At the time, I thought that Refresh was the only solution.

But alongside writing these newsletters over the last month, I’ve also taken a deep-ish dive into independent, newsletter-based media. What I found was very promising.

As it turns out, several independent reporters have taken it upon themselves to solve the media crisis. Take Issac Saul, a reporter from Pennsylvania, for example. He created Tangle, a non-partisan newsletter that lands perfectly in the middle on The Media Bias Chart.

Tangle is a tangible solution to the same problem I set out to solve. Sadly, independent creators like Saul are often buried by algorithms and pages upon pages of Google results.

I also found this handy tool, the News Minimalist. It utilizes AI to source the most impactful stories of the week, and only sends the most important stories to your inbox. What’s deemed the most important is subjective, but I find it a good tool nonetheless.

After discovering these resources, I’ve realized that Refresh is unnecessary. Other platforms do the same thing, but in a more perfect form.

For the friends and family who subscribed to Refresh for support’s sake, thank you. I truly appreciate your generosity.

For those who subscribed out of a genuine desire to escape anxious, noisy news cycles, here’s my method of news engagement, inspired by Swiss theologian Karl Barth who instructed his students to read the newspaper alongside the Bible every morning.

Step One: Delete your news apps. Subscribe to Tangle and maybe News Minimalist. Read it most mornings over coffee.

Step Two: Read a chapter or two of Scripture before or after consuming your serving of news, allowing it to inform your reading.

Step Three: Pray.

Step Four: Ask somebody what they think about a pressing news topic at some point in your day.

Should we all practice something like this semi-daily, we will have conquered that ugly, haunting hack that is modern news. We will be free and informed – a dangerous duality that leaves corporate profiteers and totalitarian politicians running for the hills.

National: The Trump administration is sending hundreds of National Guard troops from California and Texas to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and other federal property in Portland, Oregon. The State of Oregon and California have launched a lawsuit against Trump to bar him from deployment. An Oregon judge from the U.S District Court issued a restraining order on Trump, temporarily forbidding the deployment of Oregon troops. Trump claims the city’s crime justifies the troops. His critics, including the suers, claim the deployment only inflames the situation. In Portland, ongoing riots ensue outside the ICE facilities. Some have resulted in minor acts of violence.

Global: After proposing a 20-point peace plan between Hamas and Israel, President Trump reported that Hamas has responded positively to aspects of the proposal. “I am told the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to move fast,” Trump said on social media. Hamas agreed to release hostages and allow an independent Palestinian body to govern Gaza. Hamas did not mention disarming itself – a key point in the proposal. Delegates from each party will meet on Monday to discuss Trump’s peace plan.

Life: Jane Goodall, a renowned conservationist for her chimpanzee research, died at 91 on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Goodall studied chimps in the wilds of Tanzania for decades, documenting their use of tools, cooperative hunting tactics, and other unique behaviors. Her work ended up in numerous National Geographic articles and documentaries, elevating Goodall to celebrity status by the 1960s.

Editor’s Note: If you feel politically isolated, like a child trapped between two parents deluged in argument, try this. Find a friend. Pick a news story from last week. Ask them what they think of it. Together, consider both sides of the coin, and then settle on a conclusion. Or don’t. The point is to engage in the mutual exchange of ideas, a concept that built our country and will continue to sustain it so long as we keep it alive. Give it a shot.

National: President Trump deployed 200 National Guard members to Portland, Oregon, for the protection of the city’s ICE facility. The State of Oregon responded by suing Trump. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the deployment “threatens to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.” Governor Tina Kotek said there “is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security. And there is no need for military troops in our major cities.”

National: A 40-year-old ex-Marine shot 12 congregants, killing four, at a Mormon church in Maine on Sunday. The shooter apparently used gasoline to start a fire after driving his truck into the church. Police officers fatally shot the killer. Almost the entire church burned to the ground. Officials have yet to release a suspected motive for the attack.

Economy: Vice President JD Vance said the government is likely to shut down after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. “I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vance said. The shutdown threat happened after Republicans in the House passed a bill to extend the current level of federal funding until November. Democrats in the Senate want the bill to include healthcare provisions, such as boosting public healthcare funding. Republicans refuse, and the shutdown will likely occur on Oct. 1. Federal agencies may have to cease operations indefinitely as a result.

Global: President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss a peace treaty with Gaza. Netanyahu has agreed with the deal, and Trump said he’s “hearing that Hamas wants to get this done, too.” The president has previously made promises to end the war, which has claimed around 68,300 lives since Oct. 7, 2023. The proposal requires Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, for Hamas to recede from power, and for both parties to release hostages and prisoners of war.

Editor’s Note: It’s essential to stay informed, regardless of how disturbing the headlines may be. But negative news doesn’t have to dictate your mood. Time spent with silence, with nature, with family and friends – this is the remedy for our time. We must de-radicalize one another. We must de-radicalize ourselves. This is our collective mission.

National: On social media, President Trump demanded that Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, prosecute political opponents. “We have to act fast,” Trump said. “If they're not guilty, that's fine…they should be charged.” Some claim this is an obstruction of historic boundaries between the White House and the Department of Justice.

Economy: NVIDIA and OpenAI, two massive tech companies, recently announced a billion-dollar partnership. NVIDIA said it would invest $100 billion into the artificial intelligence company. OpenAI said it would buy NVIDIA’s computer chips in return. “We will utilize what we’re building with Nvidia to both create new AI breakthroughs and empower people and businesses with them at scale,” OpenAI’s executive said.

Global: The U.K., Australia, and Canada released a statement recognizing the state of Palestine. “We recognized the state of Israel…as a homeland for the Jewish people. Today we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer made promises to aid Gaza in the past, joining a growing list of national leaders who oppose Israel’s siege.

Life: NASA believes it has found evidence of life on Mars following the publication of a research paper. The researchers suggest that a rock sample bears the fingerprints of historical microbial life. NASA said the discovery is “the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars.”

Editor’s Note: You can’t change the world in one day. You also can’t control how other people respond during troubling times, be it hatred, irreverence, or bigotry. Turn off your TV. Put away your phone. Set aside those sacred morning hours for silence and solitude. As Gandhi put it, “A seeker after truth has to be silent.”