The Watches 1.14.26

SCOTUS hears about men in women's sports, MAHA guidelines and ICE shooting rankles America.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold.” ~ 1 Peter 1

First Watch:

Supreme Court Pressed on Sex and Sports The Supreme Court heard arguments in a major case challenging state laws that bar males from competing in female athletic events. Transgender athletes are asking the Court to strike down the laws, arguing they amount to unlawful sex-based discrimination. Justice Samuel Alito pressed hard on that claim, asking how discrimination “on the basis of sex” can be alleged if male and female cannot be clearly defined in the first place. (Washington Examiner)

UK Threatens to Ban Elon Musk’s Grok Britain’s Prime Minister has threatened to ban xAI’s chatbot Grok, citing its ability to generate images of real people without consent. Keir Starmer argues the feature violates the UK’s sweeping Online Safety Act passed last year. Starmer has been openly hostile toward X and Elon Musk, even vowing to use government resources to monitor Musk’s posts more closely. Malaysia and Indonesia have already blocked Grok over similar concerns. (ZeroHedge, Spiked, BBC)

Trump Floats Housing Market Shake-Up President Trump has been spitballing ideas to ease the cost-of-living crunch, including a proposal to ban Wall Street firms from buying single-family homes. Some observers say it’s about time, while others noted that the least affordable housing markets are often those with minimal corporate investment. Investor David Bahnsen argues the real solution is simple: build more homes. (The Week, World Radio podcast)

Treasury Targets Minnesota Fraud Pipeline Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he will restrict the amount of money that can be wired overseas from two Minnesota counties following the exposure of massive fraud schemes, largely tied to Somali networks. (New York Post)

Trump Pushes Credit Card Interest Cap President Trump says he wants to cap credit card interest rates. (Fox)

Opioid Overdose Deaths Continue to Fall Deaths from opioid overdoses in the United States have continued their downward trend, offering a rare piece of good news amid years of grim statistics. A number of factors may have lead to the decrease including China being persuaded to reduce production of its chemical ingredients. (PJ Media)

Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Dies Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind Dilbert, has died following a battle with cancer. Shortly after his death, his former wife published a letter from him, recording that he acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, writing that any remaining doubts would be “quickly resolved” if he woke up in heaven. Lord, help his unbelief! (Scott Adams via X)

Tech’s Sand Box at CES The Consumer Electronics Show delivered its usual mix of novelty and ambition this year, featuring a gadget that detects potential food allergens, headphones that monitor brain activity, and a rollable laptop. LEGO also drew praise for new “smart bricks” that light up or move in response to how children play with them. (WNG, Mashable)

UAE Pulls UK Study Sponsorships The United Arab Emirates says it will no longer sponsor students seeking to study in the UK, citing fears of radicalization by Muslim Brotherhood groups in Britain. (Fox)

Are Americans Falling Out of Love With Pizza? Once untouchable, America’s favorite food may be losing ground.(The Week)

Second Watch:

Minnesota Vice Videos of an ICE protester being shot in Minneapolis have predictably split the country. The officer involved had reportedly previously been dragged by a car driven by an illegal alien he was attempting to arrest for sexual crimes, making his actions understandable. However, legal analysts went further saying the agent’s actions were fully justified. According to reporting, the deceased woman, Renee Good, had been trained to follow, harass, and film agents as they carried out their duties. That harassment has since escalated: protesters have reportedly searched hotels for ICE personnel and staged late-night disturbances to keep them awake. The terrible dissonance that identity politics creates in those who consume it was in also in full force. Portland’s [male] chief became emotional while confirming that two Venezuelans shot and injured after attempting to ram ICE officers with a vehicle were linked to Tren de Aragua—adding that he worried stating this fact might sound like “victim blaming.” As one protester publicly wrestled with whether her “white tears” were appropriate, users on X noted that the last white woman shot in Minneapolis received barely a mention from left-wing media outlets.

Make Dietary Guidelines Sensible Again The Secretaries of Health and Agriculture jointly released new dietary guidelines that have thrilled MAHA advocates. RFK Jr. summed up the philosophy succinctly: “Eat real food.” Nutrition writer and physician Gary Taubes praised the shift, noting that unprocessed whole foods—animal-based or not—“require minimal insulin to control blood sugar.” For critics of ultra-processed diets, it feels like vindication long overdue.

Venezuela: Vacuum? Venezuela has begun releasing what officials describe as “large numbers” of political prisoners, a move President Trump says signals an interest in peace. With the vice president of Maduro’s regime stepping into the top role, Trump has invited opposition leader María Corina Machado to the White House, amid concerns about a potential power vacuum. The president also met with oil executives to encourage investment in Venezuela’s battered infrastructure and energy sector, but it sounds like they’re not enticed.

Make Some History Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies has urged the Trump administration not to miss a rare opening for historic change in Iran, as mass protests against the regime continue to grow. While there have been a number of uprisings since the mullahs came to power, currently Iran has been weakened by Israeli and American military strikes and is alienated from a number of Arab neighbors. Hundreds of protesters have reportedly been killed, thousands arrested, and internet access cut nationwide, with authorities blaming the unrest on American interference. Trump has canceled scheduled meetings with Iran’s leadership and told protesters that “help is coming,” though what form that help might take remains unclear.

Third Watch:

🪨 From water to outer space, skimming stones is a serious business

🧛 Dracula Land: Romania will soon have a theme park dedicated to its most famous literary character

🇺🇸 An American [tree] in Paris?

📜 Whining started pretty early.. The oldest written customer complaint

And… This strange tale of Jesuits, samurai and Venice reminded me that God’s great plan of salvation is always proceeding as He intended. No human schemes, misplaced motives, war, distance, time or language can stop him bringing His people to Himself.

Let us pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, died for the ungodly, declaring all of humanity righteous by the shedding of His blood. Grant us the free gift of faith to receive this reality for our salvation, that by Your grace we may serve You in love and righteousness all the days of our lives; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

---

Sign up for all the Sentinel newsletters (or unsubscribe to the ones you don’t want!):

✅ The Watches – one or twice weekly quick summaries of headlines

✅ Cross+Sentinel – an end-of-week round up of headlines with more more depth plus interesting links and funnies.

✅ Black Bag – longer-form writing to help equip the saints to spot lies, speak truth and live faithfully.

Go to your subscription settings on Substack and rock on!

You can also make a one-off or recurring donation here. Thank you!