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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 ~$20B in Canadian goods including dairy products, wigs, 36 different kinds of plywood, and much more (see what’s getting pricier).

It’s he-said-he-said on why talks fell apart. Canadian PM Carney says the U.S. made “unfair” buzzer-beater changes to its proposal, particularly around the auto sector and Canadian sovereignty, and promised to match U.S. tariffs “dollar-for-dollar.” Meanwhile, the U.S. says Canada refused to sign off on already-agreed-upon terms. POTUS later accused Ottawa of wanting the “benefits of being a state, without being one.”

No new talks have been scheduled. 

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
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.

“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.” 
Psalm 146:3-7 (CSB) (read full passage)

Iranian President Pezeshkian is calling for an end to the war.

On Friday, he told a group of the country’s doctors that Iran should pursue an agreement with Uncle Sam now while Iran’s “in a position of power and dignity” and America “is hated.” Then, in a speech yesterday, Pezeshkian advocated that the U.S. and Iran return to their expired “Memorandum of Understanding” signed in June, calling it the best way out of the stalled conflict.

His appeal comes after President Trump promised “the most crushing economic operation ever” against Iran, calling it an “Economic D-Day.” U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent is expected to announce the details of those sanctions today. 

Iran’s Security Chief Rezaei seems less inclined to strike a deal, and promised that any country that joins Uncle Sam’s squeeze campaign will be “considered an enemy.”

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
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 29:10-11 (CSB) (read full passage)

This Sunday, in Nigerian villages that violence has emptied, churches are going to gather. Children will be taught, and Scripture will be read out loud. That is not a small act of courage. 

So far this year, over 2,500 Nigerian Christians have been killed and 2,800 kidnapped. Since 2009, the toll has reached 125,000 killed and 12 million displaced. The churches are still meeting anyway, still reaching for the generation growing up in the middle of it.

OneHope works alongside them to get God’s Word into those kids’ hands. The generation cannot wait.

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BE DOERS
Every $1 you donate delivers the life-transforming power of God’s hope to three Nigerian young people. Right now, The Pour Over is matching the first $10,000 given through this link.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40 (CSB) (read full passage)

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Courts are weighing in on the Trump Admin’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 executive authority by demolishing the East Wing and beginning 90,000-square-foot ballroom construction without congressional approval (see the ballroom’s progress).

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 says the tightened regulations won’t be implemented unless SCOTUS gavels in favor of the (currently blocked) executive order.

Meanwhile Friday, in an “inferior” court (no offense), a federal judge struck down Trump’s policy that halted visa processing for migrants from 75 countries, calling #47’s suspension “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.”

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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 4:1-3 (CSB) (read full passage)

At least 16 were killed Friday when Russia struck a Ukrainian shopping mall in what Kyiv called a “double tap” (successive strikes targeting the same area). Then, Ukrainian strikes on Russia killed at least six civilians and destroyed a warehouse. Putin reportedly plans to deploy 300,000 more troops to capture Ukraine’s eastern region (see where the battle lines are currently drawn).

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. (See what the paper had to say here.)

A Texas judge denied Karmelo 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 “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 former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) at the San Francisco airport and confiscated his electronic devices, while separate agents raided his D.C. home. Meanwhile, California State Senator Aisha Wahab (D) 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 ~21% after states couldn’t agree on divvying up the shrinking supply. A major drought has water levels of the 1,450-mile “Lifeline of the Southwest” at record lows (see pics of how low here). Federal officials warned of further cuts over the next decade.

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