992 presidential campaign as an independent and later formed the Reform Party.” 

The Associated Press reported on July 7: 

“Asked about the effort by reporters on Sunday afternoon as he prepared to return to Washington from his home in New Jersey, Trump called Musk’s proposition ‘ridiculous,’ going on to tout ‘tremendous success with the Republican Party.’ ‘The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system,’ Trump added. ‘And I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed for two parties.’ Third parties, Trump said, have never worked.” 

Trump also told his followers: “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.” 

According to Focus, dated July 7, “Original America didn’t care much for political parties. They aren’t mentioned at all in the Constitution. George Washington, the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797, belonged to no party.” 

There might have been much wisdom of the founding fathers in not speaking about the “necessity” of parties. Party affiliation far too often clouds the conscience of party members. The potential influence of Musk and his new party on the midterm elections should not be underestimated. Musk has no ambitions to become president… he could not anyhow, because he was not born in the USA, but in South Africa. But then, based on all the available evidence, it is not certain that Obama was born in the USA either. 

The Epstein File—The Final Straw? 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 7: 

“Outrage ensued following a stunning report claimed the Justice Department and FBI are concluding that disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not hold a ‘client list’ and did kill himself in prison. Among the top critics is billionaire Elon Musk who said the memo published by Axios on Sunday night is the ‘final straw.’… 

“Trump’s base is demanding answers and accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel of ‘lying’ to the American public. Most of the online ire has been directed towards Bondi. ‘If Jeffrey Epstein had no client list, didn’t have elites raping girls on his island and hadn’t taken part in any blackmail schemes… Then… Why’d he kill himself?’ Pro-Trump content creator Robby Starbuck posted to X. He insisted: ‘Doesn’t pass the smell test Pam Bondi.’ 

“Right-wing media site the Gateway Pundit posted: ‘If Jeffrey Epstein Had No Client List Then Why Did AG Pam Bondi Tell Reporters the List ‘Is Sitting on My Desk Right Now to Review.‘… ‘Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago,’ Starbuck posted. ‘Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list.’ ‘Sorry but this is unacceptable,’ he insisted. ‘Was she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers.’” 

People added on July 7: 

“The Tesla CEO and former Trump ally [Musk] posted a meme on X, the social media platform he owns, depicting a man applying clown makeup next to text including, ‘There is no Epstein list.’” 

Vanity Fair wrote on July 7: 

“Elon Musk… also shared a post that read: ‘If the entire government is protecting pedophiles, it has officially become the government against the people. I hope you all understand that.’” 

The inconsistent and contradictory representations of the Trump administration on the Epstein matter are indeed cause for suspicion. 

The Epstein File—Tucker Carlson on the Attack 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 8: 

“A growing number of right-wing voices are calling for the resignation of Attorney General Pam Bondi after it was revealed no more arrests will be made in connection to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes… 

“On his podcast Tuesday, conservative luminary Tucker Carlson theorized that Bondi is orchestrating a cover-up in order to protect members of the intelligence community who were ensnared in Epstein’s conduct. ‘The current DOJ under Pam Bondi is covering up crimes, very serious crimes by their own description,’ Carlson said. ‘Intel services are at the very center of this story, U.S. and Israeli and they’re being protected.’” 

Mediaite added on July 8: 

“Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson warned that President Donald Trump and his administration could be inviting a ‘revolution’ by not delivering on his campaign promise to reveal the truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal sex enterprise…. 

“‘But how can you say that thousands of children were raped, but I’m not going to find out who raped them!? How can you say that!? They said that! By the way, when Pam Bondi went on television and said, “I have a videotape of kids getting abused,” I didn’t, I followed this case closely and I know a lot of the people involved, as I’ve told you, I had no idea. I didn’t know that. Really? Thousands of children got raped? Who raped them? Where are the rapists? Like, why aren’t they in jail? This is the Department of Justice.  That is so crazy. This is like-, this is honestly one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. And I just think it’s very dangerous to play around with this stuff. Like, very dangerous. I don’t want a revolution, but if you wanted a revolution this is how you would act.’” 

JD Vance Under Attack Too 

Irish Star wrote on July 8: 

“A post JD Vance made about the ‘most powerful people’ being connected to Jeffrey Epstein has reemerged as the DOJ says a ‘client list’ doesn’t exist, despite Pam Bondi claiming she had it on her desk. JD Vance has been brutally roasted over a social media post he made about… Epstein as MAGA rages at the Trump administration for breaking a key election promise… MAGA’s Epstein frustrations escalated on Monday when a memo sent by the DOJ and FBI said that no ‘further disclosure’ of Epstein’s files or materials would be appropriate or warranted… 

“Referring to Epstein, the future Vice President wrote: ‘Remember when we learned that our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don’t talk about it.’ Both critics of the vice president and MAGA supporters have recently been responding to the post, pointing out Vance’s hypocrisy… ‘There goes your chance as president,’ one noted. A second wrote: ‘You’re losing credibility so quickly, you had an opportunity to do better and you guys are failing…’ Another noted: ‘The silence is deafening Mr Vance.’… 

“During their public feud after the tech billionaires departure from the White House, Musk wrote in a now-deleted X post: ‘Time to drop the really big bomb… Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.’ He followed up shortly after: ‘Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.’ Trump has denied being on the list and Musk eventually said he’d taken things ‘too far.’” 

What list? We were just told that there is no list after Bondi said earlier that the list was on her desk. 

Does the Big Beautiful Bill Eliminate Tax on Social Security? 

