Category: Did you Know?

These are further explanations and insight to help further explain the awesomeness of the bible

FBI arrests alleged Chinese agent at LAX after she allegedly surveilled son of Taiwanese president

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The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese agent at Los Angeles International Airport after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president’s U.S.-based son, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Wanying “Heather” Zhang, an Irvine, California, realtor, was cuffed by federal law enforcement on Sunday before she boarded a flight to Shanghai, China, from LAX, on a charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Zhang’s husband Edric Ding, a realtor at the same firm, told CBS News when reached by phone Sunday: “I don’t know anything yet,” and declined to comment further.

It was not immediately clear if Zhang has an attorney.   Wanying “Heather” Zhang. FBI A criminal complaint, filed in federal court by a member of the FBI’s counterintelligence squad in L.A., accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025 and taking pictures at the suburban home of a top Taiwanese official’s family. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the target was Ting-Yu Lai, the son of Taiwanese President Ching-Te Lai. Ting-Yu, an engineer in his 30s, attended college in America and has a young U.S.-born son with his wife, Hsiao Chen, according to Taiwanese media reports. He now works for the Dutch multinational electronics firm Philips. “If the PRC [People’s Republic of China] wish to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict, the location and pictures of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC,” wrote FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt in the Oct. 3, 2026, criminal complaint.

Taiwan has been the focus of high geopolitical tensions for decades. It asserts its independence, while the Chinese government claims it is part of China. The island is in a key position astride major shipping lanes, and is where many of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips are manufactured. CBS News reached out to the Taiwanese consulate for comment. The complaint said Zhang, 34, and a man named only as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025, rented a black Nissan Rogue and drove to their target’s home. Images from a neighbor’s security camera included in the complaint allegedly show the two “appearing to film” Ting-Yu, his wife and their child as they arrived home that evening.

CBS News matched the images to an address near Seattle owned by Ting-Yu. Zhang allegedly texted her Chinese government handler: “Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one,” and “I am videorecording,” followed by two license plate numbers, according to the complaint. The FBI agent wrote that the texts from the Chinese messaging app WeChat were obtained from a search warrant on Zhang’s iCloud account. “Zhang was in contact with at least two people whom she appeared to acknowledge worked for the PRC government,” the agent wrote. FBI agents arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 4, 2026. U.S. Department of Justice The complaint claims  Zhang was introduced in June 2025 to one of the Chinese government officials by a classmate from her alma mater, Beijing’s University of International Relations, which Holt said has close ties to the Ministry of State Security.

Holt’s affidavit claims  Zhang booked a private room in Changsha, China, during a June 2025 trip, where she allegedly met the government official and received her surveillance mission. She later texted the official, “I can take care of this thing,” according to the complaint. On Aug. 26, 2025, Zhang wrote: “I will be busy with work in L.A. this week. I will probably go to Seattle next week,” and the official replied: “Ok. Thank you for your hard work,” the complaint said. Zhang is a licensed California realtor with JC Pacific Capital Inc. Her Zillow profile says she has 130 sales and listings around Los Angeles and neighboring counties.  Ting-Yu received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2012; a master’s in Bioengineering Innovation and Design from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the following year; then a PhD from the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, according to a profile from one of his academic publications.

Taiwan TV news station SETN reported that he met his Taiwanese wife while studying for his doctorate. They married in 2018 and had a child in the U.S. in 2020, according to CNA, Taiwan’s national news agency. Chinese government agents have previously been caught spying on and harassing Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists in the U.S. Federal prosecutors said Shujun Wang, 75, infiltrated and informed on a Chinese pro-democracy group in Queens, New York, for the Chinese Ministry of State Security for 17 years. He was convicted in 2024 of acting as a foreign agent. Two people were arrested in April 2023 for their involvement in an unofficial Chinese police station in Manhattan set up to monitor Chinese dissidents. The Justice Department has warned of a plan by the Chinese security services called Operation Fox Hunt aimed at repatriating wanted Chinese nationals around the world, which targets enemies of the regime.

New York-based Quanzhong An, who prosecutors say is a leader of the U.S. wing of Operation Fox Hunt, was sentenced in March 2025 after harassing a Chinese dissident in an attempt to bring them back to China. In California, former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang was charged with acting as a Chinese agent in May. She admitted to being paid to spread pro-Chinese government propaganda in the U.S., including an essay on her blog denying “forced labor” in China.

Source: FBI arrests alleged Chinese agent at LAX after she allegedly surveilled son of Taiwanese president – CBS News

For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
James 3:2

2 Timothy 3:12 

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Paul was reminding Timothy that following Christ does not guarantee an easy…

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Skateboarder ends 1,200-mile journey

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Skyler King has completed his 1,200-mile journey from Oxford to New York City on a skateboard. He left Oxford on Aug. 1 and arrived in NYC on Sept. 12. King made the trip to honor his late brother while raising awareness and support for suicide prevention and mental health. The trip, called “Push for Prevention,” raised almost $11K. King plans to donate the funds to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Ben Raemers Foundation. (Contributed)

Source: Skateboarder ends 1,200-mile journey | The Oxford Eagle

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20

John 15:18–20

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you…

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Galatians 1:6-10

“When truth becomes negotiable, faith becomes vulnerable so know the Gospel, stand on God’s Word, and seek His approval above the world’s applause.” “I am astonished that you are so…

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Isaiah 45:2

“I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, This verse reminds us…

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Baby rhino and baby zebra raised together after losing their moms

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Since 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has led one of the biggest rescue and rehabilitation wildlife operations in East Africa. Although they specialize in elephant care, their sanctuaries are home to a variety of animals that arrive orphaned or injured, including giraffes, zebras, and rhinos.  “Rhinos are special animals,” Edwin, a keeper at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, said in a video update posted on September 22.

“Although the population in our country is steadily increasing. At the moment, Kenya has got more than 2,000 rhinos, which is really good. And we are happy for that.” To date, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has rescued and successfully rehabilitated 20 rhinos. One black rhino currently under their care is Tytan, who was orphaned at an early age.  “[His] mother died after falling down a cliff, and at eight months, he could not have survived,” Edwin explained in the video. “That’s why we had to bring him into the nursery. If he would not have been identified at eight months, the hyenas [and] the lions would have been excited to find him out in the wild.” One week after Tytan was rescued, a tiny orphaned zebra was found and transported to the same nursery in Nairobi.

“Her mother had succumbed to the same fate, falling off a cliff,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust explained on its website. “Tytan and Notty, as we named her, became best buddies and have been inseparable ever since.” Every day, Tytan, Notty, and the rest of the “herd” are released into the nearby park to explore and graze. Every night, Tytan returns to the nursery to drink milk, snack on alfalfa, and sleep on a bed of hay as a keeper watches over him.  Eventually, when Tytan reaches five years of age, his keepers will begin leaving his stockade open, so he can have the option to stay out in the park overnight. 

Over time, he will return less and less as he naturally becomes more solitary and carves out a territory for himself in the wilds of Nairobi. “He’s only one and a half years old, and he’s lucky to be with us now — lucky to be alive,” Edwin said. “And expected to go back into the wild after some time.”  But, for right now, Tytan spends his days “grazing happily in the forest.” “Despite his physical prowess, Tytan remains an immature rhino who enjoys regular naps on the forest floor with Notty and his keepers on sentry duty.” On September 22, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust shared a video of Edwin checking in on Tytan and another black rhino, Maxwell, as Notty dutifully followed his friend around the sanctuary.

“Maxwell, who is permanently blind and has a forever home with us, is our beloved nursery patriarch,” the nonprofit explained in the Instagram caption. “Tytan, who was only rescued last year, is just beginning his journey with us and will one day return to the wild.”  In the comments section, one Instagram user asked: “Do any of the other animal orphans ever make their way back to you guys the way ex-orphan elephants sometimes do?” “Yes,” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust responded. “Many ex-orphans of all species continue to visit us throughout their wild lives!” 

Source: Baby rhino and baby zebra raised together after losing their moms

Proverbs 21:23

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. This verse emphasizes that people who carefully watch what they say will protect themselves from serious…

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Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. In the verse David is praying in the morning while people…

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Flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar Recovers, Neighbour Highlights Family’s Strength

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Passenger airplane climbing through dark clouds beneath golden sunlight

‘She Was Calm’: Neighbour Shares How flydubai Pilot’s Wife Reacted To CrisisWhile Captain Smit Machchhar recovers from the attack, his wife’s calm response to neighbours’ messages has highlighted the strength of families who wait, worry and pray for their loved ones to return home. When we salute a hero, we often see only the courage displayed in the moment of crisis. Behind that courage is a family waiting for a phone call, praying for good news and hoping their loved one makes it home safely. flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar’s story reminds us that the salute belongs not just to the person who faces danger, but also to the family that endures fear and uncertainty alongside them.

This thought has resonated through a social media post by Dr Arti Sharma, an obstetrician-gynaecologist, who lives in the same residential society as Captain Machchhar and his family. Recalling how the captain’s wife responded when neighbours reached out to check on her and offer help, Sharma highlighted the quiet strength and grace with which the family was navigating an extraordinarily difficult time. According to Sharma, neighbours contacted the captain’s wife after learning about the incident, asking whether she was doing alright and if the family needed any assistance. Sharma shared that her response was calm and reassuring. She thanked them for their prayers and conveyed that her husband was doing okay. This interaction prompted Sharma to reflect on the families who stand behind people celebrated for their bravery, carrying their own fears while hoping and praying for their safe return.

“Whenever we celebrate the courage of a person in the spotlight, there’s always a family standing behind that person, hoping, waiting, praying for their person to come back home,” Sharma said. Her words shift the focus beyond the cockpit and the headlines to the people whose strength often remains unseen. While Captain Machchhar’s courage has drawn admiration, his family’s composure in the face of the situation deserves recognition, too.

Captain Smit Machchhar’s Recovery After Cockpit Attack

Smit Machchhar was attacked by his co-pilot, an Omani national, with an axe inside the cockpit of the plane. During the fight, the aircraft plummeted. Realising that if he and his passengers were to survive, he would have to act fast, Captain Machchhar opened the cockpit and alerted the crew and passengers about the attack despite his serious injuries. Other passengers overpowered the attacker, and off-duty pilots safely landed the plane. The hero pilot, who saved 174 flydubai passengers, is recovering in a hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Source: flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar Recovers, Neighbour Highlights Family’s Strength

Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
Ecclesiastes 7:10

A study of the Mesha Stele

The Mesha Stele, also famously known as the Moabite Stone, is a 3-foot-tall black basalt monument dating back to circa 840 BCE. It is one of the…

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Christian Persecution September 25-October 2 2026

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Security personnel stand outside a historic stone church

Recent reporting (roughly September 25–October 2, 2026) on Christian persecution centers on continued lethal violence in Nigeria, house-church detentions in China, and related pressures elsewhere.

