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TECH

Bot Stock Shock

DeepSeek—a Chinese AI company—is threatening to upend the technology world order.

Released last week, the startup’s model is reportedly as good as ChatGPT but costs ~97% less to build, operates at 3-4% the cost-per-output, and is free to use (vs. $20/month to get all of ChatGPT’s features). Amid the hype, DeepSeek swiftly passed ChatGPT as the top-downloaded free app in Apple’s App Store. 

Unlike competitors, DeepSeek left Nvidia chips out of its build, and the stock market definitely noticed. 

Tech stocks lost a combined $1 trillion of market value on Monday, led by Nvidia, which posted the largest single-day loss in history ($600 billion, ouch). Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla also posted big drops as investors questioned their plans to spend billions on (apparently unnecessary) AI infrastructure. Yesterday, the panic mellowed, and stocks rebounded.

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RADIATE HOPE
In a world of rapid AI developments and innovations, God remains God, and our eternal life with Christ remains secure. Be quick to point to God and give him the credit for your hope, strength, and love during times dominated by the unknown. 

“The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity.” 
Job 12:10 (CSB) (read full passage)

POLITICS

Week Two

Executive orders and memos continue flowing from the White House.

Monday, Trump signed four military-focused executive orders that: 

• ended DEI initiatives across the armed forces 

• reinstated (with backpay) 8,000+ service members discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine

• effectively banned “trans-identifying” individuals from service and forbid pronoun specification

• directed the building of an “American Iron Dome” like Israel’s missile defense system

Later, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed federal agencies to temporarily pause “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance” and audit spending. The directive—which doesn’t impact Social Security, Medicare, or direct assistance to individuals—will take effect Monday after a judge delayed it last night.

The Trump admin said the memo didn’t amount to a “funding freeze,” but Democrats promise to continue challenging the “unconstitutional pause” of Congress-approved funding.

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Verse to consider when you can’t keep up with life’s constant changes… “My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I wither away like grass. But you, Lord, are enthroned forever; your fame endures to all generations.” 
Psalm 102:11–12 (CSB) (read full passage)

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WORLD NEWS

Ceasefire Homecomings

After 15 months of fighting, thousands of displaced Palestinians are headed home (watch them stream in).

Israeli troops withdrew from a coastal road in Gaza on Monday, allowing Palestinians (300,000 by Hamas’s count) to leave southern shelters—schools, refugee camps, and relatives’ homes—for the northern Strip. Many will find only rubble, with satellite images showing 60% of northern buildings damaged or destroyed. Gaza’s health ministry says over 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.

The migration was delayed 48 hours after Hamas didn’t release an expected civilian hostage on Saturday, then resumed after Hamas agreed to release her and others this week. Hamas also confirmed Israeli intelligence that only 18 of the remaining 26 hostages set to be released in phase one of the deal are alive.

Phase two negotiations are set to begin next week.

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

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Pray for the brokenhearted on both sides of the conflict to experience the comfort of Christ. He volunteered to leave his home to suffer terribly in our place so that we could live with him eternally in a world free of sin and its pains.

“Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:3–4 (CSB) (read full passage)

Chaos overtook the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday. Thousands fled Goma—an eastern Congo city of 2 million—as fighting broke out between Rwandan-backed rebels and Congolese forces. By Tuesday, rebels had taken Goma’s airport, killed at least 17 foreign peacekeepers, and overwhelmed hospitals. The conflict has decades-old roots in the Rwandan genocide and the struggle for Congo’s rich mineral resources.
 

The White House briefing room reopened for business yesterday with 27-year-old Karoline Leavitt—the youngest press secretary in history—taking the podium before a gaggle of reporters that now includes independent journalists (like podcasters and social media influencers). One of Leavitt’s first announcements: the mystery drones flown over New Jersey in December were authorized by the FAA (with hobbyists adding to the fleet).
 

Holocaust survivors and world leaders gathered at Auschwitz on Monday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation, marked as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp. In total, approximately 6 million Jews were killed across German-occupied Europe between 1933 and 1945.
 

“Hey Google… Where's the Gulf of America?” Google announced Monday it would update the Gulf of Mexico and Denali to the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley for U.S. Google Mappers following President Trump’s executive order renaming the geographical landmarks. The tech giant cited a “longstanding practice” of updating place names when “official government sources” change them.
 

Starbucks is bringing cozy back. New CEO Brian Niccol launched a turnaround plan Monday at ~11,000 North American stores after last year’s sales slump. Changes include ceramic mugs for in-store sippers, free refills on hot coffee and tea, the return of misspelled Sharpie-written names, and the condiment bar (cream and sugar… no ketchup) making its post-pandemic re-debut.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Now, that’s some fast chopping…

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Xan Sibley | Writer

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