This Week in the News

Biden and Harris Announce Bid for Reelection

The New York Post wrote on April 25:

“President Joe Biden formally announced his bid for re-election Tuesday, asking voters to give him another four years as America’s oldest president to help him ‘finish the job’ despite plunging support… He tweeted a more than three-minute video… making clear he will run again with Vice President Kamala Harris… However, the announcement came in the face of overwhelming proof that Americans want him to step down…”

Breitbart added on April 25:

“… his campaign launch video… opens with scenes from January 6th and featured issues such as abortion (‘personal freedom’) and LGBTQ…

“Over images of former President Donald Trump… as well as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Biden warned that ‘MAGA extremists’ are looking to go after American’s social security benefits, despite the Republican Party opposing such measures.

“Mr Biden will not only face a challenge from the Republicans in his re-election bid, but also from Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who is already polling in double digits after he announced his bid to enter the race…

“[Kamala Harris’]aspirations to run again are contrary to what the vast majority of voters feel about her contributions up to now, with critics seeing her as stumbling eagerly from one disappointment to the next.”

Biden Should Not Run Again… Say the Right…

Fox News wrote on April 22:

“The Wall Street Journal editorial board… alleged the White House ‘goes to great lengths’ to hide what they speculate is Biden’s declining health. ‘But his decline is clear to anyone who isn’t willfully blind… the risk of an accelerated decline for Mr. Biden is considerable. The chance that he could serve a full second term is hardly assured,’ they wrote. The editors argued that Vice President Kamala Harris would make a poor commander-in-chief and that she would be nearly unelectable should Biden be forced to drop out of the race…”

… and the Left!

Fox News wrote on April 21:

“CNN anchor John King… spoke on his show ‘Inside Politics’ about the issues undermining Biden’s re-electability. King noted that Biden ‘clearly has liabilities’ and said, ‘he’s 80 years old. He will be 82 on Inauguration Day 2025.’  ‘Do the American people want that?’ he asked. ‘Do they want four more years for this president?’

“King then spoke about various political issues that have dogged Biden’s presidency. ‘Immigration is an issue where the Biden Administration, the numbers are not working in his favor, and the Republicans plan to make a very big deal of that,’ he said. ‘Inflation and recession fears, obviously, issue number one…

“He then noted a poll with grim implications for Biden’s electoral chances… ‘Nearly three quarters of Americans say the country is going in the wrong direction. Joe Biden is asking for four more years,’ he said. ‘When 74 percent of Americans think the country is heading the wrong way it’s hard for the boss to say “give me four more years.” This is a giant challenge for the president.’”

Breitbart wrote on April 28:

“Biden’s approval rating among independents in five of the latest national polls registered at 33.2 percent, while an average of 56.2 percent of independents disapprove of his performance…”

Biden Fit for Office?

Express reported on April 29:

“Biden’s latest public blunder saw the US President forget about his trip to Ireland – less than two weeks after it took place… To add further embarrassment, President Biden had to be reminded about the trip by a [three-year-old] child on the White House lawn… The blunder was even more bizarre considering that President Biden spent a significant time in Ireland speaking about his emotional and ancestral connection to the country…

“It comes in the same week that President Biden was caught using a ‘cheat sheet’ during a press conference, which suggested he had advance knowledge of a question from a journalist… President Biden has been ridiculed for relying on detailed cheat sheets in the past…

“Back in February, the White House physician said that the US President remains healthy, vigorous and fit to successfully execute his duties. However, the physical… did not include a cognitive test.”

Biden a Wise Man???

Bild Online published the following comment by Franz Josef Wagner on April 26:

“… to me you are ‘not an old fool.’ You are a wise man to me. You stumble up Air Force One sometimes – … you have age-related spinal arthritis.

“To me, Donald Trump is an old fool who has crushes on younger women…

“Your age and his age cannot be compared. There is much suffering in the face of Joe Biden. His first wife had an accident with her daughter. You were a single father to your sons. Then your son Beau died of a brain tumor. With this suffering he tried to become a decent person.

“Joe Biden has been accused of mumbling. Joe Biden has been a stutterer since childhood. He trained himself to stop stuttering with 100,000 exercises.

“But he’s too old, critics say. What nonsense. Character doesn’t get old. Decency doesn’t get old. I think it’s good that Joe Biden is running for President again. I would choose him.”

