The Pour Over Today - Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, President Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis, Sports Updates, & More | 05.21.25
Episode Date: May 21, 2025Today we’re talking about ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine set to begin immediately; sympathy and scrutiny surrounding President Biden’s cancer diagnosis; who’s left in the NBA and NHL... Playoffs; and other top news for Wednesday, May 21st. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside Cru: give.cru.org/pour LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast Student Life Application Study Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/SLASB_Pod Stress Less: https://links.thepourover.org/StressLess Platforms to Pillars: https://links.thepourover.org/PlatformstoPillars Subsplash: subsplash.com/tpo CSB: https://links.thepourover.org/CSB_podcast Field of Greens: FieldofGreens.com The Table Podcast: https://links.thepourover.org/TheTablePodcast
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Hey, this is Joe at The Pullover.
And this is Zain at The Pullover.
Today, we're talking about ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine set to begin immediately,
sympathy and scrutiny surrounding President Biden's cancer diagnosis, who's left in
the NBA and NHL playoffs, and other top news for Wednesday, May 21st.
Staying foreign while remaining focused on Christ
with the pullover today.
Here's your quote of the day.
Our prayers can go where we cannot.
There are no borders, no prison walls, no doors
that are closed to us when we pray.
Brother Andrew.
Let's get started with some espresso shots.
Let's get started with some espresso shots. President Trump and Putin had a high-stakes chat Monday night.
Following the two-hour call, which Trump described as going, quote, very well, he announced that
Russia and Ukraine would immediately begin ceasefire negotiations.
He briefed President Zelensky and several NATO leaders, then told reporters he believes
a deal is within reach, saying he thinks, quote, something's going to happen.
Russia's account of the conversation was more muted, saying only that it was ready
to discuss a, quote, possible future peace agreement with Ukraine.
President Trump says the Vatican is very interested in hosting the peace talks and thinks that
could be helpful.
Meanwhile, European leaders issued fresh sanctions on Russia, saying Putin needs to immediately
accept the ceasefire proposal that's currently on the table.
The US declined to join in the additional sanctioning, warning the pressure could backfire.
Here's a verse to consider whether you're conducting high-level international diplomacy, stuck in the middle of a sticky situation at work,
settling sibling squabbles, or just trying to get everyone to church on time.
Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his
ears are open to their cry for help." Psalm 34 verses 14 and 15.
Former President Biden's cancer diagnosis has stirred sympathy and speculation. Sunday,
the recently retired commander-in-chief
announced he had stage four prostate cancer.
The news brought a wave of bipartisan well-wishes,
but critics and some supporters questioned
how the cancer wasn't caught sooner,
suggesting the then-president's doctors
were either negligent or involved in a cover-up.
An oncologist and former Biden White House advisor
noted that men over 70 are not
recommended for prostate cancer screens, but said it would be, quote, strange if number
46 didn't receive one given how thoroughly President's health is monitored. The news
comes amid publications re-sparking the debate on Biden's mental fitness, including audio
clips of his 2024 interview with special counsel Robert Herr in the new book Original Sin.
Biden said the book's authors had nothing to sustain their claims of his cognitive decline.
God, our rock, be a fortress to us in moments of fear and uncertainty.
When unwelcome news shifts our footing and reminds us of our frailty,
still our spinning souls and be with us.
Psalm 86, five through seven says,
"'For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive,
abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.
Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cries for mercy.
I call on you in the day of my distress,
for you will answer me.
There are four teams left standing slash skating in the NBA and NHL.
The Minnesota Timberwolves advance to the Western Conference Finals to face top seed Oklahoma City,
while the Indiana Pacers open the Eastern Conference
Finals in Game 1 tonight against the New York Knicks.
No matter who wins the title, it will bring a long overdue celebration as only two of the teams have
won a title before, most recently in 1979. As for the skaters, the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida
Panthers are in the Eastern Conference Finals, while
the Dallas Stars play tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, the lone hope to return the Stanley
Cup to Canada, where it hasn't resided since 1993.
Whether we're professional athletes, newsletter writers, phlebotomists, spelunkers, programmers
or anything in between, we have an opportunity every day to honor God in our work with the
gifts He's given us and to show the love of Christ to those around us as we do.
1 Corinthians 10 verse 31 says,
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
So I've tried greens powders before, and let's just say I've had more enjoyable experiences
accidentally getting sand in my mouth at the beach.
But Field of Greens, I was shocked.
No grainy texture, no grassy aftertaste, just a smooth, actually tasty drink.
Now I drink Field of Greens daily and I get two servings of fruits and veggies without
even noticing.
No weird extracts, no added sugar, just real food that supports energy, digestion, and
metabolism.
Plus, Field of Greens is packed with the antioxidants, prebiotics, and fiber I'd get from a fruit
and veggie packed salad, but without the endless chopping. Basically, I've hacked nutrition in a way that I actually enjoy. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates.
President Trump made the two-mile trek from the White House to the Capitol Building yesterday
to give a pep talk to holdouts on his quote, big, beautiful bill, which aims to advance
much of the GOP agenda.
The bill includes new work requirements for Medicaid and would make his 2017 tax cuts
permanent while eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security.
Venezuelan immigrants' temporary protected status is getting revoked. Granting an emergency
application from the White House, the Supreme Court gave the green light to end special Biden-era legal protections
for over 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants,
which allowed them to legally live and work in the US
due to quote, extraordinary and temporary,
end quote, conditions back home.
The decision paves the way for deportations.
How do you get to Sesame Street? Netflix. Things were looking dicey for Elmo and the
gang after HBO Max announced it would stop streaming new episodes of the longest-running,
non-soap opera, TV show, but Netflix stepped in to save Big Bird's day. Season 56 will
be released on both Netflix and PBS, keeping the kids programming free.
Aid is beginning to flow into Gaza.
After an 11-week blockade on food, medicine, and other supplies,
Israel allowed the first five of 100 aid trucks to enter the enclave.
The UN's humanitarian chief called the relief a, quote, drop in the ocean,
while Israel maintains, quote,
the war can end tomorrow if Hamas releases its remaining hostages
and lays down its weapons.
An employee at the New Orleans jail where 10 inmates escaped
was arrested for allegedly helping them pull it off.
Literally.
Authorities say a maintenance worker shut off the water, allowing inmates
to rip the toilet from the wall and escape through a hole behind it. Police are using
real-time facial recognition to search for the remaining six escapees, sparking privacy
concerns.
And that's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening, TPO fam. If you're
listening on the Apple Podcasts app, give us a 5-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 we hope you have a great rest of your
week. Catch you on Friday.
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I looked at her and couldn't even remember.
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