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The U.S.-Iran ceasefire was tested Monday as the two sides traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz. 

The waters got choppy after the U.S. launched “Project Freedom”—a mission to guide stranded commercial ships through the blocked oil-artery. Two American-flagged ships made it through, but Iran fired missiles and drones at U.S. warships in the process, prompting Uncle Sam to reportedly sink six Iranian speedboats. 

Washington isn’t calling it a ceasefire violation, though. Secretary Hegseth insisted the skirmishes are part of a “separate and distinct” operation.

Iran also struck both a key U.A.E. oil facility—to which the Gulf nation warned it may respond—and a South Korean cargo vessel, which Trump hopes will nudge Seoul to “join the mission.”

Along with tensions, gas also rose $0.30 since last week to a $4.48 national average.

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PRAY WITH US
As hints of conflict make peace feel fragile, we know God’s desires for shalom haven’t changed. We call upon the Prince of Peace to maintain peace where it is threatened and create it where it is absent. Let’s pray: 

“Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: Kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all people the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Book of Common Prayer, Page 654

A rare hantavirus outbreak at sea has killed three and sickened four others. 

Oceanwide Expeditions vessel MV Hondius departed Argentina last month to voyage across the Atlantic. Saturday, the WHO was made aware of seven passengers with suspected hantavirus—a severe respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents. Two cases have been laboratory-confirmed.

One passenger has recovered; another is in intensive care ashore. Two symptomatic crew members remain on board. While they await evacuation, the ship (and its ~150 passengers) is anchored off the coast of West Africa’s Cape Verde, prohibited from docking.

Hantavirus is relatively uncommon and rarely transmitted human-to-human. However, the South American Andes strain is known to have limited human-to-human transmission, a possibility the WHO is assuming “as a precaution” while maintaining that the “risk to the general public is low.”

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
As believers, we pray for the families of those who died, for all on board awaiting evacuation, and for public health officials working to contain the outbreak. And ultimately, we remember the LORD’s promise to be with his people in troubling and uncertain times all the way into eternity. 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” 
Isaiah 41:10 (CSB) (read full passage)

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The 110th Pulitzer Prize winners were announced Monday.

Pulitzer Prizes—the highest honor in journalism, established by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer in 1917—were awarded in 25 categories, including reporting, photography, books, and music. Awards went to: 

Awards for works with higher word count (aka books) included Daniel Kraus’s Angel Down (fiction) and Jill Lepore’s We the People (history). See all Pulitzer picks here.

(We’re also covering this story tomorrow in Decaf, The Pour Over for Families. Sign up—for free—here to get biblical reflection, action steps, and extra whipped cream.)

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Verse to consider whether your day-to-day work is being judged by prize boards or only seen by you… “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (CSB) (read full passage)

Life imitated art at Monday’s Met Gala. The fundraiser/celebrity fashion show raised a record $42M for the museum’s Costume Institute, with attendees—including Madonna, Rihanna, and (for the first time in a decade) Beyoncé—donning painting-and-sculpture-inspired threads for this year’s theme, “Fashion is Art.” Some, however, considered former Amazon head Jeff Bezos’s $10M gala sponsorship a faux pas, sparking protests.

Shots rang out near the Washington Monument Monday. Secret Service officers shot and wounded an armed man after he opened fire on agents, briefly locking down the White House. A 15-year-old bystander was grazed by the suspect’s gunfire and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The incident came minutes after Vice President Vance’s motorcade passed by, but officials haven’t found a connection.

GameStop made a bid for eBay… but the math’s not mathing. Sunday, the video game retailer (worth $12B) made an unsolicited $56B offer to acquire eBay. They reportedly have a $20B commitment from TD Securities, but GameStop’s CEO was vague in explaining to CNBC where remaining funds would come from. Markets responded by boosting eBay’s stock 5%; GameStop’s fell 10%.

It Ends with… a settlement: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni ended their ~two-year legal dispute Monday. The he-said/she-said controversy following their 2024 film It Ends with Us—involving sexual harassment allegations, social media smear campaigns, and dueling defamation suits—concluded with a joint statement sans settlement details. The deal comes two weeks before their highly anticipated May 18 trial.

SCOTUS flipped the script on mail-in abortion prescriptions. On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Alito temporarily blocked a federal court’s decision to make abortion medication mifepristone available only by in-person appointment, restoring nationwide access to the pill via telemedicine while litigation continues. The order was issued after mifepristone manufacturers argued the lower court ruling caused “immediate confusion” for patients and practitioners.

This gadget is quite a-peel-ing…

What We’re Subscribing To
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What's going on in the Middle East can seem far away and distant. But there’s something I can do right now for Christians caught up in the conflict: pray. With this newsletter, I hear specific prayer needs of persecuted believers facing hardships I could never imagine.

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