The Pour Over Today - New Year Attacks, New Laws Take Effect, House Speaker Vote, & More | 01.03.24

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

Today, we’re talking about two New Year’s Day attacks; new state laws that took effect on January 1st; today’s uncertain vote for Speaker of the House; and other top news for Friday, January 3rd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! The Voice of the Martyrs: vom.org/TPO Parenting with Ginger Hubbard: https://links.thepourover.org/ParentingwithGingerHubbard The Bulletin: MoreCT.com/BulletinPodcast Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside Cru: give.cru.org/pour LMNT: https://links.thepourover.org/LMNT_Podcast

Today, we're talking about two New Year's Day attacks, new state laws that took effect on January 1st, today's uncertain vote for Speaker of the House, and other top news for Friday, January 3rd. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with the pullover today. Here's the quote of the day, Glory to God in the highest heaven, who unto man his son hath given, while angels sing with tender mirth, a glad new year to all the earth. Martin Luther.

Let's get started with some espresso shots. The new year started with chaos in New Orleans and Las Vegas after two separate incidents left 16 people dead. What happened first? Just after 3 a.m. on New Year's Day in New Orleans, 14 people were killed and 35 injured after a man drove a pickup truck into crowds on a blocked off portion of NOLA's bustling Bourbon Street. The armed driver opened fire and was killed in a shootout with police on the scene. What do we know?

After initial investigations, authorities say a 42-year-old US Army veteran from Texas rented an electric Ford F-150 from Turo, a car-sharing company, and drove from Houston to New Orleans. Early on January 1, he placed improvised explosive devices into coolers on Bourbon Street. They were never detonated. In a series of Facebook videos, the attacker said he joined ISIS last year and shared his last will and testament before carrying out the attack. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, saying the lone wolf suspect

was 100% inspired by ISIS. And then there was another incident? A few hours later, around 8.30am in Las Vegas, a cyber truck pulled into Trump Hotel and exploded, injuring seven bystanders. Authorities say the driver died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the detonation of the vehicle. Fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel were found inside the truck. The suspect is believed to be a 37-year-old US Army Green Beret who drove the Cybertruck,

also rented via Turo, from Colorado that morning. Are they connected? As of writing, the FBI said there was no definitive link between the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas explosion. link between the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas explosion. While mourning with victims and praying for our enemies, Christians have hope in the face of a violent world. The servant of God, who himself did no violence, has been afflicted by his father on our behalf so that we can live in the Lord's peaceful presence forever.

Isaiah 53, 4 and 5 says, Peace was on him and we are healed by his wounds. A bunch, like thousands, of new state laws went into effect January 1st, from the contentious to the mundane. Here are just a few. Florida banned children under 14 from social media and required parental consent for 14 and 15 year olds. California closed the loophole that made car burglary difficult to prosecute.

Iowa and Louisiana adopted a flat income tax rate joining 12 other states. New York mandated companies offer 20 hours of paid prenatal leave. Minnesota required transparent all-in pricing for concert tickets. Looking at you, Ticketmaster. Illinois made canceling gym memberships easier just in time to bail on that New Year's resolution.

Colorado now requires all legs to be cage-free. Some of the most common new laws were increasing the state minimum wage and expanding or reducing gun regulation. Whether we agree or disagree with laws passed in our state, we can be thankful we have the opportunity to vote to elect people and effect change. Take a moment to pray for those in countries where they don't enjoy such freedom. Pray that God would move in power to care for victims of injustice. Hey, Zann here with the Four Over. If there's one thing about me is that I love a warm, cozy drink. And just in time for blankets and mugs season, Elements Chocolate Medley is back.

With chocolate mint, chocolate chai, and chocolate raspberry, these flavors are the best way to stay toasty and hydrated. They're chock full of perfectly balanced electrolytes. Stir one pack into hot water for instant hot cocoa vibes, or try my personal fave, chocolate chai mixed with some hot water and a splash of cream as a little bedtime treat. Just picture me doing a chef's kiss here.

TPO readers get eight single serve packs free with any purchase. Use our element link in the show notes to get this deal. link in the show notes to get this deal. In other brews, here's a wrap-around of updates. The first order of business in the new House of Representatives? Elect a speaker. Mike Johnson's fate is far from certain, despite President-elect Trump's endorsement. He can afford to lose only one Republican vote today to keep his gavel.

Until a speaker is seated, all other House business is delayed, including January 6th certification of Trump's Electoral College victory. A nearly island-wide power outage plunged Puerto Rico into darkness on New Year's Eve. A critical fall at a main power plant early Tuesday morning caused a ripple effect across the archipelago's fragile power grid. By Wednesday, 98% of lights were back on. The blackout prompted renewed calls for Uncle Sam to address his territory's persistent

power problems. 2025 kicked off with two college football playoff quarterfinal matchups on New Year's Day. In the Peach Bowl, five seed Texas pulled off a double overtime W against four seed Arizona State. Later, eight seed Ohio State dominated top seededated Oregon in the Rolls-Bowl. Yesterday, seven-seat Notre Dame beat two-seat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, delayed one day following the attack in New Orleans. It's not over yet for the co-stars of It Ends With Us. Producer Blake Lively sued director Justin Baldoni and his publicity team on Tuesday,

alleging sexual harassment on set and a scheme to destroy her reputation. Meanwhile, Baldoni filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing journalists of ignoring evidence when it reported Livelyase story. U.S. stock markets had a stellar 2024 despite ending the year on a down-o Tuesday. AI enthusiasm fueled the tech-heavy Nasdaq's 29% surge last year, while the S&P 500 rose 23% and the Dow gained 13%. There were expectations of a 2024 slowdown, but Wall Street missed that memo. 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 weekend. We'll see you on Monday. Hubbard Podcast equips parents to reach beyond outward behavior and point children to the transformational power of Christ. It's time to move past the frustrations of not knowing how to handle issues of defiance and step into a confident and heart-oriented approach to raising children. Subscribe to Parenting with Ginger Hubbard wherever you listen to podcasts for weekly

encouragement.