This is typical of the propaganda of the mass media with which the German people are kept in ignorance when it comes to the obvious failings of Joe Biden. Examples of his blatant incompetence are basically ignored.

Biden’s Economic Success Story?

The left-wing Deutsche Welle spoke in an article about Biden’s astonishing economic “success story.” Nothing could be remotely further from the Truth. Note the following article by the Sun, dated April 25:

“Biden has faced domestic and international challenges since entering office in January 2021.

“The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic saw widespread supply chain shortages and energy prices have skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In June, inflation in the US hit 9.1 percent – its highest figure in four decades. Florida Senator Rick Scott claimed that high inflation was Joe Biden’s ‘fault’ and said he was ‘asleep at the wheel.’”

Daily Mail wrote on April 25:

“Financially, the US is still working to manage a cost of living crisis and make up for labour shortages. The IMF warned this month that the US faces a ‘rocky recovery’ as it looks to build back from the uncertainty around the financial sector, high inflation, the war in Ukraine and Covid. The update forecast 1.6 per cent growth for the US this year… down significantly from the 2.8 per cent last year… the overall picture is still ‘clouded’ by uncertainty. The country also faces rising interest rates, affecting the ability to borrow money…

“Abroad, Biden has poured billions into supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, providing military, humanitarian and financial aid – and slapping Russia with costly sanctions. Trump has positioned himself against Biden, arguing the US should avoid sending aid abroad.”

Living in America, one knows how misleading the claim of Deutsche Welle is. But the German mass media has had a tendency of whitewashing Obama and Biden, while attacking Bush and Trump.

“Did Biden Steal The Election?”

Ron Paul wrote in the Ron Paul Institute, dated April 24:

“On or around Oct. 17, 2020, then-senior Biden campaign official Antony Blinken called up former acting CIA director Mike Morell to ask a favor: he needed high-ranking former US intelligence community officials to lie to the American people to save Biden’s lagging campaign from a massive brewing scandal.

“The problem was that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, had abandoned his laptop at a repair shop and the explosive contents of the computer were leaking out. The details of the Biden family’s apparent corruption and the debauchery of the former vice-president’s son were being reported by the New York Post, and with the election less than a month away, the Biden campaign needed to kill the story…

“In short, at the Biden campaign’s direction Morell launched a covert operation against the American people to undermine the integrity of the 2020 election… Social media outlets prevented any reporting on the laptop from being posted and the mainstream media could easily ignore the story as it was merely ‘Russian propaganda.’…

“The Democrats and the mainstream media have relentlessly pushed the lie that the ruckus inside the US Capitol on Jan. 6th 2021 was a move by President Trump to overthrow the election results. Hundreds of ‘trespassers’ were arrested and held in solitary confinement without trial to bolster the false narrative that a conspiracy to steal the election was taking place.

“It turns out that there really was a conspiracy to steal the election, but it was opposite of what was reported…  Did the Biden campaign’s disinformation campaign help rig the election in his favor? Polls suggest that Biden would not have been elected had the American electorate been informed about what was on Hunter Biden’s laptop. So yes, they cheated in the election.

“The Democrats and the mainstream media are still at it, however. Now they are trying to kill the story of how they killed the story of the Biden laptop. This is a scandal that would once upon a time have ended in resignation, impeachment, and/or plenty of jail time. If they successfully bury this story, I hate to say it but there is no more rule of law in what has become the American banana republic.”

Biden falsely denied that the Biden family had received a $1.3 million China payout—more evidence that a huge cover-up took place to protect Hunter Biden and, more importantly, Joe Biden. An IRS Whistleblower allegedly said that he will provide evidence that Attorney General Merrick Garland lied under oath to Congress, according to an article by the New York Post, dated April 20.