The New York Times wrote on July 6: 

“In a celebratory email sent to Americans across the country, the Social Security Administration praised the Trump administration’s sprawling budget and tax bill and said it eliminated federal income taxes on most retirees’ benefits. But that’s not exactly what it does… 

“… the enhanced deduction will help reduce households’ tax bills on their overall income, including Social Security income. ‘The S.S.A. statement implies there is a direct tax cut on Social Security benefits,’ said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, ‘which there is not.’ 

“Instead, older single filers will get the extra $6,000 deduction ($12,000 for couples), as long as their income falls under a certain ceiling (below $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for married joint filers). Above those income levels, the deduction begins to decrease, and it goes away once single taxpayers’ income reaches $175,000 ($250,000 for couples). Nor will the extra deduction benefit all Social Security recipients. Retirees who are 62 through 64 are ineligible. 

“And since the income of more than half of Social Security recipients is too low to be taxed anyway, lower income people won’t be helped much. The new break is expected to benefit middle- and upper-middle-class households, tax policy experts said. (Recipients who earn less than $63,300 owe an average of 1 percent of their Social Security benefits in taxes)… 

“‘It is discouraging to see such misrepresentation by the administration and the Social Security Administration,’ said Martha Shedden, president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, a group that offers guidance to consumers and financial professionals on making Social Security decisions… 

“The email also says that ‘nearly 90 percent of beneficiaries will no longer pay federal taxes on their benefits.’ That, too, is misleading because the deduction is temporary, only in effect for tax years 2025 through 2028. The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.” 

The American Prospect wrote on July 7: 

“If you listen to Donald Trump’s speeches…,  you hear a lot about certain modest elements of this bill: no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. That last one is not in the bill at all—there’s a temporary increase in the standard deduction for people over the age of 65 that is not tied to Social Security at all…” 

Churches Can Endorse Political Candidates? 

CNBC wrote on July 8: 

“The IRS said in a new federal court filing that churches can endorse political candidates to their congregations without risking the loss of their tax-exempt status. The move upends a 70-year-old interpretation of the U.S. tax code, whose Johnson Amendment has barred certain nonprofit groups, including churches, from endorsing political candidates without putting their tax-exempt status in jeopardy. President Donald Trump has long called for Johnson Amendment to be repealed. 

“‘Communications from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith do not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment as properly interpreted,’ the IRS said in the joint filing Monday.” 

Churches should stay out of the political arena by taking sides and endorsing political candidates. 

AI Used to Mimic Rubio’s Voice 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 8: 

“An imposter used AI technology to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and contacted at least a handful of top U.S. and foreign government officials, according to a diplomatic cable warning of the stunning blunder… 

“The imposter used text messages and the encrypted Signal app, the same app that led to the ouster of former National Security Advisor Michael Waltz after he accidentally added a reporter to a Signal group chat where top officials discussed a bombing campaign.” 

Southeast Asia Turns to Russia 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 3: 

“Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto skipped a G7 summit last month to visit Russia, where he and his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed that bilateral ties are ‘getting stronger again.’… Prabowo’s trip came a month after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s latest visit to Russia, his third in two years… Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are exploring possible ways to expand trade, including in arms imports… 

“Several Southeast Asian states have an interest in exporting electrical goods and machinery to Russia… Last month, Vietnam and Moscow agreed to fast-track agreements that could see Russian firms help build Vietnam’s first nuclear power plants… many have looked to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping as an alternative arena for global politics. Indonesia is now a formal member of BRICS while Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are partner countries… 

“Although Malaysia and Indonesia’s governments began their overtures with Russia before Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, Washington turning away from international institutions since then has convinced many Asian leaders that they can no longer count on US support and that the future of the Western-backed international order might soon be over, analysts say…” 

The Far Eastern nations of the Kings of the East are forming. Iran should not be overlooked in that regard. Note the next article. 

Iran at BRICS Summit 

The New York Times wrote on July 5: 

“Battered by 12 days of war, Iran stands mostly alone and weakened in the Middle East. Yet the Islamic republic has found friends elsewhere in the world. Starting Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Iran will join a two-day meeting of the BRICS group that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and other countries… 

“After Israel and the United States launched military strikes on Iran last month, the BRICS group issued a statement expressing ‘grave concern’ and calling the attacks a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter. Still the alliance, whose members represent more than half of the world’s population, stopped short of outright criticizing Israel or the United States…” 

Trump Threatens BRICS 

The New York Post wrote on July 7: 

“President Trump threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on any country that aligns itself with what he described as the ‘Anti-American politics of BRICS,’ intensifying global trade tensions as the bloc of developing nations holds its summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ‘Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,’ Trump wrote Sunday evening… 

“Trump did not elaborate on which specific politics of BRICS… he considered anti-American. The bloc, formed in 2009, later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as members. 

“In December, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on BRICS if member nations decided to issue their own currency — a move aimed at potentially undermining the US dollar. His comment Sunday came shortly after BRICS leaders issued a joint statement appearing to criticize Trump’s protectionist trade policies.” 

As the Tide Turns 

Daily Mail wrote on July 4: 

“Donald Trump yesterday agreed to help Ukraine boost its aerial defences after Russia launched its biggest assault of the war. The US President made the pledge after a ‘very disappointing’ phone call with Vladimir Putin on Thursday night (with the Russian leader refusing to agree to a ceasefire), with Russia launching the barrage hours after. Mr Trump spoke to Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday and seemingly vowed to ‘strengthen the protection’ of Ukraine’s skies. They also discussed joint industrial projects. 

