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
EU leaders agree to extend economic sanctions on Russia
European Union leaders agreed on Friday to extend their economic sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea from Kiev and backing rebels fighting government troops in east Ukraine, an EU official said.
Syrian army makes advances in southwest offensive
The Syrian army battled rebels in an important town in southwest Syria on Thursday, a media unit run by its ally Hezbollah and a war monitor said, as intensifying air strikes killed dozens of people in the area.
EU leaders agree on migration after late-night summit
European Union leaders reached an agreement on migration after almost 10 hours of chaotic talks in Brussels over the sensitive issue threatening their union and zone of free travel, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.
Pence tells Central American leaders to end migrant 'exodus'
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told the leaders of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador on Thursday to end an 'exodus' of illegal immigrants to the United States, urging them to dissuade people from even considering entering the country unlawfully.
Deutsche Bank fails Federal Reserve stress test
U.S. operations of Deutsche Bank failed an annual regulatory stress test by the Federal Reserve, according to results released Thursday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
House panel unanimously advances federal anti-BDS legislation
The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed controversial legislation on Thursday to target boycott efforts against Israel and Israeli businesses, advancing the measure to now be considered by the entire House chamber.
Israeli envoy: We should delay UNESCO exit
Israel should delay its planned December exit from UNESCO given the positive steps the organization has taken to reform its anti-Israel bias, Ambassador Carmel Shama Hacohen told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
IDF chief in Washington to meet senior US defense officials
IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot landed in the United States for a work visit in the American capital on Thursday night, the army said.
Inside the United States
'Even a blind person' can see Mueller using Manafort to 'target' Trump: judge
A federal judge says 'even a blind person' can see that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is prosecuting Paul Manafort as a way to acquire evidence against his 'true target,' President Trump.
Long-term justice: Younger Supreme Court candidates on Trump's list favored
Youth is a factor as President Trump searches for his pivotal nominee to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the Supreme Court, a task that the president said Thursday is already in high gear.
At least 5 killed in 'targeted attack' on Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis
A man with a shotgun and a beef against his local newspaper stalked into the offices of the Annapolis Capital Gazette on Thursday and opened fire on the newsroom, killing five people and wounding two others, police said.
Sessions' reversals on four Obama positions validated by Supreme Court
The Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed positions of the Obama administration in four cases decided by the Supreme Court this year -- and won all four of them.
Judge temporarily blocks abortion reporting rule in Indiana
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new Indiana law’s requirement that medical providers report detailed patient information to the state if they treat women for complications arising from abortions.
Rod Rosenstein clashes with House Republicans amid documents dispute
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein fended off feisty House Republicans at a Thursday committee hearing, amid the passage of a resolution that puts on the record a demand for a handful of Justice Department documents.
Christian News
Half of Churchgoers, 36 Percent of Pro-Lifers, Hold Favorable View of Planned Parenthood: Gallup
About half of American churchgoers and over a third of self-identified pro-life individuals hold a positive opinion of Planned Parenthood, according to a recent Gallup poll.
EU leaders agree to extend economic sanctions on Russia
European Union leaders agreed on Friday to extend their economic sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea from Kiev and backing rebels fighting government troops in east Ukraine, an EU official said.
Syrian army makes advances in southwest offensive
The Syrian army battled rebels in an important town in southwest Syria on Thursday, a media unit run by its ally Hezbollah and a war monitor said, as intensifying air strikes killed dozens of people in the area.
EU leaders agree on migration after late-night summit
European Union leaders reached an agreement on migration after almost 10 hours of chaotic talks in Brussels over the sensitive issue threatening their union and zone of free travel, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.
Pence tells Central American leaders to end migrant 'exodus'
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told the leaders of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador on Thursday to end an 'exodus' of illegal immigrants to the United States, urging them to dissuade people from even considering entering the country unlawfully.
