The Pour Over Today - Monday, August 14, 2023

Episode Date: August 14, 2023

Today we’re talking about the appointment of a special counsel over Hunter Biden’s legal cases, Ukraine charging 33 of its own officials with crimes, the Supreme Court weighing in on Purdue Pharma’s opioid settlement, and other top news for Monday, August, 14th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by Lifeway

Today we're talking about the appointment of a special counsel over Hunter Biden's legal cases, Ukraine charging 33 of its own officials with crimes, the Supreme Court weighing in on Purdue Pharma's opioid settlement, and other top news for Monday, August 14th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the verse of the week. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person

commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. First Corinthians chapter 6 verse 18. Let's get started with some espresso shots. In a surprise move, the Justice Department elevated U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who has been leading the investigation into Hunter Biden, to the position of special counsel. Attorney General Merrick Gardland said that this appointment, which removes Weiss from typical DOJ supervision, reinforces the DOJ's commitment to independence and accountability. accountability. Republicans disagree, saying Weiss cannot be trusted because he brokered the sweetheart plea deal with Hunter Biden that collapsed in court last month over what the judge called non-standard terms connecting a tax evasion plea with a separate gun-related charge. The White House declined to comment. Shortly after being appointed special counsel, Weiss said he expected Hunter Biden to face a criminal trial. It's unclear when that would happen,

but could add to what was already shaping up to be a dramatic 2024 presidential election. While you likely have no control over the politically contentious investigations into Hunter Biden or Donald Trump, you can control how you speak about them. Leave others with no doubt of your love for everyone involved, even for people whose actions you do not support. Ephesians 4.29 says, No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. Ukraine's latest fight is from within.

Ukraine's latest fight is from within. President Zelensky confirmed that 33 conscription officials, who manage the enlistments of able-bodied men, were fired and charged with 112 criminal charges involving bribes or smuggling people out of the country. Their charges may amount to treason, with Zelensky saying the people in charge should know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery at a time of war is high treason. Vetted officials with battlefield experience will replace the removed agents. Meanwhile, 535 days into the invasion, the death toll continues to rise. Russian shelling in Ukraine's Kyrgyzstan region on Sunday killed seven people, including a family of four, one of whom was a three-week-old infant.

Russia claims it thwarted a Ukrainian terrorist attack a day prior and shot down drones near the Crimean Bridge. Pray for the peaceful end to all conflicts worldwide, even as we wait for God's kingdom to come in full, for the day when, as Micah says, no one will train for war any longer. Micah 4 verse 3 says, They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train

for war anymore. The Supreme Court temporarily blocked Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement and agreed to hear a challenge by the Department of Justice in December. As a refresher, Purdue became a lawsuit magnet for misleading the public about the addictive nature of its drug OxyContin. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 and reached a settlement in 2021 that ended all lawsuits, brought by all 50 states and many local governments, by reorganizing Purdue Pharma into a public benefit company required to use its profits to fight the opioid epidemic. Under the settlement, Purdue's owners, the Sackler family, must contribute $6 billion to the cause in exchange for personal immunity against any opioid-related lawsuits. The Sacklers receiving personal immunity when the company, not the family,

declared bankruptcy is controversial and, according to the DOJ, illegal. Now the Supremes will decide. As we work to promote accountability and redemption here on earth, we can rest in the knowledge that a day is coming where opioid addiction will be impossible and regret a distant memory. Psalms 23 verse 4 says, Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Today's episode 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 others. No matter your reason, we recommend the CSB Translation. Thank you. at Lifeway.com. That's Lifeway.com, code TPO23. Or check out the link in our show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Hawaii's Governor Josh Green announced the fire in Maui has claimed 93 lives, making it the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history. Six fires are still burning across the Hawaiian islands and have damaged or destroyed at least 2,200 buildings, including many historic landmarks in the town of Lahaina. Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of defunct crypto exchange FTX, had his $250 million bail revoked and was remanded to jail on Friday. The judge sided with federal prosecutors, saying there is probable cause to believe the defendant tried to tamper with witnesses at least twice.

The one-time wunderkind is expected to remain in jail until his fraud trial on October 2nd. It's the future. San Francisco has approved two companies, Google-owned Waymo and GM-owned Cruise, to offer paid rides in fully autonomous robo-taxis 24-7 in the city. The companies previously had limited approval for rides, many of which occurred with safety drivers on board, and a limited ability to collect fares. It appears COVID is on its ERIS tour. It appears COVID is on its ERIS tour. The World Health Organization announced that the new EG.5 sub-variant of Omicron, unofficially called ERIS, has become the dominant strain in the United States and caused a relatively modest uptick in hospitalizations.

Officials say the new variant is not currently a cause for concern. The average 30-year mortgage now sits at 6.96%. Nearing a two-decade high, it's risen for three consecutive weeks and now ties its highest level this year. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate bottomed out at 2.65% in early 2021 and peaked at 7.08% in late 2022, a rate last seen in the early 2000s. 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 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 sincerely appreciate your

support and we hope you have a great day. We'll see you on Wednesday.