Today is National Squirrel Appreciation Day.  It was first observed on January 21, 2001.  It is a day to encourage kindness to our bushy-tailed neighbors.  Squirrels plant seeds.  Some of the seeds eventually grow into trees, thus assisting with forest renewal.

       
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In a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, Donald Trump and J. D. Vance were confirmed as the president-elect and vice president-elect of the United States.  This morning, the inauguration ceremony for Trump and Vance took place in Washington, D.C.  Trump is the 47th president and Vance is the 50th vice president of the U.S.

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Today is a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.  He would have been 96 years old on January 15.  Each year, this holiday is observed on the third Monday of January.

       
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Guest host Pastor Mark Henry and Mondo Gonzales ask if the future ten kings of Daniel are here today?  They also discuss implications of the California catastrophe.  Progressives want chaos to further their agenda.

Ken Mikle and Pastor Josh Schwartz talk to Seth Gruber in an important segment.  Saving unborn children from abortion is very important.  All of them are formed in the womb by God.  The Church needs to be inspired to end the great evil of abortion.

         

         

         
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Today’s program, lasting 57 minutes, can be heard here:

More than 15 months of negotiations have taken place between Israel and Hamas.  During that time, the United States, Egypt and Qatar have served as intermediaries.  It was reported yesterday that a ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas.  However, according to a statement from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, several details still need to be worked out.

According to U.S. and Qatari officials, the deal will take place in three different phases.  Each phase will last for 6 weeks (42 days).  Phase 1 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 19, the day prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the U.S.

In Phase 1, during the first 6-week period, Israeli forces are to withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas in Gaza.  Also, more aid is to be allowed into Gaza.  According to an Egyptian security source, coordination currently is underway to open the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing to allow the entry of international aid into Gaza.

Furthermore, as part of Phase 1, 33 hostages being held in Gaza are to be released, beginning with women, children and the elderly.  Of this group of hostages, 3 Americans are believed to be alive in Hamas custody, while 4 others are believed to be dead.  In addition, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel also are to be released in exchange for the hostages.

In Phase 2, during the second 6-week period, a permanent cessation of military operations and all hostilities is to be implemented.  Then there is to be an exchange of the remaining Israeli male hostages, civilians and hostages for an agreed upon number of prisoners in Israeli jails.  Also, there is to be a complete withdrawal of Israel forces from the Gaza Strip.

In Phase 3, during the third 6-week period, the remains and bodies in the possession of Gaza and Israel are to be exchanged after identification.  The reconstruction of Gaza is to begin and last for 3 to 5 years.  This is to include homes, civilian buildings and infrastructures.  Compensation for all affected individuals is to be under the supervision of several countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar and the U.N.  Also, all crossings in Gaza are to be opened, allowing the movement of people and goods.

The Senate confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet members begin today.  They have been nominated by Trump for top posts in his new administration.  The hearings will continue for several days.

In the Senate, Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority.  A nominee’s confirmation requires a simple majority.  It is hoped that more than a dozen nominees will be confirmed before Trump is inaugurated for his second term as president next week on Jan. 20.

Below are 17 nominees for Trump’s cabinet who will be questioned during the ongoing confirmation hearings:

Pete Hegseth:  Secretary of Defense Kristi Noem:  Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Pam Bondi:  Attorney General Marco Rubio:  Secretary of State John Ratcliffe:  Director of the CIA Sean Duffy:  Secretary of Transportation Chris Wright:  Secretary of Energy Russell Vought:  Director of the Office of Management and Budget Doug Burgum:  Secretary of the Interior Lee Zeldin:  Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Turner:  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Bessent:  Secretary of the Treasury Doug Collins:  Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert F. Kennedy:  Secretary of Health and Human Services Tulsi Gabbard:  Director of National Intelligence Kash Patel:  Director of the FBI Elise Stefanik:  Ambassador to the United Nations

The horrendous wildfires in Los Angeles County, California, are still burning.  Thousands of properties, homes and businesses have been completely destroyed.  Governor Gavin Newsom has been asked what can be done for those who escaped the fires but, unfortunately, have lost everything.

