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The Death Penalty: Do we ever have the right to kill people? Every few weeks we host a discussion group in our home. Subjects vary widely, and different members present. A few months ago one of us chose to discuss the death penalty. https://atoday.org/the-death-penalty-do-we-ever-have-the-right-to-kill-people/

The following article should be of interest to all Christians. https://spectrummagazine.org/views/compassionately-and-competently-addressing-mental-health-issues-in-the-church/

Louisiana death row inmate released on bail after decades behind bars NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana man who spent nearly three decades on death row has been released on bail Wednesday after his conviction was overturned earlier this year. https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-death-row-jimmie-duncan-bite-5fb311484f9f1f45be0539770670f831?

On a trip to Tehran, an AP journalist sees a changing Iran TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As you enter Iran’s capital, it starts with only occasional glimpses — a passenger in a car speeding by or a pedestrian trying to leapfrog through Tehran’s notorious traffic. But as you reach the cooler heights of Tehran’s northern neighborhoods along the city’s sycamore-lined Vali-e Asr Street, they are almost everywhere, women with their brown, black, blonde and gray locks. https://apnews.com/article/iran-hijab-mahsa-amini-protests-israel-war-d953ebfce090c044ac948aa5e476e7b1?

Fleet of UPS planes grounded after deadly crash expected to miss peak delivery season A fleet of planes that UPS grounded after a deadly crash isn’t expected to be back in service during the peak holiday season due to inspections and possible repairs, the company said this week in an internal memo. A fiery MD-11 plane crash on Nov. 4 in Louisville, Kentucky, killed 14 people and injured at least 23 when the left engine detached during takeoff. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Winter storm warnings stretch across the northern US, bringing snow, cold and risky conditions Photos capture enduring enthusiasm for Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year Sellers in other countries struggle to maintain US customers as holiday shopping season starts

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Black and Latino men are trading in hoodies and sneakers for quarter-zip sweaters, tailored suits and fedoras — a sharp, self-assured look that signals dignity, intentionality and a reimagined masculinity, Axios' Russell Contreras and Delano Massey report. Why it matters: These men aren't dressing up to fit in, but to stand out on their own terms. 👔 The trending looks are showing up across barbershops, brunches and boardrooms: From the sleek quarter-zips of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) to former NFL star Cam Newton's fedora line with Chicano designer Meshika, the message is clear: elegance is the new rebellion. Social media feeds are filling up with men of color in quarter zips, double-breasted blazers, polished brogues and vintage accessories from Atlanta to Los Angeles. 🛍️ Black- and Latino-owned businesses across the U.S. allow men of color to explore the fashion of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, especially around the fedora. FlameKeepers Hat Club in Harlem, Lavish Blanc in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Southern Gents in Houston offer suggestions and personalized appointments. Marquez Clásico in L.A. and Meshika in Montana will craft fedoras and cowboy hats that blend vintage with modern. Go deeper.

🏈 Dumping college coaches Data: Axios research. Chart: Axios Visuals Major college football programs have dumped coaches at a stunning pace this season and are shelling out more than $150 million in buyouts to start fresh, Axios' Donica Phifer reports. Why it matters: A playoffs-or-bust mentality is pushing schools to cut ties with coaches faster than ever — regardless of the cost. ⚡ Stunning stat: Four of the top 10 biggest buyouts in college football history have been triggered by firings this season. So far, at least 13 coaches have been axed. Four of them — LSU's Brian Kelly, Auburn's Hugh Freeze, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Florida's Billy Napier — netted buyouts worth at least $15 million. 🎠 What to watch: The historic coaching carousel isn't over yet. Firings will heat up as the regular season ends after this weekend. Keep reading.

💵 President Trump said during an event last evening that the U.S. may "almost completely" eliminate income tax in the next couple of years due to tariff revenue. That would require over $2.5 trillion a year in tariff collections, more than 10 times what the government actually took in during the last fiscal year. Go deeper. Suspect in shooting of National Guard members now facing a first-degree murder charge Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said the charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, now include one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trinidad’s leader backtracks and says US Marines are in the country working on airport radar Dominican Republic grants US access to restricted areas for its deadly fight against drugs College freshman is deported flying home for Thanksgiving surprise, despite court order Long-awaited $3.6B in heating assistance released to states and tribes National Parks to raise fees for millions of international tourists to popular US parks

