Weekly News Brief 1/22/25

Featured Stories

Iran Builds a Digital “Berlin Wall” as Regime Seals Off Nation From the World

Iran’s Islamic regime has effectively erected a modern-day Berlin Wall — not of concrete and barbed wire, but of cables, servers, and state-controlled silence — as it plunges the country into a near-total internet blackout to crush nationwide protests and shield its violence from global scrutiny.

Iran Closes Airspace, U.S. Repositions Forces as Trump Weighs Response to Deadly Crackdown – Jan.15.2026

Turkey Moves Toward Joining Saudi–Pakistan Defense Pact, Raising Fears of New Regional Military Bloc – Jan.12.2026

Breaking World News

Trump Calls Off Tariffs Over Greenland After Deal With NATO Leader

President Donald Trump called off tariffs on U.S. allies opposed to his plans to annex Greenland after announcing a tentative deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a future deal on Greenland.

Trump Seeks Negotiations to Acquire Greenland, Rules Out Use of Force at Davos

President Donald Trump said the United States is pursuing negotiations to acquire Greenland while ruling out the use of military force, framing the controversial proposal as a necessary security measure rather than an economic or mineral-driven ambition.

Gold Hits Record High As Trump Says Europe ‘Not Heading In Right Direction’

Gold prices surged to a record high on Wednesday as investors sought safety the deepest crisis in the transatlantic alliance in decades with U.S. President Donald J. Trump saying Europe “is not heading in the right direction.”

Russia’s Massive Winter Assault Plunges Kyiv Into Darkness; Civilians Endure Subzero Conditions

Wilders Faces Historic Setback As Seven Lawmakers Quit PVV In Major Party Split

Trump Seeks “Decisive” Options on Iran as U.S. Military Buildup Accelerates

ISIS Detainee Camp Abandoned as Syrian Army, Kurdish Forces Agree to New Ceasefire

Greenland Warns Of Possible Invasion As Trump Revives Takeover Threats

Spanish Train Derails Near Barcelona As Safety Concerns Mount After Deadly Rail Crashes

Scores Killed In Pakistan’s Shopping Mall Fire (VIDEO)

Danish Troops In Greenland After Trump Threatens To Annex It

Deadly Summer Storms Batter Australia’s East Coast

Breaking Israel News

Arab Nations Join Trump Peace Board, but Israel Remains Wary of Gaza Promises

Eight prominent Muslim-majority countries announced their decision this week to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, a move framed by its supporters as a step toward stability — but viewed in Israel with deep skepticism given past regional failures in Gaza.

Netanyahu Accepts Trump’s Invitation to Join ‘Board of Peace’ as Europe Pushes Back

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to join the newly proposed Board of Peace, his office confirmed Wednesday, as a growing number of European governments signaled they will not participate in the initiative.

U.S.–Israel Launch AI Partnership in Jerusalem

The United States and Israel signed a landmark joint statement on Friday launching a strategic partnership in artificial intelligence, research, and critical technologies under the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, underscoring a shared vision that economic cooperation can outweigh ideological divides.

Israel Demolishes Former UNRWA Headquarters in Jerusalem After Knesset Ban

Netanyahu Vows No Turkish or Qatari Troops in Gaza, Admits Dispute With U.S. Over Postwar Plan

Trump’s Gaza “Board of Peace” Offers $1 Billion Permanent Seats to World Leaders

Hungary’s Orbán Invited To Trump-Backed Board Of Peace For Gaza

Israel Pushes Back on Trump Administration’s Gaza Executive Board as Ceasefire Enters Phase Two

Son of Shah: ‘Iran Will Recognize Israel’ After Ouster Islamic Rulers; Death Toll Protests Passes 2,500 (VIDEO)

Earthquake Rocks Southern Israel

Witkoff Announces Phase II of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan, Shifts Focus to Demilitarization and Governance

Breaking U.S. News

Support For Religious Freedom Up 5 Points From 2020, Reaching A High Of 71

Support for religious freedom grew five points from 2020 to 2025, reaching an all-time cumulative high of 71 points, according to Becket’s seventh annual Religious Freedom Index.

