ISIS Declares War Against “All the Jews” and Israel in Latest Video

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

On Sunday, the Islamic State released a new video across social media titled “A Message to Israel.” The 40 second video shows an ISIS jihadi speaking Hebrew and stating that ISIS was declaring war on Israel and the entire Jewish people.

“My message to the [Israel Defense Force] officers and soldiers and all the Jews – we will fight you with God’s help, we will come for you from across the world and we will slaughter you like sheep, prepare for the big war, the war of stone and wood. This is be soon and not long,” the terrorist said, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post.

The terrorist’s face was pixelated and he was shown wielding a knife while two other men stood on either side of him. He continued:

“To all the Jews, grandsons of apes and pigs, we are coming at you from all over the world. … [The war] is soon; it won’t be long, God willing, God willing,” he said in the video according to the International Business Times.

This is the second video that ISIS has recently released that has called for the annihilation of Jews. Last month, they released a similar video with a masked member of ISIS talking to a camera in Hebrew, announcing war against Israel.

“This is an important message to all Jews — the first enemy of the Muslims. The real war has not yet begun. Whatever you had previously is child’s play [in comparison]. … Do whatever you want in the meantime, until we reach you, and then we will make you pay for the crimes you have committed. … Soon, there will not be even a single Jew left in Jerusalem or the rest of the country. We will keep going until we eradicate this disease worldwide.”

Sunday’s video was released after ISIS declared they were responsible for bringing down the Russian jet that crashed into the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people. At this time, it is still unclear as to what brought down the plane.

The Israel Defense Force has stated that they are closely monitoring ISIS, especially along Israel’s southern border with Egypt.

On Saturday, the Democratic Forces of Syria joined forces with U.S.-backed Kurdish militia and Syrian Arab rebel groups in order to start a new offensive against ISIS. Kurdish forces will be leading airstrikes and land offensives to interrupt the Islamic State’s supply lines across the Syria-Iraq border. CNN also reports that 5,000 Yazidi fighters are gearing up for an offensive that will take back the town of Sinjar from ISIS. If they can reclaim Sinjar then ISIS would have a more difficult time resupplying their people in Mosul.

Russia Blames “External Influence” for Plane Crash in Egypt that Killed 224 People

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

A senior airline official representing the Russian airline Kogalymavia has blamed Saturday’s Sinai plane crash on an “external influence,” according to CNN. The crash killed all 224 people that were on board.

The official added that planes don’t just fall apart in midair, but that’s exactly what happened to Kogalymavia Flight 9268 before it crashed into a remote area of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

The executive did not release details on what he meant by an external influence, but an investigation is underway. Aviation experts on currently looking through the data on the airplane’s “black boxes,” but no results have been shared yet.

BBC News reports that the head of Russia’s Federal Aviation Agency stated that it is too early to know the cause of the crash, despite what the senior airline official has said.

“It is completely premature to speak about the reasons of this, as there are not grounds. And I’d like to call on the aviation community to refrain from any premature conclusions,” Sputnicknews.com quoted Alexander Neradko, the agency chief, who talked to Rossiya-25 television.

CNN aviation analyst Peter Goelz said that because the plane broke into several pieces before hitting the ground, that it helps reduce to the list of possible causes, however, there are still plenty of situations that could have happened.

Here are the only facts that are concrete at this time: the airplane came apart mid air, the plane lost speed and began to descend quickly, and the crew made no attempts to contact any sort of air traffic control to report the situation.

AP reports that Russian Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov stated that the crash site would continue to be searched until all the bodies of the victims were found. Currently, 144 bodies have been sent to St. Petersburg and more are expected to arrive Monday evening.

According to CNN, 217 people on the plane were passengers and 7 were crew members. Of the passengers, 25 were children.

Russian President Putin expressed his condolences to the victim’s families.

“This is a terrible tragedy and we are most certainly with you at this time with all our hearts and souls,” Putin said.

“I want to thank the people of St. Petersburg for the way they have responded. The whole country has seen this, everyone in Russia, and I want to thank you for your words of sympathy and condolence. In such tragic hours, it is certainly very important to feel the support of those close to you and know you have the entire country’s sympathy over this terrible disaster.”

The United States, Germany, and Britain all issued overflight warnings for the Sinai Peninsula previous to the crash due to extremist violence in the area. Germany issued the warnings on October 5 while America and Britain issued the warnings on October 15.

Ted Koppel States that the U.S. is Unprepared for an Attack on the Power Grid

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

Veteran journalist, Ted Koppel, is getting the word out to the American public that the U.S. does not have a plan for a cyberattack against the power grid.

