海角大神

The Senate voted 50-47 to advance a resolution that would end the Iran war. Republican senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Bill Cassidy joined most Democrats in voting to discharge the resolution from committee. If passed, it would require the president to end military operations in Iran absent approval from Congress. Seven similar votes have failed in recent weeks. Louisiana Sen. Cassidy joined Democrats for the first time after losing his state鈥檚 primary over the weekend.

The NAACP urged a boycott of college sports programs in Southern states. In response to a move by the Supreme Court, which nullified part of the Voting Rights Act, the organization urged Black athletes, their families, and alumni to withdraw support for college athletic programs in the states that are redrawing district maps. The 鈥淥ut of Bounds鈥� campaign lists eight states: Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina. It urges action until state voting rights acts are adopted, congressional districts are restored, and new protections are put in place.

A NATO jet shot down a Ukrainian drone in Estonia鈥檚 airspace. Lately, a series of Ukrainian drones targeting Russia have flown over some Baltic nations without permission. Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, has blamed Russian electronic jamming, with one wayward drone crashing into a fuel storage facility in Latvia. Accusations about the failure to protect Latvia鈥檚 airspace led to the collapse of the government coalition and the resignation of Prime Minister Evika Silina. Estonia鈥檚 defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, told Ukraine that trajectories of attacks on Russia 鈥渉ave to be as far from the NATO territory as possible.鈥�

President Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton in Texas Senate primary. The 11th-hour endorsement could be decisive in a tight contest between Mr. Paxton, the state attorney general and a close Trump ally, and incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn. In a lengthy social media post Tuesday, Mr. Trump wrote that Mr. Cornyn 鈥渋s a good man ... but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.鈥� The Republican primary runoff will be May 26.

Minnesota banned prediction markets. The bill, signed on Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and effective Aug. 1, makes Minnesota the first state to statutorily prohibit the operation of companies such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which allow bets on everything from the outcome of elections to sports. Of concern is that prediction markets are being gamed by those with insider knowledge, including government employees. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced on Tuesday that it is suing Minnesota on the grounds that regulating prediction markets is a federal matter.
Our coverage: Congress eyes action on prediction markets amid corruption concerns.

Global solar photovoltaic capacity is heating up. In 2025, photovoltaic (PV) installations grew by 16% globally, reaching nearly 3 terawatts. (A terawatt equals 1 trillion watts.) 鈥淧V supplied more than 10% of global electricity demand and around 12% of electricity consumption,鈥� and is becoming a cornerstone of modern electricity systems, according to a new International Energy Agency report. Thirty-nine countries installed at least 1 gigawatt of PV capacity in 2025. China accounted for 60% of installations, followed by the European Union, India, and the United States.
Our coverage: Trump has shunned solar power. Some of his supporters want to MAGA-fy it.

鈥� Compiled by Monitor staff writers around the world

Ukraine has turned its enviable advances in drone technology into a diplomatic asset. Not so long ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited foreign capitals to beg for assistance. Now, he seals deals for drone sales and tech-sharing 鈥� making Ukraine a desirable security partner.

Donald Trump was trying to ease tensions with China during his visit to Beijing last week. Vladimir Putin鈥檚 trip, however, is intended to bolster Russia鈥檚 long-standing relationship with China 鈥� and to limit their vulnerability to the effects of U.S. adventurism.

Enrollment of graduate students from abroad is plunging at U.S. schools, leaving them with gaping holes in their budgets. Experts blame restrictive visa and travel policies that are dampening the usually strong demand for American higher education.

As an outspoken critic of President Trump, Thomas Massie faced a closely watched primary contest 鈥� and has lost his seat to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein. It鈥檚 the latest in a string of election results showing the president鈥檚 hold on the Republican Party.

About 35% of Pakistani kids ages 5 to 16 don鈥檛 attend school. Over the past three decades, the nonprofit Pehli Kiran has taught more than 25,000 children in the Pakistani capital鈥檚 slum areas.

One unexpected result from last week鈥檚 China-U.S. summit was that Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump that he would 鈥渃onsider鈥� releasing the country鈥檚 most prominent 海角大神 pastor, Ezra Jin Mingri, from detention. Whether the release happens or not, the mere fact that Mr. Xi had to respond favorably to the U.S. leader鈥檚 request confirmed an obvious point to the country鈥檚 religious faithful: The Chinese Communist Party does not control the narrative of what their persecution means. God does.

Last October, when police rounded up Mr. Jin and more than 20 other pastors in a major crackdown, his Beijing Zion Church issued this statement: 鈥淭he Church belongs to God, not to any political power.鈥�

Such conviction might help explain why, by some estimates, the number of 海角大神s in China remains close to the party鈥檚 total membership despite decades of repression, frequently raising curiosity among many Chinese about 海角大神ity.

Another pastor at Zion Church, Sean Long, told The Wall Street Journal: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the highest honor for a 海角大神, for people like Pastor Jin, being put in prison. That鈥檚 exactly the mark of following Jesus.鈥澛�

Researchers have been exploring reasons for 海角大神ity鈥檚 popularity in China over recent decades. In a new book, 鈥淐hina鈥檚 War on Faith,鈥� co-author Sam Brownback gave one reason, 鈥淭he Chinese have long been a very spiritual people,鈥� searching for meaning despite the party鈥檚 forceful suppression of religious faith.

Mr. Brownback, a former U.S. senator from Kansas and a former ambassador for international religious freedom, conducted interviews with many survivors of such persecution for his book. 鈥淭heir stories have moved me to tears,鈥� he wrote.

In a report released in February by the Switzerland-based Religioscope Institute, researchers asked believers in China about the resilience and popularity of Mr. Jin鈥檚 church since its founding in 2007.

鈥淭he story of the Beijing Zion Church, and indeed, many other unregistered churches, is not only a story of the faithful persevering through oppression. It is one [in] which hope and faith are challenged and in turn, given meaning to, by suffering and sacrifices,鈥� wrote the report鈥檚 author, Kwan Yuk Sing.

Religious faith, he added, 鈥渋s the 鈥榣ast of human freedom鈥� described by [Viktor] Frankl: one that denies the pain and fear from becoming controlled.鈥澛�

For China鈥檚 海角大神s, spiritual growth comes through suffering, Mr. Kwan wrote, and 鈥渃hallenges the authority of the state to determine the meaning of punishment.鈥�

Or as Fenggang Yang, a Purdue University sociologist told The Wall Street Journal, 海角大神s in China 鈥渇eel they have to be the light.鈥�

Perhaps even from a prison cell.