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U.S. NEWS

California Fires

The greater Los Angeles wildfires continue to bring devastation. 

The death toll has surpassed 16 and is expected to rise; at least 13 people are missing. The Palisades Fire—spanning over 22,600 acres—is 11% contained, while the Eaton Fire northeast of Los Angeles—covering 14,100 acres—is 27% contained. 

Over the weekend, shifting winds pushed the Palisades Fire inland toward the San Fernando Valley, forcing additional evacuations. Over 200,000 people have been displaced, and more than 12,300 structures, including some historic landmarks, have been destroyed. With strong winds continuing this week, 8 million people remain in the critical fire risk zone. 

Investigators are looking into the fires’ causes, and a newly formed regional task force led by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is working to determine a connection between the blazes.

(We’re also covering this story on Thursday in Decaf, The Pour Over for Families. Sign up—for free—here.)
 
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RADIATE HOPE
Massive 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. 

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… Then the one seated on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new.’”
Revelation 21:1-2, 5 (CSB) (read full passage)

U.S. NEWS

Diversity Policy Rollbacks

Meta and Amazon have joined a growing number of companies (Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, John Deere, etc.) that’ve scaled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. 

Companies say they use DEI programs to promote diverse hiring (diversity), fair treatment and opportunity regardless of race, gender, or other identifiers (equity), and a workplace culture where everyone feels valued (inclusion). 

Critics of DEI argue that the programs end up promoting discriminatory practices, and companies are changing or removing their policies to avoid legal risk (think: a 2023 ruling that barred private universities from considering race in admissions).

Meta stated the legal “shift” as its main reason for scrapping the program in a memo Friday. The rollback follows other recently announced updates to the tech company’s policies, including relaxing fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads posts. 

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Verse to consider when you get an email from HR… “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable​—​if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy​—dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9 (CSB) (read full passage)

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Bringing Light

Only 3% of Cambodia’s 17 million people follow Jesus. 

Over 80% of the country identifies as Buddhist, and nearly half (43%) of Cambodia’s people groups haven’t even heard Jesus’s story yet. This lack of the gospel is compounded by a history of genocide, resulting in a cycle of poverty, low literacy, and limited healthcare. 

OneHope is bringing light to Cambodia’s children and youth through a life-changing program that offers lessons on health and sanitation while sharing Scripture. 

Every dollar donated provides three children with hygiene kits, training, and God’s Word. Thanks to a generous donor, your gift today will be doubled, and TPO will match the first $3,000 given.

WORLD NEWS

From Caracas

Venezuela swore in President Nicolás Maduro for a third term on Friday.

Since Maduro took power in 2013, Venezuela’s economy has been spiraling and political repression skyrocketing. Maduro was declared the winner of last July’s election, but the U.S. says vote tallies showed rival candidate Edmundo González as the (landslide) winner. Tensions have only risen.

On Maduro’s inauguration day, the Biden administration raised a bounty on the authoritarian leader to $25M, seeking info leading to his arrest on drug trafficking charges. The U.K., E.U., and Canada piled on with financial sanctions against Venezuelan officials.

The White House has also extended protections for Venezuelan immigrants (along with migrants from Ukraine, Sudan, and El Salvador), allowing over a million people an extra 18 months in the Temporary Protected Status Program—which President-elect Trump has promised to scale back.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Just as many Americans view the outcomes of foreign elections with a certain level of detachment, Christians view earthly political outcomes as secondary to the campaign of our eternal home, where we hold our truest citizenship. 

“From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.… In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us.” 
2 Corinthians 5:16, 19-20 (CSB) (read full passage)

TikTok may actually get Uncle Sam’s boot. Commentators say the Supreme Court appears ready to uphold the federal law requiring the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest or face a nationwide ban by January 19. During Friday’s session, the justices underscored national security concerns and indicated the foreign-owned company may not qualify for First Amendment protections.
 

People are googling “unconditional discharge” after President-elect Trump received that as his sentence in his hush money trial Friday. Trump will receive no punishment (no jail time, fines, community service, probation, etc.). The sentencing judge said it was the only decision that upheld Trump’s felony conviction “without encroachment on the highest office of the land.”
 

Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned Friday. The Justice Department appointee oversaw two federal criminal cases against President-elect Trump—one over classified documents and one over alleged 2020 election interference—both of which have been dropped due to presidential immunity. Smith’s (expected) departure and an order from a federal judge make it currently unlikely his classified docs case report will even be released.
 

The U.S. labor market ended 2024 on a high note. Employers added 256,000 jobs in December, crushing the expectations of 155,000, and unemployment dipped to a healthy 4.1%. Overall, 2.2 million jobs were created throughout the year. Still, don’t hold your breath for more rate cuts––analysts expect interest rates to hold steady for the foreseeable future.
 

The field is set for next Monday’s NCAA College Football Playoffs National Championship after 7-seed Notre Dame squeaked past 6-seed Penn State (Orange Bowl: 27-24), and 8-seed Ohio State topped 5-seed Texas (Cotton Bowl: 28-14)—complete with this fumble return. In pro news, The NFL playoffs kicked off with Wild Card Weekend on Saturday and Sunday—see the updated bracket here.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Alright, everyone… hands in!

How We’re Rediscovering Joy
With Sacred Attachment*

The new year is a fresh start, but spiritual exhaustion doesn’t just drop away like a fancy ball in Times Square. 

So, what do you do when the gap between what you believe and what you experience feels insurmountable? With raw honesty and vulnerability, Michael John Cusick shares his own zigzagging path to God in his new book Sacred Attachment, revealing how brokenness can become the gateway to joyful divine attachment. Cusick's gentle guidance helps you reimagine how life with God can repair wounds and deeply satisfy your soul.

Rest seen, soothed, safe, and secure in God’s love. Get your copy of Sacred Attachment.

What We’re Getting Back To
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Digital marketing doesn’t have to be in your hat collection with Beyond Blue Media. They’re a Christian-run, full-service digital marketing agency that can steward your marketing so you can get back to doing what you love—whether that’s baking cookies, building houses, or fixing pipes. 

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