France to Recognize Palestinian State
JTA wrote on July 25:
“President Emmanuel Macron says France plans to recognize a Palestinian state during his appearance at the United Nations’ General Assembly in September. The move is ‘consistent with [France’s] historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,’ Macron wrote… The announcement — which appeared in French, English, Arabic and Hebrew — came as a surprise after Macron backed out of a meeting with Saudi Arabia next week, delayed from June, at which Palestinian statehood was expected to be discussed.
“The announcement is largely symbolic. But it is a powerful symbol, coming as France and other allies have grown frustrated with Israel’s war in Gaza and alarmed by the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there. France is by far the largest and most influential country to recognize a Palestinian state. It also has the largest Jewish population of any country to have done so. [And it is the only known nuclear power in Europe besides the UK.]
“Israeli officials panned Macron’s announcement. ‘Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. ‘A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launchpad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it.’
“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the United States ‘strongly rejects’ Macron’s move. ‘This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,’ Rubio wrote… ‘It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.’
“Hamas praised Macron’s move as ‘a positive step in the right direction’… Spain, Norway and Ireland all announced last year they would recognize a Palestinian state, joining roughly 140 other countries that had already done so…”
Trump responded to reporters, “What he says doesn’t matter… that statement doesn’t carry weight.” Germany said it has no plans to recognize Palestinian statehood in the short term.
Newsmax added on July 25:
“U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee ridiculed the plan, noting on X that ‘Macron’s unilateral “declaration” of a “Palestinian” state didn’t say WHERE it would be. I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera & the new nation will be called”’Franc-en-Stine”.’
“In another post, he wrote: ‘How clever! If Macron can just “declare” the existence of a state perhaps the UK can “declare” France a British colony!’… [Or, perhaps, France could declare Britain a French colony—based on prophecy, this would be more likely to happen.]
“Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also commended Macron’s announcement as ‘historic’ and called on other countries to his example.”
Breitbart added on July 25:
“[Israel’s immigration minister] said that Jews in France are no longer safe and should emigrate to Israel. Many have done so already in recent years, fleeing antisemitism.”
Sooner or later, the whole world will turn against Israel in favor of the Palestinians.
Canada and Great Britain to Recognize Palestinian State
MSN wrote on July 31:
“Canada has joined France and Britain in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September as international pressure builds on Israel over the ongoing starvation crisis and war in Gaza. The move leaves the United States increasingly isolated from some of its closest allies on the issue of Israel and how it has conducted its military campaign. US President Donald Trump blasted Canada’s decision, threatening to derail ongoing trade talks with Ottawa.”
Catholic Church Shows Its True Colors
LifeSiteNews wrote on July 25:
“The announcement [of France to recognize a Palestinian state] comes on the heels of France — along with 27 other western nations — issuing a joint statement condemning Israel for its ‘drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians’ in Gaza while calling for ‘an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire’ to end its genocidal war…
“In a phone call last week with Abbas, Pope Leo XIV echoed the demand for immediate humanitarian aid to be admitted into the Gaza Strip to feed the starving population while condemning the use of indiscriminate force against civilians and Israel’s U.S. -backed plan to ethnically cleanse the native Palestinian population.
“He then recalled with the Palestinian president, ‘the auspicious 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on 26 June 2015’ said the Holy See’s statement.
“This commemoration marked one of the milestones in a long list of public expressions of support for the Palestinian cause from Catholic prelates in the Holy Land, the Holy See, and around the world. The unanimous and constant voice of these spiritual leaders has demanded an end to the ‘sin’ of Israel’s ongoing illegal 58-year military occupation of internationally recognized Palestinian territory, which is seen as the ‘root’ aggression of the seemingly perennial conflict.”
No Ceasefire
Newsmax wrote on July 25:
“President Donald Trump accused Hamas on Friday of not wanting to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza… After U.S. and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Trump said that ‘it was too bad. Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die.’…
“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that ‘together with our U.S. allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace.’’
Of course, one cannot trust or “negotiate” with terrorists.
Israel Halts Attacks on Gaza
The Guardian wrote on July 27:
“Israel has said it will halt military operations each day for 10 hours in three areas of Gaza and allow aid to come in through new corridors as it seeks to quell international fury… The pause would be repeated every day from 10am to 8pm local time until further notice and Israel would continue fighting in other areas of Gaza…
“Israel said the measures were designed to improve the humanitarian situation and ‘refute the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip’, releasing footage of an overnight aid airdrop, that included flour, sugar and canned food. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also carried out airdrops on Sunday afternoon.
“Israel also said it would establish humanitarian corridors to allow the UN to deliver food and medicine to Gaza…”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on July 29 that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to a Gaza ceasefire.
Worldwide Persecution of the Jews and the Jewish State
Israel Today wrote on July 25:
“Over the past few days, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish feeling has been ratcheted up into an absolute frenzy… On the Greek island of Rhodes, a mob armed with knives attacked a group of Jewish teenagers. About 50 French Jewish children, returning from a summer camp in Spain, were thrown off a flight at Valencia airport after the children sang Hebrew songs, and their tour leader was arrested and thrown to the ground.
“The BBC’s obsession with demonizing and delegitimizing Israel has reached pathological proportions. This week, it gave pride of place on its flagship radio show Today to ever-more twisted accusations and blood libels casting Israel as an evil and murderous state, including the claim by a British surgeon working in Gaza that the Israel Defense Forces were playing a game in shooting Gazan boys in the food queues by targeting a different part of their body every day.
“The broadcasting behemoth could scarcely contain its excitement as reporters and interviewees joined in chorusing that ‘a reckoning was coming’ with the imminent end of the war in Gaza, after which Israel’s ‘war crimes’ would be revealed, and the case for declaring a Palestine state was therefore now overwhelming…
“This week, the media published distressing pictures of skeletal children as evidence of starvation in Gaza. But the adults in these pictures were all conspicuously well-fed…
“There may be increasing hunger in Gaza, but to blame Israel for this is grotesque… 950 trucks have been stuck inside Gaza because the United Nations and its agencies are refusing to distribute the food and other aid they are carrying… That’s because it’s working hand-in-glove with Hamas, which is determined to cause deaths from starvation as a weapon of war, just as it’s used Gaza’s civilians as human shields and cannon fodder…”
Sadly, the worldwide hatred against Jews and the state of Israel will continue.
Why a Third Temple?
Israel 365 News wrote on July 29:
“This time of year, the Jewish people take on many additional practices to mourn the destruction of the Temple. Judaism places a tremendous amount of emphasis on having a Temple…
“When the Jewish nation builds the Temple, God’s presence (“Shechinah”), as it were, rests within it… The return of the Shechinah is promised in the third Temple… the Temple unites the entire nation… At its core, building a Temple is a mitzvah (commandment or good deed). Moreover, it enables the Jewish people to fulfill many additional mitzvot. Over one-third of the 613 mitzvot are dependent on the existence of the Temple…
“…the Torah emphasizes that the Temple service provides atonement for the sins of both individuals and the nation… The Temple was intended as a spiritual center not just for Jews, but for all nations…
“The Temple’s rebuilding is central to numerous prophecies… When prophecies are fulfilled, they sanctify God’s name by affirming the truth of His messengers…
“Without the Temple, we risk losing sight of our higher purpose, placing too much value on human achievements while neglecting the divine connection that gives life its deepest meaning. The Temple is not just a building; it is the bridge between heaven and earth, the place where the infinite touches the finite, and where humanity can truly feel the presence of God.”
A third temple will be built prior to Christ’s return, but it will be polluted by the “man of sin,” sitting in the temple of God and proclaiming to be God.
The Costs of Tariffs
ABC News wrote on July 25:
“President Donald Trump’s tariffs cost German auto giant Volkswagen about $1.5 billion over the first half of 2025, the company said on Friday. Sales in North America plunged 16% due primarily to U.S. tariffs, said Volkswagen, which owns a host of brands including Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche.
“The company warned of further ‘challenges’ that will arise from ‘an environment of political uncertainty, expanding trade restrictions and geopolitical tensions,’ among other factors.
Volkswagen marks the latest in a string of major carmakers to announce billions in tariff-related losses.
“General Motors on Tuesday said tariffs on cars and auto parts drove $1.1 billion in losses over three months ending in June. A day earlier, Jeep maker Stellantis said it expects to have suffered $2.7 billion in losses over the first half of 2025 due in part to U.S. tariffs.
“Electric-vehicle maker Tesla this week reported a roughly $3 billion drop in revenue over three months ending in June when compared to the same period a year earlier. In a statement on Wednesday, Tesla touted a ‘strong balance sheet’ but acknowledged a ‘sustained uncertain macroeconomic environment resulting from shifting tariffs.’
“Tariffs of 25% on vehicles imported into the United States went into effect on April 2. The auto tariffs, which apply to cars and auto parts, threaten to raise costs for carmakers that often oversee an intricate supply chain snaked between the U.S., Mexico, Canada and beyond…
“A trade agreement struck between the U.S. and Japan this week dropped auto tariffs from the universal level of 25% to 15%, putting foreign carmakers in other countries at a disadvantage…”
Trade Deal Between USA and EU?
Deutsche Welle wrote on July 27:
“The United States and the European Union on Sunday reached a trade deal, ending a months-long standoff… ‘We are agreeing that the tariff straight across, for automobiles and everything else, will be a straight across tariff of 15%,’ according to Trump. Currently, most EU goods face a 10% tariff, with levies of 25% on cars and car parts [as well as on semiconductors and pharmaceutical goods]. But the rate would not apply to steel and aluminum, which are being taxed at 50%.
