Immigration Crackdown
In the push to apprehend individuals who entered or have remained in the country illegally, ICE has arrested nearly 300,000 year to date, as of this writing in late 2025. Roughly 81,000 of those detained have been convicted of crimes including murder, rape, human trafficking and a multitude of drug and gang related charges. It is estimated that a further 1.6 million individuals have self-deported rather than risk being apprehended. Irregular border crossings have plummeted to near zero. While many cities have seen violent protests against federal agents, the administration continues to pursue its goals undeterred. The Department of Homeland Security issues regular press releases on their website detailing the results of their operations, highlighting many of the worst offenders that have been captured and deported. It would be hard to argue that is not a good thing despite some of the vocal opposition. It is also proof that serious enforcement is a credible deterrent to those seeking to enter the country illegally.
Budgie Smuggler
As an American citizen was returning to the country from Tijuana, Customs agents noticed a large bulge in the man’s trousers. Upon being questioned, the man insisted he was just a very manly man, so to speak. Unconvinced, the agents decided to search him. What they found was not one but two parakeets of an endangered species, each sedated and stuffed into a brown paper bag. The man is facing charges that carry a hefty fine and potentially long sentence. The parakeets have made a full recovery. (Note: budgie smuggler is an Australian slang expression for a man in a Speedo, a budgerigar being the common indigenous species of parakeet.)
EU on Edge
Potential threats and aggressive actions by Russia has much of the EU in a tizzy. Poland has been particularly concerned. In recent months they closed their border with Russian ally Belarus during their joint military training exercise “Zapad.” It was conducted close to the border and actually simulates taking key geographical areas crucial to an advance into Europe. Drones have also been an issue. A major incursion of Russian drones over Poland was downed by NATO back in September. Since then, major airports and military bases have reported sightings, including in Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Germany. They have caused consternation as well as flight delays and cancellations. Russian jets and ships have also probed territorial waters and airspace, including one offshore Hawaii. Much of this is thought to be probing general readiness and response. The realities of the conflict in Ukraine has Europe contemplating the feasibility of a “drone wall” to defend their airspace in the event of an escalation. Should the conflict be settled shortly, the repercussions of European rearmament and the determination not to be reliant on the US will remain.
Penny For Your Thoughts
No more. The United States has announced the end of penny production. Each cent currently costs over $0.035 to manufacture. Still, what are the ramifications? Some retailers have offered incentives to those who would turn in their unused jar-fulls. Others are grappling with the new reality and the expected supply crunch. Options include various charitable endeavors offering incentive to incrementally increase the total purchase price or straight up rounding. It is definitely an added pressure on the cash market.
Polio
Polio was detected in sewage from the German city of Hamburg. It was the “wild” variant, typically only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reports about the incident conclude that the wild variant is the least commonly detected; typically found is the more virulent type used for inoculation, for which some countries utilize live cultures. Think about that.
Going Nuclear
The ultimate deterrent. China has embarked on a plan to have 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by the end of the decade. Comparatively, the US and Russia each possess over 5,000 and both have ramped up their rhetoric in recent months, from outright threats to demonstrations of capability. The UK is hoping to add a squadron of F-35A fighters to its forces that would be capable of delivering nuclear warheads. Currently, their warheads can only be launched by submarine and have suffered some embarrassing failures during demonstrations in recent years. Even South Korea and Japan have considered developing their own nuclear weapons or hosting those of the United States amidst tension with their similarly armed neighbors, China and North Korea.
Publisher’s Clearing Ouch
The big check wasn’t the only surprise past winners got. Publisher’s Clearing House declared bankruptcy this year. That means winners prior to July 15, 2025 are technically holders of “unsecured debt” and are unlikely to be able to collect a fraction of what they expected to receive, let alone the promised thousands of dollars per week for life. To many, the default came as an utter shock. Winners have had to scramble to sell luxury items or property, some even began looking for jobs. Unfortunately, for those who believed themselves secure, there is little legal recourse. The direct mail business has suffered from a decline in interest and an increase in costs at the same time. The company has been bought, however. Prizes continue to be offered. Future recipients could benefit from obligations being placed in secure accounts to ensure payment in spite of financial difficulties.
Hidden Threat
Bombshell reports have detailed radios hidden inside of batteries and inverters in turbines and solar powered roadside equipment such as chargers for lights, cameras, and weather monitoring devices. This would enable monitoring or wide-spread shutdowns if all the affected devices received a signal to disable them at the same time. Most of these devices originate in China, who stridently denies any potential allegations. It is for this reason Chinese majors such as Huawei and ZTE have been cut out of Western cell and telecommunications infrastructure. It is also a factor in the prohibition against importing Chinese cars.
