The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Episode Date: December 8, 2021

An Olympic boycott, optimism around Omicron, a new CEO for TRUTH Social, and other top news for Wednesday, December 8th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.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 are lots of things that make it feel like Christmas!  But this year, we’re turning up our Christmas spirit to a 10 with JoyFM.  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. Click here to listen to The Joy FM.

An Olympic boycott, optimism around Omicron, a new CEO for Truth Social, and other top news for Wednesday, December 8th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. We aren't just thrown on this earth like dice tossed across a table. We are lovingly placed here for a purpose. Chuck Swindoll. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

Anyone who joined the State Department for those Olympic ski ballet tickets is severely disappointed. On Monday, the U.S. announced that while athletes would be attending the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, U.S. diplomats would not. The Biden administration said that the diplomatic boycott is in response to quote, ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity related to the repression of Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region, allegations which China denies. China promised quote, resolute countermeasures to this political slap in the face, while also noting that the American diplomats weren't invited anyways. Ouch. The U.S.'s foreign policy problems don't stop with

ice skates and bobsleds. President Biden spent yesterday threatening Russian President Putin with economic sanctions. Should Russia invade Ukraine? Russia denies planning an invasion, but has 100,000 troops camped near their Ukrainian border. We are called to pray for those who are in authority. Join us in praying not only for their wisdom and discernment, but also for decisions that will lead to peace. 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 2, 1 and 2.

godliness, and dignity. 1 Timothy 2, 1 and 2. Whether you're wheeling and dealing on Wall Street or tossing floppy New York-style pizza, you must be vaccinated by the end of the year. Well, maybe. As a, quote, pre-emptive strike, Mayor de Blasio announced that all private sector New York City employees will need to be vaccinated by December 27th of this year. The question is whether this first-of-its-kind mandate will actually happen. de Blasio's term ends December 31st, and his successor Eric Adams hasn't committed to enforcing it. The mandate is also expected to face lawsuits over its constitutionality. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci says Omicron appears to be less severe than other variants, but stressed that it's far too early to say anything with confidence.

But investors are taking this half-hearted optimism to the bank. The stock market closed up 2% yesterday, recouping all of its Omicron-related losses. Culturally hot topics, like vaccine mandates, frequently make people think, speak, and act poorly, which includes us. We can respect others and represent God better if we are quick to listen and slow to speak. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. James 1, 19 and 20.

Representative Devin Nunes, a Republican from California and a prominent ally of former President Trump, is saying so long to Capitol Hill. He's leaving his influential congressional committees at the end of the year to become the CEO of Trump's new social media company, Truth Social. A special election will be held in April to fill his seat. Nunes' new gig might start off rockier than he had hoped. This week, the SEC announced federal regulators are investigating possible securities and insider trading violations in connection with the merger between Trump Media and Technology Group and a SPAC used to raise capital. For the non-finance folks, SPAC stands for Special Purpose Acquisition

Company. Trump's social media company also missed a self-imposed deadline to launch a beta version of the platform, as it's still dealing with hackers who began attacking the site just hours after it was announced. 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 are lots of things that make it feel like Christmas, but this year we're turning up our Christmas spirit to a crisp in the oven. There are 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. In other brews, we've got a rapid round of updates. The DOJ is taking Texas to court, this time for its newly redrawn congressional maps, which the DOJ alleges failed to recognize the growth in the Latino population and discriminates against Black voters. Texas says that the claims are absurd and that this is just a Biden administration power grab. Medina Spirit, this year's contested Kentucky Derby winner, died Monday after suffering a heart attack during a training exercise. The horse failed a drug test immediately following the Kentucky Derby,

but the investigation that may strip the colt's title is still pending. A necropsy, which is just an autopsy for an animal, will be performed to determine what caused the heart attack. Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the quote, day of infamy, which killed over 2,400 Americans and propelled the U.S. into World War II.

Ike Shab, a 101-year-old survivor, got to attend the remembrance ceremony at Pearl Harbor thanks to his daughter and his successful GoFundMe campaign. Another three of the 17 American and Canadian missionaries who were captured by the Haitian gang 400 Mawazo have been freed. Twelve hostages still remain. The gang initially threatened to kill the hostages if a $1 million per person ransom was not paid, but it's unclear if any ransom has been paid so far.

Thank you so much for joining us today. If you found this podcast valuable at all, we would really appreciate if you left us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or shared it with one of your friends. We hope you have a great rest of your day and we'll see you back here on Friday.