Saturday, May 09, 2026
Friday, May 08, 2026
The American Papacy | A. T. Jones
The American Papacy | A. T. Jones
May 8, 2026
The American Papacy is a stirring sermon by A. T. Jones in which he traces the character and history of the papal power and warns of the looming union of church and state in America. With clarity and biblical conviction, Jones calls believers to stand firm for religious liberty and the principles of the gospel in the closing days of earth's history.
Pentagon releases ‘never-before-seen’ UFO files
The release follows through with a directive from President Donald Trump earlier this year to make all UFO files public
Published: May 8, 2026, 10:02 a.m. MDT
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022.
Patrick Semansky, Associated Press
Cami is the congressional correspondent for the Deseret News reporting from Washington. She covers national news with a special focus on policy issues affecting Utah and the West.
At first glance, there’s not much to see. A few blurry images, some with oddly shaped objects. Others have clumped dots too far away to tell what they are.
But for lawmakers and administration officials, it’s a major win for transparency — and a release of files that have been long sought-after by both political parties. It’s only the first batch of files from the Pentagon, which is expected to release more on a rolling basis.
“As for my promise to you, the Department of War has released the first tranche of the UFO/UAP files for the Public for their review and study,” President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.”
Trump made the directive for the Pentagon to release all its files related to unidentified flying objects earlier this year, responding to efforts from lawmakers to investigate the matter. Congress has been investigating the phenomenon for years, emerging as one of the few issues uniting Republicans and Democrats as they dig for answers about outer space.
Principle Never to be Sacrificed for Peace
The Love of God a Constraining Motive
There always have been, and always will be to the end of time, two classes on the earth,—the believers in Jesus and those who reject Him. The truth will be a savour of life unto life to those who believe. However wicked, abominable, and corrupt he may be, the sinner will be purified by faith in Him, made clean by the doing of His word. But the same truth will be to the unbeliever a savour of death unto death.
Argument will fail to convince the sinner of his responsibility to God. Learning and talent will fail to convince the soul. But the presentation of the love of God has a convincing power above that of argument, debate, or eloquence. The love of Christ, as expressed in self-denial, self-sacrifice, and death, as He bowed low under the sins of humanity, touches the sympathies and melts the stubborn heart. The fact that the Son of God, innocent and pure, suffered for sin; that the guiltless bore the punishment of the guilty, the just endured the penalty for the unjust, breaks the heart; and as Jesus is lifted up, conviction strikes to the soul, and the love that prompted the bestowal of the infinite gift of Christ, constrains the repenting one to surrender all to God. The seed of gospel truth has been dropped into his heart; and he beholds a love that is without a parallel, pledging a personal Saviour, and with Him every needed blessing. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Those who receive Christ are melted and subdued by the manifestation of His love in His humiliation, suffering, and death in their behalf. They behold Him as their substitute and surety, as pledging Himself to accomplish their full salvation through a plan that is consistent with the justice of God, and which vindicates the honour of His law. But there are some who are stirred with strong emotion as they view the humiliation of Jesus, who shrink from following in His footsteps when they understand that they must be sharers in His humiliation and suffering. When Jesus asks the surrender of self without reserve, when He asks compliance with His government, and that they shall walk in humble obedience and implicit trust, their nature rebels. “No,” says the proud heart; “we want to keep our independence.” But this is the very thing that Jesus wants you to have. It was that you might be freed from the slavery of sin that He died on Calvary’s cross. He died that through faith in Him, you might be free indeed, and stand fast in the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Adventists on Secretary Marco Rubio meeting with Pope Leo during Vatican Visit (An AI Response)
Adventists on Marco Rubio / Pope Leo Vatican meeting
On May 7, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in a high-profile visit aimed at stabilizing diplomatic relations following public friction between the Trump administration and the Holy See. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
While official Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) organizations have not released a formal collective statement on this specific May 2026 meeting, the event aligns with long-standing Adventist prophetic interpretations regarding the "union of church and state."
Key Details of the Rubio-Vatican Meeting
- Purpose: The meeting was framed as an effort to "cool the rhetoric" and return to traditional diplomatic channels after President Trump publicly criticized the Pope, particularly regarding the war with Iran.
- Discussion Topics: Rubio and Pope Leo discussed Middle East peace efforts, humanitarian aid in the Western Hemisphere (specifically Cuba), religious freedom, and the impact of AI.
