Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries

Around the World
Nuclear watchdog calls on Iran to clear up origin of uranium traces
The International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran will discuss the discovery of uranium traces at an undeclared site in Tehran next week, the agency's acting chief said on Thursday, adding that Iran had not provided any more information about the origin of the particles.
U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea amid tensions
U.S. Navy warships, on two occasions in the past few days, have sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea, the U.S. military told Reuters on Thursday, at a time of tension between the world’s two largest economies.
Raskin, international observers call for end to blasphemy legislation across globe
On Thursday on Capitol Hill, a lawmaker and international observers called for an end to blasphemy laws and other measures that direct religious thought.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
AG announces Netanyahu to stand trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust
In a decision that drastically shakes up Israeli politics amid already ongoing chaos, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be charged with criminal wrongdoing in three separate cases against him, including bribery in the far-reaching Bezeq corruption probe.
Israeli Knesset given power to form coalition as charges against Netanyahu announced
President Reuven Rivlin tasked the Knesset with forming a coalition government in an unprecedented move for the Israeli political process Thursday.
Netanyahu calls decision to indict him an 'attempted coup'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called a criminal indictment against him an attempt at a 'government coup' and he will continue to 'lead Israel.' It is the first time in the country's history a sitting prime minister has been charged with a crime.

Inside the United States
Trump signs funding bill to avert government shutdown this week
President Donald Trump signed legislation on Thursday that will extend funding for a wide range of federal agencies through Dec. 20 and avoid partial government shutdowns that otherwise would have begun on Friday.
Trump pushes GOP senators to hold a full trial if House votes to impeach
The White House supports a full trial for President Trump in the Senate if the House impeaches him.
New Poll Shows Independents Oppose Impeachment By 15-Point Margin
A new Emerson poll for November found more Independent voters oppose the impeachment of President Trump, compared to October when more Independent voters supported Trump’s impeachment.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Plan to Bring Back Death Penalty
A federal judge on Wednesday night temporarily halted the Trump administration's plans to execute four federal inmates.
California can’t force Donald Trump to release tax returns, state Supreme Court rules
President Donald Trump won’t have to release his tax returns to get on California’s 2020 primary ballot following a unanimous ruling from the state Supreme Court on Thursday that invalidated a new state law.
Democrat Debate Ratings Fall to Lowest Level of 2020 Election Cycle, Breaking October’s Record Low
Wednesday night’s Democrat presidential candidate debate drew the lowest television rating of any of the party’s 2020 election-cycle debates thus far.
59% of Voters Fear Trump's Opponents Will Resort to Violence
Fifty-nine percent of U.S. likely voters are concerned that people who oppose President Donald Trump’s policies will resort to violence, a new Rasmussen Reports survey shows.

Christian News
Wave of Indian persecution of Christians descends into Kashmir conflict
India's Jammu and Kashmir state is now shrouded in a 105 day-long internet and communications blackout that has prevented Christians from assembling together without extreme harassment.
Persecuted pastor Wang Yi stripped of defense by communist regime before his trial
Early Rain Covenant Church Pastor Wang Yi has been deprived of his lawyer by the Chinese government.
'Hands-Off' Our Religious Freedom: New Index Reveals Americans Want the Government to Keep Out
Even though Americans these days seem to be divided politically, a majority of Americans support religious freedom, according to a new study released Wednesday as part of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty's first Religious Freedom Index.

Around the World
Trump: Without a China Trade Deal, the US Will Hike Tariffs
The United States would raise tariffs on Chinese imports if no deal is reached with Beijing to end a trade war, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, threatening an escalation of the spat that has damaged economic growth worldwide.
White House holding up $100M in Lebanon aid, official confirms
The United States is withholding security assistance to Lebanon to the tune of over $100 million, leaving lawmakers and policymakers in the dark, a senior State Department official confirmed on Tuesday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Gantz concedes failure to form coalition, all but assuring new elections
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz on Wednesday night informed President Reuven Rivlin he had failed to form a governing coalition, paving the way to a shocking third round of elections in under a year.
Foreign Fighters Reported Killed In Israeli Strikes On 'Iranian Targets' In Syria
The Israeli military says it has struck Iranian targets in Syria in what it said was retaliation for rockets fired on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights region.
Trump evangelical base 'thrilled' by determination that West Bank settlements are legal
Prominent evangelical leaders are celebrating President Trump’s decision to recognize Israeli West Bank settlements as legal, a determination that reversed decades of official U.S. policy left in place by Democratic and Republican presidents.
Israel to enter 21-day period in which any Knesset member can become Prime Minister
Negotiations following Israeli elections in September have still not produced any clear leadership.
UN Security Council members critical of US policy shift on Israeli settlements
United Nations Security Council members decried a United States policy shift on Israeli settlements on Wednesday during a meeting where they discussed recent developments in the Middle East, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement two days before.
Arab League to meet on US shift on Israel settlements
The Arab League said it will hold an urgent meeting Monday on the US announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal.

