#ourCOG Daily Brief [July 18, 2026]

Good evening, and welcome to #ourCOG Daily Brief for July 18, 2026.

In today’s top stories, spontaneous group singing has become a unifying force at U.S. World Cup matches, while a 1976 bicentennial class reflects on a deeply divided, yet hopeful, America. The U.S.-Iran conflict has flared into a renewed but limited war, with a public showing little appetite for escalation, even as the DHS faces scrutiny for quickly defending officials in fatal immigration enforcement shootings. On Capitol Hill, Todd Blanche’s nomination for U.S. Attorney General remains uncertain after a challenging confirmation hearing. Around the globe, political winds in Britain are shifting towards rejoining the European Union ten years after Brexit, and Sunday’s World Cup final promises a generational showdown between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal. Meanwhile, Ukrainians have taken to the streets to protest the surprise ouster of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Turning to our video section, we’ve recently featured “Holding the Line for the Next Generation,” “Never Give Up Ground You Shed Blood For | Pastor Jason Garner,” and a “Celebration of the Life of Terence Ndishangong Mbibe.”

From our FaithNews RSS feed, we’ve learned that an International Educators Lunch is set for the General Assembly, AFFIRM Films’ ‘A Music City Story’ has begun production in Nashville, ChristianPremaritalCounseling.com has launched nationwide, and the full Agenda for the General Assembly has been released.

In prophecy news, a major 7.3 earthquake struck offshore Chiapas, Mexico, on July 17th, with fortunately no significant tsunami threat. Israel is actively preparing for the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ baptism in 2030, expecting millions of Christian pilgrims. Meanwhile, the U.S. has continued its sixth consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, amidst escalating threats of an “infrastructure for infrastructure” war. And in Britain, police have confirmed that the murder of former minister Ann Widdecombe was a targeted attack, with terrorism links suspected.

Finally, in Jewish history, looking back at this day, July 18th: In 64 CE, the Great Fire of Rome began, with Emperor Nero famously blaming the nascent Christian sect rather than the Jews, possibly seeing Christianity’s worship of a human-form divinity as a direct threat to his own perceived god-like status. Later, in 392 CE, Emperors Valentinian II, Theodosius I, and Arcadius issued an edict calling for the exile of anyone disturbing the Catholic faith. It’s important to note this was aimed at dissenting Christians, rather than Jews, highlighting the “second class” status faced by non-Catholics at the time.