Around the World
Final IS defeat looms as thousands leave last area in Syria
A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group says thousands of people, including militants, have left the last area held by the extremists in Syria.
Russia Suspends Nuclear Missile Treaty With U.S.
President Vladimir Putin formally ordered a suspension of Russia’s obligations under a Cold War-era nuclear treaty with the U.S., his office said Monday, a death knell for the pact that heightens the threat of a new arms race.
Guaido returns to Venezuela and a new phase in campaign
Opposition leader Juan Guaido shrouded the route and timing of his return in secrecy amid concerns he might be detained by Venezuela's government. Yet he breezed through airport immigration checks and brazenly called for the downfall of President Nicolas Maduro at a rally where the presence of security forces was minimal.
Second patient apparently free of AIDS virus after stem cell transplant, researchers say
Researchers say a London man appears to be free of the AIDS virus after a stem cell transplant. It’s the second such success including 'Berlin patient' Timothy Ray Brown.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu: Russia shares goal of removing all foreign troops from Syria
Russia and Israel share the goal of removing all foreign troops from Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday at the weekly cabinet meeting.
US deploys advanced anti-missile system in Israel
The U.S. has deployed a highly advanced missile defense system in Israel for the first time, the American and Israeli militaries announced Monday, reflecting their shared concerns about Iran’s development of powerful missiles.
Israel denies new Russian offer to host Netanyahu-Abbas peace talks
An Israeli official on Monday denied that Russia had offered, during the prime minister’s visit to Moscow last week, to host a summit meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Inside the United States
House Democrats launch aggressive new Trump probe
US Democrats launched a sweeping new probe of President Donald Trump on Monday, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season with potentially damaging inquiries into his White House, campaign and family businesses.
21 states, DC sue Trump administration over rules cutting Planned Parenthood funding
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over new rules that would cut federal funding from Planned Parenthood and other clinics that provide or discuss abortions.
Mitch McConnell: It's clear Senate will vote against President Trump's national emergency
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped President Donald Trump wouldn't declare a national emergency over border security, but said Monday that he was 'obviously' unsuccessful in arguing against the move.
Senate may reprimand Trump in addition to revoking his border emergency
Senate Republicans are holding active discussions about whether to amend a resolution revoking President Trump's border emergency in a way that scolds Trump for the way he asserted authority over the federal budget to fund his border wall.
Kavanaugh slams ‘pure discrimination’ against churches as court declines to hear religious liberty case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case about whether churches or other religious institutions in New Jersey are entitled to public funds for historic preservation.
NSA Weighs Ending Phone Surveillance Program Exposed by Snowden
The National Security Agency is considering ending a once-secret surveillance program that annually collects hundreds of millions of telephone call records, including those belonging to Americans, because it lacks operational value, according to people familiar with the matter.
CA Democrat Pushes Plan that Could Put Planned Parenthood's Number on Every Student ID
A California state lawmaker is reportedly attempting to push legislation that could put Planned Parenthood's phone number on every California student ID from ages 12-24, including students at Christian schools.

Christian News
Mass arrests of Chinese megachurch members continue; some 'violently beaten'
Nearly 50 more members, including 11 kids, of a Chinese megachurch closed down by the communist government in December were arrested at two different venues last Sunday, a watchdog group has reported.
Devastating church fire doesn't burn a single Bible
Firefighters in West Virginia were stunned after they found a pile of Bibles untouched by the flames that sparked inside a church.