The Pour Over Today - Monday, November 21, 2022

Episode Date: November 21, 2022

Today, we’re talking about a World Cup’s kickoff and controversies, a special master to oversee investigations into former President Trump, Twitter migrations, and other top news for Monday, November 21st. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by Medi-Share

Today we're talking about a World Cup's kickoff in controversies, a special master to oversee investigations into former President Trump, Twitter migrations, and other top news for Monday, November 21st. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pour-over. Here's the verse of the week. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51, verse 7.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. Are you joining 5 billion of your closest friends and watching a soccer game? Or 64? The world's biggest sporting event kicked off yesterday with Ecuador beating the host country of Qatar 2-0. The U.S. has its first game today against Wales. Qatar, which is smaller than Connecticut and had only one functioning soccer stadium before the World Cup, may be the event's most unlikely and controversial location in history. It's accused of bribing FIFA officials to become hosts and exploiting migrant workers — more than 6,500 reportedly died — to build the required infrastructure.

Qatar can't be accused of skimping, they spent $200 billion on the event. For comparison, Russia spent $12 billion in 2018. And Qatar is air-conditioning open-air stadiums. Despite Budweiser being a major sponsor, Qatar banned alcohol sales in stadiums less than 48 hours before the first game. Sports are fun and a great diversion, but can also become an obsession. Keep your affections with Jesus, allow your hobbies to be hobbies, and keep everything in its proper place. Hebrews 12.2 says,

Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith. There's a new special council in town. As a quick refresher, special counsels are appointed to oversee investigations of significant public concern, often in an attempt to remove political considerations and underscore impartiality. Attorney General Merrick Garland decided the ongoing investigation into whether former president and now candidate Trump illegally tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the investigation of classified material seized at Mar-a-Lago warranted this extra oversight. He appointed Jack Smith, whose credentials are more unique than his name.

Smith is a veteran DOJ prosecutor who was recently the chief prosecutor of war crimes in The Hague. Former President Trump called the appointment of a special counsel, quote, not even believable and promised he won't partake in what he called the worst politicization of justice in our country. Being peaceable, gentle, and open to reason in the face of culturally hot topics, like investigations into politicians, is a sign of God's wisdom in us. James 3.17 says, But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. Some high-profile banned tweeters are migrating back to the nest.

Kanye's suspension has ended, and Elon Musk reinstated the banned accounts of Jordan Peterson, Kathy Griffin, and the Babylon Bee, but declined to reinstate Alex Jones. Musk also announced a new policy of, quote, freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach, unquote, meaning hateful tweets will be de-boosted and de-monetized, not blocked. Separately, Musk tweeted, quote, Trump will be reinstated, unquote, after 15 million people voted 51.8% in favor of bringing back the former president. Trump, who had been banned for life following January 6th, hasn't tweeted yet and previously said he'll be staying on his own social media platform, Truth Social. Meanwhile, 1,200 of the remaining 3,700 Twitter employees

reportedly quit following Musk's ultimatum requiring them to go extremely hardcore or take three-month severance. Here's a verse to consider when reading yet another news update about social media. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12 verse 2. This episode is sponsored by MediShare. It feels like not understanding healthcare costs, but paying gobs of money anyway as just standard practice, which is, well, dumb. Health insurance

may be the best option for you and your family, or it may be simply the more expensive option that was chosen for you by default. MediShare is the alternative you may have missed. The average family saves $500 a month, they have a 98% customer satisfaction rating, and finding out what your MediShare pricing would be is fast and 100% free. MediShare may not be right for you, but taking the time to find out definitely is. Learn more and find out about your pricing by hitting the link in our show notes. A quick editor's note, healthcare sharing is not the best option for everyone, but it is an excellent option for many. Take the time to research if it's right for you and your family. Sometimes it feels like money doesn't stretch very far these days. But when you sponsor a child through Compassion International, just $43 per month is crazy powerful.

Sponsorship means education, clean water, healthy food, medical care, and most importantly, hope. Through local churches in the area, sponsored children build relationships with Jesus-loving adults who can offer the specific support kids need to thrive. Not sure where to start? Go to Compassion.com slash TPO or find the link in the show notes and search by birthday to see if there's a child with your birthday that needs a sponsor. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Five people died and at least another 25 were injured after a man entered an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs with a gun and opened fire Saturday night.

Police say heroic guests confronted the shooter and subdued him until the police arrived. Officials are investigating the attack as a hate crime. Elizabeth Holmes, the former youngest self-made female billionaire, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison on fraud charges related to her defunct blood-testing startup Theranos, which had promised to revolutionize healthcare. Holmes, who is pregnant, will start her sentence on April 27th. North Korea test-launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile, or an ICBM, with the range to reach anywhere in the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the missile launch and was photographed alongside his daughter, whose existence had not previously been confirmed. The U.S. condemned the test and responded by flying supersonic bombers near North Korea. The Biden administration says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is immune from a lawsuit over the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The decision was condemned by Khashoggi's former fiancé, but the U.S. says it's part of established international law. A historic thunderstorm crashed into upstate New York over the weekend, bringing over six feet of snow, cutting power, and claiming at least two lives. The forecast for the record-breaking storm forced the NFL to move the Buffalo Bills game to Detroit. And that's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast 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 we hope you have a great day. We'll see you on Wednesday.