The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Episode Date: December 15, 2021

Tornado recovery efforts, new COVID milestones, a big settlement for Nassar’s victims, and other top news for Wednesday, December 15th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.8 Days Of Hope:https://link.thepourover.org/9usOther tornado relief organizations: https://link.thepourover.org/5x9National Sexual Assault Hotlinehttps://link.thepourover.org/1518b1This episode is sponsored by The Joy FM:https://link.thepourover.org/JoyFM_Dec15

Tornado recovery efforts, new COVID milestones, a big settlement for Nassar's victims, and other top news for Wednesday, December 15th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. You are more sinful than you ever thought you were, and you are more loved than you ever dreamed you could be. Tim Keller. Let's get started with some espresso shots. The U.S. will cross two COVID milestones this week, 50 million cases and 800,000 deaths. Now all eyes are on Omicron. Preliminary data from South Africa and model data from the University

of California both found vaccines to be 30% effective against infection and 70% effective in preventing hospitalization due to the variant. A silver-lined note, Omicron does seem to present with milder symptoms. It's not a trendy new strain, but good old Delta still accounts for 99% of U.S. COVID cases. However, Dr. Fauci stated with certainty that Omicron will gain ground and that the best protection is three doses of either mRNA vaccine. In related news, the Supreme Court upheld a New York City vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, and California reinstated indoor mask requirements for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. Last week's December tornadoes were no less deadly than their season-appropriate cousins.

The death toll continues to rise, with Kentucky accounting for 74 out of the 88 total lives lost. In yesterday's Midday Update, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that over 100 people are still missing, and that it was a quote, miracle that only 8 out of the 110 workers died in a hard-hit candle factory. Some employees of the candle factory claimed that they would have been fired for leaving during the storm, a claim that the candle company denies. In Illinois, OSHA is investigating the deaths of several workers in a collapsed Amazon warehouse that was hit by tornadoes. Tens of thousands are still without electricity and water, and total damages from the storms are estimated to reach $18 billion,

making this history's costliest tornado-related event. President Biden plans to visit several devastated areas today to offer federal support. TPO readers have already donated more than $21,500 to various organizations with boots on the ground, making our promise to match the first $1,000 seem quite trivial. We're shocked and so proud of this community that's living out Christ's call to help those in need. We'd love to continue tracking your impact, so send us a screenshot of any donation made to help relief efforts. Our $1,000 contribution went to Eight Days of Hope, but there are many other great organizations. You can check the link in our show notes. Don't neglect to do what is good and to share,

for God is pleased with such sacrifices. Hebrews 13, 16. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which is called the USOPC, reached a $380 million settlement with the 300 plus women and girls who were abused by Larry Nassar. It's one of the largest sexual abuse settlements ever and is generally being applauded for both the monetary and non-monetary provisions. Among other reforms, at least one survivor will now be on the USA Gymnastics Board of Directors, and there are new policies meant to prevent future abuse at every level of the organization. Still, the attorney representing the highest-profile survivors,

Simone Biles, Allie Raisman, Michaela Maroney, promised to continue fighting for the gold medal. Specifically, he wants the officials at the USA Gymnastics and the FBI who failed to act on early tips of Nassar's abuse to face criminal charges. The promise of heaven does not remove the pains of this world. Join us in praying for hope, strength, and peace for survivors of sexual assault. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Revelation 21.4

If you're in a position where you could use help, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline. The link is in our show notes. use help, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline. The link is in our show notes. Today's podcast is brought to you by The Joy FM. Lights lining roofs, that one extra special ornament, the smell of sugar cookies being forgotten and burning to a crisp in the oven. There's lots of things that make it feel like Christmas, but this year we're turning up our Christmas spirit to a 10 with Joy FM. The Joy FM is based in the Southeast, but has a growing national audience because of its amazing hosts and music. All December, they play the music your inner elf needs, from classics like Bing Crosby and Silent Night,

to new songs by your favorite worship artists. Let it feel like Christmas and listen to the Joy FM online today. Link in our show notes. like Christmas and listen to the Joy FM online today. Link in our show notes. In other brews, we've got a rapid round of updates. The House voted to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress. Before the vote, multiple texts were read aloud that Meadows had received from Donald Trump Jr., Fox News hosts, and Republican members of Congress on January 6th, asking the president to condemn and dissipate the rioters.

Ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was ordered to repay $5.1 million from his COVID-19 book deal. New York's Joint Commission on Public Ethics stated he violated an agreement to not use state resources on the memoir. Cuomo, who already spent a good chunk of the cash, plans to take the order to court. Add Time Magazine's Person of the Year to the list of things that $300 billion can buy. His resume was strong. In 2021, Elon Musk's Tesla became the most valuable carmaker in the world. His rocket company, SpaceX, sent the first all-civilian crew to space. And then there's his Twitter, personal life, and other companies to consider.

On Monday, the Golden Globe Award nominees were released via YouTube livestream, since NBC refused to give the Globes airtime due to a historic lack of diversity among winners. Belfast and The Power of the Dog led the way for movies with seven nods apiece. HBO's Succession received five nominations, the most of any TV show. Steph Curry swooshed into the history books, breaking the all-time NBA record for three-pointers in roughly half the number of games

that it took the previous record holder, Ray Allen. A lot of people wanted to see the record-setting shot live. Last night's Warriors and Knicks ticket prices were the most expensive in Knicks history. Well, that's all for this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. If you found this podcast valuable, informative, or even just a little bit encouraging, we would really appreciate it if you would share it with a friend or leave us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts.

We hope you have a great rest of your day, and we'll see you back here on Friday morning.