#ourCOG Daily Brief [October 7, 2025]

Good evening, and welcome to #ourCOG Daily Brief for October 7, 2025.

Today, in U.S. news, President Trump is reportedly showing increased patience with Gaza diplomacy, eyeing a potential peace prize and a chance at elusive Mideast peace. Domestically, the Supreme Court is set to tackle significant cases involving free speech and LGBTQ+ rights, including issues around transgender athletes and conversion therapy. Meanwhile, President Trump is escalating pressure on judges as he deploys more National Guard troops in Democratic cities, fueling a battle over immigration crackdowns that tests the balance of powers. Republicans are also challenging Democrats over budget negotiations, claiming they’re holding out for health care provisions for unauthorized immigrants, with facts now emerging on the matter. On a more inspiring note, the legacy of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen is taking flight again, with a new generation of students at Tuskegee University poised to uphold their predecessors’ high standards. Globally, in Gaza and the West Bank, distrust of the U.S. and Israel runs deep, leaving many Palestinians cool to Trump’s peace plan. In South Korea, a Seoul soup kitchen named Thomas House is serving up kimchi and community, actively combating the nation’s growing loneliness crisis among its aging population. And in Israel, two years after the devastating massacre, Monitor correspondent Dina Kraft reflects on a country grappling with fatigue, lingering anger, doubts, and internal dissent, yet still holding onto a glimmer of hope.

On our video channels today, we invite you to find inspiration with “God Calls You to a Peaceful Life,” a devotional from Jamaica. We also feature a special “Chapel” message delivered by Paul Conn, recorded today, October 7, 2025. And for parents, we offer valuable insights in “Feeling Angry at Your Kids? Here’s What the Bible Says.”

In faith news from our RSS feed, we’re reporting on the dedication of an International Offices Prayer Center and celebrations as Upward Sports marks 30 years of impactful ministry through sports. Additionally, a new group has launched an AI assistant specifically designed for women’s health centers, and Cook has cast an inaugural vision for Lee University.

Turning to prophecy news, President Trump is making headlines for directing the country back to an intentional life of prayer, a stance not seen in decades, with a declaration made earlier this year. In political developments, it’s reported that President Trump is leveraging the government shutdown to implement firings and political punishments, planning “temporary or permanent” spending cuts. Closer to home, the Democrat nominee for Attorney General in Virginia is facing scrutiny over disturbing text messages containing violent fantasies directed at a Republican colleague. On the international front, a significant update: Hamas has reportedly agreed to release all Israeli hostages under the terms of President Trump’s Gaza proposal, indicating a readiness to enter mediated negotiations on other conditions.

And finally, looking back at this day in Jewish history, October 8th marks several significant events. In 314, Constantine the First, who would later transform the Roman Empire into an anti-Semitic entity, defeated his rival Licinius. Fast forward to 705, and we note the end of the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik’s reign, a period during which a self-proclaimed Jewish prophet named Abi Isa was active in Persia. Then, in 1075, Dmitar Zvonimir was crowned King of Croatia, a kingdom where Roman Catholicism was dominant, yet still home to Jewish subjects, some with ancient roots or ties to the legendary Khazars.