- Diplomatic Gestures: Rubio presented the Pope with a crystal football paperweight bearing the State Department seal, while the Pope gifted Rubio an olive-wood pen symbolizing peace. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Typical Adventist Perspectives on Such Meetings
Adventists often view high-level political meetings with the Vatican through the lens of eschatology (end-time beliefs). Common themes in Adventist discourse regarding these interactions include:
- Church and State: Adventists strongly emphasize the separation of church and state. Diplomatic "fence-mending" between the U.S. government and the Papacy is frequently interpreted as a precursor to the "healing of the deadly wound" mentioned in Revelation 13, leading toward a global religious-political alliance.
- The "Sunday Law" Concern: A central Adventist belief involves a future "National Sunday Law" in the United States. Events that show the U.S. executive branch seeking counsel or reconciliation with the Vatican are often monitored by Adventist commentators (such as those at Liberty Magazine or Adventist Review) as potential steps toward this prophetic scenario.
- Role of Religious Freedom: While Rubio highlighted "shared concerns" over religious freedom during his visit, Adventist religious liberty advocates often remain cautious. They watch to see if such cooperation favors traditionalist religious agendas over the individual rights of minority faiths. [1, 2, 3]
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses
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P.S.
Marco Rubio spends two hours at the Vatican https://youtube.com/shorts/tXoqNwXa75M?si=Vi_VT9nazU8KiLH4
Thursday, May 07, 2026
Trump and the Supreme Court are undermining democracy. Here's what voters can do now.
Trump and the Supreme Court are undermining democracy. Here's what voters can do now.
Opinion
Guest Voices
Voters depart a polling place at McDonald Elementary School, Nov. 5, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP/Charlie Neibergall)
Thomas Reese
View Author Profile
May 6, 2026
President Donald Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court have destroyed decades of progress in American democracy by gutting the Voting Rights Act last week and instituting a gerrymandering war to win more elections in red states.
The Democrats have responded by gerrymandering blue states. The result will be fewer Black candidates elected to office and fewer competitive elections where the voters have a real choice between the parties.
How did this happen?
Trump knows he and his supporters are going to be in trouble in the November midterm election. The party controlling the White House traditionally loses seats during midterm elections. These losses are greater if the president is unpopular, as is Trump currently. But the losses can only occur in districts that are competitive. It's very unlikely districts that are overwhelmingly Republican will go blue.
So now, Trump and other Republicans are trying to protect their majority in the House of Representatives by asking Republican officials in red states like Texas to redraw the House district lines to find him additional safe Republican seats.
The process of redrawing electoral district lines to favor one party is called gerrymandering, after Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry in 1812 backed a redistricting plan favoring his own party, the Democrat-Republicans. One of the districts looked like a salamander, so the press combined the governor's name with salamander to produce the name "gerrymander."
In response to Trump's request for five additional seats in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott pushed the redistricting plan through a special session of the state legislature. But then, voters in California and Virginia adopted redistricting plans that give Democrats additional House seats.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now trying to get additional House seats for Republicans even though the state constitution forbids partisan gerrymandering. Other Southern states are moving in the same direction.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Rucho v. Common Cause in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is legal under the U.S. Constitution. Whether it is legal under state law depends on a particular state's constitution and laws.
Legal or not, gerrymandering is bad for democracy. It means that in the general election, the voters have no choice in most districts because one party has an overwhelming majority so that the other party does not have a chance.
In addition, even if a state is evenly split across parties, gerrymandering can give a large majority of the seats to the party that controls redistricting. As the League of Women Voters and others have noted, gerrymandering "allows officials to choose their voters rather than voters choosing who represents them."
Pope Leo XIV to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7
Pope Leo XIV and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (@Vatican Media)
Pope Leo XIV will meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7 at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. They had already met a year ago following the Mass marking the official beginning of the Pope’s pontificate.
Vatican News
At 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting after media reports had been published on Sunday. Rubio is expected to arrive at 11:15 a.m.
The U.S. Secretary of State had already met the Pope, who is originally from Chicago, on May 18, 2025, following the Mass for the beginning of his Petrine ministry. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also greeted the Pope during the same event.
On the day following that Mass, on May 19, 2025, a bilateral meeting took place between Pope Leo XIV and both Vance and Rubio.
Meeting with Polish PM
On Thursday 7, the same morning of his meeting with the U.S. delegation, the Pope will also meet the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the audience will take place at 9:00 a.m.
