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?"
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
U.S. to Russia: 'Strong concerns' about bombing of American-trained Syria rebels
U.S. military officials conducted a video conference Saturday with their Russian counterparts, telling them about "strong concerns" about the bombing Thursday of American-trained Syrian rebels.
Syria memo shakes up Washington but unlikely to shift policy
State Department officials shook up America’s generally obedient diplomatic establishment this week with an internal memo urging U.S. military action against Syria’s government with the goal of pressing President Bashar Assad to accept a cease-fire and gaining the upper hand on him in future talks on a political transition.
U.S. sends 2 aircraft carriers to South China Sea area to reassure Asian allies
The U.S. Navy deployed two aircraft carriers near the South China Sea on Saturday in an exercise designed to calm Asian allies in the region and to make a show of military force to the Chinese.
Iran aviation official says Boeing sale involves 100 planes
Boeing Co. is negotiating a deal to sell 100 airplanes to Iran, state-run media reported Sunday, a sale potentially worth billions that would mark the first major entry of an American company into the Islamic Republic after last year's nuclear deal.
Indonesia's Central Java hit by deadly floods and landslides
Flash flooding and landslides in Indonesia have killed 24 and left more than two dozen missing, an official says, with mud avalanches burying people inside their homes.
EU Releases Details on Extended Sanctions Against Russia
The European Union on Saturday published details of its decision extending sanctions against Russia for its 2014 takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, saying it continues to oppose the 'illegal annexation ... and does not recognize it.'
Tens of Thousands Protest US Bases in Okinawa
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered on the Japanese island of Okinawa demanding the U.S. military shut down its bases there following a rash of high-profile incidents involving service members that have made headlines in recent months.
Rio de Janeiro declares state of financial emergency in advance of Olympics
The state governor of Rio de Janeiro issued an order declaring a financial state of emergency just 49 days before the Olympics.
Egyptian court sentences 2 Al-Jazeera employees to death
An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced six people, including two Al-Jazeera employees, to death for allegedly passing documents related to national security to Qatar and the Doha-based TV network during the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
CIA director grave warning: ISIS dangerous as ever
ISIS can draw on a 'large cadre of Western fighters' that could attack in the U.S. and the terror threat posed by the group remains as dangerous as ever despite efforts to crush it militarily, the director of the CIA said Thursday.
Germany slams NATO 'warmongering' on Russia
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has criticised NATO for having a bellicose policy towards Russia, describing it as 'warmongering', the German daily Bild reported.
Belgian police arrest 12 suspected of planning new attacks
Belgian police arrested 12 people suspected of planning new attacks after about 40 houses were searched across the country overnight, the federal prosecutor's office said on Saturday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Russia Might Use Veto Power to Protect Israel at United Nations, Israeli Official Says
Russia is not ruling out using its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to thwart anti-Israel resolutions, an unnamed Israeli diplomatic official involved in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Moscow last week told the Israeli news site nrg.
To Israel’s dismay, EU ministers to meet on backing French peace push
The European Union’s foreign ministers were to meet Monday to vote in support of the French peace initiative, a proclamation expected to bolster Paris’s efforts to kick start Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Netanyahu to meet Kerry next week to discuss Israeli-Palestinian negotiations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry are to meet next week in Europe to urgently discuss Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Israel's Channel 2 News reported on Sunday.
Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks set to take place in Egypt next week
A Hamas delegation was expected to head to Cairo next week for talks on reconciliation with Fatah, according to Palestinian news agency, Maan.
Israeli tank returned by Russia not the one that carried missing soldiers
Researchers announced on Friday that an Israeli tank captured by Syria during the First Lebanon War in 1982 is not the one from which three missing Israeli soldiers were taken, the Israeli Ynet news site reports.
Ex-defense minister Ya'alon says he will run to lead Israel in next election
Former Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya'alon on Thursday announced that he intended to run for the leadership of Israel in the next elections, Israeli media outlets report. In a speech at the Herzliya Conference, Ya'alon excoriated the country's leadership, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular, whom he accused of seeking to spread and exploit fear.
Inside the United States
DNC hackers accused of broader campaign targeting think-tanks, lobbyists
The hackers believed to be responsible for recently breaching the Democratic National Committee also compromised computers used by law firms, lobbyists and others closely tied to the U.S. political system, Bloomberg reported Friday.
'Satanic Temple' Joins Planned Parenthood in Pro-Abortion Crusade
In the face of growing pressure on Planned Parenthood after revelations that it was selling human body parts, the Satanic Temple has launched a pro-abortion crusade to come to the aid of America’s largest abortion provider.
Illegal families surge across border; 2016 already worse than 2015
The number of illegal immigrant families jumping the border so far this fiscal year has already topped all of 2015, according to Homeland Security statistics released Friday that show the administration’s border problems continue to grow.
Federal report warns of looming pension insolvency
Massive underfunding of multi-employer pension programs could lead to the insolvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in less than a decade, according to a report the federal pension backstop released Friday.
