The Pour Over Today - August 25, 2021

Episode Date: August 25, 2021

Biden reiterates August 31 withdrawal from Afghanistan, NY State swears in its first female governor, the Paralympics start, and more top news from August 25. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.

Happy Wednesday. It's August 25th 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 Jesus. Here's the quote of the day. We can only bear the fruit of patience when we have something to be patient about. Melissa B. Kruger Let's get started with some espresso shots. Yesterday's big update out of Afghanistan. There's no change of plans. For months, August 31st has been President Biden's date for getting all of the U.S. troops out of Afghanistan,

but a growing number of U.S. allies and lawmakers from both parties have been asking him to push a later date of the homecoming party to ensure a complete evacuation. Despite the pressure, he's not moving the date, but he is making contingency plans. The Pentagon is confident it can evacuate all Americans by next Tuesday, but is less sure about the thousands of Afghans who aided Western efforts over the last two decades and are at risk of retaliation. Yesterday, the Taliban said that they would no longer allow any Afghans to reach the Kabul airport. Be quick to point to God and give him the credit for your hope, strength, and love during times dominated by uncertainty and fear. Even in the midst of chaos, our eternity is secure.

In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Job 12 verse 10. Job 12 verse 10. Kathy Hochul, a 62-year-old former congresswoman, was sworn in yesterday morning as New York's first-ever female governor, just minutes after former Governor Cuomo officially resigned. Hochul has served as the state's lieutenant governor under Cuomo since 2015, but has been working to distance herself from him since at least 11 women have accused him of sexual misconduct. She's already let go of several staff who were mentioned in the same report that brought down Cuomo and promised, quote, transparent and ethical conduct from the state government. Hochul will finish out Cuomo's term and plans to run for re-election in

2022. It's not clear what Cuomo, who was considered to be a contender for the White House just months ago, will do next. Our goal is to keep the big things big and the small things small. It's not that who is governor of New York isn't important. They are, in fact, quite powerful and influential. It's just not God of the universe important. A verse to consider as human leadership changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13 verse 8. The Big 12 is dead. Well, probably. Last month, the two biggest teams in the Big 12, the universities of Oklahoma and Texas, agreed to leave the conference and join the SEC, changing the landscape of college football. Yesterday, the Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12 announced an alliance to keep the SEC in check and didn't

include the Big 12. Friendless and without their biggest revenue-driving teams, their future is looking bleak. Meanwhile, the Paralympics is having its moment. The games, which kicked off yesterday, are expected to be the biggest in history. 4,500 athletes from almost every country are competing in two dozen events, including badminton and taekwondo, which were both added this year. In other brews, now it's time for a rapid round of updates. The FDA granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine for people aged 16 and up on Monday. It remains under emergency use authorization for kids who are between 12 and 15. Surveys show that one-third of unvaccinated people will now be more willing to get poked. The approval immediately led to more mandates, including for the entire U.S.

military to get vaccinated. On Monday, the head of the CIA met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's top political leader in Kabul. Details were not released, but it likely wasn't as friendly as you grabbing a pumpkin spice latte with an old friend. And yes, they're back much earlier than we would like. The U.S. helped coordinate Baradar's arrest and eight-year imprisonment in 2010. Instagram announced it's retiring the Sw swipe up feature on August 30th. The feature will remain limited to people with 10,000 or more followers, but a spokesperson said Instagram is evaluating expanding access to other users. Influencers will now be forced to use the far less catchy phrase, click the link sticker for more. After some last minute concessions to win

over more moderate members of the party, House Democrats punched through President Biden's $3.5 trillion budget and the Senate's bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure plan. A final vote on either bill before mid-October is unlikely. Joey Chestnut may want to consider entering a few PB&J eating competitions. A nutritional study created a chart showing how different foods impacted lifespan. The very worst was a hot dog, which takes 35 minutes off of your life. And the very best was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which actually adds 33 minutes to your life. Well, thank you so much for joining us today.

Have a great week and we will see you on Friday.