Around the World
Mexico unsure if it will finish NAFTA talks with U.S. in August
Mexico’s economy minister on Wednesday said that Mexico and the United States may not meet an August goal to finish bilateral talks to revamp the NAFTA trade deal, which is beset by disagreements over automobile trade rules and other issues.
U.S. Says Small Russian Satellite A Space Weapon
Russia has deployed a suspicious satellite the United States says is part of Moscow's plans to attack orbiting satellites in a future conflict, a State Department official revealed in Geneva on Tuesday.
'ISIS 2.0': Semi-independent terror cells, loyal only to radical ideology, plot strikes around world
Osama Bin Laden has been dead for years and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s 'caliphate' in the Middle East has crumbled, but the global jihadist threat continues to boil as extremists retreat underground to plot terror strikes around the world.
Qatar to invest $15bn in Turkey amid lira currency crisis
Qatar has pledged to invest $15 billion in Turkey as Ankara rolls out measures to strengthen the lira amid a trade spat with the US.
Turkey braces for hard times amid currency crisis, US spat
Some Turks are reacting with defiance to their plunging currency and an escalating trade and political dispute with the United States - an indication that they are ready to endure economic pain and risk further deterioration in a key, yet troubled alliance dating from the Cold War.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel to boost security budget by hundreds of millions of dollars
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the cabinet with his '2030 Security Concept' on Wednesday, which will add hundreds of millions of dollars to military spending, and outlines the expected threats, military manpower needs, and principles for using force over the next decade.
US warns no one will be 'fully pleased’ by Israeli-Palestinian peace plan
The Trump administration said Wednesday that neither Israelis nor Palestinian would be 'fully pleased' by its long-awaited Middle East peace plan, whose contents are one of the most guarded secrets in Washington.
IAI to provide Barak-8 Missile Defense System for navy’s new warships
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will provide advanced defense systems to Israel Navy’s new Sa’ar-6 corvettes to protect strategic maritime assets, the defense giant announced on Tuesday.

Inside the United States
Drugs killed almost 72,000 people last year, a record
More people than ever are dying from drug overdoses, with death tolls surpassing 72,000 in 2017, according to preliminary data out Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.S. and Mexico to set up joint team to fight drug cartels
U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities will set up a joint team based in Chicago targeting the leaders and finances of drug cartels that ship opioids into the United States, aiming to stanch a spike in overdose deaths, officials said on Wednesday.
$3.5 Million Payout: Tea Party Wins Major Victory Over IRS
Court records show a judge this week approved a settlement between the Internal Revenue Service and hundreds of Tea Party groups.
Brennan first to fall as Trump kicks off review of Obama officials' access
President Trump on Wednesday personally revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John O. Brennan, a bitter and vocal Trump critic, citing his 'erratic conduct and behavior' as their clashes escalated over the special counsel’s Russia investigation.

Christian News
Pentecostal church holds massive 'holy supper' in Mexico
More than half a million members of a Mexican Pentecostal church called 'The Light of the World' held a massive 'holy supper' this week, one of the largest religious ceremonies in the world.
Court rejects appeal for American pastor's release from detention, Turkish media says
Turkey on Wednesday rejected the U.S.' appeal for an American pastor's release from detention, Turkish media reported.
Christian Baker Again Under Fire Again -- This Time for Refusing to Bake a Transgender Cake
In June, the Supreme Court decided the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, issuing a powerful rebuke to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission for its 'religious hostility' toward Christian baker Jack Phillips. Phillips had refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, and the commission had compared his decision to religious arguments in favor of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazism.