Huckabee: Israel Has Right to Much of Middle East 

Politico wrote on February 21: 

“Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East. Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land. Huckabee responded: ‘It would be fine if they took it all.’ Huckabee added, however, that Israel was not looking to expand its territory and has a right to security in the land it legitimately holds. 

“His comments sparked immediate backlash from neighboring Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry described Huckabee’s comments as ‘extremist rhetoric’ and ‘unacceptable,’ and called for the State Department to clarify its position on them. Egypt’s foreign ministry called his comments a ‘blatant violation’ of international law, adding that ‘Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or other Arab lands.’ ‘Statements of this nature — extremist and lacking any sound basis — serve only to inflame sentiments and stir religious and national emotions,’ the League of Arab States said… 

“Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has not had fully recognized borders. Its frontiers with Arab neighbors have shifted as a result of wars, annexations, ceasefires and peace agreements. During the six-day 167 Mideast war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula as part of a peace deal with Egypt following the 1973 Mideast war. It also unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. 

“Israel has attempted to deepen control of the occupied West Bank in recent months. It has greatly expanded construction in Jewish settlements, legalized outposts and made significant bureaucratic changes to its policies in the territory… 

“Huckabee has long opposed the idea of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people. In an interview last year, he said he does not believe in referring to the Arab descendants of people who had lived in British-controlled Palestine as ‘Palestinians.’ 

“In the latest interview, Carlson pressed Huckabee about his interpretation of Bible verses from the book of Genesis, where he said God promised Abraham and his descendants land from the Nile to the Euphrates. ‘That would be the Levant, so that would be Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. It would also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq,’ Carlson said. Huckabee replied: ‘Not sure we’d go that far. I mean, it would be a big piece of land.’” 

In a common declaration, Huckabee’s comments were strongly condemned. The declaration was signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. 

What is being overlooked is the fact that God gave the Promised Land at the time prior to Israel’s and Judah’s captivity to all the tribes of Israel, the sons of Jacob. Judah is just one tribe among twelve. They most certainly do not have the right to the entire Promised Land—neither now nor in the future.  

 Carlson’s Ridiculous Idea Regarding Ashkenazi Jews 

The Algemeiner wrote on February 21: 

“In a combative interview with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, right-wing firebrand Tucker Carlson made a host of contentious and often demonstrably false claims that quickly went viral online. Huckabee, who repeatedly challenged the former Fox News star during the interview, subsequently made a long post on X, identifying a pattern of bad-faith arguments, distortions and conspiracies in Carlson’s rhetorical style… ‘What I wasn’t anticipating was a lengthy series of questions where he seemed to be insinuating that the Jews of today aren’t really same people as the Jews of the Bible,’ Huckabee wrote, adding that Tucker’s obsession with conspiracies regarding the provenance of Ashkenazi Jews obscured the fact that most Israeli Jews were refugees from the Arab and Muslim world. 

“The idea that Ashkenazi Jews are an Asiatic tribe who invented a false ancestry ‘gained traction in the 80’s and 90’s with David Duke and other Klansmen and neo-Nazis,’ Huckabee wrote. ‘It has really caught fire in recent years on the Internet and social media, mostly from some of the most overt antisemites and Jew haters you can find.’

Carlson branded Israel ‘probably the most violent country on earth’ and cited the false claim that Israel President Isaac Herzog had visited the infamous island of the late, disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein [Carlson subsequently reneged on that claim.] 

“Another misleading claim made by Carlson was that there were more Christians in Qatar than in Israel.” 

The idea regarding the “Ashkenazi Jews” is utter nonsense. 

Time to Build Third Temple 

Israel 365 News wrote on February 20: 

“A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck southern Iran on February 19, 2026, at 7:13 a.m. local time, with its epicenter 35 kilometers southwest of Mohr in Fars province… This tremor erupted from the ancient core of Persia, the very region where Cyrus the Great launched his empire in 559 BCE, conquering Babylon and issuing the decree that rebuilt Jewish life in Jerusalem after decades of exile… 

“God called Cyrus His mashiach (anointed one) to end the Babylonian oppression. In 539 BCE, Cyrus captured Babylon without a fight, then proclaimed freedom for the exiles… Cyrus supplied timber from Lebanon, returned 5,400 gold and silver vessels looted from the First Temple, and appointed Sheshbazzar to lead the returnees. By 516 BCE, the Second Temple rose on its foundation, a direct result of this Persian king’s command. 

“President Trump mirrors this role in modern times as Israel’s staunchest defender. His 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital echoed Cyrus’s charge to rebuild the city and Temple. Trump declared in his White House speech, ‘We finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality.’ He relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, affirming the city’s unity under Israeli control. In 2019, he extended sovereignty recognition to the Golan Heights, securing Israel’s northern border against Syrian and Iranian threats… 

“The quake in Fars province awakens more than memory. It signals the urgency to fulfill Cyrus’s unfinished work. The Temple Mount, site of the First and Second Temples, now hosts foreign structures and trees planted to obscure its sanctity. Jewish law demands the area be cleared of all alien elements, from domes and mosques to the cypress and olive groves that dot the plateau, to prepare for reconstruction… 

“Groups like the Temple Institute have already crafted the vessels, the red heifer program advances, and architects draw plans based on Ezekiel’s vision. President Trump’s policies have set the stage by strengthening Israel’s position globally, making the moment ripe. Jerusalem rises when Jews act on the divine mandate, building the Third Temple as the house of prayer for all nations. The enemies plot in vain… The tremors from Persia declare it: the time for restoration has arrived, and Jerusalem will shine as the eternal capital with its Temple rebuilt.” 

Even though drawing a connection between the earthquake in Iran (which did not cause major damage) and the building of the Third Temple is clearly overblown, it still shows that the idea of building the Third Temple is clearly alive in Israel, and repeatedly, a parallel between King Cyrus and Donald Trump is being drawn.

Reza Pahlavi: A Beacon of Hope? 

The Tagesspiegel wrote on February 21: 

“The jubilation is immense. Last weekend, up to 250,000 people gathered in Munich to pay homage to their hero. ‘The Shah is returning,’ chanted the assembled supporters of the man who, by his own admission, wants to lead Iran into a new era without the mullah regime: Reza Pahlavi. 

‘Not only in Munich, but worldwide, the Shah’s eldest son was honored. A million exiled Iranians are said to have followed his call to demonstrate against the rulers in Tehran and for freedom. For ‘His Majesty,’ as many of his fans call Pahlavi, this is a major PR success, not least for his own cause… to ‘make Iran great again.’ 

“But large sections of the fractured Iranian opposition don’t trust Pahlavi. His opponents accuse him of wanting to revive the absolute monarchy of his hated father and of being out of touch with the everyday realities of people in Iran… 

“He has become a prominent advocate for the overthrow of the mullahs. Since the end of December, Pahlavi has been a sought-after guest on talk shows, frequently speaks out on social media, and manages to mobilize his supporters… 

“He has repeatedly stated that he wants to return to Iran for the ‘liberation struggle.’ ‘My influence on the ground would be greater than in exile.’ As long as the mullahs are in charge, however, that is unlikely to be possible… Which doesn’t stop Pahlavi from repeatedly urging Donald Trump to… launch an attack. America’s president has the chance to make history, says Pahlavi. Trump, in turn, distances himself. Pahlavi seems ‘nice,’ but… ‘a meeting with him would probably not be appropriate at this time,’ Trump indicated.” 

Bank Accounts Only For American Citizens? 

Newsmax wrote on February 24: 

“The Trump administration is considering a bold new step in its effort to curb illegal immigration — potentially requiring U.S. banks to collect citizenship information from customers… According to reports, officials are discussing an executive order that would direct financial institutions to gather proof of citizenship — such as a passport — from both new applicants and possibly existing account holders who want to keep their accounts. If enacted, the move would mark a significant expansion of current banking rules. 

“Under existing ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) regulations, banks must verify identities to prevent money laundering and criminal activity. However, they are not currently required to collect or verify citizenship status, and there is no federal ban on noncitizens opening bank accounts.” 

Huge Blow to Trump’s Tariffs Plan? 

Daily Mail wrote on February 21: 

“President Donald Trump has hiked worldwide tariffs to 15 percent after the Supreme Court ruled [in a 6-3 decision] his reciprocal tax plan was unconstitutional.  Infuriated by the high court’s ruling, Trump on Friday ordered an immediate 10 percent tariff on all imports, in addition to any existing tariffs, citing a different law as the basis. The new tariff is being applied under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the president to increase levies up to a maximum of 15 percent. It has never been imposed before, making it a historic moment for the Trump Administration. The law allows him to impose the levy for 150 days, although it could face legal challenges… 

“On Saturday, Trump… hit out at the Supreme Court justices and their ‘Anti-American’ ruling. [He] made it clear he is going to war with Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, [whom he] branded ‘unpatriotic’ and a ‘disloyal’ member of the Court… he suggested the conservative justices owed him some loyalty. The job of a Supreme Court justice is to uphold the Constitution, not party values. He took particular issue with Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, both of whom he appointed [and who voted with the majority of the ruling]… 

“The Supreme Court ruled that Trump issuing tariffs without the permission of Congress was unconstitutional… Trump said he was ‘ashamed’ of the ruling, adding that America’s highest court had been ‘swayed by foreign interests’… Trump said the judges who threw out his plan were ‘a disgrace to our country’…

“There are a few other Sections Trump could use to continue to carry out his tariff plan.  

“Section 301, which Trump used in his first term, allows the president to issue tariffs against ‘discriminatory’ foreign trade practices and opens up an investigation by US Trade Representatives. Trump used this law to impose tariffs on Chinese imports in his first term.  The president has also used Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows him to restrict imports that could threaten national security.  He used the policy for steel and aluminum. Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 also allows him to use tariffs against countries that discriminate ‘against the commerce of the United States.’” 

By one estimate, the U.S. government could owe more than $175 billion in refunds to importers following the Supreme Court decision. But it is highly doubtful that importers will see any of that money. Trump suggested he was ready to fight any compensation claims in the courts for years. 

Trump Has the Right to Destroy Countries? 

The New Republic wrote on February 20: 

“President Donald Trump claimed Friday the Supreme Court had granted him the power to destroy other countries,  after the high court took away his weapon of choice: sweeping reciprocal tariffs. Speaking to reporters, Trump rambled about how ‘ridiculous’ it was for the Supreme Court to block the illegal tariffs he’d imposed… 

“‘The court has given me the unquestioned right to ban all sorts of things from coming into our country—to destroy foreign countries,’ Trump claimed. ‘But a much more powerful right than many people thought we even had, but not the right to charge a fee. ‘I can destroy the trade, I can destroy the country, I’m even allowed to impose a foreign country-destroying embargo. I can do anything I want—but I can’t charge one dollar,’ Trump fumed…”

EU Freezes US Trade Deal Over Tariffs Uncertainty 

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 23: 

“EU lawmakers decided Monday to delay the approval of the bloc’s trade deal with the US due to uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. It comes after Trump imposed a new blanket 15% duty… The European Parliament’s trade committee planned to vote on Tuesday to remove import duties on US industrial goods — a key part of the EU-US trade deal. But that vote has now been postponed… The legally binding deal needs to be approved by the European Parliament and EU governments… 

“The chairman of the European Parliament’s trade committee, Bernd Lange, said the new US duties could result in the EU potentially facing higher levies on some products, despite the 15% limit agreed under the EU-US deal. ‘We want to have clarity from the United States that they are respecting the deal,’ Lange said. EU lawmakers are expected to convene on March 4 to assess if Washington has clarified the situation. 

“It’s not the first time the approval process has been delayed. EU lawmakers also halted the process last month when Trump threatened to impose extra tariffs on European allies who opposed his goal to annex the Danish territory of Greenland… German Chancellor Friedrich Merz… floated the possibility of using the EU’s ‘trade bazooka,’ an instrument under which access to the bloc’s market can be restricted, as ‘a final option’ in the trade dispute with the US. ‘I am confident that we will find a way to resolve these trade disputes without resorting to this instrument,’ Merz said. ‘But if it is necessary, then it is necessary, and I will be the last person to say “no.”’” 

E6 Supergroup 

Politico wrote on February 19: 

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland were the ‘epiphany moment’ for Europe’s six largest economies to club together and speed up financial market reform, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told POLITICO. The new group, dubbed ‘E6’ in Brussels, is an exclusive club among the EU’s six largest economies — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland — designed to break political deadlocks that have hamstrung efforts to create a U.S.-style financial market over the last decade. 

“Without action, the six countries fear that Europe’s economy will fail to keep pace with the U.S. and China… The E6 club has only convened twice and is already aiming to present EU leaders with specific proposals at the next European Council summit… on March 9 [when it] will home in on promoting investment in defense and how to promote the euro on the international stage…. Critics, such as Ireland and Portugal, fear the six-country club could trigger a two-speed Europe, in which the biggest nations will sideline smaller countries that disagree with E6’s agenda… 

“Legally speaking, the E6 needs at least nine countries to pursue enhanced cooperation… Meanwhile, securing a qualified majority to push legislation through requires the backing of 15 countries that represent at least 65 percent of the total EU population. So, the E6 will need allies to advance its goals in any case.” 

Another Big European Five? 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 20: 

“Europe’s five biggest defense powers are set to announce a plan to invest in military drones, as part of wider efforts to boost the defense industry in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns about the US commitment to NATO. 

“According to a document seen by Reuters…, the five aim to cooperate in developing autonomous drones…. The European Group of Five Defence Ministers [known as the E5]… brings together the continent’s biggest military spenders – France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Britain.” 

Further Threats From the Pentagon 

Politico wrote on February 19:

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to retaliate against European countries if the EU favors domestic weapons-makers in a drive to rearm the continent. The U.S. Department of Defense objected to any EU effort to limit American arms-manufacturers’ access to the European market and warned that would trigger a reciprocal response… 

“Washington’s comments highlight a paradox in the U.S. approach to Europe: While the Trump administration has repeatedly told Europeans that it wants them to shoulder the bulk of the continent’s conventional defense, the U.S. doesn’t want that to come at the expense of American defense firms… It will test how far European countries are willing to go in becoming more independent from the U.S., which has become an increasingly unreliable partner in the age of Trump.” 

Needed—a European Army 

The Financial Times wrote on or about February 20: 

“The Germans and the Poles are re-arming hard, raising defence spending both in absolute terms and as a share of GDP. France, Italy and Spain don’t see the urgency or can’t afford to. The result is new imbalances. On current trends, by 2029 German military spending will be roughly twice that of France… 

“But what Europe needs far more than yet another inter-governmental solution — a ‘solution’ that perpetuates the grotesque inefficiency of its 27 separate armies — is truly joint action. It needs a European army. 

“This was the solution preferred back in the early 1950s, when the project of a European Defence Community was launched at the same time as the Coal and Steel Community. Five years after the end of the second world war, the idea was that it would be safe to re-arm west Germany if German units were integrated into a single European force… 

“Given the collapse of the Atlanticist dispensation, it is time to return to that fork in the road. As was clear in backroom conversations during the Munich Security Conference, the idea of a European army is both unavoidable and controversial. Those clinging to Atlanticism fear that it will accelerate America’s exit from Europe without offering a realistic alternative. But what today is realistic? If US backing is in fact no longer real, while German military spending is, Europe risks sleepwalking into a dramatic rearrangement of European power without a stabilising adjustment in the political framework. To advocate for lopsided, nation-state rearmament as the path of least resistance, while rejecting deep military integration and common financing, is not just short-sighted. It is a betrayal of the most basic wisdom of European integration.”

According to a new “Allensbach” poll, 65 percent of Germans view the USA as a danger to world peace. In a ZDF Talk show, German European Minister and President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Manfred Weber said on February 19 that we must now have to have the strength to build a European Army—to create a situation in Europe which cannot be revoked.

Europe Has a Choice 

The Oldenburg online newspaper wrote on February 20: 

“According to leading CDU politicians, Europe must reduce its dependence on the USA and strengthen its own security and economic power. In a guest article for the Handelsblatt, CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn and CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen write: ‘We must act… The goal must be to gradually reduce dependence on US strategic capabilities – from reconnaissance and air defense to long-range precision strikes.’ This requires a group of pioneers – European trailblazers: governments that are willing and able to lead the way should deepen their security and defense cooperation. ‘Only one rule must apply: no veto,’ write Röttgen and Spahn…” 

“The time for illusions is over. Europe is facing a crucial decision. ‘It can manage its relative loss of importance – or the European states can recognize that together they possess economic and political power that they can use for freedom, security and prosperity. Germany has chosen the latter.'” 

No US Hospital Ship For Greenland 

BBC wrote on February 23: 

“Greenland’s prime minister has asked US President Donald Trump to talk to him instead of making ‘random outbursts on social media’, after Trump said he was sending a US hospital boat to ‘take care’ of people on the island. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was going to send a boat filled with medical supplies, alleging ‘many people’ on the island are sick and ‘not being taken care of’. 

“Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded ‘it’s going to be a no thanks from us,’ and said that Greenland provides free healthcare for all citizens, unlike the US [‘where it costs money to go to the doctor’.] Trump has long coveted the vast arctic island… A month on from Trump announcing a ‘framework for a future deal’ over Greenland, details are still unclear, though earlier this month US vice president JD Vance alleged that European countries were ‘willing to make a lot of accommodations’.” 

That remains to be seen. 

Chaos in Mexico 

The Associated Press wrote on February 23: 

“School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence erupted following the army’s killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel [CJNG]. Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’ was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it. 

“He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles… The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. [President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.] 

“Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and Mexico’s second-largest city, was almost completely shut down on Sunday as fearful residents stayed home. Passengers arriving to the city’s international airport Sunday night were told it was operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence… Most flights into the city were suspended on Sunday… it may also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG…” 

The New York Times on February 23: 

“In at least 13 states, apparent cartel operatives sought to cause havoc by setting fires and blocking roads with burning vehicles. Cartels have often lashed out following the capture of their top bosses in a bid to show their power and discourage the authorities from confronting them again… The U.S. government warned its citizens to ‘shelter in place until further notice’ in parts of five states: Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero and Nuevo León…” 

Remembering Buchenwald 

Israel365News wrote on February 24: 

“The annual commemoration of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp has long stood as one of Germany’s most solemn acts of national reckoning… 

“Buchenwald, established in 1937 near Weimar, was one of the largest concentration camps within Germany’s borders. Approximately 280,000 prisoners passed through the camp between 1937 and 1945. About 56,000 were murdered through execution, starvation, forced labor, medical experimentation, and disease. An estimated 55,000 to 60,000 Jews were imprisoned there, representing roughly 20–22 percent of all inmates. Between 11,000 and 15,000 Jews were murdered at Buchenwald and its subcamps… 

“Palestinian Arab nationalism in the 20th century was shaped in part by the leadership of Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. During World War II, Husseini fled to Berlin, met personally with Adolf Hitler in 1941, and aligned himself with the Nazi regime. He reportedly toured death camps and urged the Führer to expand the Final Solution to the Holy Land… 

“Historical evidence indicates that a special SS unit under Walther Rauff was prepared to implement mobile killing operations, including the use of gas vans, in the Middle East had Rommel’s forces succeeded in 1942. These units were formed to target Jewish populations in Palestine and Egypt, following the Nazis’ planned expansion into the region. These plans were part of the wider Nazi aim to extend the Holocaust into the Middle East, which was planned to take place behind the front lines of Rommel’s campaign. In October-November 1942, British General Bernard Montgomery’s Eighth Army defeated Rommel at the Second Battle of El Alamein, forcing a full retreat. This victory, known as a turning point in the war, stopped the planned Nazi invasion of Egypt and Palestine. With the defeat, the specialized extermination unit was repurposed and moved to Tunisia, where it implemented forced labor and anti-Jewish policies.  

“During the war, al-Husseini broadcast antisemitic propaganda in Arabic, recruited Muslims for Waffen-SS units in the Balkans, and urged resistance to Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel. His influence extended beyond rhetoric. He supported the Axis cause and opposed any rescue of Jews to Mandatory Palestine. His name is also associated with the 1941 Farhud pogrom in Baghdad, in which Iraqi Jews were murdered and injured during the Jewish festival of Shavuot.

“The relationship between Nazi Germany and sectors of the Arab world was not incidental. Arab volunteers served with German forces, including units attached to the Afrika Korps in North Africa… Germany continues to grapple with its responsibility for the murder of six million Jews….”  

We hasten to add that Rommel was not part of the Nazi plans to bring the Holocaust to the Middle East. Rather, he was an opponent of Hitler and sympathized with the attempt to assassinate him in 1942, but he preferred to arrest and try Hitler. Rommel was forced to commit suicide by the Nazis to protect his family. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:  

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

What ICE Can Do!

Judge Andrew Napolitano wrote on February 12 the following on Ron Paul Institute: 

“… the president has used ICE to fulfill his promise of aggressive enforcement of immigration laws while cutting constitutional corners — even to the point of arresting Americans, immigrants and aliens without arrest warrants; arresting infants, killing two Americans who posed no threat to ICE killers and then lying about it… 

“The Supreme Court has already ruled that even though it is a crime to lie to the government, it is not a crime for the government to lie to any person. This… judge-made rule that has no basis in history, constitutional text or morality has led to a host of false confessions and trick home invasions as federal agents have lied their way into folks’ thinking and into their living rooms… 

“Entering the United States illegally is a federal crime. When the government seeks to arrest a person it suspects has committed any federal crime, unless its agents have witnessed the crime being committed, the Fourth Amendment requires the government to present evidence of probable cause against the person to a federal judge and seek a warrant specifically describing the place to be searched or the persons or things to be seized. 

“Entering the US legally and remaining here beyond the time limits imposed at the time of entry is not a crime and thus cannot be the basis for an application for an arrest warrant, as no judge would sign such a warrant. 

“In the Fifth Circuit [Court of Appeals for Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi], the feds no longer need an arrest warrant. A panel of two judges ruled last weekend that ICE agents can authorize each other to arrest whomever they suspect of being in the US without authorization and do so without an arrest warrant or presentation of evidence… [In] the Fifth Circuit… ICE can effectively arrest whomever it wishes, without evidence, without a judicial warrant, without knowing the name of the person arrested and without bail.”

 Incredible. 

Trump’s De-Naturalization Plans 

NBC wrote on February 17: 

“The Trump administration is dramatically expanding an effort to revoke U.S. citizenship for foreign-born Americans as it works to curb immigration… The goal of emphasizing naturalized citizens is to supply the office of immigration litigation with 100 to 200 possible cases per month…

“The Justice Department has already told attorneys to focus on denaturalization cases…

“Trump has long been preoccupied with the notion of citizenship — who gets to be an American and who doesn’t — and has expressed displeasure with immigrants from what he calls third world nations. He is separately seeking the power to strip citizenship from those born to foreigners in the U.S., though ‘birthright citizenship’ appears in the Constitution…. 

“Trump’s Truth Social message to Americans on Thanksgiving Day last year was that he would remove anyone who wasn’t a ‘net asset’ to the U.S. ‘or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.’” 

To fully grasp Trump’s plans, let us emphasize that we are speaking of naturalized citizens. 

Further Attacks on Boats in the Caribbean 

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 13: 

“The United States military said on Friday that it had struck another vessel suspected of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean, killing three people… The Trump administration has carried out at least 38 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September… 

“Friday’s attack takes the death toll from such operations to at least 133, as per official figures. But the US has offered little evidence to back its claims of killing ‘narcoterrorists.’ Critics have also voiced concerns over the legality of the deadly strikes in international waters.” 

Newsbreak added on February 17: 

“The U.S. military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people…” 

Epstein Was Murdered? 

The New York Post wrote on February 13: 

“A renowned pathologist who was at Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy is demanding a fresh investigation, insisting newly released info only confirms his belief that the notorious pedophile was murdered. Dr. Michael Baden, who was New York City’s chief medical examiner in the 1970s, was so alarmed by what he saw in the August 2019 exam that he publicly declared ‘the evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide.’ ‘That was my opinion at that time, and I still stand by it,’ the famed pathologist told the Telegraph in an interview published Friday. 

“‘The autopsy findings are much more consistent with a crushing injury caused by homicidal strangulation than caused by hanging by suicide.’ In fact, Baden insisted, documents released in the Epstein files reinforce his belief that the medical examiner rushed to call the death a suicide.” 

The Daily Mail added that Baden said: “‘The autopsy findings are much more consistent with a crushing injury caused by homicidal strangulation than caused by hanging by suicide.’” 

It continued: “According to the official post-mortem, three distinct fractures were identified on the financier’s neck: one on the left hyoid and one in the thyroid cartilage on the right side, and one on the left. The 92-year-old said he has never seen hanging by suicide with three neck fractures throughout the 50 years he spent reviewing post-mortem reports for prisoner deaths in all New York state and local jails…. 

“Discrepancies found in the three million files related to the disgraced financier released on January 30 have further fuelled speculation surrounding Epstein’s cause of death. For example, a federal statement announcing his death surfaced in the newly released documents, but it carries a date (August 9) that appears to precede the moment he was officially found dead inside his New York prison cell (on August 10).” 

MSN added: 

“Some of the world’s most powerful people have been found to have questionable ties with the late sex offender, after the US government released millions of new files from its investigation.” 

Epstein was awaiting his trial for conspiracy and sex trafficking. The suggestion has been made that one of the powerful people might have been responsible for his murder so he could not testify. 

Trump Still Determined to Occupy Greenland 

The Guardian wrote on February 13: 

“Pushed further on Greenland and if the US interest is now over, [Prime Minister of Denmark Mette] Frederiksen says ‘unfortunately not.’ ‘I think the desire from the US president is exactly the same,’ she says, adding Trump remains ‘very serious about controlling the territory… Can you put a price on it, if Trump keeps pushing?, she gets asked. ‘Of course not. Can you put a price on a part of Spain, or a part of the US, or a part of anywhere else in the world?,’ she responds… 

“‘And the Greenlandic people have been very clear: they don’t want to become Americans,’ she says… Frederiksen gets asked how likely is it that she will need to have to defend Greenland from the US… she says that essentially, ‘if one Nato country attacks another Nato country, then Nato ends; it’s game over.’” 

European “Rapid Reaction Force”? 

Politico wrote on February 13: 

“European countries need to create a ‘rapid reaction force’ of up to 100,000 troops to replace American soldiers currently stationed on the continent, EU Defense Commissioner [and former Lithuanian prime minister] Andrius Kubilius said… 

“Last month, he said:  ‘We need to start to invest our money in such a way that we would be able to fight as Europe, not just as [a] collection of 27 national ‘bonsai armies.'”… However, he acknowledged that even such a force would face difficulties as it would be controlled by member countries, making rapid and coherent action very difficult… To get around the problem of leadership, Kubilius suggested creating a European Security Council, made up of five or six big EU countries… as well as smaller EU countries on a rotating basis…” 

No More German Appeasement? 

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 13:

“The Munich Security Conference kicked off on Friday with a speech by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who did not hold back in calling out a ‘rift’ between Europe and the United States under President Donald Trump… Merz… fired a departing shot for Europe to stop wanting the old America back and instead focus on building up its own security and trade strength… 

“… after the Greenland standoff, the Europeans have dropped appeasement as a strategy to deal with Trump.” 

The Guardian added on February 13: 

“The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump…” 

Merz’s Statements in Munich 

En.ilsole24ore wrote on February 13: 

“In Munich, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz once again listed the many initiatives taken in Germany to strengthen NATO and to enable the country to defend itself if necessary, explaining once again that Berlin’s goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe. [He also said:] 

“‘… a gap has opened up between Europe and the US… The cultural struggle of the MAGA movement is not ours… We do not believe in tariffs and protectionism, but in free trade. We remain loyal to climate agreements and the WHO because we are convinced that only together can we solve global challenges’… 

“Merz… announced that he has ‘entered into confidential talks’ with the French president on the subject of European nuclear deterrence…  [He continued:] ‘Russia’s gross domestic product amounts to about two trillion euros. That of the European Union is almost ten times higher. Yet Europe today is not ten times stronger than Russia… Our military, political, economic and technological potential is enormous. But for a long time we have not exploited it to the necessary extent.’”

Merz to Trump 

Bild wrote on February 13: 

“…what Chancellor Friedrich Merz said today in Munich is historic for the Federal Republic… Merz is offering US President Donald Trump nothing more than to take up the fight… Trump is relying on a hard line. Merz wants to counter that… Merz is calling for a new Europe – with Germany (and others) as a leading power… 

“If everything is as Merz describes it, then he has to deliver. He has to become faster, tougher, and better. He has to become a leader of Europe… Many have given speeches before… It’s time to become the chancellor for whom this speech was written.” 

Interesting observation. 

Rubio’s “Deceptively Friendly Speech” 

ntv wrote on February 13: 

“US Secretary of State Rubio’s appearance [in Munich] does indeed seem remarkably harmless—but not if you listen more closely… [Rubio is] a career politician… Rubio is considered the diplomat in Donald Trump’s inner circle—probably the only one. And he has mastered the art of jovial interaction. Highlighting common ground, getting personally involved: Rubio refers to his Spanish ancestors… 

“Rubio speaks with great appreciation about Europe, where the ideas were born ‘that sowed the seeds of freedom and changed the world.’ He makes sweeping references from Beethoven to the Beatles, and the Sistine Chapel even fits in. Moreover, German farmers and craftsmen transformed the empty plains in the heart of the USA into an agricultural powerhouse, and incidentally, the quality of the… American beer dramatically improved… 

“Rubio sounds good; he sounds exactly the kind of American that people in Europe like: intelligent, educated, charming, witty, and full of appreciation. In the same charming tone, however, the US representative also mentions that they [Europeans] have imposed an energy policy on themselves ‘that is impoverishing our people’; he calls it ‘climate cult,’ while the competition is exploiting coal, oil, and natural gas… 

“A world without borders—for Rubio, not a vision, but ‘a foolish idea,’ he says in the heart of Schengen Europe. Mass migration threatens ‘the continued existence of our societies, the continuity of our culture, the future of our peoples’… 

“Rubio’s conclusion: … The US wants to take a different path, not alone, but rather with ‘our friends from Europe.’ ‘We belong together,’ says Rubio… JD Vance, Trump’s vice president, … would probably have put a bag over his head in the same spot rather than say that. But Rubio also makes it clear: In this new relationship, the USA calls the shots… 

“With everything the US Secretary of State said on Saturday morning, it’s worth looking at what Rubio didn’t mention: NATO: 0 times; Customs: 0 times; Greenland: 0 times; Volodymyr Who? 

“Rubio’s invocation of friendship and partnership would be self-defeating if he were to honestly address even one of these transatlantic points of contention. But his actions speak for themselves: After attending the MSC, Rubio is traveling to Hungary and Slovakia. There, he will visit the two heads of government who play the most destructive role within the European Union and are relatively close to Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, within the limits of their power. During his stay in Munich, Rubio made sure that the NATO flag was not visible in the background of official photos.” 

The relationship between the USA and Europe will NOT improve, but continue to deteriorate, in spite of the nice and “highly praised” words by “diplomat” and “career politician” Marco Rubio. 

Rubio’s Misunderstood Speech 

BBC wrote on February 14:

“… many leading European figures in the audience jumped on the warmth of [Rubio’s] words, rising to their feet to applaud the US Secretary of State. They were clearly relieved he hadn’t threatened or berated Europe as the US Vice President JD Vance famously did at last year’s MSC. But for those listening closely, Rubio’s speech was loyal to themes close to the heart of the Trump administration and hard for many European leaders to swallow: anti climate action, sceptical of globalisation, multilateralism, migration and pro the building of a new era of Christian western civilisation. 

“Rubio was clear: the US wasn’t interested in allies clinging to the old status quo. It wanted to forge a new path, ideally alongside Europe, but only if it shared the same values. This US offer of close partnership was conditional and absent of a sense of compromise… ‘A bit like a (psychologically) abusive partner,’ said one European diplomat, speaking candidly on condition of anonymity. ‘He reminded Europe how wonderful the (transatlantic) relationship used to be, but he then switched to coercion: If you want things to be good between us in the future, you have to do as I say!’” 

Rubio’s Soft Tone 

The Tagesschau wrote on February 14: 

“As soft as the tone was in large parts of the speech, Rubio remained firm on the substance. The carefully packaged core message was: Our offer of a continued close partnership only applies if you follow our worldview… It is the worldview of the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement… 

“Rubio may have thought and spoken differently as a US senator, but he has completely fallen in line with Trump… Marco Rubio by no means backed down in Munich.” 

Dangerous Applause 

t-online wrote on February 14:

“Anyone who listened closely could see… that Rubio’s supposedly friendly speech was not a speech of alliance between equal partners… Rubio’s dangerous message: If others don’t follow the rules, why should we?… 

“That such a speech received so much recognition from Europe’s politicians in Munich is worrying. Their reactions demonstrate once again their strategic nervousness, their own lack of direction, and their willingness to continue turning a blind eye to the truth.” 

Poisoned Declaration of Love 

Die Welt wrote on February 16: 

“The chairwoman of the European Parliament’s defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), warned against interpreting the speech as a sign of easing transatlantic tensions. ‘It was a poisoned declaration of love,’ Strack-Zimmermann [said]… 

“‘There was absolutely nothing reassuring about this speech.’” 