Biden’s Denial of His Grandchild

Daily Mail wrote on May 1:

“Last week, ironically, at a White House ‘Take your child to work day’ event, Biden was asked how many grandchildren he has… He told the crowd of sweet, trusting, naive kids that he has six grandchildren. But that is a flat lie. Joe Biden has seven grandchildren. The human being that goes without mention is Navy Joan Roberts – Hunter’s four-year-old daughter. She’s persona non grata in the White House…

“Navy was reportedly conceived in a relationship that occurred while Hunter was still involved with his brother Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden. Ms. [Lunden Alexis] Roberts gave birth to Navy in August 2018. Subsequently, Hunter denied paternity of the child, but a 2019 DNA test reportedly proved otherwise and has since gone uncontested. In 2020, Hunter reportedly settled with Roberts for $2.5 million…

“… since Navy’s birth, according to court filings, Hunter ‘has never seen or contacted’ the child and could not pick her out of a photo lineup… if there’s anything that the Washington press corp and the Democratic Party are good for – it’s giving Joe and Hunter a pass. They’ve known about Navy for some time and turned a blind eye…

“The gutting tragedy of all of this is that a sinless child is the victim…

“Let me ask you a question, Mr President. How can you heal a nation if you can’t acknowledge the life of your own grandchild?… I can’t accept that our nation is so far gone that we don’t demand our president speak the name of his innocent grandchild.”

This is so sad and disturbing.

Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s Announcement Speech

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on April 20:

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s presidential campaign announcement speech on Wednesday included much that advocates of limiting the power of the United States government can cheer, including strong criticism of the US government’s crackdown in the name of countering coronavirus and of the series of wars in which the US government has engaged from Vietnam to Ukraine…”

According to various polls, Kennedy has an approval rate of about 13% or 14% of Democratic voters who voted for Biden in 2020. The press has been anxious to paint Kennedy in the most unfavorable light, saying overwhelmingly that Kennedy has no chance of succeeding. Still, many Democrats seem to be looking for an alternative to Biden whom they perceive to be too old, feeble and unproductive. Interestingly, Breitbart, Fox News and Newsmax broadcast interviews with and segments on the Democratic candidate, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and had not much to say about him in negative terms, and Newsmax moderator Rob Schmitt even said, in effect, that there is not much which you can disagree with.

“Robert F Kennedy Jr. vs. Democrat National Committee (DNC)

Breitbart wrote on April 24:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the Democrat National Committee (DNC)… for having a ‘rigged’ primary system, with no debates and moving voting in South Carolina ahead of New Hampshire on the calendar…”

Will Kennedy Jr. continue to run as a Democrat, or perhaps in a different capacity? He also told Breitbart News this weekend that his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has lost jobs in Hollywood for supporting his campaign. He said that cancel culture exists and it is “alarming.”  Though Cheryl Hines has been critical of her husband’s anti-vaccine advocacy in the past, she did issue a short statement in support of her husband’s presidential run. At the same time, Trump has allegedly said that he would not participate in presidential debates with Republican contenders as he would subject himself to “being libeled and slandered” and because “his poll numbers are so high he has no reason to compete with the rest of the field.”

Opposition to Transgenders in Women’s Sport

Breitbart wrote on April 30:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr…. told CNN on Saturday that ‘biological males’ threaten women’s sports. ‘I am against people participating in women’s sports who are biologically male,’ Kennedy said. ‘I think women who have worked too hard to develop women’s sports over the past 30 years I watched it happen and I don’t think that’s fair.’

“Kennedy said his opposition to trans athletes in women’s sports represents another area where he and Biden ‘differ really dramatically.’ The politician also recently came out in opposition to cancel culture…

“President Biden has been a fierce supporter of transgenders in women’s sports.”

Appalling Censorship by ABC News

The Ron Paul Institute published the following opinion piece on May 1 by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“Before he was assassinated, Robert F. Kennedy declared that ‘hand in hand with freedom of speech goes the power to be heard.’ That does not appear to be the view of ABC News, which censored his son who is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination. ABC objected to Kennedy’s views on COVID-19 vaccines, so it simply announced that it was preventing viewers from hearing those views to protect them from dangerous ideas.

“ABC’s Linsey Davis began the interview by introducing Kennedy as ‘one of the biggest voices pushing anti-vaccine rhetoric, regularly distributing misinformation and disinformation about vaccines, which scientific and medical experts overwhelmingly say are safe and effective based on rigorous scientific studies.’ That apparently was not enough. After telling viewers that this is one of his most famous stances (and its own disagreement), it then censored those views.

“After airing the interview, Davis announced “[w]e should note that during our conversation, Kennedy made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. We’ve used our editorial judgment in not including extended portions of that exchange in our interview.’

