Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS X-Ray Discovery, Trump Green Card Suspension, Brown Shooter Suicide, Fire Commissioner Hero Death

Support the Show

Summarized Transcript: 

Good afternoon, everyone. It is Friday, December 19, 2025. One quick correction. In the last episode, I was pronouncing Rob Reiner’s (Rye-ner) last name wrong. I was saying “Rayner” when it is in fact “Rye-ner.” My apologies. Such a horrific tragedy, though. Let’s continue to lift his loved ones up in prayer.

Here are the stories we’re praying about today:

1. Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Closest Approach Yields X-Ray Breakthrough

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed object from another star system, made its closest Earth approach on December 19, 2025, at 167 million miles, allowing unprecedented X-ray observations by JAXA's XRISM and ESA's XMM-Newton telescopes. The data revealed X-ray emissions extending 400,000 kilometers from the nucleus and signatures of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, offering insights into material formed around a distant star. The comet's non-gravitational acceleration was attributed to natural outgassing, debunking artificial origin claims.

2. Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery Linked to Brown/MIT Shootings

President Trump ordered the suspension of the U.S. green-card lottery program on December 18, 2025, after authorities linked it to the entry of the gunman responsible for shootings at Brown University (killing two students, injuring nine on Dec. 13) and the home of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro (killed on Dec. 15), Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem announced. The same shooter was responsible for both incidents. The move aims to address security vulnerabilities in the program.

3. Brown University Shooter Found Dead by Suicide

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown University student and Portuguese national, was found dead by suicide on December 18, 2025, in a Salem, New Hampshire storage facility, ending the manhunt for the Brown/MIT shooter. Investigators used a custodian's observations and an anonymous Reddit post to track him, noting his sophisticated efforts to evade detection with untraceable phones and avoiding personal credit cards. Valente was linked to the attacks killing three and injuring nine.

4. Fire Commissioner Dies of Heart Attack During Hiker Rescue

Michael Joseph Ryan, 61, a retired veteran cop and Phoenicia Volunteer Fire Department commissioner, died of a heart attack on December 14, 2025, while rescuing a stranded young hiker on Panther Mountain in the Catskills. Ryan responded to an SOS signal alongside firefighters. His family described his death as the "ultimate sacrifice" for a man who always prioritized others' lives.

Thank you for listening to News on Knees, a community prayer podcast by Story King Media. 

If you want to join the movement, I’m calling all believers, anyone who wants to pray for the world, their country, their region, a specific societal issue. Using something as simple as the voice memo app on your phone, record a 1–2 minute prayer and email it to: 

storykingmedia@gmail.com, 

Simply write the word ‘PRAYER’ in the subject line of the email. 

NOTE - Two Rules for Submitted Prayers:

1. Please Keep Obvious Political Bias Out
2. No Personal Requests. Prayers should be about societal issues that are either global, country, state, or region-specific.

Sources: 

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS X-Ray Discovery

Trump Green Card Suspension

Brown Shooter Suicide

Fire Commissioner Hero Death