Around the World
US strikes Iran-backed fighters in Syria, in 1st military action under Biden
The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a US service member and other coalition troops.
Dutch Nuclear Whistleblower Suddenly Dies At 76
Dutch whistleblower Frits Veerman, who was punished for turning in a colleague for selling nuclear secrets used to build Pakistan’s atomic bomb, has died.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel to use electronic tagging on travelers from next week
Israeli health officials on Thursday approved a measure to electronically tag arrivals from abroad, which will go in effect next week, in order to ensure coronavirus quarantine regulations are observed.
Israel’s red line: 1,000 precision missiles in Hezbollah’s hands
"If Hezbollah crosses a quantitative or qualitative threshold for precision weapons, we will have to act against it. This is a serious decision, but one from which we cannot run away," said Lt. Col. Eran Niv, the head of the IDF's Warfare Methods and Innovation Division.
Construction Seen at Secretive Israeli Nuclear Facility
A secretive Israeli nuclear facility at the center of the nation's undeclared nuclear weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.
Pelosi and Netanyahu discuss two-state solution in phone call
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone Wednesday and discussed, among other issues, a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ynet News reports.

Inside the United States
The digital dollar is now high priority for the Fed
The U.S. is starting to get serious about a central-bank-backed digital currency, with recent comments from top officials laying out the strongest support yet.
Once-secret FBI informant reports reveal wider-ranging operation to spy on Trump campaign
Once-secret reports show the FBI effort to spy on the Trump campaign was far wider than previously disclosed, as agents directed an undercover informant to make secret recordings, pressed for intelligence on numerous GOP figures, and sought to find "anyone in the Trump campaign" with ties to Russia who could acquire dirt "damaging to Hillary Clinton."
Guns in America: Nearly 40 million guns were purchased legally in 2020 and another 4.1 million bought in January
U.S. gun sales in January surged 60% to 4,137,480. This makes it the largest single month since figures started to be recorded in 1998.
House Passes Equality Act, Provides Civil Rights Protections To Gay And Transgender People
The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act on Thursday afternoon, which will impact abortion, marriage, family, gender, sports and more.
Poll: 63% of white evangelicals believe Biden election was “not legitimate”
A post-election poll reveals that nearly two-thirds of white Evangelicals do not believe US President Joe Biden was elected legitimately, the Christian Post reports. The survey was conducted in January by the public policy research organization American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

Christian News
India: Christian couple refuse to renounce faith in face of death threats and banishment
A husband and wife who refused to renounce their new-found faith in Christ have been banished and threatened with death if they return to their village home in India’s Odisha state, International Chrisitan Concern (ICC) reports. Jaga Padiami and his wife were driven from their home in the Malkangiri municipality after becoming Christians in December 2020.
Over 500 US evangelical pastors condemn ‘Radical Christian Nationalism’ in open letter
More than 500 US evangelical pastors and leaders have condemned ‘Radical Christian Nationalism’ in an open letter responding to the January 6 assault on the US Capitol, Religious News reports. Entitled “Evangelical Leaders Statement Condemning Christian Nationalism's role in the January 6th Insurrection,” the letter explains the signatories come from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions, but stand together against ‘the perversion of the Christian faith” displayed at the insurrection, and against “the theology and the conditions” that led to the attack itself.

Worthy Watch
It’s ‘Potato Head’ to you: Mr. Potato Head becomes gender-neutral, Hasbro says
Rand Paul vs. Rachel Levine: Do You Support Government Overriding Parental Consent On Puberty Blockers?
How Biden and the MSM is viewed in Australia?