The Pour Over Today - Canada-EU Alliance, Helicopter Crash, House Recesses Early, & More

Episode Date: September 18, 2026

The Pour Over is a Christ-first, politically neutral news podcast. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we cover the day's biggest stories in ~10 minutes, and pair the biggest headlines with brief biblical reminders. Looking to support us? You can choose to pay ⁠here⁠. On today's episode: EU Makes Canada “Associate Member” Helicopter Crash Kills Three House Recesses Early Fed Raises Rates Apple Releases Siri AI Charlie Kirk Family to Sue UVU U.N. Finds “Reasonable Grounds” for U.S. War Crimes OpenAI Outs Its Chatbot Thanks to our sponsors: The Voice of the Martyrs: Get a free copy of Tortured for Christ | vom.org/TPO Wild Alaskan: $35 off your first box | code: TPO Safe House Project: Give now | SafeHouseProject.org/TPO New Living Translation: Get your copy | https://links.thepourover.org/NLT_Pod Quince: Free shipping | quince.com/tpo AdelFi: Apply for the Harvest Bundle | https://adelfibanking.com/pourover Upside: extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas | code: TPO Life Recovery Bible: Get your copy | https://links.thepourover.org/Tyndale_Sept2026 LMNT: free 8-pack with purchase | https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast Serving Orphans Worldwide: Give a gift to feed a child for a month | https://servingorphans.org/thepourover MORE FROM TPO: ⁠Free newsletter⁠ ⁠Watch TPO on YouTube⁠ ⁠Download the TPO App⁠ Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, this is Ava. And this is Joe. Today, we're talking about the EU making Canada its first associate member, a news helicopter crashing and killing three, the house crossing some things off its list, then breaking early, and other top headlines for Friday, September 17. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour over. Here's your quote of the day. All shall be well, and all shall be well.

shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. Julian of Norwich. Let's get started with some espresso shots. Canada's making new friends across the pond. Thursday, Canadian PM Carney addressed the EU Parliament, accepting the 27 country bloc's invitation to become its first, quote, associate member. Carney said the alliance will deepen Canada-Europe partnership across trade, defense,

critical minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, and financial services. The Great White North, which currently spends about 70% of its exports south, aims to boost, quote, collective resilience against Uncle Sam's economic and geopolitical pressure. Now, the new mates are still working out the deets, considering an associate EU member doesn't exactly exist in the EU treaty today. The budding cross-Atlantic alliance comes amid North American tension, chatter about Canada becoming the, quote, 51st state, billions in tariffs, and renaming Lake Ontario. President Trump expressed skepticism towards the Canada-EU relationship

and threatened very heavy tariffs on Europe if he deemed a deal to be hostile. Here's a verse to consider, whether you're managing tension in your neighborhood, feeling isolated, or getting excited about budding friendships. The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace, of God. 1 Peter Chapter 4, verses 7 through 10. A news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles Tuesday, killing three people. News Chopper 4, delivering aerial news for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, was covering a fatal bus crash

that killed two people in the Chatsworth neighborhood when it went down. The chopper's crash and resulting blaze killed the two-person crew, a photojournalist and veteran pilot nearing retirement and a pedestrian visiting from Guatemala. Cockpit audio captured a warning alarm, a voice saying, uh-oh, then, you can't pull up, before the feed went dark. Aviation experts say the audio points to engine failure. More than 70 firefighters battled the flames that spread to four vehicles and two storage containers on what Mayor Karen Bass called, quote, a heartbreaking night for Los Angeles. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead in investigation.

Will you join me in praying for those affected by this crash? Lord of highest heaven, today we are brought down low. Your people have soared to remarkable, breathtaking heights, marveling at the ingenuity of flight, the gift of swift passage, the wonder of a bird's eye view, only to be brought down in flame and reduced. to ash. Comfort families whose normalcy has been suddenly shattered, draw near to those who lost what cannot be restored, heal those wounded and traumatized, beaten down by the wrongness of the

world. You alone can turn mourning into dancing, exchange funeral attire for wedding clothes, swap grief for glory, so we come to you whose presence clings tightly in heaviest grief. Amen. The House recessed a day ahead of schedule Wednesday after checking off some to-do list items and leaving others pending. On Wednesday, the lower chamber voted 262 to 159 to pass a bill that upsinctions on Russia and Iran and allows President Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on Russia's top five oil and natural gas buyers, such as China, India, and more. The bill, which was championed by and named after late GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, bipartisanly passed in the Senate, 86 to 11, last month. Left in the Hopper. Articles of Impeachment Against Defense Secretary Hegeseth.

