Around the World
White House ordered plans prepared for Iran strike
Following a September mortar attack near the US embassy in Baghdad that Washington blamed on Iran, US National Security Adviser John Bolton and the National Security Council he leads requested that the Pentagon provide options for striking Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Iran restarting uranium enrichment, nuclear chief says
The head of Iran’s nuclear program said Sunday that the Islamic Republic has begun 'preliminary activities for designing' a modern process for 20-percent uranium enrichment for its 50-year-old research reactor in Tehran, signaling new danger for the nuclear deal.
UK's May says parliament blocking Brexit is more likely than 'no deal'
Prime Minister Theresa May will say on Monday that lawmakers blocking Brexit is now a more likely outcome than Britain leaving the European Union without a deal.
U.S. backed Syrian forces: ISIS is taking its final breaths
Islamic State militants are 'living their final moments' in the last enclave they hold in Syria, near the Iraqi border, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have stepped up their attacks in the last two days, an SDF official told Reuters on Sunday.
China's 2018 trade surplus with U.S. highest on record going back to 2006
China's trade surplus with the United States rose to $323.32 billion last year, the highest on record going back to 2006, Reuters calculations based on customs data showed on Monday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
After strikes in Syria, Netanyahu threatens to hit Iranian targets even harder
After confirming that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that the Jewish state will strike even harder if it proves necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a military foothold in Syria.
Biblical site tied to Ark of the Covenant unearthed at convent in central Israel
A massive 8th century BCE man-made platform discovered at a Catholic convent in central Israel may have served as an ancient shrine to the Ark of the Covenant, said leading Tel Aviv University archaeologist Israel Finkelstein. Unearthed at Kiriath-Jearim, the shrine gives potential new insight into the political machinations of the sibling kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

Inside the United States
Judge blocks Trump birth control rollback from taking effect in 13 states, DC
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's loosened birth control rules from going into effect in 13 states and the District of Columbia on Monday as scheduled.
Trump targets Dems over DACA amid shutdown talks
President Trump on Sunday hit Democrats for their hesitance to include protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in talks to end a prolonged government shutdown, despite his own administration's insistence that the program be left out of negotiations.
Fed Union Sues U.S. Government Over Shutdown
One of the largest government employees unions says its members should not be forced to work without paychecks.
'Major concerns': Resolution of border wall showdown not likely to end shutdown
Even if the wall debate is resolved, it’s not necessarily the end of the shutdown that has gone well into its fourth week.

Christian News
New 'Visual Commentary on Scripture' website offers new way to study the Bible
A new $2 million web project launched by King's College London is offering users a new way to visually digest biblical Scripture through the analyses of classic and contemporary works of art.