#ourCOG Daily Brief [December 23, 2025]

Good evening, and welcome to #ourCOG Daily Brief for December 23, 2025.

In today’s top stories, U.S. news sees President Trump escalating the Venezuela standoff with a ‘blockade’ against tankers, signaling efforts to pressure the Maduro regime beyond just narcotics trade. Looking ahead to 2028, Turning Point USA has endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president, though President Trump’s occasional musings about a third term are complicating the Republican field. Domestically, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has finally earned federal recognition after decades, a move that will open more government benefits for its over 55,000 members and fulfills a Trump campaign promise. On the security front, a foiled New Year’s Eve terror plot in Los Angeles highlights a “mishmash” of beliefs that can fuel violence, rather than a single pure ideology. Meanwhile, some lawful permanent residents are seeing their naturalization ceremonies canceled in cities like Boston, as the Trump administration reviews applicants from 19 countries deemed high-security risks. Around the globe, Ukrainians express discouragement over persistent corruption, yet find encouragement in their country’s anti-corruption apparatus proving strong enough to pursue even the powerful. Near Ukraine’s front line in Kramatorsk, an “Aquarium of Amazing Fishes” is offering a much-needed refuge for both children and soldiers to dream beyond the ongoing conflict. And in Senegal, women are picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives after their husbands have left for Europe, or tragically died trying.

Moving on to our latest video updates, we’ve recently featured “Confess, Believe, Be Saved This Prayer Works #shorts #Jesus #amen,” along with “A King Size Bed,” and the intriguing discovery of “Amazing Tablets Discovered at Ezekiel’s Tomb” by Perry Stone.

From the FaithNews RSS feed, we’re seeing several notable items: “Smith Honored with Spirit of Azusa Award,” a look at “More Americans Embrace ‘Animal Gifting’ This Christmas,” news that a “Foundation Announces Partnership to Support Military Families in Need,” and “Church of God Publications Releases 75th Anniversary Edition “Red Back Hymnal.””

In prophecy news, a significant development on December 23rd reveals that Georgia election officials have finally admitted 315,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election lacked necessary poll worker signatures and should not have been counted, vindicating those once labeled “conspiracy theorists” and highlighting President Trump’s unjust indictment for alleging such violations. This comes as US special envoy Steve Witkoff called Ukraine talks in Miami “productive,” with President Trump pushing for a quick resolution to the nearly four-year conflict, though Russia remains firm on retaining seized Ukrainian land. Earlier this week, on December 21st, controversy surfaced with “Antifa Handbook” author Mark Bray scheduled to teach seminars on “Communism” and “Fascism and Nazism” at Rutgers University, while Democrats reportedly fear releasing the autopsy of their botched 2024 elections. And finally, a reflective piece from December 20th reminds us that despite our perceptions, ultimately “God Is in Control.”

Finally, turning to this day in Jewish history, looking back at December 24th, we note the birth of Servus Sulpicius Galba in 3 BCE, one of the emperors who briefly ruled Rome during the Jewish Revolt that ultimately led to the destruction of the Second Temple. Fast forward to 1166, when King John of England was born. He succeeded his brother, Richard the Lionheart, in 1199 and became such a notoriously rapacious monarch that English nobles forced him to sign the Magna Carta, thereby limiting the power of the king. King John’s dealings with the Jewish community, as recorded, were notably uneven, often requiring special provisions due to their unique status outside the feudal system of the Middle Ages.

That concludes our #ourCOG Daily Brief for December 23, 2025. Thank you for joining us.