Nigeria

Attacks attributed to Fulani militants continued in Plateau State’s Barkin Ladi area and nearby communities. Around September 19–20, gunmen killed a Baptist pastor (Samuel Nandi) and others while they were traveling to church; at least nine people died in related incidents that weekend, according to local reports and Christian monitoring groups. Further killings followed through late September, including ambushes of travelers, night attacks on villages, and shootings near a Christian academy and mining sites. Local accounts and advocacy outlets put the September death toll in Plateau alone above 50 in some summaries, with mass burials reported.

A mid-to-late September report from the U.S.-based group Equipping the Persecuted (drawing on field reports through September 8) counted 4,216 Christians killed in Nigeria from January 1 to September 8, 2026—an average of about 16.8 per day, or one roughly every 86 minutes—along with more than 5 million displaced and over 600 Christian communities destroyed or emptied. The group has urged the UN to treat the pattern as genocide and said a weekend terror alert via its Truth Nigeria network helped limit casualties in one recent assault that still left dozens dead. An earlier independent tally by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) reported thousands of Christians killed and abducted in the first eight months of 2026, concentrated in the Middle Belt. The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs was reported to have affirmed accounts of the recent Plateau attacks and restated concern for affected communities.

Separately, Nigeria’s Senate advanced legislation that would expand oversight of organizations receiving foreign funding, which monitors say could hinder churches and groups documenting the violence.

Nigeria (Southern Kaduna, separate from Plateau)

Truth Nigeria reported that between September 13 and 21, Fulani militias abducted at least 34 Christians in Chikun and Kajuru areas (including a mass seizure of 26 in one forest incident), killed at least one man, and imposed “harvest taxes” of roughly ₦1–2 million per village before Christian farmers could enter their own fields.

China

On September 29, police in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, detained preacher An Yankui of the unregistered Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church on suspicion of “organizing illegal religious activities.” ChinaAid and Chinese rights reports said he was taken from his home; subsequent accounts indicated a 15-day administrative detention. The church operates outside the state-sanctioned Three-Self system and has faced prior raids and detentions.

Coverage also continued around Pastor Ezra Jin (of Beijing’s Zion Church), released after roughly 266 days in custody. He has publicly called for the release of remaining detained church leaders and described ongoing pressure on unregistered congregations alongside expectations of growth under restriction.

Beijing Jiaquan Church: Pastor Zhou Zixun (also known as Cui Xianfeng) and seven coworkers remain in criminal detention on suspicion of “fraud,” according to a September 29 account from his wife relayed by ChinaAid. Police disrupted preparations for the church’s 20th anniversary on September 4; about 50 members were processed and most released, while eight people stayed in detention. The congregation is an unregistered urban house-church network.

Guangzhou: After three Christians from Guangfu Church distributed fans printed with Gospel messages near a school on September 16, police questioned them, accused them of illegal proselytizing, and the church was forced out of its rented meeting space (reported September 30 by ChinaAid).

Anhui (mid-September, still circulating): Officials raided a house-church site in Jinzhai County, confiscated phones, and ordered young believers not to sing hymns containing “Jesus,” “God,” or “Lord,” directing them toward songs praising the Communist Party.

India and other locations

In Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, more than 40 churches announced that worship would be restricted to Christians only, citing security concerns after sustained local pressures (reported around September 28 by International Christian Concern).

Other items in the same window include worsening conditions reported for a small Christian subset of the Rohingya (roughly 1,500 people), circulating accounts of a Baptist pastor killed by Myanmar military personnel in Chin State, and a September church raid in Azerbaijan in which police detained dozens of members of a Protestant congregation. On the policy side, World Relief criticized the U.S. FY2027 refugee ceiling for continuing to limit admissions of people fleeing religious persecution, noting that FY2026 saw no resettlements of persecuted Christians from the countries of highest concern tracked by Open Doors.

Figures on killings and displacement come primarily from Christian advocacy and local monitoring networks rather than official government tallies; Nigerian authorities have often framed Middle Belt violence in terms of farmer-herder conflict, banditry, or criminality, while the groups cited above emphasize religious targeting alongside ethnic and land factors.

Myanmar

Reverend Dal Thawn Tuang, 49, assistant pastor of Lamzang Baptist Church in Chin State (22 years of service), was shot three times and killed on September 14 while returning from ministry in a neighboring village. Barnabas Aid, the Burma Research Institute, and local Baptist sources attribute the shooting to the military (Tatmadaw). His funeral was held September 16. Advocates note it follows the June killing of another Chin State Baptist pastor, Reverend William, and a fellow Christian after detention without trial. A resistance group claimed the shooters may have been escaped military prisoners; other accounts treat the wounds as deliberate.

Algeria

Special police raided a Christian gathering at a humanitarian shelter on September 4 and arrested 12 believers for an unauthorized non-Muslim religious service; Bibles were seized. The case drew fresh coverage in the September 19–21 window.

Pakistan

Two Christian men arrested in August on blasphemy allegations—Amir Masih (Gujranwala area) and Samuel Arif, 26 (Lahore)—remained in detention as of mid-to-late September reports. One charge can carry the death penalty. A separate September case involved the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Christian woman in Rawalpindi by a Muslim neighbor.

Sri Lanka

Courts sentenced 15 men to more than 200 years each for roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 267 people at churches and hotels (sentencing reported around September 29).

Iran

UN experts publicly demanded an explanation for the confiscation of the country’s oldest Protestant church and the eviction of its congregation (coverage mid-to-late September).

Source: (2) Grok / X

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-3

Finding Truth and Life in Jesus

In a world filled with competing voices, confusing paths, and endless distractions, Jesus doesn’t simply show us the way He declares, ‘I am the way.’ When everything…

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California bans child marriage, a practice still legal in 32 US states

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California has officially banned child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation to end the practice that is still legal in 32 US states. The new law, which will come into effect on 1 January, states people must be 18 to get married in the Golden State. Newsom called it a “long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors”. He signed the bill into law with Courtney Stodden, whose parents allowed her to marry a 50-year-old Hollywood actor when she was just 16.

Stodden, who has been advocating to end the practice, called the change a “victory” and said survivors of child marriage should “never have been expected to carry this burden”. Gov Gavin Newsom called the law “overdue” Stodden said she would “keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states”. She was married to actor Doug Hutchison – known for roles in The Green Mile, A Time to Kill and I Am Sam – in 2011, spurring headlines internationally over the controversy and appearances on several reality programmes in the US, including the VH1 series Couples Therapy. Other survivors of child marriage also applauded the new law.

“California has sent a clear message to the world today,” Brittany Bee, a former child bride, told the BBC. “A message of hope for all children that they may be free from systemic violence. That they may choose their own path.” Bee told the BBC she was wed at the age of 17 to escape an abusive home – only to then be allegedly abused by her adult husband. “I was just going from one prison to another,” she explained. “People have the audacity to tell me that I made a choice – kids, they can’t consent.” Bee and other child marriage survivors have been working for years to have child marriages banned in California and across the United States. About a decade ago, the practice was still allowed across all US state but more and more states have been altering laws.

California is the 18th to ban it since 2018. In the state, there had been no legal age to wed, allowing children to get married as long as their parents consent and a judge signs off on the nuptials. There was also no mechanism for people under 18 to get divorced and many girls say they were trapped in abusive and predatory relationships. Unchained At Last, an advocacy group fighting to end child marriage across the US, said about 9,000 girls were wed each year in California and that almost all child marriages involved girls to adult men. Advocates say that many in the US don’t even know that child marriage is legal in so many US states, nor that is has led to allegations of abuse.

Sara Tasneem, who says she was forced to marry a man nearly twice her age when she was 15 years old, told the BBC that it felt “surreal” to finally have the state recognise that child marriage should be banned. She says she started lobbying for this herself in 2017. She was introduced to her husband the morning of their arranged marriage. “I was forced to be his wife and that day, my entire life changed,” she told the BBC. She became a mother the following year, at the age of 16, and dropped out of school. “To have seen the arc of this bill come to fruition has been a marathon,” Tasneem said. “I’m just grateful that kids cannot get married after January 1, 2027 in California.”

Source: California bans child marriage, a practice still legal in 32 US states

Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:18

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DPS arrests man for threatening ‘violent attack’ on Texas Capitol

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Texas Highway Patrol officers inspect a roadside vehicle beside a patrol SUV at dusk

The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a Bexar County man Wednesday in connection with the threat of a “violent attack” on the Texas Capitol. He has since been charged federally with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Keep Watching 4 DPS special agents worked alongside the FBI and local law enforcement to arrest 40-year-old Benny Caldera Jr. around 3 a.m. at his home in Converse. 

Caldera was charged with felony terroristic threat against a public servant. Federal prosecutors said Thursday that Caldera allegedly told another person he planned to go to the Capitol and “shoot it up,” while expressing anger toward the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Caldera allegedly said of AIPAC, “These people have to be exterminated,” according to a federal criminal complaint. Prosecutors said he also stated during a recorded conversation that he had made up his mind and had said goodbye to his parents. According to a statement from DPS, the agency received “credible information” about the threat — planned for Oct. 1 — on Tuesday and “worked through the night” to arrest Caldera. 

Federal prosecutors said DPS obtained an arrest warrant and a search warrant for Caldera’s home after receiving the report. The FBI conducted surveillance before DPS agents arrested him inside the residence Wednesday. During a search of the home, DPS agents found a .357 revolver loaded with six rounds and a 12-gauge shotgun in Caldera’s bedroom closet, along with six 9mm rounds, according to the complaint. Investigators said the serial number on the revolver had been obliterated and appeared to have been filed off.

Caldera was charged in federal court with possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number and was scheduled to make his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney. The federal charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison if he is convicted. AThe FBI is investigating the federal case with assistance from DPS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lathrop is prosecuting the case.

Source: DPS arrests man for threatening ‘violent attack’ on Texas Capitol

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Philemon 1:25

Hope in the dark

Pip: A mountain village, a wandering stranger, a mother weaving a basket by the river — Drink of Jesus has been building a world where ancient scripture lands like…

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SpaceX launches Starship on giant rocket’s first flight to orbit

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SpaceX launched the company’s Super Heavy-Starship on its first flight to orbit Monday — an abbreviated three-hour mission that marked a major step toward perfecting the world’s most powerful rocket for commercial flights and NASA moon missions. One of the Starship upper stage’s six Raptor engines shut down early during the climb to an initially suborbital trajectory. After assessing telemetry, Elon Musk’s flight control team decided the spacecraft was otherwise healthy and a second engine firing using a single Raptor engine completed the climb to orbit.

