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WORLD NEWS

War in Europe

Fighting rages on as Ukraine’s allies weigh options for peace.

Russia has intensified long-range missile attacks on Ukraine since Friday, an uptick that coincides with the U.S.’s pause on sharing military aid and intelligence—including satellite technology used for air defense—with Ukraine until it sees peace progress.

In response to Russia “absolutely pounding Ukraine,” President Trump announced he’s “strongly considering” piling more sanctions and tariffs on Russia. However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is skeptical, saying every Russian attack proves sanctions don’t work.

With Trump weighing economic pressure, Europe’s weighing military might. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Starmer have floated the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to enforce a peace agreement, while Macron says he’s open to using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent—comments Russia called “extremely confrontational.”

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RADIATE HOPE
As we mourn violence and pray for peace around the world, believers are reminded of how good the news is of Jesus’s coming kingdom. His Spirit offers supernatural peace in our hearts today, and his return promises peace in a renewed earth forever. 

“‘For I will create new heavens and a new earth… The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle, but the serpent’s food will be dust! They will not do what is evil or destroy on my entire holy mountain,’ says the Lord.” 
Isaiah 65:17, 25 (CSB) (read full passage)

U.S. NEWS

Causes of Death

Official causes of death have been issued for actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. 

After initial confusion about whether or not their deaths were suspicious, autopsies indicated that 65-year-old Arakawa died on February 11 due to Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—an infection caused by airborne rodent contamination—and 95-year-old Hackman passed away seven days later from heart disease, “with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor.”

Authorities say they discovered signs of rodent entry in the couple’s Santa Fe home, but Hackman tested negative for Hantavirus. Given his cognitive state, authorities believe Hackman was unaware of his wife’s death, leading him to stay in their 9,000-square-foot home without seeking assistance.

Police found the couple’s bodies, along with their deceased dog—which had been left in its cage—in separate rooms of their house on February 26.

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Death is all around us, and the darkness weighs heavily on our hearts and our world. But believers have hope because Emmanuel is present with us in the darkness, and our Living God has removed the sting of death so that it’s powerless against those who love him. 

“‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain.” 
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 (CSB) (read full passage)

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POLITICS

Day 49

The Trump Administration is keeping up its fast pace.

In education news, the Department of Education canceled $400M in funding to Columbia University, saying the school had potentially violated the Civil Rights Act by failing to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.

Additionally, President Trump altered the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to exclude workers at nonprofits with a “substantial illegal purpose," including aiding illegal immigration, transgender medical treatments for minors, or terrorism. Advocacy groups are suing, arguing that only Congress can alter PSLF.

In medical news, the CDC announced an investigation into the cause of autism (a priority of the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission), including a large new study into potential connections between vaccines and autism. Critics say the theorized link has been extensively debunked and promotes dangerous anti-vaccine rhetoric.

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Verse to consider when you checked the last thing off your to-do list, just to turn around and face a mountain of tasks again… “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3 (CSB) (read full passage)

President Trump wants to end the “war on crypto.” Thursday, he signed an executive order directing the Treasury to establish a crypto reserve, which would be funded by the 200,000 bitcoins (worth approximately $17B) already jingling in Uncle Sam’s pocket from asset forfeitures. Crypto leaders met at the White House on Friday to discuss the future of digital gold regulation.
 

SpaceX’s latest Starship launch ended with a bang… literally. Nearly ten minutes after lifting off from Texas on Thursday, the massive rocket exploded somewhere off the Caribbean. The FAA briefly halted flights at several Florida airports as debris rained down. Aspiring martian Elon Musk described the second Starship explosion of the year as a “minor setback.”
 

The measles outbreak in America’s southwest claimed a second life this week. About a week after the highly contagious, “eliminated” disease killed a child in Texas, New Mexico reported the death of an adult about 50 miles from the outbreak’s center. Both were unvaccinated. Already this year, 222 measles cases have been reported across 12 states (2024 saw 285 cases total).
 

A South Carolina death row inmate was executed by firing squad on Friday, the first time the rare method was used in the state’s history. The 67-year-old, convicted of a 2002 double murder, chose a firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair, citing concerns about prolonged suffering. Protestors gathered outside, calling for the abolition of the death penalty.
 

Fighting erupted in Syria Thursday, leading to the deaths of more than 1,000 people—including over 700 civilians—in the worst violence the country has seen since its 13-year civil war ended in December. Multiple militia groups have joined the ongoing violence, which started when a group of gunmen loyal to recently ousted President Bashar al-Assad ambushed a Syrian security patrol.

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