GOP waits on Trump as clock ticks toward partial shutdown
The fight over President Donald Trump’s $5 billion wall funds deepened Monday, threatening a partial government shutdown in a standoff that has become increasingly common in Washington.
PLO
Iranian hackers go after nuclear workers, US officials and think tanks
As US President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found — another sign of how deeply cyberespionage is embedded into the fabric of US-Iranian relations.
Netanyahu says Israeli agents ‘periodically visit’ Iran to monitor nuke program
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of diplomats on Sunday that Israeli agents continue to operate inside Iran as part of Israel’s efforts to thwart the nuclear ambitions of the Islamic republic.
U.S. appeals court narrows order on Trump birth control rules
A federal appeals court on Thursday narrowed an order that had blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing new rules that undermine an Obamacare requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women’s birth control.
Israel fears new wave of West Bank terror attacks
The IDF searched Thursday night for the Palestinian who killed two soldiers at a bus stop near Route 60 as a surge of unrest gripped the West Bank amid rising fears of a new wave of terror attacks against Israelis.
6 Christian organizations win legal battle against Obamacare birth control mandate
Six Christian organizations have won their years-long legal battles against an Obama-era federal mandate ordering the provision of contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their employee health care plans.
EU rules out Brexit renegotiation, again
The EU is not preparing a legal document on the backstop, as requested by British prime minister Theresa May, for the EU summit starting on Thursday (13 December) – as EU officials are calling the political crisis unfolding in London a mess.
IDF unearths third tunnel, Hezbollah releases photos of operation
Israel’s military announced that a third Hezbollah tunnel was unearthed on Tuesday, just hours after dozens of close-up pictures and videos of IDF troops taking part in Operation Northern Shield were released by Hezbollah including a map indicating where Israel’s military is currently operating.
Christian groups win Obamacare birth control battle
Christian organizations do not need to comply with Obamacare’s birth control mandate, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S., China trade negotiations could be derailed by diplomatic, legal issues
Washington and Beijing labored to keep trade negotiations on track Monday amid diplomatic and legal flaps jolting business relations between the two economic superpowers, including a Chinese court ruling against Apple.
Armored vehicles deployed in Paris as France hit by fresh ‘yellow vest’ protests
Armored vehicles rolled through central Paris on Saturday as riot police clashed with ‘yellow vest’ demonstrators, who set fire to barricades and hurled rocks in the latest demonstrations against French President Emmanuel Macron.
IDF urges Lebanese residents to leave 2 towns over ‘explosive’ Hezbollah tunnels
The Israeli Army on Sunday urged residents of two Lebanese border towns to evacuate their homes, telling them that the Hezbollah terrorist group had put them in danger by digging attack tunnels, from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, which the IDF is currently working to destroy.
France to deploy 89,000 security personnel ahead of Saturday protests
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said 89,000 members of the security forces would be deployed nationwide on Saturday, including 8,000 in Paris, where armored vehicles will also be out on the streets.
Christian Groups Fight Back Against Austin, Texas City Code That Could Force Churches to Hire LGBTQ Employees
Churches in Austin, Texas may soon be forced to hire homosexual and transgender employees, including pastors, if a city ordinance is implemented.
US Navy sends aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf in display of force after Iran’s ballistic missile test
Following Iran’s brazen nuclear-capable ballistic missile test over the weekend, the U.S. is deploying an aircraft carrier to the region.
Christians of Jharkhand And India’s Other Tribal States Face Persecution On Two Fronts As Government Changes Land And Religious Freedom Laws
Government restrictions on religious conversion in India’s Jharkhand State are the most recent attempt by the historically Hindu nation to retain political sway over its tribal peoples.
Mike Pompeo says Trump rallying world to create ‘new liberal order that prevents war’
Western powers must ‘build a new liberal order that prevents war and achieves greater prosperity,’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Tuesday in an address on the sidelines of the assembly of NATO’s top ambassadors.
US takes aim at China, Iran, Russia over treaty violations
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took aim at China, Iran, Russia and others on Tuesday for violating numerous treaties and multistate agreements, and he questioned whether many pillars of international trade and diplomacy are still relevant.
Report: Russia completes Syrian air defenses, troubles Israel, U.S.
Russia has completed a comprehensive air defense system in Syria that constrains the United States’ ability to operate in the country and in the eastern Mediterranean, according to a new report published by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
Russia to deploy new S-400 missiles in Crimea amid sky-high tensions
Moscow will soon deploy more of its advanced S-400 air defense systems in Russian-annexed Crimea, a military official said Wednesday, amid rising tensions with Ukraine.