Pope’s Visit Brings Security Concerns, Including Police Impersonators

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , ,

Law enforcement personnel are worried that the Pope’s visit to the United States could attract terrorist attacks and even go as far as impersonating police officers, EMTs, and firefighters to launch such attacks.

“The impersonators’ main goals are to further their attack plan and do harm to unsuspecting citizens as well as members of the emergency services community,” said the bulletin, titled “First Responder Impersonators: The New Terrorist Threat.”

The Pennsylvania State Police’s Criminal Intelligence Center distributed a memo to law enforcement throughout the northeast that imposters could use false identification to enter secure areas or to get away undetected from a crime scene. Pennsylvania State Police stated that the memo was not specifically meant for the Pope’s visit and officials confirmed that there were no credible threats known against Pope Francis at this time. The New York State Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington also confirmed there were no known threats tied to Pope Francis’ visit.

FBI and Homeland Security reports based the premises for the memo, which made statements that suspects in the U.S. and abroad were in possession of police uniforms. In the past, authorities have arrested potential terrorists who were in possession of U.S. military uniforms, fake IDs, and police uniforms.

“A wide variety of products such as clothing, weapons and tactical gear can be purchased on the Internet by any consumer, regardless of a confirmed affiliation to emergency services, government or law enforcement agency,” the statement read. The document also advised that police be on high alert for theft of uniforms, credentials, and emergency vehicles.

Police officials are also warning citizens to be aware of their surroundings during the Pope’s visit, especially when in large crowded areas. The memo states that event locations and public transit are high risk areas because of the large groups of people and the amount of attention the city will have during the papal visit.

According to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, the U.S. has stopped at least one threat against Pope Francis last week.

During the Pope’s visit, security preparations include screening checkpoints, airspace restrictions, and a ban on selfie sticks and backpacks at the events. Along the motorcade routes there will be multiple airport-style screenings and extensive street closures in every city he visits. There will also be a significant increase in the amount of first responders deployed in the cities.

Chicken and Turkey Farmers Prepare for Return of Bird Flu This Fall

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Another round of bird flu could be on the way due to the annual fall migration of wild birds.

The avian flu affected 48.8 million poultry in 21 states this spring. Iowa and Minnesota were hit the hardest by the outbreak. Minnesota alone saw $600 million in losses as the virus spread to over 100 farms in the state.

Many believe that migrating ducks and geese are what carried the bird flu into the United States, but thousands of droppings have been tested and so far, the results have come up negative. Others blame lapses in biosecurity and other farmers blame the wind.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the situation could have been handled better.

“We understand there are issues involving biosecurity, there are issues involving depopulation, there are issues involving disposal, there are issues involving indemnification, and the time for repopulation,” Vilsack said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has since issued a 57-page plan for this fall that reportedly can handle twice as many infections. The USDA is also hoping to stockpile the vaccine that will reduce the amount of virus created from an outbreak, but it won’t fully protect the birds.

The scare of another bird flu outbreak has also started a controversy on how to dispose of birds who are infected with the virus. U.S. agriculture officials have approved a new method that would entail trapping infected poultry in a sealed atmosphere, turning up the heat, and shutting off all ventilation. Animals rights groups immediately responded, stating that this method was cruel.

“We shouldn’t compound the problems for birds by subjecting them to a particularly miserable and protracted means of euthanasia,” said Michael Blackwell, the Humane Society’s chief veterinary officer.

U.S. agriculture officials state that this method isn’t the first choice as it can take 30 to 40 minutes for the birds to die of heat stress.

Russia Strengthens Fleet in Syria and Begins to Use Drones

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Syria has now received even more firepower from Russia. President Putin has now added drones, attack helicopters and aircraft to the forces in Syria.

The new arsenal includes a dozen Su-24 Fencer and a dozen Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack planes that were delivered to an air base near Latakia, Syria. The base now holds 28 warplanes according to a senior United States official. Previously, it only had four Flanker air-to-air fighters.

The new equipment is also protected by two or possibly three SA-22 antiaircraft systems and unarmed surveillance drones.

U.S. officials reported that Russia has 15 helicopters, nine tanks, three surface-to-air missile systems, over 25 fighter and attack aircraft and at least 500 ground troops in Syria at this time.

“The equipment and personnel just keep flowing in,” an official told the New York Times. “They were very busy over the weekend.”

U.S. and Russian officials have met to discuss the escalation of Russia’s military power in Syria, but there has been no follow-up contact since last Friday. The U.S. is worried that Russia is more concerned with bolstering the Assad regime rather than eliminating the ISIS threat. The U.S. believes that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step down from his leadership role in order to resolve the civil war.