Sessions: U.S. should halt immigration from much of Mideast
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions named six Middle Eastern countries on Sunday that he believes should be included in the Muslim travel ban proposed by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
US takes 28 Christian refugees fleeing ISIS, but accepts 5,435 Muslims
Despite the mass extermination of Christians inflicted by the Islamic State, the United States government is admitting an extremely low number of Christian refugees from war-torn Syria and Iraq -- compared to an exponentially higher number of Muslim refugees.
California, New Mexico, Arizona wildfires grow; conditions worsen
Major wildfires have consumed tens of thousands of acres and forced evacuations in California, New Mexico and Arizona.
FBI questions member of Orlando gunman's mosque
FBI agents on Friday questioned a member of the Florida mosque attended by Omar Mateen, the man who shot 49 people to death at a gay nightclub, as new information surfaced revealing the killer had exhibited chronic behavioral problems during his youth.
Google, Facebook, Reddit are run by a bunch of 'left-wing guys'
Less than a month after the Facebook summit between founder Mark Zuckerberg and leading conservatives, the tense relationship between Silicon Valley and conservatives has taken a turn for the worse.
Florida governor unloads on Obama: 'Stop radical Islam!'
A 'fed-up' Florida Gov. Rick Scott called out President Obama during an appearance on Fox News Friday, saying the president 'isn't doing enough to destroy ISIS,' while also denouncing the focus on gun control in the wake of the terror massacre that killed 49 people at an Orlando 'gay' club.
Supreme Court to act on gun ownership cases
Days after the worst mass shooting in the United States, the Supreme Court is poised to act on two cases highlighting the raging debate over what types of guns and ammunition may be banned and who should have the right to possess firearms.
Obama Admin. On Pace to Issue One Million Green Cards to Migrants from Majority-Muslim Countries
The Obama Administration is on pace to issue more than a million green cards to migrants from majority-Muslim countries, according to an analysis of Department of Homeland Security data.
U.S. Politics
Sanders Pledges to Work With Clinton, Fight for Progressive Platform
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Thursday refused to end his campaign for president, but told supporters that he would work closely with presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton to "transform the Democratic Party" and "make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly."
Donald Trump Rolls Out Winning Platform: Cut Taxes, Save Social Security and Medicare
Republican candidate Donald Trump focused this weekend on his economic platform: Cut taxes and regulations across the board while also saving Social Security, Medicare, and other government safety-net programs.
Report: Rubio plans to announce re-election bid next week
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is expected to announce his re-election bid to secure his seat next week.
Trump: 'I hate the concept of profiling,' but we 'have to do it'
Donald Trump on Sunday said he's no fan of racial profiling, but he still thinks the U.S. should consider using it to prevent terror attacks like the mass shooting in Orlando.
ACLU sues Cleveland over GOP convention protest restrictions
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Cleveland, accusing the city of First Amendment violations affecting protesters and residents during the Republican National Convention next month.
Christian News
Nepal: Seven Christians arrested
Seven Christians were arrested for distributing biblical handbooks to hundreds of students in the Dolakha district of Nepal.
Franklin Graham to Christians: Shake up politics 'before it's too late'
Spiritual leader Franklin Graham is encouraging pastors and everyday Christians to jump into politics 'before it's too late' to fight a growing wave of political correctness.
Pakistani policeman beats up church leader over 'loudspeaker music'
A church leader in Lahore was beaten up during his Sunday service by a policeman, during a dispute over whether or not music was being played over his church loudspeaker.
Orthodox Christian Leaders Make Last-Minute Appeal for Unity
Orthodox Christian leaders meeting for a historic council aimed at promoting unity made a last-minute appeal Friday to the Russian Orthodox Church and three others to attend the gathering, the first such meeting in more than a millennium.
Franklin Graham Says Orlando Shooting 'Symptom' of a 'Godless Nation'
The massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history that has captured the world's attention, was a 'symptom' of the country's spiritual condition, asserts the Rev. Franklin Graham.
Around the World
U.S. to Russia: 'Strong concerns' about bombing of American-trained Syria rebels
U.S. military officials conducted a video conference Saturday with their Russian counterparts, telling them about "strong concerns" about the bombing Thursday of American-trained Syrian rebels.
Syria memo shakes up Washington but unlikely to shift policy
State Department officials shook up America’s generally obedient diplomatic establishment this week with an internal memo urging U.S. military action against Syria’s government with the goal of pressing President Bashar Assad to accept a cease-fire and gaining the upper hand on him in future talks on a political transition.
U.S. sends 2 aircraft carriers to South China Sea area to reassure Asian allies
The U.S. Navy deployed two aircraft carriers near the South China Sea on Saturday in an exercise designed to calm Asian allies in the region and to make a show of military force to the Chinese.
Iran aviation official says Boeing sale involves 100 planes
Boeing Co. is negotiating a deal to sell 100 airplanes to Iran, state-run media reported Sunday, a sale potentially worth billions that would mark the first major entry of an American company into the Islamic Republic after last year's nuclear deal.
Indonesia's Central Java hit by deadly floods and landslides
Flash flooding and landslides in Indonesia have killed 24 and left more than two dozen missing, an official says, with mud avalanches burying people inside their homes.
