Biden’s Afghanistan Debacle…
npr wrote on August 15:
“A year ago, U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, a chaotic end to America’s longest war — and a turning point in the Biden presidency, a moment when his approval ratings fell… Doug Sosnik, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, said it wasn’t just Afghanistan that started Biden’s fall from grace. Covid-19 was surging and inflation was beginning to accelerate. But Sosnik says the bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan really hurt Biden because it undercut the president’s image. ‘If bringing competence back to government is one of the kind of hallmarks of a candidacy, then I think the optics of the Afghanistan withdrawal go completely against the sort of rationale of why you should have voted for Biden,’ he said…
“The withdrawal helped start Biden’s slide in the polls. But a year later, voters are more concerned about the economy, said Mohamed Younis, Gallup’s editor-in- chief. ‘I’m saying… it’s really been a very long time since foreign policy has been the factor in a presidency sort of turning sour,’ Younis said.”
The indifference of many Americans regarding US foreign policy is another reason for America’s coming downfall…
China Celebrates Biden’s Defeat and the Downfall of the USA
Breitbart wrote on August 17:
“The Global Times and its stable of ‘Chinese experts’ argued the ‘Kabul moment’ showed that America’s playbook of ‘democratic transformation’ will never work anywhere, the American ‘strategy of hegemony’ is a bust, and while Biden might have thought he was escaping from a quagmire, he instead made the United States perpetually responsible for the misery of the Afghan people…
“After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan island on August 2, a delegation of five US lawmakers arrived on the island of Taiwan on Sunday…
“The Global Times advised Americans to regard the ‘Kabul moment’ as proof they are a ‘superpower in its downfall’… ‘The U.S. has passed its peak, with its withdrawal from Afghanistan marking the beginning of the decline of U.S. strength…”
Bild Online reported on August 17 that China is sending troops to Russia to participate in a military exercise in the east. Troops from India and Belarus will also participate. Bild Online commented: “A clear signal to the USA: Nuclear powers playing war.” Also, Russia and North Korea just announced their desire to improve their friendly relationship. The “kings of the East” are coming together.
Is the USA Facilitating its Own Death?
On August 17, the Ron Paul institute published the following article by Larry Johnson:
“After 8 years of arming and training Ukraine’s army and air force, spending billions of tax payer dollars, the United States no longer has a viable strategy to defeat the Russian forces and compel Vladimir Putin to accept a humiliating defeat. Yes, the US and NATO are pouring a large amount of HIMARS, Army Tactical Missile Systems (aks ATACMS), tanks, vehicles and aircraft into the fight, but this is only prolonging the inevitable surrender of Ukraine…
“Throughout the period from 1990 to February 24, 2022, there were still people in the Russian political leadership who believed that negotiations with the United States and Europe was a viable option. That is no longer the case. Whether the United States and Europe want to believe it, the Russian leaders and people now believe that the west poses an existential threat to them and they will do what is necessary to defend themselves and survive.
“I am old enough to remember a time when the freedom of the press and freedom of speech set the United States apart as a special place. American culture and economic prowess was something that many in Russia and the rest of the world envied. But that was then. When foreigners now consider the state of America they see something radically different. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are now under regular, sustained attack directed at Christians and conservatives. I remember when the Soviets labeled dissidents as terrorists. Now, America’s own Department of Justice is doing the same to parents opposed to critical race theory and outraged over their daughters being asked to shower with males who claim they are female…
“American culture is now awash with filth. Child pornography, pedophilia and transgenderism is being touted as normal. Anyone who dares challenge these things as abnormal are tagged as racists and hatemongers… Most people in the world, not just Russians, see this and can only conclude that the United States is in the grip of mass psychosis…
“When Russia secures its victory in Ukraine–regardless of how much time and bloodshed is required to achieve that end–it will be committed to building global relations that exclude the United States. The era of the United States as the supreme military and economic power in the world is over.
“I am an American patriot. I love this country and what it is supposed to stand for. But the actions of the Biden Administration are weakening dramatically the US economy and military. The weapon systems that are flooding into Ukraine are being destroyed by Russia or sold on the black market by Ukrainian profiteers. I fear that when the war in Ukraine is settled that the United States will have burnt all bridges that could have led to a reconciliation with Russia. I hope I am wrong.”
No, he is right. The irresponsible conduct of the Biden Administration is only accelerating America’s isolation in the world and its inevitable downfall. The Bible says that America will be viewed as a curse and it will be hated by all nations.
The Disunited USA
Newsmax published the following opinion piece by Patrick Buchanan on August 16:
“… we are a country whose people have a diminishing confidence in almost all of its institutions, from big business to the churches, universities and media… Public approval of Biden’s performance is at the lowest level ever recorded for a president at this point in his first term…
“The left today dominates the academic community and culture to a greater degree than it once did and is further removed from the heart of the country in Middle America than it has ever been. When, how, does America ever unite again?… Where is the common ground on which to stand?
“Does such ground even exist, given the divisions in religion, race and ethnicity, and the seemingly irreconcilable disagreements over morality, ideology, culture and politics? Has the great experiment run its course?”
