The Pour Over Today - Senators Grill Tech CEOs, TikTok Loses Major Artists, & More | 02.02.24

Episode Date: February 2, 2024

Today, we’re talking about Senators grilling tech CEOs, Ukraine’s top general not being fired, Universal Music Group pulling songs from TikTok, and other top news for Friday, February 2nd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT0103 A Jew and a Gentile Discuss: https://links.thepourover.org/JewGentileDiscussPod Holman Handbook Series: https://links.thepourover.org/HolmanHandbook TUVU: https://www.tuvu.com/tpo

Today's episode is brought to you by our lead sponsor, Crew. Today we're talking about Senators grilling tech CEOs, Ukraine's top general not being fired, Universal Music Group pulling songs from TikTok, and other top news for Friday, February 2nd. Stand formed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. The word of God and the grace of Christ in the promises are our daily support and the constant nourishment of our souls. Isaac Watts.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. Red and blue senators joined forces on Wednesday to hit the dislike button on top social media ceos senators blasted meta x tiktok snap and discord for contributing to child exploitation the distribution of child sexual abuse material and poor mental health. The execs mostly emphasized the money and manpower they're already investing in online safety. But when prompted, Zuckerberg turned to an audience of families whose children were harmed or killed by online content and apologized, saying, no one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered. There's a bipartisan appetite for legislation to protect children

online, but Congress has so far failed to pass anything. In another rare show of bipartisanship, a majority of both parties in the House voted to extend the child tax credit and restore certain businesses' tax benefits. Here's a verse to consider when you're trying to cooperate with someone for the common good. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 17, 17. Tensions rose in Ukraine following reports that its top commander was going to be fired. Rumors about disagreements between President Zelensky and General Zeluzhny had swirled since November, when the president rejected the general's description of the war as a stalemate. Monday, Ukrainian outlets indicated that Zelensky had ousted the general,

but military officials say Zelushny remains in his post. Losing the commander, whose popularity sits at 88%, would be a major blow to Ukraine's unity and morale as Russia ramps up air and ground attacks. The rest of the week has been better in Kiev. Russia and Ukraine swapped about 200 prisoners each, the first exchange since the crash of a plane reportedly carrying Ukrainian POWs. Then, Thursday, the European Union approved 50 billion euros in non-military aid to support Ukraine's economy as the war drags on. It's easy to feel discouraged and helpless as this conflict stretches on, and the suffering is so far away. But the Bible promises that prayer is powerful and effective, that God hears us and responds.

Pray for comfort for those who have lost their homes and loved ones. Pray for wisdom for leaders. Pray for peace. Numbers 6, 24 through 26 says, The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Universal Music Group is done dancing with TikTok,

causing videos across the platform to go silent. The music giant, home to Taylor Swift, Drake, Elton John, and a lot of other A-list artists, has pulled all its songs from the platform over a contract dispute. Any video containing music by a UMG artist now bears a message saying the sound was removed due to copyright restrictions. In an open letter on its website, UMG claims that TikTok is trying to build a music-based business without paying fair value for the music. UMG further claims that TikTok is doing nothing to stop the wave of AI-generated music on its platform. TikTok responded in a statement that UMG has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.

Our goal is to keep the big things big and the small things small. It's not that music licenses aren't important. They're just not God of the universe important. Stay focused on eternity. It changes everything. Colossians 3, 2-4 says, Set your minds 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.

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. This is why we've partnered with Crew. Crew has missionaries in almost every country, but they need more Bibles. One missionary said, I have 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 will provide meals to 12 hungry individuals through their humanitarian ministry and send you a free TPO coffee mug. Simply text TPO to 71326 or visit give.crew.org slash TPO.

Again, that's texting TPO to 71326 or give.cru.org slash TPO. Message and data rates may apply. Available to U.S. addresses only. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. The Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates steady. Fed Chairman Powell said he wants to see a continuation of the good data we've been seeing before making any cuts, disappointing investors and causing a slight dip in the stock market. Don't fret too much.

Most economists expect rates will be cut in either May or June. In the latest back and forth between Disney and DeSantis. It is advantage Ron. A federal judge in Tallahassee dismissed a lawsuit over Florida's dismantling of Disney's special taxing district, ruling Mickey lacks standing to sue the governor, and said the law in question is constitutional. The House of Mouse said it would press forward with its case without specifying how. Mouse said it would press forward with its case without specifying how. FBI Director Christopher Wray warned the House Judiciary Committee that Chinese hackers are preparing to wreak havoc on American infrastructure, a risk to every American that requires urgent attention. The Justice Department concurrently announced it had disrupted

a Chinese malware hacking operation affecting hundreds of small office and home routers. A group of legislators in California have proposed a set of bills to make California the first state to offer reparations to descendants of enslaved African Americans. to offer reparations to descendants of enslaved African Americans. The California Legislative Black Caucus's 14 proposed bills do not include cash payments, instead addressing policies like criminal justice and property rights as part of a comprehensive approach. Grab your dauber if you had Elmo experiences trauma dumping on your 2024 bingo card. This week, The Muppet asked X how everyone is doing and was inundated with brands and users checking in with reports of tough times.

Elmo said he learned it's important to check on friends and the official Sesame Street linked some mental health resources. And 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 weekend. We'll see you on Monday.