EU Releases Details on Extended Sanctions Against Russia
The European Union on Saturday published details of its decision extending sanctions against Russia for its 2014 takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, saying it continues to oppose the 'illegal annexation ... and does not recognize it.'
Tens of Thousands Protest US Bases in Okinawa
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered on the Japanese island of Okinawa demanding the U.S. military shut down its bases there following a rash of high-profile incidents involving service members that have made headlines in recent months.
Rio de Janeiro declares state of financial emergency in advance of Olympics
The state governor of Rio de Janeiro issued an order declaring a financial state of emergency just 49 days before the Olympics.
Egyptian court sentences 2 Al-Jazeera employees to death
An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced six people, including two Al-Jazeera employees, to death for allegedly passing documents related to national security to Qatar and the Doha-based TV network during the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
CIA director grave warning: ISIS dangerous as ever
ISIS can draw on a 'large cadre of Western fighters' that could attack in the U.S. and the terror threat posed by the group remains as dangerous as ever despite efforts to crush it militarily, the director of the CIA said Thursday.
Germany slams NATO 'warmongering' on Russia
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has criticised NATO for having a bellicose policy towards Russia, describing it as 'warmongering', the German daily Bild reported.
Belgian police arrest 12 suspected of planning new attacks
Belgian police arrested 12 people suspected of planning new attacks after about 40 houses were searched across the country overnight, the federal prosecutor's office said on Saturday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Russia Might Use Veto Power to Protect Israel at United Nations, Israeli Official Says
Russia is not ruling out using its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to thwart anti-Israel resolutions, an unnamed Israeli diplomatic official involved in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Moscow last week told the Israeli news site nrg.
To Israel’s dismay, EU ministers to meet on backing French peace push
The European Union’s foreign ministers were to meet Monday to vote in support of the French peace initiative, a proclamation expected to bolster Paris’s efforts to kick start Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Netanyahu to meet Kerry next week to discuss Israeli-Palestinian negotiations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry are to meet next week in Europe to urgently discuss Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Israel's Channel 2 News reported on Sunday.
Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks set to take place in Egypt next week
A Hamas delegation was expected to head to Cairo next week for talks on reconciliation with Fatah, according to Palestinian news agency, Maan.
Israeli tank returned by Russia not the one that carried missing soldiers
Researchers announced on Friday that an Israeli tank captured by Syria during the First Lebanon War in 1982 is not the one from which three missing Israeli soldiers were taken, the Israeli Ynet news site reports.
Ex-defense minister Ya'alon says he will run to lead Israel in next election
Former Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya'alon on Thursday announced that he intended to run for the leadership of Israel in the next elections, Israeli media outlets report. In a speech at the Herzliya Conference, Ya'alon excoriated the country's leadership, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular, whom he accused of seeking to spread and exploit fear.
Inside the United States
DNC hackers accused of broader campaign targeting think-tanks, lobbyists
The hackers believed to be responsible for recently breaching the Democratic National Committee also compromised computers used by law firms, lobbyists and others closely tied to the U.S. political system, Bloomberg reported Friday.
'Satanic Temple' Joins Planned Parenthood in Pro-Abortion Crusade
In the face of growing pressure on Planned Parenthood after revelations that it was selling human body parts, the Satanic Temple has launched a pro-abortion crusade to come to the aid of America’s largest abortion provider.
Illegal families surge across border; 2016 already worse than 2015
The number of illegal immigrant families jumping the border so far this fiscal year has already topped all of 2015, according to Homeland Security statistics released Friday that show the administration’s border problems continue to grow.
Federal report warns of looming pension insolvency
Massive underfunding of multi-employer pension programs could lead to the insolvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in less than a decade, according to a report the federal pension backstop released Friday.
Sessions: U.S. should halt immigration from much of Mideast
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions named six Middle Eastern countries on Sunday that he believes should be included in the Muslim travel ban proposed by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
US takes 28 Christian refugees fleeing ISIS, but accepts 5,435 Muslims
Despite the mass extermination of Christians inflicted by the Islamic State, the United States government is admitting an extremely low number of Christian refugees from war-torn Syria and Iraq -- compared to an exponentially higher number of Muslim refugees.
California, New Mexico, Arizona wildfires grow; conditions worsen
Major wildfires have consumed tens of thousands of acres and forced evacuations in California, New Mexico and Arizona.
FBI questions member of Orlando gunman's mosque
FBI agents on Friday questioned a member of the Florida mosque attended by Omar Mateen, the man who shot 49 people to death at a gay nightclub, as new information surfaced revealing the killer had exhibited chronic behavioral problems during his youth.
Google, Facebook, Reddit are run by a bunch of 'left-wing guys'
Less than a month after the Facebook summit between founder Mark Zuckerberg and leading conservatives, the tense relationship between Silicon Valley and conservatives has taken a turn for the worse.
Florida governor unloads on Obama: 'Stop radical Islam!'
A 'fed-up' Florida Gov. Rick Scott called out President Obama during an appearance on Fox News Friday, saying the president 'isn't doing enough to destroy ISIS,' while also denouncing the focus on gun control in the wake of the terror massacre that killed 49 people at an Orlando 'gay' club.
