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Happy Monday!
Election season is noisy. It’s easy to be swept up in the fear of it all, as if next week’s outcome will totally change your life’s trajectory. But remember that above Capitol Hill sits another throne room, filled with the glory of a King who rules with total sovereignty, without term limits, and without challengers.

That’s your King. And He’s got you.

The campaign trail got a little more crowded this weekend.

Former President Obama stumped for Democrats in Ohio and Michigan with ten days til midterms. He called the cardboard booths “our last best chance” to curb President Trump’s “chaos and cruelty,” slamming #47 for corruption, Iran strategy, and White House renovations.

Trump did his own battleground sweep to boost vulnerable Republicans. He announced a $4.2B Audi manufacturing facility in Georgia and executive ordered the end of 50% tariffs on Canadian agricultural imports that were pinching businesses in states like Maine.

Meanwhile in Alaska’s high-stakes Senate race, the DOJ is seeking to block certification if Democrat Mary Peltola wins over… two Dan Sullivans. Thursday’s lawsuit says a candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent ran “with the intention of misleading” the Senator’s supporters, undermining election integrity.

Tight on time for voting prep? We researched your state for hours so you could get up to speed in minutes. Check out TPO’s Midterm Guide to meet your candidates, understand your ballot measures, and pray for your state.

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PRAY WITH US
King of Heaven, as voters weigh their choices, give wisdom and prudence. We cling to You through division and contention, through uncertainty and fear. Quiet the suspicions that estrange and divide us from our neighbors. Still our hasty, harsh tongues. Open our ears, soften our hearts, and make ready our feet to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. Amen.

“Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 (CSB) (read full passage)

As protests in France are smoldering, demonstrations across Europe are flaring.

People are taking to the streets in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Albania to protest a range of issues, including rising living costs, corruption, and wars in the Middle East. Italy deployed soldiers to Rome, Milan, and other cities to quell riots; several hundred protesters stormed the Roman Colosseum on Saturday.

Meanwhile, France saw its fifth week of mass protests, with at least 410,000 people gathering across the country Saturday. Tighter security and curfews slightly subdued violence, with ~1,300 arrests made (down from ~2,600 last weekend) and fewer instances of vandalism reported.

Amid the unrest, the NFL hosted its first-ever game in Paris yesterday. The Steelers-Saints matchup marched on, but some outside-the-stadium events were closed for “potential accessibility issues.”

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Unrest in our world is another symptom of its brokenness, and it makes our hearts ache for a world at rest. But as Christians, we can quiet our hearts in the face of global disquiet because we know that in Jesus, there is soul-satisfying rest available today and world-changing, eternal rest coming soon.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) (read full passage)

Without safe menstrual products, girls in Ghana risk missing more than two months of school each year.

Elizabeth and Mariam, two Ghanaian students, want to be nurses. But they’re two of the nearly 500 million girls worldwide unable to safely manage their periods with dignity, forcing them to choose between their health and their future.

Forward Edge is changing that, giving girls Dignity Kits with clean supplies every month, helping them stay healthy and in class, and showing them they’re seen, valued, and loved.

BE DOERS
No girl should have to choose between health and dignity or education and opportunity. $25 gives 15 girls a monthly kit, and TPO is matching the first $2K given. Empower them with Dignity Kits today.

“‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Matthew 25:40 (CSB)

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It’s crunch time for MLB and the WNBA.

The Milwaukee Brewers lead the World Series 2-0 after beating the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday in their seventh postseason comeback.

Off the diamond, an MLB lockout (when owners literally lock players outta the building) seems likely to begin December 1 when the current labor agreement expires. Owners want to institute a salary cap, saying it would curb spending gaps and improve competitive balance; the players’ union vows to never accept one, pointing to this Fall Classic (the first since 1991 between bottom-half spenders) as proof nothing’s broken. 2027 games are at risk.

On the hardwood, the Golden State Valkyries evened the WNBA Finals 2-2 Saturday by slowing the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese, whose double-doubles in Games 1-3 had been a Golden State nightmare. Both series resume tonight.

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Verse to consider whether your battles are on the court, on the field, in the office, or in the kitchen… “Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.”
Psalm 127:1 (CSB) (read full passage)

Tuesday, Israel will hold its first national election since Hamas’s October 2023 attack. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition faces opposition parties led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff. A clear winner isn’t expected, which could mean weeks of coalition-building. The IDF is locking down the West Bank on election day amid an uptick in violence.

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Two ex-FBI officials were charged Friday with lying to Congress about their involvement in investigations into Hunter Biden’s laptop. The DOJ says the officials falsely denied firsthand knowledge of the laptop investigation when questioned by House Republicans in 2023. The officials’ defense attorneys say the charges (and their timing days before the Midterms) are “transparently political.”


At least nine people died and 34 were injured in an attack at an Orthodox church in Jordan Friday. A funeral was underway when three gunmen and a driver pulled up to the church’s entrance and opened fire. Authorities are investigating the incident, which Jordanian King Abdullah II called a “terrorist attack”; he ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist.”


The First Lady’s office said she “single-handedly brokered” a humanitarian ceasefire on Ukraine’s front lines. Beginning tomorrow, the localized deal will allow evacuations and essential supply deliveries in Russian-occupied Oleshky (see maps of front lines), which Mrs. Trump says “urgently” needs healthcare, food, and water. Pope Leo XIV reportedly lent a hand from the hospital, calling Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy to ask for the truce.


New York City is saying neigh to horse-drawn carriages. Following the death of an 18-year-old who jumped from a runaway carriage in June, the Big Apple’s City Council voted 40-7 Thursday to ban the 170-year-old touristy transportation by 2028. Supporters of the ban called the industry a “serious… safety risk,” while critics, including President Trump, called it “a quintessential New York experience.”

Tell me your degree without telling me your degree…

What My Wife is Smuggling
Raspberry LMNT*

My wife, Hannah, likes to swing by the TPO office with the girls. Well… sorta.

They’re both under 3 and they actually just stay in the car while Hannah texts me to “bring a box of Raspberry LMNT out.”

I’m not at all suggesting she’s addicted to Raspberry LMNT, but it does feel a little bit like it… she’s just gotta have that healthy hydration (a science-backed ratio of sodium, magnesium, and potassium).

And now, LMNT has caffeinated Lemonade Iced Tea to try! When you buy through this link, you’ll get a free 8-pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavors. Happy hydrating!

Jason Woodruff | Founder

How We’re Getting The Simple Internet Back
With Surfshark*

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