The Pour Over Today - Japan’s White House Visit, March’s Inflation, & More | 04.12.24

Episode Date: April 12, 2024

Today, we’re talking about Japan’s state visit, the latest inflation report, a high-profile Israeli strike in Gaza, and other top news for Friday, April 12th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! Compassion International: compassion.com/TPO A Jew and a Gentile Discuss: https://links.thepourover.org/JewGentileDiscussPod TUVU: https://www.tuvu.com/tpo Christian Standard Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/ChristianStandardBible_Pod Holman Handbook Series: https://links.thepourover.org/HolmanHandbook

Today, we're talking about Japan's state visit, the latest inflation report, a high-profile Israeli strike in Gaza, and other top news for Friday, April 12th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. We pray when there's nothing else we can do. Jesus wants us to pray before we do anything at all. Oswald Chambers. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

The U.S. and Japan celebrated their alliance Wednesday with the land of the rising sun's first state visit in almost a decade. The day began with business. President Biden said the alliance is stronger than it's ever been, as he and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced joint initiatives on technology and defense, including a moon mission that will make a Japanese astronaut the first non-American to make a giant leap for mankind.

Then, the dignitaries shared a star-studded dinner with notable celebrities and politicians like Robert De Niro, Christy Yamaguchi, and the Clintons. Biden and Kishida toasted to the friendship surrounded by cherry blossoms and images of koi ponds. Thursday, it was back to business. The allies joined with the Philippines in a summit focusing on protecting free South China Sea navigation.

Friendship is a gift worth celebrating, and there's no friendship like the one believers have with Jesus, who knows us better than we know ourselves, and who will never leave or forsake us. John 15, 13-15 says, Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I call you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you. Inflation has inched up, the stock market slipped down, and expectations for interest rate cuts are being readjusted. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported annual inflation hit 3.5% in March, a full 0.3 percentage point increase from February, and far cry from the Federal Reserve's target of 2%. The tough news has investors pushing their summer plans to celebrate interest rate cuts into the fall or beyond,

though most still expect at least one rate cut this year. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, issued a grimmer prediction in the annual letter to shareholders on Monday. Morgan Chase, issued a grimmer prediction in the annual letter to shareholders on Monday. The leader of the country's biggest bank warns he's preparing JP Morgan for interest rates of 8% or even more, as prices stay stubbornly high. Here's a verse to consider when your bank balance numbers aren't where you'd like them. Negotiations between Hamas and Israel continue as the human toll climbs. An Israeli strike in Gaza on Wednesday killed three sons and three grandchildren of Ismail Haniyeh, a political leader of Hamas. Israel confirmed targeting the Hamas operatives who were, quote, on their way to carry out terrorist activities,

end quote. The Hamas-run health ministry attributes 33,000 Gazan deaths to the war. Haniyeh says 60 of his relatives are among the dead but maintains that the personal cost will not change Hamas's demands in ongoing negotiations. Meanwhile, Israel says the return of hostages remains key for any ceasefire. However, Hamas claims it doesn't have the requested 40 hostages to trade, raising fears about how many of the hostages, Israel estimates 133 are still unaccounted for, remain alive. Talks are stalling over hostages, ceasefire permanence, and post-war plans. Our world is overwhelmed by violence and loss, and by swirling and spiraling anxieties.

Turn to Jesus, who himself suffered violence and loss at the hands of those who hated him, and pray that the hope he offers brings true comfort to the Middle East. Psalm 147, 3-6 says, The Lord heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the number of the stars. He gives names to all of them. Sometimes it feels like money doesn't stretch very far these days. But when you sponsor a child through Compassion International, just $43 per month is crazy powerful. Sponsorship means education, clean water, healthy food, medical care, and most importantly, hope.

Through local churches in the area, sponsored children build relationships with Jesus-loving adults who can offer the specific support kids need to thrive. Not sure where to start? Go to compassion.com slash tpo or find the link in the show notes and search by birthday to see if there's a child with your birthday that needs a sponsor. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Hello, friends. The Masters had a weather-delayed first-round tee time yesterday at Augusta National.

Golf's most legendary tournament features an $18 million purse and 13 LIV golf players. The CEO of the controversial Saudi-funded LIV league wasn't officially invited but is attending as a spectator to support his golfers. The woman who helped turn a doll into a billion-dollar movie hopes to do the same with a board game. Margot Robbie, whose production company produced Barbie, has signed on to produce a Monopoly movie co-produced by Hasbro Entertainment. The biggest question, if it's a movie based on Monopoly, will anyone finish it? A Vietnamese property tycoon was sentenced to death yesterday for swindling money from Saigon Commercial Bank in Vietnam's biggest ever fraud case. for swindling money from Saigon Commercial Bank in Vietnam's biggest ever fraud case. Trung My Lan's decade-long scam

caused $27 billion in damages, equivalent to around 6% of Vietnam's GDP. The unusually severe punishment for the first-time corruption offender is part of Vietnam's Blazing Furnace campaign to restore public trust in Communist Party leadership. Furnace campaign to restore public trust in Communist Party leadership. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes announced it would only allow athletes whose biological sex is female to compete in women's sports. The NAIA's Council

of Presidents, which governs athletics at 240-plus small colleges and universities, voted 20-0 to adopt the unprecedented policy for fairness in competition. NAIA-sponsored male sports remain open to all athletes. O.J. Simpson, 76, passed away from cancer on Wednesday. cancer on Wednesday. His complex history includes a notable NFL career and the highly publicized 1994-95 trial for the murder of his ex-wife, followed by a controversial acquittal. In 2008, he was convicted of armed robbery, serving nine years before his parole in 2022. Simpson's multifaceted personality inspired a TV installment and an award-winning documentary. multifaceted personality inspired a TV installment and an award-winning documentary.

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 weekend. We'll see you on Monday.