The Pour Over Today - Trade War, Economic D-Day, Ballroom Building (Re)begins, & More

Episode Date: August 24, 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. Taxes Canadian Goods 50% Washington and Tehran Talk Tough on Money Ballroom Building (Re)begins Russia Strikes Ukrainian Shoppers The Pentagon Fires Military Reporters Karmelo Anthony Denied a Retrial Swalwell’s Stuff Searched and Seized Feds Cut Colorado River Water Deliveries Thanks to our sponsors: The Voice of the Martyrs: Give a Village Outreach Kit | 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 | 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 Peter. And this is Mia. Today, we're talking about a trade war between the United States and its northern neighbor, the economic showdown between Washington and Tehran, the Trump administration's ballroom construction continuing and other top news from Monday, August 24th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour over. Here is your quote of the day. If you can trust God,

to save you for eternity, you can trust him to lead you for a lifetime. David Platt. Let's get started with some espresso shots. The U.S. and Canada are in a trade war. President Trump paused 50% Canadian tariffs early last week after announcing a tentative deal, but negotiations broke down just hours before Friday's deadline. The tariffs took effect at 12.01 a.m. Saturday, hitting roughly 3,000, $20 billion in Canadian goods, including dairy products, wigs, 36 different kinds of plywood,

and much more. It's he said he said on why talks fell apart. Canadian Prime Minister Carney says the U.S. made, quote, unfair buzzer-beater changes to its proposal, particularly around its auto sector and Canadian sovereignty, and promised to match U.S. tariffs, quote, dollar for dollar. Meanwhile, the U.S. says Canada refused to sign off on already agreed a upon terms. Potus later accused Ottawa of wanting the, quote, benefits of being a state without being one. No new talks have been scheduled. Negotiations progress and regress, and leaders succeed and let us down. But our hope is not in presidents, policies, or even achieving earthly peace. Put your trust in the Lord, who alone brings true justice, provision, and deliverance.

Psalm 146 says, Do not trust in nobles in a son of man who cannot save. When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground. On that day, his plans die. Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord His God,

the maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. By the way, if you're interested in the economy or wish you knew what to say when your friends started talking about it, check out Saturday's TPO Explains episode. The shallow divers themselves, K.A. and Kathleen, took on the task of explaining the national debt. Go borrow some time and check it out. Iranian president, Pezishyuan is calling for an end to the war.

In a speech yesterday, Pazishyan advocated that the U.S. and Iran returned to their expired memorandum of understanding, signed in June, calling it the best way out of the stalled conflict. On Friday, he appealed to Iranian hardliners, saying Iran should pursue an agreement with Uncle Sam now, while Iran is, quote, in a position of power and dignity, and America. is, quote, hated. His appeal comes after President Trump promised, quote, the most crushing economic operation ever against Iran, calling it an economic D-Day. U.S. Treasury Secretary Besant is expected to announce the details of those sanctions today. Iran's security chief seems less inclined to strike a deal and promised that any country that joins Uncle Sam's squeeze campaign will be, quote, considered an enemy.

When headlines swirl and rage like a chaotic sea, it can tempt us toward fear and anxiety. But we can always take courage knowing history is headed toward a throne room where the seas have finally been tamed and a victorious peace will last for eternity. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The Lord sits enthroned. King forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29, 10 through 11.

Ports are weighing in on the Trump administration's agenda items. On Friday, Chief Justice Roberts stayed a lower court's order to halt White House ballroom construction. The move temporarily allows builders to build until SCOTUS can weigh in on whether Trump exceeded his excessive authority by demolishing the East Wing and beginning a 90,000 square foot ballroom construction without congressional approval. The High Court is also reviewing Trump's executive order to restrict mail-in voting. In the meantime, USPS is expediting changes to snail mail standards, but said the tightened

regulations won't be implemented unless SCOTUS gavels in favor of the currently blocked executive order. Meanwhile, Friday, in a, quote, inferior court, no offense, a federal judge struck down Trump's policy that halted visa processing for migrants from 75 countries, calling Trump's suspension, quote, contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority. Here's a verse to consider while awaiting a major decision in your own life. Therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4 verses 1 through 3. Hey, it's Zan from the pourover. I've been making a purposeful effort to eat more seafood because I know it's packed with nutrients and I feel better when I do. But finding quality seafood where I live is a feat. That's why I started ordering from Wild Alaskan. They deliver 100% wild caught, never-firmed seafood like coho salmon and Pacific halibut, straight to my door.

It comes perfectly portioned and frozen right off the boat, locking in taste, texture, and nutrients like Omega-3s. So it's both delicious and super easy to prep a quick, nutritious dinner for my family. My first box from Wild Alaskan company definitely made me realize not all fish is the same. Get seafood you can trust. Go to wildalaskan.com slash TPO for $35.com for $3.5 off your first box of premium wild caught seafood. That's wildalaskan.com for $35 off your first order. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. At least 16 were killed Friday when Russia's a Ukrainian shopping mall in what Kiev called a, quote, double tap, a, aka successive

strikes targeting the same area. Then, Ukrainian strikes on Russia killed at least six civilians and destroyed a warehouse, who in reportedly plans to deploy 300,000 more troops to capture Ukraine's eastern region. The Stars and Stripes lost some senior staffers over alleged insubordination Friday. The Pentagon fired the military paper's editor-in-chief and a top reporter after they discussed the need for editorial independence from the military in an unauthorized interview. The paper's publisher was also dismissed. The Pentagon declined comment but reiterated its commitment to independent reporting. A Texas judge denied Carmelo Anthony's request.

for a new trial after he was convicted of murder in the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old peer at a 2025 track meet. Anthony's lawyers will appeal again, claiming the trial wasn't public, the jury was improperly instructed, and a broken, quote, gentleman's agreement between lawyers prevented Anthony's testimony that he acted in self-defense. Swalwell's stuff was searched and seized last Saturday. As part of an ongoing sexual assault investigation, the FBI stopped California's former Democratic representative, Eric Swalwell, at the San Francisco airport and confiscated his electronic devices, while separate agents raided his D.C. home.

Meanwhile, California Democrat state Senator Aisha Wahab won the special election to fill Swalwell's seat, becoming the first Afghan-American congressperson. Uncle Sam is cutting water deliveries from the Colorado River to California, Nevada, and Arizona by roughly 21% after states couldn't agree on divvying up the shrinking supply. A major drought has water levels of the 1,450-mile, quote, lifeline of the Southwest at record lows. federal officials warned of further cuts over the next decade. And that's all the news for the day. And here's some good news to take with you.

Though the headlines can cause fears and tears, one day God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and death shall be no more. 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. Before we go, here's a delightful and emoji-filled review from a listener, Spice,

who says the pour-over is a good name. Thank you. Followed by a sad emoji for actual pour-over coffee, followed by a heart emoji saying, love listening to you guys. It's the best news outlet, in my opinion. Well, thank you, Spice, and you might have given us a new tagline. The pourover, better than actual pourovers. And thanks for all our listeners. We are so thankful for you and your support.

Have a great Monday, and we'll catch you Wednesday. 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. Plus, it makes drinking water a lot more enjoyable and delicious. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out. As a listener of the pourover,

you'll get a free eight-pack of elements most popular drink-mix flavors with any drink-mix purchase. Just use the element link in the show notes. Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar-raised matters. On September 19th, joined thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research.

Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcfwalk.ca.ca.