“The two leaders, who have previously traded insults and fell out spectacularly at the White House earlier this year, spoke at length hours after Putin fired a record 539 drones and 11 missiles at Ukraine. The bombardment left at least one dead and 23 injured in Kyiv… 

“It follows reports that the US is to reduce the amount of military hardware it gives Ukraine, with US defence officials yesterday denying rumours [stemming directly from Trump himself] of a weapons shortage. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth was also said to have halted weapons shipments to Ukraine without consulting other US government departments.” 

Trump had said: “Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves” (Compare The Sun, dated July 4). 

Mark Rutte Warns of Simultaneous Russian and Chinese Invasions 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 6: 

“NATO chief Mark Rutte has chillingly warned that World War III will start with simultaneous invasions from Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin… Rutte suggested the combined attacks from the Chinese and Russian leaders could trigger a World War nightmare and bring the planet to the brink of Armageddon. 

“According to the NATO chief, China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan – while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks NATO territory, amid fears Putin is anyway eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR. 

“Senior Putin security official Dmitry Medvedev – a former Russian president and ex-premier – lashed out on X: ‘Rutte has clearly gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch. He sees collusion between China & Russia over Taiwan, and then a Russian attack on Europe. But he’s right about one thing: he should learn Russian. It might come in handy in a Siberian camp.’” 

This is not how World War III will start. The leaders and politicians of this world, not understanding biblical prophecy, look at all the wrong places, but overlook the coming real powerful and destructive enemy of the USA and the UK. 

What or Who Is Shylock? 

JTA wrote on July 4: 

“After facing criticism, President Donald Trump said he was unaware that the term ‘Shylock’ was widely considered antisemitic when he used it to describe unscrupulous bankers during a rally Thursday in Iowa… Shylock is the name of the Jewish money lender in William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ a character that has come to be seen as an archetype of the stereotype that Jews are greedy and money-grubbing…

“Joe Biden, then vice president, decried ‘Shylocks’ in 2014 to describe unscrupulous lenders who he said preyed on U.S. military personnel…” 

Antisemitism is difficult to root out, and it is sometimes even inadvertently unrecognized. 

German Persecution 

The European Conservative wrote on June 25: 

“On Wednesday, June 25th, the German federal police carried out a major operation throughout the country, searching the homes and confiscating the electronics of 170 people over social media comments that either fall in the general ‘hate speech’ category or just insult sitting politicians.  

“While individuals can be targeted by the authorities at any time, these coordinated country-wide raids are organized once every year since the 2017 adoption of Article 188 of the Criminal Code, which makes insulting politicians punishable to the same degree as online hate speech—with up to three years in prison—while defamation and slander can get you locked up for up to five years. 

“These so-called ‘action days’ are also supported by several ‘hate crime’ reporting centers throughout the country, often run by left-wing NGOs who file the charges on behalf of offended people and politicians. Thanks to these organizations, the number of registered online hate crimes reached a record level of over ten thousand last year, meaning the number has quadrupled since 2021. According to officials from the ruling center-right CDU, all this is perfectly normal in a democracy…. 

“In many cases, the ‘crimes’ involved merely entail legitimate criticism of government policies—saying Berlin fails to control migration could be considered Islamophobia or racism, for example—or just the opinions of everyday people of their elected officials. The most prominent abuser of the law is former vice-chancellor and Green party leader Robert Habeck, who personally reported over 800 citizens for insulting him online. Recently, a 64-year-old pensioner was convicted for calling Habeck ‘a complete idiot’ following a similar house search, while another man was fined €6,000 for calling him ‘dirty’ and former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock ‘stupid.’ 

“And while Chancellor Merz’s CDU was trying to capitalize on the Greens’ abuse of Article 188 during the election campaign, they’ve been weaponizing it just as easily when it suited them. Merz himself has personally filed charges in several cases, which resulted in home searches. These include the case against a 50-year old nurse who called him an ‘asshole’ and who had to pay a €1,000 fine; a Stuttgart resident who called him a ‘dirty drunk’; and a wheelchair-bound woman who called him a ‘Nazi.’ 

“And while the courts later dismissed all of these cases and ruled that the searches and confiscation of electronics were unlawful, none of them were compensated either for the damages or the criminal fines they were forced to pay.” 

“Pistorius Outlines Plans for Military Draft” 

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 8:

“A bill to be put forward by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius would allow the Cabinet, with parliamentary agreement, to call up conscripts if a situation arises that requires a rapid boost to the country’s armed forces, media have reported.  

“The bill is being seen as a compromise between some conservatives’ calls for the return of compulsory military service, which was suspended in Germany in 2011, and the opposition of many leftist lawmakers to such a move.”

The push for compulsory military service will continue. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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

Controversial US Supreme Court Decision on Birthright Citizenship 

The New York Times wrote on June 27: 

“The Supreme Court on Friday limited the ability of federal judges to temporarily pause President Trump’s executive orders, a major victory for the administration. But the justices made no ruling on the constitutionality of his move to end birthright citizenship, and they stopped his order from taking effect for 30 days. 

“The 6-3 decision, written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett and split along ideological lines, may dramatically reshape how citizenship is granted in the United States, even temporarily. The ruling means that the practice of giving citizenship automatically to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary residents and visitors would end in the 28 states that have not challenged the order. 

“The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship to take effect in some parts of the country for now, ruling that several district court judges had exceeded their authority in blocking the policy across the country. 