Republican Representative Massey introduced the articles Tuesday, citing Hegsseth's handling of the Iran War and recent drug boat strikes. The lame duck Kentucky lawmaker accused Speaker Johnson of recessing early to avoid a vote. Johnson argued that the House had, quote, done its job and called the impeachment effort a stunt. I get it. It's easy to weigh in on congressional checklists. But how are the chores and honey-dew discussions going on at your own house? In all your conversations, demonstrate faith in Christ. through patience and compromises that outdo one another in showing honor and love. Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 through 25 says,

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, If we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit. Somewhere in America, a kid is waiting for a way out. Last year alone, the National Cyber Tip Line logged more than 113,500 reports of possible child sex trafficking. Reports come in every day, but identified is not safe.

Someone still has to get them out. That's what Safehouse Project does. They train communities to spot trafficking and make sure that when a kid is ready to leave, they have a safe ride, a safe place, and care that leads to lasting freedom. And that's where you come in. Just $40 covers a safe ride from captivity to freedom. When a kid finds the courage to run, your gift makes sure the way out is there. Give a kid the way out.

Go to safehouseproject.org slash TPO or tap the link in the show notes to give now. In other bruce, here's a rapid round of updates. Money just got more expensive. The Federal Reserve unanimously raised interest rates by a quarter point on Wednesday, its first hike since 2023, in an effort to wrangle stubborn inflation. President Trump, who has repeatedly demanded the Fed cut rates, said he still backs Fed chair Warsh. With another hike likely ahead, borrowing will get pricier, but savings accounts will also go. get beefier. Apple is pre-gaming its iPhone release with Siri AI.

Monday, the Fruit Phone Maker released iOS 27, with a beta version of its new AI-powered assistant. The new and improved Siri has received positive reviews for handling complex requests and digging up info buried in old texts, though some may say it's still catching up with other chatbots. Users have also thumbs-uped iOS 204.5.0.2. 27's other updates.

Charlie Kirk's family plans to sue Utah Valley University and other Utah officials, alleging, quote, stunning failures that led to the activists' assassination. In a legal notice sent earlier this month, lawyers claim the speaking events location, failure to secure surrounding rooftops, and a lack of first responders on site, quote, created a foreseeable danger to Charlie. UVU confirmed the notice, but hasn't commented. further. A UN fact-finding mission has found, quote, reasonable grounds that the U.S. committed war crimes and strikes on an Iranian school and sports facility, and that Iran committed crimes against

humanity when brutally suppressing domestic protests. The governments haven't responded. Meanwhile, in Gaza, a war-damaged apartment collapsed on Wednesday, leaving at least 20 dead and 14 injured and nearly 100 missing. Open AI is tattling on its own models. On Wednesday, the AI giant disclosed six instances of, quote, unexpected or concerning behavior, including models hiding mistakes from users, inserting instructions to future versions of itself, and fabricating data. The chat GPT creator announced a new framework to self-report future misbehavior,

rather than waiting for outside sources to expose it. Anxious about AI unknowns? We sat down with Tony Rankie, author of God, Technology, and the Christian Life, to get some really wise answers. Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode of TPO Explains to check it out. That's all the headlines we have, but here's some good news to take with you.

God is on the throne, and he is good. seek his kingdom and trust him to take care of the rest. As always, thanks for listening, TPOFam. If you're listening on the Apple Podcasts app, give us a five-star rating and drop a review. We always look forward to hearing your feedback. If you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell

to never miss a new episode. We are so grateful for your support, and we hope you have a great weekend. With that being said, catch you on Monday. My pantry stays stocked with Element. I drink it, my husband drinks it, my kids guzzle it. Basically, we run on Element around here. No sugar, no crashes, just the science-backed ratio of electrolytes need to stay sharp.

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