The Pour Over Today - Friday, April 8, 2022

Episode Date: April 8, 2022

Today we’re talking about a new wave of sanctions against Russia, the start of new sports seasons, another extension on the pause of federal student loans, and other top news for Friday, April 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over.Sponsored by the Ask Dr. E podcast. Search for “Ask Dr. E” on your podcast platform of choice.

Today we're talking about a new wave of sanctions against Russia, the start of new sports seasons, another extension on the pause of federal student loans, and other top news for Friday, April 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. G.K. Chesterton. Let's get started with some espresso shots. Russia is facing another tsunami of sanctions, reprimands, and headaches following reports of human rights violations in Bucha, a suburb of Kiev. In the U.S., the Senate unanimously resurrected Lend-Lease. That's a World War II-era program allowing the executive branch

to quickly send weapons and supplies to Ukraine. The Senate also formalized the Biden administration's ban on Russian oil, and they revoked the, quote, most favored nation trade status from both Russia and Belarus. Russia was also suspended from the UN Human Rights Council, which it then quit, and Vladimir Putin's two adult children were hit with sanctions. Speaking to the UN, Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said it shouldn't take further atrocities to motivate further sanctions, and he called for a complete embargo on Russian oil. He later narrowed his wish list to just three things, quote, weapons, weapons, and weapons. While you likely have no control over this war, you can control how you speak about it. Leave others with no doubt of your love for everyone involved, even for people whose actions you do not support. Matthew 5, 44 and 45 says,

The madness of March is over, but sports talk isn't. The Masters teed off yesterday, and Tiger Woods joined the field for his first professional tournament since his serious car crash. The marquee golf tournament plays through Sunday and culminates in a spiffy new green jacket for the winner. Oh, and approximately $11.5 million paid out to top finishers. If you've been dreaming of Cracker Jacks, and approximately $11.5 million paid out to top finishers. If you've been dreaming of Cracker Jacks, you're in luck. After a labor lockout delayed MLB's opening day by a week, the Brewers and the Cubs kicked off the 2022 season yesterday,

and the LA Dodgers are early World Series favorites. While MLB is just getting started, the NBA is winding down. The regular season finishes Sunday, and playoffs begin a week from tomorrow. It's not wrong to enjoy sports, but remember that whether your team wins or loses, nothing of true importance has changed. Romans 8.5 says, for those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit have their minds set on things of the spirit. If you took out a federal loan for your bakery science or bagpiping degree or any other major, Uncle Sam still doesn't want your monthly payments. President Biden announced the sixth

extension of a pause of federal student loans that first started over two years ago. He pushed the restart date back to August 31st. The administration also laid out a plan known as Operation Fresh Start. This would allow the 8 million Americans currently in default on their federal student loans to resume their payments in good standing. Reactions are mixed. Republicans say it's time for the moratorium, which costs $4 billion a month to end, and some Democrats say the loans shouldn't be paused, they should be canceled. Stock of SoFi, a private student loan provider, dropped 10%. Here's a verse to consider in the ups and downs of loan repayment extensions. Instruct those verse to consider in the ups and downs of loan

repayment extensions. Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6.17. This podcast is brought to you by the Ask Dr. E podcast. The Ask Dr. E podcast is like having a wise pastor for a dad without ever having to worry that your bad attitude may end up in this week's sermon. So it's pretty awesome. Dr. Michael Easley has had a long and fruitful ministry career, including being the president of Moody Bible Institute, and he's now answering your biblical and theological questions in bite-sized podcasts. Each week he answers questions like, is it ever okay to lie? What about burial versus

cremation? And what does the parable of the fig tree mean? The episodes are 10 minutes long, laid back, rooted in scripture, and packed with wisdom. Search for Ask Dr. E on your podcast platform of choice. In other brews, we've got a rapid round of updates. Katonji Brown-Jackson has been promoted from judge to justice. She was confirmed 53-47 to the Supreme Court, with three Republicans joining all 50 Democrats, and she's set to become the first Black woman on the high court when Justice Breyer retires this summer. For chickens, it's just now feeling like 2020.

An avian flu outbreak is sweeping across the United States, killing nearly 23 million birds in less than two months. While the virus poses a low risk to human health, it poses a high risk to the price of eggs this Easter season. Prosecutors declined to charge the Minneapolis SWAT officer who shot and killed Amir Locke while executing a no-knock warrant. Footage shows that Locke was startled awake and grabbed his legally owned gun, but prosecutors say Locke's gun justified the officer's use of deadly force. Minneapolis has since banned no-knock warrants. Oil execs e-visited Congress on Wednesday,

allowing lawmakers to show unity in their dislike for high gas prices and disunity in deciding who's to blame. Republicans pointed to Biden's policies, while Democrats accused Big Oil of price gouging. The executive said the market sets prices, but promised to increase output. Ed Sheeran won a copyright lawsuit against his song Shape of You, calling such lawsuits, quote, way too common, given there are, quote, 22 million songs released a year and there's only 12 notes used in pop songs. Meanwhile, Coachella announced The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia are headlining after Kanye, yay West, dropped out.

That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five-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. And finally, the simplest way to help us grow is to send this episode to a friend. We hope you have a great rest of your weekend and we'll see you back here on Monday, April 11th.