Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries
Prophecy News Watch is a service hosted by Worthy Ministries to provide Christians daily news from a Biblical, and yet Prophetic worldview. Our news is gathered by our Christian News Service, Worthy News. For more about our vision for how we assemble our daily headlines, please read, "What is Worthy News?"
Around the World
Iranians chant ‘Death to Palestine’ to protest Islamic Republic
Iranians chanted "Death to Palestine" in protests over the last few days, triggering a range of reactions and analyses by experts on the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of the unusual event.
EU Proposes Toughest Sanctions Yet As Russia Steps Up Offensive In Eastern Ukraine
The European Union on May 4 unveiled a proposal to ban Russian oil imports by the end of the year as Russian forces intensified their assault in on a steel plant in the southeastern port city of Mariupol that Ukrainian forces continue to defend.
Massive Chinese Fleet Seen Barreling Towards US Naval Base
The largest Chinese aircraft carrier group reportedly ever assembled is conducting combat training near a U.S. naval base in Japan, according to multiple Chinese media sources on Tuesday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Rings in 74th Independence Day With Jerusalem Torch-Lighting Ceremony
After a mournful day commemorating its fallen soldiers and victims of terror, Israel kicked off its 74th Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday evening, with a festive ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem attended by government leaders, military brass, and representatives of swaths of Israeli society.
Inside the United States
U.S. Supreme Court Abortion Move Sparks Calls for Ending Senate’s Filibuster
A draft opinion suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court was ready to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing the right to abortion sparked a fresh call among progressive Democrats to scrap the Senate's filibuster rule.
Fed raises rates by half a percentage point — the biggest hike in two decades — to fight inflation
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point as the most aggressive step yet in its battle against generational highs in inflation.
Robust imports push U.S. trade deficit to record high in March
The U.S. trade deficit surged to a record high in March, confirming that trade weighed on the economy in the first quarter and could remain a drag for a while as businesses replenish inventories with imported goods.
Trump touts that all candidates he endorsed won in Ohio, Indiana, predicts ‘tremendous season’ for GOP
Former President Trump touted victories for the nearly two dozen candidates he endorsed who won their primary races in Ohio and Indiana Tuesday night, predicting the night was just the beginning of a "tremendous season" for Republicans he supports.
Biden Admin Silent On The Fate Of Major Natural Gas Pipeline As Energy Prices Soar
The Biden administration has yet to take a public position on a major natural gas pipeline as the project faces an uphill federal permitting battle.
CDC Tracked Millions of Phones to See If Americans Followed COVID Lockdown Orders
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bought access to location data harvested from tens of millions of phones in the United States to perform analysis of compliance with curfews, track patterns of people visiting K-12 schools, and specifically monitor the effectiveness of policy in the Navajo Nation, according to CDC documents obtained by Motherboard. The documents also show that although the CDC used COVID-19 as a reason to buy access to the data more quickly, it intended to use it for more general CDC purposes.
Christian News
Nigeria: Islamic State target Christians in Taraba state bombing
The Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terror group has claimed responsibility for last month’s deadly bombing in which three Christians were reportedly killed and 19 others wounded in Nigeria’s Taraba state, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Pakistan: Christian school raided by armed men
The Global Passion Christian school in Pakistan was last week raided by armed men who demanded money and violently assaulted students and female staff, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Egypt: Nine Coptic Christians released after imprisonment for peaceful protest
Nine Coptic Christians who were imprisoned in Egypt for protesting the delayed government authorization for their church to be rebuilt have now been released, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Worthy Watch
Judicial Watch: Pfizer/BioNTech Study Found Lipid Nanoparticles Materials Outside Injection Site in Test Animals
MIT study finds COVID vaccines ‘significantly associated’ with jump in emergency heart problems
Pope Francis Seeks Talks With Russia’s Putin On Ukraine War
Pope Francis said Tuesday he wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end Europe’s worst conflict since World War Two. “I am not going to [Ukraine’s capital] Kyiv for now. I feel that I must not go,” the leader of the Catholic Church told Italy’s daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Ukraine intelligence says Russia’s war may end in September
Russia may be looking to conclude its war in Ukraine within four months’ time, according to Kyiv's Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, which said Tuesday it believes September is Moscow’s intended deadline.
North Korea preparing nuclear test for first time in years, intelligence officials say
Western intelligence officials say North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear weapons test for the first time in over four years. Renewed tensions on the peninsula prompted China's atomic envoy to meet his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Tuesday calling the situation "severe."
Russia Attacks Steel Plant After Some Evacuations
Russia’s military resumed attacking a steel plant in Ukraine’s bombed-out city of Mariupol with terrified civilians and soldiers trapped inside after some escaped.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Furious As Russia Minister Said Hitler had Jewish Roots
Israel on Monday demanded an apology from Russia after its top diplomat suggested that Germany’s wartime leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots.
