In Other News
President Trump reduced tariffs on dozens of foods in an executive order issued Friday. The Trump administration has insisted that tariffs only affect foreign companies, but this backtrack indicates that they hurt American wallets too. This decision may decrease food prices, but Bible prophecy reveals that a massive economic war is coming.
About 42 million people in the U.S. receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (snap), and hundreds of thousands are known to be egregiously abusing it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will require recipients in the welfare program to reapply starting next month after 500,000 people were found to be registered twice, along with more than 5,000 people who are deceased. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News last week that snap is one of the “most corrupt, dysfunctional programs” in U.S. history, adding that 80 percent of its recipients (33.6 million people) could work if they wanted to.
Japan has kept a nonnuclear policy for decades, but when asked on Tuesday if this would soon change, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she was “not at the stage” to answer. Last year, she described Japan’s policy of never importing nuclear weapons as unrealistic. Bible prophecy reveals that Japan will soon join an Asian military force of unprecedented size and power. Watch for Japan’s militarization to continue.
China is using a “shadow fleet” to import Russian liquefied natural gas. One tanker in this fleet, cch Gas, hid its location before docking in China. Others have registered under obscure companies to conceal their true owners. Western sanctions have proved insufficient to break the Russia-China economic bond, and Bible prophecy says these countries will continue to strengthen their alliance, as explained in Russia and China in Prophecy.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani presided over a flag-raising ceremony on Friday. The embassy closed 14 years ago amid the Syrian civil war as nations isolated the regime of former President Bashar Assad. Syria’s new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa has connections with the al Qaeda terrorist group, but Britain, the U.S. and other Western countries are reopening relations. As Stephen Flurry wrote last week, such trust in a terrorist regime is dangerously naive.
Naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps captured the Talara en route from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore. The vessel is flagged in the Marshall Islands and owned by a company in Cyprus. Iran has threatened in recent months to close the Strait of Hormuz to merchant traffic in retaliation for Israel’s and America’s bombing campaign this summer. Using leverage against international trade routes is a path the Trumpet expects Iran to double down on.
In August, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the partial suspension of arms exports to Israel for use in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Today, he announced that these exports will now resume, provided Israel maintains its ceasefire obligations. However, Germany’s support is not only conditional but also dangerously deceitful. According to Bible prophecy, the Jewish nation will turn to Germany for support in an upcoming conflict, only to find itself betrayed.
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles admitted to illegally issuing 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday. The federal agency is forcing the state to revoke the licenses or pay steep financial penalties. This comes after two high-profile crashes in which illegal immigrants holding California commercial driver’s licenses caused crashes that killed several people. California has pushed back on recent federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration; flooding the highways with illegal drivers, many of whom cannot read or speak English, is just one example of the dangers that poses.
The U.S. State Department has labeled four Antifa associations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Following numerous Antifa-fueled riots and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump’s State Department has identified as terrorists members of Antifa Ost in Germany, International Revolutionary Front in Italy, and Greek groups Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. The designation prevents these leftist groups from using the U.S. financial system and conducting business with Americans. Numerous radical-leftist groups, outside the U.S. and within, continue to operate, and some are turning to increased violence and guns.
China announced a zero-tariff trade agreement with Venezuela, Fox News reported Wednesday. This came after President Donald Trump identified Venezuela’s regime as an oppressive and illegitimate dictatorship guilty of smuggling drugs and criminals into the U.S. and after he began applying economic pressure and threatening imminent military action. Gordon Chang, an expert on China’s global trade strategy, told Fox: “This really looks like China is going to completely take over the Venezuelan economy.” This matches Bible prophecies stating that China, as well as Europe, will create a worldwide anti-American trade bloc.
A Chinese official threatened to behead Japan’s prime minister: The Chinese Communist Party diplomat, who lives in Osaka, Japan, posted his threat on X and reposted others’ threats. He was responding to Japan’s prime minister telling parliament that Japan’s collective self-defense interests might require the military to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. The threatening post was deleted, but the outburst shows how desperately China wants to raise its banner over Taiwan. Bible prophecy indicates this will happen soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is working on a “mobility agreement” that will give skilled Indians an immigration pathway and worker rights in Russia, bringing in approximately 70,000 Indian employees by the end of next month. Putin plans to sign the deal during a visit to New Delhi on December 5. This agreement is one of many that are bringing India and Russia into a tighter, stronger relationship, as prophesied in the Bible.
Indonesia has trained 20,000 troops for the Gaza peacekeeping force: Indonesia’s defense minister announced that the country has trained up to 20,000 troops for a potential mission in Gaza. However, these soldiers will prioritize health and construction over patrols and deterrence. Israel has resisted certain foreign interventions but appears open to Indonesia’s offers. But there is a reason why peace strategies, especially in the Middle East and specifically in Israel, are tragically doomed.