Right after that, the Starship upper stage deployed 26 third-generation Starlink internet satellites that will join the company’s ever-growing constellation in the first use of the new rocket to launch operational satellites in low-Earth orbit. After the satellites were away, SpaceX controllers opted to bring the Starship back to Earth well ahead of schedule, ending the mission three hours after launch with a Pacific Ocean splashdown north of Hawaii just before noon EDT. For NASA, getting the Starship into orbit and back are critical steps on the road to perfecting the system in time to support a planned Artemis moon landing, using a variant of the Starship, in 2028. A future moon mission will require multiple Super Heavy-Starship tanker flights to fuel the lander for its flight to the moon before docking with a NASA Orion crew capsule in lunar orbit, picking up two astronauts and carrying them down to the surface and back.

“Congrats @SpaceX!,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a post on the social media platform X. “Gorgeous launch, getting Ship to orbit and managing every step in a safe, responsible, and especially inspirational way. @NASA, along with the rest of the interested public, is excited to help where we can and for Starship missions to become routine!” Few doubt SpaceX will eventually get the Super Heavy-Starship flying reliably, but it’s not yet known whether the company will be able to meet NASA’s ambitious 2028 target date for the Artemis IV moon landing.

SpaceX Starship mission plan

Monday’s mission got off to a spectacular start. The Super Heavy booster’s 33 methane-burning Raptor engines ignited with a rush of flame at 8:49 a.m. EDT, quickly propelling the 400-foot-tall rocket away from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site on the Texas Gulf Coast. The Super Heavy first stage booster, generating some 16 million pounds of thrust — twice the power of NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket — rapidly accelerated as it consumed propellant and lost weight, climbing out of the thick lower atmosphere along a southeasterly trajectory. One of the engines shut down early, but the Super Heavy was designed to reach space despite the loss of one or two engines.

Two minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff, the rest of the first stage engines began shutting down while the six Raptors powering the Starship upper stage began firing up in a “hot staging” maneuver seconds before the booster separated and fell away. While the Starship continued toward space, the Super Heavy booster flipped around, restarted its engines to reverse course and then flew itself back to the Texas Gulf Coast. A second engine apparently shut down early during the so-called boost-back burn, but the huge rocket was able to execute a seemingly normal vertical splashdown a few miles off shore. During the most recent previous test flight, three engines suffered problems that prevented a full-duration boost-back burn and only eight of 13 engines fired for the landing burn. The result was a “hard” splashdown.

SpaceX implemented multiple upgrades and software changes to ensure a successful return this time around. The first stage is designed to be captured by giant mechanical arms on its launch gantry, a feat SpaceX has accomplished four times to date. But until upgrades and improvements have been tested, SpaceX has opted to stick with ocean splashdowns as a safety precaution. The Starship upper stage also is designed to be captured back at the pad after a trip to space and back, but that milestone has not yet been attempted. The Starship upper stage launched Monday climbed into a 180-mile-high orbit with two engine firings. The first, ending a minute after the booster’s splashdown, was intended to put the Starship onto a sub-orbital trajectory similar to past flights that would result in a safe splashdown even if SpaceX lost control of the rocket.

Despite the premature shutdown of one engine, the Starship was cleared to proceed with the orbit-insertion burn and eight-and-a-half minutes after that, a Pez-like dispenser in the rocket’s nose began launching 26 third-generation Starlink internet satellites, each with 10 times the capacity of the previous generation. The mission was initially expected to last six orbits, leading to a splashdown off the coast of Chile around 6:40 p.m. But with the Starlink satellites safely on their way, mission managers opted to bring the ship down early with a Pacific Ocean splashdown north of Hawaii. As with earlier test flights, the Starship fell back into the discernible atmosphere belly-first, rapidly slowing in a fireball of electrically charged plasma before using its fins and flaps to control its orientation during the descent.

As the ship neared the ocean, three Raptor’s re-ignited, the spacecraft flipped up to vertical and settled to a controlled, tail first splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 11:57 a.m. EDT.  As is usually the case with ocean splashdowns, the rocket tipped over, fell onto its side and exploded as residual propellants ignited.

Future role in Artemis moon program

SpaceX currently has two Super Heavy-Starship pads at its Starbase facility in Texas and three more under construction in Florida, including one at historic pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center and the others at the adjacent Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. SpaceX plans its initial launch from Florida late this year or early next. And multiple pads will be needed. SpaceX is building a variant of the Starship to serve as a lander for Artemis astronauts. For moon missions, the company will need to launch up to 15 or so Super Heavy-Starship tankers to refuel the company’s lunar lander before it can head for the moon to await the arrival of astronauts in a Lockheed Martin-built Orion capsule. From there, the 165-foot-tall lander will carry two crew members down to the surface, landing vertically near the moon’s south pole.

The astronauts then will ride an external elevator down to the surface and back up again when their exploration is complete. With the first such landing targeted for 2028, SpaceX must ramp up its Super Heavy-Starship test schedule to get the vehicle certified for human spaceflight and to demonstrate the reliability required to safely launch more than a dozen tankers within days of the lander’s launch. Many observers with past experience at NASA and elsewhere in the aerospace industry doubt SpaceX can deliver a tested “human landing system” Starship variant by 2028.

NASA is hedging its bets, funding development of an alternative lander designed by Blue Origin. During a test flight in low Earth orbit next year — Artemis III — NASA plans to launch four astronauts in an Orion capsule who will attempt to rendezvous and dock with prototype landers launched separately by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Source: SpaceX launches Starship on giant rocket’s first flight to orbit – CBS News

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

The Distraction of Fear

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Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s next “great observatory,” launches into space

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Using a donated Hubble-class mirror originally built for a spy satellite, NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday on a $4.3 billion mission to open a new window on the universe, taking wide-angle, ultra-sharp images that would require a half million 4K TVs to show in full. Put another way, officials say a single full-resolution image from Roman’s 300-megapixel wide-field camera would cover 45 city blocks or the entirety of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. And it will collect that data faster than any previous NASA spacecraft. The Hubble Space Telescope has beamed back about 172 terabytes of data over 30 years while Roman will downlink a staggering 2,500 terabytes over its five-year primary mission.

Put yet another way, Roman’s sensitive wide-field camera and advanced detectors will scan broad swaths of the cosmos 1,000 times faster than Hubble, collecting as much data in one month as its older cousin could manage in a century. A “sheer powerhouse” of a telescope The flood of data is expected to shed new light on the nature of “dark matter, dark energy and the structure of the universe itself and accelerate the … discovery of potentially habitable planets outside our solar system,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Roman will give the Earth a new atlas of the universe,” he added. NASA science chief Niki Fox described the telescope as “a sheer powerhouse” and “literally a speed machine.” “The speed at which we’ll be scanning the sky, delivering vast amounts of data and returning results will be at an unprecedented rate, never done before,” Fox added.

The 42-foot-long, 18,000-pound telescope is named for the late Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who championed the value of space telescopes throughout her career and was instrumental in the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. As such, she is often referred to as “the mother of Hubble.” The new telescope launched atop a triple-core SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at the Kennedy Space Center at 7:26 a.m. EDT. It is bound for Lagrange Point No. 2 (L2), a gravitational eddy of sorts about a million miles on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, where it will remain in place with minimal use of fuel. The James Webb Space Telescope is stationed in the same region for the same reason.

From the vantage point of L2, Roman will study the effects of dark matter, the mysterious substance that pervades the universe, holds galaxies together and accounts for most of the mass in the cosmos, acting as a brake on the expansion of space itself, which is carrying galaxies farther and farther apart. At the same time, Roman will work to gain statistically significant insights into the nature of the equally mysterious dark energy, a repulsive force presumably present since the Big Bang that became dominant about 5 billion years ago as the universe expanded and thinned out. Ever since, the expansion of the cosmos has been speeding up. A new understanding of the universe Roman may help resolve a conflict between the strength of dark energy in the very early universe, as measured by probes studying the remnant 3-degree glow of the Big Bang’s immediate aftermath, compared to Hubble observations of a specific type of supernova that indicate a slightly different value.

When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990, estimates for the age of the universe, from its Big Bang birth to the present, ranged from about 10 billion years to 20 billion years. Hubble was able to determine the speed of that expansion — the Hubble Constant — and thus the time that has passed since the Big Bang to an accuracy within 1%: 13.8 billion years. But detailed studies by researchers using spacecraft studying the afterglow of the bang — the 3-degree cosmic background radiation — came up with a different number. The mismatch — known as “the Hubble Tension” — suggests some critical element is missing in the current understanding of the universe and the forces driving its evolution. “We’re seeing evidence that the Hubble constant, as inferred from very early times, is not consistent with the Hubble constant that we measure closer to now, which is telling us that the model that connects those two things might not be quite right,” said project scientist Julie McEnery.

“We have a slight tension in our expectations for how structure should grow and evolve.” That “slight tension” indicates a potentially serious flaw in the standard model of cosmology, the current understanding of how the universe, and everything in it, has evolved. It might even indicate dark energy is not the constant force it is thought to be, but might somehow change over time. “We’re probably not going to confirm the standard model of how the universe works,” McEnery said. “We’re very likely to demonstrate that our standard model is wrong, and to set ourselves on a path to figuring out how does our universe really work. It’s hard to get [a better question than] the fundamental nature of your universe!” Roman’s wide-field camera is one of two instruments aboard the spacecraft. The other is an advanced coronagraph equipped with deformable mirrors that can block out the glare of a star to detect the vastly dimmer light reflected from the atmosphere of an orbiting planet.

Roman’s coronagraph is expected to detect Jupiter-size planets orbiting Earth-like stars. By analyzing that reflected light, researchers may be able to tease out the elemental composition of those atmospheres. “We think that we will be capable of detecting exoplanets that are about 100 million times fainter than their stars, and with that capability, we are hoping to see … a Jupiter twin around a nearby star using visible light reflected from its cloud tops for the first time,” said Vanessa Bailey, the Roman coronagraph instrument scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Then, we can use that light to study the composition of its atmosphere.” About 6,200 exoplanets have been discovered to date using smaller instruments like NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. Roman is expected to discover more than 100,000 exoplanets over 18 months of observations. It will take three to four months to “commission” the spacecraft, calibrating its instruments and testing its myriad subsystems before science operations can begin in earnest.

The solar-powered Roman is built around a 7.9-foot-wide, 410-pound primary mirror — one of two donated to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office, the secretive agency that manages many of the nation’s high-end spy satellites. The mirrors, the same size as Hubble’s, were built for a classified project that later was canceled. But both were ground to near-perfect prescriptions, allowing them to look down and focus on Earth, not out into deep space. NASA has no plans or funding to utilize the second mirror, focusing instead on building a single “flagship” observatory. The donated mirror’s curvature, smoothness and polish had to be modified to ensure the desired astronomical prescription, and the telescope’s trusses and other components had to be altered to enable them to withstand the ultra-low temperatures at Lagrange Point 2. “I think our engineering team thinks of it as we received a set of well-tested parts that included highly calibrated optical systems,” said project manager Jackie Townsend.

