The Pour Over Today - National Debt, Cancer Vaccine, Economic Pressure on Iran, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey there, this is Joe. And this is Ava. Shout out to our incredible composer, Andrew Horning, for whipping up the new music gracing your ears. Today, we're talking about Uncle Sam's IOU topping $40 trillion in MRNA vaccine helping prevent melanoma from returning or spreading, economic pressure on Iran from the U.S. and UAE,

Starting point is 00:00:25 and other top news for Friday, August 21st, staying informed while remaining focused on. Christ with the pourover. Here is your quote of the day. In the midst of life, we are in death. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, ensure and certain hope of the resurrection. Thomas Cranmer. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

Starting point is 00:01:02 Uncle Sam's IOU has topped $40 trillion for the first time. On Tuesday, the Treasury reported that the gross national debt reached $40.05 trillion, and has more than doubled since January 2017. In the last 10-ish years, the U.S. has racked up around $20.1 trillion in debt, around $11.6 trillion during President Trump's two terms so far, and around $8.5 trillion during former President Biden's tenure. Some major debt contributors.

Starting point is 00:01:35 Increased spending on federal line items like Social Security, Medicare, and Defense, which is around $7 trillion, COVID-19 relief, around $4,000, $5.6 trillion, tax cuts and extensions over $2.2 trillion, and a rise in interest payments on the national debt, currently around $1 trillion annually. Economists say the threshold isn't economically significant by itself, but pushes the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio to around 125%, which means Uncle Sam's debt is 25% larger than the country's annual production. Watchdogs warn the spend more than you make trend could lead to a wider economic crisis

Starting point is 00:02:17 if unchecked. Because our hope is built on God's promises, not our financial futures, we can be content and even joyful in the face of massive national debt. In Christ, we are fabulously wealthy. The saints have become rich through the poverty of Jesus, guaranteed a glorious, inheritance that can't slip suddenly away when the economy takes a turn. 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9 says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Starting point is 00:02:52 though he was rich, for your sake, he became poor, so that by his poverty, you might become rich. Wonder in how national debt works? Tune in tomorrow for TPO explains where we'll break it down. Scientists might have a shot at developing a cancer vaccine. Drug giants, Merck and Moderna, announced Wednesday that their experimental MRNA-based vaccine in Tismeran helped prevent melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, from returning or spreading in late-stage trials of high-risk patients.

Starting point is 00:03:30 Unlike chemo, which kills cancer cells, and Tizmuran works with the immunotherapy drug, Ketruda, to rev up patients' immune systems and train them to find and fight specific mutations causing cancer. Each vaccine is tailor-made using genetic code from patients' tumors, making it expensive to produce. Moderna CEO Bancel called the 10-year Project a, quote, pivotal moment for cancer research, and progress is underway for similar vaccines to treat other cancers like kidney, lung, and bladder. The Merck-Moderna study's full results will be released soon, and they hope to have to have, the drug on the market by 2027.

Starting point is 00:04:22 Pray with us. God, our Creator, you are the great inventor of everything. The only one who creates out of nothing, things that did not exist before, who speaks and the universe bursts into being to do your bidding. Our drive to invent is a gift from you. We give thanks for those technologies that equip us to work, to learn, to heal, and to serve. Thank you for equipping creators to relieve suffering and save lives.

Starting point is 00:04:56 As an impressive technology fights for our attention, promising ease and prosperity, we turn our eyes to you, our true comfort and eternal treasure. Amen. The conflict with Iran is in its economic era. President Trump said Tuesday that he's not seeking to re-up diplomatic efforts, then threatened Tehran Wednesday with, quote, an economic D-Day,

Starting point is 00:05:25 leveraging, quote, economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale. Iran called the threat a diversion from the U.S. national debt and a, quote, doubling down on failed policies of isolation and sanctions. The United Arab Emirates joined the pressure campaign against Tehran, halting all trade and financial transactions after accusing it of shooting missiles at Emirati territory. Oil prices hit a three-week high Wednesday amid uncertainty in the strait of Hermuz. Elsewhere, Israel's military police opened investigations into two high-profile cases involving deaths of civilians during the Gaza War, including a five-year-old girl and more than a dozen medics.

Starting point is 00:06:11 Here's a verse to consider whether you're seeking progress in your relationships through conversations, consequences, or the courts. mankind. He has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you, to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6, verse 8. In other bruce, here's a rapid round of updates. The Sunshine State basked in the primary spotlight this week. Representative Nixon, a Democrat member of the Florida House of Representatives, took the win in the Blue Senate primary, adding a tally for

Starting point is 00:07:01 Democratic Socialists. Trump-backed Representative Donald's and red-turned-blue, former representative Jolly, won the gubernatorial noms. Up and to the left, a Missouri court allowed a new GOP-drawn district map to be used this November. Closing arguments are expected next week in the Lindsay Clancy trial. The defense argues Clancy should not be held criminally liable for killing her three children due to postpartum psychosis, prosecutors allege Clancy planned the murderers

Starting point is 00:07:36 before faking a suicide attempt. Hundreds of Clancy supporters gathered outside the courthouse yesterday to raise awareness about women's mental health treatment. The Pentagon is scaling back the U.S. and South Korea's annual joint training exercises after President Trump said they send a, quote, hostile message to North Korea.

Starting point is 00:08:02 Later, Trump announced plans to meet with leader Kim Jong-un to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons. Pyongyang denied meetup plans, meanwhile, reportedly launching several test missiles seaward yesterday. Dr. Fauci's former NIH advisor pleaded guilty to masking federal COVID records Tuesday. Dr. David Morins admitted to using his personal email to hide NIH grant communications from public records requests to protect scientists accused of involvement in dangerous bat-related experiments in Wuhan. The former NIAID official faces five years in prison.

Starting point is 00:08:46 The police statement did not accuse Fauci of wrongdoing. Prince Harry and Megan Markle are reversing their royal Brexit. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will soon re-relocate from California to a private residence outside London, where their prince, age seven, and princess, age five, begin school. and September. The Across the Pond move comes six years after the couple abdicated royal duties. King Charles III reportedly welcomes the chance for some family time. That's all the headlines we have for today. Here's some good news for your noodling. God is on the throne and he's good. Seek his kingdom and trust him to take care of the rest.

Starting point is 00:09:45 As always, thanks for listening, TPO fam. If you're listening on the Apple podcast 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're grateful for your support and hope you have a great weekend. Catch you on Monday.

Starting point is 00:10:05 Hi, I'm Deb from Omaha, Nebraska. The poor over exists to be a trustworthy news resource guiding people toward eternal hope.

The Pour Over Today - National Debt, Cancer Vaccine, Economic Pressure on Iran, & More

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