In response to U.S. deployments of an aircraft carrier and other military assets to the region, Venezuela’s government announced it will conduct military exercises. This will include the deployment of 200,000 troops, preparing the national militia, and readying “land, air, naval, riverine and missile assets.” The exercises come as tensions rise between the U.S. and Venezuela over the former’s military strikes on drug smuggling boats. Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro claims these drills are a response to America’s “imperialistic threat.” This conflict is worth monitoring closely because Bible prophecy indicates that these resentments and hostilities will ultimately result in a devastating economic siege against the U.S. by Europe, Asia and South America.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested the possibility that Iran will destroy itself in a speech to Iran’s parliament on Tuesday and sought to rally the Iranian regime around Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We can disagree with one another, but there is someone who ultimately makes the decisions,” he said. “During the war, I had no fear for myself, but I was worried that, God forbid, if something happened to the leader, we would turn on one another—there would be no need for Israel to intervene. … We must value him and stand firmly behind him.” Israel and the U.S.’s attacks on Iran in June had many wondering if its leader or its radical Islamist government would survive. The Trumpet asserted at the time that the country would grow far stronger, explaining why in “Is Iran’s Regime Finished?”
The German government has further restricted Internet freedom, according to an annual report published today by Freedom House, a U.S. democracy advocacy group. This year’s study reveals a decline in Internet freedom in Germany of 3 percent, down to an overall score of 74. The report cites the criminal prosecution of individuals in Germany for posting memes about politicians as an example. Expect the German government to continue tightening its grip on Internet freedoms.
All 18-year-old men in Germany will have to undergo a military medical examination, the German government decided last night. This will make it easier for the government to enforce compulsory military service through a lottery if insufficient numbers of citizens volunteer. The military intends to recruit an additional 80,000 professional troops, increasing its total by 44 percent to 260,000. Continue to watch Germany’s dramatic and accelerating process of remilitarization, which was prophesied in the Bible.
President Trump signed a bill last night to reopen the federal government after a 43-day shutdown, the longest in United States history. Congressional Republicans promised to hold a vote in December on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, which prompted six Democrats to vote in support of a temporary funding bill. Yet the bill only funds the government through January 30, so lawmakers still have to settle their disagreements about next year’s budget. The fact that even the temporary bill increases America’s national debt beyond $38 trillion indicates that if and when a compromise is reached, it will not address the main issue with government spending: catastrophic debt.
Google will invest $6.4 billion in Germany by 2029, the U.S. tech giant announced on Tuesday in Berlin. The investment includes the construction of a new data center. “Artificial intelligence and climate-neutral energy generation are two of the key technologies within the High-Tech Agenda Germany,” Dorothee Bär, federal minister of research, technology and space, said. “They will be strengthened by Google’s commitment. This brings growth and added value to our country.” These and other investments allow Germany to take a leading role in AI, a development the Trumpet watches closely.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for re-creating Gran Colombia at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summit on Sunday. Gran Colombia was a 19th-century state covering the territory of modern Colombia, Panama and Venezuela. Petro’s remarks come amid tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. over the latter’s military strikes on drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. He asserted that a European Union-like bloc in South America could better counter U.S. “aggression.” Bible prophecy indicates that South American nations will indeed turn against the U.S. and work with Europe to impose a deadly economic siege on America.
The United Kingdom Office for National Statistics reported yesterday that the nation’s official third-quarter unemployment rate was up 5 percent, slightly higher than analysts expected and the highest rate since 2021. The British economy is suffering from high inflation, high national debt, slow growth and recent increases in employment tax that make hiring more expensive. For the ultimate cause of Britain’s economic vulnerability, request your free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong.
Israeli media are reporting a claim that the United States plans to build a military base accommodating 2,000 troops near Gaza to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. U.S. Central Command has denied the claim and said U.S. troops will not be deployed to Gaza. The rumor is further exacerbating the divisions between American conservatives. Bible prophecy emphasizes that dramatic, world-engulfing conflicts will soon revolve around Jerusalem, Israel and the Middle East and lead to the destruction of Israel and the U.S., as well as Britain and its Commonwealth. Continue to monitor events in Israel, including U.S. and foreign involvement, closely.
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire. Macron said, “We decided together to establish a joint committee for the consolidation of the State of Palestine” that would also participate in creating a Palestinian constitution. In the meeting, Macron also said that if Israel attempts to annex the West Bank, “We will respond strongly with our European partners.” Learn about Europe’s prophesied role in the Middle East in The King of the South.
The United States has signaled to Israel that it approves of the deportation of 200 Hamas terrorists from Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reported yesterday. President Donald Trump has suggested such deportations since February. So far, no country has offered to accept the deportees. As our latest print issue stresses, Bible prophecy shows that neither negotiations nor more forceful measures will bring actual peace to the Middle East.
A member of the Vatican guard is being investigated for a possible anti-Semitic incident: The Swiss Guards soldier is accused of hissing “les Juifs” (“the Jews” in French) and making a spitting gesture toward a Belgian Jewish professor and Israeli writer who were visiting the Vatican for a papal audience last month. The Swiss Guards are the pope’s private army and the closest Vatican City has to a formal military. This is an isolated incident involving one corps member, but it demonstrates what Gerald Flurry wrote in our August 2014 issue: The Vatican is an enemy of the Jews.
