It’s Tuesday, April 1st, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
Myanmar earthquake death toll tops 2,000
The death count resulting from a major earthquake centered in Myanmar has topped 2,000, reports The Guardian.
The quake which registered 7.7 on the Richter scale, affected the areas of Mandalay and Sagaing. (Look at a shake map of Myanmar that shows the areas most affected by the earthquake.)
Rescue efforts in the area of Sagaing have been hampered by the nation’s military, as that area has the reputation of resisting the junta since the coup of 2021.
The major Christianized areas of Myanmar include the Chin State in the northwest and the Karen State in the southeast. The earthquake affected the center of the country.
Help Samaritan’s Purse pay for Myanmar field hospital
Franklin Graham announced that the Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 jet departed Greensboro, North Carolina just yesterday, heading for Myanmar with medical supplies and a fully-equipped field hospital, complete with doctors and nurses.
You can make a donation to this emergency medical response through a special link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.
1,000 dead in Gaza from recent Israeli attacks
War is heating up in the Middle East.
Al Jazeera reports 80 deaths in Gaza in the past 24 hours, and 1,000 deaths since the ceasefire broke two weeks ago.
On Sunday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to intensify attacks on Hamas until Israeli hostages are released.
U.S. deployed B-2 Bombers, two air craft carriers to Middle East
The United States has deployed a quarter of its B-2 Bomber fleet to the Middle East, based on the island of Diego Garcia, just south of the nation of Iran.
Also, the two aircraft carriers, the U.S.S. Carl Vinson and the U.S.S. Harry S Truman, have been moved into the Persian Gulf area, for a more significant military buildup.
Trump threatened military action if Iran doesn’t stop nuclear program
President Donald Trump has sent a letter to Iran demanding a settlement on the nation’s nuclear program. He threatened military action, but has received no response in two months.
Trump told NBC News that “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
Iran’s skyrocketing inflation and severe water shortages
Iran’s internal pressures are rising as well. First, inflation remains at a staggering 40%. The Iranian rial, their currency, has lost significant value — crossing the 1,000,000 rial-to-dollar threshold recently.
And second, because rainfall decreased by 25% last year, Iran’s major dams are only at 6% capacity.
The National Council of Resistance in Iran issued a recent report that summarizes the Iranian situation this way: “The sharp increase in water shortages, poverty, inflation, and systemic corruption has turned Iran into a powder keg, with officials scrambling to prevent an explosion that seems all but inevitable.”
Trump’s tornado of tariffs
This is the big tariff week for the Trump Administration.
What is called “reciprocal tariffs” are on schedule to take effect tomorrow, probably affecting India and Brazil most heavily – due to their tariff imbalances.
In addition to the reciprocal tariffs, auto import duties of 25% will kick in on Thursday — mostly affecting Mexico with $20 billion in tariffs, Japan with $10 billion in tariffs, South Korea with $9 billion in tariffs, Canada with $8 billion in tariffs, and Germany with $6 billion.
Plus, about half of the cars sold in the U.S. will be subjected to the 25% tariff.
Let’s keep in mind these general principles from the Proverbs. “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; though they join forces, none will go unpunished. … When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” That’s Proverbs 16:5 and 7.
Governor DeSantis wants to eliminate Florida’s property tax
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis indicated on X that he would support an initiative to eliminate property tax in his state. He noted that “taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation.”
Both Pennsylvania and Florida are considering the elimination of this onerous taxing of the American people.
States with the lowest property tax are Louisiana, Hawaii, Alabama, Delaware, and West Virginia. The states with the highest property tax rates are New Jersey, New Hampshire, Texas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Declining Catholic population
Catholics are losing ground – fast — in America.
In 1980, Catholics represented 29% of the U.S. population. In 2024, Pew Research’s recent survey found only 19% of Americans self-identified as Catholics. That’s a 24% decline in 17 years. For every 10 people joining the Catholic Church, 84 are leaving.
Mainline liberal Protestants have seen bigger drop
By contrast, Protestants have declined by 19% over the last 17 years. Evangelicals have dropped from 26% to 23% of the population. That’s only a 12% drop.
Not surprisingly, mainline liberal Protestant denominations have seen a 39% drop in 17 years.
50% of parents support adult children
Savings.com reports that half of U.S. parents support their adult children at an average of $1,474 per month.
Interestingly, 40% of those same parents say they plan to cut off funds to their freeloading adult children within two years.
Gold up, stocks down
Gold continues on its upward surge, topping $3,120 per ounce on Monday.
Meanwhile, stocks dipped again. The Nasdaq Composite scraping 17,000, about 3,000 points off of a February 19th high, reports the Associated Press.
Disney’s woke Snow White bombing at box office
And finally, Disney is still losing big money on its woke projects.
The new release of Snow White featured advocacy of girl power and socialism, not to mention computer-generated dwarves. Not surprisingly, it saw a 66% drop off from the first to the second week, marking this film in the “weak performer” category.
The $270 million film pulled in just $67 million at the box office over two weekends.
Let’s remember the lesson from 1 Samuel 12:25. It says, “If you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you.”
And that’s The Worldview on this Tuesday, April 1st, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.