America is destined to fall…
USA in Perilous Times
Breitbart wrote on August 15:
“Donald Trump’s legal team demolished the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) media spin that denied having the former president’s passports in their possession following the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago last week… As Breitbart News noted, the passports were ‘not independently itemized on the FBI’s property receipt of the 28 inventory items federal agents seized… The warrant, which Attorney General Merrick Garland says he approved and was signed by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, did not state that they could take Trump’s passport,’ the report noted. ‘Typically, the government needs a separate court order to seize someone’s passport, even temporarily.’
“According to Norah O’Donnell of CBS News, a DOJ official said the former president’s passports were not in their possession, one of which presumably would have been a diplomatic passport… Shortly after Norah’s post, Taylor Budowich, the former president’s communications director, shared an email from Jay Bratt, the top counterintelligence official in the Justice Department’s national security division, confirming that three passports were seized in the raid and that they would be returned to the former president soon… [According to other press releases, they have now been returned.]
“Donald Trump warned about the ‘tremendous anger’ brewing in the country following the raid on his private residence. ‘There has never been a time like this where law enforcement has been used to break into the house of a former president of the United States, and there is tremendous anger in the country—at a level that has never been seen before, other than during very perilous times,’ Trump said.”
The New York Post added on August 16:
“Trump initially accused the FBI of taking the passports Monday afternoon — an explosive allegation that suggested investigators believed he was a flight risk or faced potential charges that would prevent him from leaving the country… The former president and his allies have slammed the FBI and said the raid is the latest phase of a long-running ‘witch hunt’ that dates back to the bureau’s investigation into whether he colluded with Russia’s government during the 2016 campaign.
“After the search warrant and inventory were unsealed Friday, Trump claimed that the documents in question had already been declassified and that the FBI search was unnecessary. ‘They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago,’ he wrote on Truth Social. ‘It was in secured storage, with an additional lock put on as per their request. They could have had it anytime they wanted—and that includes LONG ago. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS ASK.’”
There is indeed tremendous anger in the country, and calls for civil war are getting louder.
Cheney vs. Trump
The Associated Press reported on August 17:
“Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was increasingly open on Wednesday about considering a 2024 presidential campaign after soundly losing a Republican primary to a challenger backed by former President Donald Trump. Speaking to NBC in the wake of her loss, the third-term congresswoman called Trump ‘a very grave threat and risk to our republic,’ and said defeating him will require ‘a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents — and that’s what I intend to be part of.’ She declined to say if she would run for president but conceded it’s ‘something that I’m thinking about.’…
“With Cheney’s loss, Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are going extinct… In all, seven Republican senators and 10 Republican House members backed Trump’s impeachment… Just two of those 10 House members have won their primaries this year…”
Cheney’s defeat was expected. Her constant attacks on Trump did not win her any favors.
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 17:
“Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a fierce critic of Donald Trump, lost her seat in Congress to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman on Tuesday… Hageman’s rout of Cheney was also a testament to Trump’s grip over the party’s fortunes and an achievement in his campaign to oust Republicans who backed impeaching him… Cheney’s criticism of Trump and her role in the congressional panel investigating the January 6 attack made her a pariah in her party. Her third and final Congress term ends in January. She will continue in her leadership role on the January 6 attack panel until it dissolves at the end of 2022.”
Will Trump Go After Clinton and Obama?
Daily Mail wrote on August 17:
“Former President Donald Trump signaled that he intends to capitalize on the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid – sharing an op-ed that predicting Republicans might exact vengeance by using law enforcement to go after Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
“Trump shared without comment an op-ed by loyalist and conservative columnist Kimberly Strassel in the Wall Street Journal, whose work he has frequently promoted in the past. In an email from his Save America PAC, Trump tweeted the article’s headline: ‘The Payback for Mar-a-Lago Will Be Brutal.’”
Abortion Merely a Means of Birth Control?
Life News wrote on August 8:
“Minnesota has released its report on abortion in the state in 2020 and 2021. The report points out reasons why women had abortions. In 2021, by far the most common reason given was that the woman ‘[did] not want children at this time.’ Eighty-four percent of women who responded gave this reason for their abortions… Less than 1% of Minnesota abortions in 2021 and 2020 were committed because the mother was a victim of rape or incest, and no abortions were reported either year to save the life of the mother.”
Economic hardship is another major reason for abortions. But how can this justify the murder of an unborn child?
Mr. President, Get Rid of Corona Restrictions!
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 15:
“In June, the United States Department of State published an announcement of the ending of coronavirus testing requirements imposed on Americans and foreigners flying to America. The announcement, though, also declared that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ‘Order requiring proof of vaccination for noncitizen nonimmigrants to travel to the United States is still in effect.’ And that coronavirus crackdown requirement remains in effect today.
“Fortunately, public opposition to the requirement that visitors to America take the experimental coronavirus ‘vaccine’ shots is rising among Republican governors and Republican House of Representative members. Indeed, Joseph Summers wrote Thursday at LifeSite about two letters groups of Republican office holders sent to President Joe Biden this month requesting that Biden terminate the requirement that foreigners take coronavirus shots as a prerequisite for visiting America, The first is an August 1 letter from eight Republican US House of Representatives members. The second is an August 10 letter from 17 Republican governors.