“Trump also said the bloc had agreed to purchase ‘$750 billion (€638 billion) worth of energy’ from the US, as well as $600 billion more in additional investments. ‘Purchases of US energy products will diversify our sources of supply and contribute to Europe’s energy security. We will replace Russian gas and oil by significant purchases of US LNG, oil and nuclear fuels,’ von der Leyen told reporters…
“The 15% rate is the same as the one announced with Japan earlier this week. But it marks a significant compromise, especially given that von der Leyen offered a ‘zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods’ when talks began. Still, the EU chief said they agreed ‘zero-for-zero tariffs on a number of strategic products’ including aircraft and aircraft parts, some chemicals, and certain agricultural products.
“The trade pact will need to be approved by all 27 member states.”
That will still have to be seen…
American Blackmail and European Weakness
ntv wrote on July 27:
“It was already clear in advance that imports from the EU to the US would be subject to significantly higher tariffs than before the start of Trump’s second term. .. The EU Commission… considers the tariffs unjustified and doubts their compatibility with the rules of the World Trade Organization. That the EU is now accepting a compromise is due to the fact that many member states consider the risks of an escalation of the trade dispute to be more significant than higher tariffs…”
“That the automotive sector, as well as the steel and aluminum industries, had already suffered from high tariffs in recent months also played a role. The EU’s negotiating position was also weakened by Europe’s dependence on US military capabilities. There were fears that Trump could once again question the NATO pledge of assistance in the event of an escalation of the trade dispute. Given the threats posed by Russia, this was seen as a major risk, especially in eastern EU states.
“In the economic sphere, however, the EU could have put considerable pressure on the US with retaliatory tariffs…”
Europe won’t forget this American blackmail and coercion…
Please view in this regard our in-depth analysis of this situation with many articles not quoted in these Current Events in our new StandingWatch program, titled, “US-EU Trade Deal—Biggest Deal Ever Made, or a Disaster?”
In addition, please note this article:
Macron Attacks Trade Deal
Express wrote on July 30:
“Emmanuel Macron has ripped into the European Union in an extraordinary rant. The French President fumed at Brussels for failing to agree a better trade tariffs deal with US President Donald Trump. He said Europe ‘does not see itself sufficiently’ as a global power…
“‘To be free, you have to be feared. We have not been feared enough. There is a greater urgency than ever to accelerate the European agenda for sovereignty and competitiveness.’”
Much Worse Than Imagined—Obama’s “Big Lie”
Fox News wrote on July 24:
“Lies and lying people comprise the sorry epitaph of Barack Obama’s presidency. The Big Lie was that then-candidate Donald Trump colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 presidential election. It derived from a phony dossier commissioned and financed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Obama’s national security team happily peddled to destroy his successor…
“The Russia hoax took off like a rocket. It crash-landed on Wednesday, July 23, when Tulsi Gabbard, the director of National Intelligence, accused Obama, Brennan and others of engineering the false intelligence… Newly declassified documents show that a December 8, 2016, draft of Obama’s Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) debunked the notion of Russian electoral meddling to help Trump. But… FBI Director James Comey and his cohorts reportedly scuttled it…
“The next day Obama convened a highly confidential meeting at the White House. The president ordered his intelligence cronies to expedite a new ICA that would reverse the PDB’s conclusion and energize the collusion fiction. With his marching orders in hand, Brennan immediately went to work on it… Other intel agencies that typically contribute to the assessment were deliberately excluded to stifle dissent. Evidence shows that Brennan then selected a handful of sycophants — with only one principal drafter — to craft the entire ICA that bore little resemblance to the truth and established facts. On January 6, 2017, the rushed-to-completion ICA was produced…
“Obama’s dirty fingerprints were all over the cooked-up intelligence claiming that Moscow helped Trump in some grand collusion conspiracy. On Wednesday, Gabbard held a news conference to lift the veil of secrecy and malevolence. She leveled the following broadside: ‘President Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey and others, including their mouthpieces in the media, knowingly lied as they repeated the contrived narrative that was created in this January 2017 intelligence community assessment with high confidence, as though it were fact.’… As ‘irrefutable proof,’ she unlocked the 2020 report of the House Intelligence Committee that had never before been seen publicly, thanks to the machinations of then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who buried it as classified in a limited-access vault at CIA headquarters…
“The heretofore hidden House Intelligence report reveals how Russian intelligence ‘possessed DNC communications that in 2016 Clinton was suffering from “intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.” Clinton was placed on a daily regimen of “heavy tranquilizers” and while afraid of losing, she remained “obsessed with a thirst for power.”’ Obama and Democrat Party bosses apparently knew all about Clinton’s mental instability and found it ‘extraordinarily alarming.’…
“In sending a criminal referral for possible prosecution to the Justice Department, Gabbard stated, ‘The evidence that we have found and that we have released directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment.’… Obama denies any wrongdoing. But he should thank Trump for winning the recent landmark Supreme Court decision that provides all presidents with immunity. Ironically, the former president can now hide behind its broad protections. However, no such shield extends to others involved.
