The Pour Over Today - Peace Talks Stall; Artemis II Splashes Down; Inflation Climbs

Episode Date: April 13, 2026

Today, we’re talking about a U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations stall; Artemis II successfully returning from its lunar mission; inflation jumping to 3.3%; and other top news for Monday, April 13th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Looking to support us? You can choose to pay ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our sponsors! We actually use and enjoy every single one. Cru Wild Alaskan HelloFresh Christian Real Estate Network Quince Qualia Life QAVA CCCU Upside Mosh LMNT The Missing Messiah Compelled Podcast I Choose Love TPO Corrections Page

Hey there, this is Peter. And this is Joe. And today, we're talking about a U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. Iran's ceasefire negotiations stall. Artemis II successfully returning from its lunar mission, inflation jumping to 3.3% and other top news from Monday, April 13th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pourover. Here's your quote of the day. Character, not circumstances, makes the man. Billy Graham. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

President Trump announced yesterday that the U.S. Navy will, quote, immediately begin blocking, quote, any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade began after 21 hours of U.S. Iran's ceasefire negotiations ended without an agreement. Here are the key sticking points. Iran refusing to abandon its nuclear ambitions, being unable to find a framework for peace that includes allies in the region, and disagreeing on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without tolls. Vice President Vance said Iran seemed to misunderstand its lack of leverage, while Iranian officials called Uncle Sam's terms, quote, excessive and unlawful. Meanwhile, two U.S. warships began playing minesweeper Saturday to clear a, quote, new safe

pathway for oil tankers through the strait. The ships also destroyed an Iranian surveillance drone, which Iran called a, quote, possible ceasefire violation. Let's pray together. Gracious peacemaker. In the hearts and lands of these embattled countries, work peace. May leaders be creative in their problem-solving, wise in their choice of counselors, clear-eyed in their negotiating, and compassionate toward the needy, humbly considering the good of others before their own gain, and attributing all the glory to you alone.

We don't always trust leaders to work for our good, but your plans for your people are 100% sure, good, trustworthy. So use these broken vessels to bring about good for your people, rest for your world, and glory for your name. Until the day when every nation reshapes its weapons into tools for peace and wolves dwell among lambs, we trust you, Our wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Amen.

Artemis II's record-setting deep space mission stuck the landing. NASA's Orion spacecraft, dubbed Integrity by its crew, splashed down Friday evening off the coast of San Diego, with mission control calling it a, quote, perfect bullseye splashdown. Commander Reed Wiseman radioed that all four astronauts were in good shape, reporting, quote, four green crew members upon touchdown.

Re-entry was especially high stakes. Orion's heat shield had known design flaws, but the crew emerged safe and in high spirits. NASA officials were emphatic that the lunar success was no accident. Associate Administrator Amit Shatria credited, quote, 1,000 people doing their job. It's also the first crude NASA

mission recovered by the Navy since Apollo Soyuz in 1975. With the mission complete, Shatria said, quote, the path to the surface is now open for a future lunar landing. No matter how far humanity travels, we only scratch the surface of exploring all of what God spoke into existence. The Artemis 2 crew journeyed farther from Earth than any human in history and still never left his handiwork. Psalm 8 versus 3 through 4 says,

When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? The economy has definitely noticed the Iran War. On Friday, the Labor Department issued its first war-impacted report, showing annual inflation jumped from 2.4% in February to 3.3.3.5%. to 3.3% in March, driven by soaring energy prices, which are up 12.5%. Across the pond, fuel shortages have pushed Irish truckers and farmers into the streets in protest, blocking highways and refineries since Tuesday, prompting the Emerald Isles government to promise a relief package.

Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose much less, just 2.6% from a year ago. though economists warned the impact of high fuel costs could take months to settle. The United States Postal Service also delivered bad financial news, announcing its temporarily suspending employer retirement contributions and seeking another four-cent price hike for stamps. USPS is projected to run out of money as soon as February 27. Here's a verse to consider when the budget is tight and hope is elusive. Therefore, I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,

or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky. They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Matthew 6, 25, and 26. Hey, it's Zan from the pourover. I love cooking, but in this busy season of life, I feel like I basically just make the same meals on repeat.

And as nice as it is to just stick with what I know and what I like and what my kids will eat, sometimes I want to just mix things up and try cooking something new. That's why I love Hello Fresh. I get to try fun, new ingredients that I normally wouldn't buy or cook with and try recipes from all over the world. With Hello Fresh, I just pick my meals and everything I need shows up, no decision-making, no wasted ingredients. It's a total game-changer. With 50-plus chef-crafted meals every week, there's always something new to try.

And if life gets busy, you can skip a week or pause any time. Go to Hellofresh.com slash TPO 10FM now to get 10 free meals plus a free Nutra Bullet Ultra Plus 2-1 compact kitchen system, a $189.99 value on your third box. free meals applied as a discount on the first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. Disclaimer must order the third box by May 31, 26. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. It's a baby bust. The U.S. fertility rate dropped to a historic low in 2025, with roughly 3.6 million babies born,

a 1% decline from 2024. Births among women, 30-plus, are actually rising, suggesting many women are delaying having children. The most-sided hold-up, 43% of adults point to insufficient finances for the lack of car seats in tow. Representative Eric Swalwell's California governor run is unraveling after multiple sexual misconduct allegations arose against the Democratic frontrunner on Friday. Swalwell denies the claims, but several Democrats, including, including House Minority Leader Jeffries and former Speaker Pelosi, have called on him to exit the gubernatorial race. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has opened an investigation.

The NFL's broadcast deals are under review. The DOJ opened an investigation Thursday into whether the NFL's practice of selling games to streamers still qualifies for its antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which courts have ruled only. applies to free over-the-air TV. Mike Lee, a Republican senator from Utah, who urged the probe,

says fans must currently spend about $1,000 per year to watch every game. Uncle Sam is taking draft registration into his own hands. The Selective Service System, a record of most 18-to-25-year-old males living in the United States, plans to automatically register potential servicemen starting this December. Since 1980, fellas have been required to sign themselves up, but a recently passed defense bill transferred responsibility to Washington.

A draft has not been activated since 1973 and requires congressional approval. Rory McElroy's closet got even greener. McElroy became the fourth golfer to win back-to-back green jackets at Augusta after a dramatic last round at the 90th Masters. The Northern Irishman was tied with 27-year-old Cameron Young

entering Sunday and trailed last year's runner-up Justin Rose by a stroke heading into the back nine, but outlasted a crowded leaderboard to defend his crown, or I guess, his jacket. Well, that's all the headlines we have for you today.

Here's some good news for you as you get going with this week. Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again someday. 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. Catch you on Wednesday. Is your view of Jesus shaped by culture or by scripture? The answer might surprise you. In today's world, it's easy to turn Jesus into a life coach, a therapist, or a political ally. We don't want a disruptive savior, just a convenient one. In their book, The Missing Messiah, Kyle Eiddleman and Mark Moore will help you understand how the culture we live in has taught us to reshape Jesus into our own image, and will teach you how to stop treating him as an accessory and start following him as king.

If you believe there's a more revolutionary, more majestic Messiah than the one you've always heard about, visit missing messiah.com to learn more.