Below are this week's Articles of Interest as compiled by Mr. Van Baker. This collection of articles is cultivated by Mr. Baker with the goal of highlighting some of the trends, upheavals, and things to watch for in our society. These articles are not necessarily the express views of the United Church of God, Mr. Baker, or me as the pastor, but they are informative of what is occurring in our nation and culture. In accordance with Christ's warning to correctly discern the times (Matthew 16:1-4), it is wise to be aware of what is going on around us.

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Unprecedented: Leo XIV 'betrays' papacy by voting in US midterm elections – The news, confirmed by the Vatican, raises a serious question: why is an absolute monarch voting in an American election?
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/unprecedented-leo-xiv-betrays-papacy-by-voting-in-us-midterm-elections/

Is politics pushing Americans away from religion? Some researchers argue that political views are shaping religious affiliation rather than the other way around, a dynamic they say could be hazardous to both American politics and the country’s religious landscape
https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/11/03/how-american-politics-is-influencing-religion/

At least 7 Muslims win election to Congress – A record seven Muslims were elected to Congress, six to the House of Representatives and one to the Senate. “Islamophobia backfired,” said Fatima Salman, a close childhood friend of [Abdul] El-Sayed who fundraised and campaigned for him. “Today is a day of joy, of celebration, and we need that moment because we have been under so much pressure for so long.”
https://religionnews.com/2026/11/04/at-least-7-muslims-were-elected-to-congress-a-record/

US and EU warned citizens to stockpile emergency supplies – Not all the recommendations are new announcements, but they all have drawn attention over the past week, sparking speculation as to what world leaders may be anticipating.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-and-eu-warned-citizens-to-stockpile-emergency-supplies/

Supermarket freezers across Europe struck by another cyber-attack – According to a report from The Guardian, supermarket chains in Sweden, Belgium, and Luxembourg confirmed that refrigerator and freezer temperatures spiked unexpectedly overnight, raising urgent fears of a coordinated cyber-attack mirroring a massive strike on French stores last month that destroyed millions of euros in food.
https://endtimeheadlines.org/2026/11/supermarket-freezers-across-europe-struck-by-another-cyber-attack/

Multiple Freezers At U.S. Military Bases Malfunctioning – The Pentagon is now treating a series of unexplained freezer breakdowns that ruined large quantities of food at military bases across the United States in late August as a suspected cyberattack, according to a report from Reuters citing four officials familiar with the investigation.
https://endtimeheadlines.org/2026/10/multiple-freezers-at-u-s-military-bases-malfunctioning-officials-suspect-cyber-attack/

Trump Announces End to U.S. Military Aid to Israel – A major shift in U.S.-Israel relations as President Donald Trump says America will stop sending billions of dollars in annual military aid to Israel. The announcement comes as Israel faces an uncertain political future following its elections and Iran warns it is prepared for war. President Trump announced that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to end the payments by December, bringing an early end to a military aid agreement scheduled to run through 2028.
https://cbn.com/news/israel/trump-announces-end-us-military-aid-israel-political-uncertainty-and-iran-tensions

Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’ Stinks Like 20-Year-Old Sushi – Twenty years ago, when the New Atheism was new, provocative books with puckish titles like Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great (2007) appeared every few months. Each book was packed with gleeful anti-theistic assertions... The excitement surrounding the prospect that the universe has no meaning, our lives no future after three-score-and-ten, and our wills no freedom seems to have faded over the years. The future of rationalism isn’t looking spiffy, and aggressive atheism seems to have receded to its natural state, as the wishful thinking of senior professors who are sleeping with their research assistants.
https://chroniclesmagazine.org/web/dawkins-the-god-delusion-stinks-like-20-year-old-sushi/

Nearly 3 in 4 NFL players who died over 15-year span had CTE: peer-reviewed study – CTE is a brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head, and it can only be diagnosed by examining brain tissue after someone dies.
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/new-study-estimates-nearly-3-out-4-nfl-players-who-died-over-15-year-span

Scientists Uncover a Bizarre Bacterial Self-Destruct Switch – An unusual bacterial defense uses DNA to switch on toxin production, suggesting a new way to build molecular tools that control genes.
https://scitechdaily.com/strangest-of-its-kind-scientists-uncover-a-bizarre-bacterial-self-destruct-switch/

Scientists Found a Hidden Danger of Even Mild Obesity – Carrying extra weight may be more dangerous during a medical emergency than previously appreciated. Scientists studying 2,244 patients found that even mild obesity was associated with more than double the odds of organ failure during acute pancreatitis, a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas.
https://health.yahoo.com/your-body/weight-management/obesity/articles/scientists-studied-2-244-patients-122000792.html