In his latest book “Lights Out,” Koppel writes on what would happen if another country took out the nation’s power grid via hacking, and how it would be difficult for unprepared American residents to survive.

“It’s frightening,” Koppel told CBS News. “I mean, it is frightening enough that my wife and I decided we were going to buy enough freeze-dried food for all of our kids and their kids.”

Koppel went on to say that the former Chief Scientists of the NSA told him that Russia and China were already in the power grid. And soon, Iran and terrorist groups like ISIS may be able to hack their way into the power grid’s system that is connected to the Internet.

“I’m not sure why it hasn’t happened yet,” cyber security consultant Larry Pesce told CBS. “It’s definitely not for lack of capability on various parts, be it us or the enemy. I think it comes down to timing. I think we need to make the right people mad at the right time.”

According to Koppel, he has talked with every former secretary of Homeland Security and they all said the same thing: there is no plan for a cyberattack against the power grid. However, Homeland Security replied to CBS saying that there is a plan, but they did not give details.

A former Defense Department official, Paul Stockton, told CBS that Koppel is wrong. While there is a plan in place, Stockton did admit that there could be improvement in security measures both through the government and the power companies.

“The government is building plans very, very quickly now to help manage the consequences of an attack on the grid,” Stockton said.

Stockton did add that Koppel was smart for stocking up on food and water for him and his family.

Average citizens need to be able to take care of their own families and their own neighborhoods and their own communities, and not assume that Uncle Sam is somehow going to magically bring in the cavalry and rescue them,” he said.

3 Small Earthquakes Hit Central Arizona

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

Central Arizona was rattled Sunday night after experiencing 3 small earthquakes within a 3 hour period.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the first earthquake had a 3.2 magnitude and struck just before 9 p.m. local time. At 11:29 p.m., a 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck the same area, and twenty minutes later, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake took place, according to Weather.com. No injuries or damages have been reported.

All three earthquakes were centered around Black Canyon City which is located about 45 miles north of Phoenix, and they ranged between 3-6 miles in depth.

“In general, it’s relatively small,” Zachary Reeves of the USGS said of the magnitude-4.1 peak earthquake Sunday, the largest of the series. “If people are in bed then people may not even be woken up by it.”

Residents in Phoenix did feel tremors from the quake. Geologist Michael Conway, chief of the Geologic Extension Service of the Arizona Geological Survey, told ABC News that central Arizona region has several inactive and active faults that reach throughout the state.

Since the USGS began keeping records of earthquakes, Arizona has seen 11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or greater, and two of those 11 occurred on Sunday night.

At Least 40 Killed in Syrian Attacks on Rebels While Leaders Talk in Vienna

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

A rebel-held town near Damascus was attacked by missiles and airstrikes sent by Syrian regime forces, resulting in the the deaths of at least 40 people.

In addition to the deaths, at least 200 people have been injured in Friday’s attack, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that government forces fired 12 missiles at the town of Douma, located 10 miles northeast of Damascus.

“Utterly heinous that while world leaders meet for peace in Vienna, attack(s) against civilians continue in Syria,” the Syrian Civil Defence said on Twitter.

Currently the numbers are still being added up as to how many people have been killed and injured due to Friday’s attack. Various news sources are reporting a variety of numbers at this time.

The attack came at the same time as 19 foreign ministers are meeting in Vienna to discuss the Syrian civil war, including the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Associated Press has reported that since the civil war started in March 2011, more than 250,000 people have been killed and up to one third of the population has been displaced.

U.S. Officials: Special Operations Forces to be Sent to Syria

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

According to U.S. officials, the White House will announce Friday that the Pentagon is sending a small number of special operations forces to Syria to help advise Syrian opposition in the fight against ISIS.

This will be the first time U.S. special operations forces have been on the ground in Syria. NBC News reports that President Obama has ordered around 50 special operations forces to be deployed and work with the rebel group named the Syrian Arab Coalition. The U.S. troops will not be on the frontlines, but instead will be providing assistance, advice, and training. A strategy similar to the one the U.S. is currently using in Iraq.

“We have been focused on intensifying elements of our strategy that have been working, while also moving away from elements of our approach that have proven less effective,” the official explained.

The Obama administration has been continuously criticized on their various strategies to try and combat ISIS. The current airstrikes strategy has yielded mixed results, and recently, the Pentagon decided to abandon a failed program that was training and equipping Syrian rebels.

