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?"

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Russia Calls New U.S. Missile Shield in Romania a 'Direct Threat'
Russia has described a new $800 million U.S. missile defense site in Romania as a "direct threat" and warned it would bolster its equivalent systems earlier than planned.
Abortion study: 25% of pregnancies terminated, estimates suggest
One in four pregnancies ends in an abortion each year, global estimates from the World Health Organization and Guttmacher Institute suggest.
Facebook Relies on Editors to Determine 'Trending' News
Facebook relies on editorial news judgment along with algorithms to determine the day's biggest news stories in an approach that has made the social networking site the world's largest news distributor.
Iran Shows Off Third Underground Missile Site
Iran's military recently publicized a third underground missile facility and showed the launch of a new ballistic missile through the top of a mountain.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu on Twitter: Israel would mull an amended Saudi Initiative
Israel is ready to talk about an amended Saudi Peace Initiative, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday during a Twitter chat he held in the courtyard of his Jerusalem home in honor of Israel's 68th Independence Day.
Top Hezbollah commander killed in Syria
Top Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, Imad Mughniyeh's successor, has been killed in an attack in Syria, the Lebanese group said on Friday, the biggest blow to the Iranian-backed organization since its military chief was killed in 2008.

Inside the United States
STD's on the rise - 'Swiping right' & online dating could be to blame
Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise for the first time in roughly a decade and online dating could be a contributing factor.

Editor's Note: Nearly 1/2 of the 20 million new STD's are in the age group of 15-24. That means 10 million new cases of STD's in the U.S. are in this age group! There's only 22 million Americans in this age group -- meaning nearly 1/2 of young adults in America has a STD! Are there consequences for having relationships outside of God's order? It seems so! Statistics are staggering!


'Duck Dynasty' star Phil Robertson faces transgender bathroom backlash
Phil Robertson has 'got a radical idea' on how to deal with the controversial transgender bathroom bill in North Carolina. 'Men should use the men's bathroom and women should use the women's bathroom,' Robertson reportedly recently wrote. 'Just because a man may 'feel' like a woman doesn't mean he should be able to share a bathroom with my daughter, or yours. That used to be called common sense. Now it's called bigoted.'
Senate Appropriations Bill Spends More Than Obama Requested
The U.S. Senate's first spending bill of 2016 allocates $261 million more than President Barack Obama requested and lacks significant conservative amendments, but it still sailed to passage Thursday in the Republican-led chamber.
Obama administration won't strip federal funds from North Carolina over bathroom law
The Obama administration announced on Thursday that it would not attempt to strip federal education funding from North Carolina over a bathroom regulation it says violates federal nondiscrimination law.
Federal Judge Sides With GOP in Obamacare Challenge
A federal judge handed House Republicans a win Thursday after ruling that the Obama administration was unlawfully funding an Obamacare subsidy program without congressional approval.
Navy Faces Deployment Crisis as Aging Ships Get Sidelined
The U.S. Navy is suffering from an inability to deploy ships to key international conflict zones due to rising maintenance issues on an aging fleet, that is increasingly being sidelined for lengthy repairs, according to military experts and a new government investigation.

U.S. Politics
Ryan meets Trump, says 'very encouraged' but unity will take time
Donald Trump and Paul Ryan might not have built the bridge but they at least may have established the framework toward presenting a unified front against Democrats in November, after their sit-down Thursday morning on Capitol Hill.
Persian Gulf Sheikhs Gave Bill & Hillary $100 Million
A Daily Caller News Foundation investigation reveals that Bill and Hillary Clinton received at least $100 million from autocratic Persian Gulf states and their leaders, potentially undermining Democratic presidential candidate Hillary's claim she can carry out independent Middle East policies.
Obama to Order Public Schools to Open Restrooms to Transgender Students
The Obama administration on Friday will order that every public school district in the United States must allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Christian News
India: Hindu's torture Christian convert
Police declined to take any action against the Hindus who tortured a Christian in India's Uttar Pradesh state last month and then left him for dead.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
U.S. to activate $800 million missile defense site in Romania
The United States will switch on a $800 million missile shield in Romania on Thursday, part of an umbrella from Greenland to the Azores against Iranian rockets that Russia aims to knock out its nuclear weapons.
U.S., Russia fine tune deal to share Syrian airspace
Senior Pentagon leaders and their Russian counterparts on Wednesday fine tuned plans to ensure warplanes from both countries operating in the skies above Syria stay out of each other’s way.
Saudis braced for release of hidden pages of 9/11 report
Saudi Arabia is confident nothing in a secret 28-page section of a US congressional report on the September 11 attacks implicates its leaders.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Al-Qaeda leader urged trainee to target Israelis, Americans
An al-Qaeda operative facing sentencing in a New York court next week said bomb-making instructor Anwar al-Awlaki had encouraged him to target Israeli and US nationals at London's Heathrow Airport.
In new Gaza clip, kids urge 'martyrdom, blowing up enemies'
New footage to emerge out of a children's festival in the Gaza Strip shows play-acting Palestinian kids urging each other to 'die as martyrs' and 'blow up their enemies,' and includes mock presentations of them capturing Israeli soldiers and running through what appears to be a tunnel.