Supreme Court to act on gun ownership cases
Days after the worst mass shooting in the United States, the Supreme Court is poised to act on two cases highlighting the raging debate over what types of guns and ammunition may be banned and who should have the right to possess firearms.
Obama Admin. On Pace to Issue One Million Green Cards to Migrants from Majority-Muslim Countries
The Obama Administration is on pace to issue more than a million green cards to migrants from majority-Muslim countries, according to an analysis of Department of Homeland Security data.
U.S. Politics
Sanders Pledges to Work With Clinton, Fight for Progressive Platform
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Thursday refused to end his campaign for president, but told supporters that he would work closely with presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton to "transform the Democratic Party" and "make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly."
Donald Trump Rolls Out Winning Platform: Cut Taxes, Save Social Security and Medicare
Republican candidate Donald Trump focused this weekend on his economic platform: Cut taxes and regulations across the board while also saving Social Security, Medicare, and other government safety-net programs.
Report: Rubio plans to announce re-election bid next week
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is expected to announce his re-election bid to secure his seat next week.
Trump: 'I hate the concept of profiling,' but we 'have to do it'
Donald Trump on Sunday said he's no fan of racial profiling, but he still thinks the U.S. should consider using it to prevent terror attacks like the mass shooting in Orlando.
ACLU sues Cleveland over GOP convention protest restrictions
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Cleveland, accusing the city of First Amendment violations affecting protesters and residents during the Republican National Convention next month.
Christian News
Nepal: Seven Christians arrested
Seven Christians were arrested for distributing biblical handbooks to hundreds of students in the Dolakha district of Nepal.
Franklin Graham to Christians: Shake up politics 'before it's too late'
Spiritual leader Franklin Graham is encouraging pastors and everyday Christians to jump into politics 'before it's too late' to fight a growing wave of political correctness.
Pakistani policeman beats up church leader over 'loudspeaker music'
A church leader in Lahore was beaten up during his Sunday service by a policeman, during a dispute over whether or not music was being played over his church loudspeaker.
Orthodox Christian Leaders Make Last-Minute Appeal for Unity
Orthodox Christian leaders meeting for a historic council aimed at promoting unity made a last-minute appeal Friday to the Russian Orthodox Church and three others to attend the gathering, the first such meeting in more than a millennium.
Franklin Graham Says Orlando Shooting 'Symptom' of a 'Godless Nation'
The massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history that has captured the world's attention, was a 'symptom' of the country's spiritual condition, asserts the Rev. Franklin Graham.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
The Stock Market Crash Of 2016: Stocks Have Already Crashed In 6 Of The World's 8 Largest Economies
Over the past 12 months, stock market investors around the planet have lost trillions of dollars. Since this time last June, stocks have crashed in 6 of the world's 8 largest economies, and stocks in the other two are down as well. The charts that you are about to see are absolutely stunning, and they are clear evidence that a new global financial crisis has already begun. Of course it is true that we are still in the early chapters of this new crisis and that there is much, much more damage to be done, but let us not minimize the carnage that we have already witnessed.
Will Genetic Advances Make Sex Obsolete?
Stanford law professor and bioethicist Hank Greely predicts that in the future most people in developed countries won't have sex to make babies. Instead they'll choose to control their child's genetics by making embryos in a lab.
Russia Bombs US-Backed Rebels in Syria
Russian aircraft have dropped bombs on rebels battling Islamic State in southern Syria, including those supported by the United States, a senior U.S. official said.
Hundreds arrested as looting erupts in Venezuela
Dozens of shops were looted in the eastern city of Cumana, the latest flashpoint in a crisis triggered by severe shortages in food and other basic goods.
Pro-ISIS Twitter accounts filled with 'gay' pride
The hacker group Anonymous has reportedly broken into Twitter accounts used by pro-ISIS individuals, and fillEd them with 'gay'- pride messages and images - heavy on the rainbows - in apparent backlash against the shooting murders of 49 at an Orlando LGBT hot spot committed by a radicalized Muslim with a faith-based outrage toward the West's permissive view of the LGBT lifestyle.
U.N. human rights report: Islamic State guilty of genocide, war crimes against Syrians
A United Nations human rights panel on Thursday released a report that concludes the Islamic State terror group has committed and continues to carry out genocide against an indigenous community in Syria -- which includes brutal abuses of men, women and children.
51 diplomats blast Obama policy, call for military strikes on Syria in internal memo
An unprecedented number of current State Department officials have endorsed an internal memo that harshly judges President Obama's Syria policy and calls on the U.S. to attack directly the regime of Bashar Assad.
EgyptAir Flight 804: Black box of crashed plane found, pulled out of sea
Egypt's investigation committee says the cockpit voice recorder of the doomed EgyptAir plane has been found and pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
House approves defense aid to Israel despite veto threat
The United States House of Representatives on Thursday passed a $576 billion defense spending bill which includes $635.7 million for U.S.-Israel missile defense programs, despite a threat by the Obama administration to veto the bill, The Jewish Insider reports.
for the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Egypt, Jordan call on Israel to accept Saudi Initiative
The 2002 Arab Peace Plan is the best path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors said on Thursday in two rare public appearances in Israel.
