The Pour Over Today - State of the Union, Election Dropouts, & More | 03.08.23

Episode Date: March 8, 2024

Today, we’re talking about last night’s State of the Union address, election dropouts and endorsements, when to expect interest rates to drop, and other top news for Friday, March 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! A Jew and a Gentile Discuss: https://links.thepourover.org/JewGentileDiscussPod Men's Daily Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/MensDailyBiblePod TUVU: https://www.tuvu.com/tpo 

Today, we're talking about last night's State of the Union Address, election dropouts and endorsements, when to expect interest rates to drop, and other top news for Friday, March 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. Our work is great. Our time is short. The consequences of our labors are infinite. John Newton. Let's get started with some espresso shots. President Biden issued America's annual progress report last night. In his speech, Biden gave his administration full marks on the economy, the Republican-rejected border deal, and abortion access. He also announced

plans for a floating pier to get aid to Gaza and warned about threats to democracy at home and abroad. The night's guest list underscored key issues. Democrats invited the first person born via IVF in the U.S. and women who sought abortions in states without access. Republicans invited relatives of U.S. citizens killed or taken by Hamas and left a seat open for a woman allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant. Senator Katie Britt gave the rebuttal, arguing that Biden's White House needs work, And former President Trump gave a Manning Brothers-style play-by-play of the speech on social media and challenged Biden to a debate any time.

Here's a verse to consider whether your report card gives you gold stars or lots of suggestions for improvement. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you are working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the master you are serving is Christ. Colossians 3, verses 23 and 24. As the post-Super Tuesday landscape emerges, campaign and endorsement decisions are rolling in.

First, Nikki Haley suspended her campaign, saying she has no regrets and calling on former President Trump to earn the votes, but stopping short of endorsing him. Second, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell became the highest-profile GOP leader to endorse Trump. Third, Congressman Dean Phillips ended his long-shot presidential campaign and endorsed President Biden. Fourth, Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced she won't seek re-election, setting up a matchup that could determine which party controls the Senate.

Some results have rolled in, too. In a jungle primary, dozens of candidates threw their hats in the ring for the late Senator Dianne Feinstein's seat. Representative Adam Schiff and former baseball star Steve Garvey will advance after receiving the most votes. Steve Garvey will advance after receiving the most votes. No matter who's on the ballot in 2024,

the one thing we must be committed to is living our lives so that everyone knows who our king is. Jesus is our king and heaven is our home. John 18 verse 36 says, Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spent Wednesday testifying before the House in the economy's semi-annual parent-teacher conference. Powell reiterated that he expects the Fed to cut interest rates this year, but dodged some lawmakers' efforts to pin him on a date. Rates remain at a 23-year high of about 5.4 percent%. Rate cuts over time lead to lower mortgage rates, auto loans, and other debts, but can increase inflation. Powell acknowledged that inflation has eased notably,

but said the Fed wants to see more evidence that inflation is moving sustainably towards 2%. Inflation ticked up slightly in January, and the job market has remained piping hot, two signs that a cool-down might be bumpy. Despite virtually no new news, the stock market climbed. Most analysts and investors expect the first rate cut in June. Too often, we let eternally insignificant things like the ups and downs of the market control us. Seeking to steward money well is a good thing, but keep your focus on the giver rather than the gifts. 2 Corinthians 8-9 says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he

was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. What would you do if you were falsely accused of murder? For Hannah Overton, that question isn't hypothetical. Hannah was a regular mom of four in Texas, when out of the blue, she was falsely accused of murder. Hannah was shocked by the lies, and as a firm believer, she knew that God would come to her rescue and never let those rumors spread. But the exact opposite happened. Hannah eventually stood before a jury of her peers and heard them sentence her to life in prison. This was a terrible mistake. How could God have let her down? But Hannah would soon discover that God had a plan all of his own.

Listen to Hannah's entire story on episode number 16 on The Compelled Podcast, titled, Falsely Accused of Murder and Sentenced to Life in Prison. Listen on your podcast app or at compelledpodcast.com. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. A Houthi strike on a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden killed three civilians on Wednesday, marking the first fatalities in the rebels' violent attacks against vessels in the region. The Houthis claimed the ship was American, but it was actually Liberian-owned and registered in Barbados. The White House condemned the attack, urging other governments to do the same.

A jury found the armorer for the film Rust guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who faces up to 18 months in prison, disregarded basic safety protocols, ultimately missing a live round in an on-set gun wielded by Alec Baldwin in 2021. The round fired, killing the film's cinematographer. Baldwin's own criminal trial for the incident is set for July. The House passed $460 billion in spending bills to keep some federal agencies funded until October. Now it's up to the Senate to take up the legislation before a shutdown deadline on Friday.

A second package of bills is being negotiated as lawmakers push to get all federal agencies fully funded with a $1.66 trillion budget by March 22nd. New York City's National Guard is headed underground. Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans to deploy about 750 members of the Guard and hundreds of state police to New York City subways to help police conduct bag searches for weapons at train station entrances. The decision follows a series of high-profile NYC subway crimes, including the slashing of a conductor's neck. including the slashing of a conductor's neck.

Netflix is entering the world of live sports swinging. It's going to broadcast a fight between former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in July. Tyson, 57, won 50 professional fights, 44 by knockout, before retiring in 2005. Paul, 27, has won 9 of 10 professional fights against mostly undistinguished opponents. 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 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 appreciate your support and hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you on Monday.