The Pour Over Today - Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, Senate Confirmations and Federal Buyouts, Inflation’s Rise, & More | 2.14.25

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

Today, we’re talking about Russia-Ukraine peace talks; Senate confirmations and federal buyouts; inflation’s rise in January; and other top news for Friday, February, 14th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! The Voice of the Martyrs: vom.org/TPO Parenting with Ginger Hubbard: https://links.thepourover.org/ParentingwithGingerHubbard The Bulletin: MoreCT.com/BulletinPodcast Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside Cru: give.cru.org/pour LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast HelloFresh: hellofresh.com/tpo10fm One Year Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/OneYearBible_Pod The Chronological Life Application Study Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/LASB_0215 World Relief: https://links.thepourover.org/WorldRelief_Pod

Today's episode is brought to trust in our merits, in our virtues, or our righteousness, but only in God's free pardon as given us through faith in Jesus Christ. John Wycliffe. Let's get started with some espresso shots. Uncle Sam is prioritizing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited NATO headquarters Wednesday to talk about the future

of the nearly three-year-old war. He said Ukraine shouldn't hold its breath for NATO membership, needs to make realistic land concessions, and won't see any U.S. peacekeeping boots on the ground. Meanwhile, in Washington, President Trump shared a lengthy and highly productive phone call with Russian President Putin agreeing to open talks to end the war soon. Trump also called Ukraine's president Zelensky, who's ready to get it done. President Trump says he backs Ukraine, but his willingness to cede land and NATO membership before negotiations

formally begin has raised alarms internationally. European powers called for strong security guarantees for Ukraine, saying any deal must include Ukraine and Europe. Whatever path you see out of conflict, believing you're right is not an excuse for believers to be harsh, impatient, or unkind. Being peaceable, gentle, and open to reason in the face of thorny issues is a sign of God's wisdom in us. Hebrews 12-14 says,

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness. Without it, no one will see the Lord. More staffing news is coming out of the Capitol. Former Democrat Congresswoman and veteran Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as Director of National Intelligence. And environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as the director of health and human services. They were considered two of the least certain of Trump's nominees. Senator McConnell was the only Republican nay in each 52 to 48 vote. Meanwhile, the Trump admin's federal buyout offer expired Wednesday night after a district court judge lifted a pause on its deadline.

The judge ruled that unions, which were suing to stop the buyout altogether, didn't have the required direct stake to fight the issue in court. Union officials called the ruling a setback, but promised to continue challenging the illegal off-ramp, which an estimated 75,000 employees, around 3% of the federal workforce, have accepted. Here's a verse to consider whether you're in a season of transition or today's the same old same old. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts.

But no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3.11 Inflation's up, again. Annual inflation rose to 3% in January, marking the fourth consecutive month it has ticked up. On a monthly basis, prices jumped 0.5%, the steepest monthly rise since August 2023, and well above the expected 0.3%. The unwelcome news was driven primarily by pricier gas, food, used cars, and auto insurance. Egg prices alone cracked a roughly 10-year record, surging 15.2% in just one month.

Consequently, the Fed isn't adding rate cuts to their to-do list anytime soon. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress, we are close but not there on inflation, reiterating that rate cuts must wait until inflation is clearly headed for the 2% target. Meanwhile, economists warned the White House's new broad tariffs on trading partners

could drive prices even higher. Inflation goes up and inflation goes down, but one thing is certain, God will remain in control and always provide for you. In the midst of uncertainty, set your hope on the abundance we will enjoy with Christ when He comes. 1 Peter 1, 3, and 4 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. With over 1,000 translations and every type of decorative edition, it's easy to forget how many people can't even get their hands on a single copy of the Bible in their native language. That's why we've partnered with CREW.

CREW is missionaries in almost every country, but they need more Bibles. One missionary said, I've never seen such a thirst for the word of God in my country. Let's quench that thirst. For just $24 a month, you can provide three people with Bibles every month.

As a bonus, CREW provide three people with Bibles every month. As a bonus, CRU will provide meals to 12 hungry individuals through their humanitarian ministry and send you a free TPO coffee mug. Simply text POUR to 71326 or visit give.cru.org. Again, that's texting POUR to 71326 or give.cru.org. Message and data rates may apply. Available to U.S. addresses only. In other brews, here's a wrap around of updates. Hamas agreed to proceed with tomorrow's planned hostage prisoner exchange, keeping the ceasefire intact after threatening to delay over withheld emergency supplies. In other prisoner exchange news, the US traded a Russian cyber criminal for Mark Fogle, an

American teacher imprisoned in Russia for medical marijuana possession, while Belarus returned to detain Americans in a show of good faith to Uncle Sam. Philly fans are flocking downtown today to watch the world champion Eagles parade through the city of brotherly love. Fox Corp is also celebrating a dub. Over $800 million in ad revenue from Super Bowl 59 and a new viewership record, 128 million viewers. Previous record was last year's Super Bowl 58 matchup between the Chiefs and the 49ers.

An FBI records review uncovered 14,000 still-secret pages about President Kennedy's assassination. Conspiracy theories have filled in the gaps of CIA-withheld information, and President Trump expressed regret about not declassifying documents in 2017. Trump's January 23rd executive order called for the public release of all documents related to the assassination of JFK, RFK senior and MLK junior by March 9th. Weather havoc is being wreaked from coast to coast.

This weekend, powerful systems will bring snow, ice and rain across the country, placing over 90 million people under winter alerts. Meanwhile, areas of California still recovering from wildfires are bracing for floods from an incoming atmospheric river. Officials have deployed sandbags and rescue swimmers, alerting residents to have go-bags ready. Disgrace hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs' legal battles continue. Diddy, who has pleaded not guilty to a string of sex-crime charges, filed a $100 million

defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal and Peacock over its documentary, Diddy, The Making of a Bad Boy. Combs' lawyers claim the doc, which alleges Combs' involvement in several people's deaths, was made to capitalize on the public's appetite for scandal. And that's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. 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 appreciate your support and hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you on Monday. Need a New Year's Resolution reboot? The one-year Chronological Study Bible guides you from Genesis to Revelation with daily

readings in the order the events happened. Notes, articles, and reflection questions help you dive deeper. Plus, readings are marked by days, making it easy to stay on track all year long. Learn more at the link in our show notes.