Israel to build underground concrete wall to block Hamas tunnels from Gaza
Israel's senior defense establishment has decided that a concrete wall will be built along the country's border with the Gaza Strip in an attempt to finally solve the problem of Islamist terror group Hamas using tunnels to carry out attacks, Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported Thursday.
Inside the United States
Trade Deficit Reaches Highest Level Seen in Seven Years
The trade deficit soared to the highest level seen since 2008, the height of the Great Recession, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
GOP unveils plan to block Obama's executive overreach
House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a proposal that they believe will put the brakes on executive branch overreach and restore the power of Congress to write laws.
Computer crash wipes out a decade of US Air Force data
A corrupted database in the US Air Force's inspector general and legislative liaison divisions has reportedly put more than 100,000 internal investigation records in jeopardy.
Creepy peepers! Target hit with wave of men snooping on teens
It's an alarming trend that may have America's dads and husbands standing watch outside their daughters' and wives' dressing rooms: Barely months after Target announced its plan to let men enter women's facilities, teenage girls and women across America are catching creepy men secretly filming them while they change clothes.
Ellen DeGeneres: Transgender Stingray in Disney's 'Finding Dory'
Disney/Pixar's upcoming film Finding Dory features a transgender stingray who transitions to become 'Sting-Rhonda,' the film's star Ellen DeGeneres revealed in an interview.
California's new motor voter law could add 2 million registered voters in its first year, study says
A new study from the Public Policy Institute of California estimates that, if executed successfully, the state's new motor voter law could add more than 2 million new voters to the rolls in its first year of implementation.
Guns sales spike among gays, lesbians after Orlando terror
One of Denver's oldest firearms dealers said his sales are skyrocketing in the wake of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Federal Judge Blocks Texas Attempt to Ban Syrian Refugees
Texas cannot block the federal government from relocating Syrian refugees to the state, a federal judge ruled.
U.S. Politics
Donald Trump prepared to go it alone if GOP won't get on board
GOP leaders have yet to abandon Donald Trump, but the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said this week he's ready to kick them to the curb and go it alone against Hillary Clinton if they don't man up.
Christian News
Chinese Christians hold service in church ruins after brutal demolition
In the midst of negotiations to relocate a government-sanctioned church in China's coastal Zhejiang, a team of officials destroyed the structure without warning on the evening of May 20 under the excuse of improving that area of the city.
Russell Moore Takes on Critics at SBC for Supporting Religious Freedom for Muslims to Build Mosques
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission received criticism from some members of the Southern Baptist Convention at the denomination's annual meeting on Wednesday for filing an amicus brief on behalf of a Muslim group seeking to build a mosque.
People who attend religious services live longer, new study suggests
A new study suggests that people who consistently attend religious services may live longer than those who don't.
Around the World
The Stock Market Crash Of 2016: Stocks Have Already Crashed In 6 Of The World's 8 Largest Economies
Over the past 12 months, stock market investors around the planet have lost trillions of dollars. Since this time last June, stocks have crashed in 6 of the world's 8 largest economies, and stocks in the other two are down as well. The charts that you are about to see are absolutely stunning, and they are clear evidence that a new global financial crisis has already begun. Of course it is true that we are still in the early chapters of this new crisis and that there is much, much more damage to be done, but let us not minimize the carnage that we have already witnessed.
Will Genetic Advances Make Sex Obsolete?
Stanford law professor and bioethicist Hank Greely predicts that in the future most people in developed countries won't have sex to make babies. Instead they'll choose to control their child's genetics by making embryos in a lab.
Russia Bombs US-Backed Rebels in Syria
Russian aircraft have dropped bombs on rebels battling Islamic State in southern Syria, including those supported by the United States, a senior U.S. official said.
Hundreds arrested as looting erupts in Venezuela
Dozens of shops were looted in the eastern city of Cumana, the latest flashpoint in a crisis triggered by severe shortages in food and other basic goods.
Pro-ISIS Twitter accounts filled with 'gay' pride
The hacker group Anonymous has reportedly broken into Twitter accounts used by pro-ISIS individuals, and fillEd them with 'gay'- pride messages and images - heavy on the rainbows - in apparent backlash against the shooting murders of 49 at an Orlando LGBT hot spot committed by a radicalized Muslim with a faith-based outrage toward the West's permissive view of the LGBT lifestyle.
U.N. human rights report: Islamic State guilty of genocide, war crimes against Syrians
A United Nations human rights panel on Thursday released a report that concludes the Islamic State terror group has committed and continues to carry out genocide against an indigenous community in Syria -- which includes brutal abuses of men, women and children.
51 diplomats blast Obama policy, call for military strikes on Syria in internal memo
An unprecedented number of current State Department officials have endorsed an internal memo that harshly judges President Obama's Syria policy and calls on the U.S. to attack directly the regime of Bashar Assad.