“Kennedy tweeted that ‘47 USC 315 makes it illegal for TV networks to censor Presidential candidates but Thursday, ABC showed its contempt for the law, democracy, and its audience by cutting most of the content of my interview with host Linsey Davis leaving only cherry-picked snippets and a defamatory disclaimer.’…

“Putting aside the federal law, this is wrong. ABC can challenge such views, but it is actively seeking to prevent voters from hearing a presidential candidate on an issue of great public interest and debate. It is particularly troubling after prior media censorship has been shown to have been wrong in silencing dissenting scientific views.

“We have seen various journalistic and scientific figures banned for expressing skepticism over pandemic claims from the origins of the virus to the efficacy of certain treatments… The same is true with the debate over the efficacy of masks…

“It is also not clear where ABC draws the line. Joe Biden has made so many false statements that the Washington Post gave him a ‘bottomless Pinocchio.’ Likewise, many view contested claims over climate change and transgender issues to be dangerous. Will ABC now be censoring these other candidates or positions?…”

Sadly, ABC has become more and more one of the left-wing propaganda machines in support of the Biden Administration.

Tucker Carlson Out

Breitbart reported on April 24:

“The political world was shaken Monday after Fox News announced it had parted ways with prime time host Tucker Carlson…”

This development is “a shocker,” sensational and stunning. On Monday, it was also announced that CNN had fired long-time moderator Don Lemon, but it pales in comparison with what appears to be Tucker Carlson’s firing. Speculation is ripe that his apparent dismissal was a somewhat undisclosed part of the highly controversial settlement agreement less than a week before between Fox and election technology company “Dominion Voting Systems” for more than $787 million. In this context, Fox was charged with having violated the freedom of speech by entering in the settlement. It appears Carlson did not know of his “dismissal” on Friday, when he wished viewers a nice weekend and stated he would be back Monday.

It appears Fox News is moving further and further away from its at one-time strong conservative platform. According to Mike Huckabee, Carlson’s audience out-paced that of MSNBC and CNN combined.

Also on Monday, it was announced that Susan Rice was leaving the Biden White House “with world chaos in her wake,” according to former ambassador Ric Grenell, continuing, “Sudan is only the latest disaster she has overseen.”

Tucker Carlson Responds

The New York Post wrote on April 26:

“In a video posted to Twitter, Carlson… accused political leaders on both sides of the aisle of silencing voices and shutting down media outlets that uncover corruption or reveal truths… Both political parties and their donors have reached a consensus on what benefits them and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state,’ he added.”

The Hill reported on April 27:

“[The video] racked up more than 57 million views on Twitter as of Thursday afternoon [in less than 24 hours].”

Ukraine to Become Part of NATO AFTER Having Won the War Against Russia?

Breitbart wrote on April 21:

“(NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told cameras [in Germany] that Ukraine’s membership of the alliance [NATO] was coming. Regardless, and possibly to reassure those who fear the consequences of admitting a country already at war into the fold of the NATO nuclear mutual assurance club would mean, Stoltenberg made clear that the present conflict would have to be won first… [He said:] ‘without a sovereign, independent Ukraine there is no meaning in discussing membership’…

“Russia… said in the past that allowing Ukraine to join the alliance would trigger ‘world war three’… Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preventing Ukraine from joining NATO was one of the key purposes of the war…’”

It does not appear that Ukraine will win this war against Putin, so NATO membership would be a moot issue.

Medvedev Threatens to Destroy Berlin

Bild Online wrote on April 21:

“After Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (63, SPD) said on Thursday evening… that he considered limited attacks by Ukraine on Russian territory in the fight against the invasion acceptable, [ex-Russian President Dmitry] Medvedev freaked out again on Twitter. This time his destination: Berlin!

