Around the World
If May loses Brexit vote, Corbyn to call for UK elections
Britain's main opposition Labor Party will demand a general election if Prime Minister Theresa May loses a vote in parliament over her Brexit plans next week, its leader Jeremy Corbyn will say on Thursday.
Iran’s supreme leader calls US officials ‘idiots,’ but hints sanctions hurting
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that American sanctions are putting pressure on Iran and its people.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Senate Democrats back BDS anti-Israel movement with filibuster of Mideast partnership bill
Angry at the government shutdown and peeved over attempts to stifle anti-Israeli boycotts, Senate Democrats on Tuesday filibustered a bill that would have strengthened U.S. relationships in the Middle East while punishing the anti-Israel boycott movement.
Ex-national security advisor to 'Post': Israel needs to review China deals
In news stories that were scarcely noted last year, Prof. Avi Shimhon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top economic advisor, and Meir Ben Shabbat, Israel’s National Security Advisor, were reportedly instructed to develop a mechanism to assess the threat of strategic investment by external actors in Israel’s critical infrastructure. Their task was described as a run-of-the-mill bureaucratic one. But it was clear that Israel’s leadership was reassessing foreign strategic investment in the state, including Chinese plans for the reconstruction and operation of the state’s largest seaport in Haifa.

Inside the United States
Trump walks out of shutdown meeting with Democrats
President Trump walked out of shutdown negotiations with Democratic leaders Wednesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to agree to any money for his border fence, ending the most contentious meeting yet in the 19-day-old government shutdown with no solution in sight.
Denver may decriminalize magic mushrooms after thousands sign measure
Psychedelic mushrooms might be decriminalized in Denver, Colorado this May after a group gathered nearly double the number of signatures needed for such a measure to appear on the ballot.
Supermoon Lunar Eclipse To Become The First Pan-American Total Eclipse In 19 Years
When the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up just properly, the shadow cast by our planet can fall onto the Moon. If the alignment is perfect, the result will be a total lunar eclipse, where the entirety of the Moon enters the darkest part of Earth's shadow. During this time, anyplace on Earth's surface that experiences night will be treated to the spectacular show of a completely red, dim Moon.

Christian News
Christian persecution expected to increase in 2019; believers facing 'modern-day jihad'
The persecution of Christians around the world is expected to increase in 2019, with a watchdog group sharing particular concern for believers in Nigeria, China, and India.

Around the World
EU sanctions Iran over thwarted attacks on European soil
The EU on Tuesday approved sanctions against an Iranian ministry and two Iranian nationals for their involvement in thwarted assassination attempts in France and Denmark.
Assets worth 800 billion pounds to shift from UK to EU due to Brexit
Assets worth nearly 800 billion pounds are being moved from Britain to new financial hubs in the European Union ahead of Brexit, consultancy EY said on Monday.
Trump's Syria withdrawal undermined by Turkey's rebuke
The fate of Kurds whom the U.S. relied upon to battle the Islamic State continued to roil President Trump’s hope for a Syria troop pullout Tuesday, with Turkey’s leader rejecting outright Washington’s demand that it hold back on attacking Kurdish forces after American forces depart.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Jordanian FM to Pompeo: Israel must eventually withdraw from Golan
As Israel lobbies the US to recognize its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Jordan’s foreign minister on Tuesday presented his visiting American counterpart with an opposing view of the matter.

Inside the United States
Trump demands U.S. border wall, sidesteps declaring emergency
US President Donald Trump urged Congress on Tuesday to give him $5.7 billion this year to help build a wall on the border with Mexico, but stopped short of declaring a national emergency that could have led to unilaterally funding the project.
California Governor Newsom Vows ‘Sanctuary To All Who Seek It’ In Inauguration Speech
California’s new governor is promising the most populous state will be a 'sanctuary to all who seek it' in a direct affront to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Christian News
DC Comics Turns Jesus Into a New Superhero – But There's a Big Problem
DC Comics has a new superhero and His name is Jesus.

