The Pour Over Today - Friday, April 29, 2022

Episode Date: April 29, 2022

Today we’re talking about Russia cutting off some European gas, the U.S. economy’s bad 1st quarter, the NFL draft, and other top news for Friday, April 29th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.Pay what you want for The Pour Over (and get The Bible Study if you pay annually) here: https://links.thepourover.org/member_02_04

Today we're talking about Russia cutting off some European gas, the U.S. economy's bad first quarter, the NFL draft, and other top news for Friday, April 29th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. When you receive grace through Christ, you stand blameless before God on the merits of Jesus. If that's true, it should become the bedrock of confidence. Justin Kendrick.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. It's day 64 of the war in Ukraine, and a chorus of kumbaya seems as unlikely as ever. As far as things between Russia and the West, they are not good. Yesterday, Russia turned off the tap on Poland and Bulgaria's natural gas due to their, quote, failure to pay in rubles, a new requirement for countries that Putin deems unfriendly. The two European countries called the rubles requirement a violation of their contract, and the head of the European Commission called it blackmail. Meanwhile, Germany signaled they're now open to a full European embargo of Russian oil.

Previously, it was believed that the EU needed Russian energy and Russia needed the EU's money, too much to cut one another off, but it turns out, maybe not. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine appears to be spreading. Now that we can all find Ukraine on the map, geography class turns to Moldova, a small country nestled between Ukraine and Romania. President Putin alleges there have been, quote, acts of terrorism in the impoverished country and Russia must go liberate the oppressed peoples. Similar to Ukraine, Moldova is not a member of NATO, meaning the alliance has no obligation to defend it. Separate from the current conflict, the U.S. and Russia agreed to a surprise prisoner swap,

former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed for Russian pilot Konstantin Yuryshenko. The announcement served as a reminder of two other U.S. citizens still detained in Russia, the WNBA star Brittany Griner, accused of possessing cannabis oil, and the Marine veteran Paul Whalen, accused of espionage. The State Department says they're actively working to bring them home. The confidence that our eternity is secure, regardless of what happens, should cloud our every interaction. It allows us to be loving when others are hateful, kind when others are angry, and feel peace when others are fearful.

Revelation 21.4 says, He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Grief, crying, and pain will be no more because the previous things have passed away. Uncle Sam forgot to hang dry the economy and it shrunk. The U.S. economy contracted 1.4% in Q1, and that's the worst performance since the early pandemic. Price hikes, Omicron's early year surge, increased inflation, and the war in Ukraine all contributed, and supply chain problems and labor shortages haven't helped. If this is bad news, no one told Wall Street. The stock market closed up 2.4% yesterday on optimism that next quarter will be better.

Meanwhile, some big stocks reported earnings. Meta jumped 15% reporting growth in users again after last quarter's catastrophe. Apple jumped 4.5% reporting another big jump in revenue. And Amazon dropped 9% issuing a poor revenue forecast. Finally, Spotify stock dropped 15% reporting worse than expected growth. And their CEO is sick of the Netflix comparisons, saying the two are, quote, vastly different businesses. Regardless of whether the broader economy is struggling or thriving, Netflix comparisons, saying the two are, quote, vastly different businesses. Regardless of whether the broader economy is struggling or thriving, Christians should seek to give generously of their time, talents, and resources to those in greater need. Reach out

to your local church to see where help is needed. Hebrews 13.16 says, Don't neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. At The Pour Over, we believe that the news can actually be a force for good, helping people find rest and comfort in Christ while spurring them on to loving action, instead of, you know, creating division, anger, and a persistent feeling of impending doom. For example, keep this in mind while reading today's news. Even if everything goes wrong, your eternity is secure. It costs about 20 cents per subscriber per month to operate the pour-over.

Many readers are unwilling or unable to pay, but you can sling four of them on your back and support our staff and mission for just a dollar a month. Pay what you want for the pour-over and get our Bible study if you pay annually with the link in the show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. The NFL draft kicked off last night with the Jacksonville Jaguars' worst in league record earning them the number one pick for the second year in a row. This year, they chose linebacker Trayvon Walker from Georgia. This year's draft is a glitzy three-day event in Las Vegas

with the draft stage set up in front of the Bellagio Fountains. Brown grass is coming into style. A severe drought hitting the West has prompted Southern California to limit outdoor water usage from gardening to car washing to only one day a week for six million residents. It's the driest start to a year in California history. DHS Secretary Mayorkas testified before Congress yesterday over plans to end Title 42. That's the policy allowing the expedited deportation of migrants. Though progressives have long called for Biden to scrap Title 42, Republicans, and now even

some Democrats, are criticizing the proposed end date of May 23rd amid the record surges in border crossings. New York's highest court struck down the Democratic-drawn congressional map for gerrymandering, saying they'd unfairly redrawn the lines to get an advantage in 22 of the state's 26 districts. The court will now have a special master redraw the maps, not the legislature, and will likely push the state's primary elections back to August. Indonesia exports one-third of the world's edible oil, but as of yesterday, they're done sharing for at least a month to ensure their own country is well-stocked amid a global shortage. Besides a switch to butter, dang it, the export ban could also cause more price hikes since palm oil is in half our groceries from ice cream to Dove soap. That's all we have

for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're thinking, I want to help more Christians stay informed while remaining focused on Christ, here's a breakdown on how you can best support us. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, you can give us a five-star rating and drop a review. We do actually read these and take them to heart. Like this one from username Dave Tark. Thankful for my friend Jimbo Stewart for recommending this podcast. It's solid, quick, and an encouraging and biblically sound worldview of current events for the start of my day. It's like a good cup of coffee in the morning. That's why it's the pour-over podcast, I guess. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to submit a review. We're so grateful

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