“‘The German defense minister (…) certainly envies the fame of the warlords of the Third Reich,’ said Medvedev… And the Kremlin’s mouthpiece threatens all of Germany: ‘The German who wants to attack Russia must be prepared for our parade in Berlin.’…

“It’s not the first time that the ex-Russian president and Putin friend has threatened Germany. In March he spoke openly of dropping bombs on Berlin. Reason for the threatening gestures: a possible arrest of the Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin (70) after an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court…

“Medvedev at the time: ‘The current head of a nuclear state arrives on the territory of, say, Germany and is arrested. What is that? A declaration of war against the Russian Federation.’ Should an arrest take place in Germany, ‘all our means, rockets and so on, will fly at the Bundestag, the Chancellery and so on,’ said Medvedev…”

From the context, it did not appear that Pistorius advocated a German attack on Russia. He spoke about an attack by Ukraine. Medvedev seems to have used that statement suggesting that Germany’s delivery of weapons to Ukraine makes it complicit IF Ukraine were to attack Russia on Russian soil. This is even more interesting as allegedly, Ukraine is preparing for a “big bang” strike to retake Crimea which has been in Russian hands since 2014, according to the Sun, dated April 22, 2023. Military experts seem to think that the key for Ukraine’s victory in the war against Russia is winning Crimea. Also note the next article.

Drone Attacks on Sevastopol

The Associated Press reported on April 29:

“A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there [Mikhail Razvozhayev] reported Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive…

“Razvozhayev said the fire at the city’s harbor was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish. However, he reported that the open blaze had been contained. Razvozhayev said the oil depot was attacked by ‘two enemy drones,’ and four oil tanks burned down. A third drone was shot down from the sky, and one more was deactivated through radio-electronic means, according to Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov…. Earlier this week, Razvozhayev reported that the Russian military destroyed a Ukrainian sea drone that attempted to attack the harbor…”

Ukraine Allegedly Tried to Kill Putin

Italy 24 Press News wrote on April 26:

“Ukrainian intelligence allegedly tried to kill the Russian president… with a UJ-22 explosive drone on April 23, when he was supposed to visit the Rudnevo industrial park near Moscow. This is what the newspaper ‘Bild’ reveals, adding that the assassination attempt is ‘kept secret by the Russian authorities although it failed’…”

On May 3, yahoo!news reported this:

“The Russian presidential administration said Wednesday that the Kremlin was attacked by drones overnight in an attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s life.

“Moscow residents had reported hearing two explosions behind Kremlin walls shortly after 2 a.m. local time, after which the lights went out. Footage shared by residents in a local Telegram channel captured the incident, as smoke was seen filling the sky above the Kremlin. Videos also appeared to show part of the Kremlin on fire.

“Now, authorities say it was a brazen attack by Ukraine using two drones, both of which they say have been destroyed…

“The Kremlin, describing the incident as a ‘planned terrorist attack’ and ‘assassination attempt on the president of Russia,’ is now threatening to take ‘retaliatory measures.’

“A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that the country was behind any attack on the Kremlin…”

But reports that Ukraine is trying to assassinate Putin are increasing.

Germany’s Toxic Relationship with Russia

MSN wrote on April 8:

“Over the past 75 years, the Germans have rebuilt Europe in their own image. With its coalition politics, mercantile economics, green ideology and woke culture, the EU is in many ways the Federal Republic writ large…

“Public support for Ukraine’s fight for survival is falling: half the country no longer supports sending arms and four out of five think it is more important to end the war quickly than for Ukraine to win.

“German trade with Russia almost halved by volume in 2022, but the value of imports actually rose by 6.5 per cent. This means that last year Germany alone contributed more than £30 billion to Putin’s war chest… anti-Americanism has surged…

“So why does Germany still have such a toxic relationship with autocracy? The short answer is: because that was the price of German reunification… The fact that the Federal Republic was able to absorb East Germany without violence was seen as a miracle, made possible by Mikhail Gorbachev’s reluctance to use military force. The quid pro quo came with the disastrous Ostpolitik of Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel, which left Germany dependent on Russian energy and virtually defenceless….”

Under a new German government being less friendly towards Russia and China, this may all change.

Switzerland’s Ban on Exporting Ammunition to Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 24:

“Swiss ambassador to Berlin Paul Rene Seger said he was surprised by the ‘extent of the criticism that is raining down’ on his country over Switzerland’s ban on reexporting ammunition for Germany’s Leopard (or Gepard) tanks to Ukraine… Seger pointed to Switzerland’s long-running tradition of neutrality, which is one of the basic principles of Swiss foreign policy…

“Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany had a very similar policy about not sending weapons to hot conflicts as Switzerland’s and often faced criticism in 2022 for its perceived reluctance to provide weaponry for Kyiv.”

Of course, Germany has had a history of violating its policy, when economically advantageous, long before the Ukraine conflict.