“The court stressed that its ruling did not address the constitutionality of Mr. Trump’s order itself, which bars government agencies from automatically treating babies as citizens if they were born on domestic soil to undocumented migrants or foreign visitors without green cards.” 

But this ruling, even though limited to the issue of whether federal judges can issue nationwide injunctions, still causes confusion and disharmony. And WHY should there be a decision along ideological lines—assuming the law is clear? Note the next article. 

A Chaotic Patchwork 

The Guardian wrote on June 27 and 28: 

“The ruling curtails nationwide injunctions against Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship – meaning that while lawsuits against the order proceed, the court has unleashed a chaotic patchwork of rights enforceability. The Trump administration’s ban on birthright citizenship will now be able to go into effect in jurisdictions where there is no ongoing lawsuit, or where judges have not issued regional stays. And so the supreme court creates, for the foreseeable future, a jurisprudence of citizenship in which babies born in some parts of the country will be presumptive citizens, while those born elsewhere will not. 

“More broadly the decision means that going forward, the enforceable rights and entitlements of Americans will now be dependent on the state they reside in and the status of ongoing litigation in that district at any given time… 

“In this decision, the court did not, technically, reach the merits of Trump’s absurd and insulting claim that the constitution somehow does not create a birthright entitlement to citizenship. But in the meantime, many children – the American-born infants of immigrant parents – will be denied the right that the 14th amendment plainly guarantees them…” 

Maybe not. Note the next article. 

Class Action Lawsuits as an Alternative? 

NPR wrote on June 27: 

“After the Supreme Court issued [its] ruling…, immigrant rights groups are trying a new tactic by filing a national class action lawsuit… The strategic shift required three court filings: one to add class allegations to the initial complaint; a second to move for class certification; and a third asking a district court in Maryland to issue… a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction asking for relief for that putative class… 

“In the amended complaint, filed two hours after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the immigrant rights attorneys said that Trump’s effort to ban birthright citizenship, if allowed to stand, ‘would throw into doubt the citizenship status of thousands of children across the country’… 

“The concept of birthright citizenship has deep roots, dating to the English common law notion of jus soli (‘right of the soil’)… Current legal standing for birthright citizenship in the U.S. extends back to the 1860s, when the 14th Amendment of the Constitution was ratified, stating, ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.’” 

However, according to the New York Times, dated June 28, in concurring opinions, two key members of the conservative bloc, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., warned lower-court judges “not to lower standards for using alternative means to issue sweeping orders in an effort to circumvent the ruling. Justice Alito wrote that ‘district courts should not view today’s decision as an invitation to certify nationwide classes without scrupulous adherence to the rigors’ of legal rules. Justice Thomas added that if judges do not ‘carefully heed this court’s guidance’ and act within limits, ‘this court will continue to be “duty bound” to intervene.’” 

Trump Emboldened 

The Washington Post wrote on June 28: 

“An emboldened Trump administration plans to aggressively challenge blocks on the president’s top priorities, from immigration to education, following a major Supreme Court ruling that limits the power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions. 

“Government attorneys will press judges to pare back the dozens of sweeping rulings thwarting the president’s agenda ‘as soon as possible,’ said a White House official…” 

Strong Attacks by Elon Musk on “Big Beautiful” Bill 

The Daily Mail wrote on July 1: 

“Donald Trump has threatened to turn the Department of Government Efficiency on… Elon Musk. The president suggested he may use the department Musk once headed to strip away the billionaire’s government subsidies to decimate his business empire, as their feud hit galactic new heights. 

“Trump issued the threat in response to Musk’s public protest over the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ in which he pledged to launch his own political party if the bill succeeds…. He then turned the screws on Musk, suggesting his time benefitting from the U.S. government could be over and that the South African native could be forced to return to his homeland… 

“The world’s richest man has argued that the legislation would greatly increase the national debt and erase the savings he says he has achieved through DOGE. His criticism of the bill has caused a rift with Trump, marking a dramatic shift after the tech billionaire spent nearly $300 million on the president’s re-election campaign… 

“After weeks of relative silence following a feud with Trump over the bill, Musk rejoined the debate on Saturday… calling it ‘utterly insane and destructive’ in a post on social media platform X.

On Monday, he ramped up his criticism, saying lawmakers who had campaigned on cutting spending but backed the bill, ‘should hang their heads in shame!’ ‘And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,’ Musk said. 

“The Tesla and SpaceX CEO called again for a new political party, saying the bill’s massive spending indicated, ‘that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!’ ‘Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people,‘ he wrote.” 

Mediaite added on July 1: 

“Trump indicated Tuesday morning that he is open to deporting Elon Musk — amid his renewed battle with the Tesla boss. Speaking with reporters ahead of a flight to Florida on Tuesday, the president was asked about whether he would consider deporting the South African mogul. ‘We’ll have to take a look,’ Trump said.” 

Deporting Elon Musk? When will this silly nonsense ever end? Subsequently, the House adopted the bill. It will be interesting to see what Musk will do next.

Completely Obliterated or Not? 

The Daily Mail wrote on June 28: 

“New satellite photos have revealed that Iran is trying to piece together its nuclear site after the US sensationally bombed it last week. Heavy machinery was seen at the Fordow site as it appeared Iran has intensified its construction and excavation of the nuclear site after US B-2 bombers struck it last Saturday in Operation Midnight Hammer… 

“Construction equipment was also seen digging new access roads to the facility and repairing damage to the main one in order to restore access to the country’s main nuclear facility. US President Donald Trump said the strikes ‘completely obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program and set it back years, but the new aerial images suggest the Middle Eastern country had taken preliminary effort to protect its facility. Iranian media said the sites had been evacuated prior to the strikes and the enriched uranium was transported to a ‘safe location.’  It is unclear how much uranium was left at the site during the bomb, but officials said there is no contamination after the strikes. Earthwork also showed signs tunnel entrances might have been sealed off before the attacks, Newsweek reported.  