Inside the United States
13 states have trigger laws automatically banning most or all abortions if Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade
Thirteen states in the country are poised to enact immediate abortion bans and 13 more could quickly follow suit if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as it appears set to do according to a draft opinion leaked to Politico.
Roe v. Wade outcry comes with U.S. abortion rate at historic low
Liberal alarm in the U.S. over the future of Roe v. Wade may have never been higher, thanks to the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion this week, but the outcry comes as the nation’s abortion rate since the 1973 case was decided has never been lower.
House Republicans Introduce Legislation To Defund Biden’s Disinformation Board
Republican Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson will introduce legislation Tuesday that would defund the Department of Homeland Security’s new “Disinformation Governance Board,” which is set to be led by Nina Jankowicz.
Biden Pressures Supreme Court On Abortion After Leak; Investigation Order
American President Joe Biden pressured the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, saying “basic fairness” demands that Roe v. Wade be upheld and urged voters to elect more abortion rights supporters to Congress.
Christian News
Egypt: Nine Coptic Christians released after imprisonment for peaceful protest
Nine Coptic Christians who were imprisoned in Egypt for protesting the delayed government authorization for their church to be rebuilt have now been released, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
US National Day of Prayer on May 5th
Millions of Americans will pray for their nation on the annual National Day of Prayer (NDP) on Thursday, May 5, CBN News reports. A 90-minute broadcast program hosted by the NDP Task Force together with Prayer.com will be live-streamed and will feature Christian pastors and musicians.
Worthy Watch
In 1981, Then-Senator Biden Voted for a Constitutional Amendment Empowering States to Decide Abortion Legality
Iran Nuclear Deal Said Near Death, but West Not Ready to Pull Plug
Western officials have largely lost hope the Iran nuclear deal can be resurrected, sources familiar with the matter said, forcing them to weigh how to limit Iran’s atomic program even as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has divided the big powers.
EU Ministers Discuss Russian Oil Embargo As Germany Signals Shift In Position
European Union ministers have met in Brussels to discuss a response to Russia cutting gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria and plans for a possible oil embargo to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Hamas claims Ariel terror shooting, says more to come
Hamas on Monday claimed responsibility for the terror attack outside the West Bank settlement of Ariel over the weekend and vowed that more attacks are to come.
Inside the United States
Leaked draft opinion signals Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court is undoing Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 case that led to the creation of a constitutional right to have an abortion, according to a leaked draft majority opinion.
Amazon to reimburse employees $4,000 if they have to travel for an abortion
Internet retail giant Amazon will reimburse employees up to $4,000 in travel expenses if they have to travel for medical treatments, including an abortion.
Voter Trust in Democrats Sinks to New Lows With 6 Months Until Midterms
Americans back the Republican Party over the Democratic Party by 19 points on its ability to handle inflation and by 14 points on its ability to handle the economy. The poll notes that 68 percent of likely voters disapprove of President Joe Biden's approach to combating inflation. Democrats also lag behind Republicans by 12 points on their ability to handle crime—the GOP's highest trust rating on the issue since the 1990s.
Supreme Court rules Boston violated Constitution by not allowing Christian flag outside city hall
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that the city of Boston violated the U.S. Constitution when it refused to allow a local organization to fly a Christian flag in front of City Hall.
As economy contracts, Biden considers canceling student loan debt
President Joe Biden is considering canceling student loan debt for millions of Americans, a move critics say could increase inflation and further exacerbate the nation’s economic woes.
Oklahoma House passes bill to ban abortion from six weeks
The Oklahoma House on Thursday passed a bill that would ban all abortions from six weeks’ gestation, around the time when cardiac activity can first be detected in a pregnancy, Axios reports.
Christian News
US Commission: ‘Afghan Christians Face Death’
The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) says Afghanistan should be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to the persecution of Christians and other minorities.
Report: ‘Myanmar Christians Face Genocide’; Prayers Urged
Christian rights investigators have urged believers to pray for faith communities after a new report suggested that Myanmar’s minority Christians face genocide by the ruling military.
China shuts down well-established Christian website
China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) has shut down a well-established Christian website as part of a nationwide "Sinicization" program designed to promote Chinese patriotism and make religious groups submit to CCP ideology, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Nigeria: Fulani kill 21 Christians in Kaduna, Governor does nothing
Fulani Muslim militants murdered 21 Christian farmers in Nigeria’s Kaduna state last month, as Kaduna’s Fulani Governor Nasir El-Rufai remains silent about the ongoing slaughter of believers in his state, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Iran: Christian convert taken into custody for house church involvement
Iran’s intelligence authorities have taken a Christian convert into custody, accusing him of “propaganda against the [Iranian Islamic] regime through involvement in house church activities.”