The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Episode Date: April 5, 2023

Today, we’re talking about Trump’s arraignment, protests in Tennessee, Finland joining NATO, and other top news for Wednesday, April 5th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Today, we're talking about Trump's arraignment, protests in Tennessee, Finland joining NATO, and other top news for Wednesday, April 5th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day, The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him. John Milton Let's get started with some espresso shots. Former President Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records

yesterday in New York. Prosecutors allege Trump used his business to purchase negative information about him to suppress its publication in order to benefit his 2016 presidential campaign and then hid the payments as legal fees. Falsifying records is a misdemeanor, but doing it to cover up election law violations makes each count a felony. The former president's time in the court was relatively brief. He was fingerprinted, read the charges, and entered his not-guilty plea. Trump then returned to Florida where he gave a speech before a crowd of supporters. New York reportedly placed all 35,000 of its police officers on standby in anticipation of unrest, but groups of protesters both for and against were relatively small and never prompted police intervention. We represent Christ well when we speak kindly and gently about people we

disagree with politically, going out of our way to serve and care for them. This is what it means to love your enemies. Luke chapter 6 verse 32 says, If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. More than 1,000 protesters, including children and teens, assembled at the Tennessee State Capitol Monday to demand gun reform in the wake of last week's deadly school shooting in Nashville. During the demonstrations, three Democratic lawmakers took to the chamber's podium, leading protesters' chants with a bullhorn. The move halted legislative business, prompting Republicans to call their actions inappropriate and disorderly.

The three representatives were stripped of their committee assignments and are expected to be expelled by the GOP supermajority. It would be the first ousting of a Tennessee rep or senator without bipartisan support. Meanwhile, a federal judge found Tennessee's bill criminalizing adult cabaret performances, including drag shows, in public places or in front of minors to be unconstitutionally vague and contrary to the First Amendment. The bill was temporarily halted one day before its effective date. When discussing divisive topics such as gun safety, remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ. We shouldn't sacrifice relationships to win arguments. James chapter 1 verses 19 through 20 say, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness.

Time to order new NATO t-shirts. Yesterday, Finland became the 31st member of NATO guaranteeing security from nuclear states and doubling NATO's land border with Russia. Last May, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, both Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO's military alliance, ending their histories of neutrality. Acceptance into the alliance requires unanimous approval, however Hungary and Turkey each had conditions before giving Finland the okay. They eventually approved Finland, but Turkey is still stonewalling Sweden, claiming the Swedes support Kurdish terrorists. In a busy weekend, Finland also held elections Sunday. Current Prime Minister Sanna Marins'

left-wing Social Democrats Party came in third, ending her turbulent tenure. Pateri Orpo, who sent her right National Coalition Party garnered the most votes, will likely be Finland's next prime minister. Here's a verse to consider when reading about multinational alliances. First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings, and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 through 2. This episode is sponsored by Voice of the Martyrs. We've been asked to help smuggle 300,000 Bibles into Iran.

Christians in Iran urgently want Bibles of their own. Help send twice as many Bibles today to shine the light of God's Word into one of the darkest places on earth. This is a unique opportunity to help put the Word of God into the hands of believers in some of the world's most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. $50 covers the cost of getting five Bibles to Christians in Iran. We're matching the first $1,000, also known as 100 Bibles. Discover how you can give through the link in the show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. UConn had yet another shining moment.

The University of Connecticut men's basketball team won its fifth national championship since 1999, defeating San Diego State 76-59. They won each tourney game by double digits and are 5-0 in championship games. Meanwhile, the LSU women's championship win had the most viewers ever, 9.9 million, twice that of last year's. had the most viewers ever, 9.9 million, twice that of last year's. The scripted wrestling brand that brought us Dwayne The Rock Johnson is tag-teaming up with UFC, the mixed martial arts brand that brought us Conor McGregor.

The two sports entertainment giants have agreed to form a new publicly traded company with an estimated $21 billion valuation and the stock ticker TKO. with an estimated $21 billion valuation and the stock ticker TKO. The infamous Chinese spy balloon was reportedly targeting information in over 40 different countries and managed to gather and transmit intelligence from sensitive U.S. military sites before it was shot down. The Biden administration said it took all necessary steps to protect sensitive information. However, China continues to burst the bubble, insisting it was merely a windblown weather balloon. Houston, we have some astronauts. NASA named the four soon-to-be space people blasting off on the first lunar mission in 50 years. Those headed to the moon, well, around the

moon, include the first female and black astronauts to depart on a lunar mission. Liftoff is expected in late 2024. 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 day. We'll see you on Friday.