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POLITICS

Muted

The presidential hopefuls are re-fighting old battles.

VP Harris requested unmuted mics during the next presidential debate, while former President Trump publicly questioned whether he should participate at all. After much back and forth, both campaigns have agreed on… the previously agreed upon terms (mostly); the debate will happen on September 10th, hosted by ABC. The mics remain an open issue.

Meanwhile, Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment against former President Trump yesterday, slimming down the allegations and attempting to distinguish between Trump’s “official” and “private” actions––a nod to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. 

If former President Trump wins reelection, it's widely expected he will direct the Department of Justice to drop all federal charges against him. Charges against him in state courts would likely be delayed until he leaves office.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Whether you get invested in political outcomes or not, it’s important to remember that our political affiliations should never supersede our allegiance to Jesus.

“Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:20 (CSB) (read full passage)

WORLD NEWS

Censored

The free speech debate is heating back up. 

Telegram founder Pavel Durov, dubbed the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia,” was arrested in Paris Saturday. Telegram’s end-to-end encrypted messaging has a reputation for attracting people under restrictive governments… and criminals. French authorities arrested Durov amid an investigation into whether Telegram is failing to moderate illegal activity—including trafficking, terrorism, child pornography, and fraud—among its 1 billion users. 

Critics say Durov’s only “crime” is enabling free speech, but French President Macron said “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework.”

Meanwhile, the Mark Zuckerberg of the U.S., Mark Zuckerberg, penned a letter to the House Judiciary Committee saying Biden’s administration “repeatedly pressured” Meta to censor certain COVID-19-related content on its platforms. While the White House maintains that it encouraged actions “to protect public health and safety.”

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ABOVE ALL, LOVE
When free speech is in the headlines, it’s a good time to do a pulse check of how we’re using our own speech and influence. 

“Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭(CSB) (read full passage)‬‬

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U.S. NEWS

FTC vs Kroger

Two grocery giants are in court defending their bid to merge into America’s super-est supermarket.

Back in October 2022, Kroger (#2 largest food seller) agreed to buy its rival Albertson’s (#4 largest) for $24.6B. The two operate a combined 5,000+ stores under 30+ brands like Safeway, King Soopers, and Jewel-Osco.

The Biden-Harris admin sued to block the deal in February, arguing the merger would reduce competition and quality, provide fewer union jobs, and (further) raise grocery prices. Kroger argues the merger will lower costs by enabling their regional shops to compete with national competitors like Walmart (which would remain America’s #1 grocer) and Costco, and non-traditional rivals like Amazon.

The three-week trial could reshape the grocery industry and play into the presidential election, as both parties promise to tackle rising food prices.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Rising prices can make anyone anxious… yet difficult times like these give Christians the incredible opportunity to share (rather than hoard) what God has given us—remembering Jesus’ command for radical generosity.

“Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back.”
Luke 6:30 (CSB) (read full passage)

Israeli forces have rescued a man held hostage by Hamas for 326 days. The 52-year-old father of 11 was taken hostage during Hamas’ October 7th attacks while working security at a packing factory. Tuesday, he was rescued from an underground tunnel in a “complex mission” acting on intelligence; the IDF said the man was in stable medical condition.
 

Private equity has been invited to the big leagues. Yesterday, NFL owners voted to allow select private equity firms to own up to 10% of each team. The firms intend to invest $12 billion in various teams, freeing up cash for owners (some of whom are mere billionaires, not multi-billionaires) to pursue other projects, like stadium renovations. 
 

Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to… each other. After a 15-year break, Oasis is popping the champagne (supernova) and reuniting. Their breakup was fueled by beef between brothers Noah and Liam Gallagher, but they’re not looking back in anger. Instead, they’re looking forward to 14 tour dates in the British Isles next summer.
 

Wall Street is rallying just weeks after a sell-off scare. The Dow Jones––one of the oldest and most-followed stock indexes––closed at a record high on Monday. The Dow is up 9.7% so far this year, lagging behind the S&P 500’s 18% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq’s 19%. Fears of bears chasing bulls off Wall Street seem to have been short-lived.
 

For the first time (outside of church league), an MLB player played for both teams in the same game. In June, Danny Jansen played two innings for Toronto against Boston before rain forced the game’s suspension. It took two months to reschedule, during which time Jansen was traded… to Boston. The game resumed Monday with Jansen on the other team.

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