Bill O’Reilly Slams McConnell
Newsmax wrote on January 17:
“Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is ‘torturing’ President Donald Trump in a ‘foolish display of power,’ conservative host Bill O’Reilly said Sunday. ‘Mitch McConnell is playing an extremely dangerous game by diminishing President Trump in the eyes of Americans who still like him,’ O’Reilly said… in reference to the Senate Majority Leader’s comments signaling he wouldn’t be the roadblock to impeachment the way he was this time last year. ‘I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,’ McConnell wrote in a letter to colleagues after the House voted to impeach the president on grounds he incited an insurrection when a mob of rioters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the day Congress was set to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“‘As Senate majority leader, McConnell is delaying the impeachment trial until after Joe Biden is sworn in,’ writes O’Reilly. ‘But the Kentuckian is also saying it’s okay if GOP senators vote to ultimately convict the president on charges of inciting the violence at the Capitol building. Why would McConnell do that? He has to know that voting to convict Donald Trump in the Senate would damage the Republican Party immensely. Millions of people who voted for Trump would leave the GOP.’”
McConnell, called “the fox,” does seem to play an interesting personal political game, but it could be a dangerous one for the GOP survival.
Newsmax reported on January 19:
“U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday that ‘the mob was fed lies’ before the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. ‘They were provoked by the president and other powerful people,’ McConnell said of the attack that delayed certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the next president by several hours, forcing lawmakers to seek safety, and resulted in the death of five people, including a Capitol Police officer.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said in a subsequent interview that McConnell was clearly wrong on this; and that only Trump could save the GOP. Senator Rand Paul added that if the Republicans in the Senate will go through with impeachment, then it will destroy the Republican Party.
Franklin Graham Attacks House Republicans
Newsweek wrote on January 14:
“Evangelist Franklin Graham compared 10 members of the GOP to Judas Iscariot on Thursday after they voted to approve President Donald Trump’s second impeachment… ‘Shame, shame on the ten Republicans who joined with @SpeakerPelosi & the House Dmocrats in impeaching President Trump yesterday,’ Graham tweeted. ‘After all that he has done for our country, you would turn your back & betray him so quickly? What was done yesterday only further divides our nation.’
“Graham elaborated on his opinion in a Thursday Facebook post, detailing why he believed Trump was actually impeached. ‘But the House Democrats impeached him because they hate him and want to do as much damage as they can,’ Graham wrote. ‘And these ten, from [Trump’s] own party, joined in the feeding frenzy. It makes you wonder what the thirty pieces of silver were that [Democratic House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi promised for this betrayal.’”
Original Investigation against Trump “Incompetent” and “Corrupt”
Fox News reported on January 16:
“Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham on Friday released a slew of additional documents and transcripts related to his panel’s investigation into the origins and aftermath of the Trump-Russia probe, calling the original probe ‘one of the most incompetent and corrupt investigations in the history of the FBI and DOJ.’… ‘The FISA court was lied to. Exculpatory information was withheld on those being investigated. The investigators, with some notable exceptions, were incredibly biased and used the powers of law enforcement for political purposes,’ Graham said. ‘The subjects of the investigation had their lives turned upside down. It is my hope that counterintelligence investigations will be reined in and this never happens again in America.’
“Graham slammed the leadership of the FBI under former Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, saying it was ‘either grossly incompetent’ or said ‘they knowingly allowed tremendous misdeeds.’…
“Meanwhile, former Attorney General Bill Barr tapped U.S. Attorney from Connecticut John Durham as special counsel to ensure he could continue his investigation into the origins of the Russia probe through the Biden administration. Durham was appointed by Barr last year to investigate the origins of the FBI’s Russia probe, shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller completed his yearlong investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mueller’s investigation yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election.”
With that terrible record of the first impeachment, what will the second impeachment bring?
