The Pour Over Today - University Protests, SCOTUS Homelessness Case, & More | 04.24.24

Episode Date: April 24, 2024

Today, we’re talking about spreading protests on university campuses, Supreme Court arguments on homeless encampments, plans for a bullet train, and other top news for Wednesday, April 24th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! Compassion International: compassion.com/TPO A Jew and a Gentile Discuss: https://links.thepourover.org/JewGentileDiscussPod TUVU: https://www.tuvu.com/tpo Christian Standard Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/ChristianStandardBible_Pod Holman Handbook Series: https://links.thepourover.org/HolmanHandbook

Today's episode is brought to you by our lead sponsor, Crew. Today, we're talking about spreading protests on university campuses, Supreme Court arguments on homeless encampments, plans for a bullet train, and other top news for Wednesday, April 24th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. It is better to try something and fail than to try nothing and succeed. The result may be the same, but you won't be. We always grow more through defeats than victories. Soren Kierkegaard.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. with some espresso shots. Protests over the war in Gaza are escalating across U.S. universities. Things heated up last Wednesday at Columbia as its president, Dr. Manoush Shafiq, testified before Congress about campus anti-Semitism. The same day, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters pitched tents on the green of the school's Manhattan campus, opposing Israel's military action in Gaza, calling for the destruction of the Jewish state, and pushing the university to divest from companies who profit from Israeli apartheid. As Jewish students increasingly reported anti-Semitic incidents on campus ahead of Passover, which began Monday, the administration asked for police assistance, and the NYPD arrested over 100

protesters Thursday. Then, on Monday, Columbia announced that classes would be held online for the rest of the semester, citing intimidating and harassing behavior. By Monday, pro-Palestine protests had swelled at NYU, UC Berkeley, Yale, Tufts, MIT, the University of Michigan, and Emerson. Hundreds have been arrested. Police are becoming increasingly involved, and many are closing their gates to the public as reports emerge of non-student activists agitating crowds. Colleges are discussing the line between protecting free speech and ensuring student safety. President Shafiq is at the center of the controversy, with both sides calling for her censure or resignation. Sunday,

the White House condemned calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students. Being peaceable, gentle, and open to reason in the face of culturally hot topics is a sign of God's wisdom in us. Believing you're right is not an excuse to be harsh or impatient. James 3 verse 17 says, But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. The Supreme Court is staying busy. On Monday, the court appeared inclined to side with the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, in a high-profile homelessness case. Grants Pass prohibits camping or sleeping on public property, with violators facing a fine and or jail time,

which a lawsuit alleges violates the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Conservative justices seem to think the questions about homeless encampments should be left to local governments, while liberal justices expressed concern over the town's lack of compassion and the potential criminalization of homelessness. A decision, expected this summer, could have sweeping implications for how homelessness is handled nationwide. The court also heard arguments in a case involving Starbucks

employees' desire to unionize and agreed to hear a case involving the legality of difficult-to-trace ghost guns. As the justices consider a complicated case involving people experiencing homelessness, may we pray for justice to be done everywhere in our world. Book of Common Prayer, Prayers for the Social Order says, Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease.

That our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 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. On Monday, the U.K. Parliament passed a divisive law allowing the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, a response to the influx of migrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Prime Minister Sunak promised chartered planes with trained staff will begin deportations in 10 to 12 weeks. Critics say deporting asylum seekers is inhumane. Critics say deporting asylum seekers is inhumane. If you need to get to or away from Vegas quickly, there's a train for that.

Brightline West is constructing America's first true high-speed rail between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, halving transit time to just over two hours. The $12 billion project would carry 11 million passengers annually, create jobs, and reduce traffic and pollution, all at 186 miles per hour. Niger is booting U.S. troops out of the country. The U.S. military has invested over $1 billion in Niger, a strategic location for regional counterterrorism efforts over the last decade. But the relationship frayed after Niger's military coup in 2023. Now, Niger's leaders are turning to Russia for security services and ordered U.S. troops to leave. The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 yesterday to ban non-compete agreements.

Once reserved for executives, non-competes now prevent an estimated 30 million Americans from working for their employer's competitor or starting a rival business, including some hourly fast food workers. Business groups argue non-competes are critical to protecting companies' secrets and have promised to challenge the new rule in court. If she could turn back time, Cher would have missed learning that she'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19th. The other 2024 inductees are Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Ozzy Osbourne, A Tribe Called Quest, and the band that helped everyone celebrate good times, Cool and the Gang.

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 day. We'll see you on Friday.