WORLD NEWS

Barrel Rollout

The Group of 7 is turning on the (oil) tap.

On Friday, G7 nations (U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.K.) announced they were releasing 100M barrels of oil over the next four months to stabilize the market and prevent further “price shocks” at the pump (see what the G7 promised). The barrel rollout would fulfill the G7’s March commitments and includes a “substantial diesel release within the first 20 days” to combat average diesel prices above $6.

The decision came after President Trump threatened to ban diesel exports, which one European diplomat called “blackmail.” Trump later said the ban was “never really ever on the table,” but praised Europe’s decision to tap its reserves.

The International Energy Agency, which will coordinate the flow, said global oil prices were “starting to fall” following the G7’s announcement.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
When deals are struck that impact our wallets, it can be easy for our emotions (whether positive or negative) to flare. But believers have reason to be joyful and generous in all kinds of circumstances, whether diesel costs $6 or 60¢.

“I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:12-13 (CSB) (read full passage)

ECONOMY

A Laboring Labor Market

Uncle Sam got low marks on September’s jobs report.

The U.S. economy added just 29,000 jobs last month, well below the predicted 84,000. Unemployment rose to 4.2% (largely because 485,000 people started working or job hunting, and job hunters count as unemployed), and annual wage growth slowed to 3%, its lowest since May 2021. Plus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised its July and August numbers, bumping them down by a combined 60,000 jobs.

The pain wasn’t spread evenly; job losses were concentrated in government, information, and financial sectors, while healthcare, construction, and manufacturing all added jobs.

The labor data has investors more confident that the Federal Reserve, which raised rates in September to fight inflation, will not raise interest rates in October. Raising rates tends to increase unemployment, but the effect is delayed and indirect (Yeah, there’s a lot of numbers in this story… We made you a fun explainer).

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Whether the economy is booming, busting, or just bumping along, God remains in control. In the midst of uncertainty on earth, set your hope on the abundance we will enjoy with Christ when He comes.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB) (read full passage)

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WORLD NEWS

Troubles en France

Over 5,000 people have been arrested in France amid high-school-student-led protests.

In late September, blockades began in Parisian suburbs over dilapidated schools, classroom overcrowding, and teacher shortages in poor communities. Demonstrations quickly spread to 1,200+ schools, with some escalating to include arson and vandalism (see photos); police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Hundreds have been injured, schools sustained millions of euros in damage, and 400+ schools were closed Friday.

Anger grew after France's 2027 budget proposal, unveiled Thursday, included a 1.7% increase for education (a below-inflation boost attributed to population decline).

The French government condemned the violence, promising to pursue criminal charges and hold parents liable for damages. The education minister committed to include student voices in reform, launch a “consultation platform” to hear grievances, and address teacher shortages—proposals student leaders called a “smoke screen.”

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PRAY WITH US
King of Justice, send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead France. Lead protesters into peaceful organization and constructive conversation with public officials; lead law enforcement into prudence and courage and the courts toward justice; and lead the nation into creative collaboration so that dissent sows change that lifts the lowly. While peace remains elusive, establish Your church as a lighthouse that welcomes the exhausted. Amen. (read full prayer)

Want help turning your news groanings into prayers? Praying the News, TPO’s 5-minute audio devotional, will guide you. Sign up here and we’ll text it to you.

Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike has been in critical condition, unconscious and on a ventilator, since her failed execution Wednesday. Her attorneys accused officials of ignoring warning signs and say Pike sustained “significant injuries to both arms” from the injections. State prison system chief Strada says he’ll resign this month in Tennesseans’ “best interest” while an independent review is conducted.


Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has named Attorney General Letitia James (D-NY) special prosecutor in Cornell's alleged sexual assault case. In a rare override, Hochul said the accuser's full account never reaching the DA “undercut faith, and the public's faith.” James, who said the investigation could take months, said New Yorkers reporting a crime deserve to “be seen and heard.”


After a medical transport plane went missing Saturday, the search continues for the Bermudian patient, a family member, and four Canadian crew who were aboard. Officials found debris from the Gulfstream G100 off the coast of Nantucket. The air ambulance was en route from Bermuda to Boston when it declared an emergency, then lost contact with air traffic controllers.


A Florida federal judge dismissed a case against a Jamaican national charged with illegally voting in 2020, finding the federal law unconstitutional as applied to her in what appears to be a first. The Miami-based judge ruled that only states, not Congress, can set voter qualifications, noting Florida could still prosecute under state law. The DOJ immediately moved to appeal.

October is for pumpkins playoffs. Two years after a modern-record 121 losses, the #6 White Sox are 3-0 this postseason, sweeping #3 Houston and taking Game 1 from #2 Cleveland in the ALDS Saturday (watch Murakami blast a 440-foot homer). Meanwhile, the WNBA’s semis started yesterday with two game ones. New York, the first eight seed to oust a #1, fell to Atlanta, and Golden State beat defending-champ Las Vegas.

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What Our Pastors Don’t Know Yet
We’re nominating them for $10,000*

Here’s the thing about pastors: they’ll never, ever ask for this.

They’ll preach Sunday, sit with someone enduring the unthinkable on Monday, meet about parking lot logistics on Tuesday, and spend Wednesday poring over Scripture to prep next Sunday’s sermon. Oh, and every night they’re stewarding their own household.

So… thank ‘em by going behind their back!

Nominate your pastor for a chance to win $10,000 from Midwestern Seminary: $5,000 toward a family vacay and $5,000 for a need in their church. And send the link to the whole church, because the pastor with the most noms will get an all-expenses-paid retreat for two.

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