CNN Pushes to Close Down Newsmax TV
Newsmax wrote on January 17:
“CNN is making no mistake about it: It wants to censor and close Newsmax from broadcasting as a cable news channel. Apparently jolted by the fact Newsmax has skyrocketed to become the 4th highest-rated cable news channel in the country, the liberal CNN is decrying what it calls Newsmax’s ‘election denialism’ and is seeking to have it ‘deplatformed’ from cable and satellite systems across the nation…
“Previously, CNN had led efforts to deplatform President Donald Trump from Twitter…
“While far-left activists jumped to support a potential silencing of Newsmax, others noted the censorship effort runs afoul of both freedom of speech and anti-trust laws. Former Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer exposed the hypocrisy, if not double standard, of the suggestion of silencing conservative channels, tweeting, ‘You knew it would happen. Some want to take conservative media off the air because they bought into Trump’s election theories. On those grounds, shouldn’t CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC be taken off the air because they bought into [Russian] collusion theories? This censorship must stop.’”
This is really eye-opening, but it shows how much power the left-wing mass media has.
Israelis Worried about US Censorship
Israel Today wrote on January 15:
“Developments in the US are a major concern for many Israelis, not only because a similar situation could develop here… but also because America has always been a friend of Israel, and never more so than in the past four years. Now, however, a creeping authoritarianism made up of corrupt politicians and big tech companies seems to be threatening the country.
“It is unprecedented to see companies like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and Google teaming with overreaching politicians to silence political opponents, and the fact that this is happening in the world’s only superpower is particularly worrying… The impression that many on this side of the world have is that the tech giants, with Joe Biden as their puppet, have teamed up to take control of the United States…
“On top of that, you have the Corona vaccinations. Even in Israel, which leads the world in mass inoculation, the vaccine remains somewhat controversial. Media reports of some people suffering side effects and even dying after receiving the vaccine have folks concerned… Despite protests by many experts against the draconian coronavirus restrictions, the politicians stubbornly continue down their chosen path. The initial panic when we knew far less about the virus continues to determine political decisions a year later…”
The connection between Big Tech and certain left-wing politicians has been clearly recognized in the article.
Increasing Persecution of Christians in the USA
Newsmax wrote on January 17:
“Famed conservative thinker and author David Horowitz is warning that Democrats are trying to ‘criminalize’ the First Amendment rights of Americans as the nation is in ‘the initial stages to becoming a fascist state.’… Horowitz, a prominent Jewish conservative, warned that Christians are set to see increasing persecution as the Democrats take control of Washington… Horowitz said the Democratic Party has embraced an anti-Christian agenda that was vigorously implemented by Barack Obama, ‘the most anti-Christian, most anti-religious president in history.’
“‘The problem, outside the persecution of any group is bad, is this country was founded on Christian principles,’ Horowitz noted. He said… the ‘values we cherish’ began with America’s Christian settlers, who themselves were fleeing persecution in Europe for their beliefs. Horowitz argues [that] those freedoms are ‘under systematic assault by the Democrat party’ today. Horowitz also defended the right of Republicans to question the 2020 election results, and noted Democrats had made similar moves in with the 2000, 2004 and 2016 elections.”
Persecution of Christians is prophesied and is truly coming, as Satan is behind all of this.
Politicians in Biden Administration Responsible for Real Coups
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 18:
“With the mainstream media still obsessing about the January 6th ‘violent coup attempt’ at the US Capitol Building, the incoming Biden Administration looks to be chock full of actual purveyors of violent coups. Don’t look to the mainstream media to report on this, however. Some of the same politicians and bureaucrats denouncing the ridiculous farce at the Capitol as if it were the equivalent of 9/11 have been involved for decades in planning and executing real coups overseas. In their real coups, many thousands of civilians have died.
“Take returning Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, for example. More than anyone else she is the face of the US-led violent coup against a democratically-elected government in Ukraine in 2014. Nuland… was caught on a phone call actually plotting the coup right down to who would take power once the smoke cleared.
“Unlike the fake Capitol ‘coup,’ this was a real overthrow… the Ukraine coup had real armed insurrectionists with a real plan to overthrow the government. Eventually, with the help of incoming Assistant Secretary of State Nuland, they succeeded – after thousands of civilians were killed… while President Trump railed against the ‘stupid wars’ and promised to bring the troops home, he hired people like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo to get the job done. They spent their time ‘clarifying’ Trump’s call for ending wars to mean he wanted to actually continue the wars. It was a colossal failure.
“So it’s hard to be optimistic about a Biden Administration… Biden has announced that… Samantha Power… would head that Agency [USAID] in his Administration. Power, who served on President Obama’s National Security Council staff and as US Ambassador to the UN, argued passionately and successfully that a US attack on the Gaddafi government in Libya would result in a liberation of the people and the outbreak of democracy in the country. In reality, her justification was all based on lies and the US assault has left nothing but murder and mayhem. Gaddafi’s relatively peaceful, if authoritarian, government has been replaced by radical terrorists and even slave markets.
“At the end of the day, the Bush Republicans – like Rep. Liz Cheney – will join hands with the Biden Democrats to reinstate ‘American leadership.’ This of course means more US overt and covert wars overseas. The unholy alliance between Big Tech and the US government will happily assist the US State Department under Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Assistant Secretary of State Nuland with the technology to foment more ‘regime change’ operations wherever the Biden Administration sees fit… “
And there will be no peace…
US-EU Relationship Beyond Swift Repair
CNN wrote on January 17:
“The presidency of Donald Trump has left such a wretched stench in Europe that it’s hard to see how, even in four years, Joe Biden could possibly get America’s most important alliance back on track. Throughout Trump’s term, Europeans have been walking a tightrope, trying to balance outright condemnation of the President’s most destructive behavior with not alienating the leader of the Western world… While the assumption is that the transatlantic relationship will improve under Biden, four years of carnage has spooked the European political scene…
“This idea, that Europe has lost its trust in America, comes up time and again when speaking to European diplomats and EU officials… European diplomats and officials are adamant that moves towards an independent defense policy and international ‘strategic autonomy’ will not slow down…
“A view many European officials share is that no matter how friendly Biden is, Trump happened once — and could happen again. The President lost the election, but clearly there is still a lot of support for his politics…
“If this all sounds a little gloomy, to some extent, it is. It will take more than four years for the fog to lift over the Atlantic, and there are fears the relationship between Europe and America will never go back to what it was. For Europeans, that’s a reality they’re determined to make the best of. For the US, it’s unclear whether being downgraded as a diplomatic force is something that its citizens… will even care about.
“Regardless, the Trump era has left Europeans with little choice but to wait and see how much of a priority Biden places on reclaiming America’s place on the world stage. And they will use the four years of relative quiet under Biden to build safeguards against the all too real possibility of another Euroskeptic firestarter winning the White House in 2024.”
Under Biden, the relationship between the USA and Europe might not continue to deteriorate as fast as it would have been under Trump, but we do not see that it will get substantially better (especially, if, as the previous article suggests, the Biden Administration will be engaged again in overseas wars which may or may not meet Europe’s approval). Europe will look after their own, while observing how the Biden Administration will cause America’s economic and domestic downfall.
Travel Restrictions to be “Strengthened” under Biden
The Sun wrote on January 18:
“The incoming Biden administration will NOT lift entry bans on those traveling from the UK, [Ireland,] Brazil and much of the Europe on January 26. [Donald Trump on Monday rescinded entry bans imposed of the coronavirus pandemic on most non-US citizens arriving from Brazil, the United Kingdom and all European Union countries, to become effective January 26.] Travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic barring most visitors from Europe coming to the US have been in place since mid-March, while the Brazilian entry ban came into force in May.
“Incoming president Joe Biden will instead be strengthening rules around international travel…”
The following reader’s comment was quite telling:
“Biden doesn’t want the travel restrictions loosened, but he’ll let 10,000 people cross the southern border. Then he’ll pay for their medical expenses, food, and tax the American public to pay for it.”
Newsmax added on January 18:
“Until Biden acts, Trump’s order ends restrictions the same day that new COVID-19 test requirements take effect for all international visitors… Last week, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed an order requiring nearly all air travelers to present a negative coronavirus test or proof of recovery from COVID-19 to enter the United States starting Jan. 26… Biden, once in office, has the legal authority to reimpose the restrictions.”