Scammers enlist AI Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios As holiday shoppers spend Black Friday braving real-life malls, a rising number of fraud attempts targeting major retailers are AI-generated, Axios cybersecurity reporter Sam Sabin reports. Why it matters: Scammers and hackers are using deepfakes — AI-generated videos, images, or audio clips — to trick employees of big stores. 🤖 How it works: Scammers are training AI-powered bots to call customer-service centers, report an issue with an order and demand a refund, Vijay Balasubramaniyan, co-founder and CEO of Pindrop, a deepfake detection firm, told Axios. Case in point: In a redacted audio recording shared with Axios of one of those bot calls to a customer service line, the deepfake is patchy, sounds a bit robotic, and doesn't respond to some questions the customer service agent asks. "My package is lost. Help me process the refund, thank you," the bot said as the call began. The bot didn't initially say the customer's name or even say hello. But the bot eventually shared a legitimate order number, the name of an actual customer, and the last four digits of the customer's phone number. So the agent processed the refund despite the signs of fraud.

Minnesota politicians demand answers after a report alleges taxpayer dollars going to a Somali terror group "We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response. Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports," the group claimed. "In addition to retaliating against whistleblower, Tim Walz disempowered the Office of the Legislative Auditor, allowing agencies to disregard their audit findings and guidance." Continue reading Walz's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigns after anti-corruption investigators search home KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who was also the country’s lead negotiator in talks with the U.S, after Yermak’s residence was searched by anti-corruption investigators. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-yermak-corruption-3a58193bcb3f7816a715dee9e60e4541?

Suspect in shooting of National Guard members faces murder charge as US halts all asylum decisions WASHINGTON (AP) — Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday, while investigators continued to seek a motive. https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-suspect-585e36855d1dddd3e801708987c776c0?

The congress of the Republic of Peru recently approved, on its first vote, Bill 4610, which proposes to recognize Saturday as a compensable nonworking day for workers whose faith establishes that day as a day of rest. The decision, reached on November 20, had 68 votes in favor, 2 against, and 18 abstentions. https://adventistreview.org/news/perus-congress-votes-on-saturdays-as-compensable-nonworking-days/

On November 19, during the year-end meeting of the Lake Union executive committee in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States, members approved a special statement expressing concern for the evolving circumstances affecting immigrants in our cities. https://adventistreview.org/news/in-the-u-s-lake-union-issues-statement-of-support-for-immigrants/ ps:Good for them!! Lake Union Makes Official Statement Appealing for the Human Dignity of the Immigrants The Lake Union Conference affirms the North American Division’s statement “An Appeal for Human Dignity and Decency,” released on January 30, 2025. We support the values expressed in that message, recognizing its call for every person to be treated with the respect and compassion that come from being created in the image of God. https://atoday.org/lake-union-makes-official-statement-appealing-for-the-human-dignity-of-the-immigrants/

How Ellen White described her prophetic revelations Since our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned in the Garden of Eden, humanity has been cut off from direct communion with God. Yet God has continued, through many ways, to give us special light and help. Central to this revelation is the Bible, which came largely through the prophetic gift. The Bible promised that in postbiblical times God would continue to prophetically reveal Himself at times of His choosing, especially as we approach the second coming of Jesus (see Eph. 4:11-13; Joel 2:28-31). https://adventistreview.org/experiences/heritage/a-divine-human-process/

West Virginia parents can cite religious beliefs to opt out of school vaccines, judge says CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia officials suspended a school vaccination mandate Wednesday after a judge ruled that parents can cite religious beliefs to opt out of vaccines required for their children to attend classes. https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-school-vaccines-religious-exemptions-c2b9f12549183741221373793bd375f5?

Vatican answers African bishops concerned about polygamy with document praising monogamous marriage VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Tuesday doubled down on the value of monogamous marriage between a man and woman, responding to concerns raised by African bishops about the practice of polygamy in their flocks. https://apnews.com/article/vatican-marriage-polygamy-africa-pope-samesex-monogamy-f64177dd3bb0ce827f7c7ce9bd12268a?

