In Other News
Two senior European officials confirmed that the U.S. is planning to withdraw military assets from its European allies, the New York Times reported today. The German media had previously reported similar details. According to the Times, the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets will be reduced from about 150 to 100, maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15, and aerial refueling tanker jets from 8 to 0. These reductions, along with U.S. troop withdrawals and relocations, leave Europe in a difficult strategic position. “nato’s main problem is that, as long as Trump is president, there is no longer any faith that the U.S. would come to the Europeans’ aid in an emergency,” said Anton Hofreiter, a German lawmaker from the Green Party. Watch for Germany to use this growing distrust in the U.S. to its advantage and center Europe’s military strategy around its own.
A jihadist stabbed three women in Paris yesterday. An off-duty policeman apprehended the man, whose name has yet to be released. One of the three women stabbed was pregnant. A video clip of the attack showed the assailant saying, “It is Allah who commanded me.”
Audio recordings of former President Joe Biden talking with his memoir writer in 2016 and 2017 have now been made public. Biden fought in court to keep the tapes private, but judges ruled against him, and he dropped his lawsuit last week. A conservative group released parts of the nearly 70 hours of recordings yesterday. In the tapes, Biden talks about notes from his time as vice president and reveals that he willfully took home classified documents, which is illegal. The recordings also show long pauses and moments when he struggles to remember details. These recordings were used in a 2024 investigation into how Biden handled classified documents.
A whistleblower who worked at a California migrant child shelter in 2021 came forward this week claiming that children there suffered poor treatment, abuse and rape while Xavier Becerra was Joe Biden’s health secretary. The Pomona Fairplex site housed unaccompanied minors during a major border surge. The worker says the facility separated siblings, sent children to unverified addresses, and moved children out secretly at night, some of whom have never been relocated. The staff accepted fake papers or even a simple selfie as identification before handing children over to adults who claimed to be their relatives or sponsors. Becerra, now running for governor of California, visited the shelter and called it “a model.” Broader reports from 2024 noted hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors with whom the government lost contact after release, raising sex-trafficking concerns. Becerra’s team has not yet responded to the accusation that much of this happened directly due to his instructions to relax child safety requirements.
The United States paused its strikes on Iran today. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations claimed yesterday that President Donald Trump wants to give negotiations “a little bit of room” while U.S. forces remain “locked and loaded.” President Trump may have paused the strikes in response to the price of oil passing $100 a barrel last week.
Bahrain and Kuwait secretly attacked Iran last month, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The Journal’s sources claimed both countries targeted drone and missile storage sites in July. These would be these nations’ first strikes against Iran.
Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, will challenge incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for the presidency of Brazil in October. His candidacy was confirmed on Saturday, and he has received international endorsements from Argentine President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest for resisting the official results of the 2022 election that installed da Silva, Latin America has in recent months shifted dramatically to the right. Flavio Bolsonaro seeks to build on that momentum.
- The United States launched strikes on Iran last night for the 13th consecutive night, damaging Iranian naval assets as well as targets further inland, including an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base in the northern province of Gilan.
- The benchmark price for oil exceeded $100 a barrel yesterday, its highest in more than a month, after at least one Saudi oil tanker was struck Wednesday in attacks claimed by Houthis in Yemen. (The Houthis reported attacking a second ship that has not been verified.)
- Last night, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that Iranian-linked damage to cargo ships would be compensated by Iranian funds held by the U.S.
After his initial tariff system was struck down by the Supreme Court on February 20, President Donald Trump immediately imposed a 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which can last 150 days before requiring congressional approval. This was the first time a president has done so. The instant these tariffs expired today, they were replaced by a new set of tariffs, under Section 301 of the same act. These impose a 10 percent tariff on countries that have taken action against imports produced by forced labor, and a 12.5 percent tariff on countries that have not. Many news outlets are headlining and criticizing the “new Trump tariffs.” The real story is that the tariffs have remained basically the same; they just have a different justification.
Pro-government forces clashed with opposition forces in Somalia’s Puntland state on Monday. Somali government’s historic weakness allowed Puntland and other states to act essentially autonomously for years. Somalia’s government is now growing in power and asserting more control over state governments. The conflicts many feared would follow such a rise may be on the horizon. In early June, Somalia’s ambassador to Ethiopia said the government would re-subjugate the country’s breakaway regions. A few days later, the Somali government unilaterally appointed a military commander over a division based in Puntland and sparked a military standoff. On Monday, Puntland forces attacked a pro-government convoy near its capital, capturing vehicles and troops. Analysts fear this is just the beginning. Bible prophecy shows this region is one we should watch closely.
Russia and China incorporated attack submarines into their “Joint Sea–2026” military exercises earlier this month, Asian Military Review reported Wednesday. This is the first time submarines are known to have operated as part of the annual drills, demonstrating deepening trust in a sensitive area as these two Asian giants prepare to make war together.