Trump Marks One Year In Office With Combative Press Conference

U.S. President Donald J. Trump marked one year since returning to the White House with a wide-ranging and often confrontational press conference, defending his record while renewing criticism of political opponents, major media outlets, and several U.S. allies.

Entitlement Fraud Costs Taxpayers Billions … Or Trillions, Dwarfing Minnesota

Since 2020, fraudsters have scammed at least $36 billion and as much as $3 trillion in tax money from federal entitlement programs, dwarfing the amount federal prosecutors claim was stolen in Minnesota’s federal food aid scandal known as Feeding Our Future, an investigation by The Center Square found.

House To Vote On Last Four Govt. Funding Bills Costing $1.2 Trillion

Mail-Order Abortion Pills Drive Post-Dobbs Surge, Pro-Life Leaders Warn

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Second Amendment Case Tuesday

St. Paul Church Congregant Says ‘We Were Surrounded’

Minnesota Judge Limits ICE Protest Enforcement as Church Disruption Sparks Federal Investigation

Q1 Border Crossings Plummet 95% From Biden Era, Lowest In History

Senate Takes Recess, Leaving Only Five Days To Pass Six Govt Funding Bills

Trump Warns He May Invoke Insurrection Act as Minnesota Protests Turn Violent, ICE Officers Attacked

Hegseth Unveils Pentagon AI Acceleration Push at SpaceX, Vows to Tear Down Bureaucratic Barriers

Breaking Christian News

Over 170 Christian Worshippers Kidnapped From Churches In Nigeria After Police Reversal

Nigerian police have confirmed that a large group of Christian worshippers were kidnapped by suspected Muslim gunmen from three churches in a remote area of Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State, reversing an earlier denial that authorities said had been “widely misinterpreted.”

Foreign Missionary Era Ending In Turkey As Authorities Detain, Deport Christians

The era of foreign missionaries in Turkey is drawing to a close as authorities increasingly detain, deport, or bar Christian workers from reentering the Muslim-majority nation, according to church leaders and human-rights advocates.

Record 388 Million Christians Face Persecution Worldwide, Open Doors Says

Egypt Jails Christian YouTuber for Defending Christianity

Wife And Daughter Of Slain Anglican Priest Freed as Nigerian Church Abductions Mount

Iran’s Islamic Rulers Jail Christians as Protests Kill Thousands

Protestant Pastor Freed After Six Months in Nicaraguan Detention

Weekly News Brief 1/14/26

Featured Stories

Turkey Moves Toward Joining Saudi–Pakistan Defense Pact, Raising Fears of New Regional Military Bloc

Turkey is seeking to join an existing defense alliance between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a move that could lay the groundwork for a new regional military bloc modeled loosely on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to a report published Friday by Bloomberg.

Mass Protests Shake Iran After Exiled Crown Prince Calls for Uprising – Jan.8.2026

U.S. Says Maduro Ousted After Caracas Strikes; Trump Claims America Will “Run” Venezuela Temporarily – Jan.3.2026

Breaking World News

Hungary at Crossroads as Elections Loom and Budapest Mayor Wins Human Rights Award (Worthy News Focus)

Hungary is entering a decisive political season as parliamentary elections are set for April 12, 2026, and the progressive mayor of Budapest receives a prestigious Dutch human rights award for defying Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and defending democratic freedoms.

Trump: Greenland Essential to ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield, NATO Must Back U.S. Control

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that U.S. control of Greenland is essential to national security and the construction of his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system, warning that failure to act would allow Russia or China to gain a strategic foothold in the Arctic.

U.S. Evacuates Personnel From Major Qatar Base as Trump Weighs Iran Action

The United States has begun evacuating some military personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, as President Donald Trump considers potential military action against Iran amid escalating regional tensions and a deepening internal crisis inside the Islamic Republic.

Scores Killed in Thailand’s Train Derailment After Crane Collapse

Wartorn Ukraine Struggles In Freezing Temperatures As Russian Strikes Kill Numerous People

Trump Designates Muslim Brotherhood Branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as Terrorist Organizations in Sweeping Crackdown

Trump Tells Iranians ‘Help Is on the Way,’ Cancels Talks as Protests Rock Islamic Republic

Trump Announces 25% Tariff On Nations Doing Business With Iran

NATO Chief Urges Allies to Protect Greenland Amid US Military Threats

Britain Weighs Arctic Security Role as NATO Eyes Russia, China Threats

Iran Regime Kills Hundreds as Trump Considers Military, Cyber Options

Deadly Aleppo Fighting And Separate U.S. Strikes Deepen Syria Instability

Breaking Israel News

Witkoff Announces Phase II of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan, Shifts Focus to Demilitarization and Governance

U.S. Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff announced Wednesday the launch of Phase II of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, marking a transition from a fragile ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and large-scale reconstruction of the war-ravaged enclave.