“If Russia looks to play a constructive role against [ISIS], that’s one thing, but if what they’re doing is, in fact, propping up the Assad regime, then that’s an entirely different issue altogether,” stated U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby. He added: “because it is the Assad regime that has been a magnet for extremists inside Syria.”

While Russia has not flown any combat missions using jets or helicopters in Syria at this time, U.S. officials stated they will be keeping a close eye on all Russian military moves.

Prime Minister Netanyahu Meets with Putin, Agrees to Coordinate Military Action

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , ,

Many countries have become concerned with Russia’s recent military growth in Syria, including Israel.

On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Putin in Moscow to discuss the global terrorist threat and a plan on peace for the Middle East. The meeting ended with Israel and Russia agreeing to coordinate their military actions to avoid trading fire, according to Netanyahu.

Netanyahu did not elaborate to the media on the agreement, but did say he wanted to achieve the goal of “prevent(ing) misunderstandings between IDF (Israel Defense Force) units and Russian forces” in Syria, where Putin’s ally, Assad, is fighting a civil war with Islamist-dominated insurgents.

Putin stated that Russia would continue to provide military support to Assad in Syria’s fight against the spread of the Islamic State influence. He added that the assistance that has been provided so far is within international law.

Prime Minister Netanyahu informed reporters that he would be sharing the details of his visit with the United States. Currently the U.S. has stopped flying missions against the Islamic State insurgents in Syria until U.S. and Russian leaders meet.

A former adviser to Netanyahu reported that Israel was concerned that Russia’s help to Assad could strengthen Russia’s relationship with Iran, Assad’s other financial backer and Hezbollah patron. This could possibly create an alliance between Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, resulting in Russia’s technology being given to the terrorist organization.

Netanyahu warned Putin that keeping weapons from Hezbollah was his top priority, and informed Putin of Israel’s policy to strike at guerrillas suspected to attack from the northern frontier of Syria.

Nearly 1,600 Homes Destroyed by Northern California Wildfires

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

Another 162 homes North of San Francisco have been destroyed, raising the number of homes destroyed to 1,050, and making it the third worst wildfire in California’s history.

California fire officials announced the numbers on Sunday stating that the two wildfires in North California have destroyed nearly 1,600 homes. The fires have also killed five people.

Cal Fire reported Monday that the Valley Fire was about 69% contained but an additional 6,563 residential buildings were at risk from the wildfire north of San Francisco. Daniel Berlant the spokesman for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stated teams have completed about 80% of the damage assessment. At this time, only homes have been accounted for, additional structures like barns, sheds, and other outbuildings have not been counted.

The Butte Fire, a second large blaze about 170 miles southeast in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is threatening another 6,400 structures and has destroyed about 550 homes and 356 outbuildings.

Cal Fire reported on Twitter that the Butte Fire was 72% contained early Monday. The evacuation orders were lifted on Saturday, but some residents had nothing left.

“Everything was destroyed,” said Annie Curtis, 16, an evacuee from Mountain Ranch, told KCRA.

“My house, the barn, the woodshed, three cars, some tractors, a whole backhoe, the tires melted off,” she said.

Another fire in Monterey Country, named the Tassajara fire, is reportedly 30% contained as of Monday.

Markets Begin September in Nose Dive

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,

The stock markets ended one of the worst months in three years by starting September in a nose dive.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell almost 470 points and ended at 16,058.  The drop of just over 2.8% was the single worst opening day for a month in the market since March 2009.  The Dow has fallen 12.5% from the all-time high in May.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 also had their worst first day of trading since March 2009, falling almost 3 percent to 1,913.  Only three stocks in the index showed gains on the day:  Cablevision, American Airlines and a chemical company, Sigma-Aldrich.

The NASDAQ had its worst opening day of a month trading since October 2011.  It’s now 2% lower for the year.

Most analysts attributed the stock fall to continuing fears about the Chinese economy and volatility in the Chinese stock market.  Two major reports from China today showed significant slowing in the country’s manufacturing.

Many of the American stocks that took heavy hits in today’s trading have strong connections to China such as Apple and Qualcomm.

However, the U.S. gauge for manufacturing also turned in a dismal result Tuesday.  The ISM manufacturing index fell to its lowest level since May 2013.

Wall Street Ends the Day Down Despite Early Gains

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Investors were hopeful on Tuesday as U.S. stock seemed to have early gains, but those gains were reversed and U.S. stocks ended down within the final 30 minutes of trade.

Trading on Wall Street was voluminous . S&P 500 was down 1.4% even after a late selloff that gained them 2.9% earlier today.

The day ended with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 204.91 points, or 1.29%, to 15,666.44.  The NASDAQ Composite lost 19.77 points and S&P 500 was down 25.59 points, it’s biggest loss since 2011.