Around the World
US pullout from Syria to be done in ‘prudent’ way, Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against the Islamic State group was not over and that withdrawal would be done in a 'prudent' manner.
Erdogan says only Turkey has power to ‘shoulder the heavy burden’ of Syria
In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria and said that Turkey 'is the only country with the power and commitment' to protect the interests of Washington, the international community and the Syrian people.
North Korea leader visits China after warning of alternate path to U.S. talks
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, only days after warning he may take an alternative path if the United States does not ease sanctions and pressure on his isolated country.
Pompeo: 99 Percent of ISIS Caliphate Now Defeated
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be 'singularly focused' on rallying Middle East leaders to help the United States counter Iran's global support for terrorism and military intervention during a weeklong jaunt across the region, the Secretary of State told the Washington Free Beacon aboard his plane en route to his first stop in Jordan.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
In ‘dramatic statement,’ PM demands he be allowed to face his accusers
In a live statement to the press on prime time Monday evening, advertised ahead of time as 'special' and 'dramatic,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that police allow him to face the state’s witnesses who have testified against him in the three corruption cases in which he is a suspect.
Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired at Ashkelon from Gaza
Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a single rocket into Israel early Monday, which was intercepted by the Iron Dome system, the army said. There were no reports of injuries.
Republican senators call on US to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan
US Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Sunday again called on the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Inside the United States
Trump to address nation about national security crisis on border
President Trump takes his case for border security directly to American voters Tuesday night in a prime-time address aimed at enlisting the public’s help in convincing Congress to pony up billions of dollars for his border wall.
Los Angeles County agrees to purge voter rolls in Judicial Watch settlement
Los Angeles County has agreed to conduct a purge of its voting rolls, in a move that could strip perhaps 1.5 million inactive voters from the lists of those eligible to cast ballots.
Congressman demands end to federal funding of Nation of Islam
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Monday called on the Department of Justice to immediately halt federal funding to the Nation of Islam, after the Washington Examiner first reported that the group has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the government to teach religious studies programs to prison inmates.

Christian News
Christian Family, Church Devastated by Killing of Church Elder in Nigeria
Ladi Yakubu does not know how her family will eat after Muslim Fulani herdsmen destroyed crops on their farm in Kaduna state, Nigeria on Nov. 26 and shot and killed her husband.
Court allows Christian baker Jack Phillips to sue Colorado for anti-religious hostility
Colorado Christian baker Jack Phillips can continue his lawsuit against the state, accusing them of anti-religious bias against him for refusing to make cakes that support transgender identity and gay marriage, a federal court has ruled.

Around the World
Pompeo Launches Middle East Tour to Galvanize Region Against Iran
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to depart on a tour of the Middle East next week in a bid to galvanize regional leaders to confront Iran and remind allies that the United States is not disappearing from region amid the Trump administration's decision to pull American troops out of Syria and possibly Afghanistan, according to senior State Department officials.
Russia to Deploy Precision Strike Missiles in Western Atlantic
Russia is deploying long-range, precision cruise missiles to the western Atlantic that American defense officials say will allow Moscow to target Washington and other East Coast cities with conventional or nuclear attacks.
US-led coalition: Recent strikes destroyed nearly half of ISIS 'propaganda' cells
Recent precision strikes and coordinated attacks targeting the Islamic State's media cells have diminished the group’s communications capabilities by nearly half in less than six months, according to the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
U.S. strike kills al Qaeda terrorist tied to USS Cole attack
A key al Qaeda operative linked to the planning and execution of the deadly 2000 attack on the American warship USS Cole was killed during a U.S. airstrike in Yemen, military officials confirmed Sunday.
Iran deploying warships to western Atlantic amid rising tensions with US
Iran is set to deploy a fleet of warships to the western Atlantic Ocean in the coming months, a naval commander said Friday, in an apparent bid to counter the presence of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
Bolton cautions Syria against using chemical weapons amid plan to pull US troops
Following the decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly cautioned the Syrian government on Saturday that the drawdown should not be viewed as an opening to use chemical weapons.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel calls on U.S. to recognize rule over Golan Heights
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the U.S to recognize Israeli sovereignty of the disputed Golan Heights.
Bolton tells Netanyahu of U.S. concern with Chinese presence at Haifa Port
National Security Adviser John Bolton raised US concerns on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over China's creeping role in Israel's critical infrastructure, particularly its upcoming management of Haifa Port, a frequent dock for the US Sixth Fleet.
U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump's peace plan to be presented in months
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Sunday that the Trump administration's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan - the 'deal of the century' - will be presented 'within the next several months.'

Inside the United States
Trump Gets First Victory in Effort to Ban Many Transgender Americans From Serving in Military
A federal appeals court handed U.S. President Donald Trump his first victory in an effort to ban many transgender Americans from serving in the military, lifting a court’s injunction against the new policy.
Trump threatens years-long government shutdown, emergency powers to build wall
President Donald Trump threatened to keep the U.S. government partially shut for months or years on Friday after he and Democratic leaders failed to resolve their dispute over Trump’s request for $5.6 billion to build a wall on the Mexican border.
Mick Mulvaney expects shutdown to 'drag on a lot longer': 'I think that's ... by intention'
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says he hopes more progress can be made Sunday in negotiations on how to end a partial government shutdown, but indicated that the two sides are still far apart on the issue of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Lindsey Graham says Trump won't budge: 'We're never going to have a deal unless we get a wall'
Sen. Lindsey Graham said that after speaking with President Trump this weekend, it’s clear Mr. Trump is holding firm in his demands for border wall money as part of a deal to end a partial government shutdown.