Hezbollah Threatens Civil War as Lebanon Pushes to Disarm Iran-Backed Militia Nationwide

A senior official of the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah has warned Lebanon’s government that expanding efforts to disarm the group across the country would plunge the nation into chaos and could spark a new civil war, according to comments circulated by Hezbollah on Wednesday.

Israel Cuts Ties With Additional UN Agencies, Citing Anti-Israel Bias and Bureaucratic Failures

Israel will immediately sever all contact with three additional United Nations agencies and international bodies, the Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday, expanding a sweeping reassessment of Israel’s engagement with UN institutions.

IDF Launches ‘Hoshen’ Five-Year Plan Focusing on AI, Robotics, Space Warfare

Israel Strikes Hezbollah Weapons Site After Intelligence Contradicts Lebanese Claims

IDF Airstrike Kills Hezbollah Drone Operative in Southern Lebanon

Trump Pushes Gaza Phase Two Without Preconditions as Israel Presses Hamas on Hostage, Disarmament

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block Tel Aviv Flight At Milan Airport, Raising Security Questions

Israel, Syria, U.S. Announce Joint Security Mechanism in Rare Step Toward De-Escalation

Netanyahu: Israel and U.S. United on Iran as Protests Rock Islamic Republic

Israel, Syria to Resume U.S.-Mediated Talks as Trump Presses for Security Deal

Breaking U.S. News

Trump Touts Steady Inflation as New CPI Data Shows Prices Cooling

President Donald Trump highlighted new government data Tuesday showing inflation remained steady in December, calling the figures “great (LOW!) inflation numbers for the USA.”

Johnson Expects On-time Passage Of All Govt Funding Bills As Two More Head To Floor

Congress has less than a month to pass the remaining appropriations bills providing fiscal 2026 funding for federal agencies, but House Republicans are convinced it’s possible.

U.S. Supreme Court Weighs Trans Sports Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether biological males can participate in women’s and girls’ sports.

Evangelist Graham Urges Prayers As Anti-ICE Protests Spread Following Killing

Jackson Synagogue Targeted in Apparent Arson Attack, Suspect Arrested

Truck Hits LA Crowd Protesting Against Iran’s Islamic Regime; Several Injured (VIDEO)

Bipartisan Bill To Cap Annual Deficits At 3% Could Curb Debt Growth

Assaults Against ICE Up 1300%, Vehicular Attacks Up 3200%, Death Threats Up 8000%

U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Anti-oil Cases With Energy Costs On The Line

Trump Calls for $1.5 Trillion Pentagon Budget, Says ‘Dream Military’ Needed for Dangerous Times

U.S. House Votes To Extend ACA Subsidies, Heads To Senate

Trump Orders $200 Billion Mortgage Bond Buy To Lower Rates

Breaking Christian News

Christian Advocates Urge Trump to Protect Pakistani Refugees After Slavery, Blasphemy Cases

Christian advocacy groups urged U.S. President Donald J. Trump not to close America’s doors to Christian refugees from Pakistan, citing cases of bonded labor, abduction, and alleged misuse of blasphemy laws targeting the country’s Christian minority.

Advocates Alarmed Over Scale Christian Persecution in China, India; Millions Facing Raids and Church Attacks

Christian activists say religious freedom is under “unprecedented threat” in China and India, citing a sharp escalation in government actions and extremist violence targeting believers.

Pastor Killed In Colombia; Christians Shocked

Bible Sales Surge to Record Highs in U.K. and U.S., Signaling Renewed Spiritual Interest

Dutch Christian Preacher Detained After Banned Service in Netherlands

China Arrests Church Leaders in Growing Crackdown on Underground Christians

Syria’s Christians Suffer As Thousands Flee Clashes; Several Killed