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The ChatGPT maker revealed its latest major partnership in recent weeks—this time with semiconductor giant Broadcom—to co-develop 10 gigawatts of custom AI chips and infrastructure starting in 2026. The two had quietly collaborated for 18 months before going public on Monday.
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The deal adds to OpenAI’s growing web of alliances—including Oracle, Nvidia, and AMD—all aimed at ramping up computing power for AI expansion. Broadcom’s stock popped nearly 10% on the news.
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Meanwhile, California Governor Newsom (D) vetoed a bill that would’ve restricted minors’ access to AI chatbots unless companies ensured the bots couldn’t engage in sexual talk or encourage self-harm. Newsom said he supports the bill’s intent, but worries the proposal’s “broad restrictions” could have “unintentionally led to a total ban on the use of these products” for kids.
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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Whether you’re thrilled by innovation or intimidated by new threats, live with joy and pursue holiness because believers already know how this story ends. Technology will never outsmart God or thwart His plan to renew and glorify all who are in Christ.
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“But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.”
2 Peter 3:13-14 (CSB) (read full passage)
The delay is raising fears that the ceasefire won’t hold; the U.S. says Hamas hasn’t broken the truce and intends to “honor” it.
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Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel is preparing to open the Rafah Crossing—the sole Gaza-Egypt border entry—for people (but humanitarian aid will only come through Israel-Gaza border entry points). Hamas is reasserting control where Israel has withdrawn, clashing with rival militias and those accused of collaborating with Israel.
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RADIATE HOPE
As we mourn violence and pray for peace to hold in the Middle East, believers are reminded of how good the news is of Jesus’s coming kingdom. His Spirit offers supernatural peace in our hearts today, and His return promises unbreakable peace in a renewed earth forever.
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“‘For I will create new heavens and a new earth… The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle, but the serpent’s food will be dust! They will not do what is evil or destroy on my entire holy mountain,’ says the LORD.”
Isaiah 65:17, 25 (CSB) (read full passage)
Y’all ever used DoorDash? A $10 burger turns into a $23 burger by the time it crosses your doorstep, but the burger isn’t any bigger... and you think to yourself, “Self, next time we can save money by doing this the homemade way.”
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Consider that your first lesson in tariffs.
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Well, now I’m just hungry.
Hold your horses. There’s more to learn!
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Tariffs are taxes on imported goods. There’s…
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Ad Valorem Tariffs: percentage-based (e.g., a 20% tax on anything imported from Taiwan)
Specific Tariffs: fixed fees imposed on physical units (often used on commodities where the price is constantly changing, like $10 per barrel of oil)
Compound Tariffs: a combination of ad valorem and specific
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All tariffs are taxes paid by importers to the local government.
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For example, imagine the U.S. has a 50% tariff on goods from China (purely hypothetical). If an American company imports a $1,000 Labubu Doll from China, it will also have to pay $500 to the U.S. government ($1,500 total). The company can either absorb that $500 tax or pass the price hike along to its consumers… but someone’s gotta pay it.
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Why do governments impose tariffs?
There are three main reasons:
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Revenue generation (tariffs generated ~50% of Uncle Sam’s revenue before 1913)
Protection of domestic industries (increasing the cost of foreign goods incentivizes buying local)
Leverage in foreign relations (pressuring other countries through their export biz)
Why do critics dislike tariffs?
By design, tariffs make the market less efficient and raise prices for consumers.
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Back in 1913, the U.S. moved away from its tariff-focused tax system in favor of the current income tax system because tariffs disproportionately affected lower-income consumers (they spend a larger share of their income on basic goods, many of which are imported).
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Want to hear more about tariffs? Today’s episode of the TPO Explains podcast is for you!
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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Our response to things beyond our control (such as economic negotiations between governments) should reflect our faith in Christ and encourage others. In the face of uncertainty and change, seek to reflect the peace of God, which surpasses understanding.
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“What does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the LORD’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.”
Deuteronomy 10:12–13 (CSB) (read full passage)
President Trump’s second-term economic policy has been marked by tariffs and economic fluctuation (read our tariff explainer here). Our financial outlook is not merely a political issue; our posture toward money is profoundly spiritual.
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Economic uncertainty has a unique power over us. We fear that we’ll lose what we strove so diligently to earn; that we won’t have what we need; that we’ll be dependent upon others. But the upside-down reality of life in God’s kingdom is that dependence is a good thing.
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Turn your heart to the One who owns everything:
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King of Creation,
The global economy sits far outside the realm of what we can control.
We long for security, but we cannot guarantee it.
We crave certainty, but it eludes us.
We seek after prosperity, but it’s fickle.
But you need nothing from anyone.