At Olive Tree Ministries this weekend, Jan Markell and Pastor Mark Henry talked with Brandon Holthaus about the shadow government and deep state—which has dug down deeper since our election.  They asked if what we’re witnessing is why America is not found in Bible prophecy.

Ken Mikle and Pastor Josh Schwartz talked with David Fiorazo about today’s lawlessness and calling evil good.  It could be that Islamic terrorism, which struck in New Orleans early on New Year’s morning 2025, may increase in the U.S.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.  A righteous man hates lying, but a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.  Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. (Proverbs 13:4-6)

         

         

         
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Today’s program, lasting 60 minutes, can be heard here:

Today is Wear Blue Day.  In 2007, the U.S. Senate designated January 11 as a National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness in an effort to raise consciousness about this global, national and local issue.  It part of a Blue Campaign designed to bring awareness to the public, law enforcement, and others to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to appropriately respond to possible cases of it that might happen.

Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.  Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide, including in the United States.  A great deal more information about this can be read at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website here:

Watch a short 1½-minute video about what this day is about here:

There have been several hundred outbreaks of norovirus in the U.S. in the past few months, and it is continuing to spread.  It is a stomach virus that can have the following symptoms:

• Vomiting • Diarrhea • Stomach cramping • Urinating less or dark-colored urine • Dry mouth

• Feeling Weak • Dizziness • Low-grade fever or chills (less common) • Headache (less common) • Muscle aches (less common)

Usually, symptoms can begin from 12 hours to two days after a person has been exposed to the virus.  Some people with norovirus can have no symptoms, but they still can be contagious and pass the virus to others.  To help prevent this, it is important to wash one’s hands thoroughly with soap and water.  Hand sanitizers are not effective against norovirus.

Dehydration is a common side-effect of being infected by norovirus.  It is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day.  It also is a good idea to eat less solid foods during the day while viral symptoms are present.

The funeral of Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. President, took place today at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.  He passed away on Dec. 29 at the age of 100.  President Joe Biden and others delivered eulogies for Carter.

Joe Biden and his wife, along with President-elect Donald Trump and former presidents Barack Obama, George Bush, Bill Clinton and their wives (except for Michelle Obama), attended.  Biden had declared today as a National Day of Mourning for President Carter.

The funeral service, lasting over 3 hours, can be viewed below:

Yesterday morning a fire began in Pacific Palisades, about 20 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.  How it started is unknown, but extremely powerful and ongoing Santa Ana winds, very low humidity, and prolonged drought conditions caused it to begin spreading quickly.  Very strong wind gusts continued overnight and included those approaching 100 mph today.  Over 1,000 structures were destroyed by the fire as of yesterday evening. This fire, so far the most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles County, was the beginning of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

As of this morning, the Pacific Palisades Fire had spread to over 2,920 acres.  A second fire, the Eaton fire, began last night and had spread to over 2,220 acres this morning.  There also were other fires reported in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties.  All of them were 0% contained this morning, and they all have burned many thousands more acres.

As of mid-afternoon today, with harsh winds continuing to blow, the wildfires in the Los Angeles area are continuing to spread.  Over 100,000 people are under evacuation orders.  Over a million people in Southern California are without power, including in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.  While many of the outages were caused by heavy winds and fires knocking down power lines, some outages were scheduled “public safety power shutoffs” to reduce risks related to the wildfires.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party, has announced that he will be resigning.  He has been the prime minister for more than nine years.  This follows the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland last month.

Various political parties that had supported Trudeau have been having ongoing dissatisfaction with his leadership.  Some of them withdrew their support for Trudeau following Freeland’s resignation.  It has been reported that the Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, has a big lead in public opinion surveys.