On the other hand, right after his inauguration on Wednesday, Biden signed 17 sweeping executive orders, undoing much of Trump’s policies, including ceasing to build the border wall with Mexico and lifting the “Muslim travel ban.” This seems to be quite inconsistent with, at the same time, refusing to lift the travel ban with European countries. While speaking on unity in his acceptance speech, his executive orders will do little to create any form of unity with the over 74 million Trump voters.
Trump refused to attend the inauguration ceremony. He departed earlier for Florida. In his farewell speech on Wednesday, he said: “We will be back in some form.”
Detention Camps in Germany… Again!
The Sun wrote on January 18:
“GERMANY’S worst Covid rule breakers will be held in detention centres under new proposals being drawn up by a number of state governments. The move forms part of the country’s efforts to stop the spread of the more contagious mutant strain of the virus detected in the UK last month.
“In the eastern state of Saxony, people who ignore lockdown measures will be held in a cordoned-off part of a refugee camp being built next week. State authorities have said the centre will only be used for those who repeatedly breach self-isolation requirements. A similar scheme will be used in neighbouring Brandenburg, while in northerly Schleswig-Holstein rule breakers will be held in a part of a juvenile detention centre. The southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg will reportedly use rooms in hospitals.
“The country’s regional governments have powers to hold people who flout lockdown requirements under the Disease Protection Act, first passed by the federal parliament in March, Die Welt reports…
“Current lockdown measures are due to expire on January 31, but Chancellor Angela Merkel [allegedly said] that the country still needs ‘eight to 10 weeks of hard measures’.”
Mass tabloid Bild commented that we must accept a total lockdown, like in the Middle Ages. The very concept of detention or concentration camps in Germany brings up all kinds of terrible memories, and the comparison with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust has ALREADY been drawn on social media.
Total Lockdown Extended in Germany
Deutsche Welle reported on January 19:
“Angela Merkel and Germany’s 16 state premiers decided to keep the lockdown in place until at least mid-February… and introduce tougher measures to fight the spread of the coronavirus… Most shops, schools and non-essential business, such as gyms and sports centers, will remain closed… People in shops and on public transport will be required to wear filter masks such as FFP2 respirators, which also protect the wearer…
“Religious events in churches, synagogues and mosques may take place if they follow hygiene rules, but communal singing is not allowed. Contact at private meetings is restricted to just one other person not living in the same household. Schools are largely closed and students are taught through distance learning….”
This is clearly overkill.
Laschet Becomes Merkel’s Successor
Daily Mail wrote on January 16:
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party has elected a new leader to take over ahead of the national elections in September. Armin Laschet,… governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, was announced the winner at a virtual conference hosted by the Christian Democratic Union party on Saturday in Berlin… The decision ends an 11-month leadership limbo in Germany’s strongest party after outgoing leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who had failed to impose her authority on the party, announced her resignation…
“CDU members may also have been swayed by Laschet’s alliance with Health Minister Jens Spahn, whose efforts to steer Germany through the pandemic have made him a favourite with the public. The pair wrote a joint article for Der Spiegel weekly promising to make the CDU ‘one of the most modern parties in Europe’ and stressing that leadership ‘does not mean a one-man show’…
“Laschet was born in Aachen, the spa city in western Germany near the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. He is a great fan of Charlemagne, the king of the Franks credited with uniting Europe whose empire was based in Aachen. His family has even claimed they are direct descendants… [He is Catholic and a self-described ‘passionate European.’].”
God’s Church has been having ongoing problems especially and mainly in Laschet’s North Rhine-Westphalia, with the state government refusing to excuse our children from school attendance to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
North Korea in the News Again
Bloomberg wrote on January 15:
“North Korea held its second major military parade in three months to mark a rare party meeting, showing off nuclear advances including a new submarine-launched ballistic missile as Donald Trump leaves office… North Korea unveiled what was likely the world’s largest road-ready intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to the U.S…
“The show of force demonstrated the progress North Korea has made on its nuclear program in the face of Trump’s unprecedented move to meet Kim face-to-face in an effort to neutralize one of the U.S.’s biggest security threats. Kim last week signaled a challenge to Biden, saying he would focus on ‘subduing’ the U.S. and continuing to enhance his nuclear capability to ensure North Korea’s ‘autonomic development.’”
