In Other News

Germany’s Handelsblatt reported yesterday that Germany is backing out of the joint French-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System project, which was launched in 2017 to build a sixth-generation fighter jet for Europe, due to disagreements between German-influenced Airbus Defense and Space and France’s Dassault Aviation. Expect Europe to develop advanced military capabilities through “joint” projects dominated by Germany.

Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping concluded a two-day visit to North Korea today, marking his first trip to the rogue nation in seven years. Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to strengthen strategic ties between their nations and resolutely safeguard their ‌security, sovereignty and development interests. China’s Xinhua News Agency said Xi called for deepening cooperation in agriculture, health care, science, technology and trade, and for increasing people-to-people exchanges. “In the face of the profound changes unseen in a century that are accelerating across the world, the two sides should take a broad and long-term view, build on past achievements and open up a new future,” Xi said. The strengthening China-North Korea partnership is an important part of a pan-Asian alliance foretold in biblical prophecy and now taking shape.

At least 37 people died and 134 were injured after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao Island in the Philippines yesterday. The shock destroyed several buildings and triggered landslides, displacing more than 10,000 families. More than 125 aftershocks were recorded with magnitudes up to 6.7. To understand the Bible’s answer about why such tragedies happen, read Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?

The leaders of Europe are “taking up and continuing the negotiation process” with Russia “that the U.S. has largely led,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, stated Sunday, adding that negotiators will stay in “close coordination with the U.S.” and that the transition to more open dialogue with Russia is part of a “phase of reorientation.” Although he said European negotiators will “stay in close coordination with the U.S.,” this is an opportunity for European diplomats to strengthen European policy and interests and directly diminish American policy and interests on the Continent.

Stefan Hartung, member of the far-right Free Sachsen party, took second place, with 47 percent of the vote, in the Aue-Bad Schlema mayoral election on Sunday. Members of Free Sachsen previously belonged to the National Democratic Party of Germany, which was described in 2017 by the nation’s highest court as “similar in nature to National Socialism.” Aue-Bad Schlema has fewer than 20,000 residents, but this election result is a clue that the far right is alive in Germany.

Yemen’s Houthi terror group, an Iranian proxy, announced yesterday that it had fired missiles at Israel and that it will target Israeli shipping in the Red Sea. Immediately following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, Houthis launched missiles and drones at Israel, and during the active fighting of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis sided with Hamas, attacking dozens of vessels in international waters and essentially blocking international shipping from using the Red Sea. Israel and the United States have since conducted numerous strikes on the Houthis. It is unknown whether they retain the power to terrorize and blockade shipping, but the risk alone would probably dissuade many shippers and insurers from using the Red Sea. This could set the stage for the fulfillment of a prophecy in the book of Daniel.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is pushing back against U.S. pressure by refusing to extradite Rubén Rocha, the governor of Sinaloa State and a key ally in her ruling Morena Party. On May 31, at a major public rally at the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City, she declared, “Mexico is nobody’s piñata,” and suggested that U.S. demands to extradite Rocha could be aimed at interfering in Mexico’s 2027 elections rather than purely fighting cartels. Rocha was indicted by U.S. prosecutors in late April, along with nine other current and former officials, on charges of conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel. Prosecutors allege he allowed cartel leaders to smuggle massive quantities of drugs into the U.S. in exchange for bribes and political support. The fact that Sheinbaum is willing to risk alienating the U.S. to avoid antagonizing the Sinaloa Cartel shows just how far American power and influence have fallen.

On Monday, U.S. Federal District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin in Boston struck down the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, which was designed to reduce the number of foreign workers taking lower-paying American jobs. He ruled that the executive branch violated the Administrative Procedure Act by imposing what amounts to a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation of authority from Congress. The Trump administration is preparing to appeal the decision.

Russian satellites have caused at least 3 second-long gps outages in Europe since 2019, the New York Times reported Friday. The outages caused no issues, and the European Union’s investigation into the incidents is classified; however, this demonstrates a key Russian hybrid warfare capability and constitutes yet another motivation for Europeans to militarize and develop their own high-tech defense and strike capabilities.

