Weekly News Brief 1/7/26

Featured Stories

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

U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Saturday that the United States will temporarily “run” Venezuela after American forces carried out large-scale military strikes in the capital Caracas and detained Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to U.S. officials.

US Captures Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro In Strikes; Leader Flown Out Of Country – Jan.3.2026

At Least Five Killed as Iran Protests Enter Fifth Day Amid Deepening Economic Crisis – Jan.1.2026

Breaking World News

Tear Gas Fired at Tehran Grand Bazaar as Iran Protests Enter Second Week, Currency Hits New Low

Iranian security forces confronted large demonstrations at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on Tuesday with tear gas and a heavy police presence, as nationwide protests entered a second week and the country’s currency plunged to a historic low.

Rubio Says U.S. Aims to Buy Greenland as Trump Keeps Military Option on Table

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a closed briefing Monday that recent White House rhetoric about Greenland does not signal an imminent U.S. invasion, emphasizing instead that the administration’s preferred goal is to purchase the island from Denmark, according to people familiar with the discussion.

Britain And France Prepare Ukraine Troop Deployment As U.S. Backs Security Guarantees

Britain and France, both members of the NATO military alliance, have agreed to prepare for the deployment of troops to Ukraine if the war-torn country reaches a peace deal with neighboring Russia.

Venezuela Cracks Down After U.S. Seizure of Maduro, Journalists Detained and Paramilitaries Deployed

Dutch Court Jails Father And Brothers For “Honor” Killing Of 18-Year-Old Woman

Vondelkerk Fire Shakes Amsterdam In Deadly New Year (Worthy News In-Depth) (VIDEO)

Maduro, Wife Plead Not Guilty In First Court Appearance

Iran Regime in ‘Survival Mode’ as Protests Spread Nationwide, Trump Warns of U.S. Action

Scores of Men Killed in South Africa’s Circumcision Practices, Sparking Spiritual Debate

Criminal Investigations After Swiss Bar Fire Kills Dozens (Worthy News Radio)

Search Intensified For Missing Spanish Family After Tourist Boat Sinks In Indonesia

Bulgaria Adopts Euro Amid Celebration And Public Concern

Breaking Israel News

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

Israel, Syria and the United States have agreed to establish a new “joint fusion mechanism” aimed at enhancing security coordination, intelligence sharing and military de-escalation, marking the most significant formal cooperation between Jerusalem and Damascus in decades.

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel and the United States are in full agreement on how to confront Iran, describing his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump as a strategic partnership that will drive continued Israeli security successes in 2026.

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

Senior Israeli and Syrian officials are set to resume high-level negotiations this week in talks mediated by the United States, marking a renewed diplomatic push after months of stalled progress, according to reports by i24NEWS and Axios.

Trump, Netanyahu: Hamas Must Disarm for Peace Plan to Move Forward

Trump Gives Israel Green Light to Act Against Hezbollah if Disarmament Fails

Immigration From U.S. and Europe to Israel Surges in 2025 Despite Overall Decline in Arrivals

Israel Enforces New NGO Registration Rules, Bars 37 Groups From Gaza and West Bank

Israel, U.S. Give Hamas Two-Month Deadline to Disarm

Boeing Awarded $8.6 Billion Contract for F-15s as U.S. Military Aid to Israel Continues

Trump Signals Backing for Israeli Action Against Iran, Warns U.S. Will Act on Nuclear Threat

Netanyahu Seeks Firm U.S. Guarantees on Gaza, Hostages, and Hamas Disarmament Ahead of Trump Summit

Breaking U.S. News

Trump-Led Federal Crackdown Slashed Violent Crime in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday that a federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital has led to dramatic reductions in violent crime, crediting the effort to President Donald Trump’s public safety initiative.

White House Pushes Back on Jan. 6 Narrative, Accuses Democrats of Political Rewriting

The White House marked the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach by launching a new website aimed at challenging what it says is a Democrat-driven distortion of events and years of politically motivated prosecutions against Americans who participated in protests that day.

