The Pour Over Today - Trump-Putin Summit, D.C. Crime Crackdown, Gerrymandering, & More | 08.18.25

Episode Date: August 18, 2025

Today, we’re talking about President Trump’s plans after meeting with Russian President Putin in Alaska; a deal between local D.C. police and the DOJ on the crime crackdown in the capital; the nationwide gerrymandering battle; and other top news for Monday, August, 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Share what TPO has meant to you here 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 LMNT Surfshark Holy Post CSB's Back to School Gift Guide CCCU Upside HelloFresh Mosh

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Today, we're talking about President Trump's plans after meeting with Russia. President Putin in Alaska, a deal between local D.C. police and the DOJ on the crime crackdown in the Capitol, the nationwide gerrymandering battle, and other top news for Monday, August 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pourover. Here's your quote of the day. Everything you need, God already is. Priscilla Shire. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

President's Trump and Putin met for three hours in Alaska on Friday and inched toward progress. President Trump said, quote, great progress was made and Putin reference in understanding, but no ceasefire ordeal was announced. Trump later told Ukrainian President Zelensky that Putin had offered to freeze most front lines if Ukraine seated all of Donetsk, a region Russia has largely controlled, since first invading in 2014. Zelensky rejected the proposal. First Lady Melania Trump wrote Putin a letter,

raising concerns over abducted Ukrainian children, which her husband hand-delivered. On Saturday, Putin told Kremlin officials the summit was, quote, timely and very useful, saying they discussed, quote, all aspects of our cooperation and the root causes of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump said he'll brief NATO leaders

and meet with President Zelensky and European leaders in Washington later today. Christians should be committed to praying for world leaders to be wise and to work towards peaceful resolutions while simultaneously placing our hope in God, not government. 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 through 2 says, First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life

in all godliness and dignity. The D.C. crime initiatives are stirring things up on the streets and in the courtroom. The Justice Department and D.C. officials reached a deal Friday after D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwab sued to stop the federal takeover of local police and a federal judge signaled she was likely to rule in his favor. The DOJ agreed to keep police chief Smith at the helm in exchange for local law enforcement's cooperation with federal officers and immigration enforcement. Protests have popped up across the nation's capital in response to the crackdown,

which had resulted in 240-plus arrests, with demonstrators chanting Free D.C. Meanwhile, backup is en route. Three Republican-led states, Ohio, West Virginia, and South Carolina, have announced they will collectively deploy around 650 National Guardsmen and military police to D.C. as, quote, a show of commitment to public safety and regional cooperation. In this divisive and political climate, Christians have an opportunity to show that our ultimate allegiance

is to the God who shows perfect justice and mercy to everyone. Imitate Him, rooting for justice while retaining love for all parties, desiring restoration and not revenge. Isaiah 30, verse 18, says, Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is willing to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy. Texas has a full house again. Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to stall a vote on redistricting are expected to return to Austin today, allowing the vote to move forward

on a new map that will probably flip five congressional seats in Republicans' favor. The map work is part of President Trump's effort to expand Republicans' narrowly held control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 26 midterm elections. While the Lone Star lawmakers were on hiatus, California's Governor Newsom proposed his own map that would probably add five more blue seats. Democrats will seek approval to put the new map, which sidesteps the state's independent redistricting commission, on its November 2025 ballot. Liking that math, Texas Democrats are returning home, saying they'll move their battle to the courts and quote, pass the baton to California.

Here's a verse to consider whether gerrymandering math keeps you up at night or puts you to sleep faster than high school algebra. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19, verse 14. Back to school season means your kids are about to read a whole lot of books. So why not make sure they have the most important one in their backpack? The Christian Standard Bible makes it easy with a full lineup of Bibles

designed for even the youngest readers like the dyslexia-friendly CSB Grace Bible for kids, the creative journal and draw Bible, and the in-depth CSB student study Bible. They're accurate, readable, and built to help young readers understand the word,

not just skim it. You can even personalize them to remind your student that Jesus calls them by name. Shop CSB's Back to School gift guide at CSbiblical.com slash gift guide or check out the link link in the show notes.

In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Hurricane season is warming up. Aaron, the first hurricane of the 2025 season, exploded to Category 5 status over the weekend before downgrading and passing 200 miles north of Puerto Rico. While not expected to make landfall, Aaron will slam the Caribbean with rain and wind and churn up, quote, life-threatening rip currents and surf along the east coast. Flash floods from heavy rains have killed over 400 people across Pakistan,

India administered Kashmir, and Nepal. Officials said 321 of the deaths came in in just 48 hours in northwest Pakistan. Rescuers have evacuated more than 3,500 stranded tourists, trapped in flood-prone areas, but hundreds remain missing as recovery efforts continue. The Big House is in the doghouse. The NCAA is fining the University of Michigan about $20 million and has suspended head football coach Sharon Moore for a third game over reports that a former staffer and others repeatedly stole opposing teams' play-calling signals from 2021 to 2023.

Then head coach and khaki's lover, Jim Harbaugh, has been banned from collegiate athletics until 2038. New Orleans mayor, Latoya Cantrell, has been charged with fraud for allegedly using government funds to hide a, quote, intimate relationship with a now-retired Nola police officer, who worked as her bodyguard from 2026. 2021 through 24.

Federal prosecutors accused the pair of spending over $70,000 on personal trips and fabricating working hours to, quote, maximizing their time together. Cantrell has not commented on the allegations. United Health Group stock soar 12% on Friday, its best day in five years. After Warren Buffett revealed a stake of 5 million shares worth about $1.6 billion. United Health stock has suffered in 2025 down near 50% before receiving the Buffett bump as it faces public blowback for the rising costs of health insurance and a DOJ investigation into its Medicare billing practices.

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 Wednesday. What if you could boost your savings while advancing the gospel?

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