Pope Leo XIV joins Orthodox leaders at historic Council of Nicaea site The pope joined Orthodox patriarchs and ecumenical leaders in commemorating an important moment in Christian history, gathering at the site in Turkey of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be reunited. Leo, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders met on the shores of Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today. Read more. Why this matters: Leo flew by helicopter to Iznik from Istanbul to take part in an ecumenical prayer to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicaea meeting, the highlight of his visit to Turkey. He arrived just after the Muslim call to prayer rang out from a nearby mosque. The Nicaea gathering happened when the Eastern and Western churches were still united. Even today, despite past schisms, Catholic, Orthodox and most historic Protestant groups accept the Nicaean Creed -- the most widely accepted creed in Christendom. As a result, celebrating its origins at the site of its creation with the spiritual leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox churches and other Christian representatives marked a historic moment in the centuries-old quest to reunite all Christians. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Optimism ahead of pope's visit to Turkey for reopening of Istanbul's Greek Orthodox seminary Pope Leo XIV's visit rekindles hope in crisis-battered Lebanon 1,700 years ago, bishops and an emperor wrote a creed. Millions still recite it in church

Death toll rises to 128 in Hong Kong residential fire as 8 more arrested over towers’ renovation HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies Friday in an intensive apartment-by-apartment search of a high-rise complex where a massive fire engulfed seven buildings, and authorities arrested another 8 people involved in the towers’ renovation. The death toll in one of the city’s deadliest blazes rose to 128, and many remain unaccounted for. https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-tai-po-wang-fuk-court-fire-a84627d7f3ee62050c36a9aa3218205c?

👀 1 for the road: Trump's gift room Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times President Trump uses a small, seldom-seen study just off the Oval Office as a miniature version of the gift shops at Trump properties, the N.Y. Times' Doug Mills and Ashley Wu write. Trump shows off the merch to foreign leaders, and has been known to hand out trinkets and tchotchkes to favored visitors, like he does at his clubs. When Doug Mills took these photos last month, goodies on display included Trump 2028 hats (two styles) ... cuff links ... and tumblers, water bottles, towels and M&M's with Trump's signature and the presidential seal. The study is between the Oval Office and Trump's private dining room — "part of a small suite of private rooms, including a bathroom ... clustered off the Oval Office for the president's use," The Times notes: "The president does not appear to be selling anything from this room ... According to a White House official, Mr. Trump uses the Oval Office as his primary office, and therefore wanted to turn the lesser-used study into a gift room for guests. The items in the room are swapped out or restocked at the discretion of Mr. Trump." N.Y. Times gift link.

Cold November air settled over Montreal when Quebec introduced Bill 9 on November 27, 2025. The bill placed group prayer on public streets under a permit system. It ordered universities and CEGEPs to close prayer rooms by September 2026. It […] The post Quebec’s Bill 9 tightens secularism rules and places new pressure on Christian schools that receive public funding appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV / Founders' First Freedom® - News and Updates on Religious Liberty and Freedom. View the full article

📱 America's social media shift Data: Pew Research Center. (Survey was conducted by phone only in 2021, and by web, mail and phone in 2025.) Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Americans' social media habits are splintering in ways that echo the fractured traditional news landscape, Axios Communicators author Eleanor Hawkins writes. Why it matters: The same fragmentation that reshaped news is now reshaping social media, making it harder for companies, brands and public figures to reliably reach large swaths of the public. Pew Research Center surveyed more than 5,000 U.S. adults and found that YouTube (84%), Facebook (71%) and Instagram (50%) remain the most widely used social platforms. The number of X users in the U.S. has decreased since 2021. Reddit has seen an uptick. 🔬 Zoom in: YouTube remains the most widely used platform among U.S. teens and those between the ages of 18-29 (95%) and 30-49 (92%), though TikTok is on the rise. 63% of those under 30 use the short-form video platform regularly, and roughly half say they go on TikTok at least once a day. A majority of those under 30 (58%) are also active on Snapchat.

I get the same all the time, with many different variations of my name!! Pretty crazy stuff!!

Well if you have a GPA app like google maps, Scout or another one just ask in the apt for an SDA Church in the area you are in and it should show the churches within a certain area!! Also you should be able to google it?? Have a save trip!!

🎓 New poll: Degree doubts jump Nearly two-thirds of registered voters believe a college degree isn't worth the cost — a stunning shift in sentiment from just one decade ago, according to an NBC News poll out this morning. Why it matters: The eye-popping shift "comes against the backdrop of several major trends shaping the job market and the education world, from exploding college tuition prices to rapid changes in the modern economy" — namely, AI. 🧮 By the numbers: 63% agreed that it's "not worth the cost because people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt to pay off." Just 33% agreed that a four-year college degree is "worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more money over their lifetime." In 2013, 53% in a CNBC poll said a degree was worth it. 40% said it wasn't. More on the poll.