Deutsche Bank fails Federal Reserve stress test
U.S. operations of Deutsche Bank failed an annual regulatory stress test by the Federal Reserve, according to results released Thursday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
House panel unanimously advances federal anti-BDS legislation
The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed controversial legislation on Thursday to target boycott efforts against Israel and Israeli businesses, advancing the measure to now be considered by the entire House chamber.
Israeli envoy: We should delay UNESCO exit
Israel should delay its planned December exit from UNESCO given the positive steps the organization has taken to reform its anti-Israel bias, Ambassador Carmel Shama Hacohen told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
IDF chief in Washington to meet senior US defense officials
IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot landed in the United States for a work visit in the American capital on Thursday night, the army said.
Inside the United States
'Even a blind person' can see Mueller using Manafort to 'target' Trump: judge
A federal judge says 'even a blind person' can see that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is prosecuting Paul Manafort as a way to acquire evidence against his 'true target,' President Trump.
Long-term justice: Younger Supreme Court candidates on Trump's list favored
Youth is a factor as President Trump searches for his pivotal nominee to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the Supreme Court, a task that the president said Thursday is already in high gear.
At least 5 killed in 'targeted attack' on Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis
A man with a shotgun and a beef against his local newspaper stalked into the offices of the Annapolis Capital Gazette on Thursday and opened fire on the newsroom, killing five people and wounding two others, police said.
Sessions' reversals on four Obama positions validated by Supreme Court
The Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed positions of the Obama administration in four cases decided by the Supreme Court this year -- and won all four of them.
Judge temporarily blocks abortion reporting rule in Indiana
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new Indiana law’s requirement that medical providers report detailed patient information to the state if they treat women for complications arising from abortions.
Rod Rosenstein clashes with House Republicans amid documents dispute
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein fended off feisty House Republicans at a Thursday committee hearing, amid the passage of a resolution that puts on the record a demand for a handful of Justice Department documents.
Christian News
Half of Churchgoers, 36 Percent of Pro-Lifers, Hold Favorable View of Planned Parenthood: Gallup
About half of American churchgoers and over a third of self-identified pro-life individuals hold a positive opinion of Planned Parenthood, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Around the World
Iran reopens uranium plant after 9 years to step up enrichment
Iran on Wednesday reopened a nuclear enrichment plant that has been inactive since 2009, as Tehran geared up to bolster its enrichment activities should the 2015 nuclear deal collapse.
Trump-Putin summit set for July
Washington and Moscow agreed Wednesday to a summit next month between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a powwow that is guaranteed to provoke criticism from Mr. Trump’s critics at home and in foreign capitals.
Trump will demand of Putin a total Iranian exit from Syria — report
US President Donald Trump intends to demand from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a full Iranian pullout from Syria territory, making the subject a priority in talks between the two leaders planned for next month, the Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper reported Thursday.
Detained Jihadist Claims ISIS Has Plot to Send Syrian Child Recruits to Europe to Carry Out Attacks – Report
French investigators are trying to establish the veracity of claims that ISIS plotted to send child recruits from Syria to Europe to carry out terrorist attacks, according to a report by the daily newspaper Le Monde, based on the interrogation of a suspect in French custody.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Prince William concludes his visit to Israel in Jerusalem
Concluding a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Prince William traveled Thursday morning to the Mount of Olives to visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who saved a Jewish family during the Holocaust and was buried at the cemetery in the late 1980s.
Palestinian Authority rejects Israeli, U.S. ideas to help Gaza
The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday expressed fear that the talk about easing restrictions on the Gaza Strip was part of an Israeli-Palestinian 'conspiracy' to transform the Palestinian cause into a 'humanitarian issue.'
Inside the United States
House slams door on GOP immigration bill; Trump's support not enough to pass bill
The Republican compromise immigration bill suffered a crushing defeat in the House on Wednesday in a vote that stood as a rebuke to President Trump and a signal that Republicans remain irrevocably deadlocked on the issue.
