The Pour Over Today - Six More States Voted, First Amendment Cases, & More | 03.20.24

Episode Date: March 20, 2024

Today, we’re talking about yesterday’s primary elections, President Biden talking with Israeli PM Netanyahu for the first time in over a month, the Supreme Court hearing two First Amendment cases, and other top news for Wednesday, March 20th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! A Jew and a Gentile Discuss: https://links.thepourover.org/JewGentileDiscussPod Men's Daily Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/MensDailyBiblePod TUVU: https://www.tuvu.com/tpo 

Today, we're talking about yesterday's primary elections, President Biden talking with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for the first time in over a month, the Supreme Court hearing two First Amendment cases, and other top news for Wednesday, March 20th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over today. Here's the quote of the day. Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer. William Wilberforce. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

On yesterday's episode of election season 2024, six states went to the polls. Five states, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio—held uneventful presidential primaries, where presumptive nominees Trump and Biden gained more delegates. One California district held a special election to former Rep. Kevin McCarthy's seat following his resignation last year. That wasn't the only high-profile congressional race. In Ohio, three Republicans vied for the chance to run against Senator Sherrod Brown, whose seat is seen as vulnerable in November. And Illinois had multiple competitive House primaries.

Meanwhile, former President Trump has failed to secure his $454 million civil fraud trial bond after being denied by 30 surety firms. The state of New York could seize his assets if he doesn't pay by March 25th. We shouldn't allow political outcomes to consume our thoughts, direct our emotions, or dull our hope. Government may change, but our mission remains the same. Love God and love others. Mark 12, 29-31 says, The most important commandment, answered Jesus, is this,

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had their first direct communication in a month on Monday. Biden reportedly called Israel's impending Rafah invasion a mistake, saying it would worsen the humanitarian crisis and isolate Israel internationally. To discuss a plan to target Hamas and Rafah without the invasion, Israel will send a senior team to

D.C. in the coming days. Other Israeli leaders were in Qatar yesterday, resuming talks in another attempt to secure a temporary ceasefire deal that could release 40 hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Separately, the White House and Israel say that an airstrike killed one of Israel's most wanted men last week. Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas's military wing, was on the EU's terrorist blacklist for direct links to the October 7 attack. Join us in prayer for the Middle East and world leaders, confident that God hears and grants our prayers when we pray according to his will. Book of Common Prayer, page 654 says, Almighty God, for whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed, Page 654 says, may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Supremes had their pocket constitutions at the ready for two First

Amendment cases Monday. In the first case, a majority of the justices appear wary of the Louisiana and Missouri's claim that the Biden administration shouldn't be allowed to communicate with social media companies about controversial posts. Government officials appear to be allowed to persuade companies, including media organizations and tech companies, to say or not say something so long as it's not accompanied by coercive threats. In the second case, a majority of justices seemed sympathetic to the National Rifle Association, backed by unlikely allies in the ACLU and Biden administration. In its claims that a New York state official violated the First Amendment rights by coercing banks and insurers to cut ties with it.

Decisions for both cases are expected this summer. Both cases are expected this summer. It's easy to show compassion and kindness to people who agree with you on divisive topics like First Amendment challenges. But Christians don't have the privilege of stopping there. We're called to love everyone. Jesus says in John 13 35, By this, everyone will know that you are 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. Dozens of Americans were evacuated from Haiti to Miami on a flight chartered by the State Department on Sunday, and many more await rescue as escalating gang violence, political instability, and food shortages rock the Caribbean country. Earlier this month, as violence spiraled, the U.S. evacuated non-essential staff and warned citizens to leave as soon as possible. citizens to leave as soon as possible. The EPA announced a ban on the last form of asbestos still allowed in the U.S., chrysotile asbestos, used in products like chlorine bleach and breaking

lines. Some companies will have six months to comply, while others will be given up to 12 years. Apparently, that's as best as they can do. Apparently, that's as best as they can do. Mr. Beast, YouTube's top individual creator with over 389 million combined subscribers, is partnering with Amazon MGM Studios to launch Beast Games, TV's biggest ever reality show. With 1,000 contestants trying to win a $5 million prize, Jimmy Donaldson, Mr. Beast, promises an experience just like our normal videos, except money's not a constraint.

No word yet on what the challenges will be. The Supreme Court gave Texas a temporary win in its border battle against the Biden administration. The Supremes allowed Texas to enforce a law allowing state officials to arrest people suspected of legally crossing the border, a job historically reserved for the feds, while the legal battle plays out. The high court's three liberal justices dissented. Getting married and staying married are both trending. According to the data from the CDC, the marriage rate jumped meaningfully in 2022 to 6.2 per 1,000 people, while the divorce rate continued its downward trend to 2.4 per 1,000 people. Both marriages and divorces dipped during the pandemic.

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.