The Pour Over Today - Gaza Hospital Bombed, Speaker’s Plan to Avert Shutdown, & More | 11.13.23

Episode Date: November 13, 2023

 Today we’re talking about Gaza’s two largest hospitals closing, Speaker Johnson’s plan to avert a shutdown, Michigan’s head coach being suspended, and other top news for Monday, November 13. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Sponsored by Beyond the Crucible

Today we're talking about Gaza's two largest hospitals closing, Speaker Johnson's plan to avert a shutdown, Michigan's head coach being suspended, and other top news for Monday, November 13. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day, Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer. John Bunyan Let's get started with some espresso shots. Gaza's largest and second-largest hospitals, Al-Shifa and Al-Quds, are suspending operations

after weekend bombings left them without fuel and medicine. Half the territory's hospitals are now closed. Israel says that Hamas has command centers hidden under and around the hospitals, and that the recent bombings successfully killed a Hamas commander who had been preventing patients' evacuation. Israel also says it has offered hospitals evacuation assistance and fuel, which Hamas rejected. Hamas denied Israel's claims and updated the Palestinian death toll to 11,000.

Responding to the plight of civilians, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said, far too many Palestinians have been killed. Blinken welcomed Israel's daily humanitarian pauses for evacuation, but said more needs to be done. France's President Macron went further, saying there is no justification for continued fighting and calling for a ceasefire. It's easy to feel helpless about the Israel-Hamas war, but the Bible promises that prayer is powerful and effective, that it causes things to happen that would not have happened otherwise.

James 5, verse 16 says, The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Speaker Johnson unveiled an unusual plan to fund the government before it shuts down on Friday. Yes, this again. Rather than trying to pass one omnibus package before Christmas, Johnson is asking Congress to extend the deadline and divide spending bills into two chunks, due on January 19th and February 2nd. Extras, like aid for Ukraine, will be separate. Johnson argues the two-step shuffle gives House Republicans enough time to do the job properly, but some critics on both sides of the aisle say it just kicks the can down the road.

Moody's credit agency has had enough of the politics. It downgraded Uncle Sam's credit outlook to negative, citing political polarization and the deficit. Here's a verse to consider when life feels like a whack-a-mole of unending problems. Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1, 2-3 Jim Harbaugh, head football coach of the undefeated University of Michigan Wolverines, is likely ending the season the same way he started it,

with a three-game suspension. To communicate to players on the field, college football teams use sideline signs. It's fine to try deciphering opponents' signals during a game, but it's against NCAA rules to scout opponents in advance, something a Michigan football staffer was allegedly doing. Harbaugh denies knowledge of the operation, but the Big Ten suspended him from the sidelines for the remainder of the regular season while the NCAA investigates. Michigan is fighting the decision. Texas A&M will also end its season without its head coach. Jimbo Fisher was fired

yesterday after going 45-25 in six seasons, leaving A&M with a Texas-sized buyout bill, $19.2 million within 60 days, and $7.2 million annually through 2031. Our goal is to keep the big things big and the small things small. It's not that coaching changes and scandals aren't important. They're just not God of the universe important. Stay focused on eternity. It changes everything. Philippians 4 verse 8 says,

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable. If there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things. Today's episode is sponsored by Beyond the Crucible. Unless you've recently resettled here from Mars, you know what it's like to live in a fallen world. You know what it's like to live in a fallen world. We all face daily setbacks, losses, and heartbreak, but our hardest moments can actually lead to more powerful transformations.

Want to know more? Check out the Beyond the Crucible podcast, hosted by Warwick Fairfax, who at 26 years old launched a $2.25 billion takeover bid for his family's 150-year-old media business and lost it all. Just like a crucible melts down metal so it can be transformed, our crucible moments can push us from brokenness to breakthrough. The Beyond the Crucible podcast features guests who've endured life-altering traumas and tragedies and bounced back to lead purposeful, significant lives. Subscribe to Beyond the Crucible wherever you get your podcasts.

In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Grammy nominations were announced Friday, and it's a female-dominated year. SZA leads the pack with nine nods. She's up against the likes of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Billie Eilish for Record of the Year. John Batiste is the only man nominated for either of the headline Record or Song of the Year categories. The ceremony is on February 4th. record or song of the year categories. The ceremony is on February 4th. Roman Chervinsky, a senior Ukrainian military officer, was reportedly the coordinator of last year's controversial Nord Stream pipeline bombings. It was initially unclear who damaged the pipelines, which carried natural gas underwater from Russia to Europe, and drew anger from the

West. Reports allege this and other operations were conducted without Zelensky's knowledge or approval. The FBI borrowed several electronic devices belonging to New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week after Adams told investigators of an unidentified person's improper conduct. The seizure comes as part of a criminal investigation into whether his campaign received illegal donations from Turkey. Adams maintains his innocence and said he expects his staff to fully cooperate. In a rare move, Pope Francis has relieved Bishop Joseph Strickland of the pastoral governance of his diocese, Tyler, Texas, following an investigation into all aspects of his duties. Strickland has publicly clashed with the Pope, tweeting, or exing, a video that called the pontiff a diabolically disoriented clown and criticizing his statements and decisions concerning the LGBTQ community. The U.S. celebrated Veterans Day on Saturday, honoring former members of U.S. armed forces.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Hindu festival of Diwali, a festival of lights celebrated by over 1 billion people. Meanwhile, China celebrated consumerism? Their annual Singles Day, think Cyber Monday but bigger, saw moderate sales growth. And that's all 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 day.

We'll see you on Wednesday.