“But we really had to sort of start over and make it our own to work at our operating temperatures.” In the end, the project came in ahead of schedule and under budget. But even with an effectively “free” primary mirror, the telescope will still cost taxpayers some $4.3 billion to build, launch and operate for its five-year primary mission.

A wide view of the sky

Three “core” surveys are planned over the course of Roman’s planned five-year mission. The High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will focus on a huge swath of the sky looking out of the plane of the Milky Way — 12% of the entire sky — avoiding obscuring star clouds and dust marking the galactic disk. The goal is to catalog the distribution of a billion or more galaxies. Those data, collected over 520 days, will help researchers better understand how dark matter and energy have combined over cosmic time to drive the evolution of structure in the universe. The High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey will require 180 days of observations over two years.

The telescope will repeatedly image the same regions in an area of 90 full moons to make movies capturing short-duration events ranging from supernova blasts to the radiation emitted when stars fall into black holes. McEnery described such transient events as “things that go bump in the night.” The Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will focus on the core of the Milky Way, the central bulge of stars, gas and dust where a supermassive black hole affects the trajectories of nearby stars. Imaging across an area spanning 8.5 full moons, Roman is expected to find tens of thousands of exoplanets by watching hundreds of millions of stars and looking for signs of “microlensing,” a phenomenon in which the light of a background star is enhanced, or magnified, by the gravity of an intervening object. Mission managers have also left room for “general astrophysics” topics not covered in Roman’s three core surveys.

The first such program, known as the Galactic Plane Survey, will monitor the disk of the Milky Way from one side to the other, covering an area of 3,455 full moons. Some 20 billion stars will be mapped along the way, providing the most complete portrait of the galaxy and its structure ever captured. “What makes me most excited about Roman is the discovery potential,” McEnery said. “With 2 billion galaxies, we’ll have 2,000 objects that are one in a million. We’ll be exploring patches of sky as a function of time with exquisite sensitivity. We’ll find new things that go bump in the night. “I very much hope, and in fact expect, that the most exciting science from Roman will be a surprise, something we couldn’t predict. And that will set the stage for the next deeper set of questions for future missions to address.”

Source: Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s next “great observatory,” launches into space – CBS News

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19

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Christians Came Together to Help Defeat UK’s Assisted Dying Bill

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Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames

When Alicia Edmund heard the Parliament vote count for the UK’s assisted dying bill last week—286 noes to 270 ayes—her immediate reaction was shock. The bill had been defeated.   As head of policy for the Evangelical Alliance in the UK, Edmund had spent countless hours in the past two years briefing evangelicals on how to share their concerns with their members of Parliament (MPs) and coordinating campaign efforts with other Christian groups to defeat the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

While sitting in the public gallery of the Palace of Westminster as the House of Commons gathered last Friday, she had already prepared herself for defeat and the need to “go again” at fighting the legislation, she said. Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again. “When the deputy speaker said 286 against, I thought, That’s not high enough. And when she said 270 for … I was silent,” Edmund recalled. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Normally a lot of our work is making the case for delay and disruption, whereas this one we won outright and it felt quite weird,” she said. “It felt different. It was a momentary celebration of ‘Lord, you can do all things.’” The vote followed nearly two years of passionate debate over assisted dying in England. Kim Leadbeater, a Labour Party MP from the North of England, first introduced the bill in October 2024.

The bill would have allowed adults to request assistance from doctors to end their own lives, provided they had mental capacity, were terminally ill, and were in their final six months of life. The bill passed narrowly in the publicly elected House of Commons by just 23 votes last year. But it stalled in the appointed House of Lords, where members submitted more than 1,200 amendments and time ran out, prompting supporters to complain that the bill had been “undemocratically filibustered by a small number of peers.” The legislation returned to the House of Commons in June, presented by another Labour MP, Lauren Edwards, who described it as “one of the most important, compassionate, and empowering changes to healthcare we’ve seen in a generation.”

The legislation generated intense debate not only in Parliament but also among the public as people debated what dignity, choice, and compassion mean when it comes to dying. More than a decade ago, supporters of assisted suicide presented a similar bill to MPs, and it was easily defeated.

The Group

Members of the Evangelical Alliance, which represents 30,000 individual members and 3,000 member churches, let the organization’s leadership know early in the bill’s journey that they were concerned, Edmund said. It was not difficult to mobilize them to campaign against its passage. “Of all of our public policy areas, death is probably the most common experience: People have experienced a loved one who has died, they themselves have a view on that, and faith engages very directly to the heart of that,” she said. Not every Evangelical Alliance member opposed the bill.

Edmund recalled attending one local church meeting in 2025 where some congregants spoke out in favor of the legislation. For instance, George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury who held evangelical beliefs, announced in 2014 that he had changed his mind on euthanasia after witnessing the suffering of Tony Nicklinson, a man paralyzed by locked-in syndrome. Nicklinson died shortly after losing a High Court battle to gain assistance to end his own life. But among the Evangelical Alliance’s base, Edmund found overwhelming opposition to the change. Part of her team’s work entailed educating evangelicals about what was at stake and “myth busting,” she said.

Some in the church needed to be “reawakened” to Christianity’s distinctive theological framing: from Genesis’s description of humanity as made in God’s image to the tension of waiting for the new heaven and earth.

Behind the Scenes

The Evangelical Alliance was also working behind the scenes as part of a coalition of Christian advocacy organizations and disability groups while seeking members who could speak from their own experience and expertise. This included medical professionals working in palliative care as well as those particularly vulnerable should the bill pass, including elderly people, ethnic minorities who have less access to palliative care, and those living with disabilities. Prayer was also pivotal, Edmund said: “Where some people were not confident to meet their MP on the specifics or share their story and provide case studies, they could be holding weekly prayer meetings around their local MP’s decision-making.”

As a heated national conversation developed, some criticized those holding religious beliefs. When the bill initially passed in the House of Commons last summer, conservative MP Nigel Huddleston regretted MPs’ “somewhat dismissive attitude expressed towards those with religious beliefs.” It is “perfectly legitimate for religious beliefs to influence one’s views on assisted dying,” he argued. He said religious people should be “respected, not sneered at.” Rather than dialing down theological content, the Evangelical Alliance was always “unapologetic” about its standpoint, Edmund said. “We are not removing [our faith] from the table.” It’s a perspective that resonates with Richard Bastable, a Church of England vicar in West London who penned a public letter opposing the legislation. “If we try to evacuate our point of view, our opinions, our ethical beliefs, our Christian principles, then we end up saying something that doesn’t really need listening to,” Bastable said.

The letter, which was published in The Daily Telegraph in November 2024, described the assisted dying bill as “a dangerous threat to our society.” The Christian faith offers a defence of the dignity of life and a call to improve the quality of life for all those living—including those who are dying,” it said. It continued,

To reduce the value of human life to physical and mental capacity and wellbeing has sinister implications for how we as a society view those who experience severe physical or mental issues, and risks that those undergoing such suffering come to see their life as of less value than others.

While Bastable initially sent the letter only to a handful of friends to add their signatures, more than 1,000 members of the clergy, including 15 leading Church of England bishops, ended up signing the letter. But what he found even more remarkable than the number of signatories was the “cross-factionalism consensus” reached: Every wing of the Church of England was represented. “It’s not always the case that the traditions within the [Church of England] can find common cause over something, especially something that has that edge of controversy about it,” he said.

“There was a sense that this was relieving people’s frustration and powerlessness in the face of something they were opposed to, but alone they wouldn’t have known how to voice that opposition.” Before MPs first debated the bill, Sarah Mullally, then bishop of London, signed an open letter from faith leaders, including the most senior leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the UK, the chief rabbi of Britain, and representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities. Last year, more than 100 women of different faiths signed another open letter warning that the bill “could create a new tool to harm vulnerable women,” including those in abusive or coercive relationships.

Edmund, who was among the signatories, said unanimity on life issues is not unusual among church leaders: She works regularly with Catholic leadership and the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church. But when it came to assisted dying, she said, the Church of England spoke out “in a way they probably wouldn’t speak out in the way that Catholics and evangelicals do on the beginning of life.” The Church of England holds the belief that life begins at conception but allows for limited conditions—such as threat to the mother’s life or health—where it believes abortion is morally preferable.

Mullally, current Archbishop of Canterbury, has spoken out in the House of Lords (where she is one of 26 bishops who serve as legislators) about how her faith and her experience as a chief nurse led her to reject the bill. “Moving from nursing into ordained ministry means much of my life has been spent at bedsides alongside people as they cope with suffering and death,” she wrote in The Daily Telegraph shortly before the vote. Christians “have lived experience with those nearing death or on the margins of society, and, above all, we carry a belief that it is hope, not fear, that should guide us.” On Friday, the hopes of those opposing assisted dying were fulfilled in a narrow vote that saw the legislation fall—at least for now. Opponents composed a diverse coalition. Evangelicals stood with disability advocates, medical professionals, Christians of many different traditions, and philosophers—some of faith and some of none.

For Edmund, it was both a “victory” and a “miracle,” but she is already scanning the horizon: What comes next is not only the return of similar legislation but also a call on the church to continue the conversation about care for those at the end of life. She noted that it was a Christian woman, Dame Cicely Saunders, who pioneered the hospice movement in the country. “We as a church need to embody that in 2026,” Edmund said. “What is the vision for end-of-life care that we can provide locally, that we are prepared to invest in, to finance, to build institutions around and then create laws that facilitate?”

Source: Christians Came Together to Help Defeat UK’s Assisted Dying Bill – Christianity Today

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10

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U.S. confirms for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space. China and Russia have responded.

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Retro-futuristic spacecraft above the Moon, surrounded by stars and a galaxy

The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, prompting separate warnings from China and Russia. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Air and Space Cyber Conference in Maryland on Monday that the U.S. has fielded “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.” Meink did not detail what the weapons were or how they work. In 2024 the U.S. said Russia was developing a new anti-satellite weapon that could be launched from space. At the time, the White House said the danger wasn’t imminent.

But reports of the anti-satellite weapon reflected longstanding worries about space threats from Russia and China, given that much U.S. infrastructure is dependent on satellite communications. In his remarks, Meink also said the Air Force was adding more autonomous systems to its capabilities and predicted the service would look “radically different” by 2032. For example, he foresaw one-way attack drones replacing artillery as the “primary killer.” “We are increasing readiness against existing threats,” he said. Meink also said that AI “competes with some of the world’s top programmers, cyber operators and hackers. And these technologies are revolutionizing the battlefield.

They allow countries that would not have had the resources in the past to quickly adapt and scale their combat capabilities.” As a result, the U.S. military “must increase our combat power and innovate faster than anyone else, affordably,” Meink said. President Trump created the Space Force in 2019.

