Jordan a crucial stop on Pence’s itinerary

MIDDLE EAST: Vice President Mike Pence is set to depart Friday for a delayed and revised trip to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan that could coincide with a government shutdown on the one-year anniversary of the Trump administration’s inauguration. A White House official told Voice of America a shutdown would not change the trip because “the visit is considered integral to U.S. national security objectives.”

Author Joel Rosenberg called the visit to Jordan crucial and suggested Pence will announce more U.S. military aid ($1.5 billion over five years) and needs to provide a “clear and convincing” plan to revive an Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative.

IRAN: U.S. troops will remain in Syria and Iraq to counteract the threat posed by Iran and terrorists groups, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a speech at Stanford University. “We cannot repeat the mistake of 2011, where a premature departure from Iraq allowed al-Qaeda in Iraq to survive and eventually become ISIS,” he said.

My report in the just-released issue of WORLD Magazine on Iran’s latest uprising highlights the significance of Christian broadcasting as a communication tool in a blackout, with audiences estimated at 6 million, versus an estimated 1 million for Voice of America broadcasts.

GERMANY: It’s up to Social Democrats whether to form a government with Chancellor Angela Merkel by Sunday, but Germany’s former finance minister, Christian Democrat and leading statesman Wolfgang Schaeuble, said there are other ways for his and Merkel’s party to remain in power should that fail by a Sunday deadline.

At least 11 people died when a powerful storm Germans are calling “Friederike” swept gale-force winds across western Europe.

FLU: A century ago, 500 million people—or one-third the global population at the time—contracted the Spanish flu, and 50 million to 100 million died from it (including President Donald Trump’s 49-year-old grandfather). This history includes a detailed description for current sufferers of how the flu virus works its mischief.

INDIA: The most pirated film of the year is—no surprise—a Bollywood hit, and one that was banned in Pakistan for depicting Muslims as criminals and terrorists.

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