Pope Leo XIV will meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7 at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. They had already met a year ago following the Mass marking the official beginning of the Pope’s pontificate.
Vatican News
At 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting after media reports had been published on Sunday. Rubio is expected to arrive at 11:15 a.m.
The U.S. Secretary of State had already met the Pope, who is originally from Chicago, on May 18, 2025, following the Mass for the beginning of his Petrine ministry. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also greeted the Pope during the same event.
On the day following that Mass, on May 19, 2025, a bilateral meeting took place between Pope Leo XIV and both Vance and Rubio.
Meeting with Polish PM
On Thursday 7, the same morning of his meeting with the U.S. delegation, the Pope will also meet the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the audience will take place at 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 06, 2026
JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2026
JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2026
Proclamations
May 4, 2026
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
This Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our Nation’s 250 glorious years of independence, and we celebrate their unwavering commitment to the values that make our country great — faith, family, and freedom.
In his letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1790, President George Washington beautifully said, “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” Since the earliest days of our Republic, Jewish Americans have helped build the cause of liberty and sustain the greatness of our Nation. Among them was the iconic Haym Salomon, an early supporter of the war for independence. As stories tell us, Salomon was instrumental in the success of our Continental Congress and Founding Fathers, and rallied support for freedom. He was a zealous advocate against tyranny, and even after imprisonment by the British Crown, he continued his work in defense of freedom. In the end, he gave everything to the success of the American Revolution. Like so many Jewish Americans who follow in his footsteps, Salomon’s legacy stands as a testament to the unshakable belief in the American promise.
In the same letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, President Washington proclaimed that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” Under my leadership, we are aggressively fighting the violence against Jewish Americans that increased under my predecessor, prosecuting hateful criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and working to end the scourge of anti-Semitism throughout our institutions, especially on college campuses. As President, I will never stop fighting to protect our birthright of religious freedom — a sacred right that continues to guide our Nation, drawing us closer to the Almighty each and every day.
Throughout this historic year, we rejoice in the triumph of the American spirit and rededicate ourselves to the cause of liberty and justice for all. In special honor of 250 glorious years of American independence and on the weekend of Rededicate 250 — a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving — Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath. From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation. This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.
This month, we celebrate the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our way of life, we honor their role in shaping the story of our Nation, and we remember that religious devotion, learning, and service to others are enduring pillars of a thriving culture. Through every trial and triumph, the contributions of Jewish Americans have shaped our past, have strengthened our communities, and will continue to inspire American greatness for generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month. I call upon Americans to celebrate the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies. I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat to celebrate our 250th year.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
Panama Papers: 10 years on, the promises and the failures
The Panama Papers exposed the systems and mechanisms that enable corruption worldwide. A decade later, Transparency International assesses what has changed and what hasn't
- The Panama Papers exposed how hidden company ownership and corporate service providers helped move and conceal wealth linked to corruption and crime.
- A decade on, some progress has been made: more countries now require beneficial ownership registers, anti-money laundering rules have tightened, and Mossack Fonseca shut down.
- Major loopholes still remain and the core system has survived: corruption still thrives through a parallel financial world built to keep dirty money safe.
- Transparency International is pushing for accessible ownership data, tougher enforcement, stronger regulation and supervision of gatekeeper professions, better asset recovery and real cross-border cooperation.
In 2016, the Panama Papers pulled back the curtain on a financial system designed to operate in secrecy. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, working with Süddeutsche Zeitung and more than 100 media partners, analysed a cache of 11.5 million leaked documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. The investigation revealed how anonymous shell companies and offshore accounts were used to conceal wealth, obscure ownership and, in many cases, facilitate corruption and crime.
The level of global exposure, the vast sums moved through the system and its sheer geographic reach were unprecedented – and the first consequences followed swiftly.
Icelandic prime minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson resigned within days of being linked to an offshore company. Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif was later disqualified from office following investigations triggered by the leak. Vast hidden financial networks were uncovered, reportedly connected to associates of Russian president Vladimir Putin, while figures close to power in China, Ukraine and across Latin America were also named.
What shocked the world was not only who was named and involved, but how routine it all appeared. Anonymous shell companies, nominee directors and complex offshore structures were not fringe tools – they were standard practice in a parallel financial system operating with minimal scrutiny.
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