#ourCOG Daily Brief [October 18, 2025]

Good evening, and welcome to #ourCOG Daily Brief for October 18, 2025.

In today’s top stories, Bolivia’s recent runoff election saw the Indigenous party, founded by the country’s first Indigenous leader, fail to make the ballot for the first time since 2005. This shift, however, is being seen as a reflection of how far Indigenous rights have come in the past two decades. Meanwhile, France’s new government has successfully navigated two parliamentary votes of no confidence, though the battle for approval of next year’s budget has only just begun. And in Gaza, Hamas is reportedly reasserting its control on the streets, launching a violent crackdown on rival militias and gangs after two years largely underground.

Our latest video offerings include thought-provoking messages such as ‘The Power of a Sound’ based on Acts 2:1-4 by Bishop Jason Ganer, insights into ‘A Breakthrough Church’, and an encouraging call titled ‘God Is Calling You to Speak LIFE Into the Next Generation!’

From our FaithNews RSS feed, we’re following developments including the ‘Ministry to Israel ‘Lone Soldier Program’ Looking to Welcome One of the Hostages’, a ‘New Book Examines Generational Shift in Leadership and Discipleship’, news that ‘VPN.com Honors TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk’, and details from the ‘Intercultural Ministries Hosts ‘Seat at the Table’ Conference’.

In prophecy news, recent updates highlight concerns about New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, whose attempts to rebrand himself as a ‘friend of the Jewish people’ are being scrutinized against a record of defending Hamas and amplifying antisemitic propaganda. We’re also following reports that President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. Experts continue to examine the Israel-Hamas conflict for prophetic implications, noting that while a peace deal is in place, it does not fulfill the seven-year covenant of Daniel 9:27. Additionally, a deepening scandal in Virginia and voter frustration in New Jersey are making high-profile state races surprisingly competitive in their final weeks.

And finally, in Jewish history, looking back to October 19th, we remember Pope Urban III, who passed away in 1187. Urban was a key supporter of the Crusades, a period that brought immense suffering to Jewish communities, even as he struggled with Emperor Frederick I, who famously issued ‘The Confirmation of Rights of the Jews of Regensburg,’ aiming to protect Jewish customs, persons, and property. Moving to 1216, King John of England died, succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry. King John, known for his lack of judgment and constant need for funds, often turned to the Jewish community to fill his coffers, as they lacked the same leverage his barons held.