The Pour Over Today - Monday, April 24, 2023

Episode Date: April 24, 2023

Today, we’re talking about deadly conflict in Sudan, blue checks on Twitter, lots of layoffs, and other top news for Monday, April 24th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by Patmos Capital Partners

Today, we're talking about deadly conflict in Sudan, blue checks on Twitter, lots of layoffs, and other top news for Monday, April 24th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the verse of the week, and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew chapter 24, verse 14. Let's get started with some espresso shots. The U.S. Embassy in Sudan has shuttered its windows. Sudan's armed forces and paramilitary group RSF, or Rapid Support Forces, are entering their 10th day of hostilities.

The fighting, concentrated in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has left over 400 people dead and more than 3,700 injured. The international community has condemned the violence and is skipping town. Yesterday, U.S. Special Operations Forces airlifted all some 70 American embassy employees to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia. The U.K., Italy, France, and Saudi Arabia also evacuated their diplomats. U.S. officials deemed a broader evacuation of the estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens in Sudan too dangerous, but reiterated calls for all U.S. citizens to leave the country. too dangerous, but reiterated calls for all U.S. citizens to leave the country. President Biden praised the successful evacuation of the embassy and condemned the violence in Sudan as unconscionable.

As Christians, we can live without fear, not because nothing bad can happen to us on Earth, but because regardless of what happens on Earth, our eternity is secure. This should not cause us to be indifferent to the world's problems, but bold in our response to them. Matthew chapter 5 verse 9 says, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Twitter's plan to remove legacy verified checks finally hatched last week. Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, and Justin Bieber were among those who lost their verification after Elon Musk announced the only way to have a blue check was to pay $8 a month for Twitter blue. Then checks began reappearing,

despite many celebs saying they had not paid. It appears Twitter granted some blue checks for free, including to some deceased celebs like Michael Jackson and Kobe Bryant. And Elon Musk announced he's personally paying for others, including LeBron James and Stephen King. The Pope was granted a gray check, an unpaid indicator of a verified government account. But not all government accounts have them. Accounts impersonating Hillary Clinton, New York City, the Sudanese paramilitary group RSF, and others have already popped up amid the shakeup. Our goal is to keep the big things big and the small things small. It's not that Twitter checkmarks are of no importance.

They're just not God of the universe important. Colossians chapter 3 verses 2 through 4 say, Set your minds on things above, not earthly things, for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Layoffs are apparently still trendy. A week into the job, Lyft's new CEO announced the ride is ending for at least 1,200 employees, about 30% of its workforce. Lyft remains unprofitable and has struggled to take market share away from Uber. Lyft stock is down 86% since its 2019 IPO.

BuzzFeed is letting go 15% of its staff, including the entire Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed News Division. BuzzFeed started in 2006 with viral quizzes like, What office character are you? before leaping into journalism. But now, it's shuttering the division in the search for profitability. Its stock is down 93% since its 2021 IPO. Finally, if you have any gift cards for beds or baths, use them soon. Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for bankruptcy and will be closing all stores and liquidating assets. There may be legitimate reasons to be worried or scared about this day,

month, or year. God does not promise good days. He promises a great eternity. Stay focused on eternity. It changes everything. Psalms chapter 121 verses one through two say, 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. This episode is sponsored by Patmos Capital Partners. Real estate investing is notoriously complicated. Fees, jargon, middlemen. Enter Patmos.

Patmos Capital Partners is a real estate investment firm run by believers that removes these obstacles and infuses a love for Christ into everything they do, using their influence to positively impact their property's residents. So, yes, this means you can easily invest in real estate, growing and stabilizing your portfolio, and be proud of the investment itself. Patmos has $240 million in assets and is currently raising money for new opportunities. The firm is able to take investments through an IRA, 401k, and 403b plans. If you're interested in learning more, check out the link in the show notes.

and 403B plans. If you're interested in learning more, check out the link in the show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. This Earth Day, President Biden forewent a dirt cup in favor of directing all federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice and creating the White House Office of Environmental Justice to address the unequal burden that people of color carry from environmental hazards. The Biden administration is also reportedly preparing major regulatory crackdowns on the nation's power plants over environmental concerns. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that mifepristone, a common abortion medication, will remain broadly accessible while legal challenges to its FDA approval play out in lower courts. The drug is the subject of multiple high-profile lawsuits and conflicting rulings, all but ensuring it will eventually

land back before the Supremes for full consideration. Five NFL players rolled the dice and, well, none are yelling Yahtzee. The league suspended four Detroit Lions and one Washington Commander for gambling. Three were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, a big no-no, while two others were suspended for six games after betting on non-NFL games while on NFL property, a less big no-no. On Thursday, Russian media reported that Russia's military accidentally bombed its own city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine. Moscow called it an accidental discharge of a fighter jet's payload. The explosion created a 65-foot-wide crater in a central city street, damaging buildings and injuring three people, but no fatalities were reported.

New Mexico prosecutors dropped their charges against Alec Baldwin Friday. Baldwin and movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter following the on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Helena Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. The shooting happened while filming Rust in 2021. Filming for Rust starring Baldwin resumed last week in Montana. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening.

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