EgyptAir Flight 804: Black box of crashed plane found, pulled out of sea
Egypt's investigation committee says the cockpit voice recorder of the doomed EgyptAir plane has been found and pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
House approves defense aid to Israel despite veto threat
The United States House of Representatives on Thursday passed a $576 billion defense spending bill which includes $635.7 million for U.S.-Israel missile defense programs, despite a threat by the Obama administration to veto the bill, The Jewish Insider reports.
for the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Egypt, Jordan call on Israel to accept Saudi Initiative
The 2002 Arab Peace Plan is the best path to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors said on Thursday in two rare public appearances in Israel.
Israel to build underground concrete wall to block Hamas tunnels from Gaza
Israel's senior defense establishment has decided that a concrete wall will be built along the country's border with the Gaza Strip in an attempt to finally solve the problem of Islamist terror group Hamas using tunnels to carry out attacks, Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported Thursday.
Inside the United States
Trade Deficit Reaches Highest Level Seen in Seven Years
The trade deficit soared to the highest level seen since 2008, the height of the Great Recession, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
GOP unveils plan to block Obama's executive overreach
House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a proposal that they believe will put the brakes on executive branch overreach and restore the power of Congress to write laws.
Computer crash wipes out a decade of US Air Force data
A corrupted database in the US Air Force's inspector general and legislative liaison divisions has reportedly put more than 100,000 internal investigation records in jeopardy.
Creepy peepers! Target hit with wave of men snooping on teens
It's an alarming trend that may have America's dads and husbands standing watch outside their daughters' and wives' dressing rooms: Barely months after Target announced its plan to let men enter women's facilities, teenage girls and women across America are catching creepy men secretly filming them while they change clothes.
Ellen DeGeneres: Transgender Stingray in Disney's 'Finding Dory'
Disney/Pixar's upcoming film Finding Dory features a transgender stingray who transitions to become 'Sting-Rhonda,' the film's star Ellen DeGeneres revealed in an interview.
California's new motor voter law could add 2 million registered voters in its first year, study says
A new study from the Public Policy Institute of California estimates that, if executed successfully, the state's new motor voter law could add more than 2 million new voters to the rolls in its first year of implementation.
Guns sales spike among gays, lesbians after Orlando terror
One of Denver's oldest firearms dealers said his sales are skyrocketing in the wake of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Federal Judge Blocks Texas Attempt to Ban Syrian Refugees
Texas cannot block the federal government from relocating Syrian refugees to the state, a federal judge ruled.
U.S. Politics
Donald Trump prepared to go it alone if GOP won't get on board
GOP leaders have yet to abandon Donald Trump, but the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said this week he's ready to kick them to the curb and go it alone against Hillary Clinton if they don't man up.
Christian News
Chinese Christians hold service in church ruins after brutal demolition
In the midst of negotiations to relocate a government-sanctioned church in China's coastal Zhejiang, a team of officials destroyed the structure without warning on the evening of May 20 under the excuse of improving that area of the city.
Russell Moore Takes on Critics at SBC for Supporting Religious Freedom for Muslims to Build Mosques
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission received criticism from some members of the Southern Baptist Convention at the denomination's annual meeting on Wednesday for filing an amicus brief on behalf of a Muslim group seeking to build a mosque.
People who attend religious services live longer, new study suggests
A new study suggests that people who consistently attend religious services may live longer than those who don't.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
U.S. Third Fleet expands East Asia role as tensions rise with China
The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet will send more ships to East Asia to operate outside its normal theater alongside the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a move that comes at a time of heightened tensions with China.
French attacker pledged loyalty to IS, had public figure 'hit list'
A man who stabbed a police commander and police administrator to death at their home in a Paris suburb pledged loyalty to the leader of the Islamic State group and had a list of other targets, including rappers, journalists, police officers and public officials, the Paris prosecutor said Tuesday.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Says U.S. Needs 'Robust Gun Regulation'
The United Nations' human rights chief called on the United States Tuesday to enforce more effective gun control measures in the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack, dismissing as 'irresponsible pro-gun propaganda' the notion that firearms make societies safer.
Damascus says German special forces in Syria, Germany denies
The Syrian government said on Wednesday that German special forces were present, alongside French and American military personnel, in northern Syria, an accusation denied by Germany.
China shadows U.S. warships amid rising tensions in Asia
When U.S. commanders kicked off a major international naval exercise this week, they found an uninvited guest: A Chinese Navy warship.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
'Next war with Hamas will be its last,' senior defense source says
The next war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be the last for the Islamist regime, a senior source in the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, though he stressed that Israel is not seeking conflict and will not be the side to initiate hostilities.
Hamas tunnel expert defects to Israel: reports
A senior Hamas tunnel expert has absconded from Gaza to Israel and turned himself in to authorities, Haaretz reports, citing Palestinian news outlets.
Inside the United States
CIA Chief: ISIS Sending Operatives to US
CIA Director John Brennan will tell Congress on Thursday that Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style tactics to compensate for their territorial losses.
Fed keeps interest rates unchanged, signals fewer future hikes
The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and signaled it still planned to raise rates twice in 2016, though it said slower economic growth would crimp the pace of monetary policy tightening in future years.
