Around the World
Iran building missile factory in Syria
A report on Channel 2 on August 15 provided images of a military construction site from an Israeli satellite near Qalaat Marqab. The report said this is likely a factory to build long-range missiles. The area the factory is constructed in near the border of the Tartus and Latakia governorates is one that is closely linked to other military facilities of the Syrian regime and its allies. These include a Russian naval base at Tartus and Khmeimim air force base to the north, which is also allegedly used by Russia and the Iranians.
During Solar Eclipse, U.S. Military Plans Korean War Games
The annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercise is scheduled for 10 days beginning Aug. 21, and will include about 25,000 U.S. troops along with tens of thousands of South Koreans. The exercise focuses on defending South Korea against an attack from the north, and each year triggers threats and rebukes from North Korea. But it comes at an especially sensitive time now, following the exchange of a series of threats between President Trump and North Korea.
Terrorist in van turns sunny Spanish afternoon into horrific bloodbath
A white van mowed down dozens of people eating ice cream, window-shopping and enjoying the summer sunshine on one of Barcelona’s busiest streets Thursday afternoon, the latest vehicle turned weapon terrorist attack in Europe but the first in Spain.
Iran's military chief in rare visit to Turkey for Syria talks
Turkish and Iranian military leaders held talks on Wednesday over cooperation in the Syrian conflict and counter-terrorism, officials said, during a rare visit to NATO-member Turkey by the Islamic Republic's military chief of staff.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Palestinian Authority demands two-state commitment from US
The Palestinian Authority expects the Trump administration to commit to a peace deal endgame before the close of this month and prefers it would be the two-state solution.

Inside the United States
U.S. Hiding Key Details of Mystery Attacks on American Diplomats in Cuba
The number of U.S. government personnel targeted by a mysterious illness in Cuba last year is greater than the Trump administration has publicly acknowledged, according to multiple U.S. officials who told the Washington Free Beacon the Obama administration may have misled Congress about the full scope and nature of the attack.
Mainstream conservative groups alarmed to be found on 'hate map'
Brad Dacus was thousands of miles away in California last weekend when the Charlottesville protest erupted, so he was flabbergasted when CNN labeled his Pacific Justice Institute a hate group.
Media working overtime to prove Trump is a racist
Major media outlets this week encouraged people to speculate on whether President Trump is a racist and even commissioned artists to convey the idea that he is, but still fell short of generating a consensus that Trump is prejudiced against non-whites.
Trump's attacks could leave him friendless if impeachment comes
President Donald Trump has stepped up his attacks on Republican senators, an approach he may regret if he is someday impeached and the Senate has to weigh charges against him stemming from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Christian News
Pentecostal church in Ethiopia told to close after it was attacked by mob
A Pentecostal church in Ethiopia has been ordered to stop meeting in a residential area, in the wake of a mob attack on the church, after which a church member was arrested for illegal activities that incited religious clashes.

Around the World
China and India are reportedly preparing for full-scale war over a Himalayan border dispute
Chinese and Indian troops are readying themselves for a possible armed conflict in the event they fail in their efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to their border dispute on the Doklam plateau in the Himalayas, observers said.
NAFTA Trade Talks Begin
The United States drew a hard line for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday, demanding major concessions aimed at slashing trade deficits with Mexico and Canada and boosting U.S. content for autos.
South Korea's Moon says North Korean nuclear-tipped ICBM is a 'red line'
North Korea would be 'crossing a red line' if it put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile, South Korea's president said on Thursday, but the United States had promised to seek Seoul's approval before taking any military action.
U.S.-Backed Forces Steadily Advancing in Raqqa Despite Desperate ISIS Tactics
U.S.-backed forces have advanced roughly 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa over the past week, pushing back Islamic State militants in a grueling offensive to seize the terrorist group's last significant stronghold.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Hezbollah convoys hit nearly 100 times by Israel since 2012
Israel's former air force chief said Wednesday that it has carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah group over the past five years.
Why is the U.S. funneling weapons to Hezbollah?
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon announced the planned shipment of 32 M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles from America to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), at an 'investment' of $100 million.
IAF successfully intercepts target UAV with Patriot missile
A Patriot surface-to-air missile was successfully test fired Wednesday from a base in central Israel as part of an air force exercise designed to test Israel's air defense capabilities against threats.
Hamas warns it will ‘crush’ Israel in future war
Hamas’s chief in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, said on Wednesday that his movement was not interested in a war, but added that should a conflict break out, Hamas will 'crush' Israel.
Hamas commander killed in ISIS suicide bombing at Rafah crossing
A commander in Hamas's military wing was killed early Thursday in an ISIS suicide bombing at the Rafah border crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Inside the United States
Trump Administration Calls to End Marketing of 3-Parent Embryo Experiments
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has demanded a fertility doctor halt all marketing on an unapproved IVF experiment that creates a human embryo by combining DNA from three separate people.
Special counsel's Russia probe loses top FBI investigator
One of the FBI's top investigators, tapped by special counsel Robert Mueller just weeks ago to help lead the probe of Russian meddling in last year's presidential election, has left Mueller’s team, sources tell ABC News.
Antifa: Left-wing militants on the rise
The violence and murder of a protester in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend has been attributed to far-right elements that descended on the city to demonstrate against the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate war hero Robert E Lee.
U.S. court rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood funding
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood following the release of controversial videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group.
Trump disbands two economic advisory councils after mass resignations of business leaders
President Trump disbanded two of his economic advisory councils Wednesday, faced with the embarrassing resignations of numerous business leaders amid rising condemnation over his comments about violence at a white nationalist rally and a liberal pressure campaign.
FOMC Minutes Highlight 'Growing Rift' at Fed
Central bankers on the Federal Open Market Committee appear to be uncertain of what's in store for America's inflationary indicators, which could rankle investors and complicate interest-rate and balance-sheet decisions through the rest of the year.
Chicago Pastor Wants Names Removed From Washington, Jackson Parks Due to Slavery
A Chicago pastor has called on Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to rename two parks named for former Presidents George Washington and Andrew Jackson, both slaveholders.
Baltimore mayor says she wanted to remove Confederate statues 'quickly and quietly'
Baltimore's mayor said she wanted to move 'quickly and quietly' after officials approved a plan to remove four Confederate statues Monday night, a decision that came amid a national furor over a violent white nationalist gathering in Virginia organized to protest the removal of a Confederate statue there.