Circumcision
Studies have reported that circumcision rates have dropped below 50% in the United States. One of the potential factors cited is demographic change. However, the picture is far from complete. Most available data is obtained from hospitals and the reporting across states is not comprehensive or uniform. Excluded figures would include those who underwent the procedure as an outpatient or utilized a traditional practitioner such as a Mohel. This would include those who opted for the Biblically prescribed “eighth day” per Genesis 17:12, Leviticus 12:3, or Luke 1:59. Interestingly, this is the time when vitamin K levels naturally peak in newborns, while hospitals require an injection to perform the procedure on the day of or the day after birth. The majority of major health organizations still recommend or actively promote the practice.
Largest Orthodox Cathedral
The world’s largest Orthodox cathedral has just opened in Romania. It can accommodate a crowd of 5,000 (no free lunch though, Matthew 14) and reaches a staggering 400 feet into the sky. It took over 15 years to build. Romania is one of the world’s most devout countries with over 85% of citizens espousing faith. It cost over $300 million to build and has been a major tourist draw. Hundreds of thousands came to worship in the days following its opening in a trend that is likely to continue for years to come.
Refilling Galilee
This publication reported in the 4th Quarter 2018 that water levels at the sea of Galilee were low enough for Israel to consider pumping desalinated water from the Mediterranean to try to refill it. Those plans are about to become a reality. Despite increased restrictions on use, Galilee remains a concerning 700 feet below sea level, the same as reported in 2018. The pumping operation is the first of its kind. Israel is the world leader in desalination of sea water. Over 500,000 gallons of water could be pumped into the sea every hour, though only half that is currently being moved. Still, it is enough to support agriculture, maintain an emergency reserve, and ensure the Lord has a nice place to walk should He require it (Matthew 14, Mark 6, John 6).
Clogging the Filter
Mussels (the ever-flexed cousins of oysters and clams) have long been used as a measure of pollution in bodies of water. Why? They are filter feeders. Precisely the same reason they are not listed among animals that should be eaten in Leviticus 11. Because they filter toxins out of the water, mussels are widely used in research of this nature. Bags of them are submerged at various depths and left for a period of time before being retrieved and tested. They have been utilized recently to detect microplastics in the Mediterranean. The results show pervasive contamination, as do captures by net across the surface and examination of most aquatic species.
Christian Persecution
The Trump administration has made headlines by advocating for Christians that have been targeted in Nigeria. Critics allege that violence often occurs due to other differences, such as conflicts between herders and farmers. Yet it is undeniable that Christians have been the particular targets of kidnapping for ransom schemes all too common in Northern Nigeria. At this writing, over 300 Catholic students have been taken hostage from a single school. 50 managed to escape but the fate of the rest hangs in the balance. The US has offered to cooperate with local authorities, even to the point of military intervention, to eliminate what has become a major source of revenue for Islamist militant groups such as Boko Haram. Kidnapping is so common that it is technically illegal to pay ransom for the return of a loved one in Nigeria.
“Culture”
But think in terms of bio-engineering. One result is essentially milk without cows. Bovine mammary cell samples are grown and induced to lactate in a lab setting. The product is actually set to hit select store shelves in the near future, similar to the “Impossible Whopper” of recent years. Far more disturbing is the application to the emerging field of bio-computing. Human stem cells are harvested from skin samples. These are used to produce neurons, like those that function in the human brain. Arranged into arrays, these cells can react to signals that can be interpreted into usable data by algorithms. You can actually pay to have these masses attempt to process your tasks at a research facility in Switzerland. The benefit is in the potential for speed and reduced energy consumption. It is possible that bio-computing could rival the speed and capability of both quantum computing and AI while consuming a fraction of the resources. Of course, ethical questions around its use remain.
Doomscrolling
The cynical phrase has taken on a more literal meaning. Excessive amounts of information being fed through various online platforms seem to be having a profound effect on how our minds operate. Of growing concern is the mental fatigue known as “Popcorn Brain.” It’s a byproduct of the tremendous amount of time spent on screens watching short videos, clicking ads, scrolling through images, checking emails, etc., and is characterized by scattered thoughts, fatigue, increased stress, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and anxiety. According to one study, the average adult attention span is now only around 8 seconds, a decrease of 4 seconds since 2008. Research suggests that by setting time limits on devices, disabling mobile notifications, and taking breaks from social media we can retrain our brains to calm down and operate at the speed of life… and that’s fast enough!