Report: Radical Islamists Have Killed 94 on American Soil Since 9/11
A new report shows that more than 90 people have been killed on American soil in attacks by radical Islamists since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
Security firm that employed Mateen was contractor for the Department of Homeland Security
G4S, the employer of the Muslim terrorist who killed 49 people at the Orlando Pulse nightclub, is a major contractor for the Department of Homeland Security and State Department.
'Define the enemy': Republicans counter Obama's 'radical Islam' slam
Republicans roundly rejected President Obama's rationale for refusing to use the term 'radical Islam' in describing terror attacks, responding that: 'You have to define the enemy to defeat it.'
NY Daily News wants to ban already-banned gun
The New York Daily News' latest edition argues no American citizen should be allowed to purchase a style of rifle that is already banned from commercial sale.
Foreign selling of U.S. Treasuries in April was most since 1978: data
Foreign investors sold a record amount of U.S. Treasury bonds and notes for the month of April, according to U.S. Treasury Department data on Wednesday, as investors priced in a few more rate increases by the Federal Reserve this year.
Orlando Gunman Warned of Future ISIS Attacks Against U.S. in Facebook Post
Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay club early Sunday, reportedly posted to Facebook before the attack warning of coming 'attacks from the Islamic State' in the United States.
'Islamic Refugee' With Gas Pipeline Plans Arrested in New Mexico Border County
Police in a U.S. town bordering Mexico have apprehended an undocumented, Middle Eastern woman in possession of the region's gas pipeline plans, law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch. Authorities describe the woman as an 'Islamic refugee' pulled over during a traffic stop by a deputy sheriff in Luna County, New Mexico which shares a 54-mile border with Mexico. County authorities alerted the U.S. Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) has been deployed to the area to investigate, sources with firsthand knowledge of the probe confirm.
Leftists suggest secret court to strip 2nd Amendment rights
A New York Times editorial advocates for a new law allowing a secret court to take away citizens' right to own a gun at the discretion of the federal government.
U.S. Politics
Trump's new Obama claims thrust him into uncharted territory
onald Trump's latest accusation against President Barack Obama -- that he's putting US enemies ahead of America's own people -- is thrusting him into uncharted territory for the presidential candidate of any major political party.
Trump: Obama 'More Angry' at Me Than Orlando Shooter
Donald Trump told supporters in North Carolina Tuesday that President Barack Obama was angrier at him than at the Florida man who gunned down 49 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando over the weekend.
Donald Trump joins Democrats in post-Orlando gun control push
Brushing aside warnings that they'll tip off terrorists to secret investigations, Democrats pressed ahead Wednesday with plans for new gun controls after the Orlando shooting, and even enlisted an unlikely potential ally -- Donald Trump, who said he's open to a discussion about banning firearm sales to those on the government's no-fly list.
Christian News
Christians Didn't Commit the Orlando Massacre
We are now fully through the looking glass. A Muslim man walked into a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 men and women, most of them gay or lesbian. He paused in the middle of his massacre to call 911 and a local television station, making clear that he wanted the world to know he had pledged allegiance to ISIS. There are no dog whistles here. This is a textbook example of jihadism in action, plain and simple. Yet somehow, Omar Mateen's massacre has put American Christians on the defensive.
Pope Francis Meets With Evangelical, Pentecostal Leaders in John 17 Spirit
Pope Francis and several prominent Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders met in Rome last Friday to discuss areas of mutual agreement and where they respectfully disagreed. The aim of the gathering, which had no official agenda, was to build unity between Christian traditions that have historic enmity.
Syria: Elderly Christian Man Forced to Convert to Islam for Not Paying Tax
An elderly Christian man has been forced to convert to Islam in Raqqa, Syria, because he can no longer afford to pay the tax levied by ISIS on non-Muslims.
Christians Live in Fear, Hide Faith In Migrant Camps
Christians in migrant camps in Germany say they are forced to hide their faith from Muslim migrants who threaten and abuse them.
3 Christians vanish after assault by 'Muslim extremists'
Three Christians working with an organization that delivers Bibles and the Christian message to the Middle East have disappeared following their release from a hospital where they were treated for injuries from an attack from 'Muslim extremists,' according to a new report.
Around the World
U.S. Third Fleet expands East Asia role as tensions rise with China
The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet will send more ships to East Asia to operate outside its normal theater alongside the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a move that comes at a time of heightened tensions with China.
French attacker pledged loyalty to IS, had public figure 'hit list'
A man who stabbed a police commander and police administrator to death at their home in a Paris suburb pledged loyalty to the leader of the Islamic State group and had a list of other targets, including rappers, journalists, police officers and public officials, the Paris prosecutor said Tuesday.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Says U.S. Needs 'Robust Gun Regulation'
The United Nations' human rights chief called on the United States Tuesday to enforce more effective gun control measures in the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack, dismissing as 'irresponsible pro-gun propaganda' the notion that firearms make societies safer.
Damascus says German special forces in Syria, Germany denies
The Syrian government said on Wednesday that German special forces were present, alongside French and American military personnel, in northern Syria, an accusation denied by Germany.
