The Pour Over Today - Federalizing D.C. Police, Steel Plant Explosion, AI Chip Deal, & More | 08.13.2025

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

⁠Today, we’re talking about President Trump federalizing the D.C. police in a crime crackdown; a deadly explosion at a Pennsylvania steel plant; the White House’s “unusual” agreement with Nvidia for AI chips being sold in China; and other top news for Wednesday, August 13th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. OneHope's Thailand Digital Mission⁠ 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 CSB's Back to School Gift Guide CCCU Upside HelloFresh Mosh

Hey, this is Joe at the Porover. And this is Zan at the Porover. It's Giving Week at the Porover, and we're partnering with One Hope to reach lonely, searching children and teens in Thailand, many of whom have never heard of Jesus. When you subscribe to our email newsletter this week, we'll donate $2 to One Hope's digital mission

to share hope across Thailand. Click the link in our show notes to subscribe and share it with a friend to stack the Jeffersons. Now for the headlines. Today, we're talking about President Trump's federalizing the D.C. police in a crime crackdown, a deadly explosion at a Pennsylvania steel plant, the White House's unusual agreement with NVIDIA for AI chips being sold in China, and other top news for Wednesday, August 13th.

Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pourover. Here's your quote of the day. Take something from yourself to give to another that is humane and gentle and never takes away as much comfort as it brings again. Thomas Moore. Let's get started with some espresso shots. President Trump is taking the wheel in D.C. He announced Monday that he's temporarily taking control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police and deploying the city's national guard, they're under presidential control, unlike state guards, to make, quote, crime,

savagery, filth, and scum disappear. Under the Home Rule Act of 1973, he can federalize D.C.'s police in 48-hour chunks during quote-unquote emergencies. The takeover is expected to last 30 days. Deployed troops will establish a presence and report what they observe directly to officers. They not expected to openly carry weapons. Critics call the move, quote, disproportionate and politically motivated, noting violent crime in the district hit a three-decade low last year. Representative Jamie Raskin vowed legislation to repeal the president's move. A long-term federal takeover would require Congress's approval, where Democrats would likely block it. Politically charged announcements are sure to spark heated debate.

Remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ. James 1, verse 19 through 20, says, My dear brothers and sisters, understand this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. Blasts killed two people and injured 10 others at a U.S. steel plant outside Pittsburgh on Monday. Just before 11 a.m., smoke billowed from Clarton Coke Works, America's largest manufacturing facility of Coke. The coal-made steelmaking fuel, not soda.

The factory employs nearly 1,300 people and produces 4.3 million tons of Coke annually. First responders fought flames and conducted an extensive search for two missing employees. One was found dead and the other was taken to the hospital for treatment. Residents within a mile of the plant were advised to remain inside with doors and windows shut, quote, out of an abundance of caution, though officials say air pollution levels remained within a safe range. The cause of the explosion remains unknown and police expect, quote, a time-consuming technical investigation. The hope of resurrection doesn't mean we don't grieve real tragedies, but it does mean that death won't have the final word.

Pray for the injured and the families of those lost, that they would turn to Christ for healing, comfort, and hope. Here's a prayer from every moment holy. Oh, Lord, be merciful to those now wounded, be present with those now bereaved. Your heart is always inclined toward those who suffer. Now let your mercies be active through the hands, the words, and the compassionate care of those who willingly enter the sadness to console and to serve.

Uncle Sam is cashing in his AI chips. Monday, the White House reached an unusual agreement with Nvidia and advanced micro-devices AMD, to allow the sale of mid-level AI chips to China. The latest, most powerful AI chips still cannot be sold to China due to national security concerns. In exchange for the license to sell, the chipmakers will give Uncle Sam 15% of Chinese chip sales. The deal, worth about $2 billion, is raising questions over whether it violates the Constitution's ban on taxing exports. The same day, President Trump extended the U.S.'s trade truce with China for

another 90 days, hours before the previous pauses expiration. Meanwhile, number 47 announced that gold, quote, will not be tariffed, a clarification after gold bars imported from Switzerland were being hit with the country's 39% tariff. Here's a verse to consider when the international math and your own economic prospects keeps changing. Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.

1 Timothy 6 verse 17. The news shapes us, and usually not for the better, It stirs up fear, anger, and division. But we believe it doesn't have to be that way. That's why the poor over exists. To help Christians stay informed without losing focus on Christ, over a million people read and listen each week, but we're just getting started.

If the poorovers helped you have a healthier relationship with the news, would you consider choosing to pay? For just $1.99 a month, you can help us reach more people with Christ-centered news that informs without dividing. Just head to TPOPod.com, that's T-P-O-P-O-D.com, or click the link in the show notes. Thanks for helping us keep Christians focused on Christ, even while reading or listening to the news. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates.

You've got mail. And its AOL saying dial up internet will BRB. Never. Famous for its beeps, buzzes, and booting you offline when mom needed the phone, the 90s relic will be disconnected for good on September 30th. Only 160,000-ish Americans will notice. No word yet if AOL will mail everyone one last free trial CD. Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed by an Israeli-Ary

strike in Gaza City on Sunday, including prominent on-the-ground correspondent, Anas al-Sharif. Israel says Sharif was, quote, the head of a Hamas terrorist cell, which he had denied. The targeted attack on the journalist's tent had drawn international condemnation, with the UN calling it a grave breach of international law. Three people, including one child, were killed Monday in a shooting in Austin, Texas. The suspected shooter, a 32-year-old man with a mental health history, opened fire in a target parking lot Monday afternoon before hijacking one of the victim's cars, crashing it, then stealing another car from a nearby dealership.

The suspect is in custody and police are investigating a motive. Wall Street celebrated July's inflation report, sending markets to another record close. CPI rose 2.7% less than expected thanks to declines in grocery and gas prices. Investors are betting the Fed trims rates next month to keep the expansion rolling. It's the first report under President Trump's New Bureau of Labor Statistics Pick, a longtime critic of the agency. At 1212 a.m. on August 12th, Taylor Swift revealed the title of her 12th studio album. This week, Swift will appear on boyfriend Travis Kelsey's podcast, New Heights.

In a promo video for the episode, which drops Wednesday night, she announced that TS12 is called The Life of a Showgirl. The release date and other deets about the new era are TBD. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening, TPOFam. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast 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. Turns out, your scrolling, browsing, and online shopping isn't so private. Hackers can access your personal info, conversations, and location details all with your IP address. Keep your deeds out of hackers' hands with Surfshark. Their VPN hides your IP address from prying eyes, letting you bypass geolocation tracking and keeping your scrolls and searches how they should be, private.

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