The Pour Over Today - Friday, September 24, 2021

Episode Date: September 24, 2021

Anger over the handling of Haitian migrants, Pfizer gets thumbs up for booster (for some people), Facebook has a uniquely bad week, and other top news for Friday September 24. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.

Happy Friday. It's September 24th, and you're listening to The Pour Over. Thanks for joining us. Here's the quote of the day. We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love. John Owen It's still unclear why nearly 15,000 Haitians showed up to the U.S. southern border this week, but for many the journey started by leaving Haiti for South or Central America after the devastating earthquake in 2010. Now, the group's fate is mixed. A U.S. official said Haitians are being released into the country on a very, very large scale,

while others are being flown back to Haiti. The U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti resigned in protest over these, quote, inhumane deportations, saying conditions in the country are not safe. And he's not the only person upset. The Department of Homeland Security suspended use of horse patrol at the border after photos of agents using horses to disperse migrants sparked bipartisan anger. Jesus showed compassion when people expected rejection, gentleness when people expected anger, and love when people expected hate. Whether you're

interacting with migrants or co-workers this week, be imitators of Christ. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13 verses 4 and 5. The FDA met for an eight-hour virtual meeting last Friday. And no, the topic wasn't Zoom fatigue. The FDA officially approved Pfizer booster shots for people ages 65 and older, people with underlying conditions, and people with occupational risks. Think doctors and nurses.

A day later, the CDC mostly backed their decision, but limited their recommendation to the first two groups. This latest measure came as the U.S. hit another grim milestone. Last week, COVID-19-related deaths averaged over 2,000 a day for the first time since March. In the land down under, construction workers have taken to the streets of Melbourne to protest vaccine mandates. As the gatherings turned violent, police used rubber bullets to break up the crowd and arrested at least 62 people. It's also been a rough week for the company formerly known as the Facebook. On Wednesday, its stock dropped 4%

after telling advertisers it is significantly under-reporting ad performance metrics on iOS devices thanks to Apple's new privacy updates, and there's basically no workaround. They've publicly accused the fruit company of making the updates in order to hurt competitors rather than enhance user privacy. Most of the other issues are internal. Facebook's oversight board is investigating their XCheck program, which reportedly allows 5.8 million high-profile users to break the social network's rules without punishment. Also, the New York Times reported Zuckerberg personally approved an effort to include pro-Facebook content in users' feeds to improve the company's image. The news is having the reverse effect. A Facebook spokesperson refuted the story in a series of tweets. Our goal is to keep the big things big and the small

things small. It's not that Facebook isn't important. It's obviously hugely influential. It's just not God of the universe important. Stay focused on eternity because it changes everything. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Colossians 3, verses 2-4 In other brews, we've got a rapid round of updates. Efforts at federal police reform appear dead.

Closed-door discussions led by Senators Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, that began shortly after George Floyd's death, ended this week, with both sides blaming the other. Nearly 250 police reform laws have been passed at the state level since Floyd's passing. It took just two days for the S&P 500 to recover from its worst day since May. The market was buoyed by news that the Federal Reserve will not immediately roll back the stimulus policies it instituted to help the COVID economy, though they promised to begin

moderating the policies soon if the recovery continues. After the Tigray region revolted against Ethiopia's federal government, the area was engulfed in civil war. Since the federal government regained control, it has blocked humanitarian efforts from entering the region. Reports of widespread starvation are now prompting the U.S. to threaten sanctions against Ethiopia, unless it allows international aid into Tigray. Investors are having their toast and eating it too. Shares of Toast, a cloud-based restaurant software company, jumped 56% on its first day as a publicly traded company, minting three new billionaires. Toast had a rough 2020 because, you know, restaurants, but it has since turned things around. We wanted to issue one correction. In Monday's email, we incorrectly said that a St. Jude physician

was aboard SpaceX's All-Civilian Inspiration 4 mission. When Haley Arsenault is actually a St. Jude physician assistant and childhood cancer survivor, her three-day excursion to space was widely celebrated by the PA community. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. If you found this podcast helpful or informative, we would really appreciate it if you would consider sharing it with someone. If you're more of an introvert, we'd also appreciate if you just left us a five-star review. Otherwise,

we hope that you have a great day and we'll see you back here on Monday.