The Pour Over Today - French President Visits; The Latest Regarding DOGE and OPM; Apple and Starbucks Business News & More I 2.26.25

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

Today, we’re talking about French President Macron visiting, confusion and mixed messages from DOGE and OPM, business news from Starbucks and Apple, and other top news for Wednesday, February 26th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! The Voice of the Martyrs: vom.org/TPO Parenting with Ginger Hubbard: https://links.thepourover.org/ParentingwithGingerHubbard The Bulletin: MoreCT.com/BulletinPodcast Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside Cru: give.cru.org/pour LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast HelloFresh: http://hellofresh.com/hellofreshpodcast One Year Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/OneYearBible_Pod The Chronological Life Application Study Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/LASB_0215 World Relief: https://links.thepourover.org/WorldRelief_Pod

Today, we're talking about French President Macron visiting, confusion and mixed messages from Doge and OPM, business news from Starbucks and Apple, and other top news for Wednesday, February 26th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the poor over today. Here's the quote of the day, Trusting God does not mean believing He will do what you want, but rather believing He will do everything He knows is good. Ken Sandy

Let's get started with some espresso shots. Monday marked three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. To mark the occasion, French President Macron visited President Trump to discuss the war, emphasizing security guarantees for Ukraine in a peace deal that must not be a surrender of Ukraine, both leaders hoped the conflict can end within weeks. While the leaders shook hands at the White House, diplomats shared a less genial UN meeting. The Security Council passed a U.S.-proposed resolution calling for peace ASAP that, controversially, didn't blame Russia for the war.

Russia and China supported it, while France and the UK abstained, not wanting to veto Washington. The UN General Assembly passed a symbolic non-binding resolution that did blame Russia. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will head to Pennsylvania Avenue Thursday to discuss Ukraine and negotiations for the use of Ukraine's natural resources continue. Pray for the peaceful end to all conflicts worldwide, even as we wait for God's kingdom to come in full, for the day when God's reign of peace will settle every dispute, and all nations will walk in his paths.

Zechariah 9-10 says, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. The federal workforce has been receiving mixed messages. Saturday, the Office of Personnel Management emailed federal employees requesting 5-2 dues they crossed off last week, while Doge leader Elon Musk said a lack of response by end of day Monday would be taken as resignation. Some agencies recommended compliance, while others instructed workers

to hold off, and some flipped back and forth. Monday, Musk wrote on X that non-repliers would be given another chance, while President Trump told reporters they would be sort of semi-fired. Recent polls show Americans are strongly divided on Doge. Critics say Doge's work is sloppy and potentially illegal. Its wall of receipts reported $65 billion saved but has included duplicate entries, mismatched data, and misplaced decimal points. Supporters say Doge's work is needed to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, and address the government's growing debt.

Here's a verse to consider when you're unsure how to respond to conflicting messages. Therefore, I, the prisoner and the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4, 1-3 The feds aren't the only ones making major workforce changes. Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate employees globally in early March as the new

CEO seeks to brew up efficiency and accountability. Baristas won't be affected, but your 10-part coffee order may be. Complex and unpopular drinks will be filtered from the menu, including some frappes and white hot chocolate, to turn around slipping sales. As corporate coffee makers are entering the market, tech sector hiring boards are thriving. Apple announced plans to invest more than $500 billion in the U.S. over four years, its largest spending bite ever, to hire 20,000 new employees, ramp up R&D, and keep educating artificial intelligence.

They're also bringing Apple Intelligence server production onto American soil, funding a new Houston, Texas manufacturing plant amid fears that tariffs on China will bruise business. Here is a verse to consider when you're trying to keep up with big changes at work. Don't work only while being watched as people pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people. Knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord, you serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3, 22-24

Imagine arriving in a new place after fleeing war or persecution, only to find that the help you hope for is gone. Right now, millions of people in places like Sudan, the DRC, the US, and Haiti are losing access to shelter, food, and medical care as life-saving aid disappears. To fill this urgent need, World Relief needs you to help stand in the Gap. Your gift today can provide housing, food, and other essentials for refugee families plus emergency aid for vulnerable communities around the world. Go to worldrelief.org slash gap now to stand in the gap. That's worldrelief.org slash gap. Together, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in crisis. In other brews, here's a wrap-around of updates. There's a new deputy FBI director in town.

Conservative podcaster and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino has been appointed deputy FBI director, a move President Trump called, great news for law enforcement and American justice. Critics say Bongino, who's never worked for the FBI and once called the agency irredeemably corrupt, lacks the necessary experience and knowledge. North Korean hackers pulled off the single largest known theft of any kind, ever, stealing about 1.55 billion in digital tokens from a crypto exchange. Bitcoin's value dropped to $87,000, a 3 month low, in response to the heist, and nerves over President Trump's looming tariffs. Other cryptocurrencies

also felt the squeeze, with some losing 20% of their value amid mass sell-offs. Vivek Ramaswamy has officially announced his Ohio gubernatorial bid with the total endorsement of President Trump and Elon Musk. The former Republican presidential candidate, Doge co-leader, and biotech entrepreneur is running to replace outgoing Governor Mike DeWine and lead Ohio to be the top state in the country where Americans flock to instead of Florida and Texas. Evening news is getting a reorg. Monday, NBC announced that NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt is stepping down. Holt, the face of the broadcast for 10 years and the first black solo anchor of a nightly network newscast, will continue to host Dateline NBC. Down the hall, MSNBC

announced anchor Joy Reid was leaving the network after her show, The Read Out, was cancelled. Border Patrol agents had the fewest illegal encounters in a single day in 15 years on Saturday, just 200, according to Homeland Security Secretary Noem. The report continues a downward trend. December matched COVID-era lows, and January apprehensions were down by another 36%. Border Czar Tom Homan has celebrated the numbers compared to late 2023's record single-day high of 11,000 encounters. And that's all we have for today.

Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcasts app, give us a 5 star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode. We appreciate your support and hope you have a great day. We'll see you on Friday. If you love inspiring testimonies of courageous faith, look no further. The Voice of the Martyrs is offering TPO listeners free access to a film called Sabina, Tortured

for Christ the Nazi Years. It tells the powerful true story of a woman's journey to faith in Christ and the risks she took to share the gospel with soldiers from the army that killed her family. Visit vom.org slash TPO to claim your free copy today.