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U.S. NEWS

Delays and Decisions

President Trump won’t have Georgia on his mind anytime soon.

A Peach State appeals court paused the criminal case against Trump and 14 co-defendants while it weighs the defendants’ request to disqualify DA Fani Willis, who was in a romantic relationship with a former top prosecutor. This pause likely pushes the potential trial into 2025.

Meanwhile, the judge in the former POTUS’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents case reshuffled hearing dates, almost certainly delaying that potential trial until after November’s election as well.

Speaking of the election, former President Trump is reportedly narrowing in on a running mate. His campaign requested background documents from eight potential veeps. Frontrunners to receive a rose include Governor Doug Burgum (ND) and Senators Marco Rubio (FL), J.D. Vance (OH), and Tim Scott (SC).

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Verse to consider when fixating on court cases or elections… “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” 
Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

D-Day

Yesterday marked 80 years since the invasion that landed 150,000 Allied troops on the shores of Normandy and turned the tide of World War II.

The Allied powers got back together in northern France to mark the occasion—President Biden, France’s President Macron, Britain’s PM Sunak and King Charles III, and Canada’s PM Trudeau—along with some of the last living veterans (average age: 98) and thousands of others paying their respects.

One of the Allies wasn’t invited to the anniversary reunion: Russia. 

Instead, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation. In his remarks, President Biden linked Ukraine’s fight against Russia with the effort to defeat Nazi Germany, defended the ongoing value of NATO’s alliance, and warned against the isolationism growing in popularity.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Thousands lost their lives in France, pushing past paralyzing fear and making great personal sacrifices for freedom. How much bolder we as Christians should be, having eternal hope, the full armor of God, and a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.”
Ephesians 6:12-13 (CSB) (read full passage)

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WORLD NEWS

Multiple Fronts

Israel’s been active.

Early Thursday, Israel launched a strike on a Gaza school in which it said dozens of Hamas operatives were actively plotting terror attacks. The strike killed over 30 people—including 23 women and children, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it was “not aware of civilian casualties.” 

Stateside, the New York Times reported that an Israeli influence campaign has been targeting U.S. lawmakers with hundreds of fake American social media accounts posting pro-Israel content created via ChatGPT to push support for Israel. Meta and OpenAI said they disrupted the campaign, which Israel denies involvement in, last week.

Meanwhile, the House voted 247-155 to block International Criminal Court officials’ entry into the U.S. as punishment for the arrest warrants it issued top Israel officials. The legislation isn’t expected to get picked up in the Senate.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Our world is overwhelmed by darkness and by swirling and spiraling anxieties. Turn to Jesus for mercy, who himself suffered violence and loss at the hands of those who hated him. Pray that the hope Jesus offers through his compassionate people will turn hearts to the Lord, the only source of true comfort. 

“[The LORD] heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them. Our Lord is great, vast in power… The Lord helps the oppressed but brings the wicked to the ground.”
Psalm 147:3-6 (CSB) (read full passage)

Start spreading the news (♪♫)... in a last-minute reversal, NY Governor Kathy Hochul (D) indefinitely paused NYC’s controversial congestion pricing plan. The plan, years in the making, would’ve charged cars $15 to enter the core of Manhattan and raised billions to upgrade NYC’s public transit system. Hochul cited the steep toll on the middle class and their… vagabond shoes.
 

Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and ex-girlfriend testified about his drug use this week. Prosecutors allege Hunter lied about his addiction on a gun application—Hunter says he was not using at the time and didn’t consider himself an addict until later. Meanwhile, House Republicans issued criminal referrals against Hunter and James Biden (the president’s brother), accusing them of lying to Congress.
 

There’s a new #2 in town. Nvidia stock rose 5.2% on Wednesday, valuing the AI chipmaker at $3.012 trillion compared to Apple’s paltry $3.003 trillion. That makes Nvidia the second most valuable company in the world, behind only Microsoft ($3.15 trillion). Demand for Nvidia’s chips continues to outpace supply as multiple companies race for AI dominance.
 

The White House is defending President Biden after the WSJ described the 81-year-old as “slipping” behind closed doors. Reporters interviewed 45 people over several months; Republicans reported repeated instances of memory lapses, inaudible speech, and perceived snooziness by Biden, while Democrats largely found no fault and called Biden “sharp,” though some said he showed his age on several occasions.
 

Boeing's Starliner capsule blasted off with astronauts aboard for the first time Wednesday, just a few years behind schedule. Originally planned for 2017 and rescheduled to 2023, the crewed Starliner named Calypso successfully docked at the International Space Station yesterday afternoon. Elon Musk was also celebrating yesterday after SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket made its first successful return from space.

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An interesting method of art…

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