While the change in strategy has seen a lot of speculation, a source told ABC News that the administration has stated that “we have no intention of engaging in long-term, large-scale combat operations the likes of which we previously saw in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Japan, China, and South Korean Leaders to Revive Dialogue at First Summit in Three Years

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

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and South Korean President Park Geun Hye will meet in Seoul on Sunday for the first summit between the three countries in since 2012.

While past historical issues will most likely be brought up, the leaders hope to move forward in order to boost stability in Northeast Asia and better relations with Tokyo, according to South Korean and Chinese officials. The Washington Post also reports that all three countries are concerned over North Korea and its nuclear capabilities and may discuss the matter at the meeting. However, Sunday’s meeting is said to be a first step toward burying the past.

“None of them wants to be seen stonewalling the cooperation,” said Shin Kawashima, a University of Tokyo professor of international studies. They all have soft spots “so they want to find a comfortable middle ground,” he told Fox News.

And it is a tricky situation for the three Asian powers as Tokyo does not want to discuss history, Beijing, for political reasons, can’t be too friendly with Japan, and Seoul doesn’t want the U.S. to think they are getting too close to China.

Reuters reports that the bad blood between the nations are due to past wartimes when China and South Korea suffered under Japan’s colonial rule and brutal occupation before Japan was defeated in 1945.

State Officials Report: Oregon Teen Girl has Bubonic Plague

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

Oregon health officials state that a 16-year-old girl in Crook County has been diagnosed with the bubonic plague.

According to USA Today, the teen is currently in an intensive care at a local hospital and her status isn’t known at this time. The Oregon Health Authority believes the girl contracted the disease via flea bite while she was on a hunting trip. So far, no one else in Crook County has been infected with the plague.

“Many people think of the plague as a disease of the past, but it’s still very much present in our environment, particularly among wildlife,” state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess told KGW. “Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way.”

Federal and state health officials are working with local authorities to investigate the disease.

The Bubonic plague is the disease heard of during the medieval times that wiped out the majority of the population, however, it is rare today. CBS News reports that there is an average of seven human plague cases a year. In Oregon, there have only been eight human cases since 1995 with no reported deaths.

If caught early enough, the plague can be treated with antibiotics. There is currently no vaccine for the plague.

White House Reports U.S. Jets Intercept Russian Warplanes near Korean Peninsula

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

Four fighter jets were launched by the U.S. Navy to intercept Russian warplanes that were flying one nautical mile away from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, the USS Ronald Reagan was performing a military exercise with South Korea in the Sea of Japan. Korean jets first intercepted the Russian warplanes. The Navy also stated they tried to communicate with the Russian planes, but never received a response.

Yahoo! News reports that Earnest stated the situation was “not a particularly threatening encounter,” as there was no evidence that the Russian planes posed any threat to the aircraft carrier or the ships that were escorting it.

The situation comes after an agreement was signed between Russia and the United States on October 10 that established protocols for flying over Syria. The agreement was to avoid any crashes between pilots.

Today’s incident isn’t the first time the U.S. and Russia has experienced encounters like this in 2015. A video was released by the Navy in June that showed Russian jets flying near the guided missile destroyer USS Ross. On July 4, Russian fighter jets located off the coasts of Alaska and California were intercepted by the United States, according to CNN.

7th Grade Texas Student Told to Deny God as Part of Classroom Assignment

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

A junior high school in Katy, Texas is under scrutiny after a teacher gave an assignment to her class where they had to deny the existence of God.

Student Jordan Wooley, 12, told ABC News that her reading class was given an assignment to identify statements as fact or opinion. When Jordan marked the statement “There is a God” as both a fact and an opinion, her teacher marked the answer as wrong. According to USA Today Jordan tried to explain to the teacher that it could be either answer, based on a person’s beliefs, but the teacher stated the answer was still wrong and that Jordan had to say God wasn’t real. The assignment was graded so if she did not deny God, she couldn’t pass the assignment.

Jordan then told her mom when she got home.

“In this day in age, I would have never guessed that something like this would happen in a classroom in America,” Chantel Wooley told ABC News.

The Wooleys then visited the school district’s Board of Education meeting to inform them of the situation.

“Today I was given an assignment in school that questioned my faith,” Jordan said at the meeting.

The Katy Independent School District has apologized since the incident and released a statement saying that the exercise was intended to encourage critical thinking, not question any religious beliefs of the students.

“Still this does not excuse the fact that this ungraded activity was ill-conceived and because of that, its intent had been misconstrued,” the district said in its statement.

The teacher in question has not responded to any requests for comments regarding the situation.