‘It is folly to predict at this stage what prosecutions, if any, the future may hold. But the stain of corruption is already embedded in the epitaph of Obama’s presidency.”
See our recent StandingWatch program on lying politicians, titled, “Politicians, Wars and the Lies of This World”
Veterans Oppose Deployment of Marines to Assist ICE
Click Orlando wrote on July 24:
“Local veterans are speaking out against the deployment of 200 Marines to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida…
“Alexander McCoy, a Marine Corps veteran who served six years as an embassy guard in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, expressed his unease about the deployment. ‘The U.S. military is for fighting America’s enemies and if we’re using them here in the United States, the implication is that Americans are enemies,’ McCoy said. In response, McCoy drafted an open letter denouncing the use of Marines in ICE operations, stating, ‘We swore an oath to the Constitution, and the law makes clear what the U.S. military is for and not for. Using Marines to participate in ICE operations on U.S. soil dishonors that oath.’…
“Since issuing the letter, over 200 veterans have added their names in support. Among them is Doug Jackson, a fellow Marine and infantryman who deployed to Iraq in 2007. ‘Marines train for war or they’re going to war, so this is not a mission that Marines want or are trained for,’ Jackson said. He emphasized that opposition is not limited to ‘hysterical, far-left people on the news,’ but represents a genuine concern among service members.”
Will ICE Raids Backfire?
Politico wrote on July 26:
“President Donald Trump and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller set a goal of deporting 1 million undocumented immigrants each year — a staggering number that would require a massive expansion of immigration enforcement. Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ delivered just that, throwing roughly $170 billion to the administration’s immigration restriction program, including $45 billion for new detention centers and $30 billion to hire 10,000 new ICE officers. ICE will now become the largest law enforcement agency in the country.
“Anti-immigration hardliners view it as a major victory. But as ICE transforms into a massive, un-uniformed, masked domestic army — one that critics fear will have carte blanche to arrest, detain and deport persons without cause or due process, whether they enjoy legal status or not — there’s reason to believe it could backfire. Think what you will of the administration’s immigration agenda, but there is little denying that mass deportations on the scale that Trump and Miller envision will necessarily require brute displays of force that may shock the public conscience, even among people who theoretically support the broader goals…
“The political backlash remains to be seen. It’s not impossible to imagine blue states and cities enacting variations on Personal Liberty Laws, setting off a collision between federal and local authorities…
“More ominous, still, is the potential for violent reaction. In a country as heavily armed as the United States, where many states allow gunowners to use lethal force when they believe their property or lives to be at stake, it is not impossible to imagine [violent] riots. The protests that rocked Los Angeles this year, while largely disciplined and peaceful, devolved into instances of violence as police clashed with protesters… As the administration’s raids intensify and spread…, the potential for violence will only increase.”
FCC Approves 8 Billion Dollar Merger
CNN wrote on July 25:
“The pending merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media was formally approved by the Trump administration on Thursday, concluding months of regulatory uncertainty. FCC commissioners voted 2-1 along party lines to give the $8 billion deal a green light. The approval means that Skydance CEO David Ellison can complete the deal and take control of Paramount in the coming weeks.
“The usually lengthy merger review process was pockmarked by allegations of political interference stemming from President Trump’s scathing criticism of Paramount’s CBS News division… the current and future owners of Paramount had made ‘over $36 Million Dollars’ in commitments to him.
“One part is publicly known: On July 1, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million toward Trump’s future presidential library to resolve the president’s legally dubious lawsuit against CBS News… [That’s an understatement. The lawsuit was frivolous from the outset, with no chance of success.]
“Trump said the future owners of Paramount had also promised millions of dollars worth of public service announcements, which is how he arrived at the $36 million figure…”
This does not sound too good…
Why Veteran Journalist Terry Moran Lost His Job
The Huffington Post wrote on July 25:
“Former ABC News reporter Terry Moran isn’t letting up on his ‘vicious’ criticism of Stephen Miller more than a month after his ‘world-class hater’ post about Donald Trump and his senior White House aide led to his abrupt exit at the network. Moran… referred to old clips of Miller while arguing that he’s been ‘spitting the same kind of venom and lies’ as he has in the Trump administration.
“In one video, a 17-year-old Miller said that the torture of Iraqis during the Iraq War is the ‘way to go’ because it’s a ‘celebration of human life and dignity.’ ‘The cruelty is the point,’ said Moran of Miller… ‘Trump sees him as essentially putting kind of some intellectual gloss on his own gut instincts and they work together to bludgeon the country with almost a disheartening and depressing level of cruelty and falsehood every day.’… Moran argued that Miller ‘clearly sees lying as a way of exerting power’…
“His post [in June]… led to swift outrage from top White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance. He was subsequently suspended by ABC News, which called the post a ‘clear violation’ of the network’s policies. The network would later announce that his contract would not be renewed.”
