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U.S. NEWS

Sour (Big) Apple

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s (D) future is up in the air.

After four of his eight deputy mayors resigned, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) spent yesterday weighing whether to remove Adams from his mayoral seat, citing “serious questions” about the administration’s future. Hochul hasn’t announced a decision yet. 

Adams was charged with bribery and fraud last year. He pleaded not guilty to all five counts, and the DOJ moved to dismiss the case last week, but several federal prosecutors on the case cried foul and resigned. They allege Adams agreed to support President Trump’s immigration policies in exchange for having the charges dropped; Adams and the DOJ deny a quid pro quo.

Today, DOJ prosecutors will explain in court why they’ve moved to dismiss charges against Adams, which requires a judge’s approval.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Christians should always root for justice and fairness, whether it's a government official or a random person on trial. Our job is to try to please Jesus, who will judge everyone fairly and win in the end. 

“Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.” 
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

Flip Landing

Delta Flight 4819, from Minneapolis to Toronto, had a traumatic touchdown Monday.

Upon landing in windy conditions, the Bombardier CRJ-900 commercial aircraft lost a wing, burst into flame, and flipped upside down (see photos). All 76 passengers and four crew members survived after evacuating through the emergency exit doors; at least 18 people were transported to hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.

It’s not clear what caused the crash. The aircraft was properly maintained and well within its 2-3 decade lifespan. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is leading the investigation, with support from U.S. agencies.

It’s been a turbulent few months for commercial aviation. A December crash in South Korea killed 179 people, a January crash in D.C. claimed 67 lives, and a crash in Alaska took 10 lives earlier this month. 

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Verse to consider when it feels like the circumstances of life are spinning out of control… “Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God.” 
Psalm 62:5–7 (CSB) (read full passage)  

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WORLD NEWS

Ending Russian Isolation

The U.S. and Russia are rebooting their relationship.

In the countries’ first official meeting since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Saudi Arabia yesterday. They aimed to lay the groundwork for peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine war that’s claimed more than a million lives by some estimates.

Uncle Sam and Mother Russia agreed to pick peace-negotiating teams and restore staffing levels at their embassies, also making plans for “geopolitical and economic cooperation” if the war ends. A summit between Presidents Trump and Putin was discussed but not set.

The Trump administration said Tuesday’s talks were “preliminary,” promising Ukraine that it will be able to negotiate with Russia directly. Rubio said, “No one is being sidelined,” but European allies are miffed that they weren’t looped in.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
As nations fight over temporary borders, followers of Christ rejoice in our eternal inheritance: the entire world made completely new, where we will live and reign with our Savior forever. 

“Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.” 
Matthew 5:5 (CSB) (read full passage)

The puck dropped, and so did the gloves. Sold-out Montreal crowds at a USA-Canada hockey match booed the U.S. national anthem before three on-ice fights broke out within the first nine seconds. Team USA came out on top, and the rivals will meet again in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship tomorrow. The neighbors’ rivalry has ramped up recently over tariff talk.
 

Elon Musk is taking on the Social Security Administration. The acting SSA head stepped down over DOGE’s request for private taxpayer data over the weekend, while the billionaire cost-cutter raised questions about whether dead people are receiving payments. Critics worry DOGE’s Social Security intervention will interrupt benefits and endanger sensitive info; the White House promises to “identify fraud” while protecting benefits.
 

South Korea has banned new downloads of China’s DeepSeek AI chatbot over privacy concerns following its rapid rise to over a million weekly users. Existing DeepSeekers can still access the app, but reinstatement depends on China’s compliance with data laws. Meanwhile, Texas is investigating the app’s ties to the Chinese government and its alleged violations of state privacy laws.
 

Captain America: Brave New World opened over Valentine’s weekend… and critics weren’t feeling the love. The newest MCU installment had an $88.5 million weekend in North America despite receiving the franchise’s third-lowest rating (a 49% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, 80% audience score). In TV news, Saturday Night Live’s 3-hour, 50th-anniversary special garnered 14.8 million late-night viewers—202% above its season average.
 

Pope Francis, who’s been hospitalized since Friday, has developed pneumonia in both lungs. The Vatican said the 88-year-old Argentine’s tests “continue to present a complex picture” but that he remains “in good spirits.” Pope Francis, one of the oldest pontiffs in the church’s history, had a partial lung removal at age 21, which makes him prone to lung infections.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Taking jet skis to new heights…

How We’re Scrubbing Our Data
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C is for Cookie (the internet kind). It’s a small text file that websites store to remember information about you. Some websites also sell your cookies to data brokers, opening the door for them to learn even more info (name, address, contact details, SSN, and even medical records).

Here’s the thing… it’s your data. And if you ask, they’ll delete it. If you want to do it yourself, here’s how. (TLDR: It’s a ton of work.) If you want to save hundreds of hours, do some delegating and have Incogni do it for you.

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What We’re Using
World Relief’s New Prayer Guide*

One of the most divisive and complicated issues in the headlines is immigration. Where can believers even begin?

Consider starting with World Relief’s Prayers for Such a Time as This: Seeking God’s Heart for Immigrants, Refugees, and Those Who Walk Alongside Them. World Relief has been serving refugees and other immigrants for over 80 years, and their new prayer guide is an invitation to lament, intercede, and stand in the gap. 

In times like these, it’s easy to feel weary. But as people of faith, we know that before we can step forward, we first step into prayer. Download the Prayer Guide today and join me.

Matt DeLange | Editor