Prophecy News Watch - December 11, 2019

Around the World
Iran blamed for attacks on US security personnel in Iraq
Iran is thought to be behind 9 attacks near US forces and personnel in Iraq in recent weeks, the State Department now surmises, with the most recent injuring 6 Iraqi soldiers near an airport in Baghdad Monday.
'Social credit score': China set to roll out 'Orwellian' mass surveillance tool
China is developing a new high-tech system of mass surveillance and coercion aimed suppressing political dissent among its 1.4 billion people, while forcing American and Western businesses to conform to the government’s communist policies if they want to operate there.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Blue and White’s lead grows as Netanyahu blamed for descent into third elections
On the eve of a likely Knesset vote for yet another back-to-back election, a new poll by Channel 13 television news showed Blue and White increasing its lead on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.
Blue and White decides no Gantz-Lapid rotation for PM
Blue and White will run Benny Gantz as the party's sole candidate for prime minister if a third election is held, Gantz's number two, MK Yair Lapid, announced at Monday's faction meeting at the Knesset.
Abbas threatens to cut all ties with Israel if Jordan Valley annexed
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday threatened to cut all ties with Israel if it annexes the Jordan Valley, and said the PA was also considering breaking off all its relations with the United States over its recent move saying West Bank settlement were 'not inconsistent with international law.'

Inside the United States
Pelosi announces deal to pass Trump NAFTA replacement, with House vote as soon as next week
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a breakthrough Tuesday in the negotiations for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, paving the way for a House vote on the trade deal negotiated by President Trump that he has long lobbied Congress to approve.
House committee to consider impeachment articles Wednesday
The House Judiciary Committee will vote on two articles of impeachment against President Trump over a two-day period beginning Wednesday night.
FBI lawyer under criminal investigation altered document to say Carter Page 'was not a source' for another agency
The FBI became close to correcting a mistake in the third and final warrant application renewal targeting onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, but an FBI lawyer improperly altered a document to cover up that the bureau had erred in the previous filings.
IG Report Confirms Schiff FISA Memo Media Praised Was Riddled With Lies
The new inspector general report on FISA abuse settles the debate between Republicans and Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Both groups put out memos about the Department of Justice’s efforts to secure a warrant to wiretap Carter Page.
Carter Page Plans Lawsuit After FISA Report Revelations, Confirms He Was CIA Asset
Former Donald Trump campaign associate Carter Page said that he has a team of attorneys going over Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report for potential lawsuits.
Barr derides FBI's Russia investigation, saying officials should have simply talked to Trump campaign
Attorney General William Barr said the Obama administration should have asked the 2016 Trump campaign about possible collusion with Russia, saying the investigation the FBI pursued instead was based on a 'flimsy' premise.
Federal judge blocks billions in Pentagon funding from paying for border wall
A federal judge has blocked President Trump from diverting Pentagon funds from various military projects toward building a wall on the United States' southern border.
Lawmakers Reach Deal on Defense Bill, Establishing US Space Force
Lawmakers reached an agreement on Dec. 9 for a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that includes $738 billion for the Department of Defense to set national defense policy—as well as the authorization of the U.S. Space Force.
Deficit spikes 12 percent in first two months of fiscal year: CBO
The U.S. government deficit rose by 12 percent in the first two months of the 2020 fiscal year, hitting $342 billion, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
Supreme Court allows Kentucky abortion ultrasound law to take effect
The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal over a Kentucky law that forces health providers to show pregnant women ultrasounds of their fetuses before having abortions.

Christian News
'We are Fulfilling our Duties as Christians': Alabama Sheriff Rebuffs Atheist Group's Request to Stop Citing Prayer on Social Media
An Alabama sheriff has refused to comply with an atheist group's request that his office stop posting prayers on social media after a tragedy occurs.
UK: Christian GP cleared over offering to pray with patients slams ‘vexatious’ case
A GP who risked losing his job for offering to pray with patients has been cleared by the General Medical Council in a case that establishes the circumstances in which clinicians are allowed to use their faith in their work.