Ninth Circuit Revives Christian Ministry’s Fight to Defend Faith-Based Hiring Rights

A federal appeals court has handed a key win to religious liberty advocates, allowing the Union Gospel Mission of Yakima to move forward with its constitutional challenge against Washington state’s hiring restrictions.

ICE Deploys Facial-Recognition Technology to Accelerate Immigration Arrests Under Trump

Democrats Accused of Flip-Flop After Trump Removes Venezuelan Dictator Maduro

Congress Faces Govt. Shutdown Date, Health Care Bills, Epstein On Return

U.S. Senate Races Will Decide Balance Of Congress In 2026

Zohran Mamdani Sworn In As New York City’s Mayor

Trump Pulls National Guard From Democrat-Run Cities After Court Defeats, Warns Troops Could Return

Federal Crackdown Targets Massive Fraud Networks in Minnesota

AG Vows Continued Probe Into Alleged ‘Government Weaponization’ Under Obama, Biden

Suspect In Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Case Confesses, According To Officials

Breaking Christian News

Sudan Drone Strike Kills Christians on Way to Christmas Worship

At least 11 Christians were killed and 18 others seriously wounded when a drone operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) struck civilians traveling to Christmas celebrations in South Kordofan state on Dec. 25, according to local sources.

Pastor Seriously Injured in Machete Attack Outside Church in Eastern Uganda

A Christian pastor was seriously injured after being attacked by a group of Muslim assailants wielding sharp objects in eastern Uganda, according to an exclusive report by Morning Star News.

Angry Villagers Destroy Christian Homes in Laos, Pastor Tied to a Pole for Evangelism

Tens Of Thousands Of Christians Celebrate Christmas and the New Year In Indonesia’s Capital (VIDEO)

Pakistani Christian Girl, 14, Abducted and Raped, Family Says

Pakistan Pastor Murder Case Takes Dramatic Turn As Police Name Wife, Lover As “Masterminds” (Worthy News Investigation)

Christians Blocked From Christmas Worship In Indonesia’s West Java Amid Extremism Concerns

Weekly News Brief 7/31/24

Hamas Leader Killed In Iran

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran’s capital, Tehran, shortly after an Israeli strike killed the most senior commander of Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Venezuela Clashes Spread After Elections

Clashes have spread across Venezuela, killing several people as opponents and supporters of the South American nation’s President Nicolas Maduro rally after a weekend election in which the long-ruling socialist leader was declared the winner, despite protests.

US Advises Americans to Leave Lebanon Ahead of Israeli Retaliation for Hezbollah Attack

The United States has warned American citizens to leave Lebanon while they can, as Israel is expected to launch a forceful retaliatory response to Sunday’s missile strike by the Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group which killed 12 Druze-Israeli children in the Golan Heights.

Latest World News Headlines

Dozens Killed In India’s Landslides – July 30, 2024

WHO Announces Initiative to Advance Development of mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine – July 29, 2024

Iranian-Backed Militia Groups Intensifies Attacks on US Forces in Syria and Iraq – July 29, 2024

Venezuela’s President ‘Re-Elected’ As Tensions Rise – July 29, 2024

Fiber Optic Networks Sabotaged Across France – July 29, 2024

Paris Olympics Apologize For Mocking Christian Faith – July 28, 2024

Moscow’s War Ships In Cuba In Warning To Nearby US – July 28, 2024

Ukraine Athletes In Paris As War Continues – July 27, 2024

Ethiopia Mourns Many Killed In Mudslide – July 27, 2024

Jordan’s King Dissolves Parliament At Sensitive Time (Worthy News In-depth) – July 26, 2024

Breaking Israel News

Israel Strikes Beirut Targeting Hezbollah Commander Responsible for Deadly Golan Heights Attack (Update)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they targeted a Hezbollah commander in Beirut today who was responsible for the weekend attack on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights over the weekend that killed at least 12 Israeli Druze children and teenagers.

Turkey Threatens To Invade Israel

Israel’s foreign minister has urged the NATO military alliance to expel Turkey after its President Tayyip Erdogan threatened his country might invade the Jewish nation.