Retirement ends Anthony Kennedy's tenure as nation's decider-in-chief
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the 81-year-old jurist, who announced his retirement Wednesday, has been the decider in chief on most of the major controversial cases to reach the Supreme Court ever since 2006, which was when the court’s balance shifted to him after Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement.
Supreme Court delivers major blow to government unions
The Supreme Court delivered a major blow to public-sector unions Wednesday, ruling that they cannot force government workers to join or financially support them.
Op-Ed: 6 rulings that could be overturned by a post-Kennedy Supreme Court
Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement this afternoon. For decades, Kennedy was the swing justice on an otherwise ideologically balanced Supreme Court. Although he never served as chief justice, his vote was decisive in a great number of major cases.
Senate Democrats want to fight Trump's Supreme Court pick -- if they can stick together
Senate Democratic leaders pulled a page from the GOP playbook Thursday, quickly proclaiming they'd oppose all of President Trump’s nominees to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy until after the midterms.
Republicans see ticket to midterm election success in Kennedy's retirement
Republicans searching for that elusive issue to erase the Democrats’ critical edge in voter enthusiasm heading into the midterm elections believe they’ve found their golden ticket in the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Christian News
'The Death Knell for the Nigerian Church': New Massacre Sparks Fear for Christians
Deadly conflict is raging in central Nigeria as more than 200 people were reportedly killed in a series of recent clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers.
Nearly 30 Percent of Christians Share Their Faith on Social Media, Reaching Nonbelievers: Barna
Nearly three in 10 Christians have shared their faith with non-believing friends and acquaintances on social media, according to a report by the Barna Group.
Iran reopens uranium plant after 9 years to step up enrichment
Iran on Wednesday reopened a nuclear enrichment plant that has been inactive since 2009, as Tehran geared up to bolster its enrichment activities should the 2015 nuclear deal collapse.
Trump-Putin summit set for July
Washington and Moscow agreed Wednesday to a summit next month between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a powwow that is guaranteed to provoke criticism from Mr. Trump’s critics at home and in foreign capitals.
Trump will demand of Putin a total Iranian exit from Syria — report
US President Donald Trump intends to demand from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a full Iranian pullout from Syria territory, making the subject a priority in talks between the two leaders planned for next month, the Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper reported Thursday.
Detained Jihadist Claims ISIS Has Plot to Send Syrian Child Recruits to Europe to Carry Out Attacks – Report
French investigators are trying to establish the veracity of claims that ISIS plotted to send child recruits from Syria to Europe to carry out terrorist attacks, according to a report by the daily newspaper Le Monde, based on the interrogation of a suspect in French custody.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Prince William concludes his visit to Israel in Jerusalem
Concluding a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Prince William traveled Thursday morning to the Mount of Olives to visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who saved a Jewish family during the Holocaust and was buried at the cemetery in the late 1980s.
Palestinian Authority rejects Israeli, U.S. ideas to help Gaza
The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday expressed fear that the talk about easing restrictions on the Gaza Strip was part of an Israeli-Palestinian 'conspiracy' to transform the Palestinian cause into a 'humanitarian issue.'
Inside the United States
House slams door on GOP immigration bill; Trump's support not enough to pass bill
The Republican compromise immigration bill suffered a crushing defeat in the House on Wednesday in a vote that stood as a rebuke to President Trump and a signal that Republicans remain irrevocably deadlocked on the issue.
Retirement ends Anthony Kennedy's tenure as nation's decider-in-chief
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the 81-year-old jurist, who announced his retirement Wednesday, has been the decider in chief on most of the major controversial cases to reach the Supreme Court ever since 2006, which was when the court’s balance shifted to him after Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement.
Supreme Court delivers major blow to government unions
The Supreme Court delivered a major blow to public-sector unions Wednesday, ruling that they cannot force government workers to join or financially support them.
Op-Ed: 6 rulings that could be overturned by a post-Kennedy Supreme Court
Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement this afternoon. For decades, Kennedy was the swing justice on an otherwise ideologically balanced Supreme Court. Although he never served as chief justice, his vote was decisive in a great number of major cases.
