DISTRESS OF NATIONS
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
“Moral integrity and obedience to God uplift societies, while sin brings disgrace and decline.”
Apostasy and Doctrines of Demons
10 Ways LGBTQ+ Ideology Is Reshaping the Church. Walk into certain churches today, and you may encounter something almost unrecognizable to Christians in the same denominations a generation ago. Rainbow flags in the sanctuary. Pastors in Pride-colored vestments. Queer hymns and transgender themes. Rainbow bread at Communion. Celebrating trans name changes, etc.
Pervasive Perversion
German “Transgender” Elite Police Officer Confesses to Rape of Teen Girl, ETC. A senior German police officer, said to have decided to become transgender after witnessing a terrorist attack, made a partial confession to allegations including rape of a 15-year-old girl, possessing a Kalashnikov-type rifle, and possessing child and animal sex abuse videos.
Surveillance/Orwellian Society
Mark Zuckerberg addresses panic about killer AI – and gives warning to rival companies. An Anthropic researcher said he quit his job due to AI dangers. That led to widespread worry about artificial intelligence systems. Increasingly, AI firm leaders appear to back calls to slow down AI development’s pace so developers can spend more time ensuring the systems are safe, not racing ahead and putting the world in danger.
Southport attack victims and survivors suffer ‘unacceptable’ data breach. Gov’t staff looked up details on computers of victims, survivors, & witnesses of the Southport attack when they had no right. Prison & courts chiefs are investigating how the breach was allowed to happen. PM Burnham asked Lord Chancellor to investigate. Info included sensitive, personal data & was deemed “likely to result in high risk” to rights & freedoms of the involved.
Plague, Pestilence, and Plandemics
Florida: Fourth person dies after contacting ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria linked to raw oysters. Data show 21 recorded cases of the waterborne bacteria this year. Besides this one in Broward County, earlier deaths were reported in Bay, Palm Beach, and Marion counties. Vibrio vulnificus naturally thrives in warm coastal waters and is commonly contracted by eating raw shellfish or exposing open wounds to contaminated water.
New York: Another new cluster of deadly lung disease breaks out, killing two and infecting 14. New York City is battling another cluster of Legionnaires’ disease – this time in the Bronx – after a summer cluster on the Upper East Side infected 94 & killed 11. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrives in warm, damp locations. Common sources include central air conditioning systems, hot tubs, water fountains, and large building plumbing systems.
Third person dies after mosquito is reportedly trapped on plane to Germany in ‘airport malaria’ phenomenon. It was unclear where the flights departed from. The third person – and an airport worker who also died from the disease in August – had not traveled to a malaria-endemic region. Six Frankfurt Airport employees also contracted the tropical disease.
Economic and Food Insecurity
Federal Reserve hikes interest rates for first time since 2023 amid stubborn inflation. Inflation has been driven recently by higher energy prices. Fed policymakers voted 12-0 to raise the federal funds rate from a range of 3.5% to 3.75% to a new target rate of 3.75% to 4% despite Trump’s demand for a cut. The 25-basis-point increase marks the first interest rate hike since July 2023 and comes after the Fed left rates unchanged at its first five meetings this year.
Majority of Americans are tired all the time – and Gen Z women most of all, CDC study finds. Nearly 3/4ths of Americans are fatigued, and some feel it more than others, according to a new analysis. Over 16% of 27,000 US adults said they felt exhausted or very tired “most days” or “every day.” Gen Z and millennials reported this more than other age groups, and women were more likely to report frequent fatigue. The highest levels were among women aged 18–34.
Weather Events
The 2026 fire season is on pace to be biggest in a decade. We’re not out of summer, but 2026’s wildfire season is already on track to break records for the year and to be the most destructive wildfire season in over a decade in total area burned. As of this week, there have been more wildfires across the U.S., burning more square miles, than at this point in the last 10 years.
Indonesia begins operation to right capsized ship in Java Sea as 129 remain missing. The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people on a 20-hour voyage from East Java to South Kalimantan when it capsized in bad weather early on Sunday. Rescuers had not been able to find more survivors or bodies until the fifth day of the search due to strong currents and large waves, so authorities decided to right the ship to make rescue operations easier.
Wars and Rumors of Wars
Vance: US cannot let its Mideast foreign policy be subservient to Israel. US Vice President Vance said Washington can’t let its Middle East policies be “subservient” to those of Israel, and must place its own interests first. Vance said he thinks that more than any president in the last 40 years, he’s shown willingness to part ways with Netanyahu when he feels the interests of Americans are different from the interests of the government of Israel.
Trump tells NewsNation ‘we’ll see’ on whether to ‘annihilate’ Iran. When asked what he wants to see from Iran before making that decision, Trump said Tehran is looking to reach an agreement. “Right now, they want to make a deal,” Trump said, adding he believes Iran is “losing in every way” financially and militarily.
Trump Signs Sweeping Russia Sanctions Bill, Aiming to Choke Off Moscow’s Funds for Ukraine War. It´s meant to starve Putin of the resources Moscow needs to continue its war in Ukraine after invading its neighbor over four years ago. The bill sanctions Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. It also directs Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
China firm gave Iran lifeline to collect Hormuz tolls before pulling plug amid US warning. Iran’s sanctioned Persian Gulf Straits Authority (PGSA) regained secure online access for four days after a Shanghai-based internet security firm provided and then revoked its web credentials, enabling Tehran to vet vessels, collect Strait of Hormuz tolls and operate despite U.S. digital restrictions, global internet monitors said.
Saudi Arabia facing ‘biggest threat’ ever to oil production as Iran-proxy Houthis launch attacks, expert says. Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the situation is escalating in the Middle East as Iran “likely instigated the Houthis to force a blockade on Saudi Arabia.”
Calls for Peace and Security
Israel, Morocco, US agree to advance Abraham Accords at New York summit. Israel’s Foreign Minister Sa’ar, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Bourita, and US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz held a trilateral diplomatic summit in New York Wednesday and agreed on a series of measures to upgrade relations between Israel and Morocco and advance the Abraham Accords.