The Pour Over Today - August 20, 2021

Episode Date: August 20, 2021

Studies show vaccines lose efficacy over time, the evacuation of Afghanistan continues, T-Mobile is hacked, and other top news from August 20th.Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.

Happy Friday. It is August 20th and you're listening to The Pour Over. We aim to keep Christians informed on what's happening in the world while staying focused on Christ. Here's the quote of the day. Lord, help my words be seeds of encouragement, not weeds of bitterness. Cynthia Johnson Let's get started with some espresso shots. Let's get started with some espresso shots. Both U.S. health officials and the Fast and the Furious producers agree, more is better.

The White House has officially recommended COVID booster shots eight months after receiving the second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, citing three new studies that show that the efficacy of the mRNA vaccines drops 8 to 34 percent over time. Dwindling efficacy may explain how Israel, once the poster child for effective pandemic response, has seen cases climb from just 10 cases per day in June to over 6,200 cases per day. But not everyone agrees. A group of scientists and health experts say that the cited studies show that while protection against mild and moderate cases declines over time, protection against severe illness remains strong, and a WHO official equated booster shots to giving people a second life jacket while others drown. When discussing divisive topics, such as vaccines, remember that both your stance and how you take

your stance reflect on Christ. We should not be willing to sacrifice relationships to win an argument. 1 Peter 4.8 says, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. U.S. troops have secured the Kabul airport and are evacuating 5,000 to 9,000 people per day. While the Taliban has publicly promised, quote, safe passage to anyone who is unenthusiastic about the country's new direction, they've also surrounded the airport in checkpoints and are reportedly turning away Afghan citizens. President Biden, who is facing bipartisan anger over the chaotic withdrawal, has promised troops will remain until all Americans are evacuated, even if it means missing his August 31st deadline.

In addition to an attempted mass exodus and scattered protests, the Taliban is facing an economic crisis. For decades, Afghanistan's meager economy has been sustained by international aid, which is now cut off, that was held in foreign bank accounts, which are now frozen. It's believed the Taliban can access just 0.1% of Afghanistan's reserves. Our hope is not contingent on the stability of a government or the future of a nation. It's much more secure than that. Regardless of whether things get worse or better during your lifetime, everything eventually ends well for followers of Christ. Hebrews 13.8 says Jesus Christ is the same

yesterday and today and forever. T-Mobile confirmed that the personal data of 47 million current and former customers has been stolen after it showed up for sale on the dark web. The company said, quote, importantly, no phone numbers were compromised, a small consolation for those who had their name, address, driver's license number, and social security number stolen. Experts warn that the blend of data stolen could enable criminals to bypass two-factor authentication and create more believable phishing schemes. In other bad business news, it seems Robinhood may not be headed to the moon after all. While the free trading pioneer announced

that a surge in crypto trading helped them double their quarterly revenue, and it's important to note that Dogecoin trading alone made up 25% of the company's revenue, they also warned that a slowdown in app activity would impact future earnings, and their stock dropped 7%. In other brews, we've got a rapid round of updates. A five-hour standoff with a North Carolina man who claimed to have a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol ended peacefully yesterday. The incident, which the man briefly live-streamed on Facebook, prompted a massive police response and evacuations of government buildings. 348,000 people filed new unemployment claims last week. This was fewer than expected and marks a new pandemic-era low. In total, 2.82 million people are currently collecting unemployment,

down over 87% from its peak of 23.1 million in May of 2020. The trial of R. Kelly, once hailed as the king of R&B, kicked off in New York on Wednesday. The singer is accused of sex trafficking and forced labor, among other things, and faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted. Kelly, who also faces trials in Minnesota and Illinois, has pleaded not guilty. Droughts, fires, and storms. What's new? Forest fires continue to wreak havoc in the western U.S. and abroad,

killing at least 65 people in Algeria. Hurricane Grace lashed Mexico this weekend, and Tropical Storm Henry is expected to be upgraded to a hurricane before it hits the United States' east coast this weekend. Turns out that Tim Tebow won't get to play in the NFL under his former college coach. The QB-turned-analyst-turned-MLB-player- player, turned tight end, was cut from the Jackson Jaguars this week after four months on the team. Thank you so much for joining us. We hope you have a great day and we'll see you back next week.