All things come from you—
the cunning and skill to make wealth and the wealth itself1—
and all things are owed to you.2
We confess that we have used money to avoid dependence on you.
We confess that our hearts have prized earthly treasure.3
We confess to being tight-fisted and ungenerous with your gifts.
We have been anxious and self-sufficient.
But with you there is peace and contentment and eternal treasure.
When world leaders compete for the better end of the deal,
empower your people to model sacrificial love.
When the rich require bigger barns to store their wealth,
incline them to generosity.4
When economic policies threaten the vulnerable,
provide for their every need.
When we’re gripped by fear of an uncertain future,
teach us to seek your kingdom today and trust you for tomorrow.
When we’re overcome by an insatiable desire for wealth,
reorient us toward gratitude and contentment.5
Today, nations swap resources for comfort and glory.
But one day, all nations will end their negotiations,
bend their knees, and offer you tribute.6
Until then, may we recognize your kingship over every realm of our lives
and give you the offerings you deserve.
Amen.
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The danger with wealth is that it takes over our affection and trust, causing us to forget the Lord. Whether we’re fixated on building wealth or managing it, we’re depending on ourselves for security and hope. That’s not a life of faith. But this is:
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“Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, yet I will celebrate in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! The LORD my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!” Habakkuk 3:17-19 (CSB)
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The economy had crumbled. But Habakkuk’s joy and strength remained because they were rooted in the Lord. Here’s how the apostle Paul puts it: “I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content” (Philippians 4:12, CSB). Spoiler: it’s Jesus.
Bolton, who served as national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019 during Trump 1.0, is accused of using a personal email and messaging apps to send diary-style entries to relatives and holding onto top-secret documents at his Maryland residence. Bolton denies all wrongdoing and says the indictment is an example of President Trump “weaponizing the Justice Department” against his perceived political opponents.
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Bolton was released without bail and is expected back in court next month.
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Meanwhile, President Trump commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft last year. Santos had served less than three months of a more-than-seven-year sentence.
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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE Christians should always root for justice and fairness, whether it's a politician or a random person on trial. Our job is to try to please Jesus, who will judge everyone fairly and win in the end.
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“Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (CSB) (read full passage)
Meanwhile, the U.S. House Oversight Committee released new Epstein files, including flight manifests and a transcript of its 2019 interview with former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, who negotiated Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal. Representatives Massie (R-KY) and Khanna (D-CA) are still pushing for a full release of the DOJ’s files on Epstein. They need one more signature, which Rep-Elect Grijalva (D-AZ) has promised after she’s sworn in.
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Confused about what an “Epstein File” is? Read our brief explainer.
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CHOOSE HUMILITY
When discussing divisive topics, such as the allegations against Prince Andrew, remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ.
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“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.” James 3:17 (CSB) (read full passage)
President Trump is shifting his peace-negotiating energy to Ukraine.
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Friday, POTUS held another Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as part of a renewed effort to end the Russia-Ukraine War. Zelenskyy’s been pushing Uncle Sam to supply Ukraine’s military with long-range Tomahawk missiles—a request Trump said the U.S. and Ukraine would “have to work on” and is “not easy” to fulfill.
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After the meeting, Trump urged Ukraine and Russia to “stop where they are” and end their three-year-long war; Zelenskyy agreed. Now, Trump is planning to meet with Russian President Putin in Budapest within the next two weeks.
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Meanwhile, in Gaza, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire faced its first major test over the weekend after an attack prompted airstrikes and temporarily halted aid. Yesterday, Israel said the ceasefire had resumed and aid could resume today.
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Verse to consider when earthly peace feels fragile or far-off… “He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.”
Micah 4:3 (CSB) (read full passage)
An Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage around 3 a.m. knocked out a good chunk of the web, including Amazon, Snapchat, Venmo, Roblox, and even Delta’s and United’s airline reservation systems. AWS powers roughly one-third of the internet, making it the world’s largest cloud provider, followed by Microsoft and Google.
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The glitch, traced to AWS’s Domain Name System (DNS) in its northern Virginia data center, left at least 2,500 companies offline and is estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars globally. The disruption took most of the day to fully resolve.
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Amazon says no cyberattack was involved, just an internal network-monitoring misfire. Experts say the outage underscores how reliant the internet has become on a few giants—when one cloud sneezes, much of the web catches a cold.
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Verse to consider when outages leave you frustrated…“A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness.”
Proverbs 14:29 (CSB) (read full passage)
The announcement came a day after President Trump canceled his upcoming face-to-face with Russian President Putin, saying he didn’t want a “wasted meeting.” Trump supports an immediate ceasefire backed by Kyiv that would freeze current front lines; Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from the embattled Eastern regions (see map).