“Similar construction activity was seen at the Fordow site prior to the strikes, where Iranians were seen shipping contents from the nuclear site to another location a half a mile away. Despite the extent of the damage being up to question, International Atomic Energy Agency – the UN’s nuclear watchdog – said Fordow’s centrifuges were ‘no longer operational’ and suffered ‘enormous damage.’… Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth… slammed the media for diminishing the strikes, which Trump compared to Hiroshima… Trump has threatened to sue The New York Times and CNN for reporting on the preliminary report [from the DIA suggesting ‘there was “low confidence” that that Middle Eastern country’s program had been set back.’]” 

Trump demanded an apology and retraction from the Times and CNN. Both responded by rejecting those demands. 

Only a Moderate Success 

The Tagesspiegel wrote on June 28: 

“He survived. Physically and politically. That was not a foregone conclusion. Ali Khamenei’s time and that of his regime could have ended. The twelve days of war against Israel and the USA posed an existential threat to Iran’s revolutionary leader… But shortly after the ceasefire was announced, the Ayatollah emerged from his bunker and, in his first public appearance in a long time, declared that the Islamic Republic had ‘crushed’ the ‘Zionists’ in battle. That is propaganda nonsense, no question. Which should also be clear to the cleric… 

“Against this background, the claim that the governments in Washington and Jerusalem have ‘achieved nothing’ initially seems like a blatant case of a loss of touch with reality. The only problem is: Khamenei’s assessment is at least partially correct. ‘Achieving less than the enemy secretly hoped’ would probably be a more appropriate formulation. Given its ambitious goals, the ‘Rising Lion’ offensive was not a resounding success for either the US or Israel. 

“These twelve days of missile and drone battles cost hundreds of lives and caused significant material damage. But that likely did too little to permanently halt Iran’s imperial ambitions in the Middle East and thus bring some peace to the Middle East. 

“… Khamenei and his followers may be weakened and humiliated for the time being, but they are by no means defeated. Even the assessment of the main reason for the war is sobering. Iran’s nuclear program has probably been set back by months, perhaps even years. However, it is doubtful that it has been completely neutralized… Rather, expert reports sound plausible, according to which the mullahs have had around 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium secured—along with centrifuges, an important prerequisite for building a nuclear weapon. 

“The bomb in particular. Those in power will now leave no stone unturned to acquire it. Perhaps they will enter into negotiations to buy time. But that will not change their ambitions. Because the attacks on the Islamic Republic have shown them starkly: Our enemies only dared to rise up against us because we did not yet possess the ultimate weapon. 

“Iran will try to follow North Korea’s example. As a nuclear power, the Asian country is considered unassailable. The temptation to use this approach to intimidate the enemy is simply too great. Fear is also a core component of the mullah regime. The ruling clique continues to wield all the means of power. It uses them to suppress any form of opposition with force.” 

Trump’s Dilemma 

Focus wrote on June 29: 

“Trump is staging the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities as a major victory – and reacting angrily to any form of doubt. But why is it so crucial for Trump that the world believes him?… 

“As CNN analyzes, Trump’s entire presidency is built on the image of a strong, courageous, virtually infallible leader. Doubts about the effectiveness of the attack would contradict this self-image. Any dissenting assessment – no matter how well-founded – would come across as an embarrassment and undermine Trump’s personal credibility… 

“The second reason, according to CNN, is strategic: If Iran indeed continues to be able to quickly restart its nuclear program, the US would theoretically have to intervene militarily again. This would present Trump with a dangerous dilemma – because such a ‘quasi-war’ with Iran for years contradicts his stated goal of not conducting any new foreign operations.” 

Trump Would Strike Again 

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 27: 

“US President Donald Trump said he would ‘absolutely’ order a strike on Iran if intelligence indicated that Tehran was still capable of enriching uranium to nuclear weapons-grade… 

“Regarding future inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites, the US president said he supports inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or another respected source being able to inspect nuclear sites in Iran following the bombings by Israel and the US. 

‘Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran may reject any request by the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, to visit the country’s nuclear sites, calling the insistence by IAEA head Rafael Grossi to visit nuclear sites in Iran ‘meaningless, even malign in intent.’ This comes after the Iranian parliament voted to suspend any cooperation with the IAEA over its failure to condemn the strikes carried out on various nuclear sites in Iran by Israel and the US.” 

So, is another never-ending war on the horizon? 

Has Trump Really Won? 

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 1: 

“Sunday’s attack on the three nuclear sites indeed was loudly proclaimed by Trump and Hegseth as such – having ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme, they claimed. ‘Destroyed it completely,’ they insist.  Only … it didn’t: The strike caused superficial surface damage, perhaps. And seemingly was co-ordinated in advance with Iran via intermediaries to be a ‘once and done’ affair. This is a habitual Trump pattern (advance coordination). It was the mode in Syria, Yemen and even with Trump’s assassination of Qasem Soleimani – all intended to give Trump a quick media ‘victory.’.. 

