The Pour Over Today - Afghanistan Earthquake, Summit in China, Congress’s Agenda, & More | 09.03.25

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

Today, we’re talking about a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan; a summit in China featuring leaders from India, Russia, and North Korea; Congress’s full plate as lawmakers return from summer break; and other top news for Wednesday, September 3rd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Join over 1 million readers with our free newsletter here Looking to support us? You can choose to pay here Check out our sponsors! We actually use and enjoy every single one. Cru Surfshark Holy Post CCCU Upside HelloFresh Mosh LMNT Theology in the Raw Safe House Project Student Life Application Study Bible A Place For You Practicing Life Together Not Just Sunday Podcast

Hey, this is Joe at the Porover. And this is Bailey at the Poor Over. Happy Wednesday. We're raising the roof by a few dozen stories because it's National Skyscraper Day. A great way to celebrate? Checking out our email newsletter. It's just like the podcast, but you see it instead of hear it. And it's a lot less next strain than trying to look up at skyscrapers all day.

sign up today at the link in the show notes. Now for the headlines. Today, we're talking about a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan, a summit in China featuring leaders from India, Russia, and North Korea, Congress's full plate as lawmakers return from summer break, and other top news for Wednesday, September 3rd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour over. Here's your quote of the day.

If honor were profitable, everybody be honorable. Thomas Moore. Let's get started with some espresso shots. At least 1,400 people were killed and over 3,000 injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan Sunday night. The quake's epicenter was about 17 miles from Jalalabad near the Afghanistan-Pakistan. border, and just five miles below the surface, reducing vulnerable mud brick and wooden homes to rubble. Shallow quakes lead to more intense shaking on the surface. Aftershocks followed,

including a 5.2 magnitude on Monday and a 5.5 magnitude yesterday. Rescue efforts have been hampered by steep terrain, landslides, and severe shortages of supplies. The Taliban has requested international aid. Meanwhile, Sudan is also asking for help. A landslide in its war-ravaged Darfur region, leveled an entire village on Sunday, killing an estimated 1,000 people and leaving just one survivor in a, quote, nightmare scenario.

Natural disasters remind us that all of the world has been broken by sin. But Christians can look forward to an eternity where there's redemption, not just for people, but for creation itself. Join us in praying for comfort, rescue, and ultimately, hope only found through Christ, for the Afghan and Sudanese people. Romans 8, verse 20 through 21, says, For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it,

in the hope that the creation itself will also be set for, free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God's children. The Far East didn't take the weekend off. President Xi Jinping of China hosted the largest ever summit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, a political, economic, and security alliance seen as a counterbalance to Western groups like NATO. More than 20 world leaders attended, including Indian PM Modi, Russian President Putin, and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. China presented its vision for a West challenging, quote, multilateral global order, with leaders projecting regional solidarity. Xi chatted with his quote, old friend Putin and with Modi, who celebrated a, quote, atmosphere of peace and stability after years of border tension between the neighboring countries.

The summit preceded today's massive Chinese military parade in Tiananmen Square. Xi's parade marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and is expected to flex China's military power for the West to see. The gospel is scandalous because God's heart is for everyone. Global north, global south, and the ends of the earth, to know him. His mission is for the life of the world. How are you joining him? John 316 through 18 says,

For God loved the world in this way. He gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned. But anyone who does not believe is already condemned. because he has not believed in the name of the one and only son of God. Congress returned to a mountain, or rather, a Capitol Hill, of work after its six-week summer vacay. Topping the pile, avoiding a government shutdown before October 1st,

President Trump wants to cut $4.9 billion in previously approved $4.9 billion in previously approved foreign aid as part of another, quote, rescissions package. Democrats want to restore funds previously nixed from Medicaid. Both parties will need to get off their high elephants and donkeys to get the 60 Senate eyes needed to pass a bill. Meanwhile, representatives are making a rare bipartisan push to release the Epstein files, aiming to end Congress's pre-break standoff. There's plenty else on the agenda, including the Senate weighing in on Trump federalizing

the D.C. police, GOP Senators' plan to speed up the approval process for Trump's 100-plus federal nominees, and a potential House vote to ban congressional stock trading. Here's a verse to consider whether you have a mountain of paperwork, a mountain of laundry, or a literal mountain ahead of you today. Don't work only while being watched as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3, verses 22 through 24. Hey, it's Steph, a writer at the Poorover. We recently moved to the big city of Omaha, and in all the hustle and bustle, I totally forgot to check my new neighborhood for cashback offers on Upside. After some calculating, I realized I missed out on like 20 bucks, which would fund quite a few of the iced honey lattes that fuel my newsletter writing. Don't be like me. Don't forget to Upside. Upside is a free app that shows you nearby cashback offers on essentials like gau. and groceries. All you have to do is claim an offer, make your purchase like normal, snap a pick of the receipt or link your card, and boom, money back in your account. It really

couldn't be easier. You just have to remember. Download the free upside app and use promo code TPO to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. That's an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas using promo code TPO. In other bruce, here's a rapid round of updates. President Trump attempted to lay to rest a viral rumor that he had died, telling the press yesterday that he was, quote, very active over Labor Day weekend. Hashtag where as Trump was trending Friday after 47 had a two-day hiatus from public appearances. The fire was banned when it was banned when.

and POTUS's account posted an apparently weak-old photo of the president playing golf. The U.S. carried out a, quote, precision strike against a drug vessel departing from Venezuela yesterday, marking a significant escalation against Latin American drug cartels. The Trump administration has designated multiple cartels as terrorist organizations and deployed more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the region in region, recent months. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously suggested that military action was possible. Alabama just won the space race. President Trump announced yesterday that Space Forest will relocate its headquarters to Huntsville, reversing a Biden-era decision to

keep mission control in Colorado Springs. The White House said the strategic move will create 30,000-plus Alabama jobs, generate billions, and ensure the U.S. states, quote, leaps and bounds ahead in the high frontier. Indonesia is cutting back lawmaker benefits in response to deadly anti-government protests. Demonstrations began last week over frustration with Indonesian parliamentarians, quote, excessive pay,

which is roughly 30 times the national average income and housing allowances. Things turned violent when a delivery driver was killed by police with rioters burning parliament buildings and looting lawmakers' homes. At least six other demonstrators have reportedly been killed. Nestle is in Hot Coco. The Swiss food giant abruptly ousted its CEO after discovering he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with a subordinate, violating company policy just one year after taking the reins.

Nestle is the world's largest food and beverage company with brands from KitKat to Gerber, but is battling slow sales, steep U.S. tariffs, and C-suite scandals. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening, TPOFam. If you're listening on the Apple Podcasts app, give us a five-star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode. We're grateful for your support and hope you have a great day. See you on Friday.

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