America has been blessed with more abundant natural resources than any other nation on the planet. For most nations, self-sufficiency, and all the massive security benefits that go with it, is completely unachievable. For much of America’s history, it was reality. The nation can produce enough food and energy to support itself and has other resources in abundance.

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• Yet due to economic expedience, America has allowed itself to become dependent on foreign powers.

A new report from consulting firm McKinsey reveals how far America is from self-sufficiency:

• “In 2000, it was the world’s leading manufacturer. Today, the country produces just a quarter of China’s output,” the report states.
• The U.S. imports $3 trillion of manufacturing goods each year. A quarter of these are “Achilles’ heels,” “due to some combination of criticality to national security, supply concentration and geopolitical distance from trade partners.”
• Building self-sufficiency now would cost around $2 trillion and precious time. “Funding could be the (relatively) easy part,” writes McKinsey. “Specialized skills, supporting infrastructure, sufficient energy and shovel-ready projects are all needed.”

China has worked hard to make itself as self-sufficient as possible, paying a heavy economic price. America’s neglect has made it vulnerable.

The Bible prophesies that “the king of the north,” a European superpower, will attack and besiege America. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has emphasized that resulting shortages will cause massive civil unrest, causing millions of deaths in U.S. cities.

• McKinsey’s report helps show how this is possible, in a nation that by almost all measures should be self-sufficient and resilient to siege. But America relies on other countries to make too much of the “stuff” it needs.

For more on these prophecies, see our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches the Development of a Massive Anti-American Trade Bloc.”

Iran War Update

• Iran attacked four ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz late last night, and the United States retaliated by striking an Iranian ground control station near the city of Bandar Abbas and reportedly downed four Iranian drones. Iran claimed it attacked a U.S. base in retaliation.
• The draft peace treaty with the U.S. includes a provision that Iran will manage maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz along with Oman, the other country bordering the strait, Iranian state media claimed yesterday. The U.S. dismissed the claim as a “complete fabrication.”
• The U.S. is resuming escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported on May 26. U.S. military officials told the Journal this started with a Greek ship stuck in the Persian Gulf that was supposed to be en route to India. The U.S. government disputes the claim that escorts have resumed.

Norway Comes Under French Nuclear Umbrella

Norway became the ninth nation to officially sign a defense agreement with France that affords it the protection of France’s nuclear arsenal, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced yesterday after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

• The Narvik Agreement adds Norway to Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. France has agreed that if these nations are attacked by Russia, it will threaten and potentially use its nuclear weapons in response.

Since World War ii, the United States has provided the main nuclear deterrent against Russia. France has had its own nuclear arsenal since 1960, but only recently has it begun to offer it as a strategic and political tool.

This will contribute to the rise of an independent European military.

• If a French nuclear umbrella can be used to guarantee European security, what need does Europe have for the American nuclear umbrella?

Why Norway? According to Reuters, Norway “has long been a so-called Atlanticist nation, one which believed its security was best achieved via close alignment with Washington.” This is evident in Norway being a member of nato but not of the European Union.

• This decision, however, marks a clear shift away from the United States and is an overall sign of distrust in American defense guarantees in Europe.
• Støre justified the decision to turn to France by stating that Norway is “doing this in light of the security policy situation in Europe, including Russia’s massive rearmament, also in the nuclear domain, and that it is waging a full-scale war against another European country.”

The nuclear umbrella was part of a larger defense agreement the French and Norwegian leaders signed yesterday.

• According to Støre, that agreement will provide a “framework for closer cooperation on hybrid warfare, maritime security, space cooperation, cybersecurity, support to Ukraine and defense industrial cooperation.”

With this agreement, Macron is furthering his goal to build a “true European army.” It may appear that France will lead that army; however, Bible prophecy is clear that this soon-to-be European army will be led, not by France, but by Germany.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in 2024:

Macron’s support for Europeanizing France’s bombs gives Germany more negotiating power. Germany can in effect say, We don’t need your nuclear bombs, we can have France’s or develop our own bombs with French support. This means the U.S. has lost power over Germany’s security. What then is left for America to do other than trying to uphold good relations with Germany on its terms? As I have often warned, Bible prophecy indicates that Germany’s relations with America are about to worsen to the point that Germany will use American bombs against its maker!

The expansion of the French nuclear umbrella and a defense pact between France and Norway hastens the rise of that independent, German-led, European military superpower that will attack the United States.

Spain’s Prime Minister Accused of Corruption

Weeks of corruption scandals against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his ruling Socialist Party (psoe) exploded into two major events yesterday: Anticorruption police raided the party’s headquarters, and the National Court indicted Ana María Fuentes, who has managed the party’s finances since 2021.

• Investigators allege that psoe funds may have been used to finance efforts to interfere with or discredit judicial and police investigations affecting Sánchez’s family and the Socialist Party, including through fraudulent invoices to conceal payments.
• This comes one week after the court indicted a key ally of Sanchez’s, former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

These scandals could wreak havoc on Sánchez’s career and party.

• The other parties that helped him form a coalition are increasingly souring on his government. Many are calling for snap elections.
• Even if Sánchez stays in power until the next elections in 2027, Spanish voters could punish him at the polls.

Advancing prophecy? The Bible contains many prophecies concerning modern Europe. It warns that Europe will become extremely militaristic, oppose Iran, and befriend Israel. Sánchez supports none of these things:

• Spain is the only nato member that has refused to increase military spending to 5 percent of its gdp.
• Sánchez is known for his continuous criticism of the Jewish state and ridicule of America’s war on Iran.

Should Sánchez and his socialist party be ousted, a new leader could arrive who will turn Spain toward its prophesied role of helping build Europe into a dangerous superpower.

IN OTHER NEWS

Poland and the UK signed a defense deal yesterday. The so-called Northolt Treaty restated the nations’ commitment to “assist one another” should one be attacked, and it increased military exercises, weapons manufacturing and procurement, countermeasures to hybrid Russian threats and immigration cooperation. But the Bible warns that Europe is working to not only undermine but also conquer the United Kingdom.

Europe shutting out American companies: Europe will reserve most of its mobile satellite frequencies for local companies, the European Commission said yesterday. This is part of an ongoing effort by the European Union to reduce American companies’ access to Europe and rapidly develop European high-tech independence and threat capabilities.

Canada to sell gas to Germany: Canadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson announced yesterday that Canada will send 1.1 million tons of liquefied natural gas per year from British Columbia to Germany beginning in the early 2030s. The deal, which Hodgson hailed as an “exciting and important milestone,” is part of an effort by both countries to cut dependence on the United States and represents the emerging anti-American agenda.

American tech companies warn against proposed Canadian bill: On Tuesday, executives from Apple and Google warned against Canada’s Bill C-22, which they say could force tech companies to redesign products with secret surveillance capabilities. The bill would require technology platforms to store user data for up to one year and potentially create methods for intercepting encrypted private communications. If the bill becomes law, it will mark a further erosion of privacy and a further expansion of governmental power in Canada, which are curses for disobedience to God.