The Pour Over Today - FSU Shooting, El Salvador Deportation Update, Trade Tensions, & More | 4.18.25

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

Today we’re talking about a shooting at Florida State University; new details in the deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia; U.S.-China Trade Tensions; and other top news for Friday, April 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside Cru: give.cru.org/pour LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast Student Life Application Study Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/SLASB_Pod Stress Less: https://links.thepourover.org/StressLess Platforms to Pillars: https://links.thepourover.org/PlatformstoPillars Subsplash: subsplash.com/tpo CSB: https://links.thepourover.org/CSB_EasterGiftGuide Field of Greens: FieldofGreens.com

Hey, this is Joe at The Poor Over. And this is Zane at The Poor Over. Today is Good Friday. The crucifixion of Jesus marks the darkest day in history, but it's profoundly good news for our broken world. Soon, we will celebrate the eternity-changing hope of resurrection, but today we mourn that it was because of our sins that he died. And now for today's news.

We're talking about a shooting at Florida State University, new details in the deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, US-China trade tensions, and other top news for Friday, April 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour over today. Here's your quote of the day. God proved his love on the cross. When Christ hung and bled and died, it was God saying to the world, I love you. Billy Graham. Let's get started with some espresso shots. There was a mass shooting at Florida State University yesterday.

Just before noon, the shooter, identified as a 20-year-old FSU student, opened fire near the Student Union Building, killing two and injuring at least six more. Campus police responded immediately, neutralizing and apprehending the shooter, who was then transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound. It is not known what motivated the shooting.

Police say the shooter is not speaking with law enforcement. He reportedly used a former service handgun owned by his mother, who was a sheriff's deputy, and had additional weapons in his car and the Student Union Building. Florida State University's main campus in Tallahassee, which has over 40,000 students, was on lockdown for three hours and has canceled all classes and local sporting events until Monday. The promise of heaven does not remove the pains of this world, but it does give us hope, strength, and peace during life's most difficult seasons. Join us in praying for hope, strength, and peace for the families and first responders

in Tallahassee. Psalm 121 verses 1-2 says, I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. A district judge is threatening to hold Trump officials in contempt of court, claiming they showed quote, willful disregard for a direct judicial order

when deporting immigrants to El Salvador last month. It's just part of the multifaceted deportation saga. Wednesday, several documents were released about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man deported from Maryland to a high security Salvadoran prison. Included was a 2019 arrest record, in which he was charged with being in the country illegally and accused of gang affiliation by a confidential informant, and a since-dropped 2021 domestic violence restraining order by his wife.

Abrego Garcia's wife said they worked through the situation privately and that it didn't justify ICE quote, abducting him and deporting him, end quote. Yesterday, Maryland Senator Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia. Van Hollen, who was denied visitation the day before, said he'd provide a

quote unquote, full update upon his return. date upon his return. When discussing divisive topics like immigration, remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ. Believing your right is not an excuse to be harsh, impatient, or unkind. From Every Moment Holy, Volume 3. Oh Lord, let those who claim your name do no harm to it by their abrasiveness and impatience, but rather, speaking your precious truth and

love, let them present your story winsomely that it might be well-loved and that others might be drawn to your goodness, your beauty. US-China Trade Tensions Are Still Hot and the Fed's Sweatin' China told its airlines to stop accepting Boeing jet deliveries and restricted exports of rare earth minerals, essential for everything from missiles and US fighter jets to laptops and iPhones. In response, the White House cranked up tariffs on some Chinese imports to 245% and launched a national security probe into Uncle Sam's foreign mineral dependence. Beijing shrugged off the move as a quote, meaningless tariff numbers game, end quote,

and vowed to see the trade war through to the very end. The Fed is in a pickle. Chair Jerome Powell said the tariffs are, quote, significantly larger than expected, and warned they could cause higher inflation, typically remedied by raising rates, and slower economic growth, typically remedied by lowering rates.

For now, the Fed is waiting for greater clarity. Here's a verse to consider when discerning your personal finance habits. When a person's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. Proverbs 16 verses 7-8. Easter is the biggest celebration of our faith. And what better way to celebrate than giving the gift of God's Word? Whether you're looking for a first Bible for a child, a beautiful study Bible for a new believer, or a note-taking Bible to sneak into your own Easter basket, Christian standard

Bibles have something for every age and personality. The CSB is highly readable and accurate, making it perfect for any reading level. Plus, you can make it extra special with personalization options. This Easter, go beyond the candy and egg hunts and celebrate the deeper meaning of the resurrection by gifting a Bible that your loved ones will cherish for years to come. See the link in the show notes to shop for the perfect one.

In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. An arsonist confessed to firebombing the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on the first night of updates. An arsonist confessed to firebombing the residents of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on the first night of Passover. The 38-year-old suspect told police he was quote harboring hatred and quote for the governor over his pro-Israel stance and would have attacked him with a hammer given the opportunity. Senate Minority Leader Schumer is pushing the DOJ to investigate the attack as an anti-Semitic hate crime. The Trump admin is looking to make it easier for quote-unquote great undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status.

Recently, President Trump floated the idea of incentivizing immigrants with money and plane tickets to quote-unquote self-deport, so they can return as legal workers. The proposal, a departure from Trump's typical hardline immigration policy, targets farm and hospitality workers whose employers vouch for their legal return. Free tax filing is getting slashed. The Trump admin is shutting down the IRS's direct file tool, a free government run way to file taxes online.

Launched under Biden, the program aimed to make tax filing easy, fast, and economical, but critics, including for-profit tax software companies, call it a waste of taxpayer money, arguing free filing options already exist. Waste of taxpayer money, arguing free-filing options already exist. Puerto Ricans had to buy extra ice and candles for their holy week celebrations after the island was plunged into a blackout on Wednesday. Things went dark around noon, leaving 1.4 million people without power and more than 300,000 without water in its second island-wide outage since New Year's Eve. Officials expect 90% of lights to be back on today.

AI is activating its right...brain? Wednesday, ChatGPT's parent company unveiled new versions of reasoning technology capable of quote, thinking with images. OpenAI's 03 and 04 mini models don't just see an image they can integrate visual information directly into their reasoning chain. Translation. They can analyze that diagram you scribbled on a napkin at dinner or answer very specific questions about a blurry phone picture. Have a wonderful Easter weekend. See you on Monday. Are you feeling stressed? You're definitely not alone.

Over a quarter of US adults say they're so stressed they can't function. Stress Less is a new book by pastor and brain science researcher, Charles Stone. It blends biblical truth and neuroscience to offer nine practical, hope-filled ways to navigate stress with wisdom and grace. Grab it at the link in the show notes.