269 Lent 5: Market Throes and a God who Knows
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.” ~ Psalm 126
On the Radar
You can read Frisby’s take on all the tariff talk here:
Madsplaining: The Uncertainty is Sure
You might have been too busy raising your family and earning a living to notice: Liberation Day came last week. Despite months of speculation that President Trump was bluffing, he made good on a major campaign promise, imposing import tariffs on imports from pretty much everyone. Some are steep, and the
Deportation Debacle
A US judge has ordered immigration authorities to retrieve Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a prison in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia had been living in the US illegally since 2011 and was deported on one of the recent, controversial flights to El Salvador. He applied for asylum in 2019 under threat of deportation. Though the request was denied, a judge ruled he could not be returned to El Salvador due to claims he would face danger there. Media outlets have called the deportation a violation of that ruling, portraying Abrego Garcia as a “Maryland man”. But Vice President Vance has defended the move, noting that a previous judge had found Abrego Garcia to be a “danger to society”. Abrego Garcia denies any affiliation with any gang. BREAKING: Chief Justice John Roberts has granted a request by the President, issuing a stay on the lower judge’s order to return Abrego Garcia to the US.
A thought: The machinations of governments and worldly powers may leave us feeling helpless or even contemptuous over how godless rulers believe the world should run. But He who sits in the heavens laughs, as the Psalmist tells us. We pray for wise leaders, knowing that everything is working for the good of those who love Him and long for his appearing. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
The Blitz
Crime and Punishment
Courts, Law and Policing
A long-awaited report on the Nashville Covenant School shooter has downplayed her gender confusion, according to several media outlets. The report’s authors concluded that the shooter’s disturbed journal writings didn’t qualify as a manifesto, and claimed that her motivation for the massacre was a desire for notoriety. The report noted that even though she was “fixated” on gender, race and loathed Christianity, “none of those motives impacted her decision to attack The Covenant”. (Daily Wire)
A 17 year-old boy has died in the arms of his twin brother after being stabbed in the heart. Austin Metcalf was at a Texas’ track meet when an altercation between him and another boy broke out over a designated seating space. The alleged attacker, from another school, said he acted in self-defence. (Not The Bee, NBCDFW)
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi will push for the death penalty in the case of Luigi Mangione. Mangione is charged with the murder of health insurance CEO, Brian Thompson. (WNG)
A US District judge has dismissed federal fraud and corruption charges against NewYork City mayor, Eric Adams. (WNG)
Life
Birth, Death and Marriage
Idaho’s governor, Brad Little has signed a bill which requires teachers to teach students in grades 5-12 about the growth of a baby in utero. (WNG)
Metropolis
Politics and the State
A federal judge has ruled that President Trump cannot fire probationary federal workers from particular states, after 19 states sued the administration for overriding their processes for making a “reduction in force”. (Epoch Times)
US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has delivered the longest speech to Senate, clocking in at about 25 hours and 5 minutes. The Senator was not technically filibustering, since he was not aiming to obstruct the passage of any legislation. Democrats have hailed his speech as a rallying cry for the party against the Trump administration’s policies. (Yahoo)
It would appear that attacks on Tesla are actually part of a coordinated dark money campaign to punish Elon Musk. (ZeroHedge) | Members of the Department of Government Efficiency appeared on Fox two weeks ago, in an effort allay public uncertainty about their mission to identify wasteful government spending. The team repeated their desire to update government systems to be more like an “Apple store-like experience”. (Daily Mail) | Elon Musk is expected to leave DOGE at the end of this month, adhering to a 130 day cap on his role. (The Guardian)
The Pentagon will investigate the use of Signal by intelligence officials, to determine whether personnel using the commercial messaging app “complied with Department of Defense policies and procedures.” (WNG)
Reality Bytes
Digital Technology
TikTok has been given another mulligan, with President Trump pushing back the ban which Congress agreed to last year by another 75 days. The President has expressed his desire for a “TikTokAmerica”, with 50% ownership by US companies. Amazon has placed a last minute bid, along with a number of other tech companies, but TikTok says it is not for sale. (The Guardian, 9to5Mac)
Don’t shoot the messenger! But a new study has attempted to parse potential harm of smartphones on children from the damage caused by social media and other internet apps. “Posting publicly to social media was associated with multiple harms. Children who often post to social media platforms were twice as likely as those who never or rarely post to report moderate or severe symptoms of depression.” (University of South Florida)
