The Pour Over Today - Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum, Stumbling Blocks with the Israel/Hamas Truce, The Latest Tech News, & More I 2.12.25

Episode Date: February 12, 2025

Today, we’re talking about the latest news from the White House; the delicate truce between Israel and Hamas; what’s new in the tech industry; and other top news for Wednesday, February 12th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! MOSH: moshlife.com/TPO The Voice of the Martyrs: vom.org/TPO Parenting with Ginger Hubbard: https://links.thepourover.org/ParentingwithGingerHubbard The Bulletin: MoreCT.com/BulletinPodcast Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside Cru: give.cru.org/pour LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast HelloFresh: hellofresh.com/tpo10fm One Year Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/OneYearBible_Pod

Today, we're talking about the latest news from the White House, the delicate truce between Israel and Hamas, what's new in the tech industry, and other top news for Wednesday, February 12th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ with the pullover today. Here's the quote of the day, our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts. Soren Kierkegaard. Let's get started with some espresso shots. Monday kicked off another busy week in the White House. First, President Trump restored a true 25% tariff

on all imported steel, removing the exemptions for Uncle Sam's biggest steel trading buddies, Mexico and Canada, and increased tariffs on aluminum to 25%. International criticism was quick. The EU promised proportionate countermeasures criticizing the import tax as bad for business, worse for consumers. While U.S. industries, especially construction and auto, anticipate rising costs, Trump said the move will boost domestic production and mark the beginning of making America rich

again. Before capping his sharpie, Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of trying to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat in 2008. Blagojevich served eight years of a 14-year sentence before Trump, who says Blagojevich was set up, commuted the sentence during his first term. Whether your wallet's having a tough day or you just got some really good news, believers hope rest in Christ, not here and now outcomes. As citizens of heaven, trust the Lord to secure your future. Philippians 3.20 says,

Hamas and Israel's ceasefire is on thin ice. Monday, Hamas said it would delay Saturday's planned release of three hostages, claiming Israel is targeting displaced Palestinians with direct shelling and gunfire and delaying emergency shelter supplies. Israel called Hamas' plan a complete violation of their agreement and moved troops to the Gaza border, saying if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will be terminated. Face to negotiations involving final hostage releases and a permanent end to

the war have been delayed. Other postwar discussions remain underway, with Trump saying he may withhold military aid to Jordan more than a billion dollars annually and Egypt around one point five billion dollars annually, and Egypt around $1.5 billion annually if they don't take in Palestinians, which both countries oppose, citing security risk. Trump hosted Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House yesterday to discuss the future of Gaza. War puts the brokenness of this world on full display and reminds us of our desperate need

for ultimate redemption. Jesus, the light of the world, came to shine in the darkness. Pray that the Middle East would experience the darkness penetrating light of Christ. John 1, 5 says, The light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. OpenAI is not for sale. On Monday, CEO Sam Altman said no thank you to a $97.4 billion offer from Elon Musk's XAI and a consortium of other companies that want

to re-establish OpenAI as an open-source safety-focused force for good. In 2015, Musk and Altman helped found the non-profit OpenAI Inc., but Musk left the chat GPT maker in 2018. In recent months, Altman announced plans to restructure to a for-profit organization and join other tech giants in investing $500 billion into a U.S.-based AI infrastructure. Musk says they're risking public good for profit. In other tech news, Meta began their first round of anticipated layoffs Monday, with plans to hand out performance terminations to 5% of its workforce, 3,700 employees,

in the U.S. and more than a dozen other countries to make room for more business-critical engineers. Here's a verse to consider whether you have to let someone down easy or you're the one feeling the sting of rejection. Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Philippians 4-5. Imagine a power snack bar with more protein and less sugar, ingredients that are good for your brain, and a way to give back.

Meet Mosh, the power snack bar that supports brain health. MOSH's signature brain blend of mindful chosen ingredients like omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins B12 and D is fortified with cognizant citricoline, an ingredient clinically tested and known for its efficiency in supporting brain health by promoting attention, focus, and brain energy. With MOSH, you feel both mind and body. Plus, a portion of proceeds go to benefit Alzheimer's research. If you want to find ways to give back to others and fuel your body and brain, MOSH bars are a perfect choice for you. Head to MOSHlife.com slash TPO to save 20% off plus free shipping on the Best Sellers Trial Pack. That's 20% In other brews, here's a wrap-around of updates. Ukraine's President Zelensky is ready to do a deal with President Trump.

Accepting the White House's proposed terms, Ukraine supplies Uncle Sam with rare earth minerals used to make consumer electronics and electric engines in exchange for Washington's wartime support. The leaders will talk this week with Zelensky looking for security guarantees to stop Russia's advance into mineral-rich areas. The DOJ ordered federal prosecutors to drop their corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday, saying the indictment restricted Adams' ability to address illegal immigration and violent crime in the Big Apple.

Adams, who's accused of accepting bribes in exchange for mayoral influence, has pleaded not guilty to the five charges. So far, prosecutors have not dropped the case. A private jet landing at Scottsdale Airport veered off the runway and collided with a parked jet, killing one and injuring several others. The arriving jet was owned by Motley Cruise singer Vince Neal, who was not on board at the time of the collision. Officials say the accident was possibly caused by landing gear failure.

Investigations are ongoing. President Trump is pinching penny production. Sunday, he directed the treasury to stop minting honest Abe coins, saying they just don't make fiscal sense. The US Mint lost $85.3 million in 2024 after making $3.2 billion of the copper plated chump change. On the other side of the coin, tossing pennies may necessitate increased production of nickels, which is even less cost effective. Shoppers are scrambling for eggs after several grocery store chains introduced purchase caps to prevent panic buying. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Costco, Kroger, and Aldi are among the store's limiting customers

to two or three dozen daily. Egg prices continue to soar up to $8 per dozen from $4.15 in December, largely due to farmers culling flocks to combat bird flu outbreaks. And that's all I have for today. Thanks so much for listening. 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 appreciate your support and hope you have a great day.

We'll see you on Friday. If you love inspiring testimonies of courageous faith, look no further. The Voice of the Martyrs is offering TPO listeners free access to a film called Sabina, Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years. It tells the powerful true story of a woman's journey to faith in Christ and the risks she took to share the gospel with soldiers from the army that killed her family. Visit vom.org slash tpo to claim your free copy today.