The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Episode Date: January 18, 2023

Today we’re talking about declines in China, an old Elon Musk tweet, a mafia boss capture, and other top news for Wednesday, January 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Support our staff and mission by choosing to pay for The Pour Over

Today, we're talking about declines in China, an old Elon Musk tweet, a mafia boss capture, and other top news for Wednesday, January 18th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the verse of the week. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1, 1. Let's start with some espresso shots. Downhill is great for skiers, but not so great for countries. Last year, China's population and

economic growth broke records for declining. China's population decreased by around 850,000 people, stifled by the lowest birth rate since the Communist Party took over in 1941. Simultaneously, GDP grew just 3% in 2022, way down from its peak growth of 14.2% in 2007. COVID-19 restrictions played a part, but an aging workforce hasn't helped either. The number of working-age adults has fallen 5% since 2011. This isn't the first time China's hoped for a baby boom. In 2016, it ended its one-child-only policy and increased the limit to three children in 2021. Policymakers have offered tax breaks and other incentives to families, but so far, no boom. Meanwhile, India is on track to become the most populous country in the world later this year.

Here's a verse to consider when questioning where you fit in with billions of people alive. Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your father's consent. Yet even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10, verse 29 through 31. Elon is wishing he could add a travel back in time and delete button to Twitter.

Musk is facing a class action lawsuit based on his 2018 tweet, and considering taking Tesla private at $420, funding secured. The suit argues that the statement was knowingly false and caused huge swings in the stock price, costing some investors big bucks. Musk, who already paid the SEC $40 million over the tweet, is expected to take the stand later this week. The trial will hinge on the jury's interpretation of his motives and whether they actually impacted investors. Tesla-vestors aren't just upset about this. In Toy Story terms, they want Elon, Andy, to pay attention to them, Woody, and not his shiny

new Twitter toy, Buzz. Tesla stock fell 70% last year and the company slashed prices this week due to waning demand. Elon's latest legal battle may be important to his investors, but it will likely have little impact on the kingdom of God. This does not mean that we shouldn't care at all, but we should not let it shift our focus from the most important things. Matthew 6 verse 33 says, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. for you. The man at the top of Italy's most wanted list is behind bars after a looting capture for three decades. Matteo Messina Di Naro, believed to be the head of the Sicilian

Cosa Nostra Mafia, was arrested without incident on Monday. Internet searches by suspected Di Naro associates led investigators to a clinic where the 60-year-old had made a chemotherapy appointment under an alias. In 2002, the infamous mafioso was tried in absentia and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, including the 1993 bombings in Milan, Florence, and Rome which killed 10 people and the kidnapping and murder of the 11-year-old son of a mafia informant. Italians have been gripped by this story, which seems more like a movie plot than reality. Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Maloney, even flew to Sicily to congratulate authorities on the arrest. Here's a verse to consider when your eyebrows get lost in your hairline while reading of the escapades of a mafia boss.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3, verse 23 through 24. If you're back from a media fast, in 2022, we swapped COVID news for a rotation of updates on the war in Ukraine, Russia invaded, inflation, it's high, and the midterm elections split government. And the pour over grew a lot. Last year, we grew from 114,000 to 265,000 newsletter subscribers, crossed 90,000 Instagram followers, and saw our podcast hit number 13 in daily news in the US. Translation, we are super blessed and continue to be amazed at what God is doing to

calm nerves and point people to him through something as simple, yet often anxiety and anger-inducing as the news. If you enjoy or appreciate The Pour Over, the best way you can support our staff and mission is by choosing to pay. You can give through the link in our show notes. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Even after a parade of storms inundated California with more than double its average precipitation, the state is still stuck in a drought, forcing state officials to consider how to better capture rainfall for water reservoirs. To the east, a suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona, is looking for a new water supplier after Scottsdale said it's done sharing. Arizona is looking for a new water supplier after Scottsdale said it's done sharing.

Over 70 Texan inmates are a week into a hunger strike protesting solitary confinement, which they say is inhumane treatment. Across the world, Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi told President Biden in a letter that he also plans to forego food for a week in protest of being the longest-held Iranian-American hostage in history. Roughly 68 years, or 38 depending on how you look at it, after Doc Brown used a lightning strike to help Marty McFly get back to the future, scientists in Switzerland used a high power laser to bend lightning towards a lightning rod. While 10 years away from commercial use, they hope the technology will make lightning-frequent areas more safe. A former Republican candidate for the New Mexico House of Representatives was arrested and charged in connection with shootings at the homes of four Democratic elected officials. Solomon Pena lost his election by around 50 points, and police say anger over his loss may have led to him targeting the homes.

No one was injured in the shootings. Electric vehicles accounted for 10% of all global car sales last year, but oil-rich Wyoming isn't charged up about it. A group of Wyoming's Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to ban EV sales by the year 2035, later admitting the bill was a publicity stunt to show their disapproval of California's proposal to phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2035, later admitting the bill was a publicity stunt to show their disapproval of California's proposal to phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2035. That's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening.

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