Read Time: 5 min 57 sec | Listen to Podcast

WORLD NEWS

Re-re-re-reelected in Russia

Nearly 70% of eligible voters turned out from Friday to Sunday to vote in Russia’s election, in which President Vladimir Putin had no viable challenger and easily won his fifth six-year term.

The United States says the election was neither free nor fair.

Supporters of Putin’s late critic, Alexei Navaln,y staged a “noon against Putin” protest, sending a swell of thousands of voters to polling stations around noon. Encouraged by Navalny’s widow, the protest pushed Russians to vote against Putin, invalidate their ballot, or leave in silent protest. At least 74 people were arrested over the weekend for acts of dissent, like pouring antiseptic dye into ballot boxes and throwing Molotov cocktails.

If he serves out this term, Putin will overtake Soviet dictator Josef Stalin as the longest-serving leader of Russian territory in 200 years.

__

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Just as many Americans view the outcomes of foreign elections with a certain level of detachment, Christians view earthly political outcomes as secondary to the campaign of our eternal home, where we hold our truest citizenship. 

“[God] has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 
2 Corinthians 5:19-20

U.S. NEWS

Flipped

The real estate industry is getting an extreme home makeover.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced Friday that it is settling multiple antitrust lawsuits. The agreement, which still needs a judge’s approval, offers $418 million in damages and a dramatic switch to how realtors are paid.

For decades, home sellers were required to pay 6% to their agent to have their home listed on a multiple listing service (MLS) – that commission was then split with the buyer’s agent. Consumer advocates say this stifles competition and inflates home prices. Now, the NAR is ditching commission rules and other advertising requirements, saying it will lower costs and allow agents to compete on price.

Many real estate agents are panicked at the predicted 25-50% drop in commissions, but others hope it will open up new opportunities.

__

Verse to consider when change threatens to shake up your world… “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” – Hebrews 13:8

SPONSORED

Fighting Goliath(s)

The news shapes us more than we realize, and the more people consume, the more like their news source they become.

That’s scary. We want Christians to become more like Christ, not Fox or CNN.

TPO is designed to help people stay informed without losing their focus on Christ, and it’s working (500,000+ readers)! We just still have so far to go. We’re not fighting against one Goliath, but multiple; they’re massive news organizations that want viewers to become angry, fearful, and hateful. 

People are seeing the problem more clearly than ever in 2024, and looking for an alternative. 

Help us reach them by choosing to pay for The Pour Over. This is totally optional. TPO is free, but you can choose to pay $49/year or get a recently discounted Lifetime Membership for $99 (one-time payment). 

Thanks for helping us fight to keep Christians focused on Christ, even when reading the news.

POLITICS

Trials and Trails

Former President Trump’s legal docket has seen some updates while he’s been campaigning. 

On Friday, a Georgia judge ruled that Fulton County DA Fani Willis can stay on the election interference case against former President Trump and his 18 co-defendants so long as her ex-boyfriend Nathan Wade resigned as special prosecutor, saying that their extramarital affair created in an "appearance of impropriety." Wade submitted his resignation later that day.

Farther north, a New York judge delayed Trump’s hush-money trial by at least 30 days, responding to defense attorneys' request to sift through 100,000 new pages of evidence. The soonest a trial will begin is April 15.

Meanwhile, the former President ratcheted up his rhetoric on the campaign trail, predicting a “bloodbath” for the U.S. economy, specifically the auto industry, if he does not win reelection.

__

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE 
Being peaceable, gentle, and open to reason in the face of culturally hot topics (like campaigns or high-profile legal cases) is a sign of God’s wisdom in us. Believing you’re right is not an excuse to be harsh or impatient.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.” – James 3:17

Fire and Iceland? For the fourth time since December, lava is flowing in the Reykjanes peninsula south of Iceland's capital. Lighting up the night sky, the volcanic eruption forced a nearby town to re-evacuate. No deaths have been reported from the recent eruptions, but February’s eruption cut off heat for 20,000 people after lava destroyed pipes and roads.
 

A Spanish charity delivered the first shipment of humanitarian aid by sea to Gaza on Friday. The “Open Arms” carried 200 tons of food from Cyprus to the enclave, where trucks will distribute it. Western allies hope the new maritime corridor will speed up the arrival of aid to Gaza as the threat of famine looms.
 

A major adult website has blocked all web traffic from Texas after a federal appeals court upheld the state’s age verification law. The law requires users to submit “proof of identification” – such as a government ID or mortgage/employment details – to ensure adult content isn’t distributed to minors. Critics say it violates the First Amendment and compromises private data.
 

Ba da ba ba… bad news. A global technology outage left some McDonald's stores shut down for hours on Friday. McDonald’s says a third-party technology provider was to blame for outages everywhere from Australia to Japan to Chicago. Issues were resolved after 12 hours, letting customers get back to lovin’ it (but not lovin’ I.T.). 
 

Taxi! Ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft have vowed to peel out of Minneapolis on May 1 when a new ordinance requiring them to boost driver pay to $1.40/mile + $0.51/minute takes effect. The city council says this equates to $15.57/hour (local minimum wage) after expenses; Uber says the city’s math “ignores the data.”

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

See how a ship passes through the Panama Canal…

What We’re Drinking
LMNT*

I’m really, really trying to avoid the mid-afternoon crash. Recently I read an article by LMNT founder Robb Wolf on the best way to caffeinate. One of his suggestions was to… gulp… wait for an hour after waking up.

So, I’ve been trying it. Instead of coffee first thing, I drink LMNT (my current favorite is Raspberry Salt) to give me a replenishing boost after a dehydrating slumber…. And I’m actually noticing a difference! I feel confident with LMNT’s science-backed electrolyte ratio and zero-sugar formula added to my daily routine.

Join my experiment! Purchase LMNT here and receive a sample pack of 8 flavors with any order. 

Kathleen Wadkins | Head of Content

What We’re Practicing
Biblical Hebrew and Greek with Biblingo*

One of the greatest gifts of Bible college was learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek. Reading the Bible in its original language is like watching your favorite black-and-white movie in full color.

Since not everyone can pack their bags for seminary… I love Biblingo. Whether you’re starting from scratch or just need to dust off forgotten skills, Biblingo can help.

Their learning method is intuitive, fun, and only requires 15 minutes a day. Plus, consistent progress is totally doable with interactive audio and visual lessons. 

Sign up for a 10-day free trial to dive deeper into God’s word. And be sure to use code TPO when you sign up to get 20% off a full year!

Steph Juliot | Writer