Is Nuclear War Likelier Since New START Lapsed?

Good morning!

Yesterday, the New start treaty—the last remaining legally binding nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia—officially expired. This marks the first time in over half a century that the world’s two largest nuclear powers are not bound by legally enforceable limits on their nuclear arsenals.

[BRIEF]

The end of New start was one reason scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forward to 85 seconds to midnight last week. But in truth, its expiration is more a symptom of increasing nuclear danger than a cause.

New start was signed by Barack Obama. It capped nuclear forces in a way that essentially spared Russia from a costly arms buildup that it lacked the resources for. In America Under Attack, Gerald Flurry lists it among the scandalous acts of the Obama presidency, saying the treaty “empowered Russia and weakened the U.S. (which Russia then violated, with no apparent consequences).”

The agreement limited America’s arsenal, imposed meaningless limits on Russia, and didn’t even address China, leaving Russia’s ally free to build its nuclear arsenal as it pleased. (China is reportedly adding about 100 warheads each year, and has constructed about 350 new launch silos.)

The Trump administration’s letting New start lapse and unshackling its nuclear program reflects the realities of the world’s new nuclear arms race. Calls to negotiate new agreements to reduce risk and restore guardrails are being drowned out by calls to build, expand and modernize nuclear armories.

Watch Stephen Flurry’s recent Trumpet Daily “The Threat of Nuclear War.” Unthinkable as the subject is, Bible prophecy is clear that nuclear war IS coming. Signs are all around us that this is not a distant possibility but a rapidly approaching inevitability. We must face it.

Ports, Power and China’s African Strategy

The Chinese Communist Party is dotting Africa’s coasts with ports designed to expand China’s military and naval reach, an analysis of satellite imagery published by the Telegraph on Wednesday shows.

• From Mombasa, Kenya, on the eastern coast to Lekki, Nigeria, on the western, the Chinese are establishing or modifying ports.
• The Chinese now exert their influence as builders, financiers and operators at 78 ports in 32 African nations.
• Although branded as civilian ports, they are clearly intended to accommodate China’s warships.
• Some are run by private Chinese companies, but under Chinese law, all Chinese firms are obligated to obey Chinese Communist Party diktats.

Military analysts say the ports give China a constellation of prospective naval bases, enabling the nation to sustain warships along strategic maritime routes, including the Suez Canal.

Many of the ports connect China to Africa’s vast deposits of vital minerals and other resources via Chinese-made roads and rail. Copper, cobalt, chromium ore, manganese ore, bauxite, gold, diamonds and platinum group metals are among the critical materials the Chinese are extracting from Africa.

The Chinese also use this network to bring in close to a million barrels per day of African crude oil.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure that if the U.S. and other countries cease or begin to strongly limit cooperation, China’s supply chain resilience is already in place.”
—Benedict Hamlyn, associate fellow at Royal United Services Institute

Prophesied alliance: The Bible warns that a global network of nations will soon emerge, with China as one of the lead countries. Its purpose will be to block the United States out of world trade. To understand the details of this prophesied alliance, read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches the Development of a Massive Anti-American Trade Bloc.”

Could the Epstein Files Bring Down Starmer?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his political survival today after yet another batch of files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein were released by the U.S. Department of Justice over the weekend.

The files contained yet more damning material for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was forced to accelerate his departure from London this week. But the headache for Prime Minister Starmer revolves around Lord Mandelson.

• Peter Mandelson was an important member of Tony Blair’s Labour Party, which was in and out of power from 1997 until 2010. Starmer brought him back last year to serve as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.

The Epstein files reveal that Mandelson and his “husband” (he’s homosexual) received money from Epstein. And while in office, Mandelson forwarded secret government information to Epstein, the kind of details a skilled trader could make millions from. He also worked with Epstein to undermine proposed legislation he didn’t like.

“The files suggest that Mandelson was providing this information to Epstein because he wanted the pedophile to help him build a high-paying career after he left office,” the Telegraph wrote. “Epstein duly obliged.”

This has been described as the biggest scandal in British politics since the Profumo Affair brought down Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963.