Senate Democrats want to fight Trump's Supreme Court pick -- if they can stick together
Senate Democratic leaders pulled a page from the GOP playbook Thursday, quickly proclaiming they'd oppose all of President Trump’s nominees to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy until after the midterms.
Republicans see ticket to midterm election success in Kennedy's retirement
Republicans searching for that elusive issue to erase the Democrats’ critical edge in voter enthusiasm heading into the midterm elections believe they’ve found their golden ticket in the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Christian News
'The Death Knell for the Nigerian Church': New Massacre Sparks Fear for Christians
Deadly conflict is raging in central Nigeria as more than 200 people were reportedly killed in a series of recent clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers.
Nearly 30 Percent of Christians Share Their Faith on Social Media, Reaching Nonbelievers: Barna
Nearly three in 10 Christians have shared their faith with non-believing friends and acquaintances on social media, according to a report by the Barna Group.
Around the World
Iranians protest over plunging economy as Rouhani warns of 'economic war' with US
Protesters in Iran entered their third day of demonstrations over the country's faltering economy as President Hassan Rouhani claimed it faces "economic war" with the US.
Thousands of Swedes are inserting microchips into themselves
Thousands of people in Sweden have inserted microchips, which can function as contactless credit cards, key cards and even rail cards, into their bodies. Once the chip is underneath your skin, there is no longer any need to worry about misplacing a card or carrying a heavy wallet. But for many people, the idea of carrying a microchip in their body feels more dystopian than practical.
US, Canada reach deal on disputed $244M water project
Canada will have a say in the operation of a major Missouri River water project in the northern U.S. under a deal negotiated by officials in the two countries to end a 16-year-legal battle.
Trump's Iran strategy targets oil, presses allies to end oil imports by Nov. 4
Following through on President Trump’s promise to squeeze Iran as he took the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Trump administration on Tuesday announced details on new sanctions that will pressure countries from Europe to Asia to slash imports of Iranian oil to zero by Nov. 4, giving allies no wiggle room to deal with Tehran.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
At least 13 rockets launched from Gaza after army strikes Hamas cell’s car
Rocket sirens blared throughout the predawn hours of Wednesday morning in the Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip as Palestinians launched over a dozen rockets at southern Israel after the military struck a Hamas vehicle in the center of the coastal enclave.
US Army inks $193 million deal to buy Israeli tank defense system
The US Army on Tuesday awarded a contract worth nearly $200 million for Israel’s TROPHY defense system to shield its Abrams tanks, according to the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems contractor.
Prince William heads to West Bank for meetings with Abbas, Palestinians
Britain’s visiting Prince William heads to Ramallah on Wednesday to visit the Palestinian Authority, after touring Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and meeting Israeli leaders on Monday and Tuesday.
Inside the United States
US judge orders separated migrant families reunited within 30 days
A judge in California on Tuesday ordered US border authorities to reunite separated migrant families within 30 days, setting a hard deadline in a process that has so far yielded uncertainty about when children might again see their parents.
Supreme Court upholds Trump travel ban as 'squarely within' presidential power
The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Trump one of the biggest victories of his presidency Tuesday, upholding his travel ban restricting travel to the U.S. for foreign nationals from seven countries.
Trump readies full-court press on border wall funding
President Trump will launch a full-court press for tougher immigration laws and generous wall funding this summer as Capitol Hill braces for a budget battle in September, sources with knowledge of his plans told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, as the president teased the strategy in a meeting with congressional appropriators.
Supreme Court: California Can’t Force Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers to Promote Abortion
Pro-life clinics offering pregnant women alternatives to abortion won a major free speech victory today.
CBO: US Debt Burden Set to Break Record in Early 2030s
Debt as a share of the United States economy is on track to blow through the previous World War II-era record within two decades and keep rising from there, the Congressional Budget Office said in its annual long-term budget report.
