Pope Leo appoints German bishop who endorsed homosexual ‘blessings,’ claimed sodomy ‘not sinful’
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday named Monsignor Christian Würtz, an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Freiburg, Germany, who has a history of supporting homosexual “blessings” and contradicting the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, as the next bishop of Eichstätt. Würtz, 55, was among the 38 German bishops in 2023 who voted in favor of a document endorsing “blessings” for homosexual “couples” as well as for the divorced and “remarried.” Six months earlier, Würtz supported the German Synodal Way’s heterodox “Doctrinal Reassessment of Homosexuality” document that falsely called homosexual acts “not sinful” and “not intrinsically evil.”
The search for the lost Temple incense: new sourcebook opens the next chapter of a 33-year investigation
In May 1992, a team of volunteers led by Texas Pastor Vendyl Jones was digging at the base of a limestone cliff near Qumran when they uncovered what may be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in modern history. Beneath it lay a hollowed recess packed with a reddish-brown organic powder, sealed away for two thousand years. Jones believed the aromatic dust was Ketoret, the sacred incense burned twice daily on the golden altar inside the Jerusalem Temple.
BIG SOLAR ACTIVITY:
On July 7th, two sides of the sun exploded almost simultaneously. This movie from NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite shows what happened. Plumes of hot plasma flew away from opposing hemispheres within the same 2 hours. Coincidence? Maybe not. NASA has seen this happen before. Magnetic instabilities can quickly ripple across the entire sun, destablizing widely-separated regions. In 2010, an entire hemisphere erupted. This event, in combination with recent flares from sunspot 4482, suggest that the sun is in a heightened state of activity.
NATO must focus on Ukraine despite rising Arctic security concerns, Iceland says
Iceland welcomes NATO’s growing focus on the High North but Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir warned that the alliance must not lose sight of the war in Ukraine, arguing that continued support for Kyiv remains essential to the security of Europe and Iceland. Speaking to Euractiv, Gunnarsdóttir said Operation Arctic Sentry is an important step in strengthening security in the High North. However, she stressed that the alliance’s focus must remain on NATO’s eastern flank.
US hits Iran with ‘powerful strikes’ after attacks on commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
U.S. Central Command on Tuesday said American forces had begun launching “powerful strikes” against Iran in response to attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official said targets include air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missile sites, anti-ship cruise missile sites, drone launch sites and port facilities.
While Minneapolis bans data centers, it greenlights commercial sex venues — and homeowners pay the price
The Minneapolis City Council, by a vote of 9-2, repealed a 38-year-old ban on commercially operated sex venues and bathhouses, while the council’s next agenda item banned data center development. At a time when Minneapolis is shifting its tax burden from fleeing businesses to homeowners, you would think the city council would avoid the obvious contrast. But sadly, there is no such thing as embarrassment in the City of Lakes.
France and Syria to exchange ambassadors, says President Ahmed al-Sharaa
France and Syria are reestablishing ambassadors in each other’s countries, says Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The announcement came during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Syria on Tuesday. Ambassadors from France and Syria will be on site shortly. The French embassy in Damascus closed in 2012 when the civil war in the country broke out.
Trump renews demand for control of Greenland, citing Denmark’s investment failure
Donald Trump is once again threatening to take over Greenland. According to the U.S. president, Denmark has failed to invest enough in the self-governing territory. Greenland is not helping Denmark. Denmark is not investing enough money to really help Greenland, but it is an important part for the United States, Trump said at a press conference at the NATO summit in Ankara, repeating his claim that Greenland is “surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.”
US raises alarm over China’s rapid nuclear buildup after missile test
The United States says China’s “rapid” build-up of nuclear weapons is a cause for “great concern.” The statement comes after China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine. “As the United States works harder than ever to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, China is doing just the opposite,” said Tommy Pigott, a spokesman for the US State Department.
Anthropic Caught Secretly Spying on Users
Anthropic, the self-avowed moral center of the AI industry, has been caught spying on its users. As Ars Technica reports, a security researcher last week uncovered spyware-like code in the company’s Claude Code AI model designed to collect data on Chinese users without detection. The researcher, known by the pseudonym “Thereallo,” found that the code was hidden in the AI’s system prompt, allowing it track a user’s system timezone and usage of a proxy server in order to suss out if they were connected to specific Chinese AI labs.
NATO agrees to $50 billion in defense deals to placate Trump
NATO allies have agreed to at least $50 billion in defense industry deals, according to an alliance official, to show to U.S. President Donald Trump that Europe is heeding his spending demands. Secretary-General Mark Rutte revealed some of the contracts on Tuesday during a defense industry forum in Ankara, where the military alliance’s leaders are meeting for their annual summit this week. Those included $12 billion in deals to buy next-generation drones, surveillance planes and military aircraft.
