June 14, 2025
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Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites and its top military leaders, Iran retaliates with drones

Smoke rises up after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel attacked Iran early Friday with a barrage of airstrikes that took out top military officers and hit nuclear and missile sites, calling it just the beginning. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.
Trending stories
Chloe Taylor, a member of Lake Shore Baptist Church in Lake Dallas, Texas, waves a flag to call the next person in line at SBC registration in Dallas. (Baptist Press/Josselyn Guillen)
2025 Dallas messenger registration of 10,599 tops 2018 SBC meeting here
DALLAS (BP) — The 10,599 messengers who registered for the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting this week in Dallas topped the 9,632 who registered the last time the SBC gathered here in 2018, unofficial counts show.
Adam Wyatt, chair of the SBC Executive Committee’s Committee on Convention Finances and Stewardship Development, speaks as messengers approve the 2025-26 Cooperative Program allocation budget and additional business items during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas. (Baptist Press/Sonya Singh)
Messengers approve $190 million CP allocation budget, business and financial plan, other items
DALLAS (BP) — Messengers to the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting approved a $190 million 2025-26 Cooperative Program allocation budget Wednesday, giving the Executive Committee a one-time $3 million special allotment for legal costs arising from investigations into its handling of sexual abuse claims.
Texas pastor Juan Sanchez puts forward a motion to amend the SBC Constitution with regard to the role of pastor. (Baptist Paper/Luc Stringer)
Amendment on role of women in pastoral ministry fails to achieve 2/3 vote
DALLAS (BP) – A proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution stating the office of pastor should be held only by men was rejected by messengers, receiving approximately 60 percent of the vote, but not reaching the required two-thirds marker.
Andrew Walker, chair of the Committee on Resolutions, gives the committee report during the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas. (The Baptist Paper/Van Payne)
Resolutions reflect SBC’s doctrinal commitments, cultural concerns at Dallas gathering
DALLAS — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly adopted resolutions of support for two time-honored tenets — the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message.
A messenger to the SBC's 2025 annual meeting on Dallas raises his ballot to vote. (Baptist Paper/Mark Ira Hooks)
Messengers vote down motion to force financial transparency
DALLAS — Southern Baptist messengers to the 2025 Annual Meeting rejected an amendment Wednesday that would have required the Southern Baptist Convention to publish detailed financial information like IRS Form 990 disclosures.
Baptist Life

‘Stand together’ for the sake of reaching nations, Chitwood tells SBC messengers

Paul Chitwood, president of the IMB, thanked Southern Baptists for faithful giving to the Cooperative Program. Sixty-five percent of the CP funds IMB receives go directly to support overseas/field-based ministry. (Photo/IMB)
DALLAS — International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood encouraged all Southern Baptists to recognize their role in missions during the IMB report at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas.

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Truett McConnell University. (Index/Henry Durand, File)
Truett McConnell University is facing adversities with faith and facts. Considering the recent challenges, the University Board of Trustees have wisely engaged the services of an independent investigator to gather information concerning actions or inactions by the University surrounding sexual abuse allegations.
Josh Smith, senior pastor of Prince Avenue Baptist Church, stands with his family. (Photo/Prince Avenue Baptist Church)
BOGART, Ga. — In a society that too often highlights the faults of fathers, Southern Baptist author and pastor Josh Smith encourages churches this Father’s Day to empower and remind them of the gift of fatherhood.
Gen. Doug Carver leads a host of chaplains to the platform Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the SBC Annual Meeting. Messengers celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. (Baptist Press/Sonya Singh)
DALLAS — Clothed in his decorated, dress blue uniform, Gen. Doug Carver led a host of chaplains to the platform Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the SBC Annual Meeting. Carver led the messengers to celebrate freedom and honor service members, recognizing the important role chaplains play in Christian ministry.
SBC President Clint Pressley speaks with reporters after the close of the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting on Wednesday in Dallas. (Baptist Press/Sonya Singh)
DALLAS (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley spoke with reporters about unity, transparency and gospel mission during a press conference held minutes after 167th SBC Annual Meeting.
Georgia
A man holds a lit cigarette while smoking in San Francisco, Dec. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Lawmakers, backed by health advocates, push for increase in cigarette tax

ATLANTA — Some Georgia lawmakers have been trying for years without success to raise Georgia’s tax on cigarettes, but some think cuts at the federal level may finally stir interest in their cause.

The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Supreme Court revives lawsuit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI will get a new day in court, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday.
Regina Brinson, center, weeps at a news conference Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, while speaking alongside her mother, Katrena Alexander and attorney Ben Crump during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla. Crump represents families of three of the seven people killed when a ferry dock walkway collapsed on Sapelo Island, Ga., on Oct. 19. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it

ATLANTA (AP) — Relatives of seven people who drowned in waters off a Georgia island after a ferry dock walkway collapsed announced Wednesday they filed a lawsuit against the companies that designed and built it.

New area code coming to southeastern Georgia

ATLANTA – Georgia will be getting an 11th area code soon, with the new 565 area code being added as an overlay to the existing 912 area code in the southeastern part of the state, the Georgia Public Service Commission announced Tuesday.

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Nation
Demonstrators clash with members of US Border and Customs Protection during protests on Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Los Angeles (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Appeals court blocks judge's ruling to return control of National Guard to California

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following riots in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement.