Christian News
No more sending Bibles across the border to North Korea in balloons, says South Korea
One consequence of the ongoing peace initiatives between South Korea and the US with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been the ban on balloon launches for Christian ministries, who used the tactic to send leaflets and Gospel messages to North Koreans.
$16 Billion Given to Evangelical Ministries in 2015, Nearly 10% Increase From 2014: Study
Donations to evangelical Christian organizations in the United States continue to increase, according to the latest numbers provided by a national financial standards association representing evangelical groups that qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and receive tax-deductible contributions.
Iranians protest over plunging economy as Rouhani warns of 'economic war' with US
Protesters in Iran entered their third day of demonstrations over the country's faltering economy as President Hassan Rouhani claimed it faces "economic war" with the US.
Thousands of Swedes are inserting microchips into themselves
Thousands of people in Sweden have inserted microchips, which can function as contactless credit cards, key cards and even rail cards, into their bodies. Once the chip is underneath your skin, there is no longer any need to worry about misplacing a card or carrying a heavy wallet. But for many people, the idea of carrying a microchip in their body feels more dystopian than practical.
US, Canada reach deal on disputed $244M water project
Canada will have a say in the operation of a major Missouri River water project in the northern U.S. under a deal negotiated by officials in the two countries to end a 16-year-legal battle.
Trump's Iran strategy targets oil, presses allies to end oil imports by Nov. 4
Following through on President Trump’s promise to squeeze Iran as he took the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Trump administration on Tuesday announced details on new sanctions that will pressure countries from Europe to Asia to slash imports of Iranian oil to zero by Nov. 4, giving allies no wiggle room to deal with Tehran.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
At least 13 rockets launched from Gaza after army strikes Hamas cell’s car
Rocket sirens blared throughout the predawn hours of Wednesday morning in the Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip as Palestinians launched over a dozen rockets at southern Israel after the military struck a Hamas vehicle in the center of the coastal enclave.
US Army inks $193 million deal to buy Israeli tank defense system
The US Army on Tuesday awarded a contract worth nearly $200 million for Israel’s TROPHY defense system to shield its Abrams tanks, according to the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems contractor.
Prince William heads to West Bank for meetings with Abbas, Palestinians
Britain’s visiting Prince William heads to Ramallah on Wednesday to visit the Palestinian Authority, after touring Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and meeting Israeli leaders on Monday and Tuesday.
Inside the United States
US judge orders separated migrant families reunited within 30 days
A judge in California on Tuesday ordered US border authorities to reunite separated migrant families within 30 days, setting a hard deadline in a process that has so far yielded uncertainty about when children might again see their parents.
Supreme Court upholds Trump travel ban as 'squarely within' presidential power
The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Trump one of the biggest victories of his presidency Tuesday, upholding his travel ban restricting travel to the U.S. for foreign nationals from seven countries.
Trump readies full-court press on border wall funding
President Trump will launch a full-court press for tougher immigration laws and generous wall funding this summer as Capitol Hill braces for a budget battle in September, sources with knowledge of his plans told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, as the president teased the strategy in a meeting with congressional appropriators.
Supreme Court: California Can’t Force Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers to Promote Abortion
Pro-life clinics offering pregnant women alternatives to abortion won a major free speech victory today.
CBO: US Debt Burden Set to Break Record in Early 2030s
Debt as a share of the United States economy is on track to blow through the previous World War II-era record within two decades and keep rising from there, the Congressional Budget Office said in its annual long-term budget report.
Christian News
No more sending Bibles across the border to North Korea in balloons, says South Korea
One consequence of the ongoing peace initiatives between South Korea and the US with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been the ban on balloon launches for Christian ministries, who used the tactic to send leaflets and Gospel messages to North Koreans.
$16 Billion Given to Evangelical Ministries in 2015, Nearly 10% Increase From 2014: Study
Donations to evangelical Christian organizations in the United States continue to increase, according to the latest numbers provided by a national financial standards association representing evangelical groups that qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and receive tax-deductible contributions.