“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things..that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ~ Philippians 3
First Watch:
Report: Kids Are Being Abused By School Staff A new report highlighted by journalist Catherine Herridge claims that 17% of public school students nationwide have been “sexually victimized by school employees”. LiveAction pointed to systemic failures in reporting and safeguarding, with abusers paid to leave since it is “nearly impossible” to fire a teacher. (Not the Bee, Live Action)
Scouts on Notice Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Scouts America will walk back its gender policies to comply with the President’s executive order, ensuring kids of opposite sexes don’t share intimate spaces. (WNG)
No Discouragin’ Words Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it an offense to speak ill of agriculture. Critics argue the measure threatens free speech and is redundant, given existing defamation and misinformation laws in the state. (Fox)
No Soul, No Faith The Pope has implored clergy to stop using AI to write sermons, saying AI “will never be able to share faith.” (Futurism)
No Treaty The last major nuclear arms control treaty expired last month. For the first time in more than 50 years, there are no binding limits on the growth of the largest nuclear arsenals on Earth, raising concerns about a renewed arms race. (The Conversation)
Ocean Phosphate There’s plenty of phosphate on the ocean floor, but a new initiative to mine it for fertilizer could harm marine ecosystems. (Ambrook Research)
Hot Oil A Brooklyn high school has adopted an innovative approach to heating — using vegetable oil as fuel. (CBS)
Politeness is King Burger King is piloting AI headsets that feed real-time information to employees and track whether workers are polite and responsive to customers. The company says the initiative is for training employees, not tracking. (AP)
Anthropic Out, OpenAI In The Trump administration has ordered all U.S. federal agencies to stop using AI technology from Anthropic, after refusing to cave on its insistence that its tech would not be used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. OpenAI obviously have no qualms, finalizing a new deal with the Pentagon right away. (AP)
Maduro’s Bill is Due Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro appeared in a U.S. court arguing that U.S. sanctions are preventing funds he needs to mount his defense from reaching him. The United States does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader and continues to enforce financial restrictions.(AP)
Pakistan-Afghan Conflict Reignites Hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan have surged again, with both sides launching strikes. The two nations had been in cahoots resisting India’s influence, but the relationship has soured. Pakistan says it is targeting militants it accuses the Taliban of sheltering along the border; the Taliban accuses Pakistan of killing its people. (BBC, International Intrigue)
Second Watch:
Ayatollah Khamenei Meets His Maker Iranian state television has confirmed that the country’s supreme leader was killed in an Israeli missile strike on his compound. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against U.S.-aligned targets across the region, with missiles hitting or landing near hotels, airports, and residential areas in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. Supporters of the regime gathered in the streets of Iran to mourn, while international media captured scenes of celebration among Iranian expatriates abroad. Western leaders have largely expressed support for US and Israeli actions, though concerns remain that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war. Meanwhile, pro-Iranian demonstrators stormed the U.S. consulate compound in Karachi, Pakistan. US personnel reportedly shot and killed eight attackers during the breach. Closer to home, a Senegalese-born man killed three people and injured more at a Texas bar. The gunman, who was shot dead by police was wearing clothing featuring the Iranian flag and a sweatshirt that read “property of Allah”. Police are still investigating whether he had links to terrorist groups.
Clintons Can’t Recall Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in a closed-door congressional hearing that she was unaware of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activity and could not recall meeting him. Former President Bill Clinton similarly stated that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, claiming he would have reported him had he known. Investigative journalist Mike Benz says major gaps remain in the released documents, particularly toward the end of the Clinton presidency, when Epstein was reportedly involved in helping establish the Clinton Foundation after Bill Clinton left office. “The takeaway is we need the CIA and State Department side of this equation, and we also need the missing years from the Justice Department,” Benz said. “These two things are connected.”
Are We Great Again Yet? There was a great deal said about President Trump’s state of the union address, the longest recorded. You will find the full range of opinions about the speech, from those who say he nailed it, right through to those who questioned the value of a TV circus. The president honored veterans and victims of progressive policies, including survivors of transgender ideology and families affected by lenient prosecutors. He reiterated claims of economic strength and progress on deportations, though these remain points of contention for many Americans. One thing the President likely convinced Americans about is that Democrats “are crazy”. Dems notably refused to applaud several moments focused on border enforcement and bans on child transgender interventions (well, expect Senator Fetterman). The contrast extended beyond the chamber: following the U.S. men’s ice hockey team’s gold-medal victory—its first since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice”—some progressive outlets commiserated with those who found Olympic displays of patriotism a “turn off”.
Third Watch:
✏️ Inside a mechanical pencil
🧦 World’s largest sock monkey
🔭 Calculating the longest line of sight in the world
And…
As I have noted elsewhere, this troupe of bassmen use stairwells to great effect! This rendition of “Deliver Us” from The Prince of Egypt has a Lenten spirit, the yearning for deliverance by the better Moses, the true Son called out of Egypt.
And Bifrost Arts collage of Isaiah and Lamentations is a simple prayer:
Let us pray. O God, You Son shines with the brightness of the true Light. Grant that as we have known the mysteries of that Light on earth we may also come to the fullness of His joys in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, You Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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