Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire; Trump's Big, Beautiful Ballroom; and the Strait of Hormuz

The Bulletin

Christianity Today

News, News Commentary, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.4 • 586 Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 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 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

Transcript

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0:48.7	Thank you. From Christianity today, you're listening to The Bulletin, a podcast about the people, events, and issues that are shaping our world.
0:56.7	I'm Clarissa Mall. This week, Israel and Lebanon agree to a ceasefire. Congress rejects measures to curb the war in Iran,
1:03.4	and President Trump builds a big, beautiful ballroom. Warren Cole Smith and I discuss these headlines,
1:09.9	and C.T.'s Israel correspondent Jill Nelson, joins us to talk about gas prices and the Strait of Hormuz.
1:11.1	Welcome to the show.
1:18.4	Good morning, listeners. Welcome to our Tuesday roundtable, where we let you know what's catching our eye as the week begins. Joining me today is veteran journalist and editor-in-chief
1:23.9	at Ministry Watch, Warren Cole Smith. Warren, thanks for joining me.
1:28.0	Thanks, Clarissa. It's great. I'm excited.
1:30.0	On Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire began between Israel and Lebanon, serving as both an attempt
1:36.0	to stall fighting between the two countries and appease Iran, which says the fighting is not
1:41.5	separate, but an integral part of its continuing war with the U.S.
1:45.1	and Israel. Warren, this ceasefire agreement was something the U.S. brought to the table.
1:50.7	What have been the responses you've seen from Israel and Lebanon to this?
1:54.9	Well, in Lebanon, I think the primary response has been relief. There's been a lot of concern, anxiety, frustration because of the fighting. And it's kind of a, you know, a three-way thing. You've got the Lebanese government. You got Hezbollah, you've got Israel. Though what I'm hearing also is that there are some reaches in that ceasefire, that it's a fragile piece at this point, to say
2:19.0	the least. It's not exactly sure what will happen. Lebanon has been called the most Christian
	...

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