Birthright Citizenship—Court of Appeals Rules Against Trump
Daily Mail wrote on July 24:
“A federal appeals court delivered a blow to Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, deeming it unconstitutional… The ruling from a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes after Trump’s plan was also blocked by a federal judge in New Hampshire. It brings the issue one step closer to coming back quickly before the Supreme Court… The 2-1 ruling keeps in place a decision from U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle, who blocked Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship…
“The Supreme Court has… restricted the power of lower court judges to issue orders that affect the whole country, known as nationwide injunctions. But the 9th Circuit majority found that the case fell under one of the exceptions left open by the justices [a class-action lawsuit]. The case was filed by a group of states who argued that they need a nationwide order to prevent the problems that would be caused by birthright citizenship only being the law in half of the country…
“Judge Patrick Bumatay, who was appointed by Trump, dissented. He found that the states don’t have the legal right, or standing, to sue… Bumatay did not weigh in on whether ending birthright citizenship would be constitutional.”
Further Birthright Decisions Against Trump
The Associated Press wrote on July 25:
“A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship…
“U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin [US District Court, District of Massachusetts], joining another district court as well as an appellate panel of judges, found that a nationwide injunction granted to more than a dozen states remains in force under an exception to the Supreme Court ruling. That decision restricted the power of lower-court judges to issue nationwide injunctions…. Sorokin said a patchwork approach to the birthright order would not protect the states in part because a substantial number of people move between states.”
More and More US Citizens Fleeing USA
Deutsche Welle wrote on July 27:
“An increasing number of Americans are choosing to leave the United States due to what they perceive as a growing atmosphere of hostility, particularly toward marginalized groups.
“Traditionally, Mexico has been a popular destination for retirees and digital nomads from the US, but now it’s also attracting individuals who feel threatened because of their political beliefs, sexual orientation or human rights work… For many, Mexico represents not just a geographical escape, but a refuge from what they see as an increasingly intolerant and repressive environment in the United States.’
What a terrible development in the “land of the brave and the free.”
Succeeding Trump?
The Hill wrote on July 25:
“… it’s no longer absurdly premature to start talking about succession. And… there are three leading contenders.
“Vice President JD Vance — seemingly the obvious successor — is clearly positioning himself as heir apparent to Trumpism 2.0: similar themes, better vocabulary, a little more polish and (crucially) a future.
“Tucker Carlson now also seems to be testing out what it would look like to actually run for office. And Donald Trump Jr. is lurking around the perimeter; the assumption is that his name will carry him somewhere, though it’s not clear where (or even if) anyone would follow him…
“For the first time in nearly a decade, the right is confronting a future without a clear standard-bearer. And every would-be successor faces the same paradox: To win Trump’s base, you have to sound like Trump. But the more you sound like Trump, the more you remind people you’re not him…
“Of course, Trump isn’t gone yet. Republicans… could still hold on to Congress in November [although this might be rather doubtful]. Maybe Trump can ultimately find a way to outrun the Epstein controversy and set the terms for the next four years. And, regardless, he could also play a vital role in picking (or sabotaging) whoever inherits his mantle.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that his era is already ending. The spell is finally starting to wear off. And somewhere, just beneath the surface, it feels like the scramble for 2028 has already begun. The question isn’t whether someone can pick up the torch. It’s whether that person can prevent the flame from being extinguished entirely.”
Trump will stay in power as long as he is needed to fulfill biblical prophecy. And that might even mean, beyond 2028…
Trump’s Art of Detraction…Failing or Not?
Reuters wrote on July 26:
“President Donald Trump’s super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican’s well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier’s case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown… the president’s right-leaning base… has long believed the government was covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful.
“A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump’s administration is hiding information about Epstein…
“Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump’s work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of Republican respondents favored the administration’s immigration workplace raids, while 24% were opposed and 20% unsure….”
It’s truly shocking how ANYONE can support those raids…
The Truth According to Trump
The Huffington Post wrote on July 28:
“‘You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton, who went to the island 28 times,’ Trump told reporters [just before leaving for Scotland], referring to the notorious private island where Epstein ran an underage sex trafficking ring. ‘I never went to the island.’… The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bondi informed Trump on May he was named multiple times in Epstein’s case documents. On Friday, Trump denied ever being briefed on his name appearing in the Epstein files…
“Both Trump and Clinton’s names appeared on flight logs from Epstein’s private jets…”
If not to Epstein’s island, where did Trump go on Epstein’s planes? Flight logs reflect that Trump flew on Epstein’s planes at least eight times. Trump also denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that he allegedly wrote and sent a racy X-rated birthday card to Epstein. He sued the WSJ over this report. As a public figure, he would have to prove that the WSJ had “actual malice”—that they knew that their report was false or that they acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The WSJ has maintained that their report is true. Trump’s lawsuit does not seem to have any chance of success. Also note the next article:
The Guardian wrote on July 29:
“Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Jeffrey Epstein…’stole’ Virginia Giuffre and other young female staffers whom he hired away from the president’s Mar-a-Lago country club…
“Senior White House aides have repeatedly suggested in recent weeks that Trump broke with Epstein in about 2004 and expelled him from the Mar-a-Lago club for inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature… [Virginia Giuffre] was hired away from the Mar-a-Lago spa by Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000, when she was 16… but two years later, Trump spoke highly of Epstein to a reporter.”
