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WORLD NEWS

Truce or Dare

Iran and Israel have broken their April ceasefire. 

A missile exchange started when Hezbollah fired on northern Israel, prompting Israel to strike a Hezbollah command center in Beirut Sunday. Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles—the first since the April ceasefire. Israel struck back, hitting targets near Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan. President Trump said he called PM Netanyahu Sunday, asking him not to retaliate, but the strikes were “already on their way.” 

Both sides pulled back Monday, but promised fierce responses should the other side show signs of aggression. 

After the exchange, Iran’s parliament speaker called U.S. and Israeli bases “legitimate targets”; Washington said it supports Israel’s right to self-defense, and officials confirm American forces are on alert.

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
War is a heavy burden that impresses upon us our world’s need for restoration. Jesus came to bear that burden of sin, lighten our load, and restore our world. Pray that the Middle East would experience that restoration and glorify the Messiah Jesus. 

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (CSB) (read full passage)

U.S. NEWS

Citizenship Challenges

The Justice Department is moving to revoke the citizenship of 17 foreign-born Americans accused of fraudulently obtaining naturalization. 

Monday’s announcement alleges the individuals committed serious crimes—including child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and financial fraud—and failed to meet the “good moral character” requirement for U.S. citizenship by making false statements under oath during the naturalization process. Acting AG Blanche said the DOJ maintains a “zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process.”

The same day, a federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s $100k fee on new H-1B visa applications (which allows employers to temporarily hire international talent for specialty jobs), arguing the executive branch exceeded its authority. 

The fee-hike was meant to discourage employers from hiring foreign workers over Americans, but critics argued hiring much-needed doctors and teachers was already difficult before the added cost.

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ABOVE ALL, LOVE
While you probably play a small role in affecting immigration policy, you play a much more significant role in Christ’s mission to demonstrate his love to the world. As you seek justice, remember compassion for your neighbors—whether immigrants, longtime citizens, criminals, legislators, or people who passionately disagree with you on immigration policy.

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 
1 John 4:19-20 (CSB) (read full passage)

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SPORTS

Every Four Years

The beautiful game’s biggest tournament kicks off across North America tomorrow.

FIFA’s 2026 World Cup is its biggest edition ever, with 48 teams spread waaaay out across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for 104 matches (see schedule) at record-breaking prices.

On the pitch, reigning champ Argentina’s Lionel Messi (38) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (41) will take their final bows, France’s Kylian Mbappé needs five goals to break the all-time scoring record, and Norway’s The Terminator Erling Haaland and tournament-favorite Spain’s phenom Lamine Yamal (18) make their Cup debut. Christian Pulisic leads the 16th-ranked United States who open Friday against Paraguay.

Beyond the pitch, Iran’s team had its homebase moved from Arizona to Tijuana due to the U.S.-Iran war, and Somalia’s first-ever World Cup referee was denied entry due to vetting concerns at Miami International Airport.

We’re talking World Cup, allegiance to Christ, sore winning, and vuvuzelas tomorrow in Decaf: The Pour Over for Families. Sign up here to get it in your inbox (always free!).

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Verse to consider as countries compete and the world watches: “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 
Revelation 7:9-10 (CSB) (read full passage)

Siri’s joining the AI party. Apple announced a long-awaited overhaul of its digital assistant at its Worldwide Developers Conference Monday. Beta testing will start this fall for “Siri AI,” a more conversational assistant that can remember past interactions and analyze users’ screens. Apple emphasized personal data privacy, saying most processing will happen on users’ devices rather than in data centers.
 

Put the brooms away: the Spurs avoided an NBA Finals sweep, winning Game 3 115-111 thanks to Victor Wembanyama’s 32 points. They’ll look to tie the series in tonight’s Game 4. Despite heightened security due to President Trump’s attendance, six were stabbed at Penn Station below NYC’s MSG Sunday night—all are expected to recover and a suspect is in custody.
 

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck near the Southern tip of the Philippines Monday morning—the country’s strongest quake in 50 years (see damage). At least 38 people are dead, nearly 500 injured, and thousands displaced after buildings collapsed across the region. Though tsunami warnings have been lifted, hundreds of aftershocks have been recorded, and the death toll is expected to rise.
 

OpenAI 🤝 the open market. Monday, the ChatGPT-maker announced it confidentially filed for an initial public offering, just one week after Anthropic (Claude’s maker). OpenAI didn’t give a timeline, saying it wants to do things that are “easier as a private company,” but could debut as early as September, joining SpaceX and Anthropic in the trio of expected trillion-dollar-valuation companies debuting this year.
 

Los Angeles voters advanced two Democrats to battle it out for mayor. After a week of counting, Democratic councilmember Nithya Raman edged out Republican reality star Spencer Pratt to challenge her former ally, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (D), for the City of Angels’ top position in November. VP Vance called the results “pretty shady,” questioning the Golden State’s vote counting process.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

A jumbo throwback…

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Who I’m Praying For
My kids, with this guide*

I am quick to obsess over all the ways I need to buy/say/try/do the right thing to be a good mom. But more than anything, what I really need to do is pray. That’s why I’m thankful for The Power of a Praying Mom—a free guide with seven honest prayers for seven real moments in motherhood.

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Courtney Davis | Finance Coordinator