China and Russia issue warnings

China on Tuesday warned against turning outer space into a “battlefield” and Russia said it must be “free from any weapon” after the United States confirmed that it has arms deployed in orbit above the Earth. Analysts said that the revelation by Washington confirmed an open secret but the timing of the announcement risked exacerbating tensions with Beijing and the risk of a weapons race in space. China’s foreign ministry opposed the move, warning against the “weaponization of outer space, turning it into a battlefield, as well as an arms race there.”

“We urge the U.S. side to stop expanding its military capabilities and preparing for war in outer space,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news briefing. Russia called Tuesday for space to be kept “free of any weapons.” “We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working toward the complete demilitarization of space,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

What are the U.S. capabilities?

The U.S. statement did not provide concrete details about what weapons are deployed in space and how many. “Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain — employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities,” the statement said. “These capabilities can be employed for offensive and defensive purposes,” it added. Non-kinetic means could include lasers to blind satellites, or even electromagnetic or cyber jamming of their data links.

Why does the U.S. want weapons in space?

For Washington, both Russia and China — its two main geopolitical rivals — pose potential threats to U.S. interests in space. China “develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernization strategy,” according to the U.S. Space Force. Russia, meanwhile, “views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts,” it said.

The militarization of space is as old as the space race itself — as soon as the USSR’s Sputnik was launched into orbit as the first probe in space in 1957, Washington and Moscow began exploring ways to both arm and destroy satellites. India in March 2019 said it had destroyed a low-orbiting satellite, following in the footsteps of Russia, China and the U.S., in a missile test that proved the nation was among the world’s most advanced space powers.

“China will not stand by and do nothing”  

Song Zhongping, an independent military commentator based in Hong Kong and former Chinese army instructor, told AFP the announcement was “no surprise at all” as the fact that the U.S possesses such weapons “has long been an open secret.” “The only difference is that the U.S. used to keep it ambiguous, whereas now it has gone public, which shows that Washington is no longer trying to hide it,” he added.  

“China will not stand by and do nothing,” he warned, noting Beijing already has its own space station in orbit. “Whether China deploys weapons in space will depend entirely on whether the United States moves in that direction,” he said. The Wall Street Journal reported Beijing supplied Iran with satellite imagery that enabled Tehran to precisely target military facilities and kill U.S. servicemembers in Jordan in July — a claim China has denied.

Can weapons in outer space be regulated?

The biggest worry was once about nuclear weapons in space, but the superpowers and other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, banning weapons of mass destruction in orbit. Since then, Russia, the United States, China and India have explored ways to fight in space outside of that treaty, including by targeting rivals’ satellites, which are key for military communications, surveillance and navigation. “There is a regulatory vacuum because Article 4 of the 1967 treaty only forbids weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in orbit,” said space law expert Laetitia Cesari.

She said the topic would likely be on the agenda at the next U.N. disarmament meeting in November. “Moscow and Beijing have been wanting to work for about 20 years on a treaty to prevent the placement of weapons in space,” while “Western states are trying instead to work on the notion of responsible behavior,” Cesari said. The U.S. announcement “will likely give impetus to the restrictive approach that Moscow and Beijing are pushing for,” she added.

Source: U.S. confirms for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space. China and Russia have responded. – CBS News

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
1 Peter 3:10-11

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NASA plans unpiloted Starliner test flight after astronauts got stuck at space station in 2024

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NASA is working with Boeing to launch an unpiloted Starliner capsule in the December-to-January time frame to test upgrades and improvements ordered in the wake of a 2024 mission that suffered multiple propulsion system failures, stranding two astronauts on the space station for more than nine months.  If the unpiloted test flight goes well, NASA and Boeing hope to launch a piloted Starliner flight in the mid-2028 time frame, officials said Monday, incorporating redesigned propulsion system valves, more robust subsystems and other modifications expected to prevent the sort of failures that occurred in 2024.

Veteran astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg will command the mission. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is the only currently operational U.S. astronaut ferry ship. NASA wants to bring Boeing back into the mix as soon as possible to ensure a sustained U.S. capability to carry astronauts and researchers to the International Space Station through its planned retirement in 2030. Equally important, NASA managers want to make sure an American spacecraft will be available to support flights to commercial space stations later in the 2030s, after SpaceX phases out its Falcon 9 rockets and Crew Dragon spacecraft. “It’s always been the Commercial Crew Program’s goal to have two crew transportation providers to ensure commercial access to low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s low-Earth orbit operations.

“As SpaceX has publicly stated, the Dragon and the Falcon won’t be around forever. Certifying Boeing’s Starliner is important for both supporting ISS and also for follow-on future commercial destinations,” Weigel said. Said Boeing in a post on X: “Together with @NASA, we’re making Starliner hardware enhancements and adding resources for human spaceflight certification. These changes support the spacecraft as a long-term provider of crewed missions to low Earth orbit.”  Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, both now retired from NASA, blasted off aboard a Starliner on June 5, 2024, for what was billed as a 10-day test flight to the International Space Station. It was the first piloted launch of a Starliner after two uncrewed test flights, both of which had problems. During their rendezvous with the space station, Wilmore and Williams ran into multiple propulsion system helium leaks and thruster failures.

They were able to dock, but their return to Earth was repeatedly delayed while NASA and Boeing worked to resolve the technical issues. An independent review board later classified the propulsion mishaps as a “close call” that put the astronauts in jeopardy. When all was said and done, the Starliner returned to Earth without its crew three months after launch. Wilmore and Williams stayed an additional six months aboard the station in order to hitch a ride home aboard a Crew Dragon on March 18, 2025. All told, the 10-day flight they expected ended up lasting 286 days. An independent review board identified three major problems with the Starliner, along with a host of less severe shortcomings that had to be addressed.

During the rendezvous with the space station, five thrusters in the capsule’s service module failed, resulting in a temporary loss of full maneuverability. The failures were blamed on trouble with Teflon “poppets” extruding in propellant valves that restricted flow. A thruster in the Starliner crew module failed during the ship’s unpiloted descent to Earth, leaving the ship without redundancy in a critical system, the board said. The third major issue involved helium leaks in the propulsion system pressurization plumbing. In addition, the review board concluded, the Starliner design did not have the required redundancy in the system responsible for the rocket firing needed to drop the spacecraft out of orbit. Boeing said all of those issues are being addressed, along with operational changes intended to further reduce unexpected heating that contributed to the thruster problems.

The company is replacing the valves in all 12 crew module maneuvering thrusters, along with implementing measures to prevent erosion. The service module thruster poppets are being redesigned. A faster flight data recorder is being added to more precisely measure thruster performance, along with upgraded batteries and improved parachutes. NASA and Boeing now plan to launch an unpiloted mission — Starliner 1 — in December or January that will rendezvous and dock with the space station. Along the way, flight controllers will thoroughly exercise the thrusters and their pressurization systems, putting the fixes to the test. “Our goal is to fly Starliner One as soon as the vehicle and the team is ready,” Weigel said. “We really need to see how those thermal modifications perform on the spacecraft, and we intend to put the propulsion system through its paces.”

“We’ll do a series of on-orbit demonstrations and tests, stress the thrusters, and we’ll take that set of data coming out of the mission combined with redesign, and that’s what will inform the final crewed vehicle certification,” she continued. “We will fly the Starliner One mission with stricter performance parameters in place when we’re flying closer to [the] space station.” “Long term, we are committed to Starliner certification and ensuring commercial crew access to low Earth orbit,” Weigel added. The Starliner has relied on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rockets for the ride to space, but only a half dozen of the venerable boosters remain in ULA’s inventory. As a result, NASA plans to help get ULA’s new Vulcan rocket certified to carry astronauts aboard Starliner capsules.

For its part, ULA said in a post on X that “we are already working towards the Starliner-1 mission and look forward to our continued work with @BoeingSpace and @NASA to integrate and certify our #VulcanRocket for human spaceflight.” “We are committed to being a long-term launch provider of human spaceflight capability to low Earth orbit,” ULA added.

Source: NASA plans unpiloted Starliner test flight after astronauts got stuck at space station in 2024 – CBS News

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!
Psalm 112:1

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Trump and Rubio question U.K. handling of possible plot against air base after 5 men released on bail

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Five adults leaving City Jail Reentry Services with bags and a box

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized British counterterror police’s handling of a possible plot targeting a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces, with Rubio calling it a “very serious” incident and alleging that it “clearly involved” a foreign actor, and the president suggesting it “might be” Iran. Five British nationals, all men in their mid-20s, were arrested Sunday morning in an English village near the British air force base RAF Fairford on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

The base has been used by American bombers to launch attacks on Iran during the seven-month war. All five men were released on bail Monday, with the head of the U.K.’s Counter Terror Policing unit stressing they would remain “subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others” and that they “absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry.”

The fact that they were released so quickly and not charged with any suspected crimes, and that authorities did not report finding any explosives or weapons, has fueled speculation, however, that the men may not have been planning to attack the base at all. Some local media outlets have cited U.K. security sources saying the men may just have been looking to steal fuel.

“A very serious thing?”

Reacting to the news in the Oval Office Monday, Mr. Trump said he was “surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.” He said U.S. and British authorities had worked “very closely” on the matter, adding: “We know everything about them. We would not have released them.” The president added that the incident “might be” linked to Iran, but when pressed for more information, he replied: “I’d rather not. I mean, I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I’d rather not say. I would not have released them.”

Rubio, meanwhile, said Monday that many people following the incident were “disturbed that some of these people have been released on bail.” “What could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a ‌very serious situation,” Rubio told Fox News, saying it “clearly involves the hands ‌of a foreign actor,” without offering any further explanation for the assertion, which went further than British authorities have in characterizing the incident. “There’s a lot more news that’ll come out on this in the days to come, but there’s only so much I can say right now at this point about it, other than this is a very serious thing,” he said.

“Just thieves siphoning fuel?”

Asked about the release of the men, a British legal expert told CBS News Tuesday that it would be “reasonable to release suspects on bail to see where they go and who they talk to.” “It wouldn’t be the first time these tactics have been used,” said the analyst, who declined to be named. “I don’t think the police are being stupid or casual in this.”  There has been speculation — not commented on yet directly by British police — that the five men may have been diesel fuel thieves targeting local farms, or perhaps an external fuel supply for the base, for resale.

It’s a crime that has proliferated in the U.K. as the Iran war has driven up diesel and gasoline prices, according to a May report from intelligence agency DeterTech. Two people described as military sources, speaking Monday to local news outlet Wiltshire 999s, were quoted as saying the suspects were “just thieves siphoning fuel,” with barrels and other equipment found in their vehicles. The British police have said no viable explosive device was discovered in the three vans driven by the men. Images of the police working around those vehicles have shown large, seemingly empty barrels that were removed from at least one truck.