Originally, it was claimed that Trump and Epstein severed their relationship in 2004 over a business deal. Trump and the White House need to get their stories straight.
King Charles Concerned That President Trump Will Break Protocol
Express wrote on July 28:
“King Charles is allegedly ‘very concerned’ that US President Donald Trump could launch into a massive rant about immigration during his second state visit to the UK in September… It comes shortly after the US president sent Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘advice’ about the ongoing small boat crisis.
“While on a private visit to Scotland, Mr Trump warned the Prime Minister that those coming across on dinghies are ‘bad people’, but praised efforts to end crossings. Meanwhile, after arriving in Scotland on Friday, the US politician made headlines after he declared that illegal migration is a ‘horrible invasion’ that is ‘killing Europe.’
“Now, civil servants have issued warnings that he could break protocol and make politicised comments during his visit to England in a few weeks… ‘He will be appalled by what Trump said on Friday, which seems to be entirely driven by his domestic agenda, and will be very concerned about the possibility of a repeat of Trump’s outburst in September.’…
“… aides fear the US president might give an impromptu interview to the media with political statements, which could put the monarch in a difficult position. They said: ‘If Trump starts sounding off about the evils of immigration to the cameras while the King is standing next to him, the King would find that hard to take.’”
With Trump, everything is possible.
“Get Ready For a Big Foreign Crisis”
The Future of Freedom Foundation published the following article on July 22:
“With President Trump’s MAGA supporters in full rebellion over his refusal to release all the records relating to the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia investigation, get ready for a big crisis in foreign affairs designed to distract attention from the Epstein scandal.
“It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a ruler engaged in such a strategy. In fact, it’s a time-honored way to get people to set aside their rebellion and instead ‘rally ’round the flag.’ Consider the immortal words of James Madison, the father of the Constitution: ‘The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended.’
“Madison was saying that in the old Roman Empire the populace would periodically go into rebellion mode, rebelling against things like exorbitant taxation or monetary debasement at the hands of their rulers. Whenever that would happen, the emperor would simply instigate a war against some scary foreign enemy, which would stir up both fear and patriotism within the populace. People would forget their rebellion in order to be kept safe from the new official enemy with which they were now at war…
“What might U.S. officials do this time to distract people away from Jeffrey Epstein? The Ukraine-Russia war provides an excellent opportunity to do that. All that needs to be done is furnish Ukraine with long-range missiles that are used to attack Moscow, St. Petersburg, or other big Russian cities. In that case, Russia will be tempted to strike at NATO countries that are providing such missiles… What better way to create a diversion away from Jeffrey Epstein than producing the prospect of all-out nuclear war between the United States and Russia?
“Of course, there is also China… Ginning up a crisis with nuclear-armed China, say over Taiwan, would be another excellent way to cause people to stop thinking about Epstein.
“There is also, of course, nuclear-armed North Korea. As we learned in the first Trump administration, it is fairly easy to stir up a crisis with that communist regime. Even if North Korea might not be able to strike the U.S. with its nuclear missiles, it can certainly strike South Korea and Japan. Would that prospect be enough to get people’s minds off Jeffrey Epstein?…
“Needless to say, Iran is always available whenever a scary official enemy and a big foreign-policy crisis is needed. All that needs to be done is to proclaim that Iran is still producing nuclear weapons and plans to use them against Israel or the United States… A big, scary official enemy and another big foreign crisis that would easily cause all those MAGA people to forget Jeffrey Epstein.
“One thing is certain: Given the fact that Epstein obviously had very wealthy and very powerful clients — and, more important, given the very real likelihood that Epstein had connections to either Israeli or U.S. intelligence or both — there is no reasonable possibility that Trump is going to order the release of all the federal investigative files in the Epstein case. Will his MAGA supporters simply accept the inevitable and give up? If they don’t, then everyone should prepare himself for the prospect of a big foreign crisis in the near future.”
The real irony is this: Some of the scenarios described in the article are not only imagined and in need of “creation” by the USA, but they are already very real. This includes an escalation of the Ukraine-Russia war; China’s anticipated invasion of Taiwan; North Korean attacks on South Korea; and Iran’s continuation of the production of nuclear weapons. Another crisis is of course the situation in the Middle East, involving Israel, Hamas and the Gaza Strip.
