September 11 is always a somber day, and yesterday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk adds to the sadness. I’ve seen several commentators say that this week feels similar to 9/11, an irreversible turn into a darker world. It began with the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska, murdered by a repeat criminal—with an overly lenient judiciary as an accomplice. Now Charlie Kirk, who championed dialogue and debate, has been gunned down by an unknown assassin. The famous and not-so-famous were killed alike.

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Tim Stanley at the Telegraph warned that “the world is losing its mind.”

“This has to be more than a cultural war?” Stanley asked himself. “It’s spiritual. Consider that damaged soul who shot all those kids at the Annunciation Catholic School or the man who stabbed a woman on a train in North Carolina: Whatever manifesto they stood on or medications they’d missed, they exuded the sulphuric air of someone oppressed by demons, as if an evil spirit is abroad in the land.”

It’s an important observation. Underscoring America’s spiritual sickness, Congress failed to even come together to pray for Kirk while he lay wounded. After a moment of silence, Lauren Boebert asked the House speaker to hold a moment of prayer. “No!” chorused several Democrats. “Pass some gun laws,” shouted one.

Kirk’s death is not a one-off. There were 150 politically motivated attacks in the first half of this year, according to Mike Jensen of the University of Maryland—double the same period last year.

“Extreme political violence is increasingly becoming the norm in our country, and the shooting of Charlie Kirk is indicative of a far greater and more pervasive issue: Acts of violence are becoming more common, even without any clear ideology or motive,” warned Jon Lewis at George Washington University.

Stanley is right: An evil spirit is abroad in the land. America, and the whole world, is spiritually sick. As Gerald Flurry pointed out in last night’s Trumpet Brief, God could have saved Charlie Kirk. He protected President Trump last summer. But if God continues to protect high-profile individuals with no change in national behavior, He will simply be prolonging the spiritual sickness. God is allowing these satanic attacks to wake us up. We need to change. Our sins separate us from God and give Satan, the god of this world, access to us.

“We must recognize the devil at work and turn to God in repentance,” wrote Mr. Flurry. A growing minority on the right are recognizing the real, evil, spirit world at work here. The Nashville and Minneapolis transgender shooters were both obviously demon-possessed. But the major need is for the second part of Mr. Flurry’s statement: This nation desperately needs repentance. In Jeremiah 17:14, the prophet contemplated the sickness of his own heart, an example for us: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved ….”

We’ve kept Mr. Flurry’s Trumpet Brief from last night as our main story today. It’s an important commentary about this turning point. If you’ve not done so already, I encourage you to read it.

“Europe is in a fight.” That’s how European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen started her speech in European Parliament yesterday. “I thought long and hard about whether to start this State of the Union address with such a stark appraisal,” she explained, citing Europeans’ discomfort with such terms. “But the truth is that the world of today is unforgiving.”

She said Europeans feel “the ground shift beneath them,” “things getting harder,” “the impact of the global crisis,” “the higher cost of living” and “the speed of change.” “They worry about the endless spiral of events they see on the news—from the devastating scenes in Gaza to the relentless Russian barrage on Ukraine.”

So, yes, Europe must fight. For its place in a world in which many major powers are either ambivalent or openly hostile to Europe. A world of imperial ambitions and imperial wars. A world in which dependencies are ruthlessly weaponized. And it is for all of these reasons that a new Europe must emerge.

Von der Leyen pledged support for East Europeans caught in the crosshairs of Vladimir Putin. She rebuked Donald Trump’s tariff policy. She threatened to sanction Israel’s “extremist ministers and violent settlers.”

Given the state of the world, this was the European Union’s most important State of the Union speech in its history. nato’s unity is being tested, its air space violated, and a rival bloc of Asian nations is challenging its dominance. Meanwhile, trade wars, economic crises and political divisions threaten the EU’s prosperity.

Yet despite the stakes, few paid attention because von der Leyen’s authority is increasingly in doubt. She survived a no-confidence vote in July and has two more coming in October. Her critics lack enough support to oust her, but they continually undermine her authority. Even her speech was continuously interrupted.

The EU’s greatest challenge is to act as one. Its Parliament and member states remain divided, and von der Leyen lacks the strength to unite them.

But her loss could become someone else’s gain. In “After Trump’s Victory, Watch Germany,” Mr. Flurry points to biblical prophecies foretelling the rise of a German strongman in Europe. Today’s weakness within the EU—and its mounting crises—are clearing the path for his arrival.

IN OTHER NEWS

The “nuclear option” is coming into effect in the Senate. Today, senators will vote on a resolution to confirm 48 sub-cabinet nominees for President Trump as a block rather than as individuals. This rule change, proposed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, would end filibusters with a majority vote rather than the current 60-vote requirement. Today’s vote highlights the sharp division between America’s lawmakers, but in the near term, it will allow Republicans to confirm Trump’s political nominees faster and potentially expedite the “make America great again” agenda.

Did Mars ever have life? NASA thinks it may have found the closest signs of life yet, announcing yesterday that its Perseverance Rover discovered rock markings dubbed “leopard spots.” Discovered last year, these deposits consist of minerals that microscopic organisms produce as a byproduct. They could form by other processes as well, but the astronomers are asking the wrong question. After Perseverance landed in Mars in 2021, Mr. Flurry wrote that they should be asking instead: Why are Mars and the rest of the universe there? “This question leads us to the Creator!” he wrote. Read “Mars Landing: A Preview of Your Incredible Potential!”