Bad actors working “knowingly or unknowingly” for a foreign state?

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of the London Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terror unit, told reporters Monday the incident “may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.” Iranian authorities have warned that any bases used to attack the country would be considered legitimate targets. Iran has denied any link to the arrests near RAF Fairford. The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement shared Monday on social media that the regime “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran” to the incident.

Iran has, however, like Russia, been accused of using individuals who may be unaware they are even working for a foreign state to conduct sabotage attacks across Western Europe. The Iran-aligned group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia — or The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous (IMCR) — has claimed responsibility for several incidents over the past few months, including attacks on synagogues in the Netherlands and Belgium, and multiple attacks on north London’s Jewish community. A representative of the group told CBS News in March that it would “keep threatening U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide until we’ve avenged every child in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the resistance nations,” and it urged people “to stay away from Zionist and American interests.”

In July, the U.K. government said the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “almost certainly directed IMCR attacks across Europe.” Experts have characterized those incidents as part of a growing pattern of Iran and Russia outsourcing sabotage by recruiting sometimes unsuspecting people, often young men, to carry out low-level attacks for financial compensation. On Tuesday, law enforcement authorities in NATO member Estonia said they had determined an arson attack against a defense industry company in mid-August was a “deliberate and pre-planned act commissioned by Russian security services.”

Source: Trump and Rubio question U.K. handling of possible plot against air base after 5 men released on bail – CBS News

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:22

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FlyDubai flight to Israel makes emergency landing, passenger says “co-pilot tried to murder the pilot” and crash jet

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A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent attempt by one of the pilots to seize control of the aircraft and crash it, passengers and Israeli officials said.  “As they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement, lauding passengers and other crew members who intervened.

The prime minister said he instructed Israel’s “security establishment to prepare for potential additional threats.” An Israeli security official told CBS News authorities were investigating the possibility that the incident could have been an attempted Sept. 11-style terror attack, and whether the attacker was working alone.  Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it “an attempted jihadist terror attack, which was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist, and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present,” according to a statement.

However, in an interview with CBS News later Wednesday, Netanyahu indicated that the co-pilot’s motive was still unknown.  “This guy was trying to jam the equipment between the two flight seats, the pilot seats,” Netanyahu said, referencing witness accounts. “He wasn’t sitting in the pilot seat trying to stabilize the plane, he was trying to jam the equipment.” The plane diverted to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, where there is a civilian airport adjacent to a Saudi military base. No passengers were injured in the incident, but the pilot who was attacked by his fellow crew member reportedly sustained stab wounds, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. 

Passenger Asaf Rajuan has been credited with fighting off the attacker in the cockpit before two off-duty pilots took control of the plane. “Whoever is hearing me, we need help,” Rajuan said in a video posted to social media from the plane after the co-pilot had been subdued. “We are in the Tabuk area of Saudi Arabia, which we don’t know. All the passengers are OK, but not the pilot. We need help.” According to Netanyahu, the pilot who carried out the stabbing was placed under arrest and was “being questioned by the Saudi authorities.” An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the attacker was born in Oman and currently holds Omani citizenship. In a social media post, the Israel Foreign Ministry identified the wounded pilot as Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.

It described him as a “hero” who “fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit.” According to the foreign ministry, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door to allow passengers and crew to enter and intervene.  “Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives,” the foreign ministry said.  The plane landed in Tel Aviv shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday. People could be heard singing and chanting as the passengers disembarked. Family members came to the airport to celebrate their loved ones’ safe return.  One passenger said the plane dropped “very, very sharply suddenly” multiple times before balancing out. Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the plane was “pretty much out of control” when the stabbing took place over Jordan.

“The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters by speakerphone held up by her mother, who was waiting at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. “It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralized him.”  “There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do,” Ohayon said. Another passenger told The Jerusalem Post that intervening passengers shouted at two off-duty pilots at the back of the plane “to run and take control” of it, and one of them did so after the passengers managed to remove the attacker from the cockpit.

One passenger seated at the front of the plane said a “group of young people fought” with the attacker.    The crew of FlyDubai flight 1073, a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, according to publicly available flight tracking information. CBS News’ British partner network BBC News said flight tracking data showed the aircraft plummeted more than 17,000 feet in two minutes around 8:21 a.m. local time. The Israeli Air Force was first to notice something was wrong, an Israeli official with direct knowledge of the situation told CBS News. The air force noticed the flight deviating from its flight path and descending at an alarming rate, the official said.

When it tried to contact the plane, it received no response. It then got the emergency alert that specified a hijacking, not just a distress call. At that point, according to the official, the flight was still several hundred miles from Israeli airspace. However, even 90 seconds or so into the incident, the air force feared a 9/11-style attack, so it immediately made the decision to close Israeli airspace, and seconds after that it scrambled several jets, the official said. The jets never left Israeli airspace because it became clear that the plane had turned toward Saudi Arabia, and that Saudi Arabia had scrambled its own jets, the official said.  This sequence of events occurred within the span of about two to three minutes, according to the official, and the entire episode lasted about 15 minutes. 

A statement from FlyDubai said only that “an altercation occurred in the flight deck” and that the aircraft “was successfully secured by on-duty FlyDubai crew traveling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely” in Saudi Arabia.  The airline said “all passengers and crew are safe and accounted for,” and it confirmed that two replacement aircraft had been deployed to Tabuk to “relieve the passengers and crew,” though many Israeli passengers told media outlets they would not reboard a FlyDubai plane.  “At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” the airline said in its statement, urging “all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”

Two U.S. officials told CBS News that there were four people with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship aboard the flight.  Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified, escalating security threats to Israel and its interests amid its ongoing operations against Iran-allied Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.   FlyDubai is the lower-cost sister carrier of the United Arab Emirates state-owned flagship carrier Emirates. The UAE has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the two nations normalized ties in 2020. Israel has not experienced a plane hijacking in decades, but it maintains some of the strictest airport security in the world.  Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in a social media post on Wednesday, said “the naive notion that our enemies value life and that we should have mercy on them received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board.”

Israeli politician Benny Gantz, who is running in the upcoming Israeli elections but polling badly, wrote on X: “It’s still too early to know what the sequence of events was in this morning’s Flydubai flight to Israel, but it’s already clear that Israelis are a rare breed.” “The resourcefulness and courage displayed by the passengers on this flight, in the face of clear mortal danger, are exactly the stuff our people are made of,” he said. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also posted about the incident Wednesday, saying: “Well this had everyone in the Middle East (esp Israel) on FULL ALERT this morning.”   “Glad it wasn’t more serious,” he added, “but having pilots inflight detouring to ‘fist city’ not your ordinary experience.”

Source: FlyDubai flight to Israel makes emergency landing, passenger says “co-pilot tried to murder the pilot” and crash jet – CBS News

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10

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Denver still in line for rain with heaviest downpours locked on southeastern Colorado

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The Denver metro area is expected to see beneficial rain through the day on Wednesday. But, the updated forecast totals will be lower than originally anticipated as the track of September storm set up has shifted farther south. As a result, the Denver Metro area and surrounding suburbs have been taken out of the Flood Watch for this week. Most of the metro area has a chance at anywhere from one-tenth of an inch to just under one-half inch during the rain event. 

The bulls-eye for heavier rainfall and potential flooding is locked into southern Colorado and portions of the eastern plains, where a Flood Watch remains in effect until early Thursday morning. Some of those areas could see 2 to 5 inches of rainfall, with isolated spots even higher than that. The moisture packed system is being fueled by several atmospheric ingredients merging together. The remnants of once-hurricane Polo are being pushed into the southern Rockies by an upper level trough moving across Arizona. 

Source: Denver still in line for rain with heaviest downpours locked on southeastern Colorado – CBS Colorado

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
Proverbs 6:28

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Rat birth control program expanding to Albany Park

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Rats feeding beside spilled food and overflowing trash bins on an urban street

Chicago is consistently named one of the “rattiest” cities in America and an effort to change that is expanding. As more communities are turning to rat birth control, community leaders on the Northwest Side are trying something new — getting neighbors involved. A community info session was held on Tuesday night a few weeks ahead of the launch of a new rat birth control program in Albany Park by the North River Commission.

It’s similar to programs seen in Bucktown and Lincoln Park. “They’ve seen a reduction in the rat population,” said program manager Farah Elnahal.  Elisabeth Hays lives in the area and says the expansion can’t come soon enough. “My house is out of control. There’s rats in our yard. My dog is always like trying to catch them. It’s awful,” she said. “My car … they ate my radiator lines recently. They ate a craft project I made. It’s out of control.” An out-of-control problem she says is costing her. The repair set her back $900 and was not covered by her insurance. “Yeah, this would be amazing if it’s successful,” she said. Reps with Evolve were at the meeting, too, saying the bait is a nontoxic, nonlethal approach that restricts fertility in male and female rodents.

It takes one to two breeding cycles — or six to eight weeks — to see results. One goal is to see less property damage. Unlike other communities that used third parties to deploy the bait, program leaders in Albany Park want to get neighbors involved. About 10 to 12 volunteers will fill about 40 bait stations across the area. “Albany Park does have a big restaurant community and especially on Lawrence and Kimball here. We also have the Kimball Brown Line station. So we do see a lot of pedestrian activity. So we think this is the best place to start,” Elnahal said. The launch of the program is set for the end of October

Source: Rat birth control program expanding to Albany Park – CBS Chicago

There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2

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Boil water advisory continues for Village of Romeo

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A boil water advisory continues until further notice in the Village of Romeo in Macomb County, Michigan, where a water main break occurred on Saturday. While the water main break was isolated and water pressure restored over the weekend, village officials said a boil water advisory remains in effect until further notice.

When a boil water advisory is issued, affected residents should not drink or use tap water to prepare food or brush their teeth without boiling it first. Bring all tap water to a boil for 1 minute, then let it cool before using.  As an alternative, businesses and residents can arrange for bottled water in those situations.  About 3,700 people live in Romeo.

Source: Boil water advisory continues for Village of Romeo – CBS Detroit

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
Genesis 9:13

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Fighter jets intercept aircraft that violate airspace during President Trump’s Chicago-area visit

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Two fighter jets flying upward with vapor trails and a distant airplane

There was a scramble in the skies Sunday tied to President Trump’s visit to the Chicago area. Fighter jets intercepted multiple planes that violated flight restrictions. Witnesses caught videos of the jets in the skies, apparently armed and ready to handle any threat. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said 15 general aviation aircraft, a category that includes private planes and helicopters, entered airspace that was supposed to be restricted while the president was in town.

Fighter jets performed intercepts to redirect 10 pilots. In two instances, the jets fired flares to get the pilots’ attention and forced them to change course. NORAD said the flares may have been visible to the public, but always burn out quickly and completely and pose no danger to anyone on the ground. NORAD said all the situations were safely resolved, and no one was hurt. Nearly 1,800 flights were delayed at O’Hare International Airport on Sunday. It was unclear late Sunday whether those delays were because of flight restrictions or a nor’easter hitting the East Coast.