It seems like North Korea was just waiting until Trump exits the stage… for now.
Russia Being Condemned Internationally for Detention of Dissident Alexei Navalny
Breitbart wrote on January 18:
“Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who has been receiving treatment and recuperating in Germany since he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in August, made good on his promise to return to Russia on Sunday. The Russian government immediately made good on its promise to arrest him…
“The Kremlin announced before Navalny departed Germany that he would be arrested upon returning to Russia because he allegedly violated the terms of his parole from a 2014 conviction for embezzlement. Navalny maintains the embezzlement prosecution against him was politically motivated, and the European Court of Human Rights agrees with him.
“Navalny’s arrest on Sunday was swiftly condemned by governments and human rights organizations around the world. Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and incoming National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan both condemned the arrest as politically motivated and a violation of Navalny’s rights. The German government denounced the arrest as ‘totally incomprehensible’ and demanded Navalny’s immediate release… ‘Steps taken by Russian authorities against Alexei Navalny must not be left without consequences for the international community’s relations with this country,’ said Polish President Andrzej Duda on Sunday night.
“Amnesty International declared Navalny a ‘prisoner of conscience’ and said his arrest provides ‘further evidence that Russian authorities are seeking to silence him.’ Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth said it was a ‘real act of bravery’ for Navalny to return to Russia ‘given that government agents already tried to kill him once,’ and also a sign that Navalny knows he would be less effective as a ‘dissident in exile.’
“The Russian government responded by describing Navalny’s arrest as a purely internal matter of criminal law and told the rest of the world to mind its own business, with the sneering implication that Western nations lack the moral stature to criticize Russia for the steps it takes to maintain public order…”
Deutsche Welle added on January 18:
“Navalny was rushed to a makeshift courtroom on Monday, just a day after his arrest at a Moscow airport… Navalny’s aide accused authorities of denying him access to his lawyers, saying he was notified at the last minute of the makeshift hearing. The judge handed Navalny a sentence of 30 days in prison…
“Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert… said Russia had arrested the ‘victim’ of ‘attempted murder with chemical weapons’ and ‘not the perpetrator.’ Merkel had ‘repeatedly’ noted that Russia’s treatment of Navalny ‘weighed on’ relations between Berlin and Moscow, Seibert added…
“His detention has been widely condemned internationally, with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas [calling] it totally ‘incomprehensible’ and Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab saying it was ‘appalling’… Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called for EU sanctions against Moscow… European Union members… Latvia and Estonia also called for the ‘imposition of restrictive measures’ against Russia.”
Russia is a totalitarian country which does not allow opposition. The USA should wake up to this and make sure that it does not follow Russia’s example—which right now it IS in the process of doing.
UK Breakup Inevitable
Daily Mail wrote on January 17:
“Most Scots are scunnered by events at Westminster since 2016, notably by Brexit and what they see as the incompetence of Boris Johnson and his Government. In December 2019, along with every Westminster Election since 2005, Scotland overwhelmingly did not vote for the party that formed the British Government. Indeed, it pulled in the opposite direction with an even more impressive landslide for the Scottish National Party. The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has made it clear that many Scots believe there is a profound democratic deficit for their nation – that their views on Brexit (and other matters) did not count, and that if Scots wanted to leave any union, it was the one known as the United Kingdom…
“Whether you are a British unionist or one of the several versions of Scottish, English, Welsh or Irish nationalists, the truth is that the United Kingdom is now united in name only. The choice before us is either to come together and make profound changes to the way we are governed, or to accept that the UK is ultimately a failed state and agree to split apart… I have come to believe that Britain may indeed be coming to its end. It is not alarm bells I hear. It’s a death knell.
“On the day we officially left the EU a year ago, Mr Johnson promised to bring the United Kingdom together… Rapidly, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shrank to becoming the Prime Minister of England only – and at times only parts of England… The end of Britain would be much more complicated, messy, costly and bitter even than Brexit.”
Yes, it does appear that way.
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.
