The Pour Over Today - Trump Announces Tariffs, TikTok Bids, Severe Storms, & More | 04.04.25

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

Today we’re talking about President Trump announcing sweeping tariffs; President Trump expecting a sale of TikTok ahead of tomorrow’s deadline; severe storms sweeping the U.S.; and other top news for Friday, April 4th. 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_EasterGiftGuide Field of Greens: FieldofGreens.com

Hey, this is Zan at The Poor Over. And this is Joe at The Poor Over. Today we're talking about President Trump announcing sweeping tariffs, President Trump expecting a sale of TikTok ahead of tomorrow's deadline, severe storms sweeping the U.S., and other top news for Friday, April 4th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour-over today. Here's your quote of the day, when anger enters the mind, wisdom departs. Thomas Aquembus.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. President Trump took to the Rose Garden podium on Wednesday afternoon to lay out his Liberation Day tariffs. Trump declared an economic emergency and announced steeper than expected import taxes, including first, a baseline tariff of 10% for all countries. Next, higher tariffs for the 60 countries Trump considers the, quote, worst offenders of imbalanced trade, including 34% for China, 20% for the EU, and 24% for Japan. And finally, a 25% tariff on all foreign-made cars.

How were the country-specific tariffs determined, you ask? Well, the White House says the higher, quote, reciprocal tariff rates, end quote, are meant to offset each country's trade policies toward the U.S., accounting for both tariffs and other trade barriers like regulations against U.S. goods. However, the formula used is based on each country's trade deficit, aka how much it buys versus sells to the U.S., which has sparked criticism that it's not doing what was intended or advertised. The White House described its approach as a kind way of addressing unfair trade imbalances

and protecting domestic manufacturing, and could raise $2.2 trillion in revenue by 2034. The responses to the Rose Garden address have been more thorny than rosy. World leaders have expressed hope to negotiate new trade deals with Uncle Sam, with some, including China and the EU, vowing to take resolute countermeasures if negotiations fail. Stateside critics say the tariffs pick fights with ally countries. In a rare move, four Senate Republicans

crossed the aisle Wednesday, voting with Democrats to end the national emergency declaration, enabling tariffs on Canada. Now it heads to the Republican-controlled House. Stocks, both international and domestic, nosedived. Nosedove? The Dow dropped 1600 points, the S&P 500 lost 4.8% and the small cap benchmark Russell 2000 officially entered a bear market, meaning it was down 20% from a recent high.

Regardless of the world's economic environment, God remains in control. In the midst of uncertainty on earth, set your hope on the abundance we'll enjoy with Christ when he comes again. 1 Peter 1, 3-4 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.

Tomorrow is TikTok's new Sell or be banned deadline. A lot of buyers have thrown their hats into the ring, including Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, YouTuber MrBeast, Private Equity Heavyweight Blackstone, and Perplexity AI. Even Amazon delivered an 11th-hour offer. Reports suggest the front-runner is a group of existing U.S.-based TikTok investors, including tech giant Oracle, which currently stores TikTok's U.S. data. Any offer needs to be accepted by ByteDance and approved by President Trump. It'll likely also require approval from the Chinese government. Trump has said he would, quote, like to see TikTok remain alive, end quote,

and suggested he may give China a, quote, little reduction in tariffs, end quote, to help in negotiations. President Trump said he expects a deal will be made, but is open to extending tomorrow's deadline if needed. Here's a verse to consider when you're re-evaluating your use of social media. Romans 14 verses 22 to 23 says, Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

But whoever doubts, stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin." Easter is the biggest celebration of our faith. And what better way to celebrate than giving the gift of God's Word? Whether you're looking for a first Bible for a child, a beautiful study Bible for a new believer, or a note-taking Bible to sneak into your own Easter basket, Christian standard Bibles have something for every age and personality. The CSB is highly readable and accurate, making it perfect for

any reading level. Plus, you can make it extra special with personalization options. This Easter, go beyond the candy and egg hunts and celebrate the deeper meaning of the resurrection by gifting a Bible that your loved ones will cherish for years to come. See the link in the show notes to shop for the perfect one. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Severe storms tore through the Midwest and the South this week. At least six people have died, five in Tennessee and one in Missouri, and 13 were injured. Tornadoes destroyed homes in Missouri and Arkansas, toppled a radio tower in Indiana,

and put 14 million people under tornado watches. Forecasters are warning of generational flooding as the system continues across the U.S. this weekend. Israel's taking territory in Gaza amid stalled ceasefire negotiations. The ground operation, announced Monday, will mobilize IDF soldiers into 25 percent of the enclave in the next two to three weeks to reestablish Israeli, quote unquote, security zones, increasing pressure on Hamas to release at least 59 remaining hostages.

Displaced Palestinians who had been returning home are now moving back toward humanitarian zones. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is hopping off his donkey. Yesterday, the Big Apple politician withdrew from the city's Democratic primary and announced he's running for re-election as an independent to appeal to all New Yorkers. Adams claimed his recently thrown out corruption case, which was dismissed with prejudice, aka no chance of a retrial, prevented him from campaigning for the primary. Outcry is growing over a quote, administrative error that landed a Marylander with protected

legal status in a notorious El Salvador prison. The Trump admin, which acknowledged mistakenly deporting a 29-year-old El Salvadoran citizen, is arguing against returning him to Baltimore, alleging gang ties. The man's lawyers say he fled El Salvador due to gang violence, and the gang association claims are baseless. The White House began mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services Tuesday, aiming to slash another 10,000 jobs.

Through layoffs and deferred resignations, Doge efforts will reduce the HHS workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 across agencies like the CDC and FDA. The reductions come as Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. seeks to reshape the federal public health infrastructure. 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 hope you have a great day. See you next week.