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- Taking the Wheel
Taking the Wheel
Federalizing D.C. Police, Steel Plant Explosion, AI Chip Deal, & More
Read Time: 5 min 31 sec | Listen to Podcast
─────── August 13, 2025 ───────
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Take something from yourself, to give to another, that is humane and gentle and never takes away as much comfort as it brings again.”
Thomas More
ESPRESSO SHOTS
U.S. NEWS
Takeover
President Trump is taking the wheel in D.C.
On Monday, Trump announced he’s temporarily taking control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police and deploying the city’s National Guard (they’re under presidential control—unlike state guards), to make “crime, savagery, filth, and scum…disappear.” Deployed troops will establish a presence and report their observations directly to officers, but are not expected to openly carry weapons.
Under the Home Rule Act of 1973, the president can federalize D.C.’s police in 48-hour chunks during “emergencies”; this takeover is expected to last 30 days.
Although D.C.’s violent crime hit a three-decade low last year, it still ranks near the top of U.S. cities for homicides per capita. Critics call Trump’s move “disproportionate” and politically motivated. A long-term federal takeover would require Congress’s approval, where Democrats would likely block it.
(We’re also covering this story tomorrow in Decaf, The Pour Over for Families. Sign up—for free—here.)
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CHOOSE HUMILITY
Politically charged announcements are sure to spark heated debate. Remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ.
“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.”
James 1:19-20 (CSB) (read full passage)
U.S. NEWS
Pennsylvania Explosion
Blasts killed two people and injured 10 others at a U.S. Steel plant outside Pittsburgh on Monday.
Just before 11 a.m., smoke billowed from Clairton Coke Works, America’s largest manufacturing facility of coke (coal-made steelmaking fuel, not soda). The factory employs nearly 1,300 people and produces 4.3 million tons of coke annually. First responders fought flames and conducted an extensive search for two missing employees; one was found dead, and the other was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Residents within a mile of the plant were advised to remain inside with doors and windows shut “out of an abundance of caution,” though officials say air pollution levels remained within a safe range.
The cause of the explosion remains unknown, and police expect “a time-consuming technical investigation.”
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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
The hope of resurrection doesn’t mean we don’t grieve real tragedies, but it does mean that death won’t have the final word. Pray for the injured and the families of those lost, that they would turn to Christ for healing, comfort, and hope.
“O Lord… be merciful to those now wounded. Be present with those now bereaved… Your heart is always inclined toward those who suffer. Now let your mercies be active through the hands, the words, and the compassionate care of those who willingly enter this sadness to console and to serve.”
Every Moment Holy, page 149 of Volume 2
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ECONOMY
Chippin’ In
Uncle Sam is cashing in his AI chips.
Monday, the White House reached an “unusual” agreement with Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to allow the sale of mid-level AI chips to China—the latest, most-powerful AI chips still cannot be sold to China due to national security concerns. In exchange for the license to sell, the chipmakers will give Uncle Sam 15% of Chinese chip sales. The deal, worth ~$2B, is raising questions over whether it violates the Constitution’s ban on taxing exports.
The same day, President Trump extended the U.S.'s “trade truce” with China for another 90 days, hours before the previous pause’s expiration.
Meanwhile, #47 announced that gold “will not be tariffed,” a clarification after gold bars imported from Switzerland were being hit with the country’s 39% tariff.
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Verse to consider when the international math (and your own economic prospects) keeps changing… “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.”
1 Timothy 6:17 (CSB) (read full passage)
IN OTHER BREWS…
You’ve got mail! And it’s AOL saying dial-up internet will “BRB… never.” Famous for its beeps, buzzes, and booting you offline when Mom needed the phone, the ‘90s relic will be disconnected for good on September 30—only 160,000ish Americans will notice. No word yet if AOL will mail everyone one last free-trial CD.
Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sunday, including prominent on-the-ground correspondent Anas Al-Sharif. Israel says Sharif was “the head of a Hamas terrorist cell,” which he had denied. The targeted attack on the journalists’ tent has drawn international condemnation, with the U.N. calling it a grave breach of international law.
Three people, including one child, were killed Monday in a shooting in Austin, TX. The suspected shooter—a 32-year-old man with a “mental health history”—opened fire in a Target parking lot Monday afternoon before hijacking one of the victims’ cars, crashing it, then stealing another car from a nearby dealership. The suspect is in custody, and police are investigating a motive.
Wall Street celebrated July’s inflation report, sending markets to another record close. CPI rose 2.7%, less than expected, thanks to declines in grocery and gas prices (see breakdown). Investors are betting the Fed trims rates next month to keep the expansion rolling. It’s the first report under President Trump’s new Bureau of Labor Statistics pick, a longtime critic of the agency.
At 12:12 a.m. on August 12, Taylor Swift revealed the title of her 12th studio album. This week, Swift will appear on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast, New Heights. In a promo video for the episode—which drops Wednesday night—she announced that TS12 is called The Life of a Showgirl. The release date and other deets about the new era are TBD.
WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP
Some satisfying mug glazing...
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