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WORLD NEWS

Strait Talk

The Iran War has reached Day 19.

Yesterday, Israel announced it killed Ali Larijani—Iran’s top security officer and one of the regime’s most powerful surviving figures after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death—and a major Iranian militia leader in separate overnight strikes. 

The war continues to dominate talk coming out of Washington.

Later, top Trump Admin counterterrorism official, Joe Kent, resigned, claiming on X that Iran had posed “no imminent threat” to the U.S. and that the administration “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” The White House dismissed the post, saying President Trump had “compelling evidence” Iran would strike first and, as Commander-in-Chief, it was his call to make. 

Meanwhile, President Trump criticized NATO for not helping secure the Strait of Hormuz, calling the decision “very foolish.”

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PRAY WITH US
When our news feed fills with violence and chaos, we’re often swept into a spiral of anxieties. But believers have an anchor in Jesus, whose peace pierces the darkness now and will one day shatter it completely. Come to Him in faith.

Mighty God, you are never caught by surprise or overpowered. By your overwhelming strength, work peace across the Middle East. Overcome evildoers; comfort those who are mourning; protect the vulnerable; strengthen those who will rebuild; and bring order from chaos so that Iran and its neighbors will taste and see the goodness of the One True King.

WEATHER

Tornado, Blizzard, or Heatwave?

The weather chose “all of the above” this week, putting roughly half the U.S. under extreme conditions.

On the East Coast, April showers March thunderstorms struck from Florida to New Jersey, putting 94M+ residents under severe weather alerts. Around 34M were under tornado watches, including in the D.C. metro area, which led Capitol Hill to close shop early on Monday. 

In the Midwest, St. Paddy’s Day parades were more white than green. Over 11M residents in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and northern Michigan have been buried in up to 3 feet of snow (see the drifts), leaving ~360,000 without power. 

As of yesterday, 4,700+ flights had been canceled due to wild weather. 

Meanwhile, the Southwest is sweating. A heatwave is blasting through parts of California and Arizona this week, potentially raising temps into record-breaking triple digits. 

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Verse to consider when you’re feeling weather whiplash… “For the creation was subjected to futility ​— ​not willingly, but because of him who subjected it ​— ​in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.” 
Romans 8:20-21 (CSB) (read full passage)

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SPORTS

Tourney Alphas and Omegas

Farewell, international baseball; hello, college basketball. 

Saint Patrick’s Day in Miami was painted yellow, blue, and red as Venezuela claimed its first World Baseball Classic title, handing Team USA its second-consecutive second-place finish.

After U.S. first baseman Bryce Harper sent a game-tying bomb bursting in air two-run homer in the eighth inning, Venezuelan infielder Eugenio Suárez hit a double, bringing home the deciding run in the top of the ninth. (Watch the celebración.)  

Meanwhile, March Madness tipped off yesterday with Texas and Howard earning their spots in the field of 64; teams 63 and 64 will join the party tonight. On the bracket beat, ~25% of people have Duke winning it all, while 11-seed South Florida is the people’s bracket-buster (1 in 3 brackets have the Bulls upsetting Louisville in round one).

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Sports can be a field where spiritual fruit grows. Through sports, we experience the thrill of victory, resilience from defeat, the beauty of teamwork, and the delight of play. As you watch, cheer, and discuss sports, keep an eternal perspective by focusing on growing Christlike character, not just the scoreboard.  

“And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 
Romans 5:3-5 (CSB) (read full passage)

Colorado meatpacking workers have beef with their employer, JBS. ~3,800 employees walked out of a processing plant Monday in the industry’s first slaughterhouse strike in 40 years. Workers cite unfair labor practices, including below-inflation wage increases and up to $1,100 in charges for job-required safety equipment; JBS denies wrongdoing. A prolonged strike could moooove up already-high beef prices.
 

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. #47 made the announcement Monday, calling Wiles “one of [his] closest and most important advisors.” President Trump said Wiles will take on treatment “immediately” and that her prognosis is “excellent,” and Wiles said she will continue working full-time during treatment.
 

A federal judge put a pin in RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda on Monday. The bench sided with medical groups, suspending key vaccine panel appointments and temporarily blocking HHS’s revised childhood vaccine schedule after finding both likely violated federal law—the panel for failing to uphold “a method scientific in nature” and the schedule for bypassing panel approval. The administration plans to appeal.
 

Cuba’s entire electric grid collapsed Monday, leaving ~11M residents in the dark. The island-wide blackout comes as a U.S.-imposed oil blockade has short-circuited Cuba’s already outdated power systems and is the latest in a series of outages that have sparked violent protests. The electrical failure’s cause is under investigation, and Cuban officials say they’re working to get the lights back on.
 

Records made a ton of scratch in 2025. On Monday, the Recording Industry Association of America reported U.S. vinyl revenue surpassed $1B last year—its highest since 1983. The sonic boom was led by Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl,” which sold 1.6M copies. Overall, vinyl represented less than 10% of 2025 music sales, with streaming earning ~$9.5B.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Turning gravel… into art. 

What’s Pumping Me Up
Telling strangers about saving on gas with Upside*

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Stephanie Wainwright  | Proselytizing Proofreader