President Trump on Sunday paid a visit to the Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago for the last day of the Presidents Cup golf tournament, serving as the honorary chairman. His presence in the Chicagoland area brought crowds of supporters and protesters.

Source: Fighter jets intercept aircraft that violate airspace during President Trump’s Chicago-area visit – CBS Chicago

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

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Thousands lose power in Massachusetts as nor’easter brings down trees and wires

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The September nor’easter is leaving its mark across the state, with several reports of trees and wires down in multiple communities.  A large tree completely uprooted on Lucy Street in Stoneham around 3 a.m. Sunday morning.  The homeowner told WBZ-TV he heard a huge crash and left a mess in his backyard. The tree grazed a back window, luckily leaving most of the damage outside his house.  But some homeowners weren’t as fortunate, like residents on 4th Street in Medford.

Another massive tree uprooted, crashing down on several parked cars and damaging one home. Crews were on the scene restoring power to the neighborhood after more than 12 hours in the dark. But the cleanup is far from over, as wires, branches and leaves are still scattered across the roadway. And a big tree still sits in the back of a pickup truck.  In Revere, more than 800 residents lost power when a driver lost control of her car and crashed into a utility pole on Mountain Avenue Sunday morning, police said.  Crews are still working to clean up the damage left behind, repairing the pole and getting lights turned back on. But working to restore power lines in this kind of storm isn’t always easy.

“This one it’s really hard because you have to wait for it to become safe before we can put a bucket in the air, and that threshold is 35 mph. So, if you’re getting 50 mph winds, you’re going to have to wait it out before we can actually get to it,” National Grid Vice President of Electric Operations Sean Vacher told WBZ-TV.  Vacher said they have 400 crews stationed across the state. Before the storm, they expected the worst of the outages to be along the coast and the islands, but the impact has been widespread.  “It seemed to migrate north and away from the coast so Merrimack Valley got hit pretty good and then western Massachusetts even,” Vacher said. “So out toward the Berkshires we’re seeing it, so it’s been fairly even across the board.” 

As of Sunday afternoon, National Grid had restored power to more than 80,000 customers, but the storm isn’t done yet. They’re hoping to have power back on for all of their customers by Monday night.  Roughly 1,000 customers were without power across the state as of Sunday at 7 p.m., according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) outage map.

Source: Thousands lose power in Massachusetts as nor’easter brings down trees and wires – CBS Boston

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4

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Galatians 1:6-10

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Open Bible showing the first chapter of Galatians with highlighted title

“When truth becomes negotiable, faith becomes vulnerable so know the Gospel, stand on God’s Word, and seek His approval above the world’s applause.”

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

In these verses we, as believers, are strongly warned not to abandon the true Gospel of Jesus Christ for a different message that fits our point of view. At this time there were some teaching ideas that distorted the Gospel of grace, and Paul makes it clear that God’s truth cannot be altered to satisfy people or the current culture. It emphasizes that even if someone is claiming spiritual authority, including an angel, preached a different gospel, Paul says it must be rejected. This warning reminds us that not everything presented as being “Christian” is necessarily biblical.

Paul also highlights our desire for our need for human approval. He gives everyone a challenge to think about, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” We need to understand that this question remains important for Christians today. There are times that humans easily change our beliefs, compromise biblical convictions, or remain silent because we fear rejection. Being a follower of Christ requires discernment and courage. We’ve been told to test what we hear against Scripture, remaining faithful to the Gospel, and always seeking God’s approval above the applause of people.

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New giant pandas from China arrive in Atlanta zoo

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Two giant pandas from China have arrived in the U.S. as part of an agreement between the Chinese and American governments, the Atlanta zoo confirmed on Sunday. The zoo said giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday morning “via a dedicated ‘FedEx Panda Express’ Boeing 777 aircraft.” “This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia and beyond,” said Raymond B. King, the zoo’s president and CEO, in a statement on social media.

“We are elated to welcome Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and could not be more excited about sharing that joy with our members, guests, city and community in the coming weeks.” visitors will have to wait a while to see Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, officials said. They will be quarantined for about a month in a biosecure area of the wildlife park’s new giant panda complex. Park officials haven’t confirmed a specific opening date. While in Washington for a three-day summit with President Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the pandas would be loaned to Zoo Atlanta and that they would arrive in the coming days.

They were one of the few concrete outcomes to come out of the state visit. Zoo Atlanta has been part of a giant panda agreement with China for more than 25 years. The zoo said farewell to its last pandas in 2024, leaving the zoo without pandas. The new agreement was announced back in April but without any dates. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are the two adult pandas who will be on loan to Zoo Atlanta for 10 years as part of the agreement. Both pandas were born in 2020 and were kept at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Ping Ping, the male, has dark black circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang, the female, has a forehead that protrudes a bit, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

China has long used the pandas as part of its diplomacy globally, deploying the bears in loan programs as expressions of goodwill and letting loan agreements lapse when tensions arise. Xi had said the loan program was an example of “friendship between the Chinese and Americans.” Currently, two other zoos in the United States have pandas. The National Zoo and the San Diego Zoo both received pandas from China in 2024.

Source: New giant pandas from China arrive in Atlanta zoo – CBS Atlanta

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

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Third of young people now turning to AI for friendship, research finds

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A third of young people are now using an AI companion, according to new research. The RELATE Project 2026, by Christian youth ministry Young Life, spoke to over 7,100 teenagers and young adults across 11 different countries including the US, UK, Argentina, Mexico, India and Nigeria. The research found that in 2025 the average young person had 4.4 close relationships, down from 5.3 in 2023.

When it comes to discussing the subjects that really matter, on average young people said they only had two people in their lives who qualified. Some 40 per cent of young people said they were not fully confident that there was an adult in their life who had a genuine interest in listening to them. In order to build trust with such an adult, 73 per cent said that confidentiality was the most important factor. The research found that while most young people prefer face to face communication with their friends (64 per cent – up 10 points from 2023), the use of AI companions appears to becoming more prevalent, particularly with younger teenagers.

Over a third (35 per cent) of young people report using an AI companion, rising to 45 per cent among those aged 13 to 15. A majority (60 per cent) of those who use an AI companion say they feel more comfortable sharing their problems with AI than with real-world friends and family. Newt Crenshaw, President and CEO of Young Life, said of the research, “The RELATE Project tells us that while young people are constantly connected online, they are craving authentic, in-person community. “They don’t want perfect, frictionless screens. They are looking for trusted, consistent adults who will step into their worlds, earn and keep their trust, and simply be there to listen.”

Dr Kimberly Nollan, Director of Research and Practice at Young Life, said, “To walk alongside today’s young people, we have to put down our own distractions and show up in their world. “This starts with proving we are safe enough to listen – protecting their confidentiality and offering space for them without immediately trying to offer advice or judgement.”

Source: Third of young people now turning to AI for friendship, research finds – Christian Today

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36

Psalm 1:1–3

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  but his delight is in the law of…

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Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. This reminds us that our choices have consequences. God is not fooled…

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Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those…

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Matthew 6:22

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, In this verse Jesus teaches that…

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Isaiah 45:2

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Open Bible displaying Isaiah

“I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,

This verse reminds us that God can remove obstacles that appear impossible and open doors no human strength could open. When we are facing uncertainty, opposition, or seemingly immovable barriers, we can trust that God is already at work ahead of us. His presence goes before His people.

Getting to Know Him

Do you want eternal life? Do you want to enter heaven through the only guide that can help you navigate your way there? To enter His home, get to know Him better, and make Him your Lord and Savior CLICK HERE…..

Daily Bread; Psalm 91:4

Daily Verse He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 ESV Refuge: shelter or…

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Matthew 1:22-23

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” This verse explains…

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Romans 12:19

 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” This verse teaches believers not to seek…

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Guarding Your Heart

Your life is moving in the direction of your heart, whether you realize it or not. What you allow in today will shape who you become tomorrow. Keep your heart…

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Grace, Not Perfection

God does not ask you to be flawless before coming to Him. He asks you to come as you are. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And…

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Prophesy and His Timeline

The God who created time is not controlled by time, He rules over it. Every prophecy fulfilled is proof that history is not random, but written by the hand of…

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Watchfulness Without Fear

God never called His people to panic about the future. He called them to be awake, ready, and full of hope. “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your…

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God’s Delays Are Not Denials

What feels late to us is often perfectly timed by God. Heaven’s clock never runs behind schedule. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise… but is longsuffering to us-ward.”…

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Grace, Not Perfection

God does not ask you to be flawless before coming to Him. He asks you to come as you are. “For by grace are ye saved through faith… not of…

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When You Feel Alone

When life feels like you’re walking into the battle alone, remember this: you never take a single step without God beside you, His strength goes before you, His presence walks…

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Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in…

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Deuteronomy 8:3

He humbled you, allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know, that he might teach you that man does…

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Matthew 12:25

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. This verse reveals the…

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Matthew 4:6

And said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and, ‘On their hands they…

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Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and…

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Titus 3:3

For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. This verse reminds believers of who they…

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2 Timothy 3:16-17

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every…

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Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. In this verse it declares the eternal power and authority of Jesus Christ: “Heaven and earth shall…

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Your Tears Have a Witness

When life feels too heavy to carry and every door seems shut, God is still moving in places you cannot see. Your breaking point may be the very place where…

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 Accept the Invitation; Come and See

One invitation can change everything, but you have to be willing to follow. When Jesus says “come and see,” He’s not offering information, He’s offering transformation.  Bible Verse:He saith unto…

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Bear accidentally dumped into trash truck after climbing inside trash container

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A recent video from Castle Rock shows a Colorado black bear escaping from a waste management truck. Last Wednesday, Castle Rock resident Evan Elmore says the bear had climbed inside a trash container when it was picked up and emptied into the back of the truck. Elmore says the bear eventually climbed down the side of the truck, and employees scared it away from the area. He captured some of the interaction on video. This comes as bears are well into hyperphagia, bulking up before going into hibernation for the winter.

Because of the state’s prolonged drought and late frost, many of their usual food sources are unavailable, pushing them further into populated areas in search of food. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2026 has seen a record number of bear sightings and, in some cases, attacks. Some cases over the last month include a bear that entered an arcade in Fraser Valley, a bear that went romping through an Aspen restaurant, and attacks at a Rio Grande National Forest Park campground and inside a condo in Durango.

CPW has stressed the importance of putting any possible food sources away, like trash cans, bird feeders and pet food. Leaving food out for bears can habituate them to urban environments and make them dependent on people for food, putting both the bears and people at risk. Intentionally leaving food sources out can also result in a hefty fine.

