The Pour Over Today - Friday, March 17, 2023

Episode Date: March 17, 2023

Today, we’re talking about bumpy banks, TikTok troubles, high-profile fraud, and other top news for Friday, March 17th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Join us in partnering with World Concern - We’re matching the first $1,200

Today we're talking about bumpy banks, TikTok troubles, high-profile fraud, and other top news for Friday, March 17th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. May the strength of the Lord pilot us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and forevermore. St. Patrick. Hope you didn't forget to wear green. Let's start with some espresso shots.

Despite our hopes, banks are not back to being boring yet. Recent drama comes out of Zurich, Switzerland, where shares of Credit Suisse nosedived. Nosedove? 30% on Wednesday. The tumble wasn't directly related to the SVB's collapse, though extra jittery investors didn't help. Scandals and mismanagement have plagued Credit Suisse for years. Then their largest shareholder, the Saudi National Bank, decided they couldn't offer financial support anymore. Unlike SVB or Signature Bank, 167-year-old Credit Suisse is considered a systematically important financial institution

because of its deep ties to global financial markets. To restore confidence, the Swiss National Bank stepped in and lent Credit Suisse $54 billion. Its stock rebounded 18.8%. Meanwhile, a group of large U.S. banks is planning to loan First Republic a combined $30 billion to steady the regional bank after days of wild stock swings. Even if things only get worse, God will still be God, and He will remain in control. Our eternity is secure, even in the midst of uncertainty on earth. Hebrews 13 verse 8 says, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

For sale, new with Box, one of the world's most popular apps available to anyone but China. The Biden administration has told TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese government, that it must sell its stake in the app or risk a nationwide ban. ByteDance has said it does not share any info with the Chinese government, and it stressed that a sale would not help protect U.S. national security, and it's already working on security and transparency measures that will.

Talk of bans is not new. The federal government, many state governments, and several other countries all prohibit the app on government-owned devices. The Trump administration also pushed for a sale to U.S. companies, which ultimately failed and attempted to ban the app, but was blocked by courts. While there's nothing inherently wrong with social media, we should be careful it doesn't steal our focus away from God's commands to love Him and love others. Matthew 22, verse 37-39 says, Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself. U.S. authorities have charged Chinese property tycoon Go Wangui with orchestrating a $1 billion fraud. Mr. Go is a big personality. Formerly China's wealthiest businessman, Go became a critic of the Chinese communist government and fled to the U.S.,

eventually falling in with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. A man of many aliases, including Miles Goh, Miles Kwok, and Brother Seven, Goh founded two non-profits meant to attract followers to his controversial theories. He's also known for his lavish lifestyle, spending millions on things like yachts, cars, and $36,000 mattresses. The indictment alleges that Goh and one of his partners, King Mengji, stole $1 billion from thousands of online followers who believed they were investing in crypto and media companies. Instead, the cash flowed to hedge funds benefiting Goh and

his associates. Here's a verse to consider when you're tossing and turning on a regular person mattress. I know how to make do with little and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content, whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4, verse 12-13 There's an exodus happening in Somalia. Over 3.8 million people have fled the East African nation. Philippians 4, verse 12-13 Africa is experiencing their worst drought in 40 years, which has left tens of millions of people without access to clean water,

killed millions of livestock, and decimated crops. Meanwhile, 90% of Somalia's wheat came from Russia and Ukraine, no longer, and humanitarian aid has been focused on Europe. In short, it's been the perfect storm, and it's led to an alarming increase in child malnutrition. We're asking the Pour Over community to help us in partnering with World Concern to help get emergency nutrition packs, a peanut paste fortified with nutrients, water, and hygiene products to those in the most need.

$12 feeds a child for a month. We're matching the first $1,200. Just give through the link in our show notes. James 2, verse 15 through 16 says, If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed, but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it?

In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. A bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 for most French workers passed yesterday, after President Macron used special constitutional powers to force it through the National Assembly without a vote. He framed the controversial measure, which has sparked weeks of protests and strikes, as the best path to preserve pension programs for an aging population. strikes as the best path to preserve pension programs for an aging population. We've run out of robot jokes, but AI is coming at us from all directions. OpenAI has released GPT-4, LinkedIn and Google came out with new AI integrations, and Google's healthcare chatbot, MedPalm2, can consistently pass medical exams with expert

scores. GPT-4 can respond to images, provide recipe suggestions from photos, and more. Superstar Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has likely ended his 18-year run in green and gold, opting for green and white instead. Wednesday, Rodgers announced that he intends to play for the New York Jets next season, following his predecessor Brett Favre. Despite mutual desire, a deal's not done yet. The team still need to work out the trade's details. The Pentagon released 42 seconds of footage showing a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone before clipping the drone's propeller. Russia previously said their jets did not touch the drone. It's not the only thing heightening tensions between Russia and NATO. Poland

announced it's sending Ukraine fighter jets after months of requests. A round of applause for America's newest top dog, French Bulldogs. Frenchies booped Labrador retrievers out of the first-place kennel they occupied for 31 years. Each year, the American Kennel Club ranks the most popular purebred dog breeds based on AKC registrations from the previous year. 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 weekend. We'll see you on Monday.