Inside the United States
Judge: Man accused of killing 3 at Colorado Planned Parenthood 'incompetent' to stand trial
The man accused of shooting three people dead at a Colorado Planned Parenthood last fall is not mentally fit to understand the case against him at trial, a district court judge ruled Wednesday.
Obama signs bill to boost trade secret protection
President Obama signed a law Wednesday intended to protect the trade secrets and intellectual property of U.S. companies and inventors.
0 to 400 mph in mere seconds: Welcome to the age of hyperloop
Hyperloop One successfully demonstrated Wednesday one key part of how it plans to send people and cargo racing through cushioned tubes at nearly the speed of sound. This transportation alternative, its backers claim, could reduce the journey between Los Angeles and San Francisco to just 30 minutes.
$1,914,651,000,000: FY2016 Taxes Set Record Through April
The U.S. Treasury raked in a record of approximately $1,914,651,000,000 in tax revenues in the first seven months of fiscal 2016 (Oct. 1, 2015 through April 30, 2016), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released today.
Middle class takes financial hit in most US cities this century
More than four-fifths of America's metropolitan areas have seen household incomes decline this century, according to new research that exposes the politically charged reality of middle-class decline at the heart of this year's presidential election.

U.S. Politics
Trump's Refusal to Release Tax Returns Is a Ticking Time Bomb for the GOP
When Donald Trump sits down with Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tomorrow, there is a pressing issue that they should put before their party's presumptive presidential nominee. He told the Associated Press on Tuesday that he has no plans to release his tax returns before the November election. 'There's nothing to learn from them,' he said. Previously, he had claimed he would love to release the returns as soon as an IRS audit is completed.
Poll: Nearly half of GOP voters disapprove of Ryan
Nearly half of Republican voters disapprove of Paul Ryan's performance as House speaker, according to a new poll released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling.
Sanders: Nominating Clinton would be 'disaster' for party, nation
Fresh off a big win in the West Virginia primary, Sen. Bernard Sanders' campaign said Wednesday the Democratic Party would be courting 'disaster' if it nominates Hillary Clinton as its presidential nominee.

Christian News
Myanmar: Pagodas being built on church lands
In the face of a campaign by a Buddhist monk to build pagodas on church property, Christians in Myanmar have decided to turn the other cheek.
Germany: 80 Muslim Refugees Convert to Christianity and are Baptized
Over 80 Muslim refugees from Iran and Afghanistan have converted to Christianity and been baptized in Hamburg, Germany, according to ChristianToday.com.
Three-fourths of Christian refugees in Germany persecuted by Muslim counterparts: Report
A nonprofit organization that has studied religious persecution around the globe for decades says Germany's Christian refugees are under constant assault by their Muslim counterparts.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Iran has deployed S-300 system, minister says
Iran’s army is now fully equipped with a Russian air defense system after a long and controversial delivery process, Defense Minister General Hossein Dehghan was quoted as saying Tuesday.
U.S. Warship Challenges China's Claims in South China Sea
The U.S. Navy sent its third warship in less than seven months into waters of the South China Sea claimed by China as tensions rise ahead of an international court’s ruling on the territorial dispute.
Iran threatens to sue U.S., Kerry urges Europe to make deals
Secretary of State John Kerry, following up on the deal he negotiated with Iran that is lifting sanctions on the rogue Islamic regime and turning over billions of dollars frozen because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons, now is lobbying for more business for the Middle East nation.
Syria peace talks to convene in Vienna next week
International powers will convene in Vienna next week to discuss ways of salvaging dilapidated peace talks regarding Syria's civil war, the US State Department confirmed on Tuesday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Report: Israeli fighter jets strike weapons convoy headed towards Hezbollah
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a weapons convoy headed into the hands of Hezbollah fighters in Syria, Channel 2 citing Arab media sources reported Tuesday.
Hamas still tunneling, Israel charges, despite IDF detection efforts
A teen Hamas operative revealed 'extensive information' about the terror organization's tunnels and plans for infiltrating Israel in order to carry out attacks, after he was arrested by security forces last month, the Shin Bet said Tuesday.
Teen shot as troops clash with Palestinians outside Jerusalem
Israel Defense Forces soldiers clashed with Palestinians in a village between Jerusalem and Ramallah Wednesday morning in what the army described as a 'very violent' riot sparked by 'operational activities.'

