Kresta in the Afternoon – January 6, 2020 – Hour 1

+ Articles Mentioned:

• The Real Start Of “Maximum Pressure” Against Iran -
  (click to read more)

• Trump Pushes Iraq, Threatens Sanctions After Vote to Expel U.S. Troops -
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• Statement by the Department of Defense -
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• Forget the Swiss — How about the Vatican to broker US/Iran relations? -
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• After Soleimani assassination, Pope warns war ‘brings only death and destruction’ -
  (click to read more)

• Soleimani air strike could mean new danger for Iraqi Christians -
  (click to read more)

• Inside the plot by Iran’s Soleimani to attack U.S. forces in Iraq -
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• Opinion: Trump’s Suleimani strike is more of the same old losing U.S. game plan in the Mideast -
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• Iraq's Parliament calls for expulsion of US troops from the country following drone attack -
  (click to read more)

• The Long Battle with Iran -
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+ Resources Mentioned Available in Our Store:

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  Iran’s Deadly Ambition: The Islamic Republic’s Quest for Global Power

  Are we on the cusp of détente with Iran? Conventional wisdom certainly seems to believe so. In the aftermath of the interim nuclear deal struck in November 2013 between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 powers (the United States, France, England, Russia, China and Germany), hopes are now running high for a historic reconciliation between Iran's clerical regime and the West. Yet there is ample reason for skepticism that the United States and Europe can truly curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions by diplomatic means. Moreover, the current focus on Iran’s nuclear program not he part of the Western governments is deeply dangerous, because it fails to recognize—let alone address—Iran’s other international activities, or its foreign policy ambitions. Those objectives reveals Ilan Berman, are global in scope, and they are growing. Iran's Deadly Ambition explains how America's retraction from the Middle East has created significant breathing room for an Iranian regime that not long ago was on the political ropes. Economically, the Islamic Republic is "out of the box" that was erected over the past decade-and-a-half by Western sanctions, thanks to the "interim" nuclear deal. As a result, Iran's leaders are again thinking big about their country and its place in the world. America faces stark choices: to confront Iran's nuclear ambitions and global activities, or to accept and accommodate the region's newest hegemon, with all that that portends for American security and the safety of its allies. (learn more)

+ Articles Mentioned:

• The incredible success story behind one county's plummeting divorce rate -
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• Study finds no 'gay gene' - What that means for Catholic morality -
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• Seven moral rules found all over teh world -
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• Religion's health effects should make doubting parishioners reconsider leaving -
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+ Articles Mentioned:

• Project Veritas’ alleged CNN whistleblower claims network is ‘pumping out propaganda' -
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• CNN President Jeff Zucker ADMITS TO BIASED ATTACKS On President Trump -
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• 12 Stories The Media Got Horribly Wrong In 2019 -
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• Dropping Jussie Smollett Charges Says It’s Okay To Lie If You’re Woke -
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• The Magi and the Obstinacy of Belief -
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+ Resources Mentioned Available in Our Store:

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  Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men

  Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod. In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world. The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment―confirmed by computer models―that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king. The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel. (learn more)