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U.S. NEWS

Indicted

John Bolton, Trump aide turned critic, pleaded not guilty in federal court Friday to 18 counts of mishandling classified information.

Bolton, who served as national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019 during Trump 1.0, is accused of using a personal email and messaging apps to send diary-style entries to relatives and holding onto top-secret documents at his Maryland residence. Bolton denies all wrongdoing and says the indictment is an example of President Trump “weaponizing the Justice Department” against his perceived political opponents.

Bolton was released without bail and is expected back in court next month.

Meanwhile, President Trump commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft last year. Santos had served less than three months of a more-than-seven-year sentence. 

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Christians should always root for justice and fairness, whether it’s a politician or a random person on trial. Our job is to try to please Jesus, who will judge everyone fairly and win in the end.

“Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.” 
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

Royal Pains

Prince Andrew is bowing out of his royal titles. 

On Friday, King Charles’s younger brother announced he will no longer use the title of Duke of York, saying renewed “accusations” about his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein “distract from the work” of the Royal Family. Andrew, who “vigorously” denies allegations, said he made the decision “with His Majesty’s agreement,” and that he must put “duty to my family and country first.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. House Oversight Committee released new Epstein files, including flight manifests and a transcript of its 2019 interview with former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, who negotiated Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal. Representatives Massie (R-KY) and Khanna (D-CA) are still pushing for a full release of the DOJ’s files on Epstein. They need one more signature, which Rep-Elect Grijalva (D-AZ) has promised after she’s sworn in. 

Confused about what an “Epstein File” is? Read our brief explainer.

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CHOOSE HUMILITY
When discussing divisive topics, such as the allegations against Prince Andrew, remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.”
James 3:17 (CSB) (read full passage)

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“If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?”  
James 2:15-16 (CSB) (read full passage) 

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WORLD NEWS

War & Peace

President Trump is shifting his peace-negotiating energy to Ukraine. 

Friday, POTUS held another Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as part of a renewed effort to end the Russia-Ukraine War. Zelenskyy’s been pushing Uncle Sam to supply Ukraine’s military with long-range Tomahawk missiles—a request Trump said the U.S. and Ukraine would “have to work on” and is “not easy” to fulfill. 

After the meeting, Trump urged Ukraine and Russia to “stop where they are” and end their three-year-long war; Zelenskyy agreed. Now, Trump is planning to meet with Russian President Putin in Budapest within the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire faced its first major test over the weekend after an attack prompted airstrikes and temporarily halted aid. Yesterday, Israel said the ceasefire had resumed and aid could resume today. 

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Verse to consider when earthly peace feels fragile or far-off… “He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.” 
Micah 4:3 (CSB) (read full passage)

Several state political groups are in damage-control mode. New York Republicans suspended their Young Republicans chapter after “vile” group chat messages—which included crude and racist language—were leaked. A Vermont state lawmaker resigned after his involvement in the chat surfaced. Meanwhile, in Maine, Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing backlash for old online posts urging political violence. 
 

The TrumpRx medicine cabinet will include IVF medication. The White House says a new deal with German pharmaceutical giant Merck will slash the costs of certain IVF medication by up to 84%, and should save American families $2,200 per cycle of IVF. It’ll be available through TrumpRx, which is set to launch in early 2026.
 

Nearly 7 million people gathered across the United States Saturday for “No Kings” protests to denounce President Trump’s alleged “authoritarianism.” Critics called the protests, which were also held in June, “hate America rallies.” In response, President Trump shared an AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown, flying a fighter jet that dumped brown liquid on protestors.
 

The LA Dodgers are World Series-bound again after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 in the NLCS. Superstar Shohei Ohtani put on a two-way show in Game 4 with 10 strikeouts, no runs allowed, and three homers (an MLB first). Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are taking the ALCS to Game 7 after the Jays tied the series yesterday.

 
A four-minute, midmorning jewel heist yesterday left Paris’s Louvre Museum evacuated and short a few crown jewels. Masked, chainsaw-wielding thieves on mopeds broke into the Apollo Gallery and stole nine “priceless” artifacts. Police say the thieves used a mechanical ladder to smash an upper-floor window for entry. A crown once worn by Napoleon III’s wife was later found (damaged) nearby.

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