Christian News
Russia's Crackdown on Evangelism Leads to Prosecution of Mostly Christians 1 Year After 'Anti-Missionary' Law
Evangelical Protestants make up the majority of the 181 cases prosecuted by Russian authorities under the country's notorious 'anti-missionary' laws, which came into force last July, according to a report. Christians were also prosecuted in Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014.

Around the World
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani: We could restart 'advanced' nuke program 'within hours'
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told President Trump not to impose sanctions on the regime, warning the Iranians could restart their nuclear program 'within hours' in retaliation.
US decries Islamic State ‘genocide’ of Christians, others
The Trump administration denounced the Islamic State terror group on Tuesday for carrying out “genocide” against Christians and other religious minorities in areas under its control.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Exposes Hamas Terrorist Payment Network in Eastern Jerusalem
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency on Tuesday unveiled the discovery of a complex money-transferring scheme run by the Gaza-ruling Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Abbas congratulates North Korea’s Kim amid nuclear tensions
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday congratulated North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un on the occasion of his country’s 'Liberation day,' amid a high-stakes nuclear standoff between Pyongyang and Washington.

Inside the United States
Trump says ‘alt-left’ also to blame for Charlottesville violence, warns against eradicating statues
A defiant President Trump doubled down Tuesday on his initial claim that activists on both the left and the right were responsible for violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he warned that eradicating public monuments linked to slavery could diminish the legacies of Founders such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
CBO: Premiums would jump 20 percent next year if Trump cuts off Obamacare funds
Obamacare's gross premiums would rise by an average of 20 percent next year and 25 percent by 2020 if President Trump cuts off payments to insurers, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office.
Ghost Voters
Some 3.5 million more people are registered to vote in the U.S. than are alive among America’s adult citizens. Such staggering inaccuracy is an engraved invitation to voter fraud.
Dreamers face showdown over amnesty with Trump, courts
President Obama had insisted for years that he didn’t have the power to grant a broad tentative deportation amnesty for Dreamers — then just ahead of the 2012 election, and facing severe criticism from Hispanic leaders, Mr. Obama discovered he did in fact have the power.
Feds Collect Record Income and Payroll Taxes Through July
The federal government collected record amounts of both individual income taxes and payroll taxes through the first ten months of fiscal 2017 (Oct. 1, 2016 through the end of July), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
Op-Ed: Antifa and the Alt-Right, Growing in Opposition to One Another
There is a cancer in the body politic. We must cut it out, or be destroyed.

Christian News
Christian Persecution in India Hits Record High in First Half of 2017
As reported earlier this year, the first quarter of 2017 saw 248 persecution incidents wherein Christians were harassed, threatened or attacked for their faith in India. More recent records indicate the number of incidents in first six months of 2017 is now up to 410 incidents. This represents an enormous increase in persecution as there were only 441 incidents reported in 2016 for the entire year.
North Korea is executing, torturing and enslaving those who practice religion, US says in new report
The North Korean regime has continued to position itself as one of the world's worst persecutors of the religious, torturing and killing people who practice their faith, according to a State Department report released Tuesday.