On the other hand, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on May 2:

“Washington’s old guard can’t help itself: when it comes to throwing endless streams of our money down a foreign boondoggle they just never refuse. Even if they promise to do so. Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backing off his ‘no blank check’ promise when it comes to Ukraine – even after $100 billion has already been authorized!”

Worldwide Military Spending at an All-Time High

Breitbart wrote on April 24:

“The world has never spent so much on military muscle. Figures released Monday show $2.24 trillion was outlaid globally in 2022 with Europe leading the way due to Ukraine’s demands for continued supplies of battlefield hardware… There was a 13 percent rise in Europe, the steepest in at least 30 years…

“Overall the United States remains by far the world’s biggest military spender. U.S. military spending reached $877 billion in 2022, which was 39 percent of total global military spending and three times more than the amount spent by China, the world’s second largest spender…

“[Following Russia as the world’s third highest military spender,]India’s military spending of $81.4 billion was the fourth highest in the world… In 2022 military spending by Saudi Arabia, the fifth biggest military spender, rose by 16 percent…”

The Associated Press added on April 24:

“… the three largest arms spenders were the United States, China and Russia, who between them accounted for 56% of global expenditure.”

De-Dollarization Attempts

Bitcoin.com wrote on April 27:

“Russia’s former head of state, Dmitry… Medvedev… predicted… late December that the U.S. dollar will be losing its status of global reserve currency in 2023, amid the increasing spread of digital currencies.

“Russia has been working on a digital ruble and a new payment system that officials claim will not restrict digital currency payments. Pressed by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow also intends to legalize crypto payments in international settlements as part of its de-dollarization attempts.”

It was also reported on the Internet that China plans to create a $58 billion railway system connecting Pakistan and China to reduce Western trade dependence. The South China Morning Post reported on April 27 that “many other train systems could connect China to Turkey and Iran moving forward. China, the world’s largest manufacturer of goods, is bypassing the U.S. dollar dominance by improving and promoting the Chinese Yuan’s utility. If the development goes through, it would open direct access for China to trade with other Asian nations.”

The Challenge of the BRICS Countries

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 10:

“… the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — are setting themselves up as an alternative to existing international financial and political forums… South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor has said worldwide interest in the BRICS group was ‘huge.’ [She said] she had 12 letters from interested countries on her desk. ‘Saudi Arabia is one,’ she said. ‘United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, and Argentina,’ as well as Mexico and Nigeria… [Subsequently, it was reported that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Algeria have formally requested to join the BRICS alliance; and that Iran has also shown interest in joining].  

“Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, the BRICS countries have only distanced themselves further from the so-called West. Neither India, Brazil, South Africa or China are taking part in sanctions against Russia. This has become increasingly clear with near-historic levels of trade between India and Russia, or in Brazil’s dependence on Russian fertilizer.”

Watcher Guru added on April 28 that the BRICS countries are moving “to replace the US dollar with a new currency of global stage to settle international trade”; and that they are a challenge to the G7 countries (the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Japan).

South Africa Wants to Arrest Putin During BRICS Summit?

Newsmax wrote on May 2:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warned that he could be arrested if he travels to the BRICS summit in South Africa this August, with officials in the country saying they will have to detain him on the warrant issued this March by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“According to the South African outlet The Sunday Times, government officials there are trying to convince Putin to attend the BRICS summit in Cape Town by videoconference rather than in person, because as a member of the ICC, South Africa would have to honor Putin’s arrest warrant.”

Earlier, South Africa had assured Putin that they would NOT arrest him if he were to enter their country. Why the sudden change in approach?

Germany’s Unpopular Measures

Breitbart wrote on April 21:

“Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck announced that the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz will back the Building Energy Efficiency Act, which would require that all new heating systems run on at least 65 per cent of so-called renewable forms of energy. This would effectively ban new gas and oil heaters, which would need to be replaced with heat pumps or hybrid systems that only use fossil fuels as a backup.

“According to the draft legislation, the plan would cost the German public some 9.16 billion euros ($10 billion) per year until at least 2028…

“… nearly half of the 41 million households [are] using natural gas for heating and 25 per cent using oil.

“The green agenda push is apparently not appreciated by the German public, who have been suffering under an energy crisis as a result of dried-up supplies of Russian gas…  78 per cent of Germans are opposed to the legislation, as opposed to just 18 per cent who back the bill. Over six in ten people also told the pollster that they believed the move towards renewables would result in their heating bills costing more.