Inside the United States
Iowa high court admits preborn children have rights
On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled a child not yet born at the time of a parent’s death can still be awarded damages for wrongful loss of parental companionship. Despite the clear implications about when life begins, the court tried to distance its decision from the abortion debate.
State Dept. faces questions over missing tape, amid scramble over WH aide's Iran boast
While the White House scrambles to contain the damage caused by one of President Obama's closest aides -- who boasted of manipulating social media, journalists and friendly interest groups to sell the Iran nuclear deal -- it now is facing new questions about a portion of missing tape in which a State Department official acknowledges misleading the press on the Iran negotiations.
Facebook's 'trending topics' spark debate and distrust
No one knows how the most powerful name in news really distributes the news.
Senate GOP Launches Inquiry Into Facebook's News Curation
The US Senate Commerce Committee--which has jurisdiction over media issues, consumer protection issues, and internet communication--has sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg requesting answers to questions it has on its trending topics section. The letter comes after Gizmodo on Monday reported on allegations by one former news curator, who worked for Facebook as a contractor, that the curation team routinely suppressed or blacklisted topics of interest to conservatives. That report also included allegations from several former curators that they used a 'injection tool' to add or bump stories onto the trending module.
Measles Outbreak in Memphis Began at Mosque
The first reported case of a person with measles in the recent Memphis outbreak, which now numbers seven confirmed cases, was at a local mosque on April 15, according to the Shelby County Health Department.
Homegrown Violent Extremists Planting Roots Across U.S.
At least 75 homegrown violent extremists were found to be operating across the United States in 2015, with the largest portion of these individuals pledging allegiance to the ISIS terror group, according to recent figures published by New Jersey's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

U.S. Politics
Sanders Wins West Virginia, Trump Moves Closer to Clinching Nomination
Multiple media outlets are reporting that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump has won both the West Virginia and Nebraska Republican primaries Tuesday night while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has won the West Virginia Democratic primary.
Newt Gingrich Tops Trump's VP List
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is now the leading candidate to be tapped by Donald Trump as his running mate, a close confidante of Trump tells Newsmax.
Conservatives bracing for Trump fight over GOP platform
While Donald Trump has virtually sewn up the Republican nomination, backers of Ted Cruz and other conservatives are bracing for a fight over the platform at the GOP convention in July.
Half of West Virginia GOP voters feel 'betrayed' by Republican politicians
GOP voters handed Donald Trump another win in the West Virginia primary, and many said Republican in Washington have abandoned them.
Trump pulls even with Clinton in swing states as GOP coalesces around him
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has pulled even with Hillary Clinton in polling in the key swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, as Republicans begin to coalesce around their presumptive nominee, beginning a six-month sprint to Election Day.

Christian News
Algeria: Church told to stop worship services
A church in Algeria's northern Kabylie region where St. Augustine had preached during the fifth century was ordered to stop all religious activities last month.
Sudan Releases One of Two Church Leaders Arrested in December
Sudan today released one of two church leaders jailed since December, sources said.
Dozens of Christians Brutally Killed in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Dozens of Christians have been beaten and brutally killed in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Mission Network News.