A capital punishment went awry in Tennessee last week. Christa Pike, who was convicted of murder in 1995 and sentenced to death, was given two doses of a drug intended to be lethal but was transported to the hospital after losing consciousness but remaining alive. Pike was to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee suspended the one remaining execution scheduled for this year, pending a third-party review of the state’s procedure.

The White House has banned reporters from CNN, MS Now, and Politico from accessing White House grounds or participating in White House press events. In response, the White House TV pool, which is composed of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC is boycotting coverage of the White House and the president during the ban. The three banned outlets have filed a lawsuit seeking to be reinstated on First Amendment grounds. President Trump responded that it was not a restriction of a free press but rather a crackdown on fake news.

The U.S., Greenland, and Denmark have a deal, but it is not the long-discussed U.S. acquisition of Greenland. Instead, the three countries signed a deal to afford the U.S. expanded military presence in the country and reaffirm Greenland’s status as a self-determined territory of Denmark. Perhaps most significant is the agreement that no non-NATO military base will be permitted in Greenland. The leaders of the three countries signed the deal during meetings at the United Nations, and Denmark and Greenland will need to ratify it before it can take effect.

Election Day is less than seven weeks away, and Republicans held a “Midterm Convention” in Dallas last week to make their pitch to voters. President Donald Trump headlined the event, and party leaders hope it will help buck the historical trend of midterms cutting against the party in power. Democrats, on the other hand, hope to take control of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, as well as build momentum for the presidential election in 2028.

What will exist or be more fruitful in 100 years because of what you do today? If this is a difficult concept for you to grasp, start by thinking about the blessings you enjoy that exist because of those who lived a century ago. What does their forethought inspire in you? How can you emulate that today in a way that will be similarly reflected on long after your time on Earth has passed?

Former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell had his electronic devices seized and his home searched by federal agents over the weekend as part of an ongoing investigation of alleged sexual assault. The former Congressman resigned from Congress in April of this year after allegations intensified, and he ended a once-promising bid to be the next Governor of California. Federal authorities must now decide whether to bring charges against Swalwell.

How are you stewarding that which God has entrusted to you? What is your family’s debt-to-GDP, per se? Since we know our hearts follow our treasure, what does your spending allocation say about your heart’s condition?

Canada is the second largest trading partner for the U.S., making up approximately 13% of U.S. trade, and the U.S. is by far the largest trading partner for Canada, accounting for approximately 76% of all Canadian trade. The sheer size of this economic activity is likely to mean consumers feel the price pressure of these tariffs sooner and more significantly than has been the case for recent trade negotiations.

As we pray for the troops and their families, let us live in the light of John 15:12-13: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A decision to serve and be subject to a deployment like this one is a decision to put another’s life ahead of your own. It is an act of great love, and it is one way to emulate the love of Jesus. As we lift up in prayer those who are serving, let us also look for ways that we too can model the sacrificial love of Jesus!

Peace is often elusive, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the Middle East, where it is often difficult to tell the difference between open hostilities and a “ceasefire.” Even so, the current talks between the U.S. and Iran present the most recent opportunity to secure an end to the fighting.

After a lengthy and contentious debate, Congress has approved $69.5 billion to fund operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) through the end of the current presidential term. The bill was considered through a process known as budget reconciliation, which allows for simple majority approval in the U.S. Senate rather than requiring 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles.

The U.S.-Iran war is both escalating and potentially deescalating. On the one hand, U.S. President Donald Trump says that negotiations toward a permanent peace deal are “proceeding nicely.” On the other hand, the U.S. this week launched a new wave of what it called “self-defense” strikes against Iran.