A protester is arrested by California Highway Patrol near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Los Angeles declares emergency, cracks down on looting, attacks on police

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the state Capitol with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, left, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, flanking the governor on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Arizona governor vetoes bill banning teaching antisemitism

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has vetoed a proposal that would have banned teaching antisemitism at the state’s public K-12 schools, universities, and colleges and exposed educators who violate the new rules to discipline and lawsuits.
Rep. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., demands the release of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after his arrest while protesting outside an ICE detention prison, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J, (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

US Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted on federal charges from skirmish at New Jersey immigration center

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center while Newark’s mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility.

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World
The cruiser USS Cape St. George launches a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile in the Mediterranean Sea on March 23, 2003. (Intelligence Specialist 1st Kenneth Moll/U.S. Navy via AP, File)

US shifts military resources in Mideast in response to Israel strikes and possible Iran attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel’s strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, two U.S. officials said Friday.

A resident looks through the remnants after floods swept through the area in Mthatha, South Africa, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's president visits flood sites with death toll at 78 and expected to climb

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's leader visited the region where devastating floods have left at least 78 people dead in the southeast of the country as search and rescue operations continued Friday for a fourth day and authorities said they expected the death toll to rise.
A relative of a victim of the Air India plane crash is comforted as she breaks down at a hospital in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Investigators searching Air India crash site find digital flight data recorder

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has recovered the digital flight data recorder, or the black box, of the Air India flight that fell from the sky and killed 241 people on board and several people on the ground.
Members of a convoy of at least 1,500 people, including activists and supporters from Algeria and Tunisia, wave Palestinian flags from a bus as the group travels toward Gaza via Egypt's Rafah Crossing, in Zawiya, Libya, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo)

Egypt blocks activists aiming to march to Gaza to draw attention to humanitarian crisis

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory before it could begin.

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Perspectives
Todd Gaddis
One day, a parishioner went into the office of renowned 19th-century English preacher Joseph Parker and found him pacing back and forth, with hands clasped tightly behind his back. “Dr. Parker,” asked the man, “what’s the problem?” “To which he replied, “The problem is, I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t.” 
Adam Dooley
To the world, she was Francis, but to us, she was Nanny. I first met her when my wife and I were dating. After eating at her table for the first time, I knew this was a family I wanted to be part of. Even better, though, was the example set by her and her husband.
David Chancey
Someone defined fathers as “men who give their daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so that they can have grandchildren who will be smarter than anyone else’s.”
Ralph Fudge
Charles Stanley (The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life) said, “Spiritual growth is a process. God is engineering your circumstances with a definite result in mind.” The result is your spiritual growth. Stanley added, “So relax. There is no rush. God is in control.”
Clint Pressley, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., delivers his message at the Georgia Baptist 2024 Preaching Conference in Statesboro, Ga. (Index/Henry Durand, File)
What an honor and privilege it has been for me to serve you as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As I have traveled this year, hearing from and representing Southern Baptists across our nation, it has confirmed what I already knew to be true: It is good to be a Southern Baptist.

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Business
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump announces new China trade deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade deal and that tariffs on Chinese goods will rise to 55%.

Sales staffs work at an Apple shop in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)

U.S. inflation remained mostly tame last month

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation remained mostly tame last month, though still above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
Trucks loaded with containers move through a container terminal port in Shanghai, China, Monday, June 9, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)

China says its exports to the US fell 35% in May, as trade talks are due to start in London

China's exports to the United States fell 35% in May from a year earlier, new customs data show, adding to pressure on the world's second-largest economy as a new round of trade talks with Washington was due to start later Monday in London.
Shoppers pass large-screen televisions on display in a Costco warehouse in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 19, 2024 (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

US consumer confidence rebounds after five straight months of declines

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points in May to 98, up from April’s 85.7, its lowest reading since May 2020.
A shopper looks at plants at a Home Depot store in Hiram, Ga., July 15, 2022. (Index/Henry Durand, File)

Home Depot says it doesn't expect to boost prices because of tariffs

Home Depot doesn't expect to raise prices because of tariffs, saying it has spent years diversifying the sources for the goods on its shelves. Billy Bastek, executive vice president of merchandising, said during a conference call on Tuesday that Home Depot's suppliers have shifted sourcing across several countries and that the company doesn't expect any single country outside of the U.S. will represent more than 10% of its purchases 12 months from now.

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Sports
Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (56) throws during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Spencer Schwellenbach pitches 1st career complete game as Braves top Brewers 6-2

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Spencer Schwellenbach pitched his first career complete game, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. each hit a two-run homer, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 on Wednesday.

Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio watches after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Chourio, Bauers hit home runs to lead Brewers past Braves 4-1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers hit home runs, Quinn Priester struck out seven in six strong innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale throws to first base during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Sale sparkles as Braves snap seven-game skid by beating Brewers 7-1

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Chris Sale struck out a season-high 11 while allowing just one run over seven innings as the Atlanta Braves snapped a seven-game skid by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 on Monday.
Atlanta Braves' Alex Verdugo breaks his bat after striking out in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

Atlanta's season is starting to slip away after another 7-game losing streak

One seven-game losing streak was manageable for Atlanta — a possible fluke at the start of the season. But now the Braves have dropped seven in a row again, and it's time to wonder if this will simply be a lost season for one of the game's star-studded teams.

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