Nuclear Bomb—Merz Unleashes a Dangerous Genie 

Focus wrote on February 16: 

“The genie as a question: Do we need our own nuclear missiles to defend ourselves against Russia? Because we can no longer rely on the Americans?

“The CDU Chancellor is filled with the idea of ​​a ‘strong and sovereign Europe.’ One that will even become ‘a global political force.’ Which only works if Germany is protected by the most dangerous of all weapons: nuclear missiles. ‘I have begun initial talks with French President Emmanuel Macron about nuclear deterrence.’ With this statement, the Chancellor has unleashed the genie…” 

“This is where Jens Spahn comes in. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader occasionally thinks for himself. And he says this, quite matter-of-factly: ‘If there were elections tomorrow, Farage would win in the UK and Le Pen in France. I don’t know if I want to rely on either of them.’ Which begs the question: So, in Germany, should we rely on Donald Trump rather than [on] Nigel Farage and Le Pen?… Spahn says Europe needs its own independent nuclear defense. And Weber says: ‘We need a European nuclear weapon.’… 

“The European atomic bomb – that’s only possible in a European defense community. Ergo, in a European federal state. That is, after the de facto dissolution of Germany as a sovereign nation-state… On the digital platform X, Barron Trump, the US president’s influencer son, reacted: ‘This is what a true ally sounds like, when weak leaders start whispering about cutting ties with America.’ It reads as if he’s referring to Merz.” 

Focus wrote on February 18 that Merz does not support a “German” atomic bomb, but that he can envision that Germany would participate in using one. 

Germany’s Rearmament and AI 

Modern Diplomacy wrote on February 16: 

“A recent survey indicates that one in three of the German populace is in favor of greater use of artificial intelligence in its society. And this includes a military use—AI-controlled killer bots… roughly one-third of Germans embrace the use of autonomous AI-powered weapons systems in war instead of human decision-makers… 

“Moreover, the idea of obtaining nuclear weapons is no longer taboo for German politicians and the military… Berlin should receive access to French and British nuclear weapons and lead the charge on the issue of their modernization, [Jens] Spahn said in September. ‘Germany needs nuclear weapons,’ Alternative for Germany party lawmaker Kay Gottschalk stated in January. Former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has urged Berlin to take the lead in the EU’s nuclear rearmament… 

“Perhaps Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a point when he remarked last year, ‘With their current leaders, modern Germany and the rest of Europe are transforming into a Fourth Reich.’” 

Technically, it will be the Tenth Reich (or the Seventh Reich, depending on how one wants to count). 

Media Freedom? 

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on February 16: 

“Big media and big government are in bed together and they hate the fact that we can communicate with each other without their filters and influence. They long for the days when they could shovel down our throats just what they wanted us to hear and believe… We must remember just a few years ago during COVID that all it took to have your platform wiped off the face of the earth was to dare question the ‘wisdom’ of Anthony Fauci… 

“In Europe, free speech is under attack by totalitarian measures like the Digital Services Act, which creates a police state in the name of ‘protecting’ citizens from ‘disinformation.’ Of course, ‘disinformation’ is simply information that governments or elites don’t want to get out. You can go to jail for an X post in Europe, while violent criminals are set free. 

“Make no mistake – many in the US would love to have such a system in place to protect speech they like and punish speech they don’t like… The truth is, ‘cancel culture’ exists in both the left and the right and everywhere in-between.” 

EU Accession for Ukraine? 

Report 24 wrote on February 13: 

“The Ukrainian president wants a lot: Currently, he is demanding a ‘precise date‘ for Ukraine’s EU accession on Twitter. This must be enshrined in a ceasefire agreement or peace treaty… 

‘It is important that Ukraine does everything possible to be technically ready for EU accession by 2027,’ Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter on February 11… He demands: ‘I want a concrete date.’ This should then be fixed in a future ceasefire or peace agreement… 

‘Zelenskyy’s constant demands are clearly not well received. The comments on his tweet were sometimes quite harsh…'” 

Euro-Bashing? 

The Guardian wrote on February 15: 

“The EU’s foreign policy chief has denied claims levelled by the US that Europe is facing civilisational erasure, rejecting what she condemned as ‘fashionable euro-bashing’ by Washington… She challenged the US criticism of media freedom in Europe, pointing out that her own country, Estonia, ranked second in the world press freedom index and the US 58th…

“Kallas, a fierce opponent of Russia, has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration. She said she did not think the EU was ready to give Ukraine a date for membership, suggesting accession as early as 2027 is unrealistic.”

Core Europe 

ntv wrote on February 10: 

“MSC [Munich Security Conference] Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger [calls for]… a core Europe, greater military strength, and coordinated diplomacy – also towards the USA.” 

Israel Preparing For War 

Ynet wrote on February 13: 

“Israel is preparing to defend its home front if Iran talks collapse — including a scenario in which Tehran launches a massive missile barrage as a last resort… 

“Iran views its missile array as a primary tool of deterrence and decisive force, intelligence assessments conclude it will not relinquish it even under U.S. pressure in negotiations. That hard line places the region on what officials describe as a collision course — either signing an agreement that leaves Israel exposed to a significant threat, or sliding toward all-out war….”

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has emerged as an interesting opposition figure to the current Tehran regime. He has repeatedly pleaded for better relationships with Israel and he has been reminding the audience of King Cyrus who built the Third Temple. He continues to speak of the “Cyrus Accords” to follow the 2020 Abraham Accords. 

Putin Murdered Navalny 

Daily Mail wrote on February 13: 

“Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed by the Russian state, the Foreign Office has revealed. Navalny’s death was the result of poison from a South American dart frog toxin called epibatidine. The politician died aged 47 while in a remote Arctic penal colony two years ago. He had been sentenced to decades of imprisonment on dubious embezzlement charges… 

“The toxin epibatidine is said to be 200 times stronger than morphine and is used by some indigenous tribes in South America in darts or blowguns during hunts. It attacks nerves, causing numbness and paralysis.  It is not clear how the frog poison was allegedly administered to Navalny… 

“The UK and its allies Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands said the ‘barbaric’ act – using a neurotoxin that is classed as a chemical weapon – could only have been carried out by Vladimir Putin’s government.”

The fact that Navalny had been murdered by the Russian government under mass murderer Putin was clear from the outset. 

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.

A Softer Touch With ICE? Don’t Be Fooled!

The Huffington Post wrote on February 8: 

“Top Trump administration officials certainly put on a show last week about changing tactics in Minnesota… Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino lost his job. Border czar Tom Homan said he’s pulling 700 federal agents out of the state. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she’s sending body cameras to every DHS field officer in Minneapolis. Even President Donald Trump sort of registered problems with his surge of Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers in the state that continues to spark widespread protests, traumatize immigrant communities and has left two Americans dead, Pretti and Renee Good. ‘Maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch,’ Trump told NBC News on Wednesday, when asked if he’s learned anything from how his massive ICE operation has played out… 

“Local school officials here say ICE officers continue to circle their schools, looking for immigrant children to nab. Federal officers are still grabbing brown and Black people on the streets,  regardless of whether they’re in the country legally or have no criminal record… On Tuesday, ICE was in the parking lots of all of [the] schools… 

“There are still more than 2,000 federal agents swarming the region… despite the hundreds Homan said he’s withdrawing. And even if every DHS agent wears a body camera, which remains to be seen… that doesn’t mean the public will be able to see the footage from their encounters… 

“While the Trump administration may not be easing up at all in its efforts to intimidate and hunt down immigrants, neither are the residents of the Minneapolis-St.Paul region. In interviews with dozens of people over the past two weeks, it was clear that virtually everybody is hunkering down together and coordinating to carry out sophisticated operations to keep their neighbors safe during ICE’s ‘occupation’ here. 

“They take part in daily ICE patrols through neighborhoods, with people watching for unmarked cars and alerting each other to sightings. They drive each other’s kids to and from school, and even walk them into their homes, when those kids’ parents are too scared to go outside. They coordinate trips to grocery stores for immigrant neighbors and food deliveries to their homes. Schools and churches have become pantries. Between getting their children ready for school and cooking dinner for their families, parents use secure messaging apps like Signal to keep their constant communication with each other secret. 

“In Columba Heights, grandparents and retired teachers stand outside various public schools with whistles, blowing them when they see agents driving by when children are outside. School officials promptly provide cover…” 

These are horrible and appalling conditions in the land of the “brave and the free.” 

Brutal Conduct of ICE and Refusal to Investigate 

The Associated Press wrote on February 7: 

“Alberto Castaneda Mondragon says his memory was so jumbled after a beating by immigration officers that he initially could not remember he had a daughter and still struggles to recall treasured moments like the night he taught her to dance. But the violence he endured last month in Minnesota while being detained is seared into his battered brain. 

“He remembers Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulling him from a friend’s car on Jan. 8 outside a St. Paul shopping center and throwing him to the ground, handcuffing him, then punching him and striking his head with a steel baton. He remembers being dragged into an SUV and taken to a detention facility, where he said he was beaten again. He also remembers the emergency room and the intense pain from eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages. ‘They started beating me right away when they arrested me,’ the Mexican immigrant recounted this week to The Associated Press… 

“Castaneda Mondragon, 31, is one of an unknown number of immigration detainees who, despite avoiding deportation during the Trump administration’s enforcement crackdown, have been left with lasting injuries following violent encounters with ICE officers. His case is one of the excessive-force claims the federal government has thus far declined to investigate… 

“The officers told nurses Castaneda Mondragon ‘purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,’ an account his caregivers immediately doubted. A CT scan showed fractures to the front, back and both sides of his skull — injuries a doctor told AP were inconsistent with a fall. ‘There was never a wall,’ Castaneda Mondragon said in Spanish, recalling ICE officers striking him with the same metal rod used to break the windows of the vehicle he was in. He later identified it as an ASP, a telescoping baton routinely carried by law enforcement… 

“Castaneda Mondragon entered the U.S. legally in March 2022, and… the agency determined only after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa. A federal judge later ruled his arrest had been unlawful and ordered him released from ICE custody.” 

And ICE gets upset when their methods are being compared with that of the Gestapo? 

ICE to Withdraw From Minnesota

CNBC wrote on February 12:

“Border czar Tom Homan on Thursday said President Donald Trump has agreed to conclude the monthslong federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota… The total withdrawal ‘will continue to the next week,’ he said Thursday morning. Homan added that a ‘small footprint’ of personnel will stay in the area ‘for a period of time’ to transition command back to a local field office, and to ensure ‘agitator activity’ does not flare back up…

“The killings [of two American citizens] massively inflamed tensions over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota, spurring widespread protests and rapidly souring public opinion toward ICE…

“Homan stressed that the Trump administration’s efforts to remove vast numbers of undocumented immigrants will continue. ‘For those who say we are backing down from immigration enforcement or the promise of mass deportations, you are simply wrong,’ he said.”

Racism and Lies 

Deadline wrote on February 6: 

“While Democrats have condemned Donald Trump’s Truth Social post of a video featuring a racist AI depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, one of the president’s strident defenders also called it out. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is [the only Black Republican in the Senate and who is] chairing the GOP’s Senate campaign efforts this year, wrote on X, ‘Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.’ A couple hours after Scott’s statement, the Trump post was taken down, with a White House official saying, ‘A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down.’   

“Earlier on Friday morning, the White House acknowledged that Trump posted the video, and defended the president for doing so. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, ‘This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.’ [The video did not portray Trump as the King of the Jungle, or other Democrats; just the Obamas were depicted as apes.] 

“Another Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who faces a competitive reelection race this cycle, wrote, ‘The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive — whether intentional or a mistake — and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered.’… The NAACP said in a statement, ‘Trump posting this video — especially during Black History Month— is a stark reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people. And we’ll remember that in November.’” 

The Daily Mail added on February 6: 

“Donald Trump has deleted a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes after a furious backlash from senior Republicans…. Other prominent Republican senators joined Scott in demanding that Trump take down the video.  

“Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi posted on X: ‘This is totally unacceptable. The president should take it down and apologize.’  Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska wrote: ‘Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this. The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize.’   

The Daily Mail stated in its headline, “Trump DELETES Obama ape video as White House throws junior staffer under the bus.” 

Also in light of the long history of racist posts depicting black people as apes or monkeys – a tool of slave traders and segregationists to dehumanize them –Trump’s racist post was clearly highly inappropriate and offensive, and the subsequent “excuse” in blaming a staffer only made matters worse. 

ABC News wrote: 

“President Donald Trump told reporters he didn’t see the entire video before it was shared on his social media platform… Trump said he only saw the first part… Asked if he would apologize for the video, Trump said, ‘No, I didn’t make a mistake…’” 

He is responsible for whatever he retweets and posts. 

Grand Jury Refuses to Indict Six Democratic Lawmakers 

The New York Post wrote on February 11: 

“A federal grand jury refused to hand up an indictment Tuesday against six Democratic lawmakers accused by President Trump of ‘seditious behavior’ this past fall. DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro led the failed effort to indict Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzi (D-Pa.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) over a video posted on social media urging members of the military and intelligence community to ‘refuse illegal orders.’.. 

“Kelly called the attempt to bring charges an ‘outrageous abuse of power by Donald Trump and his lackies.’…

“… the Pentagon [had] opened an investigation into Kelly, citing a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty for possible court-martial or other punishment. War Secretary Pete Hegseth has censured Kelly for participating in the video and is trying to retroactively demote Kelly from his retired rank of captain.

“The senator is suing Hegseth to block those proceedings, calling them an unconstitutional act of retribution.” 

The rare refusal of a federal grand jury to indict the defendants in question was the only correct decision in this case. Subsequently, a federal judge, appointed by George W. Bush in 2002, sided with Mark Kelly, accusing Hegseth of “trampling” on Kelly’s right to free speech and suggested that Hegseth should be more “grateful” for the wisdom of retired service members. Hegseth announced that he would appeal the decision, but should really have no chance for success. The witch hunt against especially former astronaut Mark Kelly for only stating the law is terrible. 

Strong Accusations Against Trump in the Epstein Matter 

C-Span wrote on February 3, 2026: 

“Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Ted Lieu (D-CA) tells reporters the Epstein files contain allegations that President Trump raped and threatened to kill children. He says House Republicans are trying to ‘distract’ from those allegations by seeking testimony on Epstein from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He also says the Justice Department ‘violated the privacy’ of victims by failing to redact some explicit images from the files…” 

Lieu repeated these charges on Wednesday, February 11, during a contentious bi-partisan House “hearing” with Attorney General Pam Bondi. The congressional circus bordered on the ridiculous and showed the world again a deeply-divided America. 

The Future of Trump’s Tariffs 

Axios wrote on February 11:

“House Democrats are… planning to force votes overturning at least two of President Trumps’s tariffs, with more likely to follow… House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has repeatedly blocked these votes over the past year, but his attempt to do so on Tuesday was thwarted by a trio of Republican defectors in a late-night vote…

“‘We are going to do Canada today and follow with Mexico,’ House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) told Axios in a text message Wednesday morning. The New York Democrat later told Axios that he also plans to force votes overturning the Brazil and global ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs…

“While the measures could garner the simple majority needed for Senate passage,  Trump could then simply veto it. It’s highly unlikely Congress has the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to overturn his veto. That means the House votes would effectively be symbolic rebukes of the president’s tariffs.”

Real clearance can only come through the US Supreme Court which has taken an unusually long time to address the issue. 

Merz in the Gulf Region 

Deutsche Welle wrote on February 6: 

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrapped up a three-day tour to the Gulf region in Abu Dhabi on Friday by positioning Germany as a reliable investment partner, and eyeing a central role in a potential EU trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE)… The chancellor’s trip, which included stops in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, comes as Germany seeks to diversify its economic and strategic partnerships amid increasing global economic instability, particularly brought on by US President Donald Trump’s erratic trade policies… 

“Summing up his three-day tour, Merz said his meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE showed ‘what great potential we have.’ After meeting with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha on Thursday, Merz said Germany would work ‘more intensively in arms cooperation than in recent years’ with what he described as reliable partners in the Gulf region.  

“Seeking closer ties with the autocratically governed Gulf states that have dubious human rights records — especially Saudi Arabia —  represents a turnaround from previous German governments… Saudi Arabia is notorious for its treatment of women and a draconian justice system. In 2018, the brutal murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist and crown prince critic Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey shocked the world. Western intelligence agencies like the CIA assess Khashoggi was killed at the behest of the crown prince, who has denied all involvement. According to Shuman Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia carried out a record number of 356 executions in 2025….” 

Germany’s involvement with Arab nations is remarkable in light of Psalm 83. 

Europe as a Superpower

Apollo News wrote on February 5:

“In a speech at the Catholic University of Leuven, where he was receiving an honorary doctorate, Mario Draghi called for drastic reforms to the European Union. He stated that the continent faces a choice: either to remain a mere single market or to become an independent superpower through closer integration. This leads him to demand that the European Union become a ‘true federation’ to maintain its global standing…

“Draghi’s demands would ultimately amount to the abolition of nation-states. Key competencies—including fiscal policy, defense, industrial policy, and foreign policy—would have to be transferred to the EU level. The member states of the European Union would no longer be sovereign.”

Draghi served as Prime Minister of Italy in 2021 and 2022. 

Spahn’s Fault For the Health Insurance Funds’ Bankruptcy

ntv wrote on February 11:

“‘I don’t think we’ll have to raise health insurance contributions again in 2026.’ That’s what Karl Lauterbach told the ‘Bild’ newspaper in October 2024, when he was still Federal Minister of Health. The prediction was wrong: At the turn of the year, almost half of all statutory health insurance funds in Germany raised their contributions, including large funds like Techniker Krankenkasse and DAK-Gesundheit, as well as AOK Sachsen-Anhalt and HKK…

“The statutory health insurance funds are notoriously bankrupt. The funds’ reserves have been depleted… Why are their finances in such a bad state? GKV (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds) head Oliver Blatt offered an explanation on Deutschlandfunk radio: The last grand coalition government with Health Minister Jens Spahn ‘dug into the funds’ reserves’ – and now they’re paying the price… The former health minister used that money to pay for part of the high costs of the coronavirus crisis.”

Spahn, who has often been accused of incompetence and ruthlessness, has caused considerable damage in the past, including during his time as Health Minister. His popularity plummeted. Few seriously considered his return to the political arena. But now he’s back at the top—virtually second only to Merz—and is certainly striving, as he has for many years, to become Chancellor. Stranger things have happened in Germany. 

Germany’s Painful Estrangement From the USA 

Financial Times wrote on February 9: 

“Today that [German] community is in disarray. After repeated blows by the Trump administration to Nato and the EU, [Wolfgang] Ischinger [German Chair of the Munich Security Conference] wonders whether the first warning signs of American estrangement were already visible two decades ago, during the US invasion of Iraq. ‘Maybe I should have started worrying when America tried to drive a wedge into Europe by talking about “old Europe” and “new Europe’’, he says. ‘These are the friends of the United States, who are going with us into Iraq. And these are the old guys, the Germans and the French, whom we don’t like anymore because they’re not sharing our views.’ 

“Claudia Major, senior vice-president at the German Marshall Fund [said:] ‘The Americans taught the Germans democracy. It feels like a betrayal.’ 

“German Atlanticists took particular offence a year ago, when US vice-president JD Vance used the Munich Security Conference — which fell during the German federal election campaign — to lecture Europe over democratic values, before meeting far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel on the sidelines. Shaken, [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz… later described it as an ‘epochal rupture’… he declared it urgent for Europe to ‘achieve independence from the US’… 

“Long reluctant to assume a leading military role because of its Nazi past, Berlin, with its ample fiscal power, is now being pushed to the forefront of Europe’s rearmament…

“Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, German attitudes towards America have flipped from broadly positive to overwhelmingly negative… Last month, a Forsa poll conducted after Trump threatened to seize Greenland found that 71 per cent of Germans now viewed the US as an adversary rather than a partner. A majority of AfD sympathisers agreed. 

“During Trump’s first term, his administration announced plans to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany — a move later blocked by Congress. European officials now await the Pentagon’s so-called Global Posture Review, which will determine the future for the 80,000 American soldiers stationed in Europe, about 37,500 of them in Germany… 

“Merz’s plan to pour billions into building the Bundeswehr into ‘Europe’s largest conventional army’ has broad backing across Germany’s mainstream parties, from conservatives to Greens and Social Democrats. 

“Yet policymakers remain torn over how far emancipation from the US should go — balancing fears that assertiveness might hasten US troop withdrawals and leave a deterrence gap, against hopes that, perhaps, the Trump administration proves to be an aberration… 

“But Julia Friedlander, the first American chief executive of Berlin-based Atlantik-Brücke, and a former Trump administration security adviser in charge of Europe, says it is high time that Germany steps up. A self-described ‘cold-hearted realist’, the 41-year-old argues that Europe’s most populous country must shed sentimentality. ‘The good old unipolar days, when everyone could feel very happy under the US umbrella, those are all gone,’ she says. 

“Friedlander describes her experience during her time in the Trump administration of growing ‘bitterness’ in Washington towards the EU, and Germany in particular, for failing to take its defence seriously… 

“Under pressure from Trump, Merz is now trying to ‘flip the narrative’, Friedlander says. Germany has overtaken the US as Ukraine’s largest provider of military aid, according to the Kiel Institute… 

“[Karsten] Voigt [former commissioner for German-American co-operation in parliament under SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder], feels this transformation is in full swing. ‘That’s uncharted territory but Germany is ready. We no longer feel guilty and we don’t feel completely alone. Our role has changed a great deal already. We look at ourselves in amazement and we wonder: is that really you? No, that’s no longer us. We are something new.’” 

This transformation will continue, and “new” Germany WILL BECOME the uncontested military leader in Europe. At the same time, the alienation with the USA will continue, leading to outright hostility and animosity. Germany’s mistrust of Trump is shared worldwide. Note the next article. 

Global Mistrust 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 8: 

“Global mistrust of Donald Trump has moved beyond mere partisan debate. It has become a driving force reshaping diplomacy, currency stability, and the very psychology that underpins alliances. The unease isn’t just about his grandiose claims, such as insisting he ended eight wars and his desire for a Nobel Prize. The real damage lies in the erratic warnings, personal threats, and refusal to follow any recognizable international norms... 

“The world now sees Trump as a financial predator whose actions threaten the very stability Switzerland depends on. When a neutral country openly expresses such disgust, not toward a dictator but toward an American president, it speaks volumes about how far trust has fallen.” 

European Pride Opposes JD Vance 

Politico wrote on February 9:

“The people who jeered U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Winter Olympics were displaying ‘European pride’ following a string of critical comments about Europe from American officials, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said Monday. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, were greeted with a smattering of boos and jeers at the San Siro stadium in Milan last week when they briefly appeared on a giant screen waving U.S. flags during the opening ceremony. 

“Asked about the booing…, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said: ‘Well, I guess we have heard a lot of not-so-nice words from the United States regarding Europe. Of course, our public also has a pride, a European pride. So it shows,’ she added. The remarks capture the tense state of EU-U.S. relations…” 

Some Trump-supporting conservative outlets denied that JD Vance was booed, saying instead that he was cheered. That claim is blatantly false. The American athletes were cheered, but he was booed mercilessly when he was seen on the screen.

America’s Cost-Of-Living Crisis 

StudyFinds wrote on February 6: 

“Rent is due. The electric bill sits on the counter. The grocery receipt from last week still stings. For half of Americans, keeping up with basic monthly bills has become nearly impossible… Nine in 10 people believe the U.S. is experiencing a full-blown cost-of-living crisis, and nearly eight in 10 said everything became more expensive in 2025… 

“Half of respondents said they expect a tax refund this year, and among those, 73% admitted they need it more than ever before. Six in 10 said they need their refund earlier than usual just to stay afloat… When tax refunds stop feeling like extra money and start functioning as a financial backstop, something fundamental has shifted about what it means to get by in America.” 

Sadly, America is in an absolutely horrible state, financially. 

America’s Financial Doom Certain? 

Fortune wrote on February 7: 

“Elon Musk doubled down on his warnings about U.S. debt, predicting financial doom will be guaranteed without the transformative effects of AI and robotics on the economy. 

‘In the absence of AI and robotics, we’re actually totally screwed because the national debt is piling up like crazy,’ he added. Interest payments alone on the $38.5 trillion debt pile are about $1 trillion a year, exceeding the U.S. military budget, Musk pointed out…. ‘We are 1,000% going to go bankrupt as a country, and fail as a country, without AI and robots,’ he predicted… 

“While it’s ‘impossible’ to know when disaster will strike, ‘some form of crisis is almost inevitable’ without a course correction, the [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget] said in a report.” 

How AI and robots could save us from national bankruptcy is a mystery only Musk seems to “understand.” 

AI Researcher Warns of the End of Humanity

Business Insider wrote on February 10:

“Nate Soares is the CEO of the non-profit Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) in Berkeley, California. Previously, the computer scientist worked at Microsoft and Google. In an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper, the prominent AI researcher spoke about the growing dangers of the technology… and how much time humanity has left. His central thesis: AI is becoming increasingly powerful, and we humans have less and less to counter it…

“Soares warns urgently of the dangers of superintelligent AI systems… Platforms like Moltbook have already demonstrated how bizarre and autonomous AIs can behave when unleashed. They are not yet malicious – but that could change. His worst-case scenario: that every human being on this planet dies. As soon as AIs can build their own infrastructure, they will form their own species with their own goals. They will create factories, their own economy, their own world – and be much faster than we are…

“The problem is indifference… According to the researcher, this development must be stopped… Once superintelligence is achieved, it can no longer be stopped… According to Soares, there isn’t much time left, perhaps two to ten years…” 

Turkey’s Ploy to Become Central Actor 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 9: 

“The emerging move points to a substantial deepening of Turkish involvement in the Palestinian arena and is advancing in clear opposition to Israel’s stated position… the combination of overt meetings with Hamas’s leadership and the sustained series of contacts with the Palestinian Authority reveals a broader and more coherent picture… 

“Turkey is working to advance a framework in which Hamas would be recognized and integrated into any future Palestinian arrangement, both on the political level and within governing mechanisms, including in Gaza… 

“This Turkish initiative does not exist in a vacuum. Ankara is seeking to position itself as a central actor in the Palestinian arena, in line with a neo-Ottoman worldview that identifies Jerusalem as a key strategic hub of influence.” 

America’s vision of peace in Gaza has been doomed from the outset. 

Jewish Presence Rising on the Temple Mount 

Israel365News wrote on February 8, 2026: 

“The flow of people on the Temple Mount has shifted in a way that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. Jewish presence is rising steadily, openly, and visibly, while Arab attendance is declining… the number of Arabs ascending the Temple Mount has dropped by roughly half, even as Jewish ascent has surged to record levels… 

“Over the past year, approximately 70,000 Jews ascended the holiest place to the Jewish people, with a stated goal of reaching 100,000 annually… When Jews bow there in humility before G-d, even Israel’s adversaries understand what that signals. The retreat of Arab presence alongside the return of Jewish worship is not coincidence. It is a declaration, visible on the stones themselves, that the heart of the Jewish people is beating again in the place where it always belonged.” 

And so, the next major visible step will be the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount. 

Putin’s Ukraine Cooperation Proposal With USA 

The Sun wrote on February 8: 

“Vladimir Putin covertly offered the United States a $9 trillion economic cooperation deal behind Ukraine’s back, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader hinted that the proposal may be a ploy by the Kremlin to gain leverage in ongoing peace talks… 

“Ukraine once again confirmed its positions on the Donbas issue. ‘We stand where we stand’ is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion.’ He added that Kyiv will not tolerate Russia and the US making deals about Ukraine behind its back.” 

Putin’s intentions are clear, and so the question is: Is Trump willing to throw Ukraine under the bus? 

Orbán: Ukraine Our Enemy

DPA wrote on February 8: 

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has labelled Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia, an ‘enemy’ of his own country. ‘The Ukrainians must stop constantly demanding in Brussels that Hungary be cut off from cheap Russian energy,’ the right-wing populist said in an election campaign speech… on Sunday. ‘As long as Ukraine does this, it is our enemy,’ he added… 

“Orbán is considered Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the European Union, and his country is highly dependent on Russian gas and oil supplies… 

“Parliamentary elections are due to be held in Hungary on April 12. For the first time in his 16 years in office, Orbán faces a strong challenger [conservative Péter Magyar].” 

In his speech, Orbán reiterated his opposition to Ukraine joining the EU, arguing that a “military or economic alliance” with Kiev “will lead to trouble.” He also claimed that Europe is planning to give Ukraine within the next ten years 800 billion Euros in financial aid, in addition to 700 billion Euros in military aid. He said that Hungary will not participate in those payments.   

Xi Warns Trump 

Irish Times wrote on February 4: 

“China’s president Xi Jinping has told US president Donald Trump that the United States should handle arms sales to Taiwan with caution, describing the future of the self-governing island as the most important issue in China-US relations. The warning came during a call on Wednesday during which they also discussed Ukraine, Iran and the economic relationship between China and the US. ‘Taiwan is Chinese territory, and China must defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China…’ 

“Earlier on Wednesday, Xi had a video call with Russian president Vladimir Putin during which they discussed their relations with the US as well as the deepening economic co-operation between China and Russia… Xi said he wanted to work with Putin on a new blueprint for the relationship between Beijing and Moscow, declaring that they should ‘use a historic opportunity to continue deepening strategic co-operation.’” 

China’s desire to invade Taiwan is clear. Will America come to Taiwan’s defense when that happens? 

China’s Decline of Press Freedom 

npr wrote on February 9: 

“Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent… The democracy advocate’s arrest and trial have raised concerns about the decline of press freedom in what was once an Asian bastion of media independence… 

“Lai founded Apple Daily in 1995, two years before the former British colony returned to Chinese rule. Its closure in 2021 shocked the local press scene.” 

Britain’s transfer of Hong Kong to China was a colossal mistake, but it was biblically prophesied to happen. Hong Kong had been under British rule for 156 years (from 1841 to 1997). Whatever little is left of any press freedom in China (or Hong Kong, which is under China’s autocratic rule) is disappearing quickly. 

Trump’s Continued Threats Against Canada 

The Washington Post wrote on February 10: 

“President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of a bridge between Michigan and Ontario, claiming Canada is trying to ‘take advantage of America’ and calling for compensation [for everything we have given them for decades] in the latest flash point in the simmering tensions between the United States and its northern neighbor. The Gordie Howe International Bridge — a six-lane bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, that has cost about $4.7 billion to build — has been under construction since 2018 and is due to open early this year… 

“The complaint is the latest in a string of blows he has leveled at Canada and Prime Minister Mark Carney, rupturing the traditionally close relationship between the two allies… 

“The bridge is financed by the Canadian government but is publicly owned by the governments of Canada and Michigan… 

“The latest comments mark a sharp contrast to Trump’s previous support for the project… Trump [had] highlighted the closeness of the two countries and praised the bridge as a ‘vital economic link.’” 

Trump’s threats against Canada will continue.

Satellite Images Point to the Garden of Eden 

The Daily Mail wrote on February 8: 

“A series of orbital scans has revealed an ancient, now-dry riverbed in Saudi Arabia that some scholars believe aligns with the biblical description of Eden’s main river, the Pishon. The Book of Genesis describes Eden as a paradise watered by a single river that split into four: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates.  

“While the Tigris and Euphrates are well-known rivers in modern-day Iraq, the Pishon and Gihon have long been lost to history, until now.

The dry riverbed, called Wadi al-Batin, stretches from the western highlands of Hejaz near Medina northeast to the northern Persian Gulf near Kuwait. Its winding course corresponds closely with the biblical description of the Pishon, which Genesis states ‘compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.’… 

“Complementing this, Iran’s Karun River, a twisting waterway flowing through the Zagros Mountains, may correspond to the Gihon. The Hebrew word ‘sabab,’ meaning to circle or twist, aptly describes the Karun’s meanders… The alignment of these rivers with biblical text is striking, as together with the Tigris and Euphrates, Wadi al-Batin and the Karun would have converged into the Persian Gulf, forming a fertile cradle of civilization.” 

Another proof that the Bible is true after all. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:  

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to 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.

America Needs to Hear: “You Are Fired!” 

The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on January 28: 

“If the second Trump term turns out to be like ‘The Apprentice’ without ‘You’re fired!,’ its ratings are going to resemble President Joe Biden’s. That means… big losses in the coming midterms and an end to — or even reversal of — President Trump’s agenda. 

“Biden never accepted blame for the Afghanistan debacle, for economic malaise and record inflation or any of his other disasters… But he also never even implicitly admitted his team had failed by axing an obvious author of those debacles… Nor did he change the course that produced those debacles….

“…  if [Trump] wants to keep winning after something’s clearly gone wrong in the public’s eye, he should send the message that his administration will do better. Decisive action will calm the nerves of independent voters; anything else comes off as inauthentic and shady, raising fears that Team Trump will slide back into the same blundering approach. A high-level firing… is easily the best way to signal — to the public and to his whole team — that things are going to change.

“Put a face on failure, and get rid of it… To move on, the prez should ax someone… You need a high-profile firing, sir.” 

There are quite a few high-profile people in Trump’s administration who should be fired. The trouble is, he did not fire anyone, and he even praised all of them for their actions. That is a sure road to disaster. 

