The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Episode Date: September 27, 2023

Today, we’re talking about the impending government shutdown, the end to the writers’ strike, Amazon’s latest $4 billion investment, and other top news for Wednesday, September 27th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by Lifeway.com

Today we're talking about the impending government shutdown, the end to the writer's strike, Amazon's latest $4 billion investment, and other top news for Wednesday, September 27th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. We don't believe something by merely saying we believe it, or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true. Dallas Willard. Let's start with some espresso shots.

Lawmakers are scrambling to reach a budget agreement and avoid a government shutdown. If this feels like deja vu, that's because in 2018, a disagreement over immigration caused a record 34-day lapse in funding. There's no clear path forward, and the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House are taking divergent paths. Yesterday, the Senate circulated a bipartisan short-term funding bill that would keep the government open temporarily, but it is unlikely to pass the House. Conversely, the House voted on a partisan long-term budget that includes deep spending cuts unlikely to pass the Senate. A small group of hardline Republicans has threatened to oust Speaker McCarthy if he

doesn't support the spending cuts. If something isn't worked out, Uncle Sam will go into hibernation on Saturday, leaving millions of federal workers without pay and curtailing most federal services. If our hope is based on political negotiations or economic security, then we live in fear because we could lose everything. But if our hope is rooted in the eternal security provided by Christ, then we can weather any storm, even a government shutdown. Edward Mote said in 1863, My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. No more reruns. The writers are back. Maybe.

After 146 days, the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood producers reached a tentative agreement to end the strike. The Writers Union said the new agreement provides meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector. Writers were looking for increased pay, residual income from streaming platforms, and safeguards against AI. The most immediate winners are late-night talk shows, which could return as early as October 2nd, and fans of The Office, for whom Pretzel Day came early this year. Rumors of a reboot are afoot. Still, lights and cameras won't be heading towards action right away. The actor's strike is still striking. Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA actors, who have been on strike since mid-July, and studios are likely to ramp up again soon.

The end of the writer's strike is an opportunity for us to remember this. Whenever we do anything creative, we are mirroring the first creator, the one who made the heavens and the earth. Nehemiah 9, verses 5-6 says, Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. Amazon has joined hands with Anthropic AI, leaving a big investment in the tech startup's palm.

Anxious to prove they can run with the AI big dogs like Microsoft and Google, Amazon will pour $4 billion into Anthropic to whip up some homegrown generative AI. In turn, Anthropic will use Amazon's AI chips and cloud services to do it. The investment gives Amazon a minority stake in the company, but Amazon's broad reach is already in the spotlight. The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states announced an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon on Tuesday, accusing it of illegally stifling competition. Speaking of competition, ChatGPT just got an update. Speaking of competition, ChatGPT just got an update. The AI bot can now talk, and instead of just replying to preset questions, like Siri and Alexa,

it can handle two-way conversations and actually sound human. Here's a verse to consider when marveling or quaking at new technology. Have you ever in your life commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place? Job 38, verse 12. This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Lifeway. There are a lot of reasons to read a Bible. Private devotion, accidentally taking a Greek history class, scripture memorization, exercising your page-flipping fingers, and many more. No matter your reason, we recommend the CSB Translation. Their team of translators expertly delivered on the vision for an English translation that placed equal value on fidelity to the original language and readability for a modern audience.

Get 40% off all CSB Bibles at Lifeway.com. That's Lifeway.com, code TPO23. Check out the link in our show notes. code TPO23. Check out the link in our show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. J.P. Morgan has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit with the U.S. Virgin Islands, alleging that J.P. Morgan Chase facilitated Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. The settlement doesn't involve the banking giant admitting any wrongdoing and the money will be split among charities, government and law

enforcement anti-trafficking efforts, and mental health services for survivors. Russell Brand's brand may be in jeopardy. London's Metropolitan Police Service, or MPS, has launched an investigation into the actor-comedian following multiple news outlets' reports of sexual assault. At least four women came forward in the media and the MPS confirmed that more had come forward since announcing the investigation. Brand has denied the allegations. Ukraine announced Monday that Ukrainian forces orchestrated a missile strike that killed Russia's Black Sea fleet commander. His death is the highest-ranking fatality in the Russian-Ukraine war thus far, if it's true.

Tuesday, the commander appeared to be at a meeting of top Russian military leaders in video released by Russia's defense ministry. Ukraine says it's investigating. A fuel depot exploded in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region Monday, killing nearly 70 people and leaving over 100 missing. Last week, a military offensive brought the autonomous region under Azerbaijani control and more than 28,000 people have already fled to Armenia, fearing prosecution in the wake of the power shift. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. in the wake of the power shift, the cause of the explosion is still unknown. Seven GOP candidates are taking the stage at 9 p.m. Eastern tonight for the second Republican debate. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson didn't meet polling fundraising requirements to attend, and frontrunner candidate former President Trump will be absent again, meeting with striking

auto workers in Michigan instead. Separately, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has agreed to debate California's Governor Gavin Newsom on November 30th. 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.