The Pour Over Today - Monday, September 18, 2023

Episode Date: September 18, 2023

Today, we’re talking about the auto workers’ strike, Hurricane Lee, the acquittal of a Texas state senator, and other top news for Monday, September 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Sponsored by Lifeway

Today we're talking about the autoworkers' strike, Hurricane Lee, the acquittal of a Texas state senator, and other top news for Monday, September 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if he doesn't come through. Francis Chan. Let's get started with some espresso shots. On Friday, the United Auto Workers Union, or UAW, made history by striking at three car factories owned by GM, Ford, and Stellantis,

Chrysler. They've never before striked all big three automakers at once. The union's first ask is for a 36% pay increase over four years. They also want the benefits they gave up during the Great Recession to be reinstated, like cost of living raises and pensions for new hires, plus some new ones like 32-hour weeks and an end to tiered factory job pay scales. Automakers say they can't swing it, not with the push to move to EV, but the UAW claims their billion-dollar profits say otherwise. The union says it's fine with electric vehicles, profits say otherwise. The union says it's fine with electric vehicles, as long as there's a just transition that doesn't leave labor behind. If the strike drags on, it could quickly drive up auto prices for American consumers.

No matter how much cars cost, or what the economy looks like, God will still be God, and he will remain in control. Praise the God who is eternally good and worthy. Psalm 106 verse 1 says, Hallelujah, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His faithful love endures forever. Last week, Hurricane Lee kept meteorologists guessing after it intensified at one of the

fastest rates recorded, briefly reaching Category 5 levels before calming back down. Saturday, Lee made landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada, as a post-tropical storm, with winds just shy of hurricane strength. Preemptive emergency declarations were issued in Massachusetts and Maine. However, by Saturday evening, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey lifted her state's orders, saying Lee's effects were minimal. All tropical storm watches and warnings for New England and Canada were canceled Sunday, though over 100,000 across the region remained without power. Keeping the Atlantic busy, Tropical Storm Nigel is set to become a hurricane today. Nigel is the 15th

named storm of the season, but forecasts show it staying at sea, away from any landmasses for now. Here's a verse to consider whether the rain is falling or the sun is shining. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. Job 1, verse 21. Cold weather is coming, likely bringing with it a slowdown to the war in Ukraine. Struggling with its goal of cutting off Russia's land bridge to Crimea, Ukraine is ramping up long-distance attacks on Russian supply lines and equipment. This weekend, Russia said it shot down Moscow-bound drones, days after Ukraine reportedly destroyed multiple Russian warships in the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula.

The warring leaders are staying busy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is coming to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly this week. He'll also meet with President Biden at the White House. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss possible military cooperation. with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss possible military cooperation. Kim wrapped up his six-day trip to Russia yesterday, receiving body armor and explosive drones as a parting gift. Standard stuff. Be quick to point to God and give him the credit for your hope, strength, and love during times dominated by uncertainty and fear.

hope, strength, and love during times dominated by uncertainty and fear. Even in the midst of chaos and division, our eternity is secure. Psalm 23 verse 1 says, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. This episode is sponsored by Lifeway. For those of you using the Google Translate app to forge through your Hebrew Old Testament, there is a better way. The Christian Standard Bible Translation is the product of over 100 top biblically-minded scholars from 17 denominations dedicating years to translate God's Word. The result shines by academic standards and is remarkably enjoyable to read. standards and is remarkably enjoyable to read. Give 40% off all CSB Bibles at Lifeway.com. That's Lifeway.com, code TPO23.

In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is back to work after being acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment. 21 votes were needed to convict, and no article received more than 14. While Texas Senate Republicans firmly sided with Paxton, Texas House Republicans bristled at Saturday's verdict. Speaker Dade Phelan said the trial cheated the people of Texas of justice. In a reminder of why it's important to periodically save your work, Nigeria lost power on Thursday. Yes, the entire country. An explosion on a transmission line connecting two power plants caused a total system collapse that took days to fully sort out. President Tenubu has promised to strengthen the grid by allowing states to build their own power plants.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission, or DPC, just took a swipe at TikTok, fining the app $370 million for how it handled children's data. Specifically, it found children's accounts were made public by default, and children's profiles could be linked to accounts the company had not verified belonged to a parent or guardian. TikTok said it disagreed with the decision, particularly the size of the fine. One week after Libya's catastrophic flood, the UN reports a staggering death toll of 11,300, with 10,100 additional people still missing and 40,000 people displaced. Libyan authorities disputed the figures, reporting around 3,250 deaths documented so far. Still, rescuers are seeking international help in recovering hard-to-reach bodies, while authorities focus on disease prevention in the disaster zone. focus on disease prevention in the disaster zone. The U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia all sanctioned Iran ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Masa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of the so-called Morality Police,

for violating Iran's hijab requirements. Her death sparked ongoing mass protests met with harsh crackdowns by the government. 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 appreciate your support and hope you have a great day. We'll see you on Wednesday.