Netanyahu Vows Retaliation Against Hezbollah; U.S. Urges Restraint to Avoid Full-Blown War

The Biden Administration spearheaded diplomatic efforts to prevent a full-blown regional war as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization in Lebanon, following a weekend rocket strike that killed at least 12 children in the Golan Heights.

Latest Israel News Headlines

Israel Hits Hezbollah Targets In Lebanon After Attack Kills 12 – July 28, 2024

Hezbollah Hits Israel, Killing 10 Threatening Regional War – July 28, 2024

Palestinian Authority Using Western Donations For ‘Funding Terrorism’ (Worthy News Investigation) – July 26, 2024

Netanyahu Envisions ‘Abraham Alliance’ to Counter Iranian ‘Axis of Terror’ – July 25, 2024

IDF Recovers the Bodies of 5 Israeli Hostages in Khan Younis, Gaza – July 25, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Delivers Powerful Speech Before Congress – July 24, 2024

Archaeologists Uncover Moat Dating Back to Reign of Biblical King Josiah – July 24, 2024

Breaking U.S. News

Trump Blasts Facebook, Google for ‘Wrongly Censored’ Photo of Assassination Attempt

Former President Donald Trump blasted Facebook and Google Tuesday after Facebook admitted it had censored photos of Trump’s assassination attempt, images widely seen as a major moment and rallying point for the Trump campaign.

Hurricane Beryl to Cost Americans Nationwide Nearly $32 Billion

The devastation Hurricane Beryl left in its wake is estimated to cost taxpayers nationwide between $28 billion and $32 billion, according to an AccuWeather analysis. The losses to Texas, which was hardest hit, are estimated to be several billion.

US National Debt Exceeds $35 Trillion for the First Time

The US national debt has officially surpassed a massive $35 trillion, having increased by nearly $5 billion every day so far in 2025, Yahoo Finance reports. The debt increased by nearly $8 trillion during the Republican administration of former President Donald Trump and is set to see a similar rise under the Democratic administration of current President Joe Biden.

Latest U.S. News Headlines

No Clear Path to Approval for Biden’s Proposed Supreme Court Changes – July 29, 2024

Harris Haunted by ‘Defund the Police’ Past – July 29, 2024

Biden Proposes Supreme Court Constitutional Amendment – July 29, 2024

Trump, Harris on Opposite Sides of 2nd Amendment Debate – July 28, 2024

FACT CHECK: Biden’s Claim That Illegal Border Crossings Lower Than Trump’s Is False – July 28, 2024

Trump’s Former Physician Says FBI Director ‘Wrong’ to Suggest Trump Wasn’t Hit by bullet – July 28, 2024

Feds Disrupt Jet Ski Powered Human Smuggling Network – July 25, 2024

Breaking Christian News

Laos: Six Christians Released After a Month in Detention Without Charge
Officials in Laos are continuing to harass Christians by arresting them and then imprisoning them without charge for several weeks before releasing them. Amid intensifying persecution of Christians, the communist-led Buddhist-majority nation now ranks 21 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

India: House Church Members Violently Attacked by Hindu Extremists
Members of a house church congregation in India’s Uttarakhand state were violently attacked by a mob of around 150 Hindu extremists on July 14, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

Latest Christian News Headlines

Laos: Evangelist Murdered Execution-Style, “Despite Increased Persecution, the Church is Rapidly Growing” – July 29, 2024

Nigeria: Fulani Terrorists Massacre 18 Christians in Their Beds – July 26, 2024

Turkey: Christian Group Denied the Right to Buy Land for Worship Center – July 26, 2024

New Zealand: 200,000 Vulnerable People Subjected to Abuse and Neglect in State and Christian-Run Institutions, Commission of Inquiry Finds – July 25, 2024

Christian Ministry Explores Use of AI to Bring the Gospel to Deaf People – July 24, 2024

Pakistan: Young Christian Man on Death Row Shows Remarkable Faith and Hope in Jesus – July 24, 2024

Hindu Nationalists Attack Christians in Central India, “This Hostility is Often Driven by a Belief That Indians Ought to be Hindu” – July 24, 2024