“Notably, the governors’ letter includes this strange assertion: ‘Republican Governors consistently stood against the immense, unconstitutional overstepping of power that occurred in our country during the pandemic in the name of public health.’ Of course, most Republican governors jumped right on the coronavirus crackdown bandwagon, though they often applied a lighter tyrannical touch than their Democratic counterparts. Still, it is good to see now the increased number of Republican governors standing in opposition to some of the still in place aspects of the crackdown.”
Will Joe Biden listen? Now his wife has corona.
She was fully vaccinated. According to some reports, she is now taking the corona pill Paxlovid, a medication which German doctors are warning about (see last Current Events, “Germany’s COVID Chaos”).
Kennedy Jr. Suspended from Facebook and Instagram
The Associated Press wrote on August 18:
“Instagram and Facebook suspended Children’s Health Defense from its platforms this week… [The] anti-vaccine group [is] led by Robert Kennedy Jr… In a statement, Kennedy compared Facebook’s actions to government censorship…”
Germany’s Vaccination Mandate
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:
“The Federal Constitutional Court rejected a bid to overturn a measles vaccination requirement for children in day care centers and schools, upholding a law that has come into effect in March 2020… If a child’s immunization is not documented, schools are required to notify the local public health office.
“It is not possible to exclude unvaccinated children from schools, because of a legal obligation to education, but parents who refuse to vaccinate their children face fines of up to €2,500 ($2,760).”
The New Inflation Reduction Act
Fox News wrote on August 16:
“White House officials are not saying when the act will start reducing inflation or by how much, even though the legislation is being billed as a way to slow price increases…. overall inflation… sits at 8.5% over a year ago as of July…
“… multiple outside studies and economists are projecting that the bill will have very little, if any, success in decreasing inflation. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders… said the bill ‘will in fact have a minimal impact on inflation’… “
The bill was passed on party-line votes in both the House and the Senate. It will double the IRS workforce over the decade. Fox News wrote that despite assurances from Democrats to the contrary, “Republican politicians have voiced concern that the [bill will] not only raise taxes on lower- and middle-class Americans, but could also increase the amount of tax audits, disproportionately affecting citizens who are unable to afford legal counsel… The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal also demurred, with a Sunday editorial that argued the IRS expansion would likely collect billions in cash from ‘new middle-class audits.’ The problem is that for every tax cheat the IRS identifies, several more compliant tax filers will be subjected to needless scrutiny,’ the board wrote.”
Biden’s New $739 Billion Inflation Bill Blasted
Fox News wrote on August 16:
“President Joe Biden was blasted for his comments while signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law Tuesday. The bill costs $739 billion and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Penn Wharton Budget Model estimate it will not reduce inflation, despite its name…
“Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong, a refugee from China, tweeted, ‘Orwellian. This might be the single largest transfer of wealth from the middle class to corporate and state interests since the pandemic policies bankrupted numerous small businesses… Not only are these people taking away your hard earned money, they’re killing your children’s chance of having any kind of comfortable future,’ he continued.
“Cheong also criticized Biden’s speech, which the president struggled to get through, tweeting, ‘It’s clear that Joe has dementia but no one in the media will point it out.’
“Guy Benson, a Fox News contributor and political editor of Townhall, tweeted, ‘Oh, a lot of “green” special interests won. So did the IRS, big time. And when the IRS doubles, a lot of Americans don’t feel like winners.’ Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., disputed Biden’s claim that ‘no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in federal taxes.’ ‘The CBO disagrees. Americans earning less than $400k a year are estimated to pay an additional $20 BILLION in new taxes. This Administration just lies…and the media covers for them. Every time,’ Tuberville tweeted.
“James J. Carafano, vice president for foreign and security policy at the Heritage Foundation, tweeted, ‘This will be a dark day for everyday Americans that will bear the brunt of this big government law. How fitting to sign on anniversary of Afghanistan disaster that humiliated every single American.’”
Is the European Army on the Way?
Politics Today wrote on August 16:
“On July 20, the European Union Commission announced its plan to provide 1.2 billion Euros… to support 61 joint defense research and development projects… This move raised questions about whether the EU states are now more willing to form a European military identity given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine… The idea of creating a European army has a long and contentious history in Europe… Some EU countries such as France, Germany, and Italy prioritize the EU’s own defense and promote the idea of an EU army… Today, there is considerable support among other EU member states for the EU maintaining its own security. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi argued for the need to enhance European security…
“Tensions between the U.S. and some EU countries, too, fuel debates on Europe becoming a self-sufficient and self-reliant power. In NATO-EU security relations, the distrust felt by some EU member states—especially evident during the Trump administration—has a potential to resurge in the future… It is remarkable that Germany, which kept its defense budget the same for years, has finally increased it to €100 billion… though still small in size, the EU is getting closer to a common security understanding. It will be curious to follow whether the European Union will achieve a strong security and defense of its own.”
According to biblical prophecy, it will.
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.
