Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries
Prophecy News Watch is a service hosted by Worthy Ministries to provide Christians daily news from a Biblical, and yet Prophetic worldview. Our news is gathered by our Christian News Service, Worthy News. For more about our vision for how we assemble our daily headlines, please read, "What is Worthy News?"
Russia blocks Security Council statement on Syria
Russia on Thursday blocked the UN Security Council from adopting a statement on the situation in southwestern Syria, where rebels are under intense bombardment, diplomats said after an urgent meeting requested by Sweden and Kuwait.
Trump launches the opening salvo in US trade war with China as tariffs take effect
The U.S. tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods kicked in on Friday, taking the war of words between the nations into the real economic realm.
Iran says Europe's offer to save nuclear deal insufficient
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday that a European offer of economic measures to counter the effects of the United States abandoning the nuclear deal does not go far enough, reported state news agency IRNA.
Trump says U.S. tariffs could be applied to Chinese goods worth $500 billion
President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States may ultimately impose tariffs on more than a half-trillion dollars’ worth of Chinese goods as the world’s two largest economies hurtled toward the start of a trade war.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
IDF reportedly boosts Iron Dome deployment in Gaza vicinity
The IDF has boosted deployment of Iron Dome missile defense batteries around the Gaza Strip, according to a report Thursday night.
Northern Israel experiences yet another earthquake
A 3.2 tremor was felt a little after 1pm on Thursday in the north of the country, the Geophysical Institute of Israel said.
Israel successfully tests missile defense systems
The Defense Ministry on Thursday said Israel’s missile defense systems had successfully completed a series of tests designed to 'counter emerging threats in the region.'
Inside the United States
Judge gives green light to California's sanctuary laws
A federal judge upheld the bulk of California’s sanctuary laws Thursday, delivering a major victory to immigrant rights advocates and blazing a path for states and localities to consider as they seek ways to resist President Trump’s immigration policy.
US job growth was likely solid in June despite trade risks
Employers in the United States are thought to have kept up their brisk pace of hiring in June, reflecting the durability of the second-longest U.S. economic expansion on record even in the face of a trade war with China.
California must consider earlier parole for sex offenders, judge rules
California must consider earlier parole for potentially thousands of sex offenders, maybe even those convicted of pimping children, a state judge said Friday.
Mueller Taps More Prosecutors to Help With Growing Trump Probe
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is tapping additional Justice Department resources for help with new legal battles as his year-old investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 election continues to expand.
Christian News
California Senate Stalls Vote on Controversial LGBT Bill
CBN News has learned that the controversial bill AB 2943 did not come up on the Senate floor for a vote before the California Legislature begins its month-long vacation recess.
Warning of a global crisis, Germany’s Angela Merkel pledges ‘every effort’ to avert a U.S. trade war
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that the European Union will make every effort to avoid a trade war with the United States, and underlined her country’s commitment to raise defense spending gradually -- another point of contention with Washington.
Iran set up terrorist infrastructure in Europe, experts say
Iran has set up terrorist and intelligence infrastructure across Europe with aim of assassinating exiled Iranian dissidents and moderate Arab leaders, particularly those whose countries rival Iran in the Persian Gulf, intelligence experts told Israel Hayom Tuesday.
Turkey transfers some powers to President Erdogan
Turkey on Wednesday issued a decree that transfers some powers to the president, as the country moves to an executive presidential system following President Tayyip Erdogan's win in last month's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Over 40 countries at WTO object to US car tariff plan
Major US trading partners including the European Union, China and Japan voiced deep concern at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Tuesday (Jul 3) about possible US measures imposing additional duties on imported autos and parts.
Erdogan presses U.S. over F-35 jet sale
Fresh from a successful re-election campaign, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is flexing its newfound clout in the fight on Capitol Hill over acquiring cutting-edge U.S. military hardware.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
PA: Law to deduct terrorists' salaries from tax money 'a declaration of war'
The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the Knesset on Tuesday for passing into a law a bill proposal to deduct terrorists' salaries from roughly $130 million in monthly tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, defining the move as 'a declaration of war on the Palestinian people.'
Jared Kushner says US will soon present Trump's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, with or without Abbas
Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, said Washington would announce its Middle East peace plan soon, and press on with or without Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
4.1 magnitude earthquake shakes northern Israel
Residents of northern Israel were woken up with a bump on Wednesday morning as a 4.1 magnitude earthquake shook Haifa and the Galilee region shortly before 5:00 a.m.
Inside the United States
GOP to attack unfunded federal mandates next week
House Republicans will make a new push next week to rein in federal rules and regulations that can cost local governments companies millions of dollars each year -- 23 years after Republicans first sought to limit unfunded federal mandates.
Massachusetts passes 'red flag' gun control law
Legal Massachusetts gun owners who act violently or suicidal could lose the right to their firearms for a year under a bill signed into law Tuesday by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.
Liberals Propose ‘Court Packing’ to Offset Trump Nominees
Liberals and others on the Left fearful of President Trump’s Supreme Court choices are now advocating an idea from the past: court packing.
Judge tosses suit alleging Trump campaign conspired with Russia in DNC hack
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's campaign and former Trump adviser Roger Stone conspired with Russia and WikiLeaks to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 presidential race.
California separatists to declare independence on July 4: 'Stand up against American occupation'
While other Americans celebrate the holiday with picnics and parades, California secessionists are taking Independence Day literally.
