The Pour Over Today - Friday, May 12, 2023

Episode Date: May 12, 2023

Today, we’re talking about an indictment for George Santos, the official end of the COVID emergency, Biden’s family finances, and other top news for Friday, May 12th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by The End of the Road podcast: available anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Today, we're talking about an indictment for George Santos, the official end of the COVID emergency, Biden's family finances, and other top news for Friday, May 12th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. The prayer of faith is a prayer of trust. The very essence of faith is trust. R.C. Sproul. Let's start with some espresso shots. Representative George Santos had a very busy week. Tuesday, Santos was indicted on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering,

one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives. If found guilty of most serious charges, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Wednesday, Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on a $500,000 bond. Outside the courthouse, he said he had no plans to resign and still plans to run for re-election. It's not Santos' first experience with hot water. Last December, the newly elected representative admitted to fabricating key parts of his education, heritage, and work history.

In January, he resigned his committee assignments after multiple investigations were opened into his conduct. Christians should pursue justice while retaining love for both the victims and the perpetrator, desiring restoration, not revenge. Luke 6 verse 32 says, If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. The COVID public health emergency officially ended last night. That means hospitals will lose the flexibility to add bed capacity if COVID surges, vaccines and COVID tests will go through insurance instead of being free,

hospitals will be paid differently for some services, and there'll be less CDC COVID tracking. At the border, the end of COVID means the lifting of the COVID-era Title 42 regulations that allowed the government to turn migrants away quickly. Border crossings have surged past 10,000 a day as Title 42's expiration approached and are expected to remain high. Officials announced new regulations Wednesday that make migrants ineligible for asylum if they pass through other countries without seeking protection there first or if they fail to use a legal pathway for entry into the U.S. There will always be troubling news that causes us to worry and sometimes it ends just as another problem begins. No matter how things shake out, remember who is in control.

Psalm 95 verse 3 through 5 says, For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. The depths of the earth are in His hand and the mountain peaks are his. The sea is his, he made it. His hands formed the dry land. Wednesday night, House Republicans released a 30-page report revealing $10 million in payments from foreign entities in Romania and China to members of Joe Biden's family, including his son Hunter Biden and brother James, dating back to Biden's time as VP.

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer says the Biden family created a web of 20 companies to execute financial transactions in a concerted effort to conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies. Comer also alleged that the president was personally involved. The White House says Comer is playing fast and loose with the facts. They called the report a political stunt as it does not allege any illegal activity and provides no evidence that any of his family's business dealings influenced the president or U.S. policy decisions. When discussing divisive topics such as investigations into President Biden, remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ.

We shouldn't sacrifice relationships to win arguments. Romans 12 verse 18 says, if possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. This episode of the podcast is brought to you by the End of the Road podcast. Visiting a city across the country can be fun. Seeing new landmarks, trying a new signature food, finding out if they say soda or pop. But what about places where nearly everything is different? The End of the Road podcast will take you to some of the most challenging and remote places on the planet. Hear firsthand accounts of what life is like and what God is doing in the jungles Thank you. Towards Christ, listen to the End of the Road podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates.

The Labor Department announced that inflation eased again in April, dropping to 4.9%. That's down a lot from its peak of 9.1% in June, but still well above the Federal Reserve's target of 2%. The market had mixed reactions. This follows last week's news that the U.S. added a higher-than-expected 253,000 jobs in April. Former President Trump held a CNN town hall event in New Hampshire on Wednesday evening, where he denied ever having met E. Jean Carroll, sidestepped questions on whether he supported a nationwide abortion ban, and urged congressional Republicans to let the country default if Democrats refuse to agree to spending cuts. A birth control pill may soon be available over the counter.

An FDA advisory board voted unanimously to recommend Opil be the first birth control pill available without a provider's prescription. The FDA, which has questioned whether the pill could be taken safely and effectively without the guidance of a health professional, still has to weigh in. Disney Plus and Hulu announced a single app combining content from the two platforms would launch by the end of the year, but they'll also still be available as separate apps, just to keep it confusing. The newest bundle follows the arrival of Max combining HBO Max with Discovery+, and Paramount+, adding Showtime to its ranks. Elon Musk announced yesterday that he hired a new CEO for Twitter. The person was not named, though Musk said she will start in less than six

weeks. Musk is staying on as chief technology officer, but Tesla investors were transparently hopeful that this means he'll focus more on building e-cars. Tesla stock jumped 2%. That's all the time we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcasts 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. We appreciate your support and hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you on Monday.