Inside the United States
Sondland implicates top officials on Ukraine, but says he ‘never heard’ quid pro quo from Trump
European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland tied top officials to the 'potential quid pro quo' involving U.S. military aid to Ukraine and investigations desired by President Trump during his highly anticipated impeachment hearing testimony on Wednesday – yet said he never heard that link from the president himself.
How Democrats Plan the Largest Tax Increase in Recent Memory
Much of the Democratic primary race has focused on taxes aimed at the billionaire class — policies devised to reduce inequality and fund progressive goals on health care and education.
US House Panel Backs Marijuana Decriminalization
A divided U.S. House committee approved a proposal Wednesday to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level, a vote that was alternately described as a momentous change in national cannabis policy and a hollow political gesture.
Sondland Affirms ‘No One on This Planet’ Told Him Trump Was Tying Ukraine Aid to Investigating Bidens
n an exchange with Rep. Michael Turner (R.-Ohio), Amb. Gordon Sondland conceded in testimony today that “no one on this planet”—as Turner put it—told him that President Donald Trump was tying U.S. aid to Ukraine to Ukraine's agreeing to investigate the 2016 election, the Bidens, or Burisma, the Ukrainian company that had hired Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Pence's Chief of Staff: 'This Alleged Discussion Recalled by Ambassador Sondland Never Happened'
Vice President Mike Pence's office released a statement Wednesday morning refuting Ambassador Gordon Sondland's testimony that he told Pence about the alleged quid pro quo being pushed by President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Christian News
Persecuted pastor Wang Yi stripped of defense by communist regime before his trial
Early Rain Covenant Church Pastor Wang Yi has been deprived of his lawyer by the Chinese government.
Hostility towards Christians on the rise in Europe, report claims
Christians in Europe experienced 325 incidents of intolerance in the past year, a new report has found.

Around the World
Protests spread in Iran, following Iraq and Lebanon
Anti-regime protests saw the internet shut down in Iran Saturday night.
ISIS rebuilds in Syria after Turkish incursion and U.S. drawdown, Pentagon watchdog says
The Islamic State militant group used the drawdown of U.S. troops from Syria and the Turkish incursion to regroup and strengthen its abilities to plan terror attacks abroad -- and will likely rebound from the death of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a new internal report from the Defense Department's watchdog says.
US Aircraft Carrier Strike Group Sails Through Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. aircraft carrier strike group Abraham Lincoln sailed through the vital Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, U.S. officials told Reuters, amid simmering tensions between Iran and the United States.
Russia, Turkey reject US reversal of settlements stance
Russia and Turkey have rejected the United States declaration that it will no longer regard Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories as illegal.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Likud, Blue and White holding ‘serious’ talks amid efforts for last-minute deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz were set to meet Tuesday evening, as multiple reports said the leaders were having serious negotiations for the first time since the September elections amid intense efforts to form a unity government.
IDF attacks IRGC Quds targets in southern Damascus
A spokesperson for the IDF says that IAF fighter jets performed targeted airstrikes on dozens of military targets belonging to the Iranian Quds Force (IRGC) and the Syrian army on Tuesday night in Syria. The targets included air-to-ground missiles, headquarters, IDF warehouses, and military bases.
Netanyahu approves Jordan Valley annexation bill after U.S. changes policy
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his approval on Tuesday to advance a bill that would have Israel apply sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, after the US State Department reversed its stance of viewing Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria as illegal.

Inside the United States
Witness Says Nothing Concerned Him About Trump Ukraine Call, Republicans Question Pelosi's Claim of Bribery
A new week of public impeachment hearings has kicked off on Capitol Hill.
House votes to avert government shutdown through Dec. 20
The House passed a stopgap funding bill Tuesday to fund the government through Dec. 20, moving one step closer to averting a government shutdown and buying time for a possible resolution of partisan budget disputes that have dragged on for months.
Trump flips third appeals court to majority GOP appointed judges
The Tuesday confirmation of Judge Robert J. Luck created a majority for Republican-appointed judges on the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, the third such party flip in a federal court of appeals during the Trump presidency.
Rep. Ratcliffe: In 3,500 Pages of Testimony, ‘Bribery’ Appears Only Once – Referring to Biden’s Alleged Conduct
While Democrats are now accusing President Donald Trump of bribery, the thirty-five hundred pages of sworn deposition testimony released so far reveal only one mention of the word “bribery” – and it’s used to describe the alleged conduct of former Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) said Tuesday.
Trump administration plans rule to send illegal immigrants back to home country
The Trump administration is planning to publish a rule that would allow the government to send illegal immigrants who did not apply for asylum back to Central America.
Lower mortgage rates boost U.S. housing starts, building permits
U.S. homebuilding rebounded in October and permits for future home construction jumped to a more than 12-year high, pointing to strength in the housing market amid lower mortgage rates.
Pro-Lifers Fined Millions, Now They'll Appeal Ruling in Case Exposing Planned Parenthood's Sale of Baby Body Parts
A pro-life leader says he will appeal a multi-million dollar judgment handed down by a federal court last week in San Francisco, CA.
Documents reveal massive 'dark-money' group boosted Democrats in 2018
The 'green wave' of campaign cash that boosted Democrats and liberal causes in 2018 included an unprecedented gusher of secret money, new documents obtained by POLITICO show.
California Dems Flood Colorado With Cash Ahead of National Popular Vote Referendum
California Democrats have been cutting six-figure checks to promote the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPV) in Colorado ahead of a referendum vote in the state next November.
Anti-China bill supporting Hong Kong protestors passes in US Senate
The US Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday condemning China's interference in Hong Kong affairs.
Ken Starr: Witnesses Haven’t Accused Trump of Breaking the Law
Former independent counsel Ken Starr said Tuesday that the impeachment hearings have yet to produce any compelling testimony from witnesses accusing President Donald Trump of any unlawful acts.