“You saw a knee-jerk drop and a knee-jerk recovery and now people are thinking about it,” said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial in Waltham, Mass.

The Chinese central bank cut interest rates by 0.25%, making the one-year lending rate 4.6%. The reason was “aimed at lowering corporate borrowing costs and to ensure enough liquidity for stable credit growth.”

“I think it’s a real good start, but it’s on the low end of what the markets were looking for. It indicates China has stepped off the idea that markets will go it alone, and instead the government will support them. It’s not a question about how much assistance there is, now that they’ve made the commitment, it will be enough [to quell market sentiment],” McMillan stated.

Despite these efforts to boost China’s equity markets, the Shanghai Composite lost 7.63% and Japan’s Nikkei fell 3.96%.

The price of oil barely rose, but the slowdown in China kept prices from rising significantly. The price of copper rose 2.3%, but the values of both gold and silver fell.

Whose Side Are You On?

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Revelation in the News, Teaching | Tags: , , ,

In the news, Iran celebrates while chanting ‘Death to Israel and America’. Israel reels from a proposed contract that threatens their nation’s very existence and leaders of our American government congratulate themselves on making a deal regarding nuclear weapon capabilities with Iran.  As a lifelong, passionate student of the Word of God, I should be saying that this doesn’t surprise me.  Although the Bible has been warning of these last days and what will happen, I would not have imagined that America would turn on Israel as it has now. I am witnessing what is happening with my own eyes all the while knowing deep in my heart that it is our relationship with Israel that has that has kept us from Judgment rather than ‘given us grace with God’.   It seems the world has gone topsy turvy.  What made sense in our lives even a year ago in our country and around the world has changed. What do we do? READ MORE →

Chattanooga Shooter Identified

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Law enforcement officials have released the name of the shooter who injured three people and killed four marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The alleged gunman is 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. It is believed Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait, but there is no evidence to the status of his citizenship at this time. He was reportedly from Hixson, Tennessee, a town located across the river from Chattanooga.

Officials have stated that Abdulazeez was “not on the FBI’s radar” before the attacks and that it’s too early to establish a motive.

Abdulazeez was reportedly killed, but no details regarding his death has been released by officials at this time.

Could this be the Beginning of a Complete World Collapse?

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,

A Day of Chaos on Wall Street today!  As this is being written, the New York Stock Exchange had been closed for over 4 hours.  The Greek Government is scrambling to fix their financial disaster and headlines are screaming out that the real crisis in the financial news is that China is headed for a crash much like what happened to us in 1929. As I have watched the news today, riveted by what is happening all over the country, all I could do was sit and connect the dots. Could the world’s financial system be taking the first major step towards a complete collapse?

This morning, United Airlines had to suspend and cancel flights all over the country because of a “computer glitch”; The Wall Street Journal’s Website went down because of a “computer glitch”.   All of these computer glitches and I have a hard time NOT connecting them together. And if these incidents are related, then it had to be by something evil.

There is massive flooding all over the country and power outages occurring because of them. We are also suffering from drought and threats of disease that are wiping out some of our food supply.  The warning signs are continuing to flash brighter.

Last night I received a phone call from a recent prophetic guest and wonderful friend, John Kilpatrick.  He told me that, “The next 90 days will be more important than the last 54 years of your ministry all together!”  He went on to warn me, “Do not be distracted as the next months are crucial!  Your voice must be diligent and clear in the next 90 days!”

Time after time, our prophetic guests have told us all that we need to be preparing NOW!  It IS time to get ready for what is to come!  John Shorey, Rick Joyner, Joel Richardson, Carl Gallups and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn are among those that have just recently been warning the world of what is to come!  I cannot help but think of their words as this day unfolds.  We will see more of these days of uncertainty, we will see more chaos.

According to Joe Grano, Chairman and CEO of Centurion Holdings LLC and former chairman of Homeland Security Advisory Council: “The two places America is most vulnerable is our financial systems and our energy grid. And the biggest warning light is that our enemies not only can shut down our financial system but also our grid.”

I am committed to bringing you as much information that I can as the days unfold.  We are going to be working on this together!  On our next broadcast, we will be talking about these world shaking events and piecing them together on the show.  We will be discussing the many events that are coming together in this world and what we can begin expecting in the days to come. Today we began construction on our new Roku network “breaking news” facility. We are so eager to finish this new building so that we may bring you the cutting edge news as soon as it is breaking.

The Lord is speaking to all of us in so many ways.  We want to hear from you if you feel He is speaking to you!  Please send us information that you find and news that you feel is important during these prophetic days.  We want to hear from you!  Please email us at newsteam@jimbakkershow.com.

God Bless you.

Love,

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