“Iran likely has enough centrifuges and 450 kg of highly enriched uranium – and nobody (except Iran) now knows where the stash is hidden. Iran will resume processing…. ‘Iranian unconditional surrender’ is, of course, now off the cards… Put plainly: the US long war likely will be resumed in a new format… 

“Moving to the wider geo-political cost-benefit level, Israel’s standing (at the regional level) of being unassailable when fused to American power, has taken a blow…” 

Trump Angry With Iran’s Leader 

Newsmax wrote on June 27: 

“President Donald Trump on Friday said he immediately stopped pursuing sanctions relief for Iran following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statement of ‘anger, hatred, and disgust.’ A day earlier, Khamenei said his country had delivered a ‘slap to America’s face’ by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire agreement with Israel… ‘Why would the so-called “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so,’ Trump posted Friday afternoon on Truth Social. ‘As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie.’ 

“Trump wrote that not only was Iran ‘decimated’ by the Israeli and U.S. attacks, he prevented Israel from killing Khamenei. ‘I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel… terminate his life,’ Trump wrote…” 

First Trump was angry with Israel. Now he is angry with Iran. 

Sleeper Cells in Waiting 

NewsNation wrote on June 27: 

“… the threat of [Iranian] sleeper cells has ‘has never been higher,’ according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection… Commissioner Rodney Scott said, ‘Thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways 

“Sleeper cells are spies or terrorists who operate in rival countries and remain inactive until they are essentially ordered to act… A recent Homeland Security threat assessment confirms that Iran remains a primary state sponsor of terrorism and continues efforts to target both current and former U.S. officials. That assessment echoes similar warnings issued by the Biden administration in 2024… Recruitment is typically done through networks, religious institutions or online platforms like social media. Recruiters typically appeal to emotions, such as alienation, injustice or religious duty… 

“Identifying sleeper cells is extremely difficult… some individuals may be homegrown or enter the U.S. undetected. [They lead] seemingly normal lives… and don’t draw any attention to themselves until it’s too late.” 

Preparing For the Third Temple 

Israel 365 News wrote on June 30: 

“In a remarkable development that highlights the complex relationship between religious belief and political ideology within Orthodox Judaism, the Toldos Aharon chassidic movement has established a specialized study program for Jewish priests (kohanim) to prepare for Temple service, despite the group’s well-known anti-Zionist stance… This ideological position makes their recent initiative all the more striking… [Toldos Aharon declared that] ‘We clearly see that we’re at the time of Ikvesa d’Meshicha (the final stage of redemption) and the third Beis Hamikdash (Temple) will be built soon in our days…’ 

“This initiative presents a fascinating paradox within Orthodox Jewish thought. While Toldos Aharon categorically rejects Zionism and the current State of Israel, they are actively preparing for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem—the very city that serves as Israel’s capital… 

“Modern science has provided remarkable validation for the preservation of the priestly lineage. Over 98% of Jewish men who identify as kohanim share a specific genetic marker,  providing scientific evidence for the integrity of the patrilineal priestly heritage that has been maintained over nearly 2,000 years since the destruction of the Second Temple. This genetic continuity, combined with the careful preservation of priestly genealogies within Jewish communities, has led to speculation that modern kohanim could indeed serve in a rebuilt Temple, despite the nearly two-millennium gap in practical Temple service.” 

NATO’s Embarrassing Performance 

The Guardian wrote on June 27: 

“Diplomats may remember it as the week in which the art of obsequiousness reached new highs and the sycophants plunged [to] new lows… The tone of [Nato’s secretary general Mark] Rutte’s public bootlicking had been muted compared with the text messages he had sent to ‘dear Donald’ before the summit – ‘Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, it was truly extraordinary … you will achieve something NO president in decades could get done’… 

“What is more cringeworthy, after all – the clips of Trump’s cabinet members taking turns to parrot praise of his leadership and vision, or the fact that his fragile ego demands lavish compliments before he can get down to work? No doubt all the president’s yes-men believe that lavishing him with praise can lead to lavish rewards. 

“Take the former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, who in 2020 presented him with a ‘bookshelf-sized’ bronze model of Mount Rushmore, portraying Trump’s face next to those of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Noem is now the secretary of homeland security.  Stephen Miller, who called Trump the ‘most stylish president in our lifetime’, is the White House deputy chief of staff for policy…” 

But Trump might not be oblivious to the motives of his advisors. He recently said that he has no friends and does not trust anyone. 

The Drones Are Coming… 

Sky News reported on June 26: 

“In order to defend themselves, Andrius Kubilius [EU’s defense commissioner] says Europeans will require millions of drones and need to start preparing now. ‘Russia can have around five million drones, so we need to have capacities bigger than those in order to prevail,’ he told Sky News… 

“Facing one of the world’s strongest militaries, the Ukrainians used the cheap, adaptable technology to their advantage. It estimates its drone units are now responsible for 80% of Russian frontline losses. This year, Ukraine’s expected to produce more than four million drones… ‘If Ukrainians need four million for 1,200km, we need something like three million drones for one year if the war is starting, if “Day X” is coming,’ [Kubilius] said. 

“A spokesperson from the German Defence Ministry said… ‘Drones are now part of everyday life for soldiers, they are omnipresent and are used extensively in service operations and training,’ they added. 

“The alliance’s leadership has repeatedly said producing, procuring, and protecting against drones is a priority. 

“Defence Secretary John Healey said… ‘Drones now kill more people than traditional artillery in the war in Ukraine and whoever gets new technology into the hands of their armed forces the quickest will win…’ 

“The German Ministry of Defence said it couldn’t reveal stock levels due to security, but a spokesperson confirmed the country is investing in a range of different units, including signing two contracts for attack drones. ‘We are procuring not just a few but quite large quantities and testing them directly with the troops,’ the spokesperson added. However, they agreed with the EU defence commissioner that rather than stockpiling tech which would go out of date, it was better to have a system in place to allow for large quantities to be made quickly in the event of war….” 