Source: Bear accidentally dumped into trash truck after climbing inside trash container – CBS Colorado

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

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Sea turtle lays eggs on Southern California beach for first time, wildlife experts believe

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Sea turtle resting on a sandy beach beside incoming waves

A sea turtle has nested on a West Coast beach for what wildlife experts say is the first time in recorded history.  Video captured last Wednesday in Seal Beach shows the moments when a female olive ridley turtle lays eggs in the sand before returning to sea.  “We had a report of a possible injured turtle, and when lifeguards got on scene, they realized the turtle was not injured and in fact, the turtle was nesting,” said Trevor McDonald, the Chief of the Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division. 

Days later, a natural nesting happened again, just miles south in Huntington Beach. Experts say it’s possible that it’s the same turtle, and that there could be hundreds of eggs in each location, which is hundreds of miles north from where usual nesting grounds for turtles are located on the southern end of Baja California.  “The temps where their normal nesting sites may exist may be a little bit too high, being a super strong El Niño,” said Chad Steffen, a certified marine naturalist. “There’s a lot of really, really warm water down there, down in Mexico.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and California Department of Fish and Wildlife crews have surrounded the nesting sites in Southern California with protective fencing and big signs to warn the public so they can give the areas plenty of space. 

Chad Steffen, a fisherman and certified marine naturalist, said that the warm waters from the El Niño winter brewing in the Pacific Ocean are bringing unusual sightings to Southern California. “The temps where their normal nesting sites may exist may be a little bit too high, being a super strong El Niño,” Steffen said. “There’s a lot of really, really warm water down there, down in Mexico.” Crews are unsure if or when the eggs could eventually hatch, as it’s a first in the recorded history of California. Still, biologists plan to monitor the nesting sites throughout the incubation period, which can last for up to 60 days.  “It’s federally protected, and it’s something that is exciting for us to be able to be a part of and witness, right? So please, be respectful, stay outside of the caution tape,” McDonald said. 

Source: Sea turtle lays eggs on Southern California beach for first time, wildlife experts believe – CBS Los Angeles

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

2 Timothy 3:12 

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Paul was reminding Timothy that following Christ does not guarantee an easy…

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Scientists Just Found the First New Cat Species in 100 Years — And Can’t Believe They Missed It

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new cat species

Scientists have identified a new wild cat species in Bolivia’s cloud forests—and the strangest part is that it was hiding in plain sight. Called the tilcayo, this tiny spotted feline weighs only about three pounds and looks almost identical to other South American tiger cats. But full-genome analysis revealed that its lineage split from its closest relatives roughly 1.4 million years ago.

Researchers also discovered that what had long been treated as one widespread tiger cat was actually several distinct species. The clues had been there for decades: specimens sat unnoticed in museum collections, one animal lived in a wildlife sanctuary, and local communities already had a name for the cat. Now scientists face a bigger question—how many tilcayos actually remain, and how endangered is a species we only just learned to recognize?

Source: (93) Scientists Just Found the First New Cat Species in 100 Years — And Can’t Believe They Missed It – YouTube

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45

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Ontario, Canada: Police officer wounded in shooting near synagogue

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Police officers outside a church behind “POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS” tape

A police officer was shot and wounded near a synagogue in Ontario, Canada, on Sunday evening during an exchange of gunfire with an armed man as congregants gathered to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, officials said. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said a man was in the hospital “in life threatening condition” and that the officer was injured after the shooting near Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, around 115 miles northeast of Toronto. The president of Sons of Jacob synagogue, Norm Weddum, told CNN the officer saved the lives of everyone who had gathered inside and that the building had been riddled with bullets.

Authorities have not yet said what led to the shooting. Weddum said the officer had been hired to protect the congregation that day. The officer was parked nearby in an unmarked vehicle and made contact with the shooter as he approached the building, he said. The synagogue’s president described hearing a series of bangs as he ushered people into the sanctuary, after which he and others went toward the front door to investigate. “That’s when we heard it again –– ‘bang, bang, bang’ and they were very loud this time so we realized it was definitely shots being fired,” he said. “We all ran back, I closed the doors of the auditorium and I yelled out ‘everybody get down.’” Weddum said bullets sprayed through the stain glass windows and across the room as worshipers crouched on the floor in fear, some calling 911. “We were on the floor for what felt like ten minutes of gunfire but in reality, it was a few minutes. There were over 20 bullet holes in our windows.”

No one inside the synagogue was injured but all Yom Kippur services were canceled, he added. Authorities are expected to hold a press conference from the scene at 11 a.m. Monday. Earlier, the Belleville Police Service said an officer “encountered an individual” near Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue around 7:10 p.m. The Sons of Jacob Synagogue sits at the intersection. “The officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital,” the statement said, without providing further details. York Regional Police, which patrols communities north of Toronto, said it would step up patrols and keep officers visible “where people gather to worship,” in response to the shooting. Weddum said when the gunshots stopped, he stepped outside the building to find a heavy police presence and several officers tending to the injured officer and another individual being put into an ambulance. Police have since cordoned off the area and are conducting an investigation, he added. “We’re not sure when we are going to get access back to the building. We are all upset but it’s not going to deter us. We will reopen and we will have services again,” he said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to news of the shooting, saying in a statement: “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to this brave officer and to all the first responders who acted so quickly to keep the community safe.” “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear,” Ford added.

Source: Ontario, Canada: Police officer wounded in shooting near synagogue | CNN

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:34

The News Part 2

Dear Heavenly Father, as I enter this day please give me the words that I need to share who you are and help me present your love…

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The News Part 1

Dear Heavenly Father, as this is read give understanding and conviction to those reading this. May there be understanding where there needs to be understanding and conviction…

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Isaiah 11:2

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the…

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Colorado UTV rider rescued after falling 250 feet down steep embankment

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A UTV rider in Colorado was hospitalized after losing control near a steep embankment and falling about 250 feet. Around 11:29 p.m., Grand County Search and Rescue says twelve members, along with personnel from Grand County EMS, Union Pacific Railroad, Hot Sulphur Springs Fire and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, responded to an accident in the Hot Sulphur Springs area. They used multiple rope systems to lower crew, equipment, and medical supplies to an injured UTV rider who fell about 250 feet down a steep embankment.

After attending to the injured rider, rescue crews used another rope system to carefully lift the rider and first responders up to the trail. The rider was then medevaced for further medical treatment. Authorities have not released information on the rider’s condition. Search and Rescue GCSAR warned riders to understand their limits and watch their speed on difficult terrain. They also urged riders to remember to wear a helmet and seat belt at all times.

Source: Colorado UTV rider rescued after falling 250 feet down steep embankment – CBS Colorado

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9

Primary Elections; May 19, 2026

Today, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, is a major primary election day in six states: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. These are mostly partisan primaries (Democratic and Republican) to select nominees…

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Abortion Survivor; Michele’s Story

“My story began in the pre-Roe v. Wade era of 1962. As the youngest of seven children in a large, financially struggling family, my conception came at a particularly challenging time for…

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Inmate, 10 correctional officers hospitalized after mattress fire at Cook County Jail

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Smoke-filled correctional corridor with emergency responders

An inmate and 10 Cook County Jail correctional officers were hospitalized Sunday afternoon after a mattress fire. The Cook County Sheriff’s office said around 3 p.m. Sunday, deputies were called to for a mattress fire that appeared to have been set by an inmate inside his cell on Tier 5A in the Residential Treatment Unit. The sheriff’s office said deputies quickly put out the fire and evacuated the inmate, who was the only one in the cell.

The process of putting out the fire created smoke, so everyone in Tier 5A and all other tiers on the fifth floor were evacuated as a precaution, the sheriff’s office said. The person in custody in the cell where the fire started was taken to a hospital in good condition. Ten correctional deputies were also taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation as a precaution, the sheriff’s office said. The inmate was later discharged and returned to jail.

Source: Inmate, 10 correctional officers hospitalized after mattress fire at Cook County Jail – CBS Chicago

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

Organ Harvesting in China

You may think you know about the illegal world of organ harvesting, but there’s an even a darker side to this practice than merely procuring an organ on…

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Trump says he’s struck deal to give U.S. “permanent control over security” in Greenland

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President Trump said Friday he has struck a deal to give the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” following a push by the president to boost the U.S.’ influence over the Arctic island — or, if possible, take it over. The governments of Greenland and Denmark, which oversees the semi-autonomous island, confirmed they reached a deal with the United States. The agreement is expected to be signed in New York City on Tuesday, when scores of world leaders will be in town for the United Nations General Assembly, two U.S. officials told CBS News.

Details are sparse, but the deal does not appear to constitute an outright U.S. takeover of the territory — an idea Mr. Trump had previously backed, rattling Denmark and other NATO members. A State Department official told CBS News the U.S. was guaranteed permanent access to the island and overflight rights, allowing the military to potentially increase the number of bases. The deal also blocks non-NATO members from establishing military bases, and restricts American adversaries from making sensitive investments in Greenland, the official said. The deal is set to remain in place permanently, “even if Greenland becomes a fully independent country,” the State Department official said. Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post that he plans to boost the U.S.’ presence in Greenland.

The island has hosted a U.S. base on its western coast since the 1950s. “We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many,” Mr. Trump said. “We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the deal a “huge win.” “Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” he said in a statement. “This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.” Mr. Trump has argued since his first term that the U.S. needs control over Greenland, citing its position in a strategically important corner of the world, in between North America and Europe and across the thawing Arctic Ocean from Russia.

He has pushed to buy the territory from Denmark, an idea officials in Denmark and Greenland have long rejected.  The president dramatically escalated those takeover efforts earlier this year, threatening steep tariffs on Denmark and any other countries that don’t “go along with” his efforts to buy Greenland. His administration did not rule out using military force to assume U.S. control of the island.  The gambit came shortly after Mr. Trump ordered the military to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, and before he launched a war against Iran and blocked most of Cuba’s oil imports, signaling an increasingly assertive approach to foreign policy.

Denmark warned a U.S. takeover would effectively mark the end of the NATO alliance, and Greenland rejected the idea. Other NATO member states sided with Denmark, opposing Mr. Trump’s annexation push. Mr. Trump called off the tariffs in January and took military action in Greenland off the table, announcing that he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had formed “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland.” It’s not clear whether the agreement announced Friday stemmed from those discussions with NATO. In a statement Friday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said the U.S., Danish and Greenlandic governments are planning to sign the deal next week.

It will also need to go through “necessary parliamentary procedures” in Denmark. “I am pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States,” Frederiksen said. She added that the deal “strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area and is thus also good for NATO and Europe,” and “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.” Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, called the deal “gratifying.” “The agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in international cooperation. It is for the benefit of us all,” he said in a statement shared by Frederiksen’s office.

Source: Trump says he’s struck deal to give U.S. “permanent control over security” in Greenland – CBS Colorado

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
Romans 8:35

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