The Pour Over Today - Israel & Ukraine’s Requests, the Fourth Republican Debate, & More | 12.8.23

Episode Date: December 8, 2023

Today, we’re talking about Israel and Ukraine’s latest requests, the fourth Republican debate, smartphone spying, and other top news for Friday, December 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Sponsored by Global Gift Guide

Today we're talking about Israel and Ukraine's latest requests, the fourth Republican debate, smartphone spying, and other top news for Friday, December 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. There's a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him. J.I. Packer War-weary Israel and Ukraine are asking for action.

On Monday, Israel pressed the UN to acknowledge what it says are more than 1,500 eyewitness accounts of rape or evidence of sexual violence by Hamas on October 7th. Prime Minister Netanyahu criticized international organizations' failure to condemn the violence, which Hamas denies. The UN defended itself and called for investigations. Then Wednesday, Senate Republicans voted down a $110 billion security bill that included aid to Israel and Ukraine because it did not toughen southern U.S. border regulations. Republican border demands are no-goes for Democrats, making military aid unlikely before Congress' holiday recess. Defense announced a $175 million equipment package for Ukraine using, quote, the limited resources that remain, unquote, with the White House warning that Ukraine may lose the war if it doesn't receive aid quickly.

It's easy to feel helpless when there is such intense suffering happening so far away. But the Bible promises that prayer is powerful and effective, that God hears and responds. Pray for comfort for those grieving. Pray for wisdom for leaders. Pray for peace. Psalm 121 verses 1 through 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. Four GOP hopefuls, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy, took the stage again Wednesday night, this time from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Haley was the most prominent target of the night following a surge in support from billionaire donors, with Ramaswami calling her corrupt and questioning her intelligence.

Haley deflected, saying, quote, I love the attention fellas, unquote, and suggesting men were simply jealous. Christie called Ramaswami the most obnoxious blowhard in America and defended Haley as a smart, accomplished woman. For his part, DeSantis named Calvin Coolidge as his favorite president, spiking Google searches to remember what Silent Cal did, and said former President Trump was too old for the job. Trump, the current frontrunner, wasn't prominently discussed as he continued his pattern of skipping the debate. The first Republican caucus, Iowa, is a little over a month away. As we head into 2024, remember that while voting is an important and powerful way to create change,

as Christians, our hope is never contingent on the outcome of an election or success of a political party. Psalm 18, verse 2 says, or success of a political party. Psalm 18 verse 2 says, The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. It turns out your phone's push notifications might be doing more than reminding you to water your FarmVille crops. While apps themselves may be private, their push notifications almost always run over Google and Apple's servers.

Senator Ron Wyden says he received a tip that both foreign and U.S. government agencies have been demanding and receiving users' notification data, allowing them to surveil how users are using particular apps. Apple says they've been prohibited from sharing this information. Senator Wyden is calling on the DOJ to allow transparency. Google also made headlines with the release of Gemini, its latest large language model, the type of AI that understands and generates languages. Gemini is a major upgrade to Google's AI chatbot, BARD,

which its execs say will now outperform ChatGPT. Whether you're thrilled by innovation or intimidated by new threats, live with joy and pursue holiness because believers already know how this story ends. Technology will never outsmart God or thwart his plan to renew and glorify all who are in Christ. 2 Peter 3, verses 13 and 14 say, So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him. Today's episode is sponsored by Global Gift Guide. This Christmas, give a goat, or ten, to families in need. Most of us are fortunate enough to be bothered by things like not having the really good stick vacuum cleaner,

or our iPhone battery draining too quickly, or our diamond shoes being too tight. We joke, sorta. It's easy to forget our own fortune and forget how many people want simple things like food, basic health, and education. Amazingly, a $43 goat can provide all these things for an entire family. Nutritious milk improves health, and offspring provide income to feed the family and send children to school. So no matter your plans, join us in also gifting a few goats at globalgiftguide.org.

That's globalgiftguide.org. Or check out the link in our show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Three people were killed and a fourth injured in an on-campus shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Wednesday. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was killed in a shootout with police. Authorities say the shooter was formerly a professor at East Carolina University and had unsuccessfully applied for a job at UNLV. Kevin McCarthy will say sayonara to the House of Representatives at the end of the month. McCarthy, who was ousted as Speaker of the House two months ago, announced plans to serve America in new ways Wednesday. With his departure and George Santos' expulsion, the Republicans' already slim House majority is narrowing quickly.

The U.S. military has grounded all of its Osprey V-22 helicopters after an Air Force Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan last week. A preliminary investigation suggested aircraft failure caused the crash, which killed all eight crew. Japan also grounded its Osprey fleet after the incident. In the last two years, four Osprey crashes have now caused 20 deaths. crashes have now caused 20 deaths. Taylor Swift added Time's Person of the Year to her resume, beating out other finalists including China's President Xi, Hollywood Strikers, Barbie, King Charles III, and ChatGPT's Sam Altman. The Editor Selected Award goes to the person or idea that, for better or for worse, has done the most to influence the events of the year. She's the first entertainer to win the title.

The White House announced an early Christmas present for 80,000 Americans with student loans. Another $4.8 billion in debt relief for those already qualified for cancellation. Roughly half of the forgiveness will come as fixes to federal income-driven repayments, with the other half going toward public sector borrowers, teachers, public defenders, etc. 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 5-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 we hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you on Monday.