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U.S. NEWS

Guilty

In an unprecedented verdict, Hunter Biden became the first child of a sitting president to be convicted of a crime yesterday; he was found guilty on three felony gun charges. 

After emotional testimony from Hunter’s ex-wife and sister-in-law, jury deliberations began Monday afternoon and lasted three hours. Jurors unanimously found the 54-year-old businessman and lawyer guilty of lying on a federal application about his drug use, lying to a gun dealer, and illegally possessing the firearm. 

Mr. Biden faces up to 25 years in prison and $750K in fines, but first-time nonviolent offenders typically receive shorter sentences. A sentencing date has not been set.

Hunter left the courtroom without talking to the press. President Biden issued a statement promising to “respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.” He’s previously said he would not pardon his son. 

(We’re also covering this story Thursday in Decaf. Decaf is The Pour Over for Families. Sign up—for free—here.)

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
This verdict is big world news but small eternal news. We shouldn't allow this (or any other trial) to consume our thoughts, direct our emotions, or dull our hope. God is not shaken or surprised, and our job as his followers has not changed: love God and love others.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 (CSB) (read full passage)

TECHNOLOGY

Apple Intelligence

Coming to an iPhone near you this fall… an actually useful Siri.

On Monday, Apple (finally) unveiled its plans for AI at its annual Developers Conference. Its so-called “Apple Intelligence” is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and will enable Siri to perform action across apps (e.g. “Hey Siri, attach that photo of Jim at the Grand Canyon to this email”), write and summarize text, manage notifications, and much more.

Apple emphasized user privacy, saying the AI features are optional and will utilize on-device processing and Apple’s private cloud. Elon Musk is skeptical, saying the partnership with OpenAI is an “unacceptable security violation” and suggesting he may ban Apple devices from the premises of his companies.

Non-AI upgrades coming to iOS18 include the ability to schedule texts, react messages with any emoji, and lock individual apps.

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ABOVE ALL, LOVE
Consumers and companies alike can use technology to hoard power and wealth or bless others. Whatever technology you’re using, remember to use every resource at your disposal to honor God and love others.

“A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water. People will curse anyone who hoards grain, but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.” 
Proverbs 11:25-26 (CSB) (read full passage)

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WORLD POLITICS

Elections Européennes

The continent of cobblestones and cafes has spoken, and it’s moving right.

720 seats in the EU’s Parliament were up for grabs in the twice-a-decade vote across 27 countries. Nationalist parties had a strong showing, center parties held steady, and left-wing parties lost ground; practically speaking, results spell increased pressure to tighten Europe’s immigration rules and more skepticism towards Ukraine support.

France’s right-wing populist party, led by Marine Le Pen, won most of France’s seats, securing more than twice the support of the runner-up, President Emmanuel Macron’s rival centrist party.

After Sunday’s defeat, Macron dissolved France’s National Assembly and called for snap legislative elections, risking his governing coalition’s slim majority on hopes that voters will elect a more “clear majority.” Ms. Le Pen welcomed the announcement, and voting will take place before the Paris Olympics.

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Just as many Americans view the outcomes of foreign elections with a certain level of detachment, Christians view earthly political outcomes as secondary to the campaign of our eternal home, where we hold our truest citizenship. 

“From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.… in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us.”
2 Corinthians 5:16, 19-20 (CSB) (read full passage)

Up in the northern suburbs of America (sore-y), Canada’s Parliament has been rocked by allegations of treason. A new, heavily redacted report by an all-party group of Canadian lawmakers alleges that unnamed politicians have been working with foreign governments—especially China and India—to boost liberals in elections. Conservative leaders want names, but PM Trudeau’s government called their requests “irresponsible.” 
 

Israel and Hamas may be close to a ceasefire…? Yesterday, Qatari and Egyptian mediators said they had received a message from Hamas formally accepting the U.N.-backed truce proposal outlined by President Biden last week. Secretary of State Blinken said that Israeli PM Netanyahu “reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal” a day earlier. Despite both sides (apparently) agreeing, uncertainty remains.
 

Coups aren't just for countries. Activist shareholder Elliott Investment Management bought a $1.9B stake in Southwest Airlines and is calling to oust the CEO. Elliott blames Southwest's leadership for failing to adapt to the changing airline industry leading to the 50% decrease in stock price. Southwest Airlines disagrees and expressed confidence in its current leadership.
 

The WNBA announced that the start of its season was its most-watched ever, averaging 1.32 million viewers/game, a ~3x jump from 2023. Over half the games have been sellouts and merchandise sales are up 236%. Meanwhile, the (NBA’s) Lakers’ search for a head coach continues, after UConn’s coach Dan Hurley rejected a six-year $70 million offer.
 

Have you herd? Apparently, African elephants call each other by name! New research involving machine learning determined which elephant sounds were likely names based on how they responded—for instance, a mom calling out to a calf. They tested their results by playing recordings to individual elephants who would energetically respond to their name sounds but ignored others’.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Walking with swagger…

How We’re Doubling Our Impact
Donating to Help The Persecuted*

Around the world, many Christians lose everything by saying, "I believe in Jesus Christ."

Help The Persecuted exists so that they don’t have to bear the burden of persecution alone. 

Their on-the-ground Field Ministers in 13 countries give tangible hope to the Christians fleeing homes, losing jobs, or facing physical threats because of their faith. Believers are… 

• Rescued with emergency evacuations, safe houses, and medical care

• Restored with food, housing, and pastoral counseling

• Rebuilt with dignified work pathways and long-term discipleship

Partner with Help The Persecuted this month to double your impact with The Pour Over’s $1,000 donation match.

What We’re Searching With 
Freespoke*

Oh, the internet. It’s a scary place… but less so with Freespoke.

Freespoke is a search engine that does a few important things differently:

• News results show all sides with media biases labeled (left, middle, right)

• Their new election page delivers news and info from all viewpoints

• No adult content—they’re a partner in protecting our families from bad content

Perhaps most importantly… when you search “The Pour Over,” we’re the top result (not some silly coffee brewing method), and that search is kept private.

Try searching on Freespoke, and search beyond the bias.