Wednesday, October 7, 2026

This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. On today’s edition of The Briefing, Dr. Mohler discusses the educational and economic crises in France, the arrest of a former German intelligence chief on espionage charges, and the deaths of disgraced former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, and scandal-plagued televangelist Jim Bakker. Part I (00:14 – 09:58) Educational and Economic Turmoil Produce Violent Protests in France: We Are Talking About Teenagers on the Front Lines of National Protest France’s Appetite for ‘Magic Money’ Has Turned Into a Debt Bomb by The Wall Street Journal (Stacy Meichtry and Chelsey Dulaney) The nihilistic far-Left is pushing France to the brink by The Telegraph (Agnes Poirier) Part II (09:58 – 16:31) Former German Spy Chief Arrested for Treason: What Happens When the Keeper of National Security Secrets Cannot Be Trusted? Former German spy chief arrested for treason by Financial Times (Sam Jones) Germany’s ex-spy chief arrested for espionage by Deutsche Welle (Natalie Muller) Part III (16:31 – 20:44) Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House whose Legacy was Wrecked by Secret Past, Dies at Age 84 Dennis Hastert, Powerful Politician Disgraced by Child Sexual Abuse, Dies by The New York Times (Carl Hulse) Part IV (20:44 – 30:31) Jim Bakker’s Obituary: The Moral Parable of the Disgraced Televangelist Who Went to Prison Jim Bakker, disgraced televangelist who went to prison, dies at 86 by The Washington Post (Matt Schudel) Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every weekday morning. Follow Dr. Mohler: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube For more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu . For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com . To write Dr. Mohler or submit a question for The Mailbox, go here .