Judge again blocks Arkansas' attempt to ban pill abortions
A federal judge has again temporarily blocked Arkansas from becoming the first state to enforce a ban on pill-induced abortions.
Forecasters reverse course, predict below-average 2018 hurricane season
A team of meteorologists, who predicted an above-average 2018 Atlantic hurricane season in April, decreased their forecast on Tuesday.
Christian News
Episcopal Church Debates Whether to Make God Gender-Neutral in Book of Common Prayer
As the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church kicks off in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, church officials are set to consider competing resolutions on whether their Book of Common Prayer, last revised in 1979, needs to be revised to send a strong message that God does not have a gender.
'Our Hopes Are High’: Iraqi Christian Leaders Thank U.S. For Rebuilding Communities Destroyed by ISIS
Iraqi Christian leaders are thanking the United States for providing life-saving aid following the Islamic State's reign of terror in the region.
Op-Ed: Canada’s top court rules that biblical Christian views are not part of ‘diversity’
In a ruling that is sure to send shock waves through the nation, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled 7-2 against Trinity Western University’s (TWU) Law School. In effect, what the court declared is that universities must choose between biblical standards and accreditation. Put another way, the court ruled that Christianity and higher education are incompatible. I am not exaggerating in the least.
Around the World
Iranian-backed militia, Syria threaten to cut off rebels near Golan
On Monday elements of the Iranian-backed Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas and the Syrian regime’s Republican Guard were reported to be leading the Syrian regime’s offensive near the Golan, attempting to cut the Syrian rebels territory in half.
Experts see risks in US plan to dismantle NKorea's nukes
As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares to travel this week to North Korea, experts cautioned that the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the North’s nuclear weapons and missiles in a year is both unrealistic and risky.
Trump warns NATO leaders defense underspending could have consequences
US President Donald Trump has admonished several leaders of NATO allies for spending too little on the organization and has warned of possible unspecified consequences, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Trump makes veiled WTO threat after EU warning on car tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump warned the World Trade Organization on Monday that 'we’ll be doing something' if the United States is not treated properly, just hours after the European Union said that U.S. automotive tariffs would hurt its own vehicle industry and prompt retaliation.
U.S. mulling labeling Revolutionary Guard a terror group
The Trump administration is weighing whether to label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, part of an effort to use every possible tool in the box to pressure Tehran, CNN reported on Monday.
Iran calls for calm after water protests, clashes
Iran called for calm on Sunday after protests in a southern city over water shortages turned violent overnight with reports of police shooting at demonstrators who attacked banks and public buildings.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
U.N. expert: Israel moving closer to formal West Bank annexation
Israel has taken steps that could lead to the formal annexation of the West Bank, UN legal expert Michael Lynk said in advance of Monday’s United Nations Human Rights Council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Iranian general blames water woes on Israeli ‘cloud theft’
An Iranian general on Monday accused Israel of manipulating weather to prevent rain over the Islamic Republic, alleging his country was facing cloud 'theft,' before being contradicted by the nation’s weather chief.
Inside the United States
Trump interviews four candidates as Supreme Court fight heats up
President Trump interviewed four candidates Monday in his search for the next Supreme Court nominee, with two federal appeals court judges emerging as leading contenders for the nomination that could change the complexion of the high court for decades to come.
Judge rules DHS must consider detained asylum-seekers' parole on case-by-case basis
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. ruled Monday that the federal government must consider on a case-by-case basis whether asylum-seekers who have been detained represent a flight risk or credible danger to the public.
Feds widen investigation into Facebook's sharing of data with Cambridge Analytica: Report
The federal investigation looking into how Facebook shared user information with data firm Cambridge Analytica has widened to include three agencies, according to a new report.
Wind spreads California fire as other states battle blazes
A massive wildfire in rural Northern California has exploded in size and forced evacuations in hot, dry weather that is sweeping through several western states where blazes are threatening thousands of homes.
Judge: Rosenstein empowered Mueller to probe even ‘indirect’ or ‘potential’ Russian ties
Special counsel Robert Mueller was granted wide latitude by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to pursue any alleged contact between Russia and the Trump campaign not matter how 'stale' it is, a judge said.
July 4 terror plot thwarted in Cleveland, suspect pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda, FBI says
A man who pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda sought to kill members of the military and conducted reconnaissance in downtown Cleveland for a planned attack on July 4 -- but the Independence Day plot was foiled after a months-long investigation, federal officials said Monday.
Christian News
Death Toll in Jos, Nigeria Attacks at 218, including Pastor, Wife and Son
An Assemblies of God Nigeria pastor, his wife and son were among at least 218 people killed in Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacks on predominantly Christian areas near Jos on June 23-25, a denominational leader said.
'It's All God': Tennessee Tent Revival in Its 3rd Month as More and More People Come to Christ
A spiritual revival continues to blaze in Northeastern Tennessee, entering its 12th week Monday with more than 200 people accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, according to the evangelist leading the services.
'Insanity': Rising Clean Rivers fee forces some D.C. churches to shut down
Nearly a decade after the District’s water authority levied a “Clean Rivers” surcharge to help clean up local waterways, faith community leaders say that ever-rising rates have forced them to cut back on services, lay off staff and — in at least 30 cases — move out or shut down completely.
What Jordan’s Evangelicals Think of Templeton Winner King Abdullah’s Interfaith Acclaim
For his lifelong commitment to religious peace, King Abdullah II of Jordan recently became the second Muslim ever to win the prestigious, $1.4 million Templeton Prize. And Jordan’s Christian minority is celebrating with him.