The disturbing numbers behind America’s growing shift away from Israel
Polls showing overall disapproval of Israel are nothing new, but the latest AP-NORC survey is different. It paints an even more alarming picture of where Americans now stand on Israel. Perhaps the most striking finding is this: 31% of Americans now believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Only 20% reject that accusation, while an astonishing 49% say they don’t know enough to have an opinion. That means only one in five Americans is willing to definitively say Israel has not committed genocide.
Amb. Leiter says Israel-Lebanon deal supersedes US-Iran MOU, military option remains
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said on Monday that Israel views its newly signed agreement with Lebanon – not the recent U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding – as the framework for future relations with Beirut. He also signaled that military action against Iran remains an option if diplomacy fails.
Rahm Emanuel will assail Netanyahu in Tel Aviv speech as American politics shift against Israel
Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic presidential candidate and longtime defender of Israel, will denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv this week and deliver a bracing message that the country’s relationship with the United States is “at a crossroads.” “It cannot stand or survive as it has been,” Emanuel will say at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday, according to remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “To maintain the strength of our ties, we need significant changes and a new direction.”
Israel prepares post-Hezbollah Lebanon peace pact
Ambassador Leiter said Israeli and Lebanese teams are expected to meet in Rome on July 14–15 to begin discussions through working groups on key issues, including border disputes. Israel is working to draft a comprehensive peace agreement framework with Lebanon that could be implemented once Hezbollah is no longer a factor, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said on Monday.
Iran regime advisor: The US will sabotage the talks
“The US is seeking to pass its warships through the Strait of Hormuz. In practice, the US is acting in a way that undermines agreements,” Rezaee charged. He further claimed, “Those within Iran who oppose negotiations must be patient – the US will sabotage the talks themselves; it is clear they will cause the negotiations to fail.”
UAE unveils bold plan to bypass Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates is preparing a sweeping infrastructure program aimed at eliminating its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, despite expectations that the strategic waterway will fully reopen following the signing of a peace agreement between Iran and the US. “We’re moving toward having zero Hormuz dependency, and that’s regardless of whether it’s open or not,” UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi said
‘Historically rare’ tornado strikes Huanggang, causing extensive urban damage in Hubei Province, China
A rare tornado struck on July 6, 2026, causing widespread destruction across residential neighborhoods, industrial facilities, and logistics parks. The tornado produced winds exceeding Force 15 on China’s wind scale during a historically rare event for the city. Preliminary numbers mention up to 12 fatalities and hundreds injured.
Over 500 dead in DR Congo Ebola outbreak
Over 500 people have now died in the Ebola outbreak gripping the Democratic Republic of Congo, WHO figures showed Monday. A newly updated count issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,561 confirmed cases in the DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, including 506 confirmed deaths.
Running On Empty: Iran Attacks Multiple Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as Oil Inventories Get Even Tighter
Those that proclaimed the global energy crisis was over are wrong. Within the past 24 hours, Iran has attacked numerous commercial vessels attempting to travel through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has told the world over and over that traffic through the Strait will never go back to how it was before the war, and they mean it.
“This Is Punishment” – Does the Massive Wave of U.S. Airstrikes in Iran Mean the Next Chapter of World War III Has Begun?
Iran made a foolish move in attacking vessels in the Strait again. It was inevitable the U.S. would respond militarily, and this wave of airstrikes is far larger than those near the end of last month. Of course, Iran will strike back. When fighting has flared in the past, a way has been found to settle things back down. Will that be true this time?
It’s been 5 years of suffering for covid vaccine-injured; Sen. Ron Johnson hasn’t given up
Senator Johnson released a report documenting federal health agencies’ failure to acknowledge vaccine safety concerns and is pushing for accountability. This comes as the COVID vaccine-injured community reaches a 5-year milestone. Many have experienced chronic illness, financial hardship, & emotional suffering these past 5 years.
JUST IN: Iran Hits Another Ship in the Strait of Hormuz – Audio Shows Iranian Navy Threatening Ships: “This is Last Warning. You Are All in Danger”
Per CBS, at least three ships in the Strait appeared to come under attack. One of the ships was a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker that caught fire, risking an explosion. A second Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker was also targeted by a missile, and a third unidentified ship was hit by a drone.
‘Death to Israel’ banner displayed at running of the bulls festival in Spain
The opening of Spain’s annual running of the bulls festival in Pamplona featured anti-Israel demonstrations, continuing a pattern that has become increasingly visible at the event in recent years.
Sa’ar: Hamas using civilian government to avoid disarmament
The Israeli foreign minister said the terror group aims to mimic the Hezbollah-Lebanon model in Gaza. Hamas is attempting to avoid disarmament by signaling openness to a technocratic government in Gaza, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Monday, warning the move is aimed at preserving the terrorist group’s military power.
Robert Spencer Destroys Tucker Carlson’s Attempt to Whitewash Islam’s Treatment of Christians
Robert Spencer dismantles J.D. Hall’s misleading claims on Tucker Carlson that the Ottomans were ‘very kind’ to Christians, exposing instead the historical reality of institutionalized Islamic subjugation, humiliating dhimmitude, and the complete absence of equality for Christians under Sharia.