Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries

Around the World
U.S. Hits Iran With More Sanctions, Hopes For Prisoner Talks
The United States has hit Iran with new sanctions targeting several transport firms it accused of transporting lethal aid from Iran to Yemen and proliferating weapons of mass destruction.
Satellite images uncover new Iranian tunnel in Syria used to hide missiles
Satellite images taken in October revealed a new underground tunnel that Iran is building in Syria, the US government says to hide weapons.
Mexico to Send New Regional Trade Agreement to Senate
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday he will send a new regional trade agreement to the Senate immediately for ratification.
Burmese leader arrives in Netherlands to stand trial for genocide
Burma's leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived at the International Court of Justice in the Hague Tuesday to arbitrate the case against her for genocide opened by Muslim country Gambia.
Major leak of Iranian financial data points to hostile state actor
The details of 15 million Iranian debit cards were leaked online when banks were burned during protests that began November 15 for a 50% spike in fuel prices.
US Military Leaders, Congress Spar Over Syria Pullout
U.S. lawmakers and military leaders sparred Wednesday over the U.S. decision in October to pull troops out of northern Syria amid the threat of a Turkish offensive.
Senate Panel Passes Bill To Impose Sanctions On Turkey; Delays Vote On Tough Russia Measures
A U.S. Senate committee has passed legislation with bipartisan support to hit Turkey with sanctions but refrained from voting on a controversial Russian sanctions bill.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Knesset advance legislation to dissolve, hold fresh elections
Knesset members on Wednesday began the process of passing a bill to dissolve parliament and hold an unprecedented third election in 12 months.

Inside the United States
Feds Collect Record Taxes Through November; But Still Run $343.3 Billion Deficit With Second-Highest Spending in Nation's History
The federal government collected record total tax revenues of $470,706,000,000 in October and November, the first two months of fiscal 2020, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released today.
Trump changes federal definitions of Jewishness and anti-Semitism to combat anti-Israel college campaigns
The White House announced Wednesday that a new executive order targeting anti-Semitism on college campuses will be signed by President Trump, broadening the federal definition of Judaism to encompass ethnicity as well as religion.
IG report debunks media, Trump foes' conspiracy theories
The Justice Department inspector general’s report rebuts a number of Trump-Russia assertions made by key players, including the news media, former FBI Director James B. Comey and Rep. Adam B. Schiff, a leading conspiracy proponent.
House passes ‘progressive’ defense bill, 377-48
In a strong bipartisan vote, the House passed a compromise defense policy bill that authorizes a new Space Force and $738 billion for the Pentagon, but a small but vocal group of Democrats voted against it because of the absence of new war powers restrictions, arms control language and border wall mandates. The vote was 377-48.
Graham alleges ‘massive criminal conspiracy’ in FBI’s Russia probe in blistering hearing statement
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham accused the FBI officials who investigated the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia of a 'massive criminal conspiracy' in a fiery opening statement Wednesday for a hearing where the Justice Department's top watchdog testified.
71% Have Little or No Trust in House Impeachment Inquiry, Monmouth University Poll Shows
Americans remain greatly skeptical of the way the House impeachment inquiry has been conducted, results of a new Monmouth University Poll released Wednesday reveal.
Jewish community targeted by Black Hebrew Israelite killer in Jersey City
The anti-Jewish motives of the Jersey City shooters who killed 4 people on Tuesday near a Kosher supermarket began to surface Wednesday as investigators uncovered the main shooter's online history.

Christian News
Christians killed on bus in Kenya when Al Shabaab infiltrates
Militants from Somali Islamist group Al Shabaab attacked a bus in Kenya Friday, killing 11 people, most of whom were assumed to be Christians.
Christian doctor in UK cleared after falsely charged with sharing his faith in an invasive way
A Christian doctor in the UK in danger of losing his job and medical license for 3 months was cleared of any wrongdoing by the National Medical Council after it found the charges against him were based on a highly questionable report.
Indian parliament provides certain Christians citizenship, but critics fear a move away from religious freedom
New legislation passed in India's parliament grants citizenship to beleaguered Christian foreigners, among others, but the US Commission on International Religious Freedom says it is a dangerous move.

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.

Around the World
Russia, Ukraine agree to ceasefire by year-end at Paris talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to implement a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine by year-end, following their first meeting on Monday at a summit in Paris mediated by France and Germany.
US-Iran prisoner exchange comes suddenly amidst tensions
America and Iran performed a prisoner swap Saturday, with the Islamic Republic releasing an American grad student who had been in the fourth year of a ten-year prison sentence for espionage.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
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.
Elections to be held on March 2 if no coalition formed
Blue and White and Likud have agreed that the next round of elections will be held on Monday, March 2, 2020, barring a last-minute coalition deal in the next two days.

Inside the United States
IG: ‘17 Significant Inaccuracies and Omissions’ in FBI Applications for Warrant to Spy on Trump Campaign Adviser
The Federal Bureau of Investigation committed “17 significant inaccuracies and omissions” in four sequential applications it made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court when it successfully sought warrants to place electronic surveillance on Carter Page, a foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice reported today.
USMCA trade agreement reached
Trade negotiators from the U.S., Mexico and Canada have reached an agreement that makes changes to the enforcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, multiple sources have told FOX Business.
Florida governor says 'deep-seated hatred for the United States' motivated Pensacola shooter
FBI officials are considering a shooting Friday by a Saudi national at the Pensacola naval base that killed 3 Americans to be terrorism, with more information having surfaced about the Saudi man's vehement anti-Americanism.
US Border Apprehensions Drop for Sixth Month
U.S. officials reported a sixth consecutive month of decreased apprehensions at the country's border with Mexico, bringing November more in line with the historical average, after a significant increase that started about a year ago.
Horowitz report is damning for the FBI and unsettling for the rest of us
The analysis of the report by Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz greatly depends, as is often the case, on which cable news channel you watch. Indeed, many people might be excused for concluding that Horowitz spent 476 pages to primarily conclude one thing, which is that the Justice Department acted within its guidelines in starting its investigation into the 2016 campaign of President Trump.
Barr disagrees with Horowitz report on Russia probe launch
Attorney General William Barr publicly disagreed with the Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, on Monday following the release of a long-awaited internal review that concluded the FBI had sufficient reason to launch the extensive Russia probe involving the Trump campaign, although members of the bureau committed some significant errors.

Christian News
Chinese government surveills texts messages for references to "Almighty God"
The phrase 'Almighty God' could get your cell service banned in China, according to a report at Bitter Winter.
Pastor persecuted for questioning police support of Drag Queen Story Hour
Charges against a pastor who protested 'Drag Queen Story Hour' were dropped Thursday, with his defense claiming police unfairly biased supporters of the pageantry.
More pictures of Xi Jinping replace church iconography in China
Officials in Jiangxi Province, China replaced a church's sign with a communist party slogan and swapped out biblical paintings for a portrait of President Xi Jinping.