265 Lent 1: An Anti-Human Spirit
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” ~ Psalm 91
On the Radar
Trump Triumphal and Dems Dour
Last week, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress for an unofficial state of the union speech. The speech was the longest to Congress, breaking the record held previously by President Clinton. While the President’s usual showmanship thrilled fans and GOP lawmakers, the blue side of the House was a sour patch. Fulfilling the President’s prediction that he could not “make them happy” even if he cured cancer, Democrat lawmakers remained stony-faced—even as the House honored a childhood cancer survivor and the mother of a girl murdered by illegal immigrants. Many Democrats held signs rating things Trump said “false” and protesting Elon Musk. One Senator was escorted from the room after refusing to stop heckling during the speech. The president focused on his popular achievements in curbing illegal immigration and his efforts to push back against transgender ideology. Trump also said his administration would reduce energy costs and build new power plants, but said that Americans would feel “a slight disturbance” as his planned tariffs on imports go into affect. Here are twelve takeaways from the speech.
A thought: The refusal of House Democrats to praise anything done by their opponents certainly leaves them looking like spoilsports, but the issue is deeper than simply their dislike of the President. The divide in America is a spiritual one, between those who champion truth, faith, life and health and those who promote death, mutilation and power, even in the name of empathy. This sickness can only be healed with spiritual instruments. As with Noah’s flood, sin, war, death and decay will persist right up until the Day when it is all swept away. But now is always a good time to live as the new creations we are in Christ. St Paul reminds us that our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty against dark strongholds. Don’t forget: “The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
The Blitz
War and Rumors of War
Conflict and Weaponry
Following a tense meeting at the White House between President Trump and President Zelensky, the USA paused military aid deliveries to Ukraine. The Pentagon also paused sharing intelligence with Ukraine in an effort to force Kiev to negotiate a peace deal with Russia. There has been no stated criteria for restarting cooperation at this time. (WNG, CBS) | Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukraine with reports that ballistic missiles and drones have killed 25 in a number of cities. (BBC) | President Trump has warned Russia to back off its hostilities, but experts believe Moscow is indifferent to threats of sanctions, since the only things that could damage Russia would also damage the US. (Hot Air, The Spectator)
Chinese officials have warned that China is ready for “any” type of war that the US wants. Official social media posts and statements said the US alone is responsible for fentanyl deaths and that the US’ “hegemonic” attitude is a relic of the Cold War. (Times of India, Not the Bee)
One of the perpetrators of the Abbey Gate bombing has been captured and brought to the USA for trial. The suspect, arrested in Pakistan, helped carry out an explosion which killed 13 American soliders and a number of locals in the last days of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. (AP)
The Trump administration has admitted to holding secret talks with Hamas over the release of Israeli hostages and an end to the conflict. (Reuters) | Israel has announced it will block aid into Gaza until all hostages, living or dead, are released. (BBC)
The US Supreme Court has heard arguments in a case brought by Mexico against American gun makers. The case claims “nearly half of all guns recovered at Mexican crime scenes” are made in the US and argues that manufacturers should be doing more to make sure guns aren’t trafficked into Mexico. (CBS)
Life
Birth, Death and Marriage
Democrat senators have voted against a bill which would ban males from competing in women’s sporting events. The bill failed to receive a super-majority 60 votes to invoke cloture and advance. (Epoch Times) | California governor Gavin Newsom has drawn criticism from fellow progressives after conceding that men playing sport against women is a “fairness issue”. (Just the News)
A federal judge in Baltimore has blocked President Trump’s executive order which cancels funding for hospitals that perform transgender services for minors. (The Daily Mail)
Crime and Punishment
Courts, Law and Policing
Secret service officers have shot a man who was armed with a gun and a knife, near the White House at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The man was taken to hospital but it is speculated his target may have been Elon Musk, who has said he has been sleeping at the DOGE offices, which are in the Eisenhower building. (New York Post, Yahoo)
Tribes and Tongues
Immigration and Race
President Trump has issued an executive order stating that the official language of the USA is English, stating that a common tongue is “core of a unified and cohesive society”. (Just the News)
The administration has paused the use of military aircraft for deportation flights, citing the steep cost. Immigration authorities are still using civilian airplanes to transport illegal immigrants back to their home countries. (MSN, Wall Street Journal via YouTube)
Metropolis
Politics and the State
The Supreme Court of the USA has ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration must comply with a lower court’s ruling that it could not suspend foreign aid payments scheduled through USAID. A US federal district judge said the executive did not have power over funding which has been congressionally approved and that the freeze on $2 billion of aid money must be removed immediately. (ZeroHedge, WNG))
Hunter Biden is asking a judge to dismiss a case he brought against a former Trump aide who published content from his laptop. The son of the former president says he doesn't have the funds to go through with the legal action. (Just the News)
The Trump administration has announced it is cutting $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University over its “inaction” against pro-Hamas protesters who are harassing Jewish students. (BBC) | The State Department has revoked the visa of a foreign student who participated in pro-Hamas protests. (Fox)