The spotlight is now on Starmer. Why did he appoint Mandelson as ambassador despite knowing about his relationship with Epstein? Starmer promised to release details of the vetting process, with some parts censored due to “national security.”

• But his own Labour Party members rebelled against him. Signaling that they don’t trust their own party leader and prime minister to do the vetting, they insisted that it be done by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament instead.

With outrage growing and his own party members not supporting him, pressure is mounting for Starmer to resign. Still, though no recent prime minister has managed to remain in office for long, forcing Starmer out, even under these circumstances, will be difficult.

“God inspired writers of the Bible to record the character flaws and sins of leaders so we might vividly see how sin destroys!” writes Mr. Flurry in his booklet Character in Crisis. “It destroys individuals. It destroys nations.” It’s rare to find individuals of upstanding character, and as sin threatens to bring down another government, it is bringing down the whole nation.

IN OTHER NEWS

Germany absorbs nato’s Lithuanian battle group: nato’s Multinational Battlegroup in Lithuania, composed of troops from several European nations, was formally integrated into Germany’s 45th Tank Brigade yesterday. This move brings the personnel at Germany’s disposal in Lithuania to roughly 1,700. By 2027, Germany wants that number to reach 4,800. “Germany’s leading role in protecting nato’s eastern flank is invaluable,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas stated at the integration ceremony. The April 2025 establishment of the brigade in Lithuania marked the first permanent German military deployment on foreign soil since World War ii. nato was originally created in part to restrict German power, yet now a German brigade is commanding a nato battle group. Bible prophecy shows this level of trust in Germany is dangerously misplaced.

China engages with Taiwan opposition: Chinese Communist Party officials hosted a forum with members of Taiwan’s Kuomintang party in Beijing on February 3, marking the first formal talks between the two sides in nine years. The dialogue, called “Prospects for Cross-Strait Exchange and Cooperation,” focused on improving China-Taiwan relations through industrial cooperation, tourism and joint environmental efforts. The talks will likely be followed up by a landmark meeting later this year between Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping and Kuomintang party chief Cheng Li-wun. Though Kuomintang legislators have not ruled Taiwan for a decade, they remain a potent political force and staunchly oppose military conflict with China. Many Taiwanese voters support this policy, partly due to increasing doubts of United States’ support of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. The Trumpet maintains that America’s lack of resolve will cause the Chinese Communist Party, whether through Taiwanese capitulation or war, to conquer Taiwan.

Merz tours Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates: Yesterday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a three-day Middle East trip with a visit to Saudi Arabia. “Our partners may not all share the same values and interests, but they share the view that we need a world order in which we trust agreements and treat each other with respect,” he said, an apparent acknowledgment of the fact that Saudi Arabia’s monarchy has been accused of serious human rights violations, including suppression of the country’s opposition. Merz, however, is promising Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states energy deals and more German weapons. “In such a network of partnerships, we reduce unilateral dependencies, mitigate risks, and create new opportunities together for our mutual benefit,” he said. In recent months, he has also traveled to Brazil, South Africa and India. The Bible prophesies that these relationships will grow into new alliances designed to weaken and even destroy Britain, Israel and the United States.

British royal family falls further: The former Prince Andrew vacated the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park on Monday after further information on his interactions with serial pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was revealed in another document release from the U.S. Department of Justice. King Charles, who stripped him of the titles “royal highness” and “prince” in November due to his relationship with Epstein, had reportedly already been pressuring his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to leave. The British royal family continues to sustain serious reputational damage. The Bible reveals the origins of this dynasty, its turning away from those origins, and its fall and effective erasure. To begin proving this for yourself, read Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s article “The Fall of the British Royal Family.”

Would-be assassin sentenced: Ryan Routh, the man who plotted to assassinate President Trump at his golf course in September 2024, was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison following his September trial. That assassination attempt, foiled when a Secret Service agent spotted Routh in hiding, followed a previous attempt near Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, when a bullet grazed President Trump and other rounds wounded two bystanders and killed another. Routh’s sentencing yesterday reminds Americans that God saved President Trump from both of those assassination attempts to fulfill end-time Bible prophecy.