“The push to ban new gas and oil heaters comes just days after Germany closed down its final three remaining nuclear power plants…”

Habeck from the Green party has turned out to be one of the most unpopular politicians in Germany. With Habeck’s insane green-driven woke agenda, how can Germany’s incompetent government survive?

Germany’s “Energiewende”

Forbes wrote on April 20:

“Germany has been at the forefront of efforts to transition away from nuclear power and towards renewable energy sources with its ‘energiewende’ initiative…

“Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power appears to be at odds with the country’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions… Germany’s phaseout of nuclear power is all the more stunning because it comes at a time when Europe is grappling with high energy prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine…

“Germany’s nuclear phaseout has angered many, including some environmentalists… Despite the criticisms, German leaders appear committed to their energiewende initiative. This may be premised on the false belief that renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, can completely replace nuclear and coal on the path to zero carbon emissions…”

Swearing Allegiance to the King?

AFP wrote on April 30:

“All Britons will be called on to swear allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation, an oath hitherto reserved for British nobility…

“The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will lead the coronation ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, announced on Saturday that the traditional ‘Homage of Peers’ — during which representatives of the nobility kneel before the king and pledge allegiance to him — would be scrapped. Instead, the ceremony will include a ‘Homage of the People’, with the archbishop calling on all people in the United Kingdom and other places where King Charles is the head of state to swear allegiance…

“The order of service will read: ‘All who so desire, in the abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.’

“British parliamentarians, but also Canadians since the British sovereign is their head of state, already swear allegiance to the monarch when they take office…

“At Saturday’s ceremony, women bishops will take part for the first time, as well as representatives of non-Christian faiths…”

Very strange indeed.

Pastor Threatened with Jail for Quoting the Bible

Fox News wrote on April 24:

“An outspoken street preacher is appealing to the Oklahoma Supreme Court after he was slapped with a five-year restraining order that threatened him with jail time if he speaks out in opposition against a local LGBTQ advocacy group…

“Penkoski referenced Bible verses condemning homosexuality, including Romans 1:32 – ‘and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them’…

Penkoski made two additional posts in which he expressed his disapproval of several Pride events in Bartlesville. In one post, he criticized local Disciples Christian Church for sharing photos of children celebrating Pride Month last June…

“… the Rutherford Institute, which represented Paula Jones in her sexual harassment claim against former President Bill Clinton, took on Penkoski’s case because they believe it could set a dangerous precedent that could chill the speech of Christians or anyone else who publicly opposes LGBTQ ideology… Whitehead [a constitutional attorney of the Rutherford Institute] said that if Penkoski fails in his appeal, the First Amendment is ‘dead,’ which he believes ‘would open [the] door for persecution, obviously… He quotes what Jesus Christ says, OK? If that’s a crime, then we’re in a bad state in this country,’ he added.”

We ARE in a bad state in this country!

No Consequence For Breaking the Law

The New York Post wrote on April 26:

“Under the new crop of George Soros-backed, soft-on-crime district attorneys, there is no consequence for breaking the law…

“In Chicago, two teens steal a car, speed down a road and kill a baby. That’s not enough to lock them up…

“Progressives will tell us with a straight face that crime isn’t increasing, and if it is, it has nothing to do with this new breed of no-bail, no-jail prosecutors. It’s ludicrous…

“This experiment in anarchy must end.”

Finally, Some GOOD NEWS–No More COVID Vaccinations for International Travelers

Reuters wrote on May 1:

“The United States will end its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers and federal workers on May 11, when the coronavirus public health emergency ends, the White House said on Monday. In February, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift the requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place.

“The Biden administration last June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the U.S. by air must test negative for COVID but kept in place Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements for most foreign travelers.

“The Homeland Security Department also said Monday starting May 12 it will no longer require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferries to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.

“The Biden administration’s rules imposed in September 2021 requiring about 3.5 million federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated or face firing or disciplinary action have not been enforced for over a year after a series of court rulings. A federal appeals court in March upheld a decision blocking enforcement of the employee vaccine requirement…”

It was more than overdue to end this insane policy; hopefully, it will stay that way.

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.

©2024 Church of the Eternal God