All Trade Discussions With Canada Ended 

Politico wrote on June 27: 

“President Donald Trump said Friday he is ‘terminating’ all trade discussions with Canada, effective immediately, because of its Digital Services Tax, and that he would announce new tariffs on the country within the next seven days. 

‘“We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with … has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,’ Trump said in a Truth Social post. He accused the country of copying the European Union, “‘which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us.’” 

The New York Post wrote on June 30: 

“Canada abruptly scrapped its plan to enforce a new digital service tax on American tech firms… PM Mark Carney caved just hours before the new levy was slated to go into effect on Monday… The tax would have been applied retroactively, leaving the companies with a US $2 billion (CAN $2.72 billion) bill due at the end of the month… Carney’s office has since revealed the PM spoke with Trump on Sunday night and agreed to halt the tax in a bid to resume talks.” 

Ridiculous Gas Prices in California 

Breitbart wrote on June 27: 

“Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) warned Thursday that gas prices in California could hit $10 per gallon this summer — not just because of taxes and higher fuel standards, but also pipeline problems… 

“California gas prices are forecasted to rise by 65 cents per gallon after July 1, thanks not only to higher gas taxes but also to new, tougher fuel standards taking effect.” 

There is no possible justification for such outrageous mismanagement. 

ICE’s Misconduct

The Los Angeles Times Newsletter wrote on June 29:

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s immigration raids throughout Los Angeles and surrounding counties have been splashed all over television and social media feeds for nearly a month.

“There were the two women nabbed outside the Airport Courthouse on La Cienega Boulevard on Tuesday after a hearing in a local criminal case. There was the raid at a Hollywood Home Depot on June 19 in which crews of armed, mostly masked agents converged on a parking lot, blocking gates and surrounding the laborers and vendors.

“A Times analysis found that 69% of those arrested during that period had no criminal conviction and 58% had never been charged with a crime. The median age of someone arrested was 38, and that person was likely to be a man. Nearly 48% were Mexican, 16% were from Guatemala and 8% from El Salvador…”

The LA Times also reported about ICE’s arrest of a 6-year-old with cancer outside an L.A. court while his mom is fighting for his release. ICE has been “justifying” its conduct with inevitable “collateral damage.” 58% to 69% is quite a high figure for “collateral damage.”

The Wrap wrote on June 29: 

“The nannies in this town [Santa Monica] are mostly Hispanic and like so many other Latinos doing important jobs in our community, they’re now living in a state of terror. Because ICE agents will pick up anyone with brown skin, regardless of whether they are legal or not, and sometimes even if they are American. It doesn’t seem to matter. … With their faces obscured, no warrants and no identification, ICE is showing up at the Home Depot. They’re showing up at parks. Car washes. Restaurants. Schools… [in] medical office(s) looking for patients and staff… 

“This is the kind of insanity and terror that’s being spread in our city [Los Angeles]. According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 1,600 immigrants have been detained in Southern California over a period of more than two weeks as of June 25th. This equates to roughly 101 arrests per day… ICE is operating aggressively all over… 

“You might see men pull up in one SUV, or several, armed to the hilt and dressed in combat gear surround a young woman no more than 100 lbs or so. That was in Ladera Heights…” 

What impression is the US giving to the world when pictures of military-gear-clad masked ICE agents are launching aggressive raids—pictures which are normally only known in autocratic dictatorships? 

And Now: Stripping Americans of Their Citizenship 

The Guardian wrote on June 30: 

“The Trump administration has codified its efforts to strip some Americans of their US citizenship in a recently published justice department memo that directs attorneys to prioritize denaturalization for naturalized citizens who commit certain crimes. 

“The memo, published on 11 June, calls on attorneys in the department to institute civil proceedings to revoke a person’s United States citizenship if an individual either ‘illegally procured’ naturalization or procured naturalization by ‘concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation’. According to the memo, those subjected to civil proceedings are not entitled to an attorney like they are in criminal cases. And the government has a lighter burden of proof in civil cases than they do in criminal ones…. 

“The directive gives justice department attorneys wider discretion on when to pursue denaturalization, including in instances of lying on immigration forms, cases where there is financial fraud or medical fraud against the US or against private individuals…” 

The HuffPost clarified further on July 1: 

“… The administration intends to widen the pool of eligible individuals, including, for example, those who’ve fraudulently used government programs like the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program, and those who’ve committed fraud against people and corporations. And the Trump administration says it won’t be stopping there. ‘These categories do not limit the Civil Division from pursuing any particular case, nor are they listed in a particular order of importance,’ the memo adds. 

“That’s highly concerning, immigration experts warn, and could lead to the administration targeting a wide swath of U.S. citizens, given how amorphous its requirements are… 

“About 25 million people in the U.S. are naturalized citizens, or immigrants who have completed the legal steps to become U.S. citizens… Previously, denaturalization had been used at a larger scale between 1907 and 1967 when an estimated 22,000 people saw their citizenship revoked, including for political reasons that emerged during the McCarthy era and its persecution of suspected communists…. 