Detained Boy and Father Released

BBC wrote on February 1:

“A five-year-old boy and his father who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota have returned home… The detainment of the pair sparked protests outside the detention facility where they were being held, and led to a national outcry…

“Their return home came after US District Judge Fred Biery granted an emergency request from the family’s lawyer, and ordered their release on Saturday. The judge condemned their detention as driven by a ‘perfidious lust for unbridled power’. ‘The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatising children,’ Biery [a Bill Clinton appointee] wrote in his ruling.”

Biery also wrote: “… apparent also is the government’s ignorance of an American historical document called the Declaration of Independence.” npr added on January 31: “Stephen Miller, the White House chief of staff for policy, has said there’s a target of 3,000 immigration arrests a day. It’s that figure which the judge seemed to describe as a ‘quota.’’

In a complete turnaround, Trump defended Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, writing the following defamatory and nonsensical post early morning on January 31: “The Radical Left Lunatics, Insurrectionists, Agitators, and Thugs, are going after Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, because she is a woman, and has done a really GREAT JOB!” Incredible and laughable at the same time. The uproar over ICE and DHS agents [and Trump’s sanctioning their conduct]  is not going to end any time soon. 

Latino Voters Running Away From Trump 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 28: 

“Latino Republican lawmakers are warning that the GOP could lose the midterms as Hispanics flee over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown… ‘I do think that he will lose the midterms because of Stephen Miller,’ state Senator Ileana Garcia, who stands to lose reelection in her swing district, told the New York Times… 

“’I warned about this months ago, before the headlines caught up. Today we are watching it unfold in real time,’ [GOP Representative Maria Elvira] Salazar posted to X Tuesday night. ‘Hispanics are leaving the GOP in large numbers, and pretending otherwise won’t fix it.’ She implored her party to ‘reverse course and act now.’… 

“Things on the immigration front have only gotten more heated… with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents descending on Minneapolis, killing two American citizens and detaining a 5-year-old child… 51 percent of Latino voters said [Monday] they disapproved of the Trump administration’s record on immigration… Fifty-eight percent of Latino voters disapproved of ICE specifically… 57 percent of Latino voters said they believed that ICE should pull out of U.S. cities… Another 48 percent of Latino voters said that Noem should be fired, and 49 percent said she should be impeached by Congress….” 

The GOP could lose the midterm election big time. 

The American Gestapo 

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano wrote the following on January 29 in the Ron Paul Institute: 

“Last week, a half-dozen masked and unidentifiable Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents killed a 37-year-old federal employee, a nurse, by spraying pepper spray into his eyes, pushing him to the ground, stealing his lawfully owned and carried handgun, and then shooting him [at least] nine times in the back. The thugs from ICE whom the federal government has sent to Minneapolis have produced murder and mayhem on a scale far more violent, disruptive and disturbing to human life than have the immigrants residing there without papers… 

“The White House has defended the ICE killings of two innocent Americans in the maelstrom of Minneapolis by using phrases like terrorist, agitator, assassin and self-defense. In the process of politically smearing two dead victims, it has tried to divert attention away from the ICE Gestapo-like tactics in the streets… 

“Federal and state laws mandate — and all police, even DHS agents, know this — that if the driver of a vehicle moving less than 5 miles per hour is trying to turn away from you, you don’t kill the driver; you let her turn or get out of the way. If somehow you feel threatened by a man on all fours on the ground whose lawfully carried handgun you have already seized, and whom you have temporarily blinded with pepper spray because he photographed you, you restrain him, you don’t shoot him in the back… 

“More dangerous than American Gestapo is American Psycho — an attitude of government devoid of moral principles. One that — as authoritarians throughout history have done — targets a helpless, hopeless, politically weak minority and justifies murdering those who protest the violence employed in the targeting… 

“The same psychotic mentality that argued last year it can execute people on the high seas without trial has brought that might-makes-right nihilism into our streets…” 

God calls the USA an “ungodly nation” (Isaiah 10:6). 

“Military Helping Trump Build Massive Network of ‘Concentration Camps’”

Newsbreak wrote on February 3:

“In the wake of immigration agents’ killings of three US citizens within a matter of weeks, the Department of Homeland Security is quietly moving forward with a plan to expand its capacity for mass detention by using a military contract to create… ‘a nationwide “ghost network” of concentration camps.’…

“According to a source familiar with the project, ‘the goal is for the facilities to house as many as 10,000 people each, and are expected to be built in Louisiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Utah, and Kansas’…

“Amid its push to deport 1 million people each year, the White House has said it needs to dramatically increase the scale of its detention apparatus to add more beds for those who are arrested. But… ‘this isn’t just about bed space; it’s about the rapid deployment of self-contained cities.’…

“The new reporting… comes on the heels of a report last week from Bloomberg that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has used some of [a] $45 billion [increase of a Navy contract] to purchase warehouses in nearly two dozen remote communities, each meant to house thousands of detainees, which it said ‘could be the largest expansion of such detention capacity in US history’…” 

Another Broken Promise of a “Great” Housing Market?

 USA Today wrote on January 29: 

“Amid growing affordability concerns across the nation, President Donald Trump said he is looking to drive housing prices further up, not down. Trump said at a Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting he wants to make it easier for Americans to buy homes ‒ but not by making housing less expensive. Instead, he suggested lower interest rates… will allow more Americans to buy homes even as housing prices rise… 

“Yet Trump made clear in his meeting with Cabinet secretaries that greater opportunities to buy homes shouldn’t mean lowering costs, even as Americans voice concerns about the price tag to buy a home… Housing prices remain elevated relative to income growth after adjusting for inflation, pushing homeownership out of reach for many Americans.” 

Trump’s proposals are utter nonsense. 

“It’s Beyond Naive to Think Trump’s ‘Retreats’ Are Real” 

The Guardian published on January 30 the following opinion piece by Jonathan Freedland: 

“Don’t be fooled. When it comes to Donald Trump, what might look like a full retreat is almost always a mere tactical withdrawal, designed to buy time. He’ll step back when he’s forced to, under pressure, but will then revert the instant the pressure lets up. Too often, his opponents, whether at home or abroad, allow themselves to be played, confusing a mere pause for a surrender – and the risk is strong that they’re making that same mistake all over again. 

“This week, the US president won praise in some quarters for moving to ‘de-escalate’ the war he has been waging on the people of Minneapolis… He shipped out the man who had become the face of the campaign of terror conducted by both CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, Gregory Bovino… Next, Trump subjected his homeland security secretary… Kristi Noem, to an emergency Oval Office meeting… 

“But, remember, it’s only ever a pause. The instant the pressure eases, normal service resumes… for all the earlier talk, both Noem and Miller [as well as Bovino] remain in their jobs… 

“The pattern is clear. Trump will do just enough to get through a damaging news cycle, wait for it to pass – then carry on as before. We saw the first half of that manoeuvre last week, which began with threats to seize Greenland and ended with those threats seemingly withdrawn under international and domestic fire. Nato and European leaders probably thought they’d seen off the danger. But this week Trump’s Greenland envoy was back demanding ‘total, unfettered access’ to the island, so who knows what his boss might say next week…” 

Please view our StandingWatch program, titled, “Trump’s Greenland Deal—Defeat or Distraction?” 

Trouble Brewing for Trump and Others in the Epstein Scandal?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 1:

“The Department of Justice has removed files containing hundreds of mentions of US President Donald Trump from the latest wave of Epstein files documents that were released on Saturday. The removed files included descriptions of Trump sexually assaulting several women, some of them being underage.

“In the removed files, which still have a preview and broken link on the DOJ’s website, Trump is described by victims and friends of victims as, among other things, engaging in ‘big orgy parties’ with young girls alongside former president Bill Clinton and the Alexander brothers.

“Additionally, a removed file stated Trump was involved in human trafficking, with one statement reading the president would host parties at his home in Mar-A-Lago called ‘calendar girls,’ where Jeffrey Epstein would bring children for Trump to auction off. Some of the people named at these parties were Elon Musk. Donald Trump jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, attorney Allan Dershowitz, and attorney Bob Shapiro.

“The full documents were screenshotted and saved by internet users following the release, who uploaded them to multiple online archives. The DOJ stated that its release of the second wave of files – about 3.5 million, bringing the total to over 6 million –  was in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, despite being released over a month after the deadline…

“When asked about the newly released files, Trump stated that while he had not seen them, he was told that ‘not only does it absolve me, it’s the opposite of what people were hoping, you know, the radical left.’ Trump also stated that the files revealed that author Michael Wolff conspired with Epstein against the president, and that we’ll probably sue Wolff for that.”

It was also reported by the Independent and Daily Mail that Trump is suggesting suing the Epstein estate as well. Why, if the released files allegedly absolved him, even though he did not give a rationale for that claim? Trump is mentioned more than 3,000 times in the latest Epstein files release. There is no finding that Trump is guilty of any wrongdoing, and the removed reports are unverified. However, the question remains why those files were removed. 

No Saudi Bases or Airspace for USA

Fox News wrote on January 30: 

“As President Donald Trump weighs his options on a possible military strike on Iran, a senior Gulf official told Fox News Saudi Arabia will not allow the U.S. to use its airspace or bases for such an attack… 

“‘Saudi Arabia wouldn’t allow airspace to be used to target Israel, Houthis, Iran. The position is the same now. Saudi Arabia wouldn’t allow airspace to be used in a war Saudi Arabia is not a part of,’ the official said…” 

Iran threatened the USA with a regional war if the USA were to attack Iran. 

JFK Assassination Film Could Prove Second Shooter

The New York Post wrote on February 1:

“A 62-year-old home movie could blow the JFK assassination wide open — and prove once and for all there was a second shooter on the grassy knoll that fateful day.

“The grainy 8mm footage, captured by Dallas air conditioner repairman Orville Nix as bullets ripped through Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 1963, hasn’t been seen since 1978, when it was sent away for analysis by an LA company and later fell under federal ownership – although the feds claim they don’t have it. Nix died in 1972, and his granddaughter picked up from her late dad the legal war to recover his film — which she’s convinced is worth more than $900 million as it may hold the key to exposing one of history’s biggest coverups.

“Now a federal judge has ruled that the battle over the film can go forward — and the footage might finally see the light of day… The film could reveal evidence that gunman Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone — thanks to new optic technologies and AI…”

The idea that Oswald acted alone was laughable from the outset 

An All-Powerful European Leader? 

Politico wrote on January 28: 

“The jobs of president of the European Commission and president of the European Council should be merged so the EU can speak with one voice on the global stage, European People’s Party boss Manfred Weber said Wednesday. Reforming the EU’s leadership structure in such a way would…simply mean giving one person both jobs. He said this could happen after the next EU election, in 2029. ‘We are blocked, we are speechless, we are voiceless, we have no say on the global stage, and that has to be stopped,’ said Weber, the president of Europe’s largest political family. 

“The European Commission president (currently Ursula von der Leyen) leads the bloc’s executive arm, which has power over trade, agriculture, the single market and other internal policy areas — although foreign affairs is handled by the EU’s top diplomat (Kaja Kallas) and the European Council president (António Costa), with both reporting directly to EU countries. This fragmented division of power is not ‘up to the task’ at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, Weber said, with Donald Trump’s U.S. administration turning the international order upside down 

“Asked by POLITICO if he would be in the running for a future ‘president of Europe’ role, Weber declined to rule it out… Weber has led the EPP in the European Parliament since 2014, and in 2019 campaigned for the job of European Commission president, but EU leaders instead chose von der Leyen, then Germany’s defense minister. 

“In his speech, Weber also said EU countries should switch to qualified majority voting on foreign and security policy issues rather than by unanimity… If such reform is not possible, as it would require the backing of all current members, those countries willing to advance integration ‘should go forward with a special sovereignty treaty’ on foreign policy, Weber said.” 

In other words, a powerful European leader ruling over core nations (the countries of the willing). 

Two-Speed Europe

Reuters wrote on January 27:

“Germany will push for a ‘two-speed’ European Union to break decision-making inertia in the 27-member bloc and galvanise its economies, calling for a core group of member states to move ahead on key policies to make Europe stronger and more independent. ‘Now is the time for a Europe of two speeds,’ German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said at an event hosted by Welt on Tuesday in Berlin…

“Klingbeil invited partners in France, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands to a video conference on Wednesday to set an ambitious and concrete agenda to strengthen the sovereignty, resilience and competitiveness of Europe…

“Regarding defence spending, Klingbeil called for better cooperation among member states and for firmly embedding defence as a priority in the next EU multiannual budget, ‘turning defence into an engine for growth.’ 

Ulrich Siegmund—the Rising Star of the AfD? 

Politico wrote on January 30: 

“In recent months, this 35-year-old regional politician [Ulrich Siegmund] has turned into a new leading figure on Germany’s far right, now one of the two largest parties in the national parliament, the Bundestag, neck-and-neck with the Christian Democrats, known as the CDU, and its sister party, the CSU… 

“Later this year, Siegmund has a realistic chance to deliver the AfD its first outright victory one of Germany’s 16 states. Recent polls put the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt at 39 percent, once even at 40. A gain of just two or three points could be enough for Siegmund to secure an absolute majority in the 83-seat state parliament and take over the premier’s office… 

“As long as the firewall holds, the only way the AfD can take power is by winning a straight-up majority. Which is what it seems poised to do in the September elections… And that would immediately launch Siegmund to the forefront of German politics. Nationally, the AfD is led by 46-year-old Alice Weidel, whose cool, abrasive style attracts attention but little affection. Her co-chair Tino Chrupalla, a 50-year-old painter, appears more down-to-earth yet often awkward. By contrast, the young candidate from Saxony-Anhalt presents a more personable, media-savvy image…. Success… would make him a contender for the party’s top candidacy in the next national elections, presumably in 2029.” 

It will be interesting to see how successful Siegmund will become. 

How the Tides Turn 

Politico wrote on February 2: 

“FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Monday that the world football governing body should lift its ban on Russia competing in international tournaments. Russia was banned from the football events by FIFA immediately following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ban has remained in place… The suggestion drew a furious response from Ukraine,… 

“Infantino maintains close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and in December awarded him the newly created FIFA Peace Prize… after the American president was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, despite having campaigned heavily for the honor…” 

The Athletic wrote on February 2: 

“The leader of world football’s governing body has been described as a ‘moral degenerate’ by Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha… ‘Future generations will view this as a shame reminiscent of the 1936 Olympics.’” 

In 1936, the Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany, under Adolf Hitler. 49 countries with nearly 4,000 athletes participated. While there were significant international calls and movements to boycott the 1936 Berlin Olympics due to Nazi persecution, ultimately no major country officially boycotted. 

World Cup Boycott? 

Bild Online published on January 31 the following article by Filipp Platov: 

“There is the reasonable, clear, even harsh criticism of Donald Trump that German politicians must offer. Of course, the German government must speak out when the US president criticizes our soldiers or doesn’t rule out deploying his military in Greenland. Then, a rebuttal is necessary, even if the target is the most powerful man in the world. 

“However, there is also a form of Trump criticism that is so excessive and so recklessly damaging to national interests that it borders on hysteria. 

“The best example of this is the call for a World Cup boycott. The debate was sparked by CDU foreign policy expert Juergen Hardt and DFB Vice President Oke Goettlich. The SPD’s sports policy spokesperson, Bettina Lugk, has already announced that she will not travel to the USA. Journalists from major media outlets expressed their support and criticized those who refused to acknowledge the issue. 

“Germany participated in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, even though Vladimir Putin had already been waging a barely disguised war in eastern Ukraine for four years. Germany participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, even though the emirate co-finances virtually every Islamist terrorist organization in the world. But suddenly, the USA is supposed to be the red line?” 

The author has a valid point. 

Trump Sleepwalks into a Forever War in Europe 

The Hill published on January 29 the following opinion of Jonathan Sweet and Mark Toth. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer and led the U.S. European Command Intelligence Engagement Division from 2012 to 2014.  Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy.  

“Tragically, we have witnessed this trainwreck coming for months… As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left Davos following his meeting with Trump last week, he told reporters that a document with the U.S. dealing concerning security guarantees for Ukraine was ‘done’… 

“Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner sped off to Moscow to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin, then proceeded to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the trilateral talks. The talks commenced and concluded in Abu Dhabi the next day. The outcome? Russia refused to back off their maximalist demands and continued to demand Ukraine unilaterally withdraw from the Donbas. 

“The U.S. is now 0 for 7 in its negotiations with Russia to end the war — chiefly because Ukraine stubbornly refuses to commit national suicide.

Kyiv will not give Moscow in negotiations what the Russians cannot take on the battlefield. Nor should they be persuaded or coerced into doing so… 

“On Tuesday, Trump pulled a 180. The security guarantees he offered were contingent upon Ukraine withdrawing from the Donbas. That is a hard no for Zelensky and for the Ukrainian people… 

“For now, the sticking point is the Donbas. But what if Ukraine agreed to withdraw from the region? Would Russia end the war? Probably not. It will just lead to the next bone of contention… 

“Putin is the ‘root cause’ of the war. The killing stops when Putin stops attacking. Witkoff’s negotiations have done nothing to bring the war to an end. They only prolong it, creating a ‘forever-war.’ Trump has the cards to end the war, but those cards need to be played against Russia and not Ukraine…” 

Trump’s ever-changing policy regarding the Russia-Ukraine war is hard to follow. 

Ukraine Agrees to US-Backed Security Deal? 

The U.S. Sun wrote on February 3: 

“VOLODYMYR Zelensky has reportedly agreed to a Trump-backed security plan to protect Ukraine from future Russian ceasefire violations. The US president said yesterday that he may have ‘some good news’ on the ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine as it nears its four-year anniversary… 

“[The plan] would involve coordinated US-Europe military action against the Kremlin in the event of future peace pact breaches…[It] would trigger a military response against Russia in a day, starting with a ‘diplomatic warning’ and message from the Ukrainian army…  Should fighting continue, a second phase would be initiated involving the military intervention from the ‘coalition of the willing’, made up of more than 20 of Ukraine‘s allies… A western-backed military coalition involving US forces would step in after three days if the ceasefire developed into a wider attack… 

“The Kremlin said on Monday that any foreign military deployment to Ukraine would be treated as unacceptable foreign intervention and legitimate targets in ongoing fighting, citing foreign minister Sergei Lavrov… The sticking point remains whether Kyiv is willing to cede the entire Donbas region or whether [Putin] will row back on his imperialist ultimatum.” 

How would this “plan,” unacceptable to Russia and perhaps even Ukraine, end the Ukraine war??? 

No EU Army With Ukraine 

MENAFN wrote on February 1: 

“The concept of a consolidated European military, promoted by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, is unfeasible, according to Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s chief for foreign policy and security… Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky advocated for a ‘united armed forces’ of Europe, asserting that Ukraine’s experience in combat against Russia could offer valuable insights… 

“During his speech, he also criticized what he described as hesitation and division among European supporters, while insisting that Ukraine should join the EU by 2027—a demand that has been met with skepticism by some member states… Kallas told reporters, ‘I can’t imagine that countries will create a separate European army. It has to be the armies that already exist’…”  

Ukraine will ultimately be part of or in collaboration with Russia, not the EU. 

EU Militaries a Terrorist Group? 

The Associated Press wrote on January 31: 

“German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday slammed Iran over its decision to designate European Union militaries as terrorist groups, a move that came in response to the EU adding Iran’s elite paramilitary force [Iranian Revolutionary Guards, IRGC] to its terror list… 

“The IRGC is Iran’s elite military force and far superior to the regular army. In recent decades, the force has not only undergone a massive rearmament, but also expanded its social and economic influence – for example, through investments in hotel chains and airlines.” 

Terrible Death Toll 

The Ron Paul Institute published on February 3 the following article by Brian McGlinchey: 

“…  after more than two years of casting doubts, the IDF has finally admitted its own estimates match the Gaza Health Ministry’s accounting of some 70,000 confirmed dead… in Gaza since the Oct 7, 2023 invasion of Israel by Hamas militants… 

“Importantly, both the IDF official and the Gaza Health Ministry says these numbers do not include bodies yet to be discovered under the incomprehensible volume of rubble across Gaza. The Gaza ministry says its numbers only reflect deaths directly resulting from military fire, excluding those who’ve died from disease and malnutrition. Neither party has yet broken down the death toll into combatants and civilians… 

“President Biden was among the first to who sought to discredit the fatality figures coming from Gaza… Beyond dismissing the top-line number of deaths reported by the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has also denied credible accusations that IDF soldiers have frequently and deliberately targeted civilians… 

“Israel has also denied widespread reports —substantiated by video — that soldiers shot at civilians gathering at aid distribution points set up last May as malnutrition surged in Gaza and global outrage mounted…” 

“There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). 

When Will the Knesset Act? 

Israel 365 News wrote on February 3: 

“A massive stone vessel, carved 1,800 years ago and used by Jews in the Galilee to maintain ritual purity, now sits in the halls of Israel’s Knesset. The timing is deliberate. As the Parliament building marks its 60th anniversary…, this archaeological treasure forces an unavoidable question: Can the Knesset truly claim to be the heir of the Sanhedrin while ignoring the institution that made the ancient court legitimate—the Temple in Jerusalem?… The exhibition celebrates continuity but avoids the uncomfortable truth: the original Sanhedrin derived its authority from the Temple, and without actively pursuing the Temple’s restoration, the modern Knesset remains an incomplete successor… 

“The Sages understood this as a positive commandment incumbent on each generation—to build and maintain the Temple when circumstances permit. Israel today has sovereignty over Jerusalem. It has the political and military capability to control the Temple Mount. The technological and architectural expertise to construct the Third Temple exists. What is missing is not ability but will, particularly the Knesset’s will to assert Jewish rights at the site… 

“The Knesset passes laws about the Supreme Court and the economy, but avoids legislation addressing Jewish worship rights on the Temple Mount or advancing plans for the Temple’s reconstruction… 

“The modern Knesset… must take concrete steps toward enabling the Third Temple. This means passing legislation affirming Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount, allocating resources for preparation of Temple service, and supporting the training of kohanim, priests, for eventual Temple duties… 

“… visitors should see… a challenge to the current leadership to complete what the Sanhedrin in exile could only dream of—the restoration of full Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount and the rebuilding of the House that gives the Knesset its true legitimacy as heir to Israel’s ancient institutions of governance.” 

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Third Temple—Coming Soon?”

Deep Fraternal Relations Between Iraq and Jordan 

Militia Man and Crew wrote on February 1:

“Minister of Industry and Minerals [of Iraq], Khalid Battal Al-Najm, affirmed the deep fraternal relations between Iraq and Jordan and the importance of strengthening existing cooperation in the industrial sector to achieve the best interests of both brotherly nations…

“The two sides discussed bilateral relations and available cooperation opportunities in several industrial sectors, as well as a number of joint projects… For his part, the Jordanian ambassador affirmed his country’s desire and keenness to solidify cooperation and joint work to serve the industries of both countries.”

According to the Bible, Iraq and Jordan will be part of an anti-Israel confederation. 

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.

“Jared Kushner Presents Plan for ‘New Gaza’”

JTA wrote on January 22:

“Jared Kushner presented a phased vision for the future of Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, saying that there was ‘no plan B’ when it comes to reconstructing the territory battered during the two-year war between Israel and Hamas… The 20-point vision… reflects elements of that ceasefire deal, which has been only partially implemented. It calls for… moving steadily northward until the entire Palestinian territory has been rebuilt, to include a seaport, airport and tourism infrastructure… [Not quite the Riviera of his father-in-law, but close.] 

“Kushner said the most important step is to disarm Hamas, which still controls a portion of Gaza. Emphasized that reconstruction will take place only in portions of Gaza where Hamas is demilitarized, he said some Hamas members who agree to lay down their arms will be given amnesty and could become part of a new security apparatus in Gaza. 

“Kushner suggested that he understood that his vision, which would take many years and at least $25 billion to implement, could encounter obstacles… 

“Kushner’s presentation came as Trump held a ‘signing ceremony’ for his new ‘Board of Peace,’ an entity devised initially to oversee Gaza but whose mandate Trump has indicated could include other world conflicts. (Its charter does not mention Gaza specifically.) Of the 60 countries that the United States invited to join, representatives from about 20 attended the ceremony, including Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Argentina’s Javier Milei and officials from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“Orban was the only European leader present [Bulgaria was also represented]; other European countries have turned down the invitation to join the board or expressed concerns about its composition — potentially to include Russia — and potential to undercut other international bodies, about which Trump has expressed disdain. 

“Israel also did not have a representative at the ceremony. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would join despite misgivings about the presence of Turkey and Qatar, which have backed Hamas, on the board. Netanyahu is not in Davos (Switzerland is party to the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for his arrest) but Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is present, did not attend.” 

This peace plan and the new Board of Peace are all destined to fail. 

Military Alliance Between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus 

Handelsblatt reported on December 28: 

“Greece, Cyprus, and Israel are deepening their partnership. High-ranking military officials from the three countries signed a joint action plan for military cooperation last week in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia. Political observers see the rapprochement between the three countries as a response to Turkey’s increasingly aggressive behavior in the region. 

“Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in dispute with Greece and Cyprus over territorial rights and economic zones in the eastern Mediterranean. In Israel, there is particular concern about Turkey’s military presence in Syria… Against the backdrop of growing tensions between Turkey and Israel, military cooperation is now coming to the forefront.

“In Syria, the two countries are in direct confrontation. There, Turkey is attempting to gain political and military influence following the fall of the Assad regime. An Israeli government commission warned earlier this year that a Syria supported by Turkey could pose a greater threat than Iran.

“Concern is also growing in Athens. Turkish drones, as well as fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, have repeatedly violated Greek airspace in recent weeks.  Although both countries are formally allies within NATO, this has not ended the rivalries that have been simmering for decades…” 

“Today’s Israel, Greece, and Cyprus were part of the Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years… Israel also strictly rejects the participation of Turkish soldiers in the planned Gaza peacekeeping force – due to the close ties between the Turkish government and Hamas, which Erdogan describes as a ‘liberation movement’.” 

Frosty Relationship Between Canada and USA 

Politico wrote on January 23: 

“President Donald Trump revoked Canada’s invitation to participate in his ‘Board of Peace’ initiative, in the latest blow to the increasingly frosty relations between the North American neighbors… ‘Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,’ Carney said earlier Thursday [responding to Trump’s slur in Davos.] 

“The withdrawn invitation deepens the fracture in the relationship between Trump and Carney, who stood with other NATO allies in opposition to the president’s campaign to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark… 

“… many Western allies have yet to sign on, and France and the United Kingdom have said they will not participate in the plan. Yvette Cooper, the U.K.’s top diplomat, cited Trump’s invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the reason the U.K. won’t sign on.” 

To invite Putin to the Board is perceived to be an incredible affront to all of Europe (except for Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban). 

Trump Threatens Canada 

The Associated Press wrote on January 24: 

“President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with its China trade deal… Trump initially said that agreement was what Carney ‘should be doing and it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal.’… 

“Trump’s threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney as the Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance. Trump had commented while in Davos, Switzerland, this week that ‘Canada lives because of the United States.’ Carney shot back that his nation can be an example that the world does not have to bend toward autocratic tendencies. 

“Trump later revoked his invitation to Carney to join the president’s ‘Board of Peace’ that he is forming to try to resolve global conflicts. Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has come after he has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed into the United States as a 51st state. 

“He resumed that rhetoric this week, posting an altered image on social media showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland, and Cuba as part of its territory. In his message Saturday, Trump continued his provocations by calling Canada’s leader ‘Governor Carney.’… 

“Carney has emerged as a leader of a movement for countries to find ways to link up and counter the U.S. under Trump…. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85% of U.S. electricity imports. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum, and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.” 

Canada could become unpleasant for the USA. In Europe, Carney is praised as a hero for his stance against Trump. 

Canada Preparing for US Invasion 

Financial Post wrote on January 20: 

“Canada’s military has modelled [a] hypothetical U.S. invasion, reports say. ‘Canada will never be the 51st state,’ [Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita] Anand said.” 

Obviously, Canada is taking Trump’s threats quite seriously. 

Invading Canada? 

The Guardian wrote on January 27: 

“First, American forces would strike with poison gas munitions, seizing a strategically valuable port city. Soldiers would sever undersea cables, destroy bridges and rail lines to paralyze infrastructure. Major cities on the shores of lakes and rivers would be captured in order to blunt any civilian resistance. The multipronged invasion would rely on ground forces, amphibious landing and then mass internments. According to the architects of the plan, the attack would be short-lived and the besieged country would fall within days.

“The target was Canada, part of a classified 1930 strategy – War Plan Red – for a hypothetical war with Great Britain where the US would seek to deny it any foothold in North America. But the invasion plans, once dismissed as a fumbling historical quirk, have taken on fresh relevance as the US pivots its foreign policy to an increasingly aggressive view of its ‘pre-eminence’ in the western hemisphere and turns its sights on both foes and allies.

“In early January, the fusion of economic nationalism and belligerent foreign policy championed by Donald Trump was on full display when his government ordered the capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and the US president announced on social media the US would seize control of the South American country’s oil. Days after, both Trump and prominent officials spoke openly of using military force to invade and capture Greenland for its strategic position and its immense mineral wealth. In late January,…  Canada’s military had modelled a hypothetical invasion of Canada, suggesting guerrilla tactics, similar to those used to repel both Russian and US forces in Afghanistan, would supplant conventional war.

“… threats from Trump that he intends to annex Canada have rattled the country. Last year, Trump said the centuries-old border between the two nations was no more than an ‘artificially drawn line’ that, with force and persuasion, might be redrawn. ‘Somebody drew that line many years ago with, like, a ruler – just a straight line right across the top of the country,’ Trump told Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney – adding a unified continent was ‘the way it was meant to be’.

“On 20 January, Trump posted an altered image on his social media account that features the US flag covering Canada, Greenland and Venezuela. His comments, condemned by Canadian lawmakers, nonetheless exposed a deep and persistent anxiety that the country, despite decades of tight economic integration, remains vulnerable to US aggression.

“War Plan Red, first devised in 1927 and then approved in 1930, was drawn up amid fears from American military planners that Britain could launch a war against the US where Canada would be the most likely theatre for battle. US planners conceded that if they lost, Canada would​ ‘demand that Alaska be awarded to her’. But the plan highlighted both how Americans believed Canada… would fall quickly – and the broader flimsiness of political alliances… battle designs such as War Plan Red underscore fears within Canada of its continued vulnerability to US military action… Trump and his allies could deploy a sustained campaign to ‘demonize’ Canada by warning the 5,500-mile (8,850km) border has grown increasingly lawless and drugs are ‘pouring across’ in order to shift how Americans perceive of their northern neighbour…

“Last year, the then prime minister, Justin Trudeau, warned business leaders Trump’s threats to annex Canada were a ‘real thing’ and the president wanted to access the country’s critical minerals… A 2025 poll found that 43% of Canadians believed a military attack by the United States within five years was at least somewhat likely, with 10% deeming it highly likely or certain… “

Given subsequent events, a new poll would undoubtedly find that more than just 43% believe that a military attack by the USA is at least somewhat likely. 

“Europe Must ‘Play the Power Game’ with Trump Over Greenland” 

ABC News wrote on January 23, after Trump had announced the nebulous framework of an even more nebulous deal pertaining to Greenland: 

“Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump’s second term has seen the president double down on his ambition to acquire the minerals-rich island — despite Danish and Greenlandic politicians repeatedly rebuffing him. Trump has suggested that U.S. sovereignty over Greenland is necessary to ensure American security and blunt Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic region. A 1951 defense agreement already grants the U.S. military access to Greenland, but Trump has suggested the accord is inadequate and has demanded ‘ownership.’… 

“[Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette] Frederikson said in a Thursday morning statement that Copenhagen ‘cannot negotiate on our sovereignty.’ Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a Thursday press conference… that they have some ‘red lines’ including territorial integrity, international law and sovereignty... 

“For [former Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe] Kofod… any deal should be twinned with a European show of force. ‘The first step is power,’ Kofod said. Trump may soften his attacks ‘if he sees that he will have all of Europe — including the U.K., France, Germany — against him, and they are ready to defend Greenland,’ Kofod said, plus if he sees that European ‘retaliation is so massive that it will hurt the U.S. economy and interests.’ ‘Trump plays with all the instruments he has. Europe has to learn to play the power game,’ Kofod said… 

“The turbulence will undermine European, American and collective NATO security, Kofod warned. ‘For the U.S. it’s also a big self-inflicted problem,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think Trump looks at the world like that. He  thinks that NATO is there, it’s important, but it’s not something you cannot live without, because you just can form another alliance.’” 

He already tried this with the Gaza Board of Peace, but that one will fail. Europe’s concerns that Trump may continue to try to acquire ownership of Greenland by whatever means continue. 

