The Bulletin

This week, a photo circulated on social media that showed an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon smashing the face of a fallen statue of Jesus. Rabbi Michael Holzman joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to discuss this incident and Americans’ shifting attitudes towards Israel. Then, FBI Director Kash Patel files a defamation lawsuit against reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick and The Atlantic for publishing an article stating that Patel consistently drinks on the job and is a national security vulnerability. Justin Giboney and Sho Baraka join the conversation. Then, Bonnie Kristian stops by to talk about why pastor John Mark Comer has become so popular.

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE:

The FBI Director Is MIA - Sarah Fitzpatrick, The Atlantic

Is Hurry the Great Enemy of Spiritual Life? - Nancy Waleki, The Atlantic

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Rabbi Michael Holzman is the spiritual leader of the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation and the founder of the American Scripture Project and Faith250. Rabbi Holzman has partnered with a variety of organizations like the Aspen Institute, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America to examine the intersection of faith and democracy.

Sho Baraka is Christianity Today’s Big Tent editorial director. He is a recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. He is a cofounder of Forth District and the And Campaign, and he has served as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. He was an original member of influential hip-hop consortium 116 Clique, recording with Reach Records.

Justin Giboney is an attorney, political strategist, and ordained minister in Atlanta. He is also the cofounder and president of the And Campaign, a coalition of urban Christians who address the sociopolitical arena with the compassion and conviction of the gospel. Giboney is the coauthor of Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.

Bonnie Kristian is the deputy editor at Christianity Today. She is the author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today. Her writing has been published at outlets including The New York Times, The Week, USA Today, CNN, Politico, and others.

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ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. Each episode offers commentary on current events and headlining news with a roundtable of premier guests, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world



The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more.



“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today

Producer: Clarissa Moll

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire began between Israel and Lebanon. Meanwhile, both the House and Senate reject measures to curb the war in Iran. President Trump proposes building a triumphant arch in Washington D.C., and a federal court of appeals greenlights his $400 million White House ballroom project. Warren Cole Smith from Ministry Watch joins Clarissa Moll to discuss these headlines, and Clarissa speaks with CT’s Jill Nelson about Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

TO LEARN MORE:


Strait of Hormuz Closure Is Hurting Global Aid - Jill Nelson, Christianity Today

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ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Warren Cole Smith is the president of MinistryWatch.com. Previously, Smith served as vice president and associate publisher of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine. He is the author of Restoring All Things: God’s Audacious Plan To Change The World Through Everyday People.

Jill Nelson is Christianity Today’s Ukraine and Israel correspondent. She holds a master’s in Middle Eastern studies from the University of Texas and began her journalism career as a reporter and anchor in South Dakota. For nearly 20 years, she covered Ukraine and the Middle East for World News Group.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly news analysis podcast from Christianity Today, with editor-at-large Russell Moore and executive editor of news Clarissa Moll. Each episode offers commentary on current events and headlining news with a roundtable of premier guests, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world.



The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more.



“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today

Producer: Clarissa Moll

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Hungarian politician Peter Magyar gathered a politically diverse coalition to win an election against prime minister Viktor Orban, ending a 16-year autocratic rule. Dalibor Rohac joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to talk about Orban’s connection with President Trump and what this indicates about the global far-right populist movement. On Tuesday, Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resigned from Congress following allegations of sexual misconduct. Charlie Sykes stops by to discuss. Finally, President Trump posted an AI meme of himself dressed as Jesus and healing a man. Matthew Walther joins us to talk about the importance of images and symbols, and the role of the church in speaking truth to power.

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE:


Should I Report Church Abuse to the Police? - Russell Moore


Is Donald Trump Antichrist? - Matthew Walther - The Lamp

Use the code LAMP26 for 20% off your one-year, six-issue subscription to The Lamp. Visit thelampmagazine.com to redeem.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Dalibor Rohac is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies the political economy of the European Union and transatlantic relations. He is concurrently a research associate at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies in Brussels.

Charles J. Sykes is a political commentator who hosted a conservative talk show in Wisconsin for 23 years. He was the former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark, and is currently an MSNBC contributor. Sykes has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Salon, and other national publications. He has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and the BBC.

​​Matthew Walther is editor of The Lamp magazine and a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times. He is currently writing a biography of Saint John Henry Newman for Yale University Press.

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN:


Join the conversation at our Substack.


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ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more.



The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more.



“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today

Producer: Clarissa Moll

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump announced that the US will engage in a blockade of Iranian ports after Vice President JD Vance’s negotiations fell flat and Iran refused to curb its nuclear program. Then, The New York Times reports that the US government will begin automatically registering men ages 18-25 with the Selective Service System. And, Hungary’s far-right prime minister of 16 years, Viktor Orbán, was defeated by center-right candidate Peter Magyar. The Bulwark’s Mona Charen joins Clarissa Moll to discuss these headlines. Then, Clarissa sits down with researcher at Yale School of Medicine James Kimmel Jr to talk about how revenge mimics addiction in the brain.

TO LEARN MORE:

The Mona Charen Show

Mona Charen’s Substack

The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction--and How to Overcome It.

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Join the conversation at our Substack.


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ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Mona Charen is a syndicated columnist, the policy editor of The Bulwark, and the host of the podcast The Mona Charen Show.

James Kimmel Jr. is a violence researcher, psychiatry professor, and author who explores the science of revenge, addiction, forgiveness, and violence. He identified compulsive revenge seeking as an addiction, and founded Revenge Anonymous, a 12-step program for recovering from revenge addiction. He is most recently the author of The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction--and How to Overcome It.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll and with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more.



The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more.



“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today

Producer: Clarissa Moll

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Tuesday, President Trump posted inflammatory threats towards Iran on Truth Social. The Atlantic’s Pete Wehner joins Russell Moore and Clarissa Moll to discuss these words and how the Republican party has abandoned conservatism. Next, as Artemis II splashes down, Jim Bridenstine shares about the founding of the Artemis program during his time as the NASA administrator under the first Trump administration. Then, Anthropic is releasing a new model of AI called Claude Mythos, which will be offered only to specific companies for cybersecurity. Marcus Schwarting from AI and Faith helps us understand this new technology.

REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE:


How Trump Killed Conservatism by Pete Wehner - The Atlantic


Anthropic’s Restraint Is a Terrifying Warning Sign - The New York Times


Artificially Intelligent - The Bulletin’s AI miniseries

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Peter Wehner is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and The New York Times, and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum. He was formerly a speechwriter for George W. Bush and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Wehner's work also appears in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Affairs.

Jim Bridenstine was the 13th administrator of NASA and a former US representative from Oklahoma. During his tenure at NASA, Bridenstine oversaw the development of the Artemis project. In Congress, he was on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Prior to that he was a US Navy pilot, flying combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marcus Schwarting is the senior editor of AI and Faith and an AI researcher at SUNY Buffalo. His research is focused on applying AI to problems in chemistry and materials science. His work on AI ethics has been published in Christianity Today, the Journal of Theology and Science, and the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.

GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN:


Join the conversation at our Substack.


Find us on YouTube.


Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN:

The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more.



The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more.



“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today

Producer: Clarissa Moll

Associate Producer: Alexa Burke

Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs

Music: Dan Phelps

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Senior Producer: Matt Stevens
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices