#ourCOG Daily Brief [April 4, 2026]

Good evening, and welcome to #ourCOG Daily Brief for April 4, 2026.

In the U.S. today, significant news includes the growing excitement and dread in rural Virginia as a redistricting referendum could potentially allow Democrats to counteract Republican gains made elsewhere. Amidst the ongoing Iran war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s purge of Army leadership, including Gen. Randy George, is raising questions about the politicization of our military. President Donald Trump continues to make his mark on history, rapidly erecting new structures and branding them with his name, a style critics liken to a strongman but others see as legacy-building. Interestingly, while Trump has shunned solar power, some of his prominent supporters are advocating for a ‘MAGA-fication’ of green energy. And fresh off recent file releases, Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico is now the focus of two investigations aiming to uncover what happened there. On the international front, China, a leader in renewables, appears well-prepared for a global fuel crisis, with the conflict potentially boosting its new energy sector. Three months after the U.S. military captured its authoritarian leader, Venezuela is seeing some change, though meaningful shifts are expected to unfold slowly. Lastly, fears are growing about an ‘age of impunity’ as the Iran war delivers fresh blows to international law, rules of war, and civilian protections.

Turning to our video section, you can catch up on our ‘Sunday Morning Service,’ delve into spiritual insights with ‘Is Your Life Feeling a Little Chaotic? | The Law Fulfilled (Sermon on the Mount Part 4),’ and reflect on ‘The Way: His Journey to Save US | Resurrection Matinee.’

From our FaithNews RSS feed, we learned of the passing of Robert White, our former General Overseer. A Church Planting Intensive is currently in session, and the ‘Jesus Wells’ campaign is focusing its efforts on the world’s thirstiest communities. Finally, we congratulate a ministry that won ‘Best Children’s Feature’ at the recent Movieguide® Awards.

In our latest prophecy news, the Kremlin has downplayed President Trump’s threat of leaving NATO, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stating that an EU military alliance would be ‘worse than NATO’ and ‘extremely hostile,’ preferring an American-led NATO. Shifting gears dramatically, scientists at Australian National University have reported a landmark physics first, observing atoms existing in two separate places at the same time. Closer to natural events, a tsunami warning was issued after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia, with dangerous waves possible across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. And perhaps most unconventionally, the Bank of England has reportedly been warned to prepare for aliens due to an imminent U.S. ‘disclosure.’

And finally, let’s turn to ‘This Day in Jewish History,’ where Mitchell A and Deb Levin Z”L remind us that April 5th holds several significant moments. In 855, the Battle of Tawahin took place at the banks of the Auja River, now part of Israel. On this day in 1291, Muslim forces began the siege of Acre, which today, known as Akko, is back under the control of the people of Israel. We also remember Eleanor of Aragon-Gandia being crowned Queen of Jerusalem in 1360. And sadly, April 5th also marks the passing in 1419 of Vincent Ferrer, a Dominican Friar notorious for using dubious means to force Jewish conversions and for sowing seeds of antisemitism in Spain.