Jay Leno’s Advice For Late-Night Comedians
Fox News wrote on July 27:
“Jay Leno reflected on why he always kept his jokes politically balanced while hosting ‘The Tonight Show’ for over two decades. The 75-year-old comedian recently sat down for an interview with David Trulio, the president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, during which he was questioned about his approach to political humor…
“‘It was fun to me when I got hate letters [like] “Dear Mr. Leno, you and your Republican friends” and “Well, Mr. Leno, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy” — over the same joke,’ Leno recalled. ‘And I go, “Well, that’s good,”’ he said. ‘That’s how you get a whole audience.’
“Leno went on to note how late-night comedy has changed amid the current divisive political landscape. ‘Now you have to be content with half the audience because you have [to] give your opinion,’ Leno said… ‘I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group… I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, you know, the pressures of life, whatever it might be…
“‘And I love political humor… but it’s just what happens when people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other… Funny is funny… It’s funny when someone who’s not….when you make fun of their side and they laugh at it, you know, that’s kind of what I do… why shoot for just half an audience all the time? You know, why not try to get the whole [audience]…’”
Good advice, which applies to left-wing and right-wing “comedians.”
Ukraine a Corrupt Dictatorship?
Politico wrote on July 24:
“As a democratic state, Ukraine is under assault from two sources. Its first and most obvious adversary is Moscow, which has long wanted to return the country to the days of being a Kremlin plaything, a mere Russian satellite. But arguably there’s another insidious and corrosive adversary from within — the country’s own semi-autocratic leadership. This is what opposition lawmakers and civil society activists have been arguing for months, as Ukraine’s presidential administration has been grabbing more power, weakening other governing and regional institutions — including the country’s parliament — while also intimidating critics in a bid to silence them with hue-and-cry campaigns or by labeling them as Russian stooges.
“They say the extent of this democratic backsliding became clearer this week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gutted Ukraine’s two key anti-corruption agencies which had been zeroing in on top government officials. The move prompted the first country-wide street protests since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
“In Kyiv, hundreds of protesters gathered near the presidential complex while crowds of veterans, active-duty soldiers and civilians gathered in dozens of other towns… Despite the rallies, Zelenskyy approved the new law, which will hand substantial authority over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) to the politically appointed prosecutor general…
“With public and EU pressure mounting on Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader appeared to offer a concession Wednesday night, saying in his regular evening address that he will advance new legislation responding to protest demands that will ensure ‘all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place.’ What he meant remains unclear and hasn’t quelled public anger over a law he signed in such haste.
“The two agencies in question came into being in 2015 at the insistence of the EU and other international partners, including the administration of then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Washington and Brussels wanted to see Ukraine genuinely combat its deep-rooted and endemic corruption problem, and pressed for the establishment of anti-graft bodies independent of the government, ones that would be powerful enough to probe wrongdoing by top officials and those with political connections.
“But Law No. 12414, which Zelenskyy quickly signed after it was rushed through the Verkhovna Rada with almost unprecedented haste, now strips both NABU and SAP of that independence. Instead, it grants the prosecutor general’s office the power to issue orders to these agencies and reassign cases to their own prosecutor, in effect dismantling the safeguards that protect those bodies from undue political meddling…
“For months [EU officials and diplomats have] been complaining bitterly — though always in private — about the Ukrainian president’s democratic backsliding. They’ve been unhappy with the purges and reshuffles that have seen the departure of more independent-minded ministers and officials from government…
“Posting on social media before the new law’s approval, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the situation would hurt Ukraine’s accession negotiations. ‘Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine’s EU path,’ she wrote. Meanwhile, the ambassadors of G7 nations in Kyiv issued a joint statement expressing their ‘serious concerns.’…
“So why are EU officials only now publicly expressing their worries about this monopolization of power? In part it’s because the move on the anti-corruption agencies was so blatant. According to both public record and anti-graft officials who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, NABU had opened probes into the dealings of presidential office insiders and ministers. Added to which, the presidential administration had started going after anti-corruption activists like Vitaly Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center NGO. Shabunin warned on social media: ‘Zelensky’s prosecutor general will stop investigations against all the president’s friends.’
“The fierceness of the public response likely caught the EU’s attention as well. The Kyiv Independent, an English-language media outlet read closely in Brussels, headlined its sharply critical editorial: ‘Zelensky just betrayed Ukraine’s democracy.’”
The Kyiv Independent also wrote on July 25:
“Lawmakers, experts, and activists say that over the past week, Ukraine has made a leap towards authoritarianism and lawlessness.”
