The Pour Over Today - August 23, 2021

Episode Date: August 23, 2021

Commercial airplanes help speed up the evacuation in Afghanistan, Pfizer is expecting full FDA approval, Facebook steps into the metaverse, and other top news from Monday, August 23. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.

Happy Monday! Today is August 23rd, and you're listening to The Pour Over. We aim to keep Christians informed on what's happening in the world while remaining focused on Christ. Here's the quote of the day. My home is in heaven. I'm just traveling through this world. Billy Graham Let's get started with some espresso shots. For just the third time in history, the Pentagon is supplementing the Air Force with commercial airplanes. Defense Secretary Austin announced the 18 aircraft taken from United, American,

and four other airlines will not be landing directly in Kabul, but will transport the people already evacuated to nearby military bases in Europe and the Middle East. This will free up military aircraft to focus on Kabul, where the situation remains chaotic. National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan said there is a, quote, real and acute threat of ISIS attacking the Kabul airport, which is currently the only evacuation point. Yesterday, President Biden said the U.S. has evacuated 28,000 people and is expanding the, quote, safe zone around the airport. Recent polls show his approval rating below 50% for the first time. There may be good reasons to be worried, scared, feel hopeless about this day, month, or year. God does not promise good days. He promises a great eternity. Stay focused on

eternity. It changes everything. Philippians 4, 6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ. Pfizer is expecting a promotion. So far, all COVID vaccines have been poking arms under the FDA's emergency use authorization, but Pfizer is expected to receive full FDA approval as soon as today.

Beyond giving Pfizer bragging rights, full approval is expected to trigger additional vaccine mandates and would make the growing pile of lawsuits challenging COVID vaccine requirements moot. Currently, 51% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and 60% has received at least one dose. The country is now averaging 150,000 new cases per day and 1,000 deaths per day. Some areas, like Louisiana, are setting records. It's unclear what the FDA approval will do for public sentiment. Some say it will convince holdouts to roll up their sleeves. Others are skeptical. We represent Christ well when we are kind to people we believe are wrong. Yes, even on things like vaccines, going out of our way to serve and

care for them. This is what it means to, quote, love your enemies. Luke 6.32 says, If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. The Federal Trade Commission amended their antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, accusing Zuck's team of illegally trying to, quote, buy or bury competition because they, quote, lacked the business acumen and technical talent needed to innovate and survive. Ouch. The same day, a legless Zuckerberg avatar met with reporters in a beta version of Facebook's

Horizon Workrooms, a virtual reality conference room. Zuckerberg says it's their first step towards becoming a, quote, metaverse company, which is making us kind of feel like the Today Show hosts who asked, what is internet in 1994. Meanwhile, Elon Musk announced that Tesla will make humanoid robots to do dangerous and boring tasks in the non-virtual world. He promised they were intended to be friendly, but also said they'd be slow enough to outrun. Just in case. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Tropical storm Henry made landfall yesterday on the coast of Rhode Island, having been downgraded from a hurricane earlier in the day.

Early reports did not mention major damage. Tennessee was not so lucky. A storm caused massive flooding this weekend and has killed at least 22 people. What is, didn't we just go through this? Jeopardy is once again looking for a new host after misogynistic and anti-Semitic comments made by Mike Richards in 2013 resurfaced, prompting his resignation. He was chosen to replace Alex Trebek just last week. Let the search re-begin.

Three Texas state Democrats returned to the Lone Star State last week, ending a 38-day stalemate and paving the way for the controversial voting rights bill to be passed. More than 50 Democrats had fled Texas in July to break quorum and prevent the bill from being voted on. The famed trading card maker Topps just had the bottom drop off their business. Topps is scrapping plans to go public later this year after losing their 70-year deal to make Major League Baseball's trading cards, the MLB is giving the business to sportswear company Fanatics. Thank you so much for joining us today. We hope you have a great week, and we will see you on Wednesday.