“While the process historically focused on people who had lied about their background to obtain U.S. citizenship, the new memo has much broader criteria… Steve Lubet, professor emeritus at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law [said:] ‘Many of the categories are so vague as to be meaningless. It isn’t even clear that they relate to fraudulent procurement, as opposed to post-naturalization conduct…’”

This is deeply alarming indeed. Far from focusing merely on illegal aliens who have been convicted of capital crimes, as it had been originally promised, Trump goes after aliens without papers, legal tourists and other aliens who are here legally, green card holders, birthright citizens, and now even naturalized American citizens. Where will it stop? When is America going to wake up? 

Conscription—Yes or No? 

t-online wrote on June 28: 

“Christoph Heusgen, former head of the Munich Security Conference, supports… [Defense Minister Boris] Pistorius’s plans. If not enough soldiers can be recruited voluntarily, ‘we will have to resort to conscription if necessary,’ Heusgen demands… 

“At the same time, he warns against underestimating Putin: ‘Many people don’t believe Putin is serious.’ The expert knows the Russian president from his time as Angela Merkel’s foreign policy advisor and warns against naivety…” 

ZDF Heute wrote on June 28: 

“Conscription – yes or no? A majority in Germany is in favor… Young people are significantly more skeptical than older people about the question of whether there should be conscription. According to the ZDF Politikbarometer, more than half of 18- to 34-year-olds reject it. 

ZDF Heute also wrote the following in an article from April 19: “Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Kretschmann sees no reasonable alternative on rearmament plans in Germany and Europe. Pacifism now means being prepared for defense.” 

As we reported last week, Bavaria’s Minister President Söder has also spoken out in favor of conscription.

Pistorius Is Spared Defeat

Der Tagesspiegel wrote on June 28: 

“The SPD has averted a looming serious [internal] dispute over the option of mandatory military service according to the plans of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). After hours of crisis talks,… an initiative proposal by the Jusos [SPD’s Young Socialists], was amended who had initially rejected the inclusion of compulsory military service in the planned bill.

“The wording up for vote at the party conference on Saturday evening was: ‘We do not want any legally enforceable option for conscription before all measures for voluntary increases have been exhausted. We want to enable measures for the conscription, registration, and military monitoring of young men liable for military service.‘ The motion was… adopted with a few votes against and abstentions…”

Nuclear Bombs for Germany! 

Bild Online wrote on June 28:

“Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn is sounding the alarm. In view of the growing threat from Russia, the CDU politician is demanding: Germany should have direct access to nuclear weapons!… 

“Although American nuclear bombs are stored in Germany, that’s not enough for Spahn. The CDU politician is demanding a share in the nuclear weapons of France and Great Britain. Or even a separate European nuclear umbrella. That will cost a lot of money. ‘But if you want protection, you have to finance it,’ said Spahn. Germany as a nuclear power? Spahn says: Yes!” 

Der Tagesspiegel added on June 28:

“[Spahn:] ‘We should have a debate about an independent European nuclear umbrella.’ That will only work with German leadership, Spahn continued: ‘France will almost certainly not let us touch its red button, to stay with the metaphor.'”

Reactions to Spahn’s Proposal

BR24 wrote on June 29:

“Critical voices [of Spahn’s proposal] came not only from the opposition, but also from the ranks of the coalition partner, the SPD. SPD foreign policy expert Rolf Mützenich accused Spahn of playing with fire ‘when he calls for European, possibly even German, nuclear weapons’…

“Spahn’s idea of a European nuclear umbrella under German leadership ‘border[s] on the well-known megalomania in German history,’ explained Left Party parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann. ‘The then Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss was already defeated by such unfortunate demands.’…

“The AfD parliamentary group’s defense policy spokesman, Rüdiger Lucassen, was more supportive… ‘A German nuclear weapons program is… the logical consequence,’ he said…”

Jens Spahn’s Faith

The Protestant “Sonntagsblatt” wrote on June 30:

“Jens Spahn is a politician with a noticeably strong religious foundation. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag clearly professes his Catholic faith, but is quite willing to openly name grievances within the church. In the public debate, he positions himself as a devout Catholic, as a gay man with political responsibility, and as someone who does not see religion as a private matter.

“Spahn’s religious upbringing is consistently Catholic: He attended a Catholic kindergarten and elementary school and went to a Catholic high school. He served as an altar boy and was involved in youth work. This influence continues to this day. Faith is his ‘compass and foundation,’ Spahn wrote in a 2018 guest article for the ‘Welt’ newspaper. It gives him support, security, and serenity.

“At the same time, he urges the church to focus more on core tasks. He defines these as pastoral care, religious education, and charitable work. He cites the inviolability of human life, the dignity of the sick or dying, and organ donation as examples. 

“This stance reveals, on the one hand, a conservative understanding of the separation of church and state, but on the other hand, a clear interest in the public relevance of religion – as long as it focuses on the spiritual and social. At the same time, he openly opposes certain church teachings, particularly in dealing with homosexuality. He pointedly commented on the refusal to bless his marriage in Bild am Sonntag: ‘The Catholic Church blesses motorcycles and hamsters – but not us.’

“Spahn’s relationship with non-Christian religious communities, especially Islam, is less nuanced… While he emphasizes that Muslim life belongs to Germany… he does not shy away from sweeping disparagements and insinuations. For example, at an event at the Evangelical Academy in Berlin in 2024, Spahn claimed that ‘Muslim culture’ is permeated with anti-Semitism, misogyny [hatred of women], and homophobia.

“Spahn rarely or never comments on other world religions. Judaism appears to him almost exclusively in the context of the State of Israel or in connection with anti-Semitism. Buddhism and Hinduism, on the other hand, do not seem to be an issue for him.”

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

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