Huge Earthquake Off Russia
Reuters wrote on July 30:
“The 8.8 magnitude quake off Russia that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific occurred on what is known as a “megathrust fault”, where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, scientists said. The Pacific Plate has been on the move, making the Kamchatka Peninsula area off Russia’s Far East coast where it struck especially vulnerable to such tremors…
“With its epicentre near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, it was the biggest earthquake since the devastating Tohuku event in 2011… The 8.8 magnitude event on Wednesday came less than two weeks after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the same area, which has now been identified as a ‘foreshock’.”
Radioactive Animals
The Independent wrote on July 30:
“A terrifying discovery was made at a nuclear facility in South Carolina: radioactive wasps…
“There are other examples of nuclear activity affecting the animal world, from German forests and Japanese mountains to the Enewetak Atoll between Australia and Hawaii. Large parts of the radioactive contamination across the world came after superpowers conducted tests as they raced to create devastating weapons during the 20th century. For instance, the U.S. tested nuclear weapons on Enewetak Atoll between 1948 and 1958, leading to sea turtles becoming radioactive in the surrounding waters. After the test, the U.S. buried the waste in a concrete tomb that has started to leak…
“Wild boars in the forests of Bavaria, at times, have high levels of radiation, with scientists long believing that it stemmed from the 1986 nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl, Ukraine. However…, 68 percent of the contamination in boars in the area stemmed from global nuclear testing. The boars became contaminated after eating truffles, which had absorbed radiation from nuclear fallout that had settled in the ground.
“Norwegian reindeer were contaminated after Chernobyl, after the fallout was blown northwest, later falling as rain…. Europe is heavily contaminated by Chernobyl…”
And so man continues to destroy the environment, including the animal world.
Britain EU’s Cash Cow?
Express wrote on July 25:
“Eurocrats are preparing to treat Britain as a ‘cash cow’ under a controversial £130 billion EU defence fund, with a Brussels insider claiming the bloc sees Sir Keir Starmer as a ‘pushover’ rather than a genuine partner. The warning comes as the Prime Minister prepares to negotiate UK participation in the Security and Action for Europe (SAFE) fund—part of the EU’s wider £700 billion effort to rearm itself…
“The SAFE fund, expected to launch formally this summer, will offer low-interest loans to member states for joint procurement of weapons, ammunition, and defence systems. While British companies would theoretically be eligible to bid for contracts, the EU has made it clear that access will not come free—and that non-member countries like the UK will have to pay for the privilege. Under the proposed terms, any British firm awarded a SAFE-backed contract would trigger an obligation for the UK Government to contribute an equivalent share back into the fund.
“That contribution would effectively subsidise the rest of the scheme without granting Britain… any voting rights over how the money is spent. Frank Furedi, Executive Director of the think tank MCC Brussels, warned: ‘EU powerbrokers see Starmer as a pushover—desperate for approval and ready to sell out British interests to curry favour in Brussels. They view the UK not as a partner, but as a cash cow—ripe for exploitation… And they’re counting on him to hand over billions just for the “honour” of joining their EU Defence Fund, plugging their financial holes at Britain’s taxpayer’s expense.’”
Starmer’s wish to return to the EU will not work out…
Friedrich Merz’s Fateful Summer
Nius wrote on July 25:
“… the problems of the Merz government… could plunge the entire country into a [dramatic] crisis because the CDU/CSU and SPD lack a common project, speak different political languages, and have to compete with each other almost daily.
“And yet, Friedrich Merz’s popularity ratings… at an all-time low (32 percent satisfied, 64 percent dissatisfied) are the smallest of the problems. Less than a hundred days after the change of government, the CDU/CSU and AfD are hovering around the 25 percent mark in the polls, the SPD is sinking toward the 10 percent mark, and there is little indication that things will improve anytime soon. It is Friedrich Merz’s fateful summer!…
“Merz is running up billions in debt, but wants to prohibit the EU from doing the same. Merz’s billions for Ukraine and the arms purchases from the US for Kyiv are not easy to explain everywhere in the country and are only moderately popular…
“Merz’s perception that if this government fails to deliver and convince the people of the centrist parties, future majorities without the AfD might no longer be possible, and the country might be headed for a bleak future, may be shared or not… The fact is… that the potential of those who could imagine voting for the AfD has grown continuously in recent years and is currently measured at 33 percent…
“In a remarkable in-depth analysis, Allensbach head Renate Köcher recently showed that reservations about Alice Weidel’s [AfD] party are also diminishing because more and more people in their circles know AfD supporters and do not perceive them as a threat. 80 percent of AfD voters, Köcher writes, do so to send a protest signal that they are dissatisfied with the current political course.
“But precisely on this, the government of Friedrich Merz, due to its internal paralysis and external distancing from the AfD, cannot send a political signal and persuade protest voters to change their minds…
“The Merz government’s classic 100-day deadline expires, according to the German Press Agency, exactly on August 13th, the day the Wall was built. Some believe the ‘firewall’ could become for the Union what the inner-German Wall was for the GDR…”
Germany’s current coalition government is doomed… sooner or later…
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.