The Pour Over Today - Friday, May 6, 2022

Episode Date: May 6, 2022

Today we’re talking about reactions to the SCOTUS leak, the Fed’s latest move, a new COVID update, and other top news for Friday, May 6th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.Sponsored by Faithful Counseling. Get 10% off your first month, by clicking here:https://links.thepourover.org/Faithful_Counseling_050222

Today we'll be talking about reactions to the SCOTUS leak, the Fed's latest move, a new COVID update, and other top news for Friday, May 6th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces. Matthew Henry Let's get started with some espresso shots. There's been very little subtlety in response to the draft Supreme Court opinion that may overturn Roe v. Wade. Protesters from both sides have taken to the streets and cities across

America, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and many others. In Los Angeles, protests turned violent. Reports conflict on which side escalated things first, but crowds threw objects at police, injuring one officer, and video shows police used batons against protesters. Meanwhile, states, companies, and politicians moved to codify their stances in the event that Roe v. Wade is officially overturned. Companies like Amazon and Citi promised to reimburse employees who travel to receive abortions, Democratic-led states vow to protect abortion access,

Republican-led states vow to significantly limit or ban abortions, and both parties are honing their talking points for this November's midterm elections. Christians must always balance conviction and compassion, fighting for what we believe is right while continuing to love and care for those we work against. Do not allow love for one group to justify hate for another. Matthew 5.44 says, But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. On Tuesday, the Fed raised rates by a half percent, which may not sound like much,

but it's two times their standard quarter percentage hike and their most aggressive move in 22 years. It's no secret why. They want inflation to be at 2 percent, and it's currently at 8.5 percent. The stock markets were thrilled when the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, said the central bank is not considering even bigger hikes later this year. Markets closed up 3 percent Tuesday. That's its best day in two years, but investors quickly reconsidered their optimism. The markets plummeted yesterday. The Dow dropped 1,000 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost nearly 5%. Meanwhile, new data shows that a record 4.5 million people quit their jobs in March and there are 11.5 million available jobs. The most ever.

Here's a verse to consider when the market is doing cartwheels. 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 in need. Philippians 4.12. The World Health Organization says COVID-19 has killed 6.2 million people, but they also say they're likely bad at counting. A WHO task force estimates nearly 15 million more people died than expected during the past two years, and they're attributing these, quote, excess deaths to COVID and its ripple effects. In the U.S., COVID's got us singing Katy Perry's Never Really Over,

as case numbers and hospitalizations tick upward again. New York hospitalizations nearly tripled in the past month and admissions across the U.S. increased 20% from last week, but even still, numbers remain well below previous surges. Trevor Noah's, quote, most distinguished super spreader quip at the White House Correspondents Dinner appears grimly prophetic

since a growing number of attendees, including Secretary of State Blinken, have since tested positive. Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God, something that is difficult to do when times are bad and easy to forget to do when times are good. Philippians 4.4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice. This podcast is brought to you by Faithful Counseling. We'd say it's been a tough couple of years, but let's be real, life was hard even before

the pandemic. Families were divided before modern politics, and it's never been a bad time to invest in your mental health. And now Faithful Counseling is making that super simple. Faithful Counseling is not a crisis line. It's not self-help. It is professional counseling done securely online. This means you can log in anytime and send a message to your counselor. No driving, no waiting rooms, no delay. You'll be paired with a Christian mental health professional, and if you don't click with them, you can just switch to someone new. No awkward breakup required. If you're intrigued, we've got a link for you in the show notes to get 10% off your first month. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates.

The NHL playoffs kicked off this week with the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers skating in as Stanley Cup favorites, which is remarkable because the Panthers haven't won a playoff series in 26 years. In warmer arenas, the NBA is in the second round of playoffs with eight teams still playing for the title. Heavy fighting continues in the Azovstal steel plant. That's the last significant area of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol. As many as 200 civilians, including 30 children, remained in the plant. It's uncertain if any of them were among the 344 people who were evacuated from Mariupol on Wednesday. Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage during the Netflix Is a Joke festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

Though he'd previously joked about the Oscars slap, Chappelle faced a knife blade attached to a replica handgun. Police apprehended the attacker and Chappelle went on with the show. Representative Madison Cawthorn, the Republican from North Carolina, is facing fresh controversy over a video he's defending as him simply, quote, being crass with a friend. North Carolina primaries are in two weeks, and while the 26-year-old still leads in the polls, that lead has narrowed as his list of scandals grows. TurboTax agreed to a $141 million settlement with all 50 states' attorneys general for running, quote, free, free, free ads while steering 4.4 million low-income customers toward a paid plan. If you paid despite

being eligible for free filing, you can expect a $30 check from TurboTax for each year you were quote, misled. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, you can 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, May 9th.