#ourCOG Daily Brief [January 4, 2026]

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

In today’s top stories, President Trump has declared that the U.S. will now “run” Venezuela, following the ouster and capture of Nicolás Maduro, who is set to face “narco-terrorism” charges in New York, raising significant legal and geopolitical questions across the Western Hemisphere. Closer to home, New York City celebrates the mayorship of Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, a poignant moment for a community that faced intense surveillance post-9/11. Our White House correspondent also reflects on a tumultuous year covering “Trump 2.0,” highlighting the President’s determination to flex power and reshape the federal bureaucracy. Additionally, President Trump claims a Ukraine-Russia peace deal is “closer than ever” after talks with President Zelenskyy, even as Russia continues its attacks. Internationally, despite vulnerable defenses, Israeli and Iranian officials continue their bellicose rhetoric, possibly to deflect internal dissent. Meanwhile, China showcased its innovation prowess in 2025, navigating U.S. sanctions and economic shifts, though concerns linger about some workers being left behind.

In our video offerings today, viewers can catch the “Sunday Service” live streams, held at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM EST from citylife church. We also have the “Dallas Church of God Livestream” and the “Princeton Church Live Stream” for January 4th, 2026.

We checked the FaithNews RSS feed, and it appears no recent faith-based news has been found for today.

Turning to prophecy news, the big story is President Trump sharing a photo on Truth Social purportedly showing Venezuela’s captured President Nicolás Maduro aboard a U.S. warship, with his eyes covered. This follows the January 3rd announcement by President Trump of “large scale” U.S. military strikes on Venezuela, stating Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country,” a move that has drawn global condemnation. Earlier in the week, Iran saw six people killed in protests on January 2nd, with demonstrations entering their fourth consecutive day on January 1st due to a deteriorating economy, leading to clashes with security forces and an attack on a provincial governor’s office in Fasa.

Finally, in Jewish history, looking back at January 5th: in 1209, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, was born to King John of England, later intervening for Abraham of Berkhampstead. In 1355, Charles I of Bohemia was crowned, later becoming Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who, despite issuing letters attempting to protect his Jewish subjects, saw their persecution continue at the hands of his Christian populace in Germany. The year 1425 saw events unfolding in Valladolid, Spain with John II.