The Pour Over Today - Monday, June 19, 2023

Episode Date: June 19, 2023

Today, we’re discussing Secretary of State Blinken’s trip to China, the DOJ’s not-so-good report on the Minneapolis Police Department, a potential strike by UPS drivers, and other top news for Monday June, 19th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by LMNT

Today we're discussing Secretary of State Blinken's trip to China, the DOJ's not-so-good report on the Minneapolis Police Department, a potential strike by UPS drivers, and other top news for Monday, June 19th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the verse of the week. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in China yesterday, hoping to thaw the increasingly chilly relationship between the two superpowers. Blinken says he wants to make sure that the competition we have with China doesn't veer into conflict. The secretary reportedly plans to meet with President Xi himself and hopes to discuss areas where Beijing and Washington may be able to work together, including climate change, illicit drugs, and the global economy. They also plan to touch on touchier topics like Taiwan, human rights issues, and detained Americans. Blinken's visit was originally scheduled for February but was canceled due to the spy balloon incident.

It appears the ballooned anger has at least partially blown over, but expectations are still low. Both sides have been clear that they don't anticipate a breakthrough. It's easy to feel powerless when reading about diplomatic negotiations, but the Bible promises that prayer is powerful and effective, that it causes things to happen that would not have happened otherwise. James chapter 5 verse 16 says, The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. The Minneapolis Police Department just got its report card,

and a pizza party is probably not in the works. Friday, the Department of Justice released its report on the MPD, concluding a civil investigation that began in April 2021, after Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder for the May 2020 killing of George Floyd. Some of the details of the scathing report include numerous counts of excessive force, First Amendment violations, racial bias, unnecessary escalation of force against people with behavioral disabilities, and ineffective internal review of allegations of misconduct. The DOJ proposed 28 reforms for the department, including increased training and accountability, while noting that the department has already made some progress,

including banning chokeholds. The MPD said they want to create lasting reform, but stressed that many of the problem officers are no longer with the department. Here's a verse to consider when considering how to treat other people. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans chapter 12, verse 18. UPS has some disgruntled drivers. Unionized UPS workers voted overwhelmingly, 97%, to authorize a strike as soon as August 1st, turning up the heat on labor negotiations

days after UPS tentatively agreed to add air conditioning to trucks. Workers, pointing to UPS's record profits, also want higher pay and less forced overtime, and to dismantle a two-tiered system that has old-timers making significantly more money than new drivers. UPS projected confidence that drivers will be fully gruntled in no time. The company issued a statement saying such votes are normal, negotiations are progressing, and current operations are unimpacted. Still, people are paying attention because if a strike happens, everyone will notice. UPS delivers around 24 million packages a day, roughly one in four of the country's parcels, too much to be absorbed by other carriers. Jesus showed compassion when

people expected rejection, gentleness when people expected anger, and love when people expected hate. Whether you're negotiating massive labor deals or something more mundane, be imitators of Christ. Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 through 4 say, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. have low amounts of electrolytes in suboptimal ratios and contain fillers. Element is the tasty electrolyte drink that gives you everything you need and nothing you don't. That means a science backed electrolyte ratio, 1000 milligrams sodium, 200 milligrams potassium, 60 milligrams magnesium, and no sugar. Element is giving the pour-over listeners eight single-serve packs free with any order.

This is a great way to try all eight flavors or share Element with a friend. Don't worry, they offer no-questions-asked refunds. It's truly risk-free, so find the link in our show notes and try it today. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season following his second gun-related incident. The players' union called the suspension of the two-time All-Star, who hasn't been charged with any crimes, excessive. the suspension of the two-time All-Star, who hasn't been charged with any crimes, excessive. However, both Morant and the Grizzlies released statements accepting it,

with Morant apologizing and promising lasting change. In a 7-2 vote Thursday, the Supremes upheld the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, allowing preference for placing adopted or fostered American Indian children with American Indian families. Non-American Indian adoptive parents argued the law unconstitutionally supplanted states' authority and made race-based preferences. SCOTUS declined to rule on racial selection questions for procedural reasons, but ruled the federal government hadn't violated states' rights. federal government hadn't violated states' rights. The FDA has recommended that COVID vaccine manufacturers make monovalent or single-strain shots, targeting Omicron subvariant XBB1.5 for the fall. XBB1.5 is currently the nation's dominant strain, accounting for 40% of cases in early

June. Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax have already been developing updated versions of their COVID shots to target XBB 1.5. Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant Kava went public late last week and delivered a tasty surprise to investors. Its stock jumped 99% on day one. Kava started in 2006, but really started exploding after launching their Chipotle-style Bilgerone Bowl in 2011. Kava's success has given hope to other restaurants eyeing IPOs, including Panera Bread and Fogo de Chão. Harry and Meghan have announced another split, this time from Spotify.

The Sussexes had a $20 million deal to create content for the streaming giant, but only released one season of one podcast, Archetypes, hosted by Megan. Its break from the spare prints is part of Spotify's new focus on boosting ad revenue instead of using exclusive content to drive memberships. 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.