The Wikimedia Foundation says it’s using too much bandwidth serving requests for multimedia files on its sites. The increase in traffic is coming from web-scraping bots looking for images to feed AI training programs. Website managers have complained for some time about the “unsupportable burden” created by bot activity. (The Register)
The world is getting flatter. A new AI company says its tech can substitute the accents of Indian call center workers for US ones during a call. (TechCrunch)
Heritage
Arts, History and Sport
Netflix has tapped feminist director Greta Gerwig to make a new series based on CS Lewis’ Narnia books. Meryl Streep has reportedly been asked to voice the character of Aslan. While Streep may be a talented actress, we can’t see her voice sounding “like a mighty wind" or "deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself”. (Not the Bee)
A 17th-century sword with an executioner’s inscription: “When I raise this sword, so I wish that this poor sinner will receive eternal life.” (Modern Met)
Fragments of a 13th-century manuscript of King Arthur stories has been found in the archives at Cambridge University. The handwritten edition is from a “French-language sequel to the legend of King Arthur. The story was part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle, a medieval best seller but few now remain.” (Cambridge)
Health
Medicine and Food
Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan joined the UnHerd podcast to discuss the dangers of overdiagnosis and preemptive screening. We are “getting so good at detecting disease and we are changing these parameters between normal and abnormal to be over sensitive.” Dr O'Sullivan notes that while a dragnet style approach to public health screening saves some people, it also represents a “medicalization of ordinary aspects of our life” creating fear and psychosomatic illnesses. (UnHerd via YouTube)
Hearts and Minds
Philosophy, Hacks and Human Connection
It’s the shopping cart theory. We know there is no one good but God, but in an age of grifters and narcissists, there are some ways to sense whether someone is a nice person. It looks like love of neighbor. (Upworthy)
The Elements
The Natural World
“Tornado Emergency” warnings were issued in several midwest states as monster storms travelled across. Sixteen people have died over the weekend, with property damage reported in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. (Not The Bee, NBC)
The Bride And The Counterfeits
Religion and the Church
The evangelical church is not ready for culture’s conservative shift: “Evangelicalism has long suffered from a theology that skips straight from the Fall to the Cross to the Resurrection with little consideration of what original created nature was for. It has little capacity to speak about the created world as good in itself”. (WNG)
The US has a new Bible Belt? (Not the Bee)
A short Easter story. (Plough)
Learning
Homeschooling, Education and Classrooms
The Supreme Court has stayed the reinstatement of millions of dollars in Department of Education grants that the Trump administration flagged over concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. (Epoch Times)
Knowledge
Science and Data
The state most likely to survive an alien invasion? It’s Virginia on account of its caves and forests. Oh, and the presence of so many military men. But enquiring minds want to know: what if the aliens are math nerds or lay down a dance off comp for ownership of the planet? (Mental Floss)
War and Rumors of War
Conflict and Weaponry
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that men and women soldiers will be subject to the same fitness standard. (The Federalist)
Russia has agreed to supply weapons and training to a newly-established joint force formed by the junta leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. (Business Insider Africa)
Russia’s supreme court is considering a request to suspend a ban on the Taliban. The move would not amount to a formal recognition of Afghanistan’s government, but remove its terrorist designation. (Die Welt)
Stories From Far Away
World News
🇫🇷 Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s popular Conservative Party, along with 26 others have been found found guilty of fraud and embezzlement. The conviction will bar her from running for office for the next five years. She has vowed to fight the charges. (Le Monde, Hot Air, The Guardian)
🇰🇷 South Korea’s highest court has upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week. South Koreans are divided over the embattled president whose declaration of martial law last year lead to a stand off with law enforcement. South Korea must vote for a new president within 60 days. (NBC)
Quickhits For The Eyebuds
🎻 The conductor wore Crocs: Jacob Collier messes with the orchestra
✈️ Why this mom carries painter’s tape on flight with her little ones
🐸 The frog swapping game
🏎️ The lengths automakers will go to in order to show off their vehicles
🚍 The world’s most dangerous bus route
🧛 For a cool $13k, a London start-up will clean your blood of microplastics
🎤 The greatest two-hit wonders
🚧 Why kids love Minecraft
🦏 Rhinos are more comfortable being transported upside down
📈 Facebook Marketplace is the window to a city’s soul
Good Word: Starfall 2029
More great stuff from Rev Fisk this week. Catch up on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here.
Sweetness YouMay Have Missed:
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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