Somalia’s government declared on Friday that the opposition groups that began fighting government forces in Mogadishu on Wednesday after the Parliament’s decision to extend President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed’s term have been “disarmed and removed.” The New York Times reported Thursday that residents called the fighting “the worst violence there in years.” Somalia is strategically located on the Red Sea, and its continuing instability poses an opportunity for Iran to boost its influence in the region.

After being welcomed by Spain’s king on Saturday, Pope Leo xiv praised the Spanish government’s opposition to wars. Spain has been a vocal critic of Israel and the U.S. war against Iran and its terrorist proxies. Yesterday, he was greeted by more than 1.2 million people. Not even the most famous soccer teams draw such a crowd. He used the opportunity to encourage Spain’s opposition to the U.S. In a historic first, he addressed members of Spain’s parliament at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid today. “Every war ultimately constitutes a painful defeat of the capacity to negotiate,” he said. “True security, however, stems from justice, patient dialogue, respect for international law and a policy capable of placing the lives of peoples above the interests that profit from war.” International law did not prevent Iran-backed Hamas terrorists from murdering, raping and torturing Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. Nor did it prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons with the goal of wiping out Israel. Bible prophecy shows that the Catholic Church will fuel even more hostility toward the U.S. and Israel in the future.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told cnn on Friday that the Lebanese people “are fed up and we want to live in peace,” adding “they deserve not seeing their homes being destroyed every five to 10 years.” Notably, he mainly blamed Iran, telling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: “It’s not your country; it’s our country.” He also said, “The people of Lebanon are paying the price … for the sake of your own interest” and added that Lebanon’s interests “do not coincide with your interests.” Such direct accusations from the leader of what until recently was an Iranian proxy are jarring. It is another demonstration of how Lebanon is desperate to decouple from Iran and join the West.

Thomas Pauken ii, son of Republican politician Tom Pauken, pleaded guilty on Thursday to working as an unregistered foreign agent. “By his own admission, not only did Thomas Pauken attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, but he gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the fbi’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “This case illustrates the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions and degrade our political freedoms ….” America needs to wake up to the threat from China.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department announced that Jamshid Ghomi, a dual citizen of Iran and the United States, had been charged with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Ghomi allegedly sold computer equipment to Iran’s nuclear program and received more than $15 million from 2011 to 2024. While the U.S. fights a war abroad, it must also combat traitors within its borders.

• President Donald Trump will restart active fighting with Iran only “if Tehran kills American troops,” the Wall Street Journal reported on June 3. Yesterday, the president told journalists, “In that part of the world, ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”
• Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday, as mediated by the U.S. Yesterday, Hezbollah rejected the ceasefire. Israel responded by saying Hezbollah wasn’t party to the talks and the ceasefire was more about getting the Lebanese government further involved in disarming Hezbollah.
• Melanie Phillips has an excellent analysis of President Trump’s dispute with Benjamin Netanyahu and his compromising with evil in “President Trump: A Second Obama?”

President Vladimir Putin vowed Thursday to bolster Russia’s air defenses after a wave of Ukrainian drones struck deep inside the nation, disrupting the atmosphere around a flagship economic forum in his home city of St. Petersburg. Hours before the event opened, Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal and a naval base in the city, sending up thick columns of smoke that overshadowed the forum. In remarks to international media executives, Putin conceded that the attacks had caused damage and said, “Russia has an air defense system: We need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.” Putin added that Russia would defeat Ukraine militarily if needed, but that his nation is also “willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means.” We should not expect this biblically prophesied warlord to sheathe his sword. Prophecy shows him to be an aggressor who remains fixated on conquest and will cause far larger conflicts ahead.

