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Happy Friday!
Anyone else scampering toward the weekend like Jimothy the Racoon? This “silly and round” Seattle creature with a spinal condition has no neck and no regrets, taking over feeds, spreading joy, and gaining points for trash pandas everywhere.

President Trump approved a multibillion-dollar nuclear power deal with Saudi Arabia Wednesday.

The 30-year agreement, which is contingent on Saudi Arabia “normalizing” relations with Israel, gives U.S. energy companies dibs on developing the desert kingdom’s civilian nuclear infrastructure. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the deal marks the beginning of a “nuclear renaissance.”

Though Riyadh vows this infrastructure is for energy, not weapons, eyebrows raised at the omission of two nuclear-weapon safeguards that are present in Uncle Sam’s other 26 nuclear deals:

Democratic lawmakers warn the potential for Saudi nukes could spark a “nuclear race” and disincentivize Iran from laying down its own nuclear weapons program. Congress has 90 days to block the agreement.

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Verse to consider when you’re worried about where the headlines are headed, your job trajectory, or the future of your loved ones… “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB) (read full passage)

The U.S. is sending special forces, 150+ medics, and fighter jets to the Middle East to give President Trump operational options for expanding the war.

Uncle Sam’s weighing retaliations after four American soldiers were killed in Jordan and Iraq over the weekend. CENTCOM sent strikes for the 12th consecutive day Wednesday to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners,” and Trump threatened to hit an Iranian bridge or power plant “any time… Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Escalations come despite Washington’s questions about the murky endgame and rising cost of the war (now at $37B). Without the usual bipartisan support, the House voted 216-212 Wednesday to pass a $1.15T annual defense bill. The package heads back to Senate desks, where Democrats previously blocked it.

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PRAY WITH US
God of Wisdom and Might, the chaos of our sin sickness is splintering across Your good world, threatening order and peace and goodness and beauty. As provocations threaten to spiral into chaos, we cling to You, Our Fortress and Hiding Place. We are waiting for You to bring Your reign of peace.

Grant wisdom, creativity, and humility to world leaders. Comfort with eternal hope those who mourn losses of loved ones, livelihood, home, prospects. Provide daily bread for the vulnerable swept up in swirling hostilities. And establish Your church as a lighthouse of peace and hope shining into the storm.

We’ve all said, “I’ll pray for you,” and meant it… but life gets busy, and sometimes, that promise fades into the background.

Enter: Glorify Ring.

It’s the world’s first smart ring designed for Christians. Set personal reminders, and a gentle vibration will invite you to stop and pray for the people you love (without screens or distractions). Plus, you can record your own prayers (right to the ring), and pair it with the Glorify app to track your devotional habits and stay rooted in God’s presence throughout your day.

Over 25 million people are already using the Glorify app to grow closer to God. Join them with the Glorify Ring. Pre-order yours today.

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Turns out, even AI uses AI to cheat on its exams.

OpenAI revealed Tuesday that two of its most powerful artificial intelligence models went rogue and launched a cyberattack. The ChatGPT-maker said it was testing models’ capabilities in a secure playground testing system (a “sandbox”) when the AI “agents” found weaknesses and ventured off into the world wide web. The bots hacked into startup Hugging Face (a library of AI models), seeking the answers to OpenAI’s sandbox hacking test.

Hugging Face had to use a free Chinese AI model to contain the attack when safety guardrails blocked U.S. models from analyzing the data.

OpenAI called the incident “unprecedented” but expects more as “increasingly cyber-capable models” multiply.

The robots’ rise has investors jumpy: Tesla and Alphabet (Google) stock fell Thursday after both announced heftier AI spending.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Headlines like this can make it seem like the scariest predictions about AI will come to pass. Even so, God will remain God and our eternal life with Christ will remain secure. Be quick to remind yourself and point others to God, giving him the credit for your hope, strength, and love during times of uncertainty and fear.

“The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity.”
Job 12:10 (CSB) (read full passage)

Head spinning from all this talk of models? Catch our newest episode of TPO Explains tomorrow where our Managing Editor, Kathleen, and one of our writers KA will take a shallow dive into “What is an AI model?”

Tropical Storm Bertha made a second landfall in Texas yesterday, after first soaking southern Louisiana Wednesday. Coastal Texas was expected to see 2-4 inches of rain, potentially spreading as far as the Texas Hill Country, a vulnerable region already hit by deadly rain and flooding. Bertha should dissipate quickly, with tropical storm conditions lingering through today.


The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed over 1,000, reaching the milestone nearly 3x faster than the worst Ebola epidemic on record (outbreak map here). The fatality rate sits at 40% for the ~2,500 cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant without vaccines or treatments. Officials expect the outbreak’s peak is still ahead.


Elon Musk is navigating between a Grok and a hard place, saying his AI chatbot will make its own feature-length “historically accurate” version of The Odyssey. Musk has criticized Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster for Trojan-horsing “woke” ideology through its casting decisions. Alternatively, Musk claims to be “down” to give Mel Gibson $100M to portray Odysseus’ journey in “Homeric Greek.”


A Minnesota political assassin has been sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years. In June 2025, the 59-year-old murdered former MN House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband and shot state senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife in their homes after impersonating a police officer. The gunman, who never offered a motive, pleaded guilty, avoiding the death penalty.


Three airports have told TSA: “It’s not you, it’s the shutdowns.” Tampa, Des Moines, and Charleston airports have opted into TSA Gold+, employing private contractors for security pat-downs. TSA still makes the rules but cutting red tape means faster tech upgrades and screeners who keep getting paid during a shutdown. Labor unions warn of lowered worker pay and traveler safety.

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What’s Helping Us Pray More
The PrayMore App*

Grocery lists, what’s for dinner, a fight from yesterday… when it comes to having a consistent prayer life, distraction seems to be one of our biggest enemies. That’s why PrayMore launched Prayer Challenges to help fight back.

Think: a Bible plan for prayer. PrayMore offers five unique challenges (including content from Prayer by Crossway) to meet you where you are. Each one includes Scripture, a short devo, space to capture a personal reflection, and a carefully crafted prayer; most even have an audio version with meditative background music.

Don’t let distraction keep you from the Lord. Get started with one of these free challenges today!

How We’re Browsing The Internet
Like it’s Y2K, thanks to Surfshark*

Remember when “pop-ups” meant baby toys… not annoying ads? Back when the only thing tracking you was your nosy friendly neighbor?

Today’s internet is loud, cluttered… and not-so-secretly collecting your data.

CleanWeb from Surfshark is the digital rewind button you never knew you needed. It blocks ads, trackers, and malware. Just one install, and boom… pages load faster, creepy banners disappear, and browsing the web feels like it used to: clean, simple, and actually private.

TPO readers can get it now for just $2.39/month (85% off), and enjoy 4 months extra!