China shadows U.S. warships amid rising tensions in Asia
When U.S. commanders kicked off a major international naval exercise this week, they found an uninvited guest: A Chinese Navy warship.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
'Next war with Hamas will be its last,' senior defense source says
The next war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be the last for the Islamist regime, a senior source in the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, though he stressed that Israel is not seeking conflict and will not be the side to initiate hostilities.
Hamas tunnel expert defects to Israel: reports
A senior Hamas tunnel expert has absconded from Gaza to Israel and turned himself in to authorities, Haaretz reports, citing Palestinian news outlets.
Inside the United States
CIA Chief: ISIS Sending Operatives to US
CIA Director John Brennan will tell Congress on Thursday that Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style tactics to compensate for their territorial losses.
Fed keeps interest rates unchanged, signals fewer future hikes
The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and signaled it still planned to raise rates twice in 2016, though it said slower economic growth would crimp the pace of monetary policy tightening in future years.
Report: Radical Islamists Have Killed 94 on American Soil Since 9/11
A new report shows that more than 90 people have been killed on American soil in attacks by radical Islamists since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
Security firm that employed Mateen was contractor for the Department of Homeland Security
G4S, the employer of the Muslim terrorist who killed 49 people at the Orlando Pulse nightclub, is a major contractor for the Department of Homeland Security and State Department.
'Define the enemy': Republicans counter Obama's 'radical Islam' slam
Republicans roundly rejected President Obama's rationale for refusing to use the term 'radical Islam' in describing terror attacks, responding that: 'You have to define the enemy to defeat it.'
NY Daily News wants to ban already-banned gun
The New York Daily News' latest edition argues no American citizen should be allowed to purchase a style of rifle that is already banned from commercial sale.
Foreign selling of U.S. Treasuries in April was most since 1978: data
Foreign investors sold a record amount of U.S. Treasury bonds and notes for the month of April, according to U.S. Treasury Department data on Wednesday, as investors priced in a few more rate increases by the Federal Reserve this year.
Orlando Gunman Warned of Future ISIS Attacks Against U.S. in Facebook Post
Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay club early Sunday, reportedly posted to Facebook before the attack warning of coming 'attacks from the Islamic State' in the United States.
'Islamic Refugee' With Gas Pipeline Plans Arrested in New Mexico Border County
Police in a U.S. town bordering Mexico have apprehended an undocumented, Middle Eastern woman in possession of the region's gas pipeline plans, law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch. Authorities describe the woman as an 'Islamic refugee' pulled over during a traffic stop by a deputy sheriff in Luna County, New Mexico which shares a 54-mile border with Mexico. County authorities alerted the U.S. Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) has been deployed to the area to investigate, sources with firsthand knowledge of the probe confirm.
Leftists suggest secret court to strip 2nd Amendment rights
A New York Times editorial advocates for a new law allowing a secret court to take away citizens' right to own a gun at the discretion of the federal government.
U.S. Politics
Trump's new Obama claims thrust him into uncharted territory
onald Trump's latest accusation against President Barack Obama -- that he's putting US enemies ahead of America's own people -- is thrusting him into uncharted territory for the presidential candidate of any major political party.
Trump: Obama 'More Angry' at Me Than Orlando Shooter
Donald Trump told supporters in North Carolina Tuesday that President Barack Obama was angrier at him than at the Florida man who gunned down 49 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando over the weekend.
Donald Trump joins Democrats in post-Orlando gun control push
Brushing aside warnings that they'll tip off terrorists to secret investigations, Democrats pressed ahead Wednesday with plans for new gun controls after the Orlando shooting, and even enlisted an unlikely potential ally -- Donald Trump, who said he's open to a discussion about banning firearm sales to those on the government's no-fly list.
Christian News
Christians Didn't Commit the Orlando Massacre
We are now fully through the looking glass. A Muslim man walked into a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 men and women, most of them gay or lesbian. He paused in the middle of his massacre to call 911 and a local television station, making clear that he wanted the world to know he had pledged allegiance to ISIS. There are no dog whistles here. This is a textbook example of jihadism in action, plain and simple. Yet somehow, Omar Mateen's massacre has put American Christians on the defensive.
Pope Francis Meets With Evangelical, Pentecostal Leaders in John 17 Spirit
Pope Francis and several prominent Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders met in Rome last Friday to discuss areas of mutual agreement and where they respectfully disagreed. The aim of the gathering, which had no official agenda, was to build unity between Christian traditions that have historic enmity.
Syria: Elderly Christian Man Forced to Convert to Islam for Not Paying Tax
An elderly Christian man has been forced to convert to Islam in Raqqa, Syria, because he can no longer afford to pay the tax levied by ISIS on non-Muslims.
Christians Live in Fear, Hide Faith In Migrant Camps
Christians in migrant camps in Germany say they are forced to hide their faith from Muslim migrants who threaten and abuse them.
3 Christians vanish after assault by 'Muslim extremists'
Three Christians working with an organization that delivers Bibles and the Christian message to the Middle East have disappeared following their release from a hospital where they were treated for injuries from an attack from 'Muslim extremists,' according to a new report.