Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will appear in a Manhattan federal court in just a few hours. Our main story covers his capture and the possible fallout. But after seeing an evil dictator led away in handcuffs, it’s worth reflecting on how refreshing it is to see one of this world’s many evil strongmen face consequences.

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Maduro’s regime arrested, tortured and murdered its own people without cause or trial. A United Nations fact-finding mission found evidence of crimes against humanity. Protests were met with violent crackdowns. Venezuela’s economy was destroyed: Its gdp fell by nearly 80 percent from 2013 to 2020. Impoverishing an entire nation has massive consequences, especially for malnourished children.

And it’s not just Venezuela Maduro has hurt. His alliance with drug gangs has helped kill thousands, if not millions, of Americans. He has given Iran, Russia and China a foothold in the Caribbean.

Now he will be made to answer for some of his crimes (chiefly narco-terrorism-related charges).

But most of this world’s evil men never will. Does that mean they have escaped justice?

It’s a discouraging thought, one David answered in the psalms. “Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever,” he told God in Psalm 9:5-6. “O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end ….”

“These are promises we can cling to!” writes Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry. “The wicked will be brought to justice. Oppression will cease. This is a wonderful prophecy we all need to have our minds on daily.”

God will hold all this world’s Maduros to account. In the years ahead, these evil men will cause a lot more destruction. But it is about to come to a permanent end.

Donald Trump freed Venezuela from the rule of one evil man. Maduro may be replaced by another tomorrow (or an evil woman, given that his deputy Delcy Rodríguez apparently now runs the country). But God is about to free the world from all evil dictators forever.

Will there be a stock market crash this year? Even as trillions of dollars are flowing into artificial intelligence investments, fears are growing that the bubble could burst this year. As in the run-up to previous crashes, many are both optimistic and fearful.

Deutsche Bank polled 440 investors, economists and analysts to find out what they see as the biggest risks to market stability in 2026. Respondents could select up to three answers. Here are the top two they picked:

• 57 percent fear a plunge in technology valuations or reduced valuations for artificial intelligence investments.
• 27 percent fear that U.S. President Donald Trump will appoint a new Federal Reserve chair who pushes for aggressive cuts to interest rates.

The global financial system is already fragile, and the AI craze is making it worse. Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on December 29 that industry leader OpenAI says it will invest $3 trillion in data centers and power through 2031, even though it and its competitors have yet to make a profit. That means these massive investments are still speculative: They are a gamble.

The worries about the AI bubble and U.S. economy don’t seem to be accompanied by the necessary precautions. The money just keeps flowing. As the Guardian put it on January 4: “Investors expect global stock markets to keep rising in 2026, despite fears that the AI bubble could burst, and anxiety about chaos engulfing the U.S. central bank.”

President Trump has already raised the stakes in the global economy by raising tariffs and starting what could be called a cold trade war, in an attempt to stop money from bleeding out of the U.S. economy as it has for decades. Some nations have negotiated new terms with the U.S., but the old system is not just in turmoil—it’s gone for good.

As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained in “A Financial Crisis Is Imminent,” “America’s financial markets are on shaky ground. One wrong move and the whole financial system could collapse.”

Iran’s protests: Khamenei’s day of reckoning? Iran’s largest protests in three years started a week ago and show no signs of letting up. Crowds of merchants, students and other protesters have blocked roads, attacked government facilities, and shouted, “Death to the dictator!” The cause: Iran’s spiraling inflation and other economic woes.

• Annual inflation for the Iranian rial was at 42.2 percent last month.
• Food prices had risen 72 percent.
• A severe drought has led to water rationing.
• Hundreds of thousands of Iranians experienced rolling blackouts last summer due to an electricity crisis, even as Iran exported electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

These protests are turning violent. At least one member of the Basij, Iran’s paramilitary security force, died at the hands of rioters. Government forces have fired live rounds. Unconfirmed reports suggest some of the security personnel deployed by the government have refused to obey orders to use force against protesters. Other unconfirmed reports suggest Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may have at some point fled Tehran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a comparative moderate who Khamenei wanted in office to calm down the last round of protests, told protesters, “Your objections are understandable. If people are dissatisfied, we are to blame. Do not look for America or anyone else to blame. We must serve properly so that people are satisfied with us.”

Many in the media are wondering if Iran’s government can survive this crisis:

• “Could the Iranian regime finally be brought down?” (Telegraph)
• “Is this the end game for Iran’s ayatollahs?” (Independent)
• “Chances of Iran Regime Falling Surge as Unrest Spreads” (Newsweek)

United States President Donald Trump suggested he might even get involved. He posted on Truth Social January 2 that if Iranian security forces shoot and kill “peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

Is this the end of Iran’s Islamic Republic?

The Trumpet analyzes world news through the lens of Bible prophecy. The principle prophecy regarding Iran is in Daniel 11:40: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” Since the 1990s, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has identified this “king of the south” as radical Islam, led by Iran. This means Iran will remain under radical Islamist ideology—and strong enough to spark a world war. The Islamic Republic may have a change of leadership at some point, but it will not moderate or reduce its radicalism or belligerence. Expect radical Islam and Iran to come out stronger than ever. To learn more, read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches Iran and Europe Heading for a Clash of Civilizations.”

IN OTHER NEWS

The power is out in parts of Berlin: Since January 3, 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses in southwest Berlin have been without power. Power has been gradually restored to some households. The outage was not caused by a technical malfunction, but by a deliberate attack by Germany’s own “Volcano Group.” In its letter, the group claimed that “power outages were not the target of the action, but rather the fossil energy industry.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the act terrorism. Many Germans believe fossil fuels cause climate change, but they are also frustrated by activist riots, road blockades and other disturbances. The rise of extremism in Germany is a dangerous warning sign for the world. A polarized society is susceptible to take-over by a strong-handed government. This is what led to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Bible prophecy reveals that history will repeat itself.

2025: Iran’s deadliest year for executions: According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Group, Iran executed at least 1,500 people in 2025. This is a 35-year record for executions. Since 2022, the year Iran’s Mahsa Amini protests began, Iran’s execution rate has risen dramatically every year. This regime is willing to kill its own people to stay in power—helping it fulfill Bible prophecy as the radical “king of the south.”

UK, France strike Islamic State: British and French air forces from Cyprus struck an Islamic State facility on January 3 near the Syrian ruins of Palmyra. The United Kingdom suspects this facility was “most likely to store weapons and explosives.” Psalm 83 predicts an alliance between various Middle Eastern countries and Europe. Verse 6 mentions “the Hagarenes,” an ancient name for the territory of Syria today. France getting more involved in Syria could be a stepping stone for the formation of this alliance.

Can the left govern? Zohran Mamdani wants to answer that question with his mayoral term. In his inaugural speech Thursday, the new Muslim socialist mayor of New York City stated he wasn’t scared of being “too radical” or audacious. “I was elected as a democratic socialist,” he said, “and I will govern as a democratic socialist.” During the speech, he also declared: “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism”—in other words, communism. The Trumpet and its predecessor, the Plain Truth, have warned of Communist infiltration for decades. Repentance is the only fix for this problem.

Fundless reparations fund: San Francisco’s mayor signed a reparations law last week that awards $5 million to each black resident. One problem: The city is broke and dealing with a billion-dollar deficit. The mayor stated no tax dollars will be used for the reparations, but it is open to donations. This is yet another political stunt that exposes not only our society’s divisiveness, but also its fakery.