#ourCOG Daily Brief [January 2, 2026]

Good evening, and welcome to #ourCOG Daily Brief for January 2, 2026.

For our U.S. news today, President Donald Trump announced that peace between Ukraine and Russia is “closer than ever” following his talks with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, even as Russia simultaneously launched new attacks on Ukraine. In world news, tensions remain high in the Middle East, with officials in Israel and Iran engaging in bellicose rhetoric about war, despite both nations’ defenses still being vulnerable after last June’s conflict. Analysts suggest this strong language might also serve to deflect internal dissent. Meanwhile, China demonstrated significant innovation prowess throughout 2025, showing optimism and resilience despite U.S. sanctions and economic slowdowns, though questions arise about whether all workers are benefiting equally from this progress.

For our video segment today, we’re highlighting some recent insightful content: “Abraham’s Promise Is Actually FOR YOU #faith #christianity #shorts,” “What’s Killing You Is now Killing Me! | Episode 1317 | Perry Stone,” and “Fasting to Unburden Your Soul | Jentezen Franklin.”

Moving on to faith-based news, we found no recent updates available from our FaithNews RSS feed today.

In prophecy news, the past week has seen significant developments. Just yesterday, January 2nd, six people were reported killed in connection with protests in Iran that began last week, while Republican lawmakers in Minnesota called for Governor Walz’s resignation amid a massive fraud problem. These Iranian protests, stemming from a deteriorating economy and living standards, continued for a fourth consecutive day on January 1st, leading to clashes with security forces and attacks on government offices in some cities. Looking back to December 31st, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed hope for peace in Ukraine within weeks, suggesting events have occurred that provide grounds for a quick end to the conflict. And on December 30th, we saw left-wing groups reacting strongly to an online post declaring Christmas is about Christ.

Finally, let’s turn to Jewish history. On January 3rd, 106 BCE, Marcus Tullius, the Roman statesman and orator, was born. He’s notably remembered from a Jewish perspective as an anti-Semitic intellectual, having denounced Judaism as a “barbarous superstition” and decrying Jewish influence in Rome. Moving forward to 1322, the entry notes the reign of King Phillip V, also known as Phillip the Long or Phillip the Tall, during which an event involving “300,000 men, headed by a deposed” individual or group is recorded.