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WORLD NEWS

Oval Office Arbitration

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy returned to the White House on Monday for more discussions on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

European leaders joined a suited-up Zelenskyy and President Trump for a more-peaceful-than-last-time discussion. At the table, Trump suggested a temporary ceasefire may not be “necessary” for war-ending negotiations to take place; European leaders pushed back, saying they “can’t imagine” future meetings taking place without one. Trump also hinted that the U.S. may offer Ukraine security guarantees, but ruled out sending American troops to join the fight.

After the summit, Trump had a 40-minute call with Russian President Putin to start arranging a Putin-Zelenskyy face-to-face; the Kremlin’s response has been noncommittal so far, and no future talks have been confirmed, but Switzerland has agreed to host if plans make it out of the group chat. 

(We’re also covering this story tomorrow in Decaf, The Pour Over for Families. Sign up—for free—here.)

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Verse to consider while we wait for God’s lasting peace to reign over all nations… “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.” 
Zechariah 9:10 (CSB) (read full passage)

WEATHER

Churned Up

Hurricane Erin has Outer Banks residents packing their bags.

Despite weakening to a Category 2 on Tuesday, Erin still threatens to churn out 110mph winds, 15-foot waves, and deadly rip currents from Florida to New England. While the storm is expected to curve north and stay offshore, mandatory evacuations were ordered for the Carolinian Barrier Islands, with warnings of swamped roads and dangerous surf.

Erin lashed the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday before setting her sights farther north. As she moved up the coast, officials at North Carolina’s Wrightsville Beach reported rescuing at least 60 swimmers from rip currents. 

Tropical storm and surge watches remain in place across much of the Carolinas’ coastline. Forecasters say Erin’s closest pass will be today and tomorrow, with tropical-storm-force winds extending 200 miles from her offshore center.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Massive weather events and natural disasters remind us that all of the world has been broken by sin. But Christians can look forward to an eternity where there’s redemption not just for people but for creation itself. 

“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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WORLD NEWS

Temporary Truce on the Table

Hamas accepted mediators’ latest ceasefire proposal on Monday.

The deal, based on the U.S. framework, would mean:

• Hamas frees 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in two batches (which would leave 22 hostages in captivity, 10 believed to be alive) 

• Israel releases 150 Palestinian prisoners

• Fighting stops for 60 days, meaning Israel abandons its planned occupation of Gaza City

• Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire restart 

The news of Hamas’s approval came hours after President Trump urged Israel to expand attacks, saying Hamas must be “confronted and destroyed” to save hostages. Meanwhile, more than 200,000 Israelis protested the planned military expansion, arguing that it endangers hostages and Palestinian civilians. 

Israel hasn’t committed either way, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has said he’s no longer interested in partial, temporary deals and wants hostages released all “in one go.” 

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Join us in prayer for the Middle East, confident that God hears and grants our prayers when we pray “according to his will” (1 John 5:14–15).

“O God, the Creator of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you in Jesus Christ; in whose Name we pray. Amen.”
Book of Common Prayer, page 655 

Air Canada flights are preparing for takeoff. The airline and its unionized flight attendants reached an agreement yesterday, ending a turbulent four-day strike that persisted despite government warnings that the walkout was unlawful. Air Canada announced it’s gradually resuming operations, but will likely cancel more flights over the next week while things get back to cruising altitude. 
 

Intel is getting a $2B lifeline. SoftBank is buying up new shares, becoming the chipmaker’s sixth-largest investor. The news comes amid reports that the U.S. government may take a 10% stake—converting Chips Act grants into equity—in a high-stakes effort to steady the struggling chipmaker and bolster Uncle Sam’s semiconductor production.
 

The DOJ will open some of the Epstein files for Congress on Friday, missing the congressional subpoena deadline of yesterday. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) said the Justice Department needed more time to redact files to protect the disgraced financier’s victims; Democrats pushed back, saying the Trump admin is failing to comply by redacting docs and missing the due date.
 

The Hoosiers may hold their (district) line(s). Several Indiana Republican state lawmakers have spoken out against a mid-decade redraw of their district map, despite pressure from the White House, saying the gerrymandering would set “a dangerous precedent.” It comes as Texas is moving forward with plans to redraw its map and California is crafting its own retaliation.
 

MSNBC is leaving the peacock’s nest and rebranding as MS NOW—“My Source for News, Opinion, and World”—amid its split from NBC. The makeover has drawn more chuckles than cheers online. Meanwhile in the news world, Newsmax will shell out $67M to settle Dominion Voting System’s defamation suit over false 2020 election claims, closing another chapter of post-election fallout.

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