Europe’s Power in Relation to the USA 

Focus Online wrote on January 24: 

“In Davos, there were negotiations, attempts at appeasement, and ultimately a sigh of relief. FOCUS columnist Jan Fleischhauer asks why Europe once again forgets the power it actually holds in relation to the USA… 

“Fleischhauer reminds us that the EU is the largest economic area in the world. Larger than the USA, larger than China.  Nevertheless, it’s celebrated as a success if they simply manage to avoid being completely taken advantage of… 

“Fleischhauer considers this subservience unnecessary. Because Europe certainly has the means to exert pressure…” 

Schulz Interview with German Public Broadcaster ARD 

SWR reported on January 23: 

“The EU must act faster in the future.  Therefore, former European Parliament President Martin Schulz advocates that some countries should move ahead – if not all EU member states agree – or if countries like Hungary block decisions. He sees the trio of Germany, France, and Italy as an important driving force for Europe. Schulz emphasizes that Germany should effectively utilize the remaining time of French President Macron’s term to advance joint projects.  

“He believes Germany should also try to negotiate with the French about a European nuclear defense shield… Europeans should forge stronger economic and security alliances with democracies such as Canada and Australia in order to stand up to the current major powers and become more independent from the USA.” 

In particular Schulz said this: 

There should be no right of veto for all members.  Instead, decisions should be made by majority vote. At least nine countries can join together without the others being able to prevent it.  And if they want to do so. These could include: Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Spain, and the other founding members of the EU (Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands). 

He said that Europe must become independent of American military power, but that a European nuclear army is not possible without France. He emphasized that if one wants to, one can act very quickly. He also stated that people are afraid of war. When asked if he wanted to become chancellor, he gave only a vague answer. 

America’s Limited Support for Europe 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24: 

“The US will concentrate mostly on protecting the homeland and combating the threat posed by China, while expecting allies to look after their own defense with reduced help from Washington, according to a strategy document released by the Pentagon on Friday… 

“The document describes Russia as ‘a persistent but manageable threat to NATO’s eastern members for the foreseeable future’ and calls on the US’s [European] NATO allies to ‘take the lead’ in defending Ukraine against Moscow’s invasion’ with critical but more limited US support.’’ 

npr added on January 24: 

“The Pentagon released a priority-shifting National Defense Strategy late Friday that chastised U.S. allies to take control of their own security and reasserted the Trump administration’s focus on dominance in the Western Hemisphere… 

“The 34-page document, the first since 2022, was highly political for a military blueprint, criticizing partners from Europe to Asia for relying on previous U.S. administrations to subsidize their defense. It called for ‘a sharp shift — in approach, focus, and tone’… 

“It capped off a week of animosity between President Donald Trump’s administration and traditional allies like Europe… As allies confront what some see as a hostile attitude from the U.S., they will almost certainly be unhappy to see that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s department will provide ‘credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain’… It specifically points to access to the Panama Canal and Greenland… Trump previously suggested that the U.S. should potentially consider retaking control of the Panama Canal and accused Panama of ceding influence to China… 

“In another example of offloading regional security to allies, the document says, ‘South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support.’” 

Spain Demands European Army 

Euronews wrote on January 22: 

“The chief of Spain’s diplomacy, José Manuel Albares… called on Europe to take full control of its own security, arguing that the continent must move ‘towards a European army’… 

“‘… we need firstly a coalition of the willing of European security, secondly, an integration of our industries of defence and in the end a European army.’” 

Most Germans View Trump as a Threat 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 24: 

“A new nationwide poll of Germans shows that a large majority (61%) views US President Donald Trump as a threat to their country… 

“52% of respondents called on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his administration to take a harder line when dealing with the nation’s longtime ally…” 

Warning For World Cup Soccer Fans: Don’t Travel to America 

Fox News wrote on January 26: 

“Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says soccer fans should avoid traveling to the United States for the 2026 World Cup this summer… Blatter cited Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption expert and law professor [who] told soccer fans to, ‘Stay away from the USA!’… Pieth added in his interview: ‘… upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.’… 

“Trump’s stance toward Greenland has led to a call to boycott the World Cup this summer by German soccer federation executive Oke Göttlich… 

“‘The country itself is in a state of tremendous turmoil,’ [Pieth] said. ‘What we’re witnessing domestically — the marginalization of political opponents, the abuses by immigration authorities, and so on — doesn’t exactly entice a fan to travel there… Pieth believes the U.S. has become ‘increasingly authoritarian.’” 

According to Bild Online, dated January 26, Pieth also said that soccer fans could be deported to Middle America, and agents could confiscate their smartphones to see whether something negative had been written about Trump. This is clearly overblown, but it shows the growing antagonism of Europe towards Trump. 

Trust in USA Gone 

The Huffington Post wrote on January 23: 

“Though Trump backed down by the end of the day, his two weeks’ worth of assaults over Greenland have rattled European diplomatic officials like nothing in recent memory,.. The alarm blended with disappointment in their own leaders’ response. On Thursday, an E.U. official told HuffPost they compared most European countries’ approach to the president to the fable of the frog and the scorpion: Both die after the former foolishly trusts that the latter will not sting and paralyze him. The scorpion, the official noted, was at least clear about its toxic nature. 

“European institutions ‘don’t seem able to adapt to a world in which the U.S., that played such a crucial role in European integration, not to mention NATO, may actually turn into a threat,’ said Nathalie Tocci, the director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome.  

“Philip Bednarczyk, an American who… works at the German Marshall Fund’s office in Poland… said this week led proponents of close ties with the U.S. in countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Poland to have ‘a painful recognition that we’re losing what we had.’ He expects pro-American voices in policymaking will lose out to rising anti-American sentiment…’” 

No More Trust 

Politico wrote on January 23: 

“Diplomats and officials now fear the breakdown in personal trust between European leaders and Trump has potentially grave ramifications… Given how unreliable Trump has been as an ally to Europe, officials are now privately asking what [Trump’s] guarantees are really worth… 

“While these leaders know they can no longer trust Trump’s America with Europe’s security, many of them lack the trust of their own voters to do what might be required instead.”  

Trump Destroys NATO and Britain Is Left Behind 

Daily Express published on January 24 the following article by Andrew Neil: 

“… the wiser Nato allies in Europe know there can be no return to business as usual – that we’ve reached a watershed in global politics. That the Atlantic Alliance will never be the same again. That America under Trump must be now be regarded as an unreliable and capricious ally — and at times (Ukraine, Greenland, tariffs) to behave as an enemy. That European Nato, along with Canada, has no time to waste in preparing for a new world order in which they no longer depend for security on the USA…

“This is a wake up call for the British Government, which should take stock… Britain is being left behind – and nothing will change under the current Government. Starmer has neither the vision nor aptitude to meet the challenge. His Labour Party is a prisoner to old ways of thinking and redundant priorities… Our politics dwells on the frivolous, the insignificant, the irrelevant – when what’s at stake is nothing less than national survival. Until we recognise that we cannot be regarded as a serious country.” 

Trump Causes More Outrage 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 23: 

“Keir Starmer led a chorus of fury against Donald Trump today after the president’s vile slur against British soldiers who fought and died in Afghanistan…. Politicians and military veterans reacted with outrage after the president told Fox News that Nato troops, including those from Britain, stayed ‘a little off the front lines’ during the war in Afghanistan. 

“Some [455] British service personnel were killed in the conflict in Afghanistan, fighting alongside the US, and countless more were severely wounded…. The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths in the Afghanistan conflict [followed by Canada with 158 deaths]… The US saw [2,465] deaths. America’s allies suffered 1,160 deaths during the conflict – around a third of the total coalition deaths.” 

Trump Backs Down 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 24: 

“Donald Trump has paid tribute to the UK’s ‘great and very brave soldiers’ – after sparking fury with claims British troops dodged the Afghanistan front line. In a statement, the US President said: ‘The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors…’ 

“Earlier this week Mr Trump was accused of ‘trampling on the memories’ of Britain’s 457 war dead with his claim they had stayed ‘a little off the frontlines’. The President made no mention of the Danes or other NATO soldiers who died in the country.” 

Bowing to pressure and sharp criticism, including from King Charles, Keir Starmer, Rod Stewart, Prince Harry, Denmark, Germany and Poland, and many others, Trump backpedals, without apologizing. As mentioned above, he did not retract his defamation against other NATO soldiers who had died in Afghanistan, including those from Germany and Poland. 

Another Killing in Minnesota 

Focus reported on January 25: 

“Deadly shots fired at another opponent of the U.S. immigration authorities during an ICE operation in Minneapolis are fueling anger against President Donald Trump’s administration. The parents of the man who was shot accused the officers of killing their son, Alex Pretti, without legitimate reason. They accused Trump’s administration of spreading lies about the incident in the state of Minnesota. The Department of Homeland Security is portraying the case as self-defense on the part of the officer, but videos from the scene are fueling criticism of ICE raids against migrants and the heavy-handed tactics used against protesting civilians.  Earlier in January, when 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good was shot and killed in her car during an ICE operation in Minneapolis, the government also described the action as self-defense by an officer whose life was in imminent danger. But in that case, too, videos painted a different picture…” 

“Several eyewitness videos of the incident on the street are circulating online, filmed from different perspectives. One of them, which the German Press Agency has verified, shows several masked individuals in tactical gear violently forcing a person to the ground and attempting to restrain him. This person is clearly Alex Pretti.  He is eventually surrounded by eight officers. Then shots are fired; judging by the sound, there are about ten shots… Even after the man is lying motionless on the ground, at least one of the masked individuals continues to shoot at him. 

“Regarding the question of whether Pretti was armed—he was, according to police, generally authorized to carry a firearm—the videos reviewed by dpa do not provide a clear answer. In one of the videos circulating on social media, it appears that ICE officers may have confiscated a pistol from him—but this was before the first shots were fired, which would further call into question the claim of an alleged imminent threat to the lives of the officers… 

“Since the US government and its subordinate agencies under Trump regularly spread false claims or at least selectively present the truth, many people no longer believe their statements.” 

This will continue. The next fatal shooting is inevitable. 

Trump Replaces Kristi Noem With Tom Homan! 

Daily Mail wrote on January 26: 

“Donald Trump has sidelined Kristi Noem and ordered her longtime rival [Tom Homan] to lead a rapidly deteriorating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis… Trump’s immigration crackdown plunged into yet another scandal on Saturday when ICE agents shot dead American citizen Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse. 

“It came amid weeks of riots in Minneapolis following the killing of anti-ICE protester Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.  Republican lawmakers in Washington have raised concerns that Noem’s operation has spiraled out of control… Trump himself has privately expressed that Noem’s department mishandled the public messaging in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s shooting… 

“Noem and Homan have battled for control of Trump’s mass deportation agenda from the start of the administration. Under Noem’s leadership, non-law enforcement DHS officials have feuded with career ICE officers, who are loyal to Homan, over how to detain and deport illegal migrants.  

“Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump insider and Noem’s rumored lover, has publicly accused Homan of leaking to the Press and has sought to oust immigration officers close to the border czar. Homan now appears to have the President’s support after Trump appointed him to clean up the mess caused by Noem’s leadership in the Twin Cities.” 

Replacing “incompetent” Noem with “radical” Homan? Insofar as the power struggle between DHS and ICE is concerned, it reminds us of the power struggle between the SA (Sturmabteilung)  and the SS (Schutzstaffel) in Hitler’s Germany. Noem, Miller and Bovino immediately justified the horrible shooting of Alex Pretti as self-defense, misrepresented the facts, and labeled the victim as a domestic terrorist. Even the IRA objected to such classification. 

Noem Demanded Meeting With Trump 

The New York Post wrote on January 27: 

“Noem demanded a two-hour meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office late Monday after she was elbowed aside amid backlash over her handling of the latest deadly shooting in Minneapolis by ICE agents… Numerous videos… showed the ICU nurse only holding a cellphone and trying to get away from the agents… 

“Trump… didn’t suggest Noem’s job was on the line during the sit-down, sources told the outlet.” 

In fact, according to Fox News, dated January 27, Trump said that Noem is doing a “great job.” This is not very promising. 

Daily Mail added on January 27: 

“Video showed eight agents surrounding Pretti and tackling him to the ground. The nurse, who was carrying a licensed firearm, appeared to have been disarmed before he was shot ten times in less than five seconds. 

Demonstrating Peacefully? 

Fox News wrote on January 27: 

“Melania Trump called for national unity Tuesday as tensions remain high following the fatal shootings of two civilians by federal agents in Minneapolis. ‘We need to unify… I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor [Tim Walz] and the mayor [Jacob Frey], and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots,’ Mrs. Trump said…  ‘I’m against violence so, please, if you protest, protest in peace.’” 

What about “peaceful” conduct of brutal ICE and DHS agents??? 

Gregory Bovino Out? 

The Atlantic wrote on January 26: 

“Gregory Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol ‘commander at large’ and will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a DHS official and two people with knowledge of the change… 

“For the past seven months, Bovino has been the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats. Noem and other Trump officials gave Bovino the ‘commander’ title and sent him and his masked border agents to Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans, and then Minneapolis. Bovino… traveled the country with his own film crew and used social media to hit back at Democratic politicians and random critics online. Veteran ICE and CBP officials grew more and more uneasy as Bovino worked outside his agency’s chain of command and appeared to relish his role as a political actor.”  

The White House disputed that Bovino, a close ally of Noem, was relieved of his duties, calling him a “great American,” but did not deny that he would leave Minneapolis. Bovino’s actions and conduct have been highly controversial. He even called the agents “victims” who shot Pretti on January 24. Bovino has found in November by a court to have lied dealing with his conduct against demonstrators. He has been nicknamed “little Napoleon.” He liked to dress in a Nazi-like outfit, being described by Der Spiegel as looking like “an elegant SS officer.” He has been nicknamed by some as “Gestapo Greg.” He has warned that those who compare him and his methods with the Gestapo will have to face consequences. 

“Being Incited Into Civil War”? 

Newsweek wrote on January 26: 

“Former U.S. representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has warned that Americans are being ‘incited into civil war,’  following the death of Alex Pretti… 

“Writing on X, Greene… urged people from both sides of the political spectrum ‘to take off their political blinders’ and appeared to ask her supporters to question the events.”

Greene might have a point. 

Trump’s Watershed Moment 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 28: 

“For all presidents there comes an event that history will record as the tipping point moment of their administration. Joe Biden’s was when he disastrously withdrew US troops from Afghanistan seven months into his presidency, and his poll numbers never recovered. Jimmy Carter was torpedoed by his inability to solve the Iran hostage crisis. George W. Bush’s popularity never rebounded after Hurricane Katrina. 

“Now, Donald Trump is facing his own reckoning as his approval rating sinks to a record low following the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration officers in Minneapolis. 

“An exclusive Daily Mail/JL Partners poll shows Trump at 45 percent approval, his equal worst ever showing in the survey…  It reveals 55 percent of Americans now disapprove of his overall performance. Worst of all for Trump, immigration, his signature issue for the last decade, is now proving to be an albatross around his neck, one of the areas where he has least support. Just 39 percent approve of his handling of the issue, with 47 percent disapproving.  

“According to the Daily Mail poll, 53 percent of voters say the chaos in Minneapolis has been a ‘turning point’ moment for them personally. That includes 39 percent of Republicans. It marks, without question, a key watershed in his presidency…. 

“The zealousness with which ICE has pursued its mission is now the number one driver of disapproval of the president, the Daily Mail poll revealed…  there has been a constant deluge of news reports about undocumented foreign nannies and gardeners being arrested by masked and heavily armed ICE operatives, culminating in the disaster that has now engulfed Minneapolis….  the Daily Mail poll shows America holds him responsible for events in Minneapolis…. ICE itself was viewed favorably by only 32 percent, and unfavorably by 55 percent… 

“Beyond ICE and Minneapolis, there is a wider problem too. Trump is struggling on all issues, according to the poll. Only 36 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, with 51 percent disapproving. Even less, 33 percent, approve of his efforts to tackle inflation, with 53 percent disapproving. 

“Just 31 percent approve on healthcare, with 49 percent disapproval. Foreign policy – where he has focused much of his time – stands at 36 percent approval and 47 percent disapproval…. 

“Republicans face losing control of the House [during the Midterm elections], leaving Trump fighting an uphill battle for the final two years of his presidency, along with the possibility of being impeached for a third time.” 

While prior impeachments were doomed to fail, due to the strictly political nature of the allegations and the absence of judicial violations, this time around may be different, as an impeachment for some of Trump’s perceived illegal actions might very well be justified.   

A Fourth Term? 

The Huffington Post wrote on January 23: 

“Donald Trump on Thursday reignited speculation about serving beyond January 2029, when his second term in office is due to end. Posting on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote: ‘RECORD NUMBERS ALL OVER THE PLACE! SHOULD I TRY FOR A FOURTH TERM?’… 

“It is unclear what Trump exactly meant by a ‘fourth’ term. The remark could reference his… claim that he won the 2020 election against Joe Biden… [or] it could suggest a bid to serve two additional terms.” 

“Record numbers all over the place”? Trump is really hallucinating. So is J.D. Vance. Note the next article. 

J.D. Vance’s Titanic 

Yahoo! News wrote on January 23: 

“JD Vance needed an analogy for the Trump economy and landed on… the Titanic. The vice president, 41, got mocked relentlessly on social media after making a head-scratching metaphor in a speech intended to tout the Trump administration’s economic policies. 

As he stood in front of a massive banner that promised “lower prices” and “bigger paychecks” in the manufacturing town of Toledo, Ohio, Vance blamed the affordability crisis—once dismissed as a ’hoax’ by President Donald Trump—on the Biden administration… ‘You don’t turn the Titanic around overnight. It takes time to fix what was broken.’” 

Of course, the Titanic was never “fixed.” The “indestructible” ship sank in 1912 after it struck an iceberg, leaving over 1,500 passengers dead.  However, Vance’s analogy inadvertently and unintentionally told the Truth: America, the Titanic, will not be fixed, but it will go down.   

The Coming Storm With Iran 

The Sun wrote on January 23: 

“IRAN has issued a chilling threat to Donald Trump after he ordered a military armada towards the Ayatollah’s regime and warned that Washington was ‘watching’… 

“A top Khamenei crony said on Friday that the mullahs may target US-linked investments in the Middle East – if Trump were to step in and strike Iran… Ayatollah henchman Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari said: ‘The one trillion dollars you have invested in the region is under the watch of our missiles.’… 

“Fears that the Iranian regime is still killing protesters under the guise of a total internet blackout are resurfacing. President Trump said he had received assurances that the killing had stopped earlier this month, but speculation is mounting that Supreme Leader Khamenei may continue executing civilians. Iran’s top prosecutor even denied claims that Iran had permanently called off some 800 executions – as Trump had previously claimed.” 

The Mother of All Deals 

npr wrote on January 27: 

“After nearly two decades of negotiations, India and the European Union announced Tuesday they have reached a free trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic ties. The accord, which the EU chief described as the ‘mother of all deals,’ could affect as many as 2 billion people. The deal between two of the world’s biggest markets comes as Washington targets both India and the EU with steep import tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships. ‘This agreement will bring major opportunities for the people of India and Europe,’ India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a virtual address to an energy conference. ‘It represents 25% of the global GDP and one-third of global trade.’

“The accord will see free trade on almost all goods between the 27 members of the EU and India, covering everything from textiles to medicines and bringing down high import taxes for European wine and cars… India is expected to reduce or eliminate tariffs for 96.6% of EU exports, while Brussels will reciprocate with similar reductions in phases that eventually cover nearly 99% of India’s shipments by trade value…” 

Germany and Italy Sign Defense Cooperation Agreement 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 23: 

“Germany and Italy are deepening defense and economic cooperation with the leaders of the two countries signing an agreement in Rome. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed on closer cooperation in the production of drones, naval vessels, underwater systems and air and missile defense systems. 

“The leaders are also looking to collaborate in the development of electronic warfare and aerial combat defense systems.”

The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) added on January 23: 

“The Italy-Germany partnership could knock down the barriers that are holding Europe back… Today’s meeting in Rome marked a qualitative shift from alignment to structured co-governance… This sends a signal that Italy and Germany intend to shape the European defence pillar together rather than merely contribute to it separately.” 

More than 20 ministers from Italy and Germany met in Rome to discuss the implementation of the signed agreements. It reminds us somewhat of the infamous “Pact of Steel” between Italy and Germany which was signed in Berlin on May 22, 1939, declaring cooperation concerning the military and the economy.

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’s Tariffs For Countries Supporting Greenland 

Yahoo! Finance wrote on January 17:

“President Trump said the US would implement 10% tariffs on eight European countries he says are getting in the way of a US purchase of Greenland. [He specified that the tariffs are imposed on those countries that have sent military forces to Greenland]. The tariffs would begin Feb. 1 and apply to ‘any and all goods sent to’ the US. 

“The levies on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland would be raised to 25% on June 1 if no agreement is in place.” 

The small contingent of troops sent by Europeans to Greenland had only a symbolic character to underscore Europe’s commitment to Greenland. In the meantime, waffling Germany withdrew its small contingent, saying that they had fulfilled their commission of observing the situation. However, it is clear that Trump is using tariffs as blackmail and coercion. Sadly, the US Supreme Court has still not issued a ruling on the legality of such tariffs. Trump speaks of purchasing Greenland but knows that Denmark and Greenland will not agree to a purchase; so he is really talking about military acquisition. Trump is making his European “allies” very angry. Has the time come for the prophesied lasting final separation? 

Trump’s Punitive Tariffs Are “Grotesque” 

Die Welt wrote on January 17: 

“The new punitive tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump are meeting with massive criticism in the German business community.  Associations are warning of an escalation of the trade dispute and calling for a united response from the EU… ‘The announcement of new US tariffs on certain European countries is grotesque,’ said the president of the German Foreign Trade Association (BGA), Dirk Jandura. 

‘The US is punishing participants in a NATO operation; that is simply inconceivable. This marks a new low point in American-European trade relations.’  He added that Germany continues to stand by Denmark, and that democracy and freedom cannot be wiped away with punitive tariffs.” 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Trump’s threat to impose tariffs over Greenland is “completely wrong.” Reform leader Nigel Farage said: “We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t.”  

Trump a Threat to NATO 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 17:

“Most Germans believe US President Donald Trump’s policies are putting the NATO alliance at risk, according to a new poll. Some 78% of respondents to the ZDF Politbarometer survey said Trump’s approach endangers the alliance… The survey comes as Trump presses US claims over Greenland… 

“The poll also asked how the European Union should respond if the US were to intervene militarily… A clear majority of 69% said the EU should oppose such actions…” 

What needs to be realized is that Trump really wants to leave NATO. So the Greenland debacle might be a welcome excuse for him to do so—or forcing Europe to kick the USA out.

“IF US Goes Extreme, Europe Will Go Extreme”

Newsbreak wrote on January 4: 

“Harald Viereck Fehlinger, an Austrian political activist associated with an unofficial NATO enlargement advocacy group, issued a stark warning to the United States over its stated interest in acquiring Greenland, threatening the removal of American military forces and bases from Europe if such a move were to occur… 

“According to Fehlinger, the loss of these bases would dismantle the foundation of American power projection in Europe that has existed since World War II. He argued that Europe could defend itself without U.S. troops, without the American nuclear umbrella, and without U.S. military infrastructure on the continent. He further claimed that U.S. forces would be expelled and sent back to the United States, ending America’s military footprint in Europe… 

“Fehlinger’s statements do not reflect official European policy, they underscore the severity of the rhetoric emerging around Greenland and highlight how the dispute has escalated into open threats against long-standing U.S. military arrangements in Europe.” 

Those words would have never been spoken just a few months ago.

Macron Warns Trump 

Express wrote on January 15: 

“Emmanuel Macron has issued a stern warning to Donald Trump, cautioning that any breach of Greenland’s sovereignty would trigger ‘unprecedented cascading consequences’ for the transatlantic alliance. The statement represents the strongest European pushback yet to Mr Trump’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric, which has evolved from diplomatic interest to explicit threats of military action. 

“The US President has recently ramped up his language significantly, suggesting that the United States will acquire the island either ‘the easy way or the hard way,’ a characterization that has rattled European capitals… 

“French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot… emphasized: ‘Greenland does not want to be owned, governed… or integrated into the United States. Greenland has made the choice of Denmark, NATO, and the European Union.’” 

European countries are uniting in their opposition to Trump’s “autocratic” and “threatening” conduct. 

Stephen Miller’s Bizarre Thinking 

The Huffington Post wrote on January 17: 

“The White House deputy chief of staff [Stephen Miller] argued that America has a right to Greenland because ‘tiny’ Denmark can’t defend its territory against U.S. military force.” 

What kind of twisted and despicable Hitler-like “logic” is that?

Greenland Saga Far From Over 

Bild Online reported on January 17: 

“The Greens are demanding a unified response from the European Union to US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against Germany and other European countries in the Greenland conflict. 

“‘The EU must not back down now in the face of Trump’s tariff threats,’ said parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge in Berlin. ‘A clear message must be sent to Trump that the EU will respond to tariff threats with retaliatory tariffs.’… 

“The CDU foreign policy expert and the Union’s rapporteur for North America and the Arctic, Peter Beyer (55)… [said:] ‘This looks like a typical Trump maneuver: He’s applying maximum pressure, he wants a deal. But my transatlantic heart bleeds when I see that in these times we almost have to be glad when it’s only about punitive tariffs from Washington.’” 

But it won’t stay there. This is going to escalate. 

Trump Continues to Provoke and Attack 

Mediaite wrote on January 20: 

“The president [shared] an AI-produced image of him presenting a doctored map of the Western Hemisphere – showing Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela all under a U.S. flag — to European leaders gathered in the Oval Office… Another image showed him planting a U.S. flag on Greenland while flanked by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with a sign that read ‘Greenland — U.S. Territory Est. 2026.’… He closed the barrage by attacking Britain over the ‘GREAT STUPIDITY’ of its decision to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, lashing out at plans to transfer Diego Garcia, home to a major US military base… 

“Trump went further, citing the move as ‘another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.’ … The intervention reportedly blindsided London, not least because Trump’s own secretary of state, Marco Rubio, previously welcomed the Chagos deal, calling it ‘a critical asset for regional and global security’ and praising its role in safeguarding the base for decades.” 

According to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump told him personally that he approved of the Chagos deal. 

Trump Won’t Use Force to Acquire Greenland? 

Newsmax wrote on January 21: 

“President Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants negotiations to acquire Greenland, portraying the effort as a strategic necessity while insisting he does not want to use military force. ‘People thought I would use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,’ Trump said in remarks to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 

“Trump, however, also said on Wednesday that the United States will not forget the slight if a deal on Greenland is not reached. ‘So we want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,’ he said. ‘We’ve never asked for anything else, and we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn’t. So [you] have a choice. You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember.’ ‘All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we already had it as a [territory] but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago, after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians, and others in World War II,’ said Trump. ‘We gave it back to them.’… 

“He used World War II to support his claim that Denmark could not defend Greenland and said the U.S. built bases there at significant cost. ‘We saw this in World War II when Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland,’ Trump said… He said the U.S. should not have returned Greenland after the war… ‘After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that, but we did it. But we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?’” 

Welt Online added on January 21: 

“He then reprimanded Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The US has always been very generous to Canada, he said. Despite this, Carney hadn’t shown much gratitude in his Davos speech. ‘Canada exists because of the United States, remember that, Mark, the next time you speak,’ Trump said. The US president has repeatedly expressed his desire to annex Canada as another federal state…” 

Trump’s Big Greenland Defeat?

USA Today wrote on January 21:

“Donald Trump said he’s holding off on imposing tariffs he threatened on eight European nations after securing the ‘framework of a future deal’ with NATO involving Greenland and ‘the entire Arctic region…’ ‘This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,’ Trump said…

“Details of the potential deal were not immediately clear. In his post, Trump made no mention of the United States acquiring Greenland, a territory of Denmark that he’s repeatedly said the United States needs for security purposes. He instead referenced additional discussions over his planned $175 billion air defense system known as the ‘Golden Dome.’…

“He declined to lay out the full details but suggested Greenland would be part of the Golden Dome and that the U.S. would acquire mineral rights in Greenland… Trump said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be involved in future negotiations over Greenland and the Golden Dome.’”

The Huffington Post wrote:

“After first threatening another trade war and then hinting at an actual one to wrest control of Greenland away from Denmark, President Donald Trump Wednesday backed down from all his threats and claimed victory… It is… unclear what a new agreement would offer the United States that it cannot already do under a 1951 treaty with Denmark about U.S. military installations there.”

The Sun added on January 21:

“DENMARK is reportedly set to keep control of Greenland under a Trump-backed framework as Europe takes a deep sigh of relief. But Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned negotiations remain ongoing with ‘more work to be done’ after the President publicly pushed to take control of the Arctic island…”

Der Stern wrote:

“When asked whether the deal was about acquiring Greenland, Trump simply told the US broadcaster CNBC that he didn’t want to comment on it at the moment and that it was ‘somewhat complex.’… According to a NATO spokeswoman, however, the actual discussions have yet to take place…”

Focus wrote:

“The Danish Foreign Minister did not comment on Trump’s statements about such an agreement… Lars Løkke Rasmussen declined to provide details. However, the minister made it clear: ‘The US will not acquire Greenland.’ He described Trump’s ambition in this regard as ‘wild fantasies.’”

Old Western Order Is History 

The Guardian wrote on January 15: 

“Donald Trump is threatening to take over Greenland, the territory of a Nato ally, possibly by military force, as Vladimir Putin is trying to take over Ukraine. Even if he doesn’t actually do it, this is a new era: a post-western world of illiberal international disorder… 

“All the signs are that Trump is going to get more extreme and unpredictable as time goes by and his domestic difficulties increase… 

“Europe – the US’s biggest single economic partner – should privately review the full range of economic responses (including, for example, selling off US Treasury bonds) it could make in the… event of Trump ordering a Putin-style military takeover of Greenland. The outline of these contingency plans could be discreetly conveyed to the White House via US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent or presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner. There are doubtless other possible moves, but the general thrust is clear: a Europe (and Canada, and other liberal democracies) projecting quiet strength, power and resolve.” 

Far Right European Parties Distance Themselves From Trump 

Politico wrote on January 16: 

“Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has long sought close ties to the Trump administration in its quest for powerful international allies and an end to its political isolation at home. But as public sentiment in Germany increasingly turns against U.S. President Donald Trump and his foreign interventionism…, AfD leaders are recalibrating, putting distance between their party and a U.S. president they previously embraced. 

“By distancing themselves from Trump, the AfD leaders are following the path of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in France, whose leaders, due to the American president’s deep unpopularity there, have been far more critical of Trump and view his administration’s overtures to European nationalists as a liability… 

“The AfD’s criticism this week, by contrast, was tepid… But the political risks inherent in the AfD’s efforts to ally with Trump are also becoming clearer. Surveys show the vast majority of Germans strongly oppose what Trump has said about Greenland and what he has done in Venezuela. Only 12 percent of Germans view his performance positively… while only 15 percent see the U.S. as a trustworthy partner, a new low.”

Trump Sees No Longer Obligation to Bring Peace 

The New York Post wrote on January 19: 

“President Trump has warned America’s European allies ‘I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace’ after he missed out on last year’s Nobel Prize amid a new round of threats to annex Greenland… 

“‘Dear Jonas,’ reads the message…  ‘Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land [Greenland] from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also,’ Trump goes on…

“Despite the president’s complaints…, the Norwegian government has no role in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize, which is done by an independent committee… Trump campaigned hard for the Peace Prize and received public nominations from several world leaders — though the annual nominating deadline of Jan. 31 precluded him from receiving the award for most actions during the first year of his second term in office.” 

Newsmax wrote on January 19, 2025 

“Danish sovereignty over the vast, mineral-rich island is documented in a series of binding legal instruments including a treaty ⁠agreed in 1814. ​

“The U.S. has repeatedly recognized that Greenland ‍is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.” 

When asked whether he would seize Greenland by force, Trump responded, “No comment.” 

His justification to acquire (conquer) Greenland as a reason for not getting the Peace Prize has  been roundly condemned on US Social Media. Trump’s letter has been described by commentators as “deranged,” “insane”, and “unhinged crazy talk.” The Daily Beast wrote on January 19: 

“Even by Trump’s standards, this letter is so dangerous and so delusional that there is no longer any question that the president is mentally ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,’ as laid out in the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. It is clearly not rational to start a war because your feelings got hurt by not winning a prize that you were not even eligible for.” 

At the same time, Russia is celebrating the “collapse of NATO.” 

Trump Managed to Combine His Three Least Popular Policies: Greenland, Canada and Tariffs 

The Independent wrote on January 19: 

“… his [tariff] threats [against European countries] come despite being one of his most unpopular policies with voters at home and abroad. Trump’s comments are just the latest sign that the United States can no longer be considered a reliable partner for its European partners… 

“While Trump continues to push his idea of the U.S. taking Greenland, voters remain opposed… Now, Trump is trying to couple Greenland with another one of his favorite terms – tariffs – despite poor polling… 

“In the same token, NBC News reported that Trump is now fretting about Canada and its supposed vulnerabilities to Russia and China. It comes after a reprieve from Trump’s threats last year about turning Canada into the ‘51st state.’ 

“But there is just one problem: all of these measures are incredibly unpopular. In fact, the president has figured out how to merge three of the least popular parts of his agenda to create a… policy that will alienate most of the American electorate eleven months before the 2026 midterm elections…

“The Wall Street Journal’s poll released this weekend found that his approval on both the economy and tariffs are at a negative ten percent. And this does not begin to talk about how unpopular taking Greenland is… There is also not much support for taking control of Canada. Only 22 percent of Americans support taking control of Canada and only 4 percent support using military force against Canada. 

