WORLD NEWS

Phase Two

President Trump’s Board of Peace announced Thursday that Hamas will begin its “complete disarmament” in Gaza, entering phase two of last October’s U.S.-brokered peace plan.

Here’s a high-level refresher of the deal:

• Phase one: ceasefire, hostage swaps, humanitarian aid
• Phase two: Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, transitional Palestinian government
• Long-term: Gaza’s reconstruction

Phase two is beginning despite both sides acknowledging multiple ceasefire violations, and the path ahead looks equally rocky. Yesterday, Israel shared “serious safety concerns” with the White House about the disarmament process and noted that “disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less.” Meanwhile, Hamas says its disarmament is contingent on Israel ending “all forms of aggression.”

The Board of Peace unveiled the new 15-point disarmament roadmap on Friday, saying “verification” of every step needs “to be real.”

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PRAY WITH US
Give thanks to God for progress, and trust Him to bring eternal peace in the face of today’s unknowns.

Wonderful Counselor, you are the One who winds down wars and teaches peace (Isaiah 54:13). May your peace rule in the hearts of Israelis, Palestinians, members of Hamas, diplomats, U.S. officials, and all members of Christ’s body (Colossians 3:15-17). Bring evil plans to nothing and promote the good of the vulnerable, so that people from all nations would see your goodness and submit to the Prince of Peace. Amen.

WORLD NEWS

Ceuta Border Crisis

Roughly 60,000 Moroccan migrants swam or jumped fences to reach Ceuta, a small Spanish territory in northern Africa, on Thursday.

The surge overwhelmed Ceuta (population: 84,000), leaving tens of thousands of migrants to crowd the streets looking for food and water. Madrid deployed troops to re-secure the border, and Spanish authorities reported “almost all” of the migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco by Saturday.

At least 72 people died while crossing.

The breach followed Spain’s Supreme Court ruling that migrants stopped at sea trying to reach Spain’s North African territories cannot be deported without a hearing, and has poured gasoline on the already-heated immigration debate raging across Europe. EU leaders who see Spain as “soft on immigration” were quick to criticize, while Spain says the crisis was contained and quickly handled.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Christians live as strangers and exiles in our home countries, whether that temporary home is peaceful, disorderly, or somewhere in between. Seek the good of the land you’re passing through while eagerly anticipating the advent of your permanent home.

“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.’”
Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NLT) (read full passage)

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SPORTS

FIFA Fo Fum

The World Cup shine didn’t last long.

On Friday, FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino yelled “reverse! reverse!” on a plan to sell private investors 20% of a proposed for-profit spinoff, FIFA Forward Enterprise. The spinoff would run global football’s “under-monetized” commercial operations, with all 211 national teams receiving $20M up front… then lots more.

The footballin’ federations from Europe (UEFA), the Americas (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) threatened boycotts, claiming Tuesday’s unilateral announcement was made through “secret schemes on fast-track timescales” and failed to put “football first.”

This is the Infantino team’s third failed big-money plan, putting soccer’s president on thin ice grass after UEFA expressed “no confidence” in his leadership and his senior advisor resigned, saying the deal would be “mortgaging football’s future.” March 2027 is the next election, and Infantino will run opposed for the first time.

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Verse to consider when you’re wondering if it’s time to stand up to stop a deal or to support a cause… “Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 (CSB) (read full passage)

British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja, 43, was one of 10 climbers killed in an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak Saturday. Purja’s fame grew in 2019 when he climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in 189 days, chronicled in Netflix’s 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. He was two mountains away from repeating the feat, this time without supplemental oxygen.


A Russian missile hit Polish farmland ~60 miles from Ukraine’s border, putting NATO on high alert. The Kh-101 missile was part of a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine by Russia, but missed its mark and left a 33-foot crater on NATO soil. There were no casualties in Poland; Ukraine reported eight people were killed and dozens more wounded.


Investigators released ransom notes in the Nancy Guthrie case Friday, hoping for the public’s help identifying a suspect in the 6-month-old search. The first note said the 84-year-old was “safe but scared” and demanded $4M; the second note, sent before the first deadline passed, said she died unexpectedly of a medical condition and abductors are “truly sorry” (read the notes here).


The father of the 14-year-old shooter in 2024’s Apalachee High School shooting was sentenced to 15 years Thursday. The 55-year-old was convicted on 27 counts, including second-degree murder, for giving his son the rifle that killed two students and two teachers, ignoring the boy’s declining mental health. He’s the first parent convicted of murder for a child’s mass shooting.


The U.S. economy grew at a 1.5% rate in Q2, down from 2.1% in the first quarter and lower than economists’ expectations. The miss was driven in part by a decline in government spending; consumer spending remained strong. Meanwhile, core inflation (the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge) was the expected 3.3%, stubbornly above the 2% target.

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