Madsplaining: Oval Office Rorschach
President Trump and Vice President Vance were recently joined by Ukraine’s President Zelensky in a meeting described by media as “tense” and “heated”. The White House meeting was ostensibly the tail end of negotiations over a mining agreement which would see Ukraine’s mineral wealth tapped to help recoup U.S. money given for Ukraine’s war effort against…
Treasure
Money, Markets and Jobs
President Trump has once again paused his plan to raise tariffs against Canada, China and Mexico. Each county had announced retaliatory measures in response, included taxes on American goods (Canada) and an antitrust investigation into Google (China). Ontario’s premier has threatened to cut electricity to the millions of Americans in New York, Minnesota, and Michigan who get their supply from Canada. (The Blaze) After speaking to auto manufacturers, the President had exempted tariffs on imports they need, but says the scheme will go ahead again in 30 days. AP, CNBC) Timeline here. | The CEOs of Target and Best Buy have said that price increases are likely as tariffs hit. (CNBC)
President Trump has announced his intention to stockpile cryptocurrency, naming five particular ones he is eyeing. The plan was met with some criticism, with skeptics saying crypto is a risky investment and that government entry into the crypto market undermines the whole point of blockchain currencies. (The Week)
An investor group, backed by BlackRock, has agreed to buy a majority stake in Hong Kong's CK Hutchison, the company which owns ports at either end of the Panama Canal. (Reuters)
Reality Bytes
Digital Technology
The winners of this year’s Turing award have warned about the dangers of placing profit over safety when it comes to artificial intelligence. Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton have warned about “experimenting on humans” before more is known about what AI will do to humanity. The pair won the “Nobel prize of computing” for teaching machine learning to use trial and error. (The Verge)
Fusing machines and creatures will "revolutionize everything" according a biotech startup. The company has used human "wet ware" cells to build a "body in a box". "We almost view it actually as a kind of different form of life," a spokesman said. (New Atlas)
“Google may soon just tell users what's on the Internet instead of showing them.” (ArsTechnica)
China’s online retailer, Alibaba has announced that its new Language Model is superior to OpenAI and rivals DeepSeek. (CNN)
Watch a chat bot assistant realize it is talking to another bot and switch to computer talk. (Threadreader)
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Learning
Homeschooling, Education and Classrooms
The US Senate has voted to confirm Linda McMahon to head up the Department of Education. McMahon is reportedly looking to “put herself out of a job” fufulling Trump and Republican’s long held desire to dismantle the Dept of Ed. (CBS)
Yes, you can homeschool your kids to college. (FEE)
Health
Medicine and Food
Dr. Robert Malone, who helped develop mRNA technology, says that despite online speculation, there is no proof that the current strain of bird flu is man-made or the result of gain-of-function research. (Malone News)
Daylight Savings Time has outlived its usefulness. (Time)
Chewing on that popsicle stick may help boost your memory. (PsyPost)
Friday surgeries are riskier. (Gizmodo)
Heritage
Arts, History and Sport
Here’s a site claiming to be the “Goodreads of poetry”. (Poetry Platform)
Not something you see every day: A Bauhaus ballet. (Colossal)
It seems even master painters change their minds and paint over their work. (BBC)
Religion and the Church
Federal prosecutors have filed a document arguing for a uniform interpretation of the Free Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) act. Prosecutors argued that the Act, which regulates who may enter the area around abortion clinics, must also apply to places of religious worship. The case was prompted by a pro-Hamas protest where congregants were blocked from entering a California synagogue. (WNG)
Knowledge
Science and Data
The start up focused on bringing back the woolly mammoth has managed to make woolly mice. (TechCrunch)
A second SpaceX Starship test has failed after the rocket spiralled out of control and broke up after launch. (TechCrunch)
The physics behind the sound of clapping. (Science News)
Stories From Far Away
World News
Britain has lifted sanctions against a number of Syrian entities. (Alaraybia News)| Loyalists to the ousted Assad family have clashed with the new regime’s security forces. (The Guardian) | Pray for every Christian in Syria. Reports online claim that thousands of saints have been rounded up and murdered by the new leaders. (Dr Maalouf via X)
Arab leaders have expressed approval of Egypt’s proposal to rebuild Gaza. The $53 billion plan is an alternative to the one pitched by President Trump and aims to rebuild while keeping Palestinians in the land. (AP)
Germany’s Interior Ministry has launched a new intiiavite which provides advice for anyone who “suspects their friends or family members have fallen victim to conspiracy theories.” (Reclaim the Net)
Mark Carney, who was formerly a banker, has won the vote to take over from Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau. (Just the News)
An Indian man has successfully sued a cinema for showing too many trailers before the main show. (The Guardian)
Quickhits For The Eyebuds
☎️ RIP Skype
🧗🏼♂️ Alaska’s wild waterfall climbing festival
⚽ Soccer’s World Cup is getting a half-time show
🌎 Compare the true size of countries
🌌 The earth and Milky Way from a different angle
🦁 A new scale to rate the world’s most dangerous animals
A flamin’ hot Cheeto shaped like a Pokemon
Good Word: Starfall 2029
Starfall was in a few pieces this week. We’re making some changes! But here are this week’s releases, including an answer to a listener question about whether to leave a church where women and children are allowed to do the Bible reading:
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Sweetness YouMay Have Missed:
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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Great as always!