“The CBS News/YouGov poll also found that 86 percent of Americans opposed using military force to take Greenland, with 70 percent of Republicans disapproving of the idea. In addition, 69 percent of Americans thought that taking Greenland by military force would cause the United States to leave NATO, even though 54 percent thought it would give the country access to needed resources…” 

Trump’s desire to annex Canada is not going away. And, this article does not even include Trump’s highly unpopular immigration policy. 

A Stretch Too Far?

MSN wrote on January 19: 

“President Trump may be overplaying his hand in negotiations for Greenland, economists are warning, after the Oval Office threatened new tariffs on E.U. countries if they did not support America’s demand to purchase the territory… 

“Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid… wrote in a note to clients this morning. ‘The main Achilles Heel of the U.S. is the huge twin deficits. So while in many ways it feels like the U.S. holds the economic cards, it doesn’t hold all the funding cards in a world that will be very disturbed by the weekend’s events.’ 

“Investors, analysts, and world leaders have long wondered when—or if—a debt crisis would occur in one of the nations burdened by a massive deficit. While the likes of Japan, the U.K., and France are by no means balancing their books, America’s $38 trillion deficit dwarfs its counterparts. While a great deal of that debt is held by the public (including the Fed, where President Trump is also in hot water), vast sums are also owned by foreign governments and overseas investors… 

“Europe being America’s largest lender ‘illustrates the deep interdependence between the U.S. and Europe but also shows that, at least theoretically, Europe also has leverage on the U.S.,’ wrote Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro, and Bert Colijn, chief economist for the Netherlands.”

Sooner or later, Europe will use that leverage on the USA. 

“Germany-US Rift Is Looming After a Year of Trump” 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 19: 

“The second term of US President Donald Trump has brought unprecedented strain on once-solid German-American relations. The issue of Greenland could be a tipping point… ‘This is a really dramatically tense time. Rachel Tausendfreund, an American researcher at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), told DW. ‘Germany is wondering right now if it has to be preparing for an attack by its most important NATO ally. In that sense, the relationship has never been worse…’ 

“Johannes Varwick, Professor of International Relations at the University of Halle, thinks that a takeover of Greenland ‘would indeed be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I believe that the trust relationship with the US would probably be irrevocably broken…’ 

“Trump… has… disregarded almost all previously held beliefs regarding the close partnership… Varwick said: ‘The only thing that really, if ever, could make an impression [with Trump], is a truly united European position. Friedrich Merz is working on that, but the European countries have hugely differing interests.’.. 

“The German government seems clueless as to how it can, on one hand, keep Trump on board in the quest for peace in Ukraine and as a protector of Europe and, on the other, remain true to its self-proclaimed values: adherence to international law and a rules-based international order… 

“Varwick… sees turbulent times ahead for Germany because with Trump, imperialism and the ‘might makes right’ approach have returned. ‘That is, of course, very, very bad news for Germany…’ 

“Merz invited Trump to Germany when relations were already very tense, but long before the latest escalation over Greenland. Under current circumstances, it seems almost unthinkable that Donald Trump would visit soon.” 

The current German government, under Merz, is indeed clueless. But a new government, as prophesied in the Bible, will change this. 

Europe to Divorce America? 

Politico wrote on January 19: 

“… for many European governments, including America’s longest-standing and most loyal allies, Trump’s threat of punitive tariffs against anyone who tries to stop him taking Greenland was the final straw. Divorce, they believe, is now inevitable. In private, dismayed European officials describe Trump’s rush to annex the sovereign Danish territory as ‘crazy’ and ‘mad,’ asking if he is caught up in his ‘warrior mode’ after his Venezuela adventure — and saying he deserves Europe’s toughest retaliation… 

“… diplomats and government officials in national capitals are also considering what a long-term split from Washington might bring… 

“European states, including those not in the EU like Britain and Norway, have spent much of Trump’s second term working in an increasingly effective group that already operates without America… National security advisers from 35 governments are in regular contact, meeting frequently online and in person, as well as interacting via less formal text messaging… Levels of trust in these circles are generally high… Nor is it just at the level of officials: National leaders are themselves rolling up their sleeves and working in intimate new groupings.  

“Leaders including the U.K.’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Alexander Stubb of Finland and Meloni of Italy regularly text with each other — often in the same group chat. Over the past year they have developed a well-drilled routine of exchanging messages whenever Trump does something wild and potentially damaging… 

“But Trump’s hell-raising over Greenland has now tipped the balance. Gone is the softly-softly approach to the American president’s threats… This format could potentially become the seedbed for a new security alliance in an era when the U.S. no longer supports NATO and European security.” 

Europe is secretly working on a new European alliance, without the USA. 

EU Army Without All 27 Member States 

Euractiv wrote on January 18: 

“Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has signalled he is ready to push ahead with a common European army and defence industry – even if not all EU members are on board. 

“‘Europe must move forward in its integration process and equip itself with a truly common defence. And for that we do not need the unanimous agreement of all 27 member states,’ he told Spanish daily La Vanguardia… 

“When asked whether EU leaders have discussed the idea of a smaller group of countries moving ahead independently on defence, Sánchez said they have – but only in an ‘abstract’ way.” 

The prophesied concept of a “core Europe” or a Europe with two speeds is again making a comeback.

Martin Schulz on Collision Course 

Bild Online wrote on January 19: 

“Former SPD leader Martin Schulz (70), once President of the European Parliament, has reacted to US President Donald Trump’s (79) plans for Greenland with a fierce attack… ‘He wants Europe to consist of vassal states that do what he says. If I can’t buy it, I’ll conquer it militarily. Today Venezuela belongs to us, tomorrow the whole world.’… 

“‘May the American voters prevent another one like Trump from coming along, this Vance or whatever his name is!… But I am allowed to say here that I consider him (Vance) a shady character.’”

Merz Sharply Criticizes Trump 

Die Welt reported on January 17: 

“At a CDU event in Baden-Württemberg, Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke with unusual frankness: The US course is developing ‘towards a purely power- and interest-driven policy.’ Germany must not become a pawn of the great powers, Merz warned…

“Merz is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the policies of US President Donald Trump and is calling for a more self-confident stance from the Europeans… Merz also apparently no longer expects any changes from Trump… If Trump simply continues his policies, ‘we mustn’t bury our heads in the sand and say we’ll just accept it all.’” 

Now Germany’s chancellor openly opposes Trump as well. But with indecisive Merz, nobody knows for sure what his next step will be, if any. 

Europe Wants to Normalize Relations With Russia 

Boltwise wrote on January 16: 

“In a remarkable diplomatic move, European leaders are signaling their willingness to intensify dialogue with Russia in order to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and French President Emmanuel Macron have all spoken out in favor of direct talks with Moscow… 

“The Kremlin has reacted positively to the recent statements from Europe. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the proposals from Paris, Rome, and Berlin are consistent with Russian interests. 

Merz also said that it is essential to find a way to reach a compromise with Russia. This is interesting in light of the developing alienation between Europe and the USA. 

EU and South America Join in Effort to Oppose Trump 

The Associated Press wrote on January 17: 

“The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday… to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world… 

“The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s capital, Asunción, marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc’s foothold in a resource-rich region… Mercosur consists of the region’s two biggest economies, Argentina and Brazil, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. Bolivia, the bloc’s newest member, can join the trade deal in the coming years. Venezuela has been suspended from the bloc and isn’t included in the agreement. 

“Promoted by South America’s renowned grass-fed cattle-raising countries and Europe’s industrial interests, the accord’s gradual elimination of more than 90% of tariffs creates one of the world’s largest free trade zones and makes shopping cheaper for more than 700 million consumers. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive branch, portrayed the deal as a bulwark against the disruptive policies of the Trump administration… 

“But even as the ink dried on Saturday, powerful protectionist lobbies in Europe were still hoping to prevent the agreement from clearing its one final hurdle: ratification by the European Parliament. France remains opposed to the accord, with President Emmanuel Macron worrying that farmers’ frustration with the EU could drive more voters to the country’s far right in the 2027 presidential election.” 

European members continue to be divided amongst themselves because of strictly national political ambitions (compare Daniel 2:42-44). 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 21: 

“The European Parliament voted narrowly to challenge the EU trade deal with Latin America in the bloc’s top court, a move that could derail the deal. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took to social media soon after news of the vote, calling the result ‘regrettable’ and saying it ‘misjudges the geopolitical situation… ‘We are convinced of the legality of the agreement. No more delays. The deal must now be implemented provisionally.’”  

Most Americans Oppose Trump 

ABC News reported on January 16: 

“A set of recently released polls found Americans largely at odds with the Trump administration and its defense of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good…, 53% of registered voters saying the shooting of Good was not justified… 56% majority of Americans saying the shooting was an inappropriate use of force… About half (51%) said that the fatal shooting reflects bigger problems with the way ICE is operating… 51% of Americans saying ICE enforcement actions were making cities less safe… 

“Americans voiced little trust in the federal government to carry out a fair and thorough investigation of the shooting in Minneapolis, according to the CNN poll, with 62% saying they had just some or no trust at all… 

“57% of voters disapproving of how ICE is enforcing immigration laws… A 58% majority disapproves of how Trump is handling immigration… a slim 52% majority of Americans saying Trump’s efforts to deport immigrants living in the U.S. illegally have gone too far… 61% of Americans disapproving of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handling of her job…” 

Trump will of course dismiss those numbers as being fake. However, they are not fake, but represent the reality that most Americans disapprove of Trump’s immigration policy. This is a bad sign for him when it comes to the midterm elections. Trump seems to recognize this himself, recently commenting that the pictures of the behavior of ICE agents on TV are bad. 

Trump’s Justice Department’s Investigation Against Minnesota Governor and Minneapolis Mayor 

npr wrote on January 16: 

“The Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey… Frey said… on Friday: ‘This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up…’ 

“Walz… said: ‘Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.’” 

It is suspected that the investigation is aiming at alleged interference of ICE actions by the governor and the mayor. That would be difficult to maintain, as both asked the demonstrators to act peacefully (as Trump had asked the demonstrators on January 6, 2021, to act peacefully). A detailed analysis of all the available videos has shown that Good was not attempting to hit the agent or to run him over. Subsequently, the Justice Department issued subpoenas on Walz and Frey, among others. 

Canada and China Adopt Trade Deal in Defiance of Trump 

BBC News reported on January 16: 

“Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new approach to Canada’s foreign policy can perhaps be distilled in one line: ‘We take the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.’ That was his response when asked about the deal struck with China on Friday, despite concerns over its human rights record and nearly a year after he called China ‘the biggest security threat’ facing Canada. 

“The deal will see Canada ease tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles that it imposed in tandem with the US in 2024. In exchange, China will lower retaliatory tariffs on key Canadian agricultural products. Experts told the BBC the move represents a significant shift in Canada’s policy on China, one that is shaped by ongoing uncertainty with the US, its largest trade partner… Canada’s relationship with China, [Carney] added, had become ‘more predictable’ than its relationship with the US under the Trump administration…. 

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is home to Canada’s auto sector, was sharply critical of the deal. He said removing EV tariffs on China ‘would hurt our economy and lead to job losses’… 

“Since taking office for a second time last year, Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian sectors like metals and automotives, which has led to swirling economic uncertainty. He has also threatened to rip up a longstanding North American free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, calling it ‘irrelevant’. That trade agreement, the USMCA, is now under a mandatory review. Canada and Mexico have both made clear they want it to remain in place. 

“But the decision to carve out a major new deal with China is a recognition by Carney that the future of North American free trade remains unclear…” 

How the world changed! A year ago, China was perceived as being the biggest security threat to Canada; now it seems to be the USA. This is also in light of the fact that Trump repeatedly demanded that Canada become the 51^st state of the USA—a demand which has been strongly rejected by the vast majority of Canadians. Similarities with the situation regarding Greenland are blatantly obvious. 

“Carney to Trump: Back Off on Greenland” 

Politico wrote on January 16: 

“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned Friday that a decision on who owns Greenland doesn’t belong to U.S. President Donald Trump. ‘The future of Greenland is a decision for Greenland and for the Kingdom of Denmark,’ Carney told journalists at a press conference in Beijing following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

“Carney urged NATO allies including the U.S. to ‘respect their commitments’ as he stressed Canada’s support for Danish sovereignty over the strategically vital Arctic island, which Trump has threatened to seize. ‘We are NATO partners with Denmark, and so our full partnership stands,’ Carney said… ‘Our obligations on Article 5, Article 2 of NATO stand, and we stand full-square behind those.’ 

“… Carney said Greenland and Arctic sovereignty also featured in his discussions with Xi, adding that he ‘found much alignment of views in that regard.’” 

Of course, China would agree with Europe against Trump. 

Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza—Tony Blair Is On It 

Breitbart wrote on January 17: 

“US President Donald Trump on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair… 

“Trump named [founding] members of a board to help supervise Gaza that was dominated by Americans, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in a territory that lies in rubble after two-plus years of relentless Israeli bombardment… 

“Trump has already declared himself the chair of a ‘Board of Peace’ and on Friday announced its full membership that will include Blair as well as senior Americans — Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff… 

“Blair is a controversial figure in the Middle East because of his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. … Trump… has previously mused about turning devastated Gaza into a Riviera-style area of resorts, although he has backed away from calls to forcibly displace the population. 

“Israel’s military said Friday it had again hit the Gaza Strip in response to a ‘blatant violation’ of the ceasefire declared in October. The strikes come despite Washington announcing that the Gaza plan had gone on to a second phase — from implementing the ceasefire to disarming Hamas, whose October, 2023 attack on Israel prompted the massive Israeli offensive.” 

Depending on how influential Blair will be, this could only spell disaster. In the meantime, Israel objected to the appointments, stating that the Gaza executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy.” 

According to the New York Post, dated January 17, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the makeup of the body, which includes Turkey and Qatar, contradicts Israeli policy… National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, another key ally, rejected the entire framework, saying Gaza did not need an international body at all and called for a return to war.” 

Still, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday ‍accepted ‍President Donald ⁠Trump’s invitation to join the so-called “Board ​of Peace.” Germany, France, Norway and Sweden will not join. As a consequence, Trump threatened France with tariffs of about 200% for champagne. 

Also, incredibly, Trump demands one billion dollars to stay on his peace board.

Sanhedrin Calls For Building the Third Temple 

Israel 365 News reported on January 16: 

“The [Sanhedrin issued a declaration containing] a direct call to Iranian leadership: ‘We call upon the leaders of all the peoples in Iran to walk in the path of Cyrus, King of Persia, to support the building of the Temple on the Temple Mount, and even to ascend and pray there in the places designated for the descendants of Noah, ‘for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’ (Isaiah 56:7)… 

“The Sanhedrin was reconstituted in 2004 after nearly 1,600 years of absence. Its members believe the generation has arrived when prophecy will be fulfilled, and the Temple will be rebuilt. The declarations… are legal rulings with the force of biblical law, not suggestions. They represent the Sanhedrin’s assertion of its role as the supreme legal authority for the Jewish people…”  

And so, the Third Temple will be built soon. 

No Pressure on German Doctors Regarding Vaccinations? 

In our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “Germany’s Refusal to Accept Guilt for Authoritarian Corona Measures“, we quoted alarming statements of US Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr in regard to Germany’s refusal to guarantee doctors’ freedom of treatment. The German government denied those statements. However, the following developments support Kennedy’s conclusion: 

“Starting in 2026, doctors will have to meet certain vaccination quotas to receive the full retainer fee, with a minimum of 10 vaccinations per quarter required.  Failure to meet this minimum will result in a 40% reduction in the fee, while higher quotas (7% in the first three quarters, 25% in the fourth) can lead to higher bonuses. However, meeting these higher quotas is not mandatory for receiving the basic retainer fee, but only for the additional bonuses” (taken from the Internet). 

This new regulation, which was already decided in 2025, is being criticized by some as an infringement on doctors’ freedom of treatment. This is seen as a continuation of the restrictions on doctors’ freedom of treatment that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Is God’s Heaven Real? 

Fox News wrote on January 18: 

“Where exactly is the heaven described in the Bible?… According to the Bible, the lowest level of heaven is Earth’s atmosphere. The mid-level heaven is outer space. The highest-level heaven is what we’re talking about: It’s where God dwells. As for heaven’s location, the Bible contains many verses that describe us as looking ‘up’ at God in heaven, and God as looking ‘down’ at us on Earth… 

“In 1929,… Edwin Hubble discovered that… there’s a definite pattern to how galaxies are rushing away from each other, namely: The farther ‘up’ in space a galaxy is located — the farther away it is from Earth — the faster it’s moving away from Earth and everything else… 

“Theoretically, a galaxy that’s 273 billion trillion… miles away from Earth would move at 186,000 miles per second, which is the speed of light. That distance, way ‘up’ there in space, is called the Cosmic Horizon. That means you and I can never reach the Cosmic Horizon… because… only light and certain other non-material phenomena can travel at the speed of light. 

“… It’s entirely possible heaven is located on the other side of the Cosmic Horizon… an entire universe exists beyond the Cosmic Horizon. But it’s permanently hidden from us because we can never reach, let alone cross over, the Cosmic Horizon… Our best astronomical observations… indicate that time stops at the Cosmic Horizon… Unlike time, however, space does exist at and beyond the Cosmic Horizon. Which means the hidden universe beyond the Cosmic Horizon is habitable, albeit only by light and light-like entities… whatever exists beyond the Cosmic Horizon predates these oldest objects… predates the so-called big bang… predates the beginning of the observable universe. 

“All these modern scientific realities, and others, are why it’s entirely reasonable to speculate that: 

“1. Heaven is, indeed, located ‘up’ there — way above our heads and way beyond the visible, starlit universe — just as the Bible indicates.

“2. Heaven is inaccessible to us mortals while we’re alive, just as the Bible indicates.

“3. Heaven is inhabited by nonmaterial… beings, just as the Bible indicates.

“4. Heaven is the dwelling place of the One who predates the universe — the One who created the universe — just as the Bible indicates.”

An interesting observation. The one mistake the author makes, however, is that where God dwells, there is no “space” either, as “space” is something “physical.” But there is a world composed of Spirit. The Bible indicates that God’s Heaven—the “Third Heaven”—is located in the North [Psalm 75:6; Isaiah 14:13-14—even in heathen literature, the abode of the gods was supposed to be in the North]. But God’s Third Heaven consists of Spirit and is therefore invisible to the human eye. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.” 

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.

Minnesota Killing… and Torrent of Untruths 

The Guardian wrote on January 9: 

“The killing of a US citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis was a five-alarm fire for the Trump administration. But a torrent of untruths, half-truths, smears and innuendo has been unleashed by the White House… 

“The victim-blaming began almost immediately after news broke of Good’s killing on Wednesday. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and a regular spokesperson for ICE, declared in a post on X that ‘one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them – an act of domestic terrorism.’ Multiple ICE officers were hurt, she insisted, when videos of the shooting showed no such thing… 

“There is simply no evidence that Good was ‘a violent rioter’ or ‘domestic terrorist.’ No riot was taking place before her encounter with the ICE agents… A… video clearly shows that the officer who fired the fatal shots walked up to the front of Good’s car, which was turning away from him as it began to move forward, and he remained on his feet as the vehicle passed him…  The … video shows that the officer was so slightly brushed by the slowly moving car that he had no trouble retaining his balance and firing multiple shots at the driver. The same clip also appears to show that the vehicle only accelerated after the driver had been fatally shot…. 

“The officer who killed Good was not in the pathway of her car when he began firing, analysis of the video shows. Two other officers were beside the car, and no members of the public were seen to be in harm’s way. There is no evidence that any ICE officer was injured.” 

Unverified reports suggested that the agent suffered internal bleeding and was shortly treated in a hospital. Based on the available evidence, these reports appear to be highly dubious.

Trump’s America Is Torn Apart 

Daily Mail wrote on January 8: 

“A squad of ICE agents hunting down illegal migrants. A mother who went to protest against them after dropping her young son at school. A pop-pop-pop of bullets – then blood in the snow… the ELEVEN SECONDS tearing Trump’s America apart. 

“In this case, the ICE convoy – SUVs and pick-up trucks – decided to leave the vicinity, moving off with lights and sirens blaring. But they were blocked by a maroon SUV, a Honda Pilot, parked askew in the middle of the street… After about three minutes, an ICE agent walked around Ms Good’s vehicle… filming on his phone. 

“The Honda’s driver rolled the car forward slightly, turning left (towards the ICE convoy), but then stopped and waved for other cars to drive past. But the Honda was already reversing before its wheels turned to the right and it started to drive off – away from the agents. It was too late. At around 10.25am, three shots rang out in rapid succession, fired by the agent who’d originally circled the vehicle with his phone camera… 

“He’d then positioned himself just to the left of the front of the car and drawn his gun, reportedly shouting at the driver to ‘stop’ before opening fire. He fired into the windscreen – witnesses recalled hearing a sudden ‘putt, putt, putt’ sound – and continued shooting as the car swerved past him. It came to a halt a few seconds later, crashing into a parked vehicle… The agent holstered his gun and walked unhurriedly towards the Honda before turning back and telling his colleagues to summon an ambulance. 

“Video footage taken from a distance in front of the car suggests the vehicle clipped the agent, but other footage makes clear the driver didn’t run him over… 

“Trump’s opponents counter that Ms Good was not remotely a ‘terrorist’ and that none of the agents were in danger. Some believe she may have panicked when faced by the armed men. Trump’s critics have produced video evidence that certainly contradicts the official government narrative: careful analysis from several angles shows the car did drive towards the agent as he stood in front of it, but he was able to step out of the way and let off at least two shots at the side of the vehicle as it passed… 

“Her defenders insist she was murdered by a trigger-happy federal agent. Reports Jonathan Ross was dragged 50ft by a car last June may encourage his accusers in their case that he wildly over-reacted… 

“Ordinary people can watch the videos – frame by frame if necessary – and make up their own mind who is responsible. However, it’s unlikely many Americans will approach the controversy with an entirely open mind. 

“Trump’s migrant deportation drive – and particularly the heavy use of ICE agents to round up people who’ve often been living in the US for decades – has proved to be one of the most controversial policies of the President’s second term so far. Last month, it was revealed that the number of people in ICE detention had reached a record high of more than 68,400… Opponents counter that quite aside from questions of fairness, it is economic madness to deport so many long-standing, working migrants when Trump had appeared to have only dangerous criminals in his sights. 

“More troubling still, they believe the President has created in ICE a ‘personal army’ which seems alarmingly unaccountable and is, according to its critics, unconstitutional, not to say ‘un-American’. ICE agents, who often hide their faces and wear no identifiable insignia or identification, can detain people without charges or a hearing before flying them abroad… 

“With protesters angrily confronting heavily armed agents at every opportunity, some will say that a death like Wednesday’s tragedy in Minneapolis was inevitable. And with Minneapolis’s Left-wing mayor Jacob Frey saying that ICE needs to ‘get… out of his city’, and the Trump administration making it equally clear that it won’t be pushed around, the terrible events of this week might have been just the opening shots….” 

Demonstrations against ICE are ongoing. And so, civil war is more likely than not. 

New Video Proves Nothing 

The Huffington Post wrote on January 10: 

“An alleged cell phone video showing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shooting Renee Good, filmed from the shooter’s angle, was given to right-wing website Alpha News on Friday… which was also shared by Fox News, CBS News and other outlets… 

“The camera pans up to the sky as Good drives away and Ross fatally shoots the 37-year-old mother. It remains unclear from the footage whether Good’s car made contact with Ross, but previously released footage showed her angling her car away from him when she began driving. It also showed Ross walking away from the scene after he shot her… 

“Vice President JD Vance shared the video on social media, claiming it backed up the Trump administration’s claims that Good was threatening Ross’s life… He also slammed coverage of the shooting, suggesting the video was proof that outlets were ‘lying about this innocent law enforcement officer… You should all be ashamed of yourselves,’ Vance wrote.”

Maybe it’s Vance who should be ashamed of himself? Note the next article.

JD Vance No True Catholic? 

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

“JD Vance has taken to social media to justify the shooting and blame Good for her own death… The Trump administration was quick to demonize Good. Within hours of the event and before a formal investigation could even be launched, Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem labeled Good’s actions as an ‘act of ‘domestic terrorism.’ President Donald Trump on Jan. 7 labeled her as ‘disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer.’ Trump went on to say that the ICE officer was lucky to be alive and ‘is now recovering in the hospital.’… 

“The investigation is ongoing, but the entire situation is a powder keg: Social media is on fire as users viciously debate the justification of the killing and it seems protests are beginning in Minneapolis and beyond. 

“But in spite of the increasing uproar, Vice President JD Vance said… ‘You can accept that this woman’s death is a tragedy while acknowledging it’s a tragedy of her own making. Don’t illegally interfere in federal law enforcement operations and try to run over our officers with your car. It’s really that simple’… 

“At the time of publication of this piece, at no point has Vance tweeted any remorse, prayers or condolences regarding Good and her loved ones. Instead, Vance continued his storm of social media posts the morning after the shooting — this time leaning into divisive, tribalistic language to demonize Democrats. 

“In times past, a politician might offer thoughts and prayers, encourage those reacting to wait for the full results of the investigation and generally try to lower the temperature… JD Vance went in a different direction… 

“As a Catholic, Vance knows better than to peddle this brand of gaslighting and agitation. Vance knows that, by virtue of her humanity, Good was endowed with inherent dignity, made in the image and likeness of God. Vance knows that only God can take life. Vance knows that protesting, fleeing or even interfering in an ICE investigation (which there is no evidence that Good did) does not carry a death sentence. Vance knows that lying and killing are sins. 

“Vance knows. He doesn’t care. Vance’s twisted and wrongheaded view of Christianity has been repudiated by two popes. His Catholicism seems to be little more than a political prop, a tool only for his career ambitions and desire for power. The vice president’s comments justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel. Our only recourse is to pray for his conversion of heart.” 

While we are at it, many members of the Trump Administration need a conversion of heart as well. But this is also true for all the other right- and left-wing politicians who seem to have only their political agenda in mind.

Can ICE Agents Be Prosecuted? 

Reuters wrote on January 8: 

“The officer fired ‘defensive shots’ after a ‘violent rioter’ attempted to run over officers, a spokeswoman of the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, adding that the officer had feared for his life. Online videos of the shooting verified by Reuters cast doubt on the government’s narrative, however. 

“One video showed an officer approach an SUV and order the driver out and grab at the door handle while another officer appeared in front of the car. The driver moves forward while turning away from the officers, and the one in front pulls his weapon, steps back and fires three shots. It was not clear if the car made contact with the officer, and he fired at least one shot after it had already passed him… 

“Minnesota’s use-of-force law permits state police to use deadly force only if reasonable officers would believe doing so was necessary to protect themselves, or others, from death or serious harm. Federal law has a similar standard, permitting use of deadly force when a reasonable officer would have probable cause to believe a person posed an immediate threat of death or serious injury. 

“Federal agents are generally immune from state prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties. Immunity only applies when an officer’s actions were authorized under federal law and were necessary and proper. 

“If Minnesota charged the agent, he could seek to move the case to federal court and argue he is immune from prosecution. To prevail, the state would have to show the actions were outside his official duties or were objectively unreasonable or clearly unlawful. If a judge ruled the officer was immune, the case would be dismissed and the state would not be able to charge him again. 

“Federal prosecutors can charge law enforcement officers for fatal shootings, but the bar is very high and charges are rare. Prosecutors would need to show the officer knew his conduct was unlawful or acted with reckless disregard for the constitutional limits of his authority, which is difficult to prove in court.” 

These human-made laws are totally contrary to God’s commandments. If the ICE agent is guilty, he needs to be dealt with. 

Tucker Carlson Rips MAGA Reactions 

The Huffington Post wrote on January 9: 

“Tucker Carlson has joined the multitude of conservatives with commentary on the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good… However, the former Fox News host had a starkly different reaction than many of his peers. Carlson slammed his fellow conservatives for using the tragedy ‘to score political points,’ while also decrying liberal leaders like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for ‘behaving like children’… 

“‘The 37-year-old was an American citizen and reportedly the mother of a kindergarten-aged child. Did we disagree with her views on immigration? Probably,’ he continued. ‘But that shouldn’t matter. Her death is a tragedy, regardless of her partisan affiliations, ideological beliefs, or who pulled the trigger. A woman got shot in the face. How come so few conservatives are viewing this story through a human lens?’…

“Carlson argued Thursday that violence around the world is ‘desensitizing Americans to violence at home,’ adding that as Trump supporters and critics debate the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela, few have focused on the death toll of at least 75 people… 

“‘If the United States were in a better place, everyone, regardless of their politics, would pause when something like the Minneapolis shooting happens and at least recognize the human tragedy,’ wrote Carlson. ‘But that doesn’t happen because, compared to the countless overseas killings our government routinely brings about, Good’s death doesn’t seem like such a big deal. She’s just another headline.’” 

Sadly, Carlson is SO RIGHT with his assessment. 

German Reaction to Minneapolis Shooting 

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on January 10:

“‘In Minneapolis, an ICE immigration officer kills a woman who posed no threat to him whatsoever – and is even praised by the government for it. People without decency or empathy are running the country,’ comments SZ author Peter Burghardt:

“‘The US doesn’t need masked militias. The agents of Border Patrol and ICE are under pressure because ideologues like Trump’s hardliner Stephen Miller demand that at least 3,000 foreigners without immigration papers be arrested or forced out of the country every day. And this practice is just gaining momentum; Trump’s budget includes billions of dollars for ICE. 

“The gunman in Minneapolis was clearly unfit for his job; otherwise, he wouldn’t have opened fire immediately. The exact sequence of events still needs to be investigated, but Trump and his MAGA crowd are, as usual, immediately blaming the resistance to ICE. How will the FBI, which is under their control, conduct its investigation? If the Democrats want to be taken even remotely seriously, they must use every political means at their disposal to rein in Trump’s private army.”

ICE Arrests Tribal Citizens 

The Associated Press wrote on January 13: 

“The president of Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota on Tuesday called for the immediate release of tribal members who were detained… by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota last week… ‘The Oglala Sioux Tribe’s memorandum makes clear that ‘tribal citizens are not aliens’ and are ‘categorically outside immigration jurisdiction,’ Star Comes Out said. ‘Enrolled tribal members are citizens of the United States by statute and citizens of the Oglala Sioux Nation by treaty.’… 

“Fort Snelling has a troubling history for Indigenous people. It was the first military outpost in the area, and Dakota people were held prisoner there during the Dakota War of 1862, an armed conflict between the U.S. and Native Americans… 

“Last year, elected leaders in the Navajo Nation said that tribal citizens in Arizona and New Mexico reported being stopped and detained by ICE officers… That same month [of November], Elaine Miles, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon and an actress known for her roles in ‘Northern Exposure’ and ‘The Last of Us,’ said she was stopped by ICE officers in Washington state who told her that her tribal ID looked fake.” 

Nobody is safe anymore. 

Joe Rogan Compares ICE With Gestapo

NBC News wrote on January 13:

“Joe Rogan, one of the biggest podcasters in the world, had endorsed Trump in the 2024 election… [His] show, which has consistently retained its No. 1 spot on the Spotify podcast charts, has more than 20.6 million subscribers on YouTube. But on Tuesday, Rogan, who has been increasingly critical of Trump’s mass deportation agenda in recent months, expressed concern over ICE’s activities in an episode featuring Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

“He said that ‘most people’ believe law enforcement should arrest criminals, but that many of the same people also believe ICE is ‘operating illegally.’ ‘I can also see the point of view of the people that say, ‘Yeah, but you don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up, many of which turn out to actually be U.S. citizens that just don’t have their papers on them,’ Rogan said. ‘Are we really going to be the Gestapo? “Where’s your papers?” Is that what we’ve come to?’”

 Sadly, it appears to be that way.

Pope Leo Takes On Trump and Putin 

The Associated Press wrote on January 9: 

“In his most substantial critique of U.S., Russian, and other military incursions in sovereign countries, Pope Leo XIV on Friday denounced how nations were using force to assert their dominion worldwide, ‘completely undermining’ peace and the post-World War II international legal order. ‘War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,’ Leo told ambassadors from around the world who represent their countries’ interests at the Holy See. 

“Leo didn’t name individual countries that have resorted to force in his lengthy speech…  but his speech came amid the backdrop of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolas Maduro from power, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and other conflicts….” 

James 4:1-3 states: 

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” 

Trump Repeats His Military Threats 

The Sun wrote on January 9:

“Trump has said the US will begin land strikes on Mexico to target drug cartels… It comes after an astonishing week where the US captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and threatened Columbia with military action… The US President told Fox News: ‘We are gonna start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch what’s happened to the country.’… 

“Trump has marked up Greenland, Cuba and Columbia as his next potential targets in threats that have angered world leaders and NATO. The president has hinted at invading Mexico in a bid to attack its cartels since his election campaign. He warned its leaders to ‘get their act together’ in the immediate aftermath of his weekend strike on Venezuela.”

Greenland Invasion Plot 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 10: 

“Donald Trump has ordered his special forces commanders to draw up a plan for the invasion of Greenland… 

“Sources say that the policy ‘hawks’ around the US President, led by political adviser Stephen Miller, have been so emboldened by the success of the operation to capture Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro that they want to move quickly to seize the island before Russia or China makes a move. 

“British diplomats believe that Trump is also motivated by a desire to distract American voters from the performance of the US economy before the mid-term elections later this year, after which he could lose control of Congress to the Democrats.  But such a dramatic move… would effectively lead to the collapse of Nato. 

“According to the sources, the President has asked the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to prepare the invasion plan, but it is being resisted by the joint chiefs of staff on the grounds that it would be illegal – and would not be supported by Congress… One diplomatic cable describes the ‘worst-case’ scenario as leading to ‘the destruction of Nato from the inside’. 

“It adds: ‘Some European officials suspect this is the real aim of the hardline MAGA faction around Trump. Since Congress would not allow Trump to exit Nato, occupying Greenland could force the Europeans to abandon Nato. If Trump wants to end Nato, this might be the most convenient way to do it.’… It concludes: ‘The current concerns [about an invasion] are driven by the most extreme views coming from Stephen Miller. The UK’s positioning will be key – whether it sticks closely with European allies or breaks ranks [to sanction Trump’s approach].‘” 

Fire Stephen Miller! 

WRAL News wrote on January 8: 

“U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, forcefully rebutted comments from one of the top officials in the Trump administration about a potential American takeover of Greenland… Tillis… called comments made by Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller ‘insane’ and ‘amateur hour.’… Tillis also said Miller should inform himself or get out of the job.” 

ABC 11 added on January 8: 

“The comments from retiring North Carolina senator mark some of the strongest yet from a Republican lawmaker following the White House deputy chief of staff’s assertion that the US has the right to take Greenland… ‘And I know, whether they say it out loud or not, most of my colleagues agree with me.’”

The problem is, they don’t say it out loud. Miller should have been fired a long time ago. 

Miller—Cold-Eyed, Racist and Most Influential? 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 13, 2026:

“If there was one thing that terrified Donald Trump’s critics more than the sensational raid he launched to capture Venezuela’s dictator Nicolas Maduro, it was the cavalier way his overweening policy chief Stephen Miller then sought to justify it. ‘We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else… But we live in a world… that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that existed since the beginning of time.’

“Viewers had barely caught their breath at this outburst of cold-eyed belligerence when Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy and his homeland security adviser, dropped another bombshell as the conversation moved to the sovereign Danish territory of Greenland [see article above]…

“Not for nothing is California-born Miller now regarded as the most influential official in the White House – and perhaps the most powerful unelected man in the US… Although Miller is of Ashkenazi Jewish extraction, Democrats like to portray him as a jackbooted fascist, Trump’s skinhead bovver boy…

“His own uncle, eminent psychologist David Glosser, has publicly condemned him, claiming that their family – who fled anti-Jewish pogroms in Europe – would have been ‘wiped out’ under his nephew’s immigration crackdown… He’s widely accused of being virulently xenophobic, if not outright racist… one ally described him as having ‘the bedside manner of [SS chief] Heinrich Himmler’. He is said to yell at everybody during his daily (even Saturdays) staff meetings – ‘nobody is spared from his wrath’.”

And this man is the most powerful unelected official? 

NATO on the Brink 

Aljazeera wrote on January 10: 

“The Trump administration has once again threatened to take control of Greenland either by acquiring it or through the use of military force to ‘deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.’… 

“European and Canadian leaders have jumped to support Denmark and Greenland, saying they are working on a plan in the event the United States follows through with its threats. Analysts have said that any attempt by the US to seize Greenland would be an unprecedented move in NATO’s history and raise serious questions about the survival of the alliance and the limits of Article 5, which was designed to defend against an external aggressor… 

“Collective defence is NATO’s governing principle, where Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all… Because Article 5 requires unanimous agreement from all members to be invoked, a conflict between two members would lead to an impasse, as the alliance cannot vote to go to war against itself.” 

Europe Must Cut All Ties With the USA

The Guardian wrote on January 14:

“[Will] Europe finally choose between Europe and the US? Will its leaders have the courage to tell the full truth – that the US isn’t simply  abandoning its allies and destroying the international world order but is now in the position of active and hostile predation by force – and more importantly, to act on it?…

“If the US actually attacks Denmark by invading Greenland… [it] would demand the seizure of US military bases from Germany to Spain, individual sanctions on a wide range of US government officials, broad sanctions against the US economy… And if the US doesn’t attack Denmark, Europe’s best chance of surviving as a free and open continent in an imperial world is still to force the rupture with the US, force the consequences… anyway…  it is time for Europe to tell the US to leave its European military bases, throw off the yoke of US tech billionaires… Europe must cut the cord now, and not follow them into the storm.”

Strong words… unheard of just a few years ago. But in line with biblical prophecy.

Vance Hates Europe

Politico wrote on January 15:

“Among the 10 ministers and officials who spoke anonymously to POLITICO for this article, none regarded Vance as an ally — either in the Greenland talks or for the transatlantic relationship in general. 

“‘Vance hates us,’ said one European diplomat… While Trump can be distracted, some EU officials say, Vance appears to be more ideological in his hostility to Europe…”

Drums of War 

The Sun wrote on January 10: 

“DONALD Trump is ready to unleash the full force of US power as he eyes up a ‘hitlist’ of targets to create a new world order… Trump has marked up Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Greenland and Iran as targets after the opening salvo on Venezuela – and is preparing for another hit soon, experts fear… 

“Trump’s threats have been described as an attempt to create an American ‘empire’… If Trump is to follow through with his threats, America could be fighting conflicts on multiple fronts across the globe, experts say.” 

The Hill wrote on January 14: 

“Denmark is boosting its military presence in and around Greenland… The Danish Defense Ministry noted Wednesday that it strengthened its presence in and around Greenland last summer as well with assistance from Germany, France, Sweden and Norway.” 

Fundamental Disagreements Remain 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 14: 

“Danish and Greenlandic officials said they still have a ‘fundamental disagreement’ with President Donald Trump over Greenland after meeting in Washington with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio… 

“Denmark has taken steps in recent days to increase military presence in Greenland, and has called for military exercises that will include aircraft, vessels and soldiers. Sweden said it would participate. On Wednesday, Germany and France both said they would send troops to Greenland for exercises.” 

German President: Trump Is Destroying World Order 

Reuters wrote on January 8: 

“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly criticised U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump and urged the world not to let the world order disintegrate into a ‘den of robbers’ where the unscrupulous take what they want (and where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers). 

“In unusually strong remarks, which appeared to refer to actions such as the ousting of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro at the weekend, the former foreign minister said global democracy was being attacked as never before. Although the German president’s role is largely ceremonial, his words carry some weight and he has more freedom to express views than politicians. 

“Describing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a watershed, Steinmeier said the U.S. behaviour represented a second historic rupture. ‘Then there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order,’ Steinmeier said… 

“On Thursday, a poll for public broadcaster ARD indicated 76% of Germans surveyed now felt the United States was not a partner that Germany could rely on… Only 15% felt Germany could now trust the United States…” 

Trump: “Only I Can Stop Me.” 

The New York Times wrote on January 8: 

“President Trump declared on Wednesday evening that his power as commander in chief is constrained only by his ‘own morality,’ brushing aside international law and other checks on his ability to use military might to strike, invade or coerce nations around the world. Asked in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times if there were any limits on his global powers, Mr. Trump said: ‘Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me… I don’t need international law,’ he added… 

“When pressed further about whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Mr. Trump said, ‘I do.’ But he made clear he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the United States. ‘It depends what your definition of international law is,’ he said…. 

“He made clear that he uses his reputation for unpredictability and a willingness to resort quickly to military action, often in service of coercing other nations. In his conversation with The Times, Mr. Trump sounded more emboldened than ever. He cited the success of his strike on Iran’s nuclear program — he keeps a model of the B-2 bombers used in the mission on his desk; the speed with which he decapitated the Venezuelan government last weekend; and his designs on Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark, a NATO ally. 

“When asked what was his higher priority, obtaining Greenland or preserving NATO, Mr. Trump declined to answer directly, but acknowledged ‘it may be a choice.’ He made clear that the trans-Atlantic alliance was essentially useless without the United States at its core.” 

Trump should remind himself that GOD can stop him at any time 

Italy Criticizes Trump 

MSN reported on January 13: 

“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has responded to renewed criticism of NATO from US President Donald Trump, arguing that simplistic proposals to sever key transatlantic ties are neither practical nor beneficial for Europe’s security. 

“Trump recently reiterated a familiar line – ‘NATO is zero without America’ – underscoring his view that the alliance’s strength depends on US leadership and capability. This rhetoric comes amid wider tensions over US strategic intentions, including controversial remarks about Greenland that alarm European NATO partners. In response, Meloni was quoted rhetorically asking whether Europe should then take radical steps like closing US military bases, cutting trade, or even ‘storming McDonald’s’ – not as a literal plan of action, but to highlight how unrealistic some proposals are that have circulated online. 

“Notably, US–NATO relations are under strain due to shifting US foreign policy priorities under Trump and broader disagreements over burden-sharing. European capitals are increasingly vocal about how the alliance should function, especially regarding collective defense, trade and geopolitical competition with powers like Russia and China. 

This is remarkable as Meloni is viewed as one of Trump’s strongest supporters. 

Trump’s Dream-World

AlterNet wrote on January 15:

“President Donald Trump, rejecting criticism from within his own party, the economic challenges facing the American people, and polling on Greenland, suggested that his second-term accomplishments were so extensive that they should render the 2026 midterm elections unnecessary.

“In an interview with Reuters, President Trump ‘expressed frustration’ that Republicans may lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in the November midterm elections… Trump told Reuters that ‘when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms’…

“Trump, Reuters reported, ‘repeatedly dismissed concerns by the public, business leaders and even his fellow Republicans on issues ranging from the future of Greenland and the criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, to the state of the economy.’ He deemed ‘fake’ a Reuters/Ipsos poll that found little support — just 17 percent — for him seizing control of Greenland.

“He repeatedly declared, ‘I don’t care’ when confronted with news that some Senate Republicans oppose the Department of Justice’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell… Trump also dismissed the concerns of the American people over high prices they are facing, instead incorrectly declaring the economy the strongest ‘in history.’ …

“On actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Reuters reported that Trump ‘said he would continue sending armed agents into cities, claiming that his efforts had taken “thousands of murderers out of our country.” Reuters noted that there is ‘no evidence to support that assertion.’”

Trump is losing support nationally and internationally. The German AfD voiced criticism of his actions as well.

Trump—Emperor of America’s Police State 

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 14: 

“Trump speaks in a language of kings, strongmen, and would-be emperors advocating for personal rule over constitutional government… Trump and his army of enablers and enforcers may have co-opted the language of patriotism, but they are channeling the tactics of despots…

“All presidents in recent years have contributed to the rise of the American police state with executive overreach, standing armies, militarized policing, war without consent, mass surveillance, and concentrated power. But Trump 2.0 has done more to dismantle the nation’s constitutional guardrails than at any other time in history…

“With every passing day, the American police state with Trump at its helm gets more unhinged… This is not leadership. It is lawlessness carried out by mercenaries and thugs on the government payroll… This is the reality of Trump’s America: moral collapse, thuggery, violence, greed, and dehumanization…

“Nothing about Trump’s behavior is rational or sane, even by his own standards: he’s bulldozing the White House, blitz-bombing boats, threatening to seize foreign lands by force, and plastering his name and face on every available surface. Yet as diabolical as these distractions are, they are a sideshow to keep us from seeing the long-term plans to lock down the country being put in place by an unaccountable shadow apparatus operating behind the scenes for whom the Constitution means nothing…

“Americans are being trained to accept what would have once been unthinkable: law enforcement that kills without consequence, presidents who operate above the law, wars launched without consent…” 

Trump Deserves Eight Peace Prizes? 

Daily Mail wrote on January 10: 

“Donald Trump cannot officially be given Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize, according to the committee that gives out the award. Machado initially dedicated the award to Trump but has since expressed her desire to give him the trophy, which the president has said would be a ‘great honor’ to accept. However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Friday that this would be impossible…  White House spokeswoman told The Daily Mail it’s clear that the president should get the prize regardless... 

“… reports have suggested Trump’s displeasure with her acceptance of the prize – which he has long coveted — has left her out in the cold following the capture of Maduro, with Trump saying Machado ‘doesn’t have the respect’ in Venezuela to be named president…. 

“The president suggested… that he ought to get as many as eight Nobel Prizes. Trump argued that the Nobel committee not giving him the prize this year has been ‘a major embarrassment to Norway,’ which is where they’re located. ‘When you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war,’ he said. 

“White House insiders revealed his displeasure stems from her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize – an honor Trump has long coveted for himself. ‘If she had turned it down and said, “I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,” she’d be the president of Venezuela today,’ a person familiar with Trump’s thinking told the Washington Post. ‘Her acceptance of the prize was an “ultimate sin.”’ … Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul suggested Trump threw Machado ‘under the bus,’ over the Nobel Peace Prize.” 

What pitiful and egoistic thinking… 

Clintons Defy Congressional Subpoenas 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 13:

“House Oversight’s Republican chairman James Comer promised to bring contempt proceedings next week [against the Clintons], setting off a potentially protracted and politically fraught legal battle that would be the first time in history a sitting or former president has been held in contempt by Congress…

“In an astonishing letter to Comer, the Clintons launched a broadside at Donald Trump and the Republican lawmakers carrying out his ‘cruel agenda.’ They claimed a legal analysis proved they were not required to testify [in the Epstein matter] and insisted the subpoenas were an extension of Trump’s ‘weaponization’ of the law…

“’Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences. For us, now is that time.’

“The Clintons cited the precedent set by Trump in October 2022, when he defied a congressional subpoena demanding his testimony over the Capitol riot… Two Trump allies, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, were both sentenced to four months in federal prison for defying subpoenas from the January 6 Committee…

“The dispute comes amid controversy over the Trump administration’s handling of Epstein-related records. Weeks after a legal deadline to release the Epstein files, the Justice Department has offered up only one percent of the total archive, angering Trump supporters who had expected sweeping disclosures…” 

“Bloody Uprising Against the Mullahs, and in Germany, There Is an Embarrassing Silence” 

Focus wrote on January 9: 

“In Iran, masses of people are risking their lives. Trump is siding with them, Musk is providing Starlink as an internet alternative. From Germany comes: Nothing. 

“In Iran, parts of the population are now rising up against the mullahs… They are calling for freedom in the streets of the major cities, many are also calling for Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah… 

“How is the West reacting? In Germany, in Berlin for example, there are currently no demonstrations for a free Iran. Not in the streets, not at the universities. When it came to Gaza, things were completely different – it was against Israel, it was against ‘the Americans.’ Why is there now this deafening silence, this ‘loud silence’? 

“Is it because US President Donald Trump, the bogeyman of the left in the West, is on the side of the Iranian protests? Is it because the left has always warned against alleged ‘Islamophobia’? Is it because, pardon the expression, this time it’s not against Jews?…” 

“Nothing has been heard from the Federal Chancellor regarding Iran… The highest-ranking German politician from the governing parties who has sided with the protesting Iranians is currently the parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU, Jens Spahn. He wrote on X: ‘The courageous Iranian men and women deserve freedom. I wish them all the strength to overthrow the Mullah regime and pray that the Islamists will not be able to murder any more people. Germany and Europe must stand by the brave women and men who are taking to the streets.’ 

“And then Spahn adds a concrete demand: ‘Classifying the Revolutionary Guard in the EU as a terrorist organization is long overdue!’ This demand from Spahn is highly explosive because the parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU is putting pressure on the government, especially the Foreign Minister from his own party. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard could and perhaps should have been classified as a terrorist organization years ago. Spahn is quite late with this demand, but he is so far the only high-ranking politician to raise this issue now. 

“Germany, like the Europeans and the CDU politician and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, could do considerably more. For example, they could freeze Iranian assets in accounts held in European countries. Or they could seek dialogue with the exiled opposition politician Reza Pahlavi. This hasn’t occurred to the Europeans so far, but it has to someone else: US President Trump.” 

Looking the Other Way For Too Long 

Bild Online wrote on January 12: 

“The longer the bloody protests in Iran continue, the more criticism there is of [German] public broadcasting coverage.  Politicians and media experts say the broadcasters were too slow to react, misjudged the protests for a long time, and invited biased interviewees. 

The ‘Jüdische Allgemeine’ criticizes both public broadcasters in a new article, titled: ‘The protests in Iran and the shameful reporting by ARD and ZDF.’  It offers this assessment: ‘The mullahs should go, the Shah should return: The left doesn’t have an explanation for this right now – and neither do the left-leaning editorial offices of public broadcasting.’… In Germany, ARD and ZDF in particular ‘didn’t really want to get involved in the reporting, while in Great Britain, the BBC is also hesitant.’” 

Attack on Iran Imminent? 

Reuters wrote on January 11: 

“Unrest in Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said on Sunday, as Tehran threatened to target U.S. military bases if President Donald Trump carries out his renewed threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.” 

Trump has paused an attack on Iran, for now.

Iran Threatens Trump 

Newsmax wrote on January 14: 

“Iran issued a direct assassination threat against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, airing a chilling image on state television showing Trump during the 2024 rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, with the warning: ‘This time, the bullet won’t miss.’ 

“The image, broadcast on Iran’s Islamic Republic state television, marks Tehran’s most explicit threat yet against Trump and comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and the Iranian regime.”

Merz Is Hedging Again 

ntv wrote on January 9: 

“France and Great Britain are preparing to send soldiers to Ukraine to secure a ceasefire. And Germany? It wants to be a leading power, but it dithers when things get dangerous. But German cowardice threatens to backfire on all of Europe… 

“Chancellor Friedrich Merz is distancing himself again. German troops could primarily be deployed in ‘neighboring NATO states’ such as Poland or Romania. Directly in Ukraine? On this, only an evasive ‘We are not ruling anything out.’ That’s not a strategy. That’s a maneuver. 

“Translated, it means: Germany wants to be part of the backdrop, but not part of the risk. Solidarity, yes – as long as it doesn’t hurt… 

“Half-hearted solidarity is not a compromise. It is betrayal. Germany must stop hiding behind history, structures, and excuses – and finally do what it expects of others: take responsibility.” 

This will happen soon… but probably not under Merz. 

Kennedy vs. Germany 

The Independent wrote on January 11: 

“Germany has vehemently dismissed accusations from US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who claimed the nation had undermined patient autonomy, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. German Health Minister Nina Warken issued a statement late on Saturday, asserting: ‘The statements made by the US Secretary of Health are completely unfounded, factually incorrect, and must be rejected.’ 

“Earlier that day, Mr Kennedy had posted a video stating he had written to the German minister. His letter was reportedly based on information from Germany suggesting the government was ‘limiting people’s abilities to act on their own convictions when they face medical decisions.’ The American health secretary said that ‘I’ve learned that more than a thousand German physicians and thousands of their patients now face prosecution and punishment for issuing exemptions from wearing masks or getting COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.’” 

According to Deutsche Welle, dated January 11, “Warken said that ‘criminal prosecution took place only in cases of fraud and forgery of documents, such as the issuing of false vaccine certificates’ or exemption certificates for masks.” 

There can be no doubt that the government was pressuring people and at the same time violating their constitutional rights; thereby “limiting people’s abilities to act on their own convictions when they face medical decisions.” 

COVID-19 Hardliners Fume Over Kennedy’s Letter to Nina Warken 

Nius wrote on January 12: 

“After US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanded an end to the criminal prosecution of doctors in Germany for issuing exemptions from mask mandates or COVID-19 vaccinations, hardliners like Karl Lauterbach and Janosch Dahmen are up in arms. 

“In particular, [the Green Party member] Dahmen is outraged… who during the COVID-19 years never found any measure too harsh and who called for an expansion of mandatory vaccination… Former Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), who for years fueled ‘pandemic’ panic by constantly warning of new variants of the virus and repeatedly making grim predictions about the deadly course of the infection, spoke out on the platform X. Kennedy should ‘take care of health problems in his own country.’… 

“There is concern because Kennedy is essentially right. Whether it’s actually a thousand doctors who have been prosecuted for not being ‘in line,’ or fewer (or possibly many more), cannot be determined because there is currently no comprehensive survey of ongoing or completed proceedings of this kind. 

“The fact is: … Known court cases involve dozens of instances, often resulting in convictions with fines or suspended sentences, as well as professional bans. These cases are often based on the accusation of issuing medical certificates without a physical examination, which was considered ‘incorrect’… 

“In addition, there were almost 270,000 violations of the mandatory vaccination requirement for healthcare facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes… In this respect, Warkens’ claim that there were no professional bans is incorrect.  Healthcare workers did indeed face such bans if they could not provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. And soldiers were subject to a ‘duty of compliance.’ Those who did not undergo the controversial COVID-19 vaccination were dismissed from service or prosecuted for insubordination. The majority of the population was pressured into complying with the measures and getting vaccinated through fear-mongering and the threat of penalties.” 

“Law professor Martin Schwab… also points out on X that during the coronavirus pandemic, neither the autonomy of patients nor the therapeutic freedom of doctors was respected: ‘The current regulation, according to which general practitioners covered by public health insurance lose 40 percent of their retainer fee if they do not vaccinate, represents a clear attack on doctors’ therapeutic freedom.’ 

“It is clear: doctors were systematically pressured during the coronavirus years, including by medical associations, regulatory authorities, professional societies, and colleagues. Those who did not comply were… defamed. The others made a lot of money from mass vaccinations. 

“Like Karl Lauterbach and Janosch Dahmen, the Christian Democrat Nina Warken also distinguished herself as a hardliner…” 

Homeschooling 

Die Welt wrote on January 9: 

“Abolish compulsory schooling? Yes, we should talk about it! 

“When the AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund recently questioned compulsory schooling, the knee-jerk outrage was considerable.  Yet there are good reasons to allow homeschooling – not least the shortcomings of the German school system.” 

Absolutely! German compulsory schooling is a relic from a bygone, authoritarian era. It should be abolished. But the AfD, in general, is opposed to homeschooling as well. 

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.

USA Attacks and Occupies Venezuela

The New York Post wrote on January 3: 

“President Trump told the nation Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro [and his wife Cilia Flores were] captured ‘in the dead of night’ and that the US would now take over running the South American country… The 63-year-old, who has held power in the country since 2013, was taken by the US military after President Trump ordered airstrikes on several military bases across the Venezuelan capital of Caracas 

“… the American raid on Caracas to capture President Nicolás Maduro and his wife produced initial reactions of shock, outrage and skepticism from international leaders, many of them troubled by an exercise of American gunboat diplomacy… Allies of Mr. Maduro like Cuba and Russia predictably condemned the American intervention, despite Russia’s own invasion of sovereign Ukraine nearly four years ago… 

“President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil… condemned the U.S. action and said it ‘recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics’ of the region… President Gustavo Petro of Colombia wrote on X that he ‘rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America.’ … Iran, which has also been threatened in the last few days by Mr. Trump, issued a statement on Saturday condemning the U.S. attack and accusing the United States of violating the United Nations Charter… 

“The Venezuela intervention in the name of countering drug smuggling recalled to many the invasion of Panama in 1989. Back then, American forces captured Manuel Antonio Noriega, the ruler of Panama, and brought him to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking. He was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison, ultimately serving 17 years after a reduction in his sentence for good behavior. He died in Panamanian custody in 2017…. 

“But perhaps the most interesting criticism of Mr. Trump came from Jordan Bardella, the likely presidential candidate of France’s far right National Rally party, which has received support from Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance… ‘The forcible overthrow of a government from the outside cannot constitute an acceptable response…’ In the face of such intervention, he added, France must ‘rearm our nation, to strengthen our industrial and military capabilities,’ in order to ‘make its independent voice heard on the international stage, one that respects sovereignties.’” 

Trump’s actions will lead to the establishment of a strong military in Europe. 

Illegal Action? 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 4: 

“The Trump administration’s unilateral action to extract Maduro from his country… reportedly involved the use of 150 aircraft to strike locations in northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas. Some reports suggest 40 people have died as a result of the US strikes… 

“The US led the establishment of the United Nations and, in 1945, signed its foundational document, the UN Charter, which underpins many principles of international law, including territorial integrity. Scholars have pointed to Article 2(4) of that charter to suggest the US’ actions violated international law. That article forbids the ‘threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence’ of another country. 

“‘This was a use of force,’ said Marko Milanovic, Director of Global Law at the University of Reading in the UK. ‘If you send 150 airplanes into another state, if you start bombing its air defenses, if you kidnap its president, if you kill dozens of people, that is a use of force in the sense of Article 2, paragraph 4.’ 

“There are exceptions, the most notable being authorization by the UN Security Council to proceed with military action against another country. However, this approval wasn’t sought prior to Maduro’s seizure. 

“Another is self-defence, though given the US’ outsized military strength relative to Venezuela, it is again unclear how this argument would hold up. Even labelling fentanyl as a WMD, branding Maduro a narco-terrorist and charging him with conspiracy against the US is unlikely to be accepted by any international standard as a rationale for self-defence. ‘Self-defense requires the existence of an armed attack,’ Milanovic told DW. ‘Simply allowing the exports of drugs from one country to another is not an armed attack and has never been treated as an armed attack.’ 

“Using the US military to attack a foreign country… would also require congressional approval. That approval was not secured. 

“At a press conference led by Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to cast the operation as one of law enforcement, rather than a war declaration, saying ‘… at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice and the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that job.’ Jeremy Paul, an expert on constitutional law at Northeastern University in the US, said Rubio’s argument was ‘plausible,’ but subsequent statements by the president about the US ‘running’ Venezuela and its oil fields ‘completely undermined’ that rationale…. ‘It’s totally inconsistent.’” 

It was stated that long legal battles will ensue in the USA pertaining to the trials of Maduro and his wife, probably ending up before the US Supreme Court. 

VP Defies Trump 

The New York Post wrote on January 3: 

“Venezuela’s vice president [Delcy Rodtríguez] declared that Nicolás Maduro is the ‘only president of Venezuela’ in a defiant speech that appeared to throw cold water on President Trump’s claims she was cooperating with his administration… The VP made her remarks flanked by high ranking generals and government officials in a televised address to the nation after convening an emergency meeting. She demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores…” 

The New York Post wrote on January 4: 

“Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodtriguez, [who was sworn in by Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday for 90 days] is not the country’s legitimate leader, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Rubio… suggested the US will not support her staying in power. He called for elections to determine the next leader of the beleaguered South American country.” 

Alarabiya wrote on January 4: 

“President Donald Trump threatened Sunday that Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez will pay a ‘very big price’ [‘probably bigger than Maduro’] if she doesn’t cooperate with the United States… 

“Venezuela’s military on Sunday recognized Rodriguez as the country’s acting leader…” 

A long battle appears to lie ahead. Note the next article. 

Chaos in Venezuela 

The Daily Mail wrote on January 4: 

“Venezuela was plunged into chaos on Saturday as armed supporters of captured Nicolas Maduro flooded the streets, sparking riots, shuttering transport networks and forcing terrified residents to barricade themselves inside their homes… The unrest followed a large-scale US strike on Caracas, which targeted Fuerte Tiuna – Venezuela’s largest military complex… Dramatic aerial images showed entire buildings obliterated, with scorched land and plumes of smoke hanging over the city… 

“As armed supporters continue to roam the streets and food supplies dwindle, many Venezuelans fear the country is once again sliding into a dark and uncertain chapter, even with Maduro now behind bars.” 

The chaos is continuing. Fears of civil war manifest themselves. Wars, violence and occupations never solve anything. 

Miller: We Are in Charge! 

Politico wrote on January 5: 

“White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller says the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela. ‘… we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions,’ Miller said. ‘We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission.’” 

“It’s the Oil…” 

Fox News wrote on January 6: 

“President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the interim authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of ‘high-quality,’ sanctioned oil to the U.S… Trump said the oil will be sold at market price, and he will control the proceeds to ensure it is ‘used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!’” 

ABC News wrote on January 6: 

“The Trump administration has told Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez that the regime must meet the White House’s demands before being allowed to pump more oil… First, the country must kick out China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba and sever economic ties… Second, Venezuela must agree to partner exclusively with the U.S. on oil production and favor America when selling heavy crude oil…” 

ABC News wrote on January 7: 

“The U.S. on Wednesday seized… [off the coast of Europe] the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker… The U.S. on Wednesday also seized another tanker in the Caribbean… The Russian Ministry of Transport condemned the seizure of the oil tanker in the North Atlantic…” 

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the blockade of Venezuelan oil is in full effect and that no ship is safe anywhere in the world. 

Strategically Mad 

The Independent wrote on January 3: 

“What no one in the White House can see is that this invasion, this apparent political decapitation, this violation of international law, is strategically mad. Outside the White House and Magaland, the only cheering will be in the Kremlin and in Beijing. In Nato there will be horror…. 

“[Trump] said he would attack Venezuela’s mainland, and he has. His claim to be knocking over a narco-terrorist state that has exported vast quantities of opiates to the US, and killed hundreds of thousands of its citizens, is nonsense. Opiates get into the US from Mexico, not Venezuela. 

“As a premise for regime change and invasion, it is as false as the claims that Saddam Hussein was making a nuclear weapon. The invasion of that nation set off decades of pain and murder, terror and mayhem, and gave birth to Isis. It also tore at the fabric of Western democracies… 

“Now, Trump has attacked a neighbour without any international support. He has aped the behaviour of his great hero and friend, Vladimir Putin… mere anarchy is loosed upon the world…” 

America’s Past Failed Attempts 

National Post wrote on January 4, 2026 

“The United States has a really bad record when it comes to regime change. Time and again, it’s sought to oust foreign leaders and replace them with more favoured replacements…

“It was a disaster in Vietnam, at a horrendous cost in life. Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, … defeat, disappointment, debacle… Just four years ago, the Biden administration orchestrated the most recent example, before Saturday’s dramatic events in Venezuela. The hasty and chaotic retreat from Afghanistan damaged Biden’s image so badly he never really recovered… 

“There’s no dispute that Maduro has been a calamity for his country. By all the evidence, he’s been as grasping and pitiless a despot as you could find this side of Moscow. He’s been in power since 2013, holding onto office through a mix of corruption, violence and fixed elections, driving the economy into the ground, impoverishing millions and prompting a veritable stampede of desperate Venezuelans fleeing the country. No one outside his small circle of avaricious cronies is likely to miss him much. His support from Russia, China and Iran drew mainly from his ability to irritate the U.S… 

“If U.S. strategists have a well thought-out plan for supporting and advancing the shattered country Maduro leaves behind, they haven’t mentioned it beyond Trump’s assertion that ‘we’re going to run the country.’… There is no guarantee the Maduro establishment will disappear with him…. 

“Iraq remains host to 2,000 U.S. troops and an array of hostile armed militias loyal to Iran, with an insecure government caught between the two, struggling to avoid an explosion. More than a decade after its “liberation,” Libya is a divided country, riven by civil war, with competing warlords and rival governments at opposite ends of the country. Afghanistan, meanwhile, is back in the hands of the Taliban, 20 years and thousands of deaths after Washington and its allies set out to evict them…” 

“Emperor Trump’s Imperial Ambitions Should Send a Shiver Down the Spine of America’s Neighbors” 

On January 5, the Daily Mail published the following article by Andrew Neil: 

“… when Trump says, ‘We are going to run the country [Venezuela] now’, there is not only cause for concern but reason to fear for the worst… He has put no time limit on how long he plans to be Venezuela’s imperator… Venezuela faces the prospect of moving from being a domestic dictatorship to a US colony.

“… it was especially chilling to hear Trump so easily dismiss the hugely respected Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela’s main opposition leader, a centre-Right democratic heroine and last year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He claimed that she lacked the ‘support’ or ‘respect’ of the people, which is palpable nonsense… Clearly – and absurdly – it still rankles that she won the Nobel Peace Prize, not him. It is beyond pathetic…

“Venezuela’s regime has not changed. Maduro has gone but the government is still in the hands of his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, a hardline socialist surrounded by Maduro’s nastiest enforcers… Just how Trump thinks he can wrestle power from her without a massive deployment of US boots on the ground – for which he has no mandate, not even from his own MAGA base, which abhors foreign interventions – is just one of many mysteries now surrounding Trump’s approach to Venezuela, a country of 28million people that is twice the size of California…”

Newsmax added on January 4: 

“President Donald Trump insisted Sunday the United States is ‘in charge’ of Venezuela… Asked whether the operation was about oil or regime change, Trump replied: ‘It’s about peace on earth.’… Trump said elections in Venezuela would have to wait… Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said she was ready to work together… The Trump administration says it is willing to work with the remainder of Maduro’s government as long as Washington’s goals, particularly opening access to US investment in Venezuela’s enormous crude oil reserves, are met…” 

Threatening NATO 

Donald Trump wrote the following on January 7 on his Truth Social website: 

“Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG… Remember, also, I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble Peace Prize… RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE ZERO FEAR OF NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM… We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us…” 

This does not sound very reassuring… 

Threatening Cuba 

The Hill wrote on January 3:

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday warned Cuba’s leaders that ‘I’d be concerned’ following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro…  The secretary accused Cuba of being ‘run by incompetent, senile men…’ He claimed Maduro’s guards and Venezuela’s ‘whole spy agency’ were ‘full of Cubans,’ and that ‘this poor island took over Venezuela.’” 

