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The internet had a costly hiccup Monday. 

An Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage around 3 a.m. knocked out a good chunk of the web, including Amazon, Snapchat, Venmo, Roblox, and even Delta’s and United’s airline reservation systems. AWS powers roughly one-third of the internet, making it the world’s largest cloud provider, followed by Microsoft and Google. 

The glitch, traced to AWS’s Domain Name System (DNS) in its northern Virginia data center, left at least 2,500 companies offline and is estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars globally. The disruption took most of the day to fully resolve.

Amazon says no cyberattack was involved, just an internal network-monitoring misfire. Experts say the outage underscores how reliant the internet has become on a few giants—when one cloud sneezes, much of the web catches a cold.

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Verse to consider when outages leave you frustrated… “A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness.”
Proverbs 14:29 (CSB) (read full passage)

President Trump’s National Guard deployment in Portland is off again on again.

Last month, the commander in chief deployed National Guardsmen to Portland amid protests at an ICE facility downtown. A Trump-appointed judge temporarily blocked the deployment, saying the “generally peaceful” protests could be handled by “regular law enforcement,” but on Monday, an appellate court overturned that temporary restraining order.

The 2-1 majority, both Trump appointees, said the President’s orders were justified because protests created an “inability” to enforce immigration law; the dissenting judge, a Clinton appointee, said the deployment is “not merely absurd” but dangerous. More appeals are expected.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to review a case on whether drug users can possess guns (currently illegal). A lower court ruled that they can, unless they are under the influence—meaning past drug use doesn’t negate someone’s Second Amendment rights.

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PRAY WITH US
It’s profoundly good news that justice is ultimately in God’s hands, because He sees all, doesn’t play favorites, and always gets justice just right. Commit justice into God’s hands:

Give President Trump, local officials, and judges wisdom and humility to pursue the common good. Strengthen officers to walk in righteousness and courage, and make the courts impartial and discerning as they respond to legal challenges. Embolden me to protect the rights of my vulnerable neighbors, and position your people as beacons of peace and hope amid political turmoil.
(see Psalm 106:3; Proverbs 31:8-9; Matthew 5:14-16; Titus 3:1-7)

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U.S. leaders are huddling in Israel to stabilize Gaza’s tottering truce.

On Sunday, Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza on Israel’s side of the ceasefire line; Israel responded with strikes across Gaza, killing dozens. Calm was restored by Monday, and Uncle Sam dispatched VP JD Vance alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and White House Advisor Jared Kushner (the peace plan’s architects) to shore up the ceasefire and push Israeli PM Netanyahu to start long-term peace negotiations.

Vance says Hamas is now 40 decentralized “cells,” and the truce will involve “fits and starts.” Hamas’s delegation in Egypt is reportedly in talks “to unify the Palestinian factions.”

President Trump warned that Hamas will be “eradicated” if they don’t “behave”; Israel and Hamas reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire.

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RADIATE HOPE
War is a heavy burden that highlights our world’s need for restoration. Jesus came to bear that burden of sin, lighten our load, and restore our world. Pray that the Middle East would experience His restoration and glorify the Messiah Jesus. 

“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)

America’s heading Down Under for rare earth minerals. The U.S. and Australia announced a “framework” for an $8.5B critical minerals deal Monday, aimed at countering China’s corner on the rare-earth market—it currently controls 70% of rare earths and 90% of their processing. Rare earth minerals are found in products from computer chips to cars.

Uncle Sam’s donning his hard hat and safety goggles. Construction crews began tearing down the East Wing of the White House on Monday (see demo photos) to make room for President Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, inspired by his gold-trimmed Mar-a-Lago venue. The privately funded addition, estimated to cost $250M, replaces first lady staff offices, a theater, and a visitor’s entrance. 

It’s a big week, sports fans! The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to their first World Series since 1993, where they’ll face the defending champs, the LA Dodgers, starting Friday. Meanwhile, the NBA tipped off last night with two matchups (Rockets vs Thunder and Warriors vs Lakers), marking the league’s long-awaited return to NBC after 20+ years off the network. 

Kids are smashing more Reese’s Pumpkins thanks to a roughly 40% drop in peanut allergies in the last 10 years—a decrease credited to a 2015 trial, which found that exposing babies to peanuts early and often reduced allergy risk by >80%. Parents are now encouraged to feed their kids peanuts as early as 4 months (this baby really understood the assignment).

France is still searching for four suspects in Sunday’s broad-daylight Louvre heist. Thieves used a vehicle-mounted ladder and power tools to nab some of France’s crown jewels (see them here) in a heist that went down faster than a live performance of “Oceans” (Hillsong, not Clooney). Officials suspect the “experienced” thieves were hired by a criminal group. The Louvre reopens today.*

*We’re covering this story at a 7th-grade reading level with biblical reflection and action steps in Decaf: The Pour Over for Families. Sign up free to get it in your inbox tomorrow!

A bike ride… through a hot air balloon race.

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