Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories AI market crash, immigration crackdown, 'Emilia Peréz' & Hollywood’s cultural push | Ep. 4
Welcome back to Culture Brief, a Denison Forum podcast where Conner Jones and Micah Tomasella break down the latest in news, politics, sports, pop culture, and technology from a Christian perspective. This week, they discuss the massive dip in AI stocks and its broader implications followed by a thoughtful conversation on the immigration policies under Trump's administration and striking the balance between law enforcement and compassion for immigrants. They also touch on the controversial Oscar nominations, including the film Emelia Peréz, and its focus on transgender issues. Lastly, the guys share their current favorite TV shows and look ahead to the Grammys and the Super Bowl.
Topics
- (00:49): AI Market Predictions and Stock Market Impact
- (03:37): DeepSeek: The New AI Competitor
- (10:43): Biblical Perspective on AI
- (14:47): Immigration Policies Under Trump
- (26:11): Hollywood Controversies and Oscar Nominations
- (29:42): Biblical Perspective on Transgenderism
- (32:39): Impact of Pop Culture and Transgender Issues
- (37:06): Mailbag: Favorite TV Shows
- (45:10): Upcoming Events and Predictions
- (49:05): Conclusion and Call to Action
Resources
- Mailbag: culturebrief@denisonforum.org
- DenisonForum.org/subscribe
- DeepSeek Curveball Rattles Trump’s AI Strategy - Bloomberg
- Trillion-Dollar Companies: 10 Most Valuable Mega-Cap Stocks | Bankrate
- DeepSeek sell-off: The winners and losers of Monday’s AI volatility | Trustnet
- Why DeepSeek “turned tech and Wall Street upside down”
- ChatGPT and artificial intelligence: What you need to know
- The Strategic Chaos of Trump’s First Days - The Atlantic
- Selena Gomez Responds to Republican Politician Who Says She Should Be Deported After Tearful Video with Mexican Flag
- Trump tells officials to increase deportation raids
- Military police, engineer units from Army, Marines deploy to the US-Mexico border | Stars and Stripes
- The State of Our Nation: 7 Critical Issues by Dr. Jim Denison
- Why did Emilia Peréz actually receive 13 Oscar nominations?
- New York Times Poll
- Americans’ Complex Views on Gender Identity and Transgender Issues | Pew Research Center
- ‘Emilia Pérez’ and the Curse of Oscar Bait - by River Page
- What does the Bible say about transgenderism?
About Micah Tomasella
Micah Tomasella is the Advancement Officer at Denison Ministries and co-hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. A graduate of Dallas Baptist University, Micah is married to Emily, and together they are the proud parents of two daughters. With an extensive background in nonprofit work, finance, and real estate, Micah also brings experience from his years in pastoral church ministry.
About Conner Jones
Conner is the Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries and Co-Hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. Conner passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife and son.
About Denison Forum
Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, The Denison Forum Podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.