Threatening Mexico and Colombia 

The Daily Beast wrote on January 3: 

“President Donald Trump has hinted that the surprise abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro may not be his last operation in Latin America. Trump, 79, suggested on Fox & Friends Saturday that action could be taken against Mexico… which he said is run by drug cartels—a similar allegation he made against Maduro and Venezuela. ‘Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico,’ he said. 

“Trump then issued an even more explicit threat to Colombia, which borders Venezuela to the west, and its president, Gustavo Petro, during a Mar-a-Lago news conference. ‘I stick by my first statement. He’s making cocaine,’ Trump said of Petro. ‘They’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a–.’ 

“Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico… immediately condemned Trump’s attack on Venezuela…” 

Focus wrote on January 3: 

“Spain and a number of Latin American states [Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay] have [in a joint statement] condemned the US operation to arrest the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela…” 

German and European Reactions 

Die Welt wrote on January 3: 

“The German government expressed concern regarding the US military intervention… The chairwoman of the EU Parliament’s Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), condemned the attack… 

“The attack was also ‘a warning from Trump to Denmark and Greenland as well’: He was showing what he was prepared to do if he didn’t get what he wanted voluntarily… The SPD foreign policy expert Adis Ahmetovic sharply criticized the US attack on Venezuela…” 

The Huffington Post wrote on January 3: 

“RODERICH KIESEWETTER, PROMINENT MP FROM GERMANY’S CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION: ‘With President Trump, the U.S. are abandoning the rules-based order that has shaped us since 1945.’ ‘The coup in Venezuela marks a return to the old U.S. doctrine from before 1940: a mindset of thinking in terms of spheres of influence, where the law of force rules, not international law. Trump is destroying what was left of any trust in the U.S.’ 

“BRITAIN’S REFORM UK PARTY LEADER NIGEL FARAGE: ‘The American actions in Venezuela overnight are unorthodox and contrary to international law – but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing.’ 

“ITALIAN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER AND FORMER PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE: ‘The American aggression against Venezuela has no legal basis. We are facing a blatant violation of international law, which certifies the dominance of the strongest and best equipped militarily… I hope that the entire international community will make its voice heard and that everyone will understand that if rules only apply to enemies and not to friends, no one can feel safe anymore.’” 

Merz Too Timid 

Deutschlandfunk reported on January 4: 

“After the Chancellor and CDU leader [Friedrich] Merz spoke of a complex legal assessment that would require time, Vice-Chancellor Klingbeil of the SPD declared that the fact that Maduro had led an authoritarian regime could not justify disregarding international law. This also applied to the actions of the USA. 

“Direct criticism of Merz’s statement came from the Greens.  Parliamentary group leader Dröge expressed her incomprehension that the Chancellor had not clearly described the US operation as a violation of international law.  Avoiding the issue in this situation would be a fatal strategy.” 

Bild Online wrote on January 4: 

“CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn expressed a similarly reserved view of the US strike against Venezuela as Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU).” 

Merz and Spahn act again as proverbial chameleons. But they won’t be able to continue doing this for much longer, as the anger in Germany against America gets stronger and stronger. Note the next commentary.

Don’t Dismiss Trump’s Threats 

Bild Online published the following commentary by Paul Ronzheimer and Filipp Platov on January 4: 

“Europe urgently needs to understand the messages emanating from this historic day… Whether in Iran or Venezuela: Donald Trump is making it clear that he is prepared to use his military when it comes to American interests… Trump won’t even consult us [Europeans] before taking action… 

“It must be clear: If the Americans… want to strengthen the ‘resistance’ against the EU in order to politically transform our continent, then it would be naive to dismiss this as an empty threat… If Europe does not learn to defend and assert its own interests, it risks becoming a sphere of influence for foreign powers.” 

This Will End Badly 

ntv wrote on January 3: 

“…the goal was not only Maduro’s arrest, but also control of the country and its oil…  After the disaster the US caused in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, there was generally a consensus in the West that it’s best to stay away from regime-change wars. Now the most erratic US president in living memory is trying his hand at it. In his boundless vanity, Trump apparently thinks he will succeed where others have failed. This will end badly.” 

Canada Beware! 

On January 3, Focus published the following comments from US expert Josef Braml: 

“The Monroe Doctrine, formulated in the 19th century to keep European colonial powers at bay, essentially means today that the US claims dominance over the so-called Western Hemisphere.  Originally, this primarily referred to South America. However, Trump has updated and adapted the doctrine. And I’m not sure if he still only means South America. So, if you live in Canada or Greenland, you should definitely start giving this some thought… 

“During the so-called peace negotiations regarding Ukraine, it was clear that both Putin and Trump wanted to divide up business interests over the heads of the Ukrainians and the Europeans… America has become a threat to world peace, and incidentally, also to Europe, if you consider Greenland.” 

Threatening Greenland 

CBS News wrote on January 4: 

“Denmark on Sunday made its displeasure known after the wife of one of President Trump’s most influential aides posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colors of the United States flag. Katie Miller — wife of Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller – put the contentiously altered image of the Danish autonomous territory on her X feed late Saturday, hours after the U.S. military operation against Venezuela. Her post had a single word above it: ‘SOON.’… 

“Mr. Trump has repeatedly made clear that he wants Greenland to become an annexed part of the United States… Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Mr. Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda…. (Stephen Miller is perceived as one of the most dangerous and radical politicians in the Trump Administration.) 

“In Greenland’s case, Mr. Trump has claimed that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve U.S. national security interests, given its strategic location in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in key critical minerals used in high-tech sectors. Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Mr. Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.” 

On Sunday, Trump repeated his threat, saying, “We need Greenland, definitely.”

Trump Wants Greenland 

t-online reported on January 5: 

“Trump wants Greenland – and is putting Denmark and the inhabitants of the Arctic island on high alert.  For the Greenlanders, one thing is clear: ‘We have to prepare for the worst.’…  For Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, there is no doubt that Trump is serious… ‘if the USA attacks another NATO country, then everything stops.’ Trump had not ruled out the use of military force in Greenland in the past.” 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 5: 

“Trump has framed his interest as a matter of national security, claiming Greenland is ‘surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.’ That assertion is false… Greenland does, however, possess vast untapped natural resources, including oil and critical minerals — a similarity it shares with Venezuela…   

“European leaders could make clear what is at stake: the collapse of NATO, the closure of US bases in Europe, and potential sanctions on US companies operating in the EU… The case of Venezuela underscores just how unpredictable the US president can be. As 2026 gets underway, European leaders are bracing for a difficult year…” 

The Telegraph wrote on January 5: “If we can’t defend Greenland, Europe is truly finished.” 

Miller Questions Denmark’s Territorial Claim

Daily Mail wrote on January 5: 

“Stephen Miller stunned US allies and rattled NATO on Monday night after flatly declaring that Greenland ‘should be part of the United States’ – and insisting that no country would dare fight Washington over the Arctic territory’s future… Instead, he challenged Denmark’s sovereignty over the island. 

“‘What is the basis of their territorial claim?’ Miller asked. [He also said: “The real question is by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland?”] ‘What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?’” 

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later 

The Telegraph wrote on January 7: 

“[The] Danish defence ministry confirms 1952 rule of engagement requiring soldiers to attack invading forces, following [the] threat from [the] US… Danish soldiers will be required to shoot first and ask questions later if the United States invades Greenland, under the army’s rules of engagement…” 

Rubio backpedaled and said the USA is going to buy Greenland. But Greenland has already said, they are not for sale. Further, the White House said again that military action is always an option. 

On January 4, Bild Online published a list of countries and areas which have been threatened by Trump, including: Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Greenland and Iran. They could have added Europe (Germany), Canada and Panama (for now). 

Trump Declares the World Open Season 

t-online wrote on January 5: 

“Under Donald Trump… what was considered unthinkable for decades is changing. A US president is openly abandoning the international order… Trump offered no justifications for his actions… For him, alliances do not entail any strategic obligations.  In his view, they are, in most cases, bad deals. He considers institutions… a burdensome constraint on America. Trump violates norms and radically questions them. 

“…Trump is exerting pressure to eliminate regulations in the European Union that are burdensome for US companies… He relies solely on selective withdrawal from international institutions and on the aggressive exercise of American power. 

“…This development presents other states, particularly the Europeans, with a crucial challenge… They must jointly develop their own economic and military strength in order to defend themselves. Otherwise, they will be left with nothing but moralizing commentary, which amounts to surrender.” 

Steve Bannon’s Stunning Attack on Trump in Light of Trump’s Iranian Threats 

Mediaite wrote on January 2: 

“MAGA media personality and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon compared President Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton in a scathing attack on his old boss on Friday. During a discussion about Trump’s threat to use the U.S. military to come to the defense of Iranian civilians protesting against the brutal Islamist regime in charge of their country, Bannon expressed his strong disapproval. ‘Aren’t people teasing right now that Samantha Powers [sic] and Hillary Clinton must somehow have gotten invited to the Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve celebration because the president coming out today saying, “Hey, we’re locked and loaded [towards Iran],” isn’t that straight from the Samantha Powers and Hillary Clinton playbook?’ asked Bannon. 

“At another point during Friday’s edition of his show, War Room, Bannon argued:… ‘Let the Persian people take care of this. You can’t intrude on this thing. The more you intrude, the more the Mullahs are gonna dig in and say, “This is the great Satan that’s doing this,” and you’re gonna have a bigger and longer mess than you can have. You’ve got the opportunity right now for the people in Persia to overthrow these demons, right? Let them get on with it. The Persians have been around a long time. They know how to do it, they did it in ’79.’ 

“Trump’s threat… read, ‘If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.’” 

Trump did not explain HOW he would come to their rescue. But if Venezuela is a guide… Interestingly, Bannon supported Trump’s strike on Venezuela. 

Angela Merkel Established Lasting Authoritarianism in Germany Because of Corona 

Apollo News published the following commentary by Max Roland on December 10: 

“Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Kretschmann is awarding Merkel a [medal of merit] for her actions during the Corona period.  One couldn’t mock accountability any better… 

“Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have already bestowed honors on the former Chancellor – now Baden-Württemberg has followed suit. On Tuesday, Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann awarded Merkel the Staufer Medal, an award given by the Minister-President for ‘services to Baden-Württemberg.’ 

“… Kretschmann has a very special justification for this: Merkel’s actions during the Corona period. In his laudatory speech, Kretschmann praised the CDU politician for ‘her decisive, prudent, and effective leadership as Federal Chancellor during this crisis.’  According to the Green Party politician, Merkel’s effective actions prevented significantly higher numbers [of cases/deaths]. He particularly praised her ‘consistently clear and coherent argumentation.’ 

“She didn’t deserve a medal for this, but rather the opposite.  She certainly didn’t do anyone a service with her policies – neither Baden-Württemberg nor Germany as a whole. On the contrary: Corona was the birth of the authoritarian state, and Merkel was its midwife. 

“Merkel turned the executive branch into an established instrument of power: Since the founding of the Federal Republic, no chancellor has governed the country as autocratically as Merkel did during the Corona pandemic. Parliament was sidelined, power was not democratically controlled, but centralized in the Chancellery – within the framework of an executive committee… Now one might say that it was all an exceptional situation – but the way politics was conducted during this exceptional situation cannot be excused by any pandemic in the world. 

“This is also evident in how often the last remaining boundaries of the law and the Basic Law were actually crossed. Merkel’s curfews? Illegal and unconstitutional. Blanket restrictions on the freedom of demonstration and assembly? Unconstitutional. Even the general mask mandates, lacking evidence, did not stand up in court. All of this was characteristic of Merkel, and apparently, none of it mattered. The end justified the means – that was Corona… 

“Winfried Kretschmann was right at the forefront of this policy, the empowerment of those who violated fundamental rights and disregarded the constitution – for him, the measures couldn’t be harsh enough. Evidence and proportionality? At best, secondary considerations. Merkel thought the same way, and she acted accordingly… 

“Measures soon became an end in themselves.  No one really questioned the purpose of a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.: it simply had to be implemented… And the right to demonstrate? That, too, was simply overridden; protests were sometimes prevented with brutal force. 

“Whether the total exclusion of the unvaccinated was truly justifiable or not, or whether it was a fundamental transgression for a liberal-democratic state – no one considered that either, because ‘the unvaccinated’ were to blame themselves, as Merkel also conveyed…” 

“Being German means seeing something through completely and ruthlessly for its own sake, even at the risk of significant losses – in this respect, Angela Merkel was very German. The damage her coronavirus policies have caused has not even begun to be acknowledged, let alone addressed. Those responsible saw and still see it, at best, as collateral damage. After all, the goal was to ‘save lives.’ 

“How many lives were saved – and how many were ruined? The fact that this question is no longer even being asked is Merkel’s achievement:… The politics of the strong hand, which keeps the country firmly under control. And woe to anyone who doesn’t toe the line. 

“Merkel’s coronavirus policy has established authoritarianism as a political blueprint in the Federal Republic of Germany.  Instead of a critical review, she receives awards?… This sends a fatal signal for an overreaching, authoritarian state and all the corresponding tendencies that we are still experiencing after the pandemic. It sends a fatal signal to a society that has not yet overcome the divisions of the coronavirus era – divisions largely caused by Merkel – and will never do so as a result.” 

Merkel’s appalling example was supported by the likes of Jens Spahn, and in the USA, by the likes of Joe Biden, Gavin Newsom and Anthony Fauci. There has not been any accounting in this regard either. So again, the guilty remain free, and may be preparing for another coup.   

Germany’s Agenda for 2026 

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 1, 2026: 

“At the beginning of 2026, young people in Germany aged 18 and over will receive mail from the government. Men must then complete the enclosed questionnaire, while women can do so voluntarily. The questions will focus on personal details, educational qualifications and other competences, as well as willingness to perform military service. Participation in a medical examination to assess their overall health and fitness will be mandatory. 

“The government is counting on finding enough volunteers to increase the number of Bundeswehr soldiers from approximately 184,000 now to between 255,000 and 270,000 over the next decade, and to increase the number of reservists to 200,000. If all this does not work on a voluntary basis, the government will move to reinstate conscription, which has been suspended since 2011… 

“The… AfD… is already the strongest opposition party in the Bundestag. With several regional elections scheduled for 2026, it’s expected to do well. In [some] eastern German states…,  the AfD is currently polling around 40%… if the AfD becomes the strongest party by a wide margin in [some] states, will the promise made by the conservative CDU to never cooperate with the AfD hold true? Both elections are not until September, but they will dominate the debates about how to deal with the AfD until then. State elections in [some] western states… will kick off an exciting election year in March… 

“The issue of migration will continue to be high on the agenda in 2026… Germany is now pursuing a tough policy toward irregular immigrants… so-called ‘return centers’ are now planned again in countries outside the European Union, even though previous attempts… have not been successful…” 

Some hot potatoes. And Germany does not look good in regard to any of them. It should be noted that the AfD is for compulsory military service, as a sign of “patriotism.”

“The German Armed Forces Must Become Europe’s Strongest Army” 

ntv reported on January 3: 

“The CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag wants to transform the German Armed Forces into the strongest conventional army in Europe… [They] envision equipping the Bundeswehr with, among other things, cruise missiles, long-range drones, and small, inexpensive guided missiles.  The development of its own hypersonic missiles is also planned. The goal, they say, is to build ‘a European arsenal of long-range conventional precision weapons’ that ‘can strike the enemy deep in their territory’… 

“Based on the experiences of the war in Ukraine, the German armed forces should become ‘a true drone army.’  They should be equipped with at least 100,000 drones, whose effectiveness should be enhanced through the use of artificial intelligence and ‘space-based capabilities’… To protect Germany, an air defense system similar to the Israeli ‘Iron Dome’ missile defense system is planned, with at least 2,000 interceptor missiles. 

“According to the plans, the Baltic Sea is to be made ‘completely transparent’ through real-time monitoring. Specifically, ‘cost-effective unmanned underwater drones’ are to ‘patrol large areas’ for this purpose.” 

…and they don’t know what they are talking about… 

How Would a European Army Fare Against Russia? 

Le Figaro wrote on January 1, 2026: 

“After Ukraine, could Russia decide to attack Europe? Vladimir Putin recently reiterated that he had no intention of doing so. However, the 2025 National Strategic Review, an official document that guides French defense policy, states in black and white that ‘by 2030, the main threat to France and Europeans is the risk of open warfare against the heart of Europe.’ 

“In the meantime, Europe intends to accelerate its rearmament and strengthen its defense industry. In the event of a confrontation, how would its combined military forces fare against Russia’s? Such is the question addressed by experts at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) in a study entitled ‘Europe-Russia: Assessment of the Balance of Power.’… Ifri aggregated the personnel and equipment of all European NATO member countries, i.e., 23 EU states and seven other European countries, excluding Turkey… 

“In terms of a land confrontation, Russia has the advantage in numbers. Its ground forces are estimated at around 950,000 soldiers, compared to 750,000 for the European countries of NATO… 

“In terms of aerospace,… Europe has a clear superiority over Russia, both quantitatively and qualitatively… At sea, Europe has an ‘indisputable qualitative advantage’ thanks to its hundred or so large surface vessels — three times more than the Russian navy… Moscow’s great strength lies in its submarines, a ‘serious threat’ given Europe’s ‘limited’ anti-submarine capabilities… 

“Another area of confrontation is space. Here, the balance of power is ‘more nuanced,’ notes Ifri. Russia inherited a large fleet of military satellites from the USSR, exceeding that of Europe (100 to 60)… But Europe has enjoyed a satellite navigation system that is… ‘certainly superior’ to the Russian GLONASS system… 

“Russia, a ‘nuclear superpower,’ has approximately 1,700 strategic nuclear warheads deployed and approximately 2,600 in reserve, according to the authors of the study. This ‘plethora’ of weapons is intended, in Russia’s view, to ensure its ‘escalation superiority.’ In response to this, most European countries benefit from the United States’ so-called ‘extended’ nuclear deterrence, which takes the form of nuclear sharing agreements and the stationing of around 100 B61-12 tactical nuclear bombs. 

“This bulwark is complemented by the arsenal of the two independent nuclear powers in Europe, France and the United Kingdom, which have ‘several hundred strategic warheads each.’ However, ‘if the credibility of the United States’ extended deterrence were to be seriously undermined or prove to be failing, Europe would suffer […] from a strategic imbalance with Russia,’ warns Ifri.” 

But Europe will first attack the USA and the UK, before fighting a war with Russia. 

Chinese Dictatorship and Aggression 

Breitbart wrote on January 2: 

“Xi Jinping proclaimed that the Chinese… and the nation of Taiwan ‘share a bond of blood and kinship,’ insisting that China’s colonization of Taiwan was ‘unstoppable’ in an address to mark the new year… Xi also emphasized the importance of Beijing imposing itself on Hong Kong… ‘We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship. The reunification of our motherland… is unstoppable!’ Xi declared. Xi also celebrated his government’s destructive policies towards the indigenous people of Tibet and East Turkistan… 

“Xi has spearheaded an ongoing campaign of genocide against the indigenous Turkic people of East Turkistan, in particular the local Uyghur population, fueled by mass forced sterilization, the imprisoning of millions in concentration camps, and state-sponsored slavery. In Tibet, Xi has effectively outlawed Tibetan ethnic identity, including banning Tibetan Buddhism… Tibetans have also, on a slightly smaller scale, been forced into labor camps…” 

China’s goals are blatantly obvious. 

Mamdani New York Mayor 

Breitbart wrote on January 1: 

“Socialist Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, taking the oath of office as he placed his hand on the Islamic Quran in a private ceremony. In doing so Mamdani, a Democrat, was confirmed as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city. 

“The strictly invitation-only gathering [was] overseen by New York Attorney General Letitia James… AP further reports the immigrant from Uganda will be sworn in again, in much grander style, in a public ceremony at City Hall… by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s confessed political heroes.” 

What a gathering of controversial left-wing politicians! 

Mamdani Revokes Orders Protecting Israel 

Fox News added on January 2: 

“Israel tore into New York City Mayor… Mamdani after he revoked a pair of executive orders signed by former Mayor Eric Adams that supported the Jewish state [and which were created to fight Antisemitism.].  

“‘On his very first day as New York City mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,’ Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X. ‘This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.’…

“Mamdani has repeatedly described Israel as an apartheid state, accused it of committing genocide in Gaza, and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested..” 

Whatever happened to the “friendly” meeting between Trump and Mamdani at the White House? What a joke that was! Mamdani said he called Trump to voice his strong disagreement with America’s invasion of Venezuela. 

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.

Iran at War With USA and Europe

Newsmax wrote on December 27:

“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran is at war with the West and Israel. ‘In my opinion, we are in a full-fledged war with America, Israel, and Europe; they do not want our country to stand on its feet,’ he said Saturday…

“Pezeshkian said the West’s war against Iran is ‘more complicated and more difficult’ compared to the 1980-88 war with Iraq that left more than 1 million casualties on both sides. ‘In the war with Iraq, the situation was clear: they fired missiles, and I also knew where to hit. Here, they are besieging us from every aspect, they are putting us in difficulty and constraint, creating problems – in terms of livelihood, culturally, politically, and security-wise – while raising society’s expectations,’ he said… 

“The remarks came two days before a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during which Iran is expected to be a key topic in the talks. Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran that came during a 12-day air war in June killed nearly 1,100 Iranians including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Retaliatory missile barrages by Iran killed 28 in Israel.” 

The New York Post added on December 27: 

“Iran’s president declared they were in a ‘total war’ with the US, Israel and Europe, just as Tehran looks to rebuild its nuclear capabilities and strengthen ties with Hamas… 

“As tensions between the Middle Eastern rivals ramps up, a Tehran-backed candidate is also likely to win a major election to a leading role with Hamas… al-Hayya is considered to be close to Iran, according to those same sources who told the outlet he would have a clearly adversarial stance toward Israel — as a tenuous Gaza peace deal hangs in the balance… 

“Israeli sources claim that the Islamic Republic is repairing its air defense systems and rebuilding its ballistic missile program… Netanyahu remains skeptical of the plan to demilitarize Gaza…” 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was widely considered by the USA and the EU as a moderate-reformist, promising more social freedoms (like women’s hijab choice), better nuclear talks, and economic relief.

Europe Shifts Away From USA and Israel 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 29: 

“… the US, Israel, and Europe, the ones listed as enemies by Iran, should all be friends. But the truth is that they are not all friends… The US and Israel are certainly openly, publicly, and historically the best of friends on the international stage… It is Europe that is the problematic part of the equation…

“The Iranian President does not have a proper understanding of Europe. Europe is not merely moving further and further away from the US and Israel in terms of diplomacy, doctrine, and politics, but also because Europe is moving closer and closer towards Iran… Europe has fallen into an abyss. Europe has become a branch, an extension, of Islam – and it has a name. Today, there is a phenomenon that is referred to as European Islam… Europe is more and more rapidly, and more and more evidently, shifting away from alliances with the US and, even more so, with Israel. Because their population is shifting toward Islam. 

“The US is also shifting. The obvious example is the American political stage. What began with the election of several openly pro-Islam members of Congress blossomed into the election of New York City’s Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The election of Mamdani is a classic example of not just a shift in American politics, but also of the move away from Israel… 

“The metropolitan area of Paris is estimated to be around 10–15% Muslim, with higher concentrations in certain suburbs. London is estimated to be around 12–15% Muslim, with much higher percentages in the areas of Tower Hamlets and Newham. Birmingham is estimated to be 20–22% Muslim. Manchester has about 15–16% Muslims. Brussels is estimated to be around 20–25% Muslim. Marseille is about 25–30%. Rotterdam is about 20–25% Muslim. Amsterdam has around a 15–25% Muslim population. The Hague & Utrecht have around a 13–15% Muslim population.

Berlin is around 9–12% Muslim. Cologne is around 10–12%. Vienna around 10–12%. Copenhagen is about 10%. Stockholm & Malmö each have around 15–20% Muslims…

“The dream of Muslim revolutionaries is to generate influence in the West and then take over. They want to flip the world into a Muslim oriented society. The fulfilment of that dream necessitates a shift away from the US and especially away from Israel.” 

Europe is prophesied to shift away from Islam, but their disassociation from the USA and Israel will continue.

Time to Ditch U.S. Aid

Israel 365 News wrote on December 24:

“Israel is on the verge of a decision that could fundamentally alter its relationship with the United States—and the world… The idea of ending $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid might sound unthinkable, but Israel has reached a point where it no longer needs to rely on the U.S. to maintain its security. 

“The country’s defense industry is more self-sufficient than ever, capable of developing cutting-edge technology and securing international contracts without U.S. support. And yet, for years, American aid has come with a price: U.S. influence over Israel’s strategic decisions. From the Sinai withdrawal in 1979 to the Iran nuclear deal, American aid has been tied to political concessions, shaping the very direction of Israeli policy… 

“The question is whether Israel can afford to cut this tie. After all, the U.S. has been a powerful ally, and the aid has undoubtedly strengthened Israel’s military. But there’s another side to this coin. The dependence on U.S. military assistance has limited Israel’s autonomy, forcing it to align with American policies that don’t always serve its best interests. Israel’s defense decisions, at times, have been dictated by the conditions of foreign aid, leaving it vulnerable to political pressure.

“It’s time for Israel to make its own decisions, without needing Washington’s approval. The country has proven its ability to thrive without the U.S. at its side, from securing billions in defense contracts with countries like Germany and Greece to developing some of the most advanced military technologies in the world… 

“There will be fierce resistance, particularly from the U.S. military-industrial complex, which benefits greatly from the current arrangement. Companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon rely on the billions in defense contracts that U.S. aid provides. But for Israel, cutting this financial dependency would mean regaining control over its strategic decisions and no longer being beholden to outside pressures. 

“It’s time for Israel to stop borrowing security from the U.S. and start building its own future—one where it can act without fear of being manipulated, and where its defense decisions are its own to make.” 

Building the Temple 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 25, 2025: 

“Against the backdrop of the change in policy on the Temple Mount, Finance Minister (RZP) Bezalel Smotrich spoke to thousands of participants at a conference marking the anniversary of Rabbi Kook’s passing on Sunday. Smotrich spoke twice during the event, which took place at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. His first speech in the afternoon addressed the ongoing war. 

“When Smotrich took the stage for a second time, in front of the thousands of people present, Smotrich smiled at Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and said, ‘I will give the money, you will build the Temple.’ The crowd burst into laughter, and sources who were there told Walla that Smotrich said it ‘as a joke’… In response, Lion replied to Smotrich: ‘You are the best finance minister Jerusalem has ever had.’ 

“… it comes at a time when there is, in fact, a de facto shift in the policy surrounding the Temple Mount.”

Trade War Between China and EU Continues

Reuters wrote on December 22:

“China will impose provisional duties of up to 42.7% on dairy products imported from the European Union, the latest in a series of measures against EU exports widely seen as retaliation for the bloc’s electric vehicle tariffs… 

“Trade tensions with the EU erupted in 2023 when the European Commission launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles. It imposed tariffs in October 2024. In apparent retaliation, Beijing has imposed measures on imports of EU brandy, pork and now dairy… China imported $589 million of dairy products… in 2024…”

Russia Supports China

ntv reported on December 28: 

“Russia has demonstratively sided with its ally China in international conflicts. The government in Moscow rejects Taiwan’s independence in any form and considers the island an inseparable part of China, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a published statement.

“Democratically governed Taiwan is considered a breakaway province by the People’s Republic of China. President Xi Jinping has not ruled out the use of force to reintegrate the island. The US supports Taiwan and has warned against military action.” 

Trump Administration Acknowledges Birth of Christ in Christmas Messages 

Breitbart wrote on December 26: 

“Several agencies and Trump administration officials acknowledged the birth of Jesus Christ in several Christmas messages… ‘Rejoice America, Christ is born!’ DHS wrote in a post on X, which also included a video with the song, ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.’ 

“‘Merry Christmas to all,’ [Secretary of War Pete] Hegseth wrote in a post on X. ‘Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May His light bring peace, hope, and joy to you and our families.’ 

“‘Merry Christmas and aloha from our family to yours,’ [Director of National Intelligence] Gabbard wrote in a post on X. ‘May we spend this day and every day remembering Jesus Christ and following his message to us all: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like unto it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39).’ 

“‘The joyous message of Christmas is the hope of Eternal Life through Christ,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X. ‘Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season filled with hope and peace.’… 

‘‘Praise God!’ one person wrote. ‘I vote for my government to promote the true religion.’” 

What a mockery of the concept of true love, true peace, and the true God.

Trump’s Destruction of the Old World Order

On December 27, The Daily Mail published the following remarkable article by Andrew Neil:

“This was the year the old world order ended. The order that had defeated Nazi Germany, the greatest evil the modern world has known, then went on to see off Soviet communism – the other great evil of the age 

“The order that rebuilt – from the carnage, ruins and dictatorships of the Second World War – prosperous Western European democracies. Then embraced the new democracies of Eastern Europe as they threw off their communist yoke. 

“The order that, for all its many lapses in living up to its principles, placed liberal democracy, human rights and the prosperity of the people at the core of its purpose, leading to the greatest rise in global living standards these past eight decades the world has ever known…

“The old order was no doubt in need of a reboot, a recalibration, a refocusing for the 21st century. Instead, it is being swept away, for no good reason, by an American president with no knowledge of history, little grasp of geopolitics and scant regard for the principles of democracy and freedom which made the world a safer place the more they were adopted across the globe.

“A president… whose only concern is furthering the narrow, short-term interest of an isolationist America… It is the ruthless, unprincipled application to foreign policy… in which everything is reduced to a ‘deal’ and nothing matters but power, money, success and self-interest – attitudes that mark the death knell of an old world order…

“To be replaced by what? We do not yet know for sure. No doubt the coming year will improve our comprehension of what is in store. Those contours that we can already discern are not encouraging.

“Next year will hasten America’s retreat from Europe, which will increasingly be left to its own devices, as President Trump focuses his attention and American power on the Western Hemisphere – where he has imperial ambitions.

“That is why, as 2025 draws to an end, he has assembled a massive armada off the coast of Venezuela. The pretext is a crackdown on drug-smugglers speeding towards America in high-powered boats. The real goal, of course, is to topple Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, whose regime has impoverished the country, even though it sits on the biggest oil reserves in the world.

“The US Navy is now seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan crude oil exports, which account for 90 per cent of Maduro’s revenues. The loss of these funds would be catastrophic for the man in Caracas…

“But there is a further, so far unspoken, purpose to Trump’s Caribbean military adventure: his aim is also to bring down the flailing communist regime in Cuba, which is just as much an economic basket case as Venezuela…

“If Trump could bring down both regimes early in 2026 he would regard it as vindication of his new emphasis on increasing US power in its own backyard. His aim is to surround America with governments that will do its bidding. He’s already achieved that in Panama… Trump has indicated Colombia could be next if Venezuela falls.

“Argentina is already in hock to Washington, with $20 billion of US support for its currency. Canada will remain under pressure to fall in line with whatever is Trump’s latest whim. Even Greenland is still in his sights. He’s just appointed a new envoy who has described his job as ‘a volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US’. The Danes, under whose control Greenland falls, are increasingly nervous.

“The more Trump concentrates on his own backyard, the more the US retreat from Europe will gather pace. I find it astonishing that European leaders have still to grasp the immensity of the geopolitical shift that is now under way.

“It isn’t just that the European leg of Nato can no longer count on US military when the chips are down – the fact is that Trump’s America is no longer even on our side, a harsh reality that will become apparent as next year unfolds…

“The coming year will see the effective end of US financial and military aid to Ukraine. It already started to dry up this year. If Europe means what it says about standing by Ukraine then, in 2026, it will have to become Europe’s war, without American back-up. Despite all the supportive rhetoric it is by no means clear Europe’s leaders are up for this…

“I have little hope of peace breaking out in Ukraine. No Ukrainian leader could accept what President Putin wants: to consolidate his grip on the east; place severe limits on the size of free Ukraine’s military; replace President Zelensky with a leader more disposed to the Kremlin – then wait for the rest of Ukraine to fall into his lap. Patience has always been a key ingredient of Russian strategy.

“Although Putin is the real roadblock to peace, the Russian dictator knows Trump will blame Ukraine (and its European backers) for the lack of progress. He expects Trump to throw his toys out of the pram in frustration sometime in the first half of 2026 and depart the scene, saying it’s now on Europe to handle the conflict while he doubles down on the Western Hemisphere.

“This will hand the advantage to Putin, which is why 2026 is so dangerous… Russian cyber-attacks and sabotage in Europe, which increased this year, will become endemic next year. Russian drones have recently flown over Poland, Germany and Denmark, causing civilian airports to shut.

“These ‘grey-zone’ provocations will intensify next year, designed to intimidate Europe into loosening its commitment to Ukraine. In the next 12 months we will discover if Europe has the backbone to resist them…

“[Trump’s] presidency is now being rocked by a cost-of-living crisis. His MAGA movement is now gripped by low-intensity civil war. The bookies reckon there’s an 80 per cent chance the Republicans will lose the House come the November mid-term elections. That would limit his scope for mischief. But the modern US imperial presidency has plenty of room for maneuver, especially in foreign policy.