Yesterday, European Council President Antonio Costa called enlargement, “namely to the Western Balkans,” the European Union’s “most important geopolitical investment” and a “geostrategic necessity.” The EU-Balkans summit begins today, which, according to Costa, would involve discussion of speeding up the process of EU membership. Germany, for decades, often through the EU, has fought for control of the Western Balkans. If more nations in this region become EU members or partners, they would become subservient to Germany.

On Wednesday, Irish Defense Minister Helen McEntee said her nation would advance the European Union’s “security and defense agenda” when it assumes the EU presidency in July. During a meeting with French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, McEntee also noted that Ireland and France will deepen their defense cooperation. In The United States and Britain in Prophecy, the late Herbert W. Armstrong proved that the U.S. and the British Commonwealth descended from the biblical patriarch Joseph; France descended from Joseph’s brother Reuben; the Jews, from Judah; the Irish and Danes, from Dan. Ireland and France’s commitment to the EU defense agenda points to a time when Dan and Reuben will again betray Joseph.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City yesterday to begin his two-day visit and received a blessing from a priest. He then met with Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco, and together they cochaired a meeting of the German-Mexican Binational Commission. The relationship between Europe and Mexico is built on a foundation of shared religion, and Bible prophecy reveals that this will unite the two against America.

On Wednesday, dozens of Ultra-Orthodox Israelis participated in what has been called a “violent riot” outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg in a West Bank settlement. Authorities arrested 65 people. Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the legislature’s exemption of Ultra-Orthodox Jews from military conscription was illegal. Since then, the Ultra-Orthodox and their representative political parties have tried repeatedly to get the exemption legalized, including pulling their support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and forcing the dissolution of the legislature and early elections. Thousands of other Ultra-Orthodox protesters this week blocked roads and faced off against police in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. The latest attack signals Israel’s political dysfunction.

Canada released its “AI for All” government strategy yesterday, which aims to cut reliance on American technology and champion Canada as a global AI leader. It calls for educating citizens on the technology, developing an AI supercomputer, and partnering with countries such as Germany to build AI platforms independent of the United States.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s executive order excluding transgender people from military service likely violates their constitutional rights. In a 2-1 decision, the court largely upheld a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking the removal of current active-duty servicemembers who claim they are the opposite sex, but it allows the ban to apply to new recruits. In January 2025, Trump issued an executive order stating that such people harm military readiness and conflict with standards of an honorable, truthful, disciplined lifestyle, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy excluding transgenders from military service. Despite this D.C. appellate court decision, there is no constitutional right guaranteeing anyone acceptance into the U.S. military.

Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton will plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information. A grand jury indicted Bolton on 18 counts in October, but the Justice Department has offered him a plea deal that could allow him to avoid jail time in exchange for paying a $2.25 million fine. After President Donald Trump fired Bolton in 2019, Bolton published a memoir about his time in the Trump administration that federal authorities say contains classified intelligence. Bolton, who clashed with the president over nato, Iran, Russia and other foreign-policy matters, became one of Trump’s most vocal critics after leaving the administration.

• The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday 215-208, with four Republicans joining the Democrats, to withdraw forces from the Iranian conflict. The bill now moves to the Senate, though the ability of Congress to force the executive to move troops is a contested legal question.
• Iran barraged Kuwait with missiles and drones yesterday, killing one civilian and striking Kuwait’s international airport. This was one of Iran’s biggest attacks on America’s Gulf Arab allies since the ceasefire went into effect.
• President Donald Trump said he would like to meet Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the New York Post reported yesterday. Asked about this in an interview, Trump said: “I would like to meet him, and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.”

Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas announced yesterday that his country is in talks to host American nuclear weapons. Lithuania’s Constitution bans the hosting of nukes; however, President Gitanas Nausėda has suggested changing it. Bible prophecy shows that placing nuclear weapons in Lithuania won’t buy America friends in Europe.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was spotted in Moscow by German media on Tuesday. He’s not the only high-profile German in Russia. Billionaire Thomas Bruch is attending Russia’s International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. Eurointelligence reported that some AfD politicians are also on the guest list for the event. Their presence suggests that Germany still has active ties to Russia.