Trudeau has said that he will continue as prime minister until a new leader is selected.  This week, his Liberal Party will begin processing what needs to be done prior to the next election, which is expected to be sometime in March.

Today, there was a joint session of Congress to certify the winners of the 2024 election for U.S. president and vice president on Nov. 5, 2024.  Vice President Kamala Harris, acting president of the Senate, led the session.

For each of the 50 states, in alphabetical order, the majority number of electors was read and for whom they voted.  The total came out to be 312 electoral votes for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance and 226 electoral votes for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

The whole process took about 28 minutes.  Harris finished by saying, “This announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States, each for a term beginning on the 20th day of January 2025, and shall be entered together with the list of the votes on the journals of the House and the Senate.  Thank you very much.”

The National debt of the United States (the U.S. National Debt) has reached another milestone high.  It now is over $36.3 trillion and is nearly $36.5 trillion.

Just over a year ago, on Jan. 4, 2024, the debt was a fraction over $34 trillion.  Therefore, before long it will have risen an unfathomable $2.5 trillion in a little over a year.

There is no end in sight to the debt escalation.  Most likely, this eventually will lead to the worst economic collapse that this nation ever has experienced.

At Olive Tree Ministries this weekend, Jan Markell talked to Todd Hampson about the two-minute warning we have today before Jesus returns.  Eternity is in the heart of all mankind.

Ken Mikle and Pastor Josh Schwartz talked to Pastor Billy Crone about the invasion of the drones.  How are they a part of the Great Reset agenda?

Today’s program, lasting 58 minutes, can be heard here:

On the first day of the 119th Congress, this is the first time that the new House of Representatives will meet since election day on Nov. 5, 2024.  Before anything else can take place, House members must elect a speaker.

The present Speaker of the House is Mike Johnson (R-LA).  Therefore, he is the incumbent and could be reelected to that position if he receives a majority of the combined Republican and Democratic votes.  Donald Trump supports him.

Johnson needs a vote of at least 218 members to win the speakership.  However, there is a very thin margin of Republicans over Democrats in the House.  It is possible that if some members vote “present” and not for a person, no speaker might be elected.  The vote for speaker could continue on and on indefinitely.

A Speaker of the House is needed to swear in members of the House, form committees, and pass any legislation.  Furthermore, a certification of President-elect Trump’s Electoral College victory is needed on Jan. 6.  If there is no speaker by then, Trump’s certification would be delayed.  If so, things could become increasingly more complicated and chaotic up to Inauguration Day, on Jan. 20, when Trump is supposed to take office.

In a speech on the House floor early this afternoon, Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI) nominated Mike Johnson to be Speaker of the House of Representatives.  She said, “We have the opportunity to put America first again.  We have an opportunity to do something about crime.  We have an opportunity to do something about the border.  And we have an opportunity to take care of our veterans.”

Johnson needed a minimum of 218 votes to be reelected.  Initially, three of the 219 House Republicans in the House chamber were not going to vote for Johnson.  However, after some lengthy negotiations, two of them switched and voted for Johnson, enabling him to win the speakership.  House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) received 215 votes, all from Democrats.

The 100 members of the Senate, 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, were sworn in by Kamala Harris.  The new leader of the Senate is John Thune (R-SD).  Republican Donald Trump is scheduled to be sworn in to his second term as president on Jan. 20.

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2025 is a good, favorable and prosperous year for you and yours.  Hopefully, none of your kids or grandkids went out into space on a fireworks rocket. 

       
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PDF formats

If you’ve never read the Bible straight through, from cover to cover, you might want to do it in 2025.  Go to the following page, print out the pages in PDF, HTML, DOCX or DOC format, and check off the passages as you read them:

Another option is a daily reading schedule that skips around the Bible.  I now prefer reading it this way myself.  Samaritan’s Purse has a yearly reading list, which I like, that does this.  You can download these four pages in pdf format and print them out: