The Pour Over Today - Monday, April 4, 2022

Episode Date: April 4, 2022

Today we’re talking about the Grammys, a big vote out of an Amazon warehouse, why economists are sounding alarm bells, and other top news for Monday, April 4th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over.Sponsored by The Christian Standard Bible (CSB):https://csbible.com/about-the-csb/

Today, we're talking about the Grammys, a big vote out of an Amazon warehouse, why economists are sounding alarm bells, and other top news for Monday, April 4th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the verse of the week. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103.8 Let's get started with some espresso shots. 103.8. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

Last night was the 64th Grammys in a row without anyone getting slapped. Music's biggest night finally happened after a months-long COVID delay, and it featured performances by J Balvin, Billie Eilish, BTS, and Ukrainian President Zelensky. He spoke over Zoom and did not sing. The winners included 19-year-old Olivia Rodrigo, who was named Best New Artist and won Best Pop Solo Performance. Chris Stapleton won for Best Country Album. And the Foo Fighters, who won Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance, did so less than two weeks after the sudden death of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins. Speaking of awards shows, Will Smith resigned from the Academy and vowed to, quote, fully accept any and all consequences for slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars. He apologized to Chris, the Academy, and the other nominees and winners. Awards shows can be a fun way to celebrate and recognize talent,

but they're ultimately insignificant in light of eternity. We can enjoy them, but should not allow them to distract us from Christ or kingdom goals. Colossians 3, 2-4 says, Set your mind on things above, not on 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. Organized labor just got a big win. Last Friday, a Staten Island Amazon warehouse voted 2,654 to 2,131 in favor of unionizing, giving employees a say over production time, wages, and work schedules. Critics say this could turn Amazon's two-day prime delivery into three-day prime delivery. The vote to unionize was both a surprise and a blow to the country's second-largest private employer.

Walmart is number one. Prior to the vote, Amazon hosted mandatory anti-union meetings, distributed literature, and launched a vote-no website. And now, other Amazon warehouses have begun following suit. An Alabama facility has already gone through two rounds of voting with results that are too close to call. The same day Staten Island counted their vote, Amazon reported that their CEO Andy Jassy, he's the new Jeff Bezos, earned $212 million last year. This is 6,474 times the median Amazon worker. When discussing divisive topics such as unions, remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ. Believing that you're right is not an

excuse to be harsh, impatient, or unkind. Proverbs 15.1 says, a gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. Well, the yield curve inverted, and this is economists' signal to start ramping up talk of doom and gloom. A quick explainer. On Thursday, you could briefly get a better yield, think interest rate, on a two-year U.S. Treasury bond than a 10-year U.S. Treasury bond. This indicated some pessimism for the future. Historically, it's been a good indicator interest rate on a two-year U.S. Treasury bond than a 10-year U.S. Treasury bond. This indicated some pessimism for the future. Historically, it's been a good indicator that there will be a recession in the next two years, but no one told the labor market. Uncle Sam saw 431,000 more of

his nieces and nephews find work in March, and U.S. unemployment dropped to 3.6 percent. This is just above the 50-year low of 3.5 percent. Most of the new positions came in leisure and hospitality, yet somehow all your favorite restaurants remain woefully understaffed. Our hope is never contingent on an economic indicator or outcome. It's much more secure than that. Regardless of whether things get worse or better during your lifetime, everything eventually ends well for followers of Christ. Psalm 18.2 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.

This podcast is brought to you by the Christian Standard Bible. For those of you using the Google Translate app to forge through your Hebrew Old Testament, there's a better way. The Christian Standard Bible Translation is the product of over 100 top biblically-minded scholars from 17 denominations dedicating years to translating God's Word. The result shines by academic standards and is remarkably enjoyable to read. You can learn more about the translation at the link in the show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Kansas plays UNC tonight in the men's NCAA championship.

UNC beat Duke in a higher-than-normal stakes Final Four matchup on Saturday night. It was the first time the rivals met in the tournament and Coach K's last game ever. Last night, No. 1 seed South Carolina beat No. 2 seed UConn in the women's championship game for their second title in program history. Congrats, Gamecocks! in the women's championship game for their second title in program history. Congrats, Gamecocks! Ukraine has reportedly regained control over, quote, the whole Kiev region as Russian forces deploy toward the Donbass region after failing to take the capital.

Still, Ukrainian leaders claim that even when Russian troops retreat, they are leaving landmines, executing civilians, and should be expected to continue launching bombs from afar. executing civilians, and should be expected to continue launching bombs from afar. On Friday, the House voted 220 to 204 in favor of a bill that would federally decriminalize marijuana. This means that all nonviolent marijuana offenses would be expunged from criminal records. While the bill's supporters have high hopes, it will take 60 votes to pass through the Senate, which is unlikely. Scientists say they've finished decoding the entire human genome after 20 years of work. Previous efforts were incomplete because older

technology couldn't read portions of DNA sequencing. It's a forgivable mistake considering the human genome consists of approximately 3.1 billion DNA subunits. Six people were killed and another 12 injured around 2 a.m. Sunday as crowds left bars and clubs in Sacramento. This was the second mass shooting in California's capital city in five weeks. As of writing, police were still looking for a suspect and a motive. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. Here's a breakdown on how you can best support us. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five-star rating and drop us a review. We do actually read these and take them to heart. Like this review from username RatsFam. This Jesus-centered podcast is the perfect solution to compassion fatigue. I feel educated

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