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Meanwhile, Ukraine’s chances of getting long-range Tomahawk missiles went from slim to almost none. Trump shot down the request, saying only the U.S. will fire the “highly complex” missiles, which it’s “not going to do.”
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PRAY WITH US
As peace tarries and our hearts grow weary, it’s tempting to forget God’s sovereign will and promised everlasting peace. Join us in praying for lasting peace, on earth as it is in Heaven.
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Our Perfect Peacemaker, in the hearts and lands of Presidents Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump, work peace. Thwart evil plans, and bring to fruition those that lead to flourishing. May they be creative in their problem-solving, wise in their choice of counselors, clear-eyed in their negotiating, and compassionate toward the needy, humbly considering the good of others before their own gain and attributing all the glory to You alone.
(1 Timothy 2:1–2; James 3:17–18; Philippians 2:3–11)
The FBI is alleging that members of the NBA teamed up with the Mafia on illegal sports betting and rigged poker.
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The FBI announced 30+ arrests yesterday following two “mind-boggling” fraud probes, implicating multiple major crime families alongside Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trailblazers head coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups.
The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on leave, promising to protect “the integrity of the game.”
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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
The Bible warns us over and over about the danger of feeding an insatiable desire for wealth. Fight greed by exercising your generosity muscles, making a habit of an open-handed approach to all God’s gifts.
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“Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you… But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand.”
1 Chronicles 29:11, 14 (CSB) (read full passage)
We’re all friends here, so I’m trusting you with a confession: my gut response to the Louvre Museum heist was fascination (and dare I say amazement?) at the seeming success of the thieves. For a second, I was rooting for them. Who can pull something like that off? (Two of four suspects have reportedly been arrested; read the backstory here.)
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Then I remembered that life isn’t an Oceans movie, France lost precious heirlooms, innocent people were scared witless, and greed is a very ugly thing. It’s got me thinking about how we respond to our insatiable desire for more and what the Lord has to say about it:
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Let’s turn our eyes to Him now:
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Our Holy One,
all good and beautiful things have origins in You.
Dazzling gems and gleaming gold and intricate craftsmanship
are a dim reflection of Your resplendence,
Glorious King of Creation.
You are pure and holy perfection,
but we are marred.
We confess that we are not so different from the thieves:
all that glitters has its grip on us.
We crave that which isn’t properly ours,
in direct disobedience to Your commandments.
We have treasured worldly things,
and they’ve dragged our hearts from You.
Turn us. Turn our gaze. Reclaim our affections.
Sovereign God,
This secret plot was not hidden from You.
You are not surprised or rattled,
and You haven’t lost track of a single stone.
Thank You for protecting the truly priceless workmanship in the room last week:
the souls You have made for Yourself.
Thank You for Jesus, in whom we have
eternal treasure that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
Our inheritance is not kept in a glass case so easily broken,
and it has no need of security guards.
Keeper of our Souls, our riches in heaven are in Jesus,
in whom we pray.
Amen.
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“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 (CSB)
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Images of beautiful, desirable things and “the good life” are constantly dangled in front of us. But craving, lusting after, and taking pride in stuff—no matter how pretty—is not from God. What is? Contentment, generosity, and a God-ward gaze.
Friday, War Secretary Hegseth ordered the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group—comprised of the world’s largest aircraft carrier and three destroyers—to the Caribbean to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt” criminal organizations. The carrier was redirected from the Mediterranean, bringing along dozens of fighter jets.
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The move follows several recent lethal U.S. airstrikes on suspected smuggling boats. It also turns up the pressure on Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro; in response to the deployment, Venezuela’s Defense Minister said the country is conducting military drills to guard its coast against possible U.S. “covert operations.”
CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Christians should be committed to praying for world leaders to be wise and to work towards peaceful resolutions, while simultaneously placing our hope in God, not government.
“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (CSB) (read full passage)
A contentious commercial that ran during the World Series has the U.S. and Canada in a trade pickle.
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An ad by the Ontario government featured clips from a 1987 radio address by then-President Ronald Reagan, saying that “over the long run,” tariffs “hurt every American worker and consumer.” Thursday, President Trump canceled trade negotiations with Canada over the ad. Ontario leaders promised to pause the commercial to resume talks… but still aired the ad during Friday’s game to “initiate a conversation” about the “impact of tariffs.”
Meanwhile, the Ronald Reagan Foundation is calling foul. The org’s lawyering up, claiming Canada “misrepresented” Reagan and used his speech without permission.
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Verse to consider whether you’re interacting with your international neighbors or your next-door neighbors… “Jesus answered, ‘The most important is “Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other command greater than these.’”
Mark 12:29-31 (CSB) (read full chapter)