The government of the Netherlands announced yesterday that, starting on September 22, Dutch citizens who purchase any Israeli-made products originating in the West Bank or the Golan Heights can be punished with up to six years in prison or a fine of up to $117,000.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering plans to strike Islamic terrorist groups in Mali, the Washington Post reported yesterday. Mali faces a crippling terrorist problem, and former U.S. officials cited by the Post claimed the U.S. is considering attacks on al-Qaeda-affiliated groups Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin. If the U.S. military intervenes in Mali, it will be the eighth nation President Trump has targeted since his return to the presidency in January 2025. President Trump does not know the way to peace. The Bible alone holds the key to solving Mali’s terrorist problem.
A Politico survey of 2,065 American adults conducted from July 12 to 15 suggests only 37 percent of self-identified “Make America Great Again” voters believe President Donald Trump should continue the war against Iran even if it increases the cost of living in America. This is down from 50 percent from a similar poll in May.
Direct U.S.-Hezbollah talks are a possibility, United States President Donald Trump said yesterday. “I would speak to Hezbollah,” he said. “I speak to everybody. I’ll speak to people that a lot of people think I shouldn’t be speaking to, and things work out.”
China and Thailand agreed Monday to establish a “two plus two” dialogue cochaired by their defense and foreign affairs ministers. The mechanism will deepen security cooperation between the two nations and advance efforts to create a code of conduct for the South China Sea. The move follows similar dialogues China has recently launched with Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, as it works to expand its strategic influence across Asia.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul began his third African trip of the year yesterday, with a focus on Mauritania. Germany sees the coastal West African nation as a vital ally and “pillar of stability” for reducing Islamic terrorism in the Sahel. Wadephul said, “There are … threats emanating from Africa. In particular, the Sahel region is characterized by weak state structures and a high level of terrorism. … Mauritania is a pillar of stability that we must continue to support, for our own interest. Because if those terrorist threats spread … this could naturally lead to further migration flows toward Europe.” Expect Europe to continue focusing on Africa in its attempts to fight immigration and radical Islam.
Most asylum applications by Russian military deserters are being denied by German authorities, according to a Deutsche Welle report on Sunday. Figures from Germany’s parliament reveal that 126 people were deported back to Russia in 2025. After detailing a particular case, the article stated: “Many similar applications have been rejected based on the rationale that deserters do not face a ‘real risk’ of severe persecution or deployment to Ukraine upon return.” This ignores “hundreds of reports of Russian deserters being sent directly to the front lines and mistreated,” the article says. Once again, Germany is playing into Russia’s hands.
A Russian warship conducted a live-fire weapons drill 46 miles off the coast of the United Kingdom yesterday. The incident marks the latest display of military brinkmanship as Russia continues to intimidate European nations and test nato’s resolve.
After Iranian strikes on a U.S. base in Jordan killed two U.S. military personnel and wounded several others, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that Russia and China likely supplied Iran with advanced targeting intelligence. Such assistance would align with Moscow and Beijing’s long-term objective of steadily weakening U.S. influence and undermining Washington’s global standing.
A week after Saudi Arabia bombed the Houthi capital of Sanaa, the Iran-backed terror group in Yemen indicated it would target shipping heading to Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ reactivation after a similar embargo on Israel that ended last year further demonstrates the power of radical Islam to disrupt world trade.
The United States continued its sixth consecutive day of strikes on Iran today with operations the U.S. Central Command (centcom) says involve 50,000 U.S. troops throughout the Middle East. Iran claims the attacks hit several bridges and an airport. centcom announced yesterday it boarded the ship M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman. Iran retaliated today by attacking U.S. positions in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and possibly Oman and Syria.
China now enjoys a more favorable public image around the world than the United States, according to a Pew survey published Wednesday. The poll of 42,151 people in 36 countries shows that America’s global reputation has suffered during President Donald Trump’s “America First” era, while perceptions of China have become more positive. The survey also shows more people “have more confidence” in President Xi Jinping than President Trump.
Israel voted to gut the attorney general’s authority. Voting 61 to 51, Israel’s legislature on Wednesday finalized a law that makes the attorney general’s opinions merely recommendations the government can accept or reject. Previously, the AG, who is appointed by and accountable to the cabinet, could issue legally binding injunctions on the government. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has used this authority to limit the power of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Russia and China conducted “Joint Sea 2026” war games from July 6 to 13. During the port call, military personnel from both countries held tabletop exercises, ship visits and professional seminars. At sea, the focus shifted to combat training, featuring live-fire exercises, simulated reconnaissance, air and missile defense, attacks on surface vessels, and joint submarine rescue operations.
Leaders of Libya’s rival military factions planned joint military exercises on Sunday. The two sides met in Sirte and agreed that a unified militaristic approach is the only way to combat growing regional problems. In April, the two sides participated in their first joint exercises since the Second Libyan Civil War started almost 12 years ago. Bible prophecy reveals Libya will soon unite and play a notable role in a coming World War iii.