“I expect Trump to be as active as ever on that front in 2026. There is talk in the White House of bringing the Kremlin in from the economic cold with a spate of US-Russian energy deals, perhaps even a joint carve-up of Ukrainian resources… I’ve even heard top aides muse about a new world order in Trump’s image. America dominant and unchallenged in the Western Hemisphere. But calling the shots in the rest of the world through a new alliance of America, Russia, China, India and perhaps even Japan (now with a Trump-style leader).

“Europe, of course, is nowhere in any of these plans. If, in 2026, it doesn’t at last dawn on Europe (including Britain) that we’re on our own then I doubt it ever will – at least not before it’s too late.”

An interesting article with insightful comments. But Europe will wake up to reality, and it will emerge as an incredible economic and military power surpassing the USA.

“False Smiles at the Trump Summit”

On December 29, Bild Online published the following commentary by Paul Ronzheimer:

“One day after the summit in Mar-a-Lago, one thing is clear above all: Vladimir Putin (73) remains unyielding on the crucial issues. He is not budging an inch in the negotiations. The friendly atmosphere of the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy cannot disguise the fact that nothing has changed regarding the fundamental positions.

“A Ukrainian government insider told BILD: ‘We can hold countless meetings and have dozens of phone calls, but one thing remains unchanged: Putin wants the entire Donbas – and much more. He has nowhere clearly stated that he wants peace.’…

“A Ukrainian diplomat familiar with the talks told BILD: ‘After phone calls with Putin, we always experience the same pattern. Trump subsequently reverts to the Russian maximalist demands – even though he had previously shown considerable understanding. How are we supposed to agree to a peace that is effectively tantamount to surrender?’…”

“While Europe will be involved, it remains unclear whether European states would be willing to take real military risks – especially in light of Russian threats to consider Western troops as legitimate targets…

“In Ukraine, there is unity within the government and the military: nothing indicates that Putin is willing to make genuine compromises. A Ukrainian military officer told BILD: ‘The intensity of the Russian attacks on all fronts speaks volumes.’”

“Sounds Good, But It’s Not Enough!”

Bild Online wrote on December 29:

“The meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday at Trump’s luxury resort Mar-a-Lago raised high expectations – and at the same time left many doubts.

“While it did bring some movement to the negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine, there can be no talk of a breakthrough.”

Welt Online wrote on December 29:

“The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy ended without any discernible breakthrough…”

Thorniest Issues Unresolved

The Sun wrote on December 29:

“The thorniest issue yet to be resolved is land, the US president said, but security guarantees to end the war were ‘95 per cent done.’ Trump told the Ukrainian leader: ‘You’re better off making a deal now.’

“He said: “I think the land you’re talking about, some of that land has been taken. Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months…’”

Trump Wants to Destroy Europe?

Express wrote on December 29: 

“Russia believes Donald Trump wants to ‘destroy Europe’ as the President sparks criticism for his handling of peace talks with Ukraine.  Media in Moscow is hailing Trump’s stance, with the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda saying: ‘America no longer sees our country as a threat. The threat is now a militaristic Europe… He sees Europe as a liberal stronghold that must be destroyed to Make America Great Again.’…’ 

“Russia Thanks Trump and Celebrates ‘Total Victory’ Over Ukraine” 

Express wrote on December 31: 

“Russian state media has claimed a victory over Ukraine after a Florida summer between Donald Trump and Volodimir Zelensky appears to have forced Ukraine into making concessions… 

“According to Russian broadcaster and noted Kremlin Propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, Moscow is delighted with how the meeting went, claiming it was all part of his country’s plan. Speaking on his evening show, Solovyov said: ‘We have achieved a knockout victory’… He also claimed that a call between Trump and Moscow took place shortly before the Ukrainian president landed. 

“Solovyov goes on to see that the phone call ‘completely destroyed Zelensky’s plans’… The broadcaster’s statements need to be taken with a grain of salt, but still give an insight into the optimism within the Kremlin for this deal to be weighed in Russia’s favour. 

“Their talk has worried many in Kiev, with Yuriy Boyechko, CEO and founder of Hope for Ukraine – a non-profit delivering humanitarian aid to war-torn Ukrainians – slamming Mr Trump’s approach as dangerously detached from reality. Mr Boyechko added: ‘This treats Putin as a co-partner whose approval is needed, signalling to Kyiv that peace will come on Moscow’s terms…’ 

“Concerns escalated at the joint press conference, where Mr Trump insisted Putin ‘wants to see the war end’ and was ‘very generous’ towards Ukraine succeeding, even pledging Russian help with reconstruction via cheap energy and electricity.” 

Trump is indeed dangerously detached from reality.  

Russia Prevents Peace 

Newsmax wrote on December 31: 

“Without adding any comment, President Donald Trump shared a New York Post opinion piece Wednesday that asserts that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘bluster’ shows that Russia, not Ukraine, is standing in the way of a peace agreement. The piece, posted on Trump’s Truth Social page Wednesday, accuses Putin of shedding ‘crocodile tears’ through claims that the Ukrainians had launched drones at one of his homes in an attempt to kill him. 

“The Post’s editorial board notes that Russia’s reporting came after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago residence, where several compromises were reached on a peace plan… 

“‘It’s rich that Putin, who has waged a brutal war for nearly four years, believes that any violence in his vicinity merits special outrage,’ the Post noted. ‘After all, Russia launched 131 drones on Christmas at Kyiv and other cities, killing seven civilians.’ The publication also said an attack on Putin is ‘more than justified,’ considering the attempts made to assassinate Zelenskyy.  Further, the drone attack was not confirmed…” 

When the World Doesn’t End… 

ntv wrote on December 27: 

“It’s a story that repeats itself again and again: A (mostly) religious group announces a specific date for the end of the world.  The followers prepare themselves, quit their jobs, sell their houses, and say goodbye to friends. And then… nothing happens… 

“William Miller, a Baptist lay preacher from New York, had studied the Bible for years and developed a calculation: Based on the Book of Daniel and some of Jesus’ words from the Gospels, he concluded that Jesus Christ would return in 1844. His message spread like wildfire, and he gained many loyal followers. The so-called ‘Millerites’ were born. 

“In the months leading up to the supposed end of the world, which Miller finally scheduled for October 22, 1844, many of the believers prepared themselves for the end. People paid off their debts to stand ‘pure’ before God. Farmers left their fields unharvested, shopkeepers gave away their goods—why accumulate supplies, why earn money, if everything was going to be over soon anyway?  Consequently, the despair was great when, on October 23, the sun simply rose as it did every other day… 

“Hiram Edson, one of Miller’s most devoted followers, had a revelation ‘the day after’: The date was correct, but the event had been misunderstood! Jesus had not returned to Earth, but had entered the innermost sanctuary of the heavenly temple.  Therefore, a new era had not begun visibly on Earth, but invisibly in heaven… This group eventually developed into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a worldwide church with now over 20 million members…” 

“One popular strategy is the very spiritualization that the Millerites employed: the event did take place, but on an invisible level. This ‘theological trick’ is also used, for example, by Jehovah’s Witnesses, who expected the return of Christ in 1914. When nothing happened, the leadership declared that Jesus had been invisibly installed as king in heaven…” 

Christ said, You do NOT know the exact time of My return.

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.

US No Longer Reliable Ally 

Politico wrote on December 21: 

“Trump continues to antagonize the United States’ traditional European allies, deriding them… as ‘weak’ and a ‘decaying group of nations’… 

“Like many other European nations, France sees Russia has a growing threat to the continent. So it is preparing to defend itself against… a ‘violent test’ from Russia in the next three to four years that it would need to counter without much, if any, help from Washington… 

“The challenge is even higher as it’s becoming increasingly clear they can no longer rely on the United States as a primary security provider. Successive U.S. presidents — including Barack Obama and Joe Biden — have warned over the past decade that Washington would eventually have to focus on the Indo-Pacific region instead of Europe, but the Trump administration has already matched those words with action. 

“That is putting the spotlight on France, the EU’s only nuclear power and a country with independent weapons makers that has long warned the continent should become more autonomous in areas such as technology and defense… the way France and Germany, the EU’s largest countries, respond in the coming months and years will determine whether other European countries will turn to them for Europe’s defense or try to retain bilateral ties with Washington at the expense of EU and NATO unity… 

“France’s distrust of America dates back to 1956, when U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower forced it and Britain to back down from a military intervention to regain control of the Suez Canal from Egypt, leaving Paris feeling betrayed and humiliated. Since then,… France’s defense policy has been based on the assumption that the U.S. is not a reliable ally and that the Western European nation should be able to defend itself on its own if need be. The memory of the Suez incident contributed to former French President Charles de Gaulle’s decision to leave NATO and develop its own nuclear program. 

“Now, European capitals… are starting to increasingly realize France might have been right all along… Since Trump came back to power in January, the clues of Washington’s disengagement from — if not disdain of — Europe have been hard to ignore… Less than one year after Trump returned to the White House, influential German voices… are no longer looking at Washington as an ally… 

“The French president said France’s military expenditures will increase by €6.7 billion next year, bringing the country’s total defense spending to more than €57.1 billion. In comparison, German lawmakers this week greenlit €50 billion in weaponry procurement — Germany’s military expenditures are expected to reach more than €82 billion next year…” 

It’s all in line with biblical prophecy for the USA and Europe. 

“Rubio Warns Europe Risks Destroying ‘Shared Culture’ of Western Civilization“

Breitbart wrote on December 20: 

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Europe risks destroying the ‘shared culture’ of the West and in turn weaken bonds with the United States… Rubio doubled down on the assertions made in the White House’s National Security Strategy memo, which declared that Europe faces ‘civilizational erasure’ if it continues globalist policies of mass migration and attacks on fundamental liberties such as freedom of speech. 

“The memo has riled feathers in Europe, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying that many aspects of the document were ‘unacceptable to us from a European perspective.’ Meanwhile, the… head of the European Commission… Ursula von der Leyen demanded that the United States not ‘interfere’ in European democracy… 

“Rubio specifically pointed to the problems surrounding mass migration, citing the recent Islamist terror attack at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Australia as an example. ‘Mass migration over the last decade has been highly disruptive, not just to the United States but also to continental Europe and in some cases in the Indo-Pacific as well. So I just think this is a real challenge that multiple Western advanced, industrialized countries are facing…” 

“Row Over ‘Censorship’ Escalates” 

The Guardian wrote on December 24: 

“The French president… and the European Union have accused Washington of ‘coercion and intimidation’, after the US imposed a visa ban on five prominent European figures who have been at heart of the campaign to introduce laws regulating American tech giants. The visa bans were imposed on Tuesday on [French] Thierry Breton, a former EU commissioner and one of the architects of the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), and four anti-disinformation campaigners, including two in Germany and two in the UK… 

“Justifying the visa bans, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, wrote on X: ‘For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organised efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.’… the row threatens to become part of a far wider existing cultural and political conflict between Donald Trump’s administration and Europe… 

“Macron condemned the visa ban in furious terms… Breton, a former French finance minister and the European commissioner for the internal market from 2019 to 2024, said: ‘Is McCarthy’s witch-hunt back?…’ 

“A European Commission spokesperson said: ‘If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures’… 

“Germany’s justice ministry said the two German campaigners had the government’s ‘support and solidarity’ and the visa bans were unacceptable… 

“Raphaël Glucksmann, a French socialist MEP, said in a message to Rubio: ‘For far too long, Europe has been weak in implementing its own laws and defending its own interests. You have chosen to cosy up tyrants and confront democracies. The time has come for us to stand up. Kneel as much as you want in front of Putin, we are the free world now. We are not a colony of the United States. We are Europeans, we must defend our laws, our principles, our interests. This scandalous sanction against Thierry Breton pays tribute to his fight for our sovereignty. We will continue it together. To the end.’… 

“Michel Duclos, a former senior French diplomat [said:]… ‘Europe is becoming the new Russia for Washington. It brings to mind the 1920s – America favouring the former enemy [Germany) against its former allies – but worse.’ 

“The chair of the German Journalists’ Association, Mika Beuster, [said:] ‘This is censorship in its purest form, the likes of which we have previously only known from autocratic regimes’…” 

Politico added on December 24: 

“The sanctions, announced Tuesday, also revoke the U.S. visas of British citizens Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford…  Ahmed, who currently lives in Washington, faces immediate deportation… 

“The move is the latest in a series of warning shots volleyed by the U.S. at allies over what it views as unfair efforts to regulate American social media and tech giants, including Elon Musk-owned X, which was slapped with a Euro 120 million fine earlier this month for violating the bloc’s content moderation law….” 

US Military Presence in Europe Throughout 2026 

Caliber wrote on December 20: 

“US President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation that sets a minimum level of 76,000 American troops in Europe throughout 2026… Under the law, the number of US service members stationed on the continent may not fall below that threshold for more than 45 days… 

“According to the Pentagon, approximately 100,000 US troops are currently deployed in Europe, including more than 65,000 permanently stationed personnel, with the remainder serving on rotational deployments… The law also provides for: $400 million in funding for arms procurement for Ukraine; Financing for the Golden Dome missile defence shield initiated by Trump; A US defence budget of approximately $900 billion for the next fiscal year, $8 billion higher than the administration’s previous proposal.” 

Denmark Fumes Over New US Envoy to Greenland

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 22: 

“Denmark is incensed at the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as new US special envoy to Greenland as President Donald Trump continues to heap pressure on the Nordic nation and looks to take over the autonomous territory from Copenhagen. 

“In appointing Landry on Sunday, Trump — who has threatened to take Greenland by force from ally Denmark if necessary — wrote that the southern governor, ‘understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.’ 

“Landry took to the social media platform X to thank Trump for the appointment, writing, ‘It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.’ 

“On Monday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the move left him ‘deeply angered’ and said Washington must respect Denmark’s sovereignty, with Copenhagen vowing to summon the US ambassador in protest… Rasmussen told Denmark’s TV 2 that he was ‘particularly upset by his [Landry’s] statements,’ calling them ‘completely unacceptable,’ and adding to the Reuters news agency: ‘We insist that everyone — including the US — must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.’ 

“Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said news of the appointment, ‘might sound like a big deal,’ but added that it ‘doesn’t change anything for us here at home. We will determine our future ourselves,’ he said. In a joint statement with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Nielsen added: ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the US shall not take over Greenland.’… 

“Trump, who floated the option of buying Greenland and established a new consulate there during his first term, has repeatedly threatened to get it no matter what since returning to office in January 2025. He has sought to emphasize Greenland’s location and mineral riches as key to US national security and has ignored the wishes of Greenlanders and Danish leaders in his pursuit…” 

Interest-Free Loan for Ukraine 

Times of Oman wrote on December 19: 

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the European Council’s decision to grant Ukraine a €90 billion loan a ‘decisive message for an end to the war.’ 

“The interest-free loan is enough to cover Ukraine’s military and budgetary needs for the next two years, he pointed out in a statement. And Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘will only make concessions once he realizes his war will not pay off,’ Merz said. ‘If Russia does not pay reparations we will — in full accordance with international law — make use of Russian immobilized assets for paying back the loan,’ Merz added. 

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized the EU’s decision on the €90 billion loan to Ukraine. ‘It’s lost money,’ said Orban, who is seen as one of Russia’s closest allies in Europe. ‘The good news is that we’re staying out,’ he said. 

“Hungary, along with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, were given an exemption from the loan commitment to avoid them blocking the decision.” 

How giving a loan to Ukraine to enable it to keep on fighting will guarantee that the war will end is an unexplained mystery. 

Peaceful Russia? 

Tulsi Gabbard, US Director of National Intelligence, wrote on December 21  wrote on X: 

“Deep State warmongers and their Propaganda Media are again trying to undermine President Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine—and indeed Europe—by falsely claiming that the ‘U.S. intelligence community’ agrees to and supports EU/NATO viewpoint that Russia’s aim is to invade/conquer Europe (in order to gin up support for their pro-war policies). The truth is that ‘US intelligence’ assesses that Russia does not even have the capability to conquer and occupy Ukraine…” 

Maybe not now, but it WILL occur later. 

Russia Scraps Military Pacts With Europe 

TRT World wrote on December 20: 

“The Russian government on Saturday officially authorised the Defence Ministry to terminate a series of bilateral military cooperation agreements signed with several European nations between 1992 and 2002. 

“The termination list includes agreements with Germany, Poland, and Norway, as well as similar pacts with Bulgaria, Romania, Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands, Croatia, Belgium and the Czech Republic.” 

“US Intelligence Chief Calls Reuters Report on Putin’s War Aims a ‘Lie'” 

MDR reported on December 21: 

“The Director of National Intelligence of the United States, Tulsi Gabbard, has rejected a Reuters report claiming that US intelligence agencies believed Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to conquer all of Ukraine. 

“Gabbard wrote on X that this was ‘a lie and propaganda.’  She claimed Reuters was ‘willingly serving warmongers’ who are undermining US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The truth, she said, is that US intelligence assesses that Russia wants to avoid a larger war with NATO…”

This is more than questionable. 

“Painful Truths” 

Die Welt wrote on December 19: 

“Ukraine will lose the war against Russia – Europeans must admit this, even if it hurts…” 

Trump on the Run 

t-online wrote on December 18: 

“Donald Trump’s annual address revealed a US president on the run – not only from the facts and from his own responsibility. At an unusually early stage, he finds himself confronted with a loss of power… But instead of spreading credible optimism in his prime-time address, Trump’s appearance once again primarily devolved into a personal settling of scores with his political opponents and a strategic concealment of his own failures… 

“Trump is finding it increasingly difficult to mask his plummeting approval ratings. These are now the worst of his two terms in office. The same applies to the growing tensions within his own party ahead of the difficult midterm elections for the Republicans next year. The signs that Trump is already governing like a ‘lame duck’ after only the first eleven months are multiplying. This is unusually early for a president in his second term.” 

“With all the lies and omissions in his year-end address, Trump appeared noticeably rushed, nervous, even almost slightly panicked.  That, at least, is how numerous people from his own political camp commented on the performance.  Perhaps this was a man quickly reading a defense speech from a teleprompter before the electorate delivers its verdict on him in the midterm elections. This was a president who is already on the run.” 

“A Battered America” 

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 19: 

”President Donald Trump’s end of year speech to the American public that took place on December 17^th was full of conceits over how the United States under the new regime in power is moving ahead on all fronts to benefit the American people. The reality is somewhat different with a struggling economy, inflation and growing unemployment as well as wars and rumors of wars. The only economic sector that appears to be doing just fine is the ‘military industrial complex’… For sure, the warfare bill is helping to expand the nation’s debt while providing little in the way of national security due to profound ignorance combined with serial blundering by those in power in and around the White House. 

“The unavoidable fact that Trump has created a mess nearly everywhere that he has trod has been visible practically since inauguration day eleven months ago, made worse by the incoherent and frequently contradictory explanations coming out of the Oval Office itself… 

“Regarding Russia and Ukraine, Trump’s fumbling negotiating team consisting of two property developers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner…  consistently fail to appreciate what Russia’s redlines are… 

“All of which leads us to Israel… Early in December, the US Embassy in Jerusalem co-sponsored with the Israeli government a gathering of 1,000 evangelical pastors from the United States… The trip to Israel was paid for by the Israeli government according to reports… 

“Fox News host arch Israel Firster Mark Levin hailed President Donald Trump as ‘the first Jewish president’ during the [White House Hanukkah Party] on Tuesday… Interestingly, Levin aside, it has been plausibly asserted that Trump is indeed the first Jewish president, having converted in 2017… 

“Also at the Tuesday reception, Israeli Las Vegas casino magnate and top political donor Miriam Adelson publicly and openly declared that Trump could pursue a third term as president… She also pledged an additional $250 million in campaign support to fund such an initiative, prompting audience chants of ‘Four more years.’ Trump praised Adelson’s backing… 

“Trump just appointed Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun… as head of the office of the State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism where he will have the rank of Ambassador. Kaploun pledged… to work with social networks to curb the spread of antisemitic falsehoods online.” 

Interesting facts and comments in light of our belief that God has set aside Trump to build or help build the Third Temple in Jerusalem. 

Incompetent FBI 

The New York Post wrote on December 21: 

“[The] FBI was warned that Jeffrey Epstein was into child porn — but ignored it for 10 years… A former employee of late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein alerted the FBI that he was interested in ‘child pornography’ and that he threatened to ‘burn her house down’ decades before Epstein became an international fixation — but feds apparently did nothing. Maria Farmer, whom Epstein hired to help purchase art, filed a complaint against him on Sept. 3, 1996… 

“‘I’ve waited 30 years,’ Farmer told The New York Times when asked about a recently released report showing her complaint… ‘They should be ashamed,’ she continued. ‘…They harmed all of these little girls. That part devastates me.’ 

“Farmer has publicly claimed for years that she tried to inform the authorities about Epstein and his madam, Ghislaine Maxwell’s, predatory behavior. Until the latest batch of Epstein files was released on Friday, the FBI didn’t publicly confirm that she had filed that complaint, and Farmer faced accusations from some that she fabricated her story about going to the feds… 

“Critics… accused the Trump administration of failing to comply with the law by not releasing all the documents by Friday. Detractors also railed against the level of redactions in the Epstein files released.” 

Allegedly, many photos showing Trump were redacted. 

What’s the Point?

International Business Times wrote on December 20:

“The long-awaited disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files has arrived, but the resulting digital fallout suggests the public feels more deceived than informed. Instead of the transparency many had campaigned for, the release has sparked a firestorm of criticism over the heavy-handed use of the literal black pen.

“Over a hundred pages from the Epstein files are redacted, leading many to wonder ‘what was the point’ of releasing them in the first place… Public reaction turned swift and vitriolic as users began scouring the digital archives. The social media account UTOPIC reported that the files released are ‘apparently 90 percent redacted.’”

Trump’s “Absurd” National Security Threat Allegations 

The Daily Beast wrote on December 23: 

“It is unclear what prompted the president’s latest deranged rant. Donald Trump has accused The New York Times of being a [serious] national security threat in an unhinged Truth Social post… 

“Last week, the paper… published a detailed report examining Trump’s friendship with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, describing how the two ‘pursued women in a game of ego and dominance’ in which ‘female bodies were currency.’ In one particularly damaging section, a mother who accompanied her 14-year-old daughter to a party at Mar-a-Lago with other young models claimed she was warned by Trump’s then-wife, Marla Maples: ‘Whatever you do, do not let her around any of these men, and especially my husband.’ Maples denied making the remark to the Times… 

“The president ranted about the outlet while continuing to push a dubious claim that he had lowered the cost of prescription drugs by the mathematically impossible amount of up to ‘3,000 percent.’… 

“In response to the Truth Social attack, a spokesperson for the Times told the Daily Beast: ‘Our job is to report fully and fairly on the government, no matter which party is in power. That includes reporting things that officials would prefer to hide from the American people. We won’t be deterred from this responsibility by threats and bluster, from the president or anyone else.’” 

Even though Trump has been railing against the New York Times, calling it fake news, the truth is that it is widely considered a highly respected, leading news outlet and America’s newspaper of record, recognized globally for its extensive investigative and international journalism, numerous Pulitzer Prizes [more than any other news organization] and large digital readership [millions of subscribers and leading the industry]. 

Hegseth’s Accusations 

The Independent wrote on December 18: 

“Many Americans are ‘too dumb’ or ‘too fat’ to serve in the military, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a gathering of top recruiters at the Pentagon on Thursday,…  ‘not dumb, that’s wrong. You know, we’re just not educating them properly or they’ve got criminal records, or ADHD [Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder], or all these other things.’… 

“Hegseth has made a point of focusing on physical fitness throughout his time as secretary… and railing against ‘fat generals’…” 

The War Machine 

On December 22, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column of the Ron Paul Institute: 

“Late last week, Congress passed and President Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill marks the first time the US military budget officially passed the one trillion dollar mark. 

“Of course, when you add in other military-related spending such as interest on the debt, veterans’ affairs, and military components of other government agencies, the true number is at least one and a half times that amount… Congress is so addicted to military spending that they appropriated even more money than President Trump requested…” 

This incredible waste of money for all the wrong reasons and ungodly projects is appalling. When David numbered his army, he was severely punished by God. 

Tucker Carlson Inflames Raging Battle for MAGA’s Future 

The Washington Post wrote on December 20: 

“Tucker Carlson had some concerns. So he called President Donald Trump. The right-wing podcaster and provocateur wanted to understand why the U.S. was attacking alleged drug smuggling boats off the coast of Venezuela and he warned against pursuing regime change there — a prospect that has alarmed the more isolationist ‘America First’ Republicans in Trump’s movement. 

“The conversations last weekend… show how the Fox News castoff is at the center of some of the most heated disputes in MAGA — over foreign policy, antisemitism and conspiracy theories, among other topics heightening tensions in the movement… Carlson is a divisive and influential figure with an audience — on social media, among MAGA commentators and inside the White House… as a growing number of MAGA activists clash with Trump and each other, clouding the future of the movement, Carlson has become a more central figure this year, viewed as consequential by detractors and supporters alike. 

“… Carlson is trying to push the party away from foreign intervention and divorce it from Israel, which he argues exerts burdensome pressure on U.S. foreign policy, drawing accusations that he is repeating antisemitic tropes. He has entertained conspiracy theories about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that have angered many MAGA influencers, including Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk. And this fall, he interviewed white supremacist commentator Nick Fuentes, who has espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories… 

“Carlson vehemently rejects accusations of antisemitism. ‘Just because I don’t want to bow to the will of a foreign leader does not make me an antisemite, okay?’ he said. ‘I think antisemitism is immoral and I am against it.’… 

“To Carlson’s fans, he’s a champion of the populist ‘America First’ agenda they see as the future of the GOP… But others see Carlson as a threat to the conservative movement, elevating extreme ideas that the GOP has a responsibility to condemn — or at least not magnify… 

“Carlson spent years as a conservative commentator on CNN and MSNBC before landing at Fox News, where he rose… to the network’s most popular star… Carlson’s departure from Fox threatened to dramatically reduce his visibility in the party. Instead, freed from corporate constraints, he has rebuilt a large audience… 

“Over the summer, Carlson criticized the Trump administration’s bombing of Iran, prompting Trump to call him ‘kooky’… This past week, Carlson said he heard Trump was about to announce a war with Venezuela in a national address — and turned out to be incorrect. 

“But the two have also kept open lines of communication and praised each other…” 

Israel Surrounded by Enemies 

Israel Today wrote on December 19: 

“Israel is committed to the long-term demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and, if necessary, by force. That message was made unmistakably clear by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in an interview with Al Arabiya English, the Saudi outlet. If Hamas refuses to disarm as outlined in the US peace plan…, ‘Israel will have to deal with the problem,’ Sa’ar said… Senior Hamas leaders have stated publicly they have no intention of laying down their arms… If the threat continues, Israel cannot ignore it. That assessment is shared by Israel’s national security community, which has long argued that ceasefires without disarmament are merely pauses before the next escalation.

“Beyond Gaza, Sa’ar also addressed Israel’s northern borders. In Syria, he noted, the new regime in Damascus has recently hardened its position, delaying progress toward a potential security agreement… the facts on the ground remain deeply concerning. Syria is home to numerous militias, including extremist factions, some of which have committed atrocities against Alawite and Druze communities in recent months. Israel’s first priority, he said, remains the security of its own borders. 

“Lebanon, too, remains a major destabilizing factor. Hezbollah continues to undermine state sovereignty by refusing to comply with the Lebanese government’s call to disarm. Sa’ar made it clear that disarming the Shiite militia would not only strengthen Israel’s security—it would also help Lebanon free itself from foreign interference. The implication was obvious: Iran, which has armed and financed Hezbollah for years.” 

Trump’s Contempt for Logic 

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 22: 

“… regarding an American president now endowed with near-total decisional authority over nuclear weapons, a… fundamental concern should be Trump’s evident incapacity for logic-based reasoning. Though often minimized, underestimated, or overlooked, this conspicuous deficit could lead… to wholly unprecedented military conflicts…  each day’s news is replete with well-founded condemnations of Trump’s logical failings, historical inaccuracies, and contrived conclusions… 

“… it’s high time for Americans to worry not only about their current president’s transgressions, but also his intellectual debilities. At some not yet determinable point, the American president’s shortfalls of logic-based reasoning could bring us to the brink of a nuclear war.” 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Coming Demise

Andrew Neil wrote on December 20 in Daily Mail:

“The more Keir Starmer’s popularity plummets, the more he tries to shield himself from public scrutiny and the judgement of voters who’ve come not just to dislike him but, in many cases, to detest him.

“So local elections he knows Labour is going to lose are cancelled. Access for journalists trying to hold him and his government to account is curtailed. Opinions on race, gender and immigration which do not conform to his government’s liberal-left worldview are rigorously policed — and miscreants often penalised.

“No opportunity is missed for him to escape these shores even on the flimsiest of globetrotting excuses — making it all the easier for him to avoid proper interrogation on the disasters regularly unfolding back on the home front.

“The Prime Minister thinks all this will restore his tarnished reputation and eventually make him electable again. It is a sign of just how out of touch he is that he doesn’t realise they merely underwrite his one-way ticket to the knacker’s yard, which is printed out and ready to be issued before 2026 is over.” 

“They Are Immigrating to Germany—and Behaving Like Conquerors or Colonialists.” 

Die Welt wrote on December 21: 

“They believe they are at war: Islamists are immigrating to Western countries like conquerors, considering their culture inferior.  Regardless of the number of victims of attacks or rapes, German politicians are not confronting the problem.”

Merz’s Most Powerful Opponent? 

ntv wrote on December 19: 

“Russia’s appetite for war is meeting with little resistance, certainly not in Washington, Beijing, or New Delhi. Only Europe and a few allies outside the continent are standing up to Putin. At their head is Chancellor Merz, who is playing for high stakes to achieve even the bare minimum… In recent days, Friedrich Merz has thrown the full political weight of the Federal Republic of Germany into the balance to prevent the year from ending in a complete defeat for Ukraine and, consequently, for Europe. 

“Among the European countries, Germany, despite a profound economic crisis, is by far the most powerful on the side of Ukraine, and the Chancellor is demonstrating his determination to fulfill this responsibility these days. 

“At the EU summit, three EU states—Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia—opposed further aid for Ukraine. Other, smaller countries expressed doubts. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for several reasons, could not bring herself to offer consistent support for Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron cannot get his domestic political crisis under control because his country is more notable for its massive debt than for being a great nation. And Great Britain, since Brexit, stands alone anyway and only fits into this list because British Prime Minister Keir Starmer can only dream of achieving even Merz’s weak approval ratings. 

“This disunited, weakened Europe is therefore the one Merz must lead, because only a united EU, together with the British, Norwegians, Canadians, and Australians, can offer any meaningful resistance to the Russians, who are openly supported by China. And where the USA will stand in this conflict tomorrow is something even Donald Trump probably doesn’t know today…” 

“In Brussels, an agreement was finally reached on financing Ukraine, for which Merz, contrary to his convictions, also agreed to joint EU debt. The Chancellor did not achieve a complete victory. At a crucial moment, Europe failed to demonstrate the resolve to protect its own security interests, which Merz had so emphatically demanded on Monday. But: after the EU summit, Moscow must assume that Ukraine will continue fighting… 

“Now, however, there is at least a chance for talks that could lead to a ceasefire. Without the Chancellor, even this slim chance would probably not exist – and that currently makes Friedrich Merz Vladimir Putin’s most powerful opponent. How Russia will react to this will likely become clear soon.”

Spahn the New Chancellor? 

Focus wrote on December 20: 

“If Friedrich Merz were to fail as Chancellor, there is only one logical successor for FOCUS columnist Jan Fleischhauer. ‘If I had to bet on a replacement chancellor from the CDU right now,’ he says…, ‘I would say: Jens Spahn.’ 

“A name that polarizes. Spahn is considered politically tainted by many; he is accused of moral questionable behavior, from privately financed real estate purchases to the procurement of masks during the pandemic, which resulted in billions of euros in losses for taxpayers. 

“For Fleischhauer, however, the crucial question is not one of impeccable morals, but of political suitability. Spahn possesses qualities that would be more useful than detrimental in the Chancellor’s office. ‘He has the certain ruthlessness that you need for the job,’ says Fleischhauer. Added to this are toughness and assertiveness… less concern for internal party politics, more power instinct and leadership. And this is precisely where his comparison with Merz is telling….” 

Military Service in Germany

Die Zeit reported on December 19: 

“The Federal Council has approved the new military service. Starting in January 2026, all 18-year-olds born in 2008 and later will receive an information letter from the German armed forces (Bundeswehr). Men will then be required to fill out a questionnaire that, among other things, asks about their interest in serving in the Bundeswehr.  Filling out the questionnaire is voluntary for women. 

“The medical examination will also become mandatory again for 18-year-old men. The new military service will last between six and eleven months, or longer. The federal government aims to increase its attractiveness by offering, among other things, a monthly salary of €2,600 gross and a subsidy for a driver’s license. The goal is to meet the Bundeswehr’s personnel needs as precisely as possible. If not enough volunteers come forward, the Bundestag can enact a so-called compulsory service based on need, which would have to be regulated in a separate law.”

Conscription will be reintroduced.

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.