The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Episode Date: March 1, 2023

Today, we’re talking about the murky origins of COVID-19, SCOTUS and student loan debt, updates on Brexit strategies, and other top news for Wednesday, March 1. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by Serve Robotics TPO's Pick Of The Week: On Getting Out of Bed

Today we're talking about the murky origins of COVID-19, SCOTUS and student loan debt, updates on Brexit strategies, and other top news for Wednesday, March 1st. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving. Amy Carmichael Let's get started with some espresso shots. There are two theories on COVID-19's genesis. Theory 1, the virus jumped from animals to

humans, zoonotic transmission. And Theory 2, the virus was leaked from a lab, intentionally or unintentionally. This week, the U.S. Department of Energy cast its vote for Theory 2, stating with low confidence that it believes COVID-19 originated from a lab in Wuhan, China. The FBI agrees, with a slightly spicier confidence level of moderate. Four intelligence agencies and a national intelligence panel disagree, casting low-confidence votes for Theory 1, zoonotic transmission from a wet market in Wuhan. Two agencies, including the CIA, are undecided. China has placed limits on further investigation, but unsurprisingly denies lab leaks, calling recent reports smear pieces. The Biden administration is facing calls to declassify findings and make more information available to the public. When discussing divisive topics such as the origins of COVID-19,

remember that both your stance and how you take your stance reflect on Christ. We shouldn't sacrifice relationships to win arguments. Romans 12 verse 18 says, If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. peace with everyone. Don't count forgiven loans before they hatch. The Supremes are going to weigh in. Last August, President Biden announced plans to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for qualified borrowers, drawing lawsuits from six Republican-led states and two individuals who hold student loans. The challengers argue only Congress can forgive federal student loans. Team Biden says the loan forgiveness is legal under the HEROES Act of 2003, which gives the Secretary of Education extra authority during an emergency,

like the pandemic, and that the challengers have no legal standing to sue because they aren't being harmed by the federal government forgiving its own loans. During oral arguments yesterday, the court's conservative majority appeared skeptical about President Biden's authority to do this without Congress. A ruling is expected in June. No matter what side of this debate we land on, we can be grateful that the largest debt we'll ever face in our lives, our moral debt, was paid in full. The following is from a hymn by Ellis J. Crum. He paid a debt he did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away.

And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace, all day long. Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay. Everyone raise a cup of tea. The UK and the EU have announced a new deal to fix Brexit's peskiest problem, trade with Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, shares a large open land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the European Union. It's the only land border between the UK and the EU, and has caused headaches ever since the UK voted to divorce the EU in 2016. The riveting 29-page agreement called the Windsor Framework would mean goods sent from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland

could go in the Green Lane, minimal paperwork, while goods destined for the Republic of Ireland would ride in the Red Lane, full checks. While there are still hurdles, it's the closest semblance to a solution in seven years. Here's a reminder of Jesus' backward advice on negotiations. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 through 4. This episode is sponsored by CERV Robotics. It's pretty ridiculous that we deliver two-pound

burritos with two-ton cars. It's inefficient, expensive, bad for the environment, and bad for traffic. But it's also kind of the only option, right? No, there's a better way. Meet CERV, the future of delivery. CERV is the autonomous all-electric robot reshaping last-mile transportation and delivering burritos without carbon emissions. CERV makes cities cleaner, safer, and more affordable and is backed by Uber, 7-Eleven, NVIDIA, and maybe you? Their zero-emissions robots have already completed 20,000-plus deliveries with exceptional performance, and they're looking to expand. Invest and serve robotics before

their campaign closes on March 30th. We have a link for you in the show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, bringing with her news of $1.25 billion in civilian aid for schools, hospitals, etc., the first installment of the latest $9.9 billion aid package. The visit from a high-level cabinet member reinforces, yet again, the U.S.'s commitment to supporting Ukraine. Dilbert has been fired for cause.

The comic strip about a micromanaged office employee has been removed from many newspapers after the comic's creator, Scott Adams, called Black Americans a hate group on YouTube. Adams was reacting to a recent Rasmussen poll where 26% of Black respondents disagreed with the statement, it's okay to be white, and another 21% were unsure. A whole new, no longer self-governing world. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday removing Disney's independent district status, given by a 1967 provision allowing Disney to collect taxes and manage its own municipal services. It's a continuation of tensions that began after Disney opposed a Florida law limiting classroom instruction of gender and sexual orientation before fourth grade. The U.S. Marshals Service, the agency responsible for federal prisons and pursuing fugitives,

was hit with a major ransomware attack. The cybercriminals were able to gain access to sensitive data about ongoing legal efforts and wanted fugitives but did not breach any data from the Witness Protection Program. So no need to re-change your name. The clock is TikTok-ing. The White House announced a 30-day deadline for all federal employees to remove TikTok from government devices. Canada has also banned the app from government devices, joining more than half of U.S. state governments and the EU's executive branch. The bans reflect increasing concern over data collection and use.

And now it's time for the Pour Over's Pick of the Week on getting out of bed. We aren't always honest about how difficult normal human life is. For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make, like the daily choice to get out of bed. In this deeply personal and valuable essay, Alan Noble considers the unique burden of everyday life in the modern world. Sometimes, he writes, the choice to carry on amid great suffering, to simply get out of bed,

is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life and of God. Get your copy today. Check out the link in our show notes. And that's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Check out the link in our show notes.