The Pour Over Today - Oil Deal, Fed Meeting, College Football Kickoff, & More

Episode Date: August 31, 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: U.S. and Venezuela Strike Oil Deal Fed Signals Potential Rate Hike College Football Kicks Off Nepal Death Toll Passes 800 Ex-Teleprompter Operator Fined Immigration Hawk Deported Europe’s Oldest Monarch Dies “Lake Ontario” Renamed Thanks to our sponsors: OneHope: Stand with Christians under attack in Nigeria 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 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 LMNT: free 8-pack with purchase | https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast Mosh: 25% off first variety pack + 20% off subscription | code: TPO25 Serving Orphans Worldwide: Give a gift to feed a child for a month 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 Peter. And I'm Mia. Today, we're talking about the U.S. and Venezuela's historic oil deal, the central bank signaling a possible interest rate hike, the college football season beginning, and other top news from Monday, August 31st. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pourover. Here is your quote of the day.

God, if you want me to fly for you, show me how to make it happen. Betty Green. Let's get started with some espresso shots. The U.S. and Venezuela struck a historic oil deal this weekend. The South American nation sits atop the world's largest oil reserves, but political instability and poor infrastructure have kept it from steady output. The 25-year agreement aims to develop 17 strategic oil fields through private investment, increase oil output to one and a half, million barrels per day, up from about one and a quarter million a day, maintain Caracas's sovereignty over its resources, and give Uncle Sam majority control over 65 billion barrels of reserves. President Trump celebrated the, quote, biggest oil deal in world history, saying it'd

come at, quote, no cost to the American taxpayer and would help lower gas prices. Venezuelan interim President Rodriguez said the contract could generate. up to $209 billion a year in revenue for Venezuela. Critics called the deal a, quote, massive land grab. When deals are struck that impact our wallets, it can be easy for our emotions, whether positive or negative, to flare up. But believers have reason to be joyful and generous

in all kinds of circumstances, whether gas costs $5 or 50 cents. Philippians 4, 12 through 13, says, I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content. Whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need, I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh made like a hawk and signaled a potential rate hike on the horizon.

At the Fed's Jackson Hole Conference Friday, Warsh acknowledged the central bank would, quote, have work to do if inflation remains stubbornly above its 2% target, coming closer than he ever has to tipping his hand. Inflation has cooled, but personal consumption expenditures, aka PCE, which is the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, sat at 3.7% in July. Post-pandemic inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, and by the Fed's preferred inflation. bottomed out at 2.3 in April 2025, before beginning to climb again. The Fed's main lever for lowering that number is interest rates.

Raising them makes borrowing pricier so people, in theory, spend less and prices, hopefully, go down. The Fed meets again in mid-September for one more inflation pulse check before deciding on rates. Pray with us. Great provider. confess that as the price of goods rises, so do our anxieties. As our paychecks stretch thin, so does our hope. Wrap your righteous right hand around your people and meet us with miraculous provision, divine rest, and strength to persevere. Relieve us of this burden, oh God. Equip our lawmakers to legislate with wisdom, striking that delicate balance between the health

of this economy and the welfare of their people. Use your church to meet needs generously and to shine the light of hope into the fear gripping this community. Amen. Speaking of the economy, if the details of social security ever leaves you feeling socially awkward, this week's TPO Explains episodes got you covered. Check it out and let our shallow dive be your security blanket for all things social security. Marching bands dusted off their tubas for the official start of the college football season. Week Zero kicked off with a battle reminiscent of ancient Greece as the number 14 U.S.C. Trojans

beat the San Jose State Spartans in front of dozens of fans in Los Angeles. Then at the Aer Lingus Classic in Ireland, North Carolina opened Bill Belichick's sophomore season by squishing the TCU Hornfrogs in a 1510 upset, avenging last year's 48 to 14 opening week loss in Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, after winning 10 of the last 15 FCS Division championships, North Dakota State made its premiere in the FBS Division, where they stomped Jacksonville State 33 to 7. And still in the FCS, No. 7 Villanova,

was stunned by William and Mary thanks to a 13-point run in the final minute on Friday. Week one kicks off Saturday, headlined by a tiger tussle, Clemson at number 11 LSU. Here's a verse to consider whether success right now for you means winning the game,

biting your tongue, or just getting out of bed in the morning. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown. 1 Corinthians 925 As food runs out in places like Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East,

there's one population that's quietly suffering in more ways than one. Children Food scarcity and the growing orphan crisis are tightly linked. Children's homes are one of the places hit hardest in areas like Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where violence and unrest are making food scarcer and communities more frivolous. Raving orphans worldwide is there. Combating this crisis by providing hungry children and babies with nutritious meals, emergency groceries, life-saving formula, long-term food security, and the gospel message.

A gift of $12 feeds an orphan. Visit servingorphins.org forward slash the pourover or click the link in the show notes to give the gift of a full belly today. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. The death toll from flash flooding in Nepal has risen to over 800, including 16 people who died across the border in Tibet, with around 2,500 still missing. Nepal reports it has deployed 20,000 security forces and over 8,100 people have been rescued.

But poor weather and challenging terrain have complicated the effort. An ex-White House teleprompter operator has been ordered to pay $172,539 for using insider access to President Trump's speeches to make bets on an online prediction market. He made $107,539 with his uncanny knack for knowing certain words or phrases Trump would say from the podium. And he must repay his ill-gotten gains plus a $65,000 fine. A British commentator who championed President Trump's immigration enforcement was deported from the U.S. to the U.K. Friday. A judge issued a removal order when Milo Yanopolis no-showed an immigration hearing. The Marmite character was arrested at a New Orleans airport, accused of overstaying after entering the U.S. legally in 2019. Yanopolis hasn't commented.

Norway's King Harold V, Europe's oldest monarch died Friday at 89 from a bacterial blood infection. Harold's 35-year reign opened the Norwegian monarchy to commoners with no royal ancestry after he defied his father to marry a clothing merchant's daughter in 1968, a precedent both of his children followed. He is succeeded by his 53-year-old son, King Hakun the 8th. Lake Ontario has a new name, stateside, Lake America. President Trump's executive order Thursday renamed the smallest Great Lake to honor the five freshwater friends American history.

Amid the escalating neighborhood trade war, Canada's PM Carney rejected the rebrand, noting the name's origin with indigenous peoples. American Google Maps users are already seeing the change. And that's all the headlines for the day. But here's a good word that'll get you through this Monday. May the love of God surround you, the grace of Christ attend to you, and the Holy Spirit keep you now and forevermore. As always, thanks 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.

The last word today goes to C.H. Menard, who left us a review saying, quote, I used to hate all the negativity on the news and frankly didn't know who to trust for clear, concise reporting. Sprinkling in the Word of God and keeping the headlines simple really helps me feel at ease and keeps my eyes on Christ. It's exactly what I need. And that, C.H. Menard, is exactly why we're here. So gold star for you. And thank you to all of our lovely listeners. keep those reviews coming. They're a delight to read. Have a great Monday, and we'll catch you Wednesday. The other day in the kitchen, I poured citrus element powder in my water bottle. My wife looked at me and asked when the last time was that I drank water without element. I looked at her and couldn't even remember. No sugar, no crashes, just the science-backed ratio of

electrolytes we need to stay sharp. Honestly, it's the real MVP of the pour-over. Stay fresh and hydrated with us. The pourover listeners get a free eight-pack of elements most popular drink flavors with any drink-mix purchase. Just use the element link in the show notes.