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Canada’s making new friends across the pond.

Thursday, Canadian PM Carney addressed the EU Parliament, accepting the 27-country bloc’s invitation to become its first “associate member.” Carney said the alliance will deepen Canada-Europe partnership across trade, defense, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, and financial services. The Great White North, which currently sends ~70% of exports south, aims to boost “collective resilience” against Uncle Sam’s economic and geopolitical pressure.

The new mates are still working out the deets, considering an “associate EU member” doesn’t exactly exist in the EU treaty today.

The budding cross-Atlantic alliance comes amid North American tension: “51st State” talks, billions in tariffs, and renaming Lake Ontario. President Trump expressed skepticism towards the Canada-EU relationship and threatened “very heavy tariffs” on Europe if he deemed a deal to be “hostile.”

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Verse to consider whether you’re managing tension in your neighborhood, feeling isolated, or getting excited about budding friendships… “The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”
1 Peter 4:7-10 (CSB) (read full passage)

A news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles Tuesday, killing three people. 

NewsChopper4, delivering aerial news for NBC4 and Telemundo 52, was covering a fatal bus crash that killed two people in the Chatsworth neighborhood when it went down. The chopper’s crash and resulting blaze killed the two-person crew (a photojournalist and veteran pilot nearing retirement) and a pedestrian visiting from Guatemala. See NBC4’s anchor break the news. 

Cockpit audio captured a warning alarm, a voice saying “uh oh,” then “You can’t pull up?” before the feed went dark. Aviation experts say the audio points to engine failure. 

More than 70 firefighters battled the flames that spread to four vehicles and two storage containers on what Mayor Karen Bass called “a heartbreaking night” for Los Angeles. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation. 

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PRAY WITH US
Lord of Highest Heaven, today we are brought down low. Your people have soared to remarkable, breathtaking heights, marveling at the ingenuity of flight, the gift of swift passage, the wonder of a bird’s-eye view—only to be brought down in flame and reduced to ash.

Comfort families whose normalcy has been suddenly shattered; draw near to those who lost what cannot be restored; heal those wounded and traumatized, beaten down by the wrongness of the world. You alone can turn mourning into dancing; exchange funeral attire for wedding clothes; swap grief for glory, so we come to you whose presence clings tightly in heaviest grief. Amen.

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The House recessed a day ahead of schedule Wednesday after checking off some to-do list items and leaving others pending.

On Wednesday, the Lower Chamber voted 262-159 to pass a bill that ups sanctions on Russia and Iran and allows President Trump to impose up-to-100% tariffs on Russia’s top five oil and natural gas buyers (China, India, etc.). The bill, which was championed by and named after late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), bipartisanly passed in the Senate (86-11) last month.

Left in the hopper: articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Hegseth. Rep. Massie (R-KY) introduced the articles Tuesday, citing Hegesth’s handling of the Iran war and recent drug boat strikes. The lame-duck lawmaker accused Speaker Johnson (R-LA) of recessing early to avoid a vote; Johnson argued that the House had “done its job” and called the impeachment effort “a stunt.”

We made you a quick impeachment explainer if you need a recap.

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CHOOSE HUMILITY
It’s easy to weigh in on congressional checklists… But how are the chores and honey-do discussions going at your own house? In all your conversations, demonstrate faith in Christ through patience and compromises that outdo one another in showing honor and love.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:22–25 (CSB) (read full passage)

Money just got more expensive. The Federal Reserve unanimously raised interest rates by a quarter point on Wednesday (its first hike since 2023) in an effort to wrangle stubborn inflation. President Trump, who has repeatedly demanded the Fed cut rates, said he still backs Fed Chair Warsh. With another hike likely ahead, borrowing will get pricier, but savings accounts will also get beefier.


Apple is pre-gaming its iPhone release with Siri AI. Monday, the fruit-phone maker released iOS 27 with a beta version of its new AI-powered assistant. New-and-improved Siri has received positive reviews for handling complex requests and digging up info buried in old texts, though some say it’s still catching up with other chatbots. Users have also thumbs-upped iOS 27’s other updates (see which shiny new features you can try).


Charlie Kirk’s family plans to sue Utah Valley University and other Utah officials, alleging “stunning failures” that led to the activist’s assassination. In a legal notice sent earlier this month, lawyers claim the speaking event’s location, failure to secure surrounding rooftops, and a lack of first responders on-site “created a foreseeable danger to Charlie.” UVU confirmed the notice, but hasn’t commented further.


A U.N. fact-finding mission has found “reasonable grounds” that the U.S. committed war crimes in strikes on an Iranian school and sports facility, and that Iran committed crimes against humanity when brutally suppressing domestic protests. The governments haven’t responded. Meanwhile in Gaza, a war-damaged apartment collapsed on Wednesday, leaving at least 20 dead, 14 injured, and nearly 100 missing.


OpenAI is tattling on its own models. On Wednesday, the AI giant disclosed six instances of “unexpected or concerning behavior,” including models hiding mistakes from users, inserting instructions to future versions of itself, and fabricating data. The ChatGPT creator announced a new framework to self-report future misbehavior rather than waiting for outside sources to expose it. See OpenAI’s report here.


Anxious about AI unknowns? We sat down with Tony Reinke, author of “God, Technology, and the Christian Life,” to get some (really wise) answers. Stay tuned for TPO Explains tomorrow to check it out.

We’re counting down to the most popular Whipped Cream on Top posts of all time. Here’s #8!

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