The Daily Briefing highlights the news of the day and research that reveals the spirit of the day.
The Daily Briefing is a newsletter sent straight to your inbox every morning that provides biblical insight on today's news.
Top News
6. 'Vladimir, STOP!' Trump says to Putin after deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv in months (ABC News)
“At least 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight Russian attack on several districts and residential areas in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday, prompting President Donald Trump to issue a directive to Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Vladimir, STOP!"
"I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing," Trump said on social media on Thursday. "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!"
“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who is traveling in South Africa, said Thursday he would cancel part of his planned visit and return to Ukraine earlier than expected. "It is extremely important that everyone around the world sees and understands what is really happening," he said. "Nearly 70 missiles, including ballistic ones. And about 150 attack drones."
For Russia, what’s better than peace? Victory, according to Leon Aron. An estimated 700,000 Russian soldiers have been killed and wounded. Putin continues to lose as many as 1,000 soldiers a day, while barely gaining any territory. What accounts for his unwillingness to relent? Aron points to at least 3 factors: dictatorship, debt, and dependency.
Relative to dictatorship, Aron cites the late George Kennan: “Soviet leaders had to treat the outside world as hostile because it provided the only excuse for the dictatorship without which they don’t know how to rule.” Concerning dependency, there have been double-digit price increases year-over-year with staples such as bread, chicken, and macaroni, while potatoes cost twice as much as they did before the war. However, as the Russian proverb goes: voina vsyo spishet (“war will write off everything”). Then there is dependency. This refers to ending sign-up bonuses, soldiers’ wages, and payouts to the families of the killed servicemen, which all are orders of magnitude larger than the average national income.
Putin, like so many evil leaders before him, has idolized success. He has decided to suffer through the high costs of war rather than overpaying the price for peace. Tim Keller, in his book Counterfeit Gods, writes that one sign “that you’ve made success an idol is the false sense of security it brings.” In order to achieve this security, Keller perfectly encapsulates the price some, like Putin, are willing to pay: “When human beings try to become more than human being, to be as gods, they fall to become lower than human beings.” (Col. 3, Ex. 20)
5. Trump asks Supreme Court to lift block on transgender military ban (ABC News)
“The Trump administration on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a ban on transgender service members in the military. Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency application at the court seeking to block a nationwide injunction issued by a judge in Washington state.
“Challengers say that, among other things, the ban violates the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which requires that people be treated equally under the law. The ban is an expanded version of a policy Trump implemented in his first term, which the Supreme Court allowed to go into effect. President Joe Biden rolled back those restrictions when he was in office. The policy “generally disqualifies from military service individuals who have gender dysphoria or have undergone medical interventions for gender dysphoria,” Sauer wrote.”
While we all have rights, do we all have the right to serve in the military? There are hundreds of medical conditions that disqualify individuals from answering the call, including severe ingrown toenails, asthma, gout, or a history of anxiety disorders. Should gender dysphoria be one of them?
A recent study found that service members with gender dysphoria are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than service members (12 percent to 1.5 percent). They are 9 times more likely to have mental health encounters than the service member population as a whole (28.1 average encounters versus 2.7). And they experience severe anxiety at roughly 9 times the rate as someone without gender dysphoria.
Reject antinomianism… In Corinth, a contingent of believers adopted an antinomian approach to living, going by the motto that all things are lawful for me. They believed grace was a license to do as they please instead of a force to compel them to please God. In response, Paul shared that everything may be permissible, but not everything is beneficial. In this instance, transgender individuals may have the right to join the military, but, considering the research above, would it be beneficial -- for them and their unit? (1 Cor. 6, 10)
4. Birthrates Languish in Record Lows, C.D.C. Reports (NY Times)
“Births in the United States increased by just 1 percent in 2024, still near the record low rates that have alarmed demographers and become a central part of the Trump administration’s cultural agenda, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“More than 3.6 million babies were born in the United States last year, a meager rise from the record-setting low in 2023. The fertility rate, approximately 1.6 births per woman over her lifetime, is well below the 2.1 births needed to maintain the country’s population through births alone. “The new data represent “the continuation of a long-term decline of births in the United States that began really with the Great Recession in 2007,” said Ken Johnson, a demographer at the University of New Hampshire.”
Have you heard of the baby bonus? Earlier this week, the Trump administration shared how it’s considering a $5,000 "baby bonus" to every American mother after she gives birth. The responses were... interesting. The View's Sunny Hostin suggested it is racially motivated. Whoopi Goldberg called it insulting. And one company asserted it was insufficient.
Their responses epitomize Cunningham's Law. This describes how the best way to get the right answer on the internet is to post the wrong answer instead of asking a question. Essentially, people are more interested in criticizing others than in helping them.
Like a salad, studies have found that many factors contribute to fertility rates. However, having a culture that understands the importance of having children is essential to an uptick in birthrates. Israel is the only developed country with above-replacement fertility at nearly 3 births per woman.
In Anastasia Berg’s book What are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice, she writes: “As attractive as economics may be as a solution to the riddle of the growing ambivalence about having children, it is partial at best… Many in the current generation of young adults don’t seem totally convinced of their own purpose or the purpose of humanity at large, let alone that of a child. It may be that for many people, absent a clear sense of meaning, the perceived challenges of having children outweigh any subsidy the government might offer.”
I know some don’t want kids, but I’m also aware some desperately want them and are struggling to have them. But I know this: he heard the petitions of Hannah, listened to the cries Sarah, and answered the prayers of Rebekah (1 Sam. 1:5-6, Gen. 11, 25). In the biblical narrative, we read how babies are a beautiful reminder of God’s goodness, grace, and coming kingdom (Psalm 127:3-4, Luke 18:16). Babies are a sweet reminder, but they aren’t the only ones.
Cultural News
3. Forget wedding gifts, newlyweds want cash for a down payment: Survey (NewsNation)
“Nearly half (48%) of newlywed homeowners who made a down payment said they asked for money to put toward their home purchase instead of wedding gifts, according to a new LendingTree survey. That figure is even higher among men (57%) and those married in the past six months (53%).
“LendingTree found that the average down payment for newlywed homeowners is $46,741 — a steep sum forcing many to choose between their dream wedding and dream home. Overall, 67% of those surveyed said their dream home is more important than their dream wedding. And more than half of the respondents (52%) scaled back their wedding, opting for a smaller celebration to afford a bigger home.”
Chappell Roan isn’t the only Giver when it comes to cash at weddings… There has been an uptick in the number of couples asking for cash for a wedding gift. However, the idea of giving at a wedding dates back to the Renaissance with dowry chests. Household goods, clothing, and jewels were placed in these chests that brides brought to the ceremony. Fast forward to 1924, the department store Marshall Field’s invented the modern wedding registry.
What makes a good gift? Contrary to popular belief, more money on a gift doesn’t necessarily translate into greater appreciation for the gift. People are most appreciative when they receive a gift they requested. Thoughtful gifts are good, but the giver, more than the receiver, often benefits more from them. The satisfaction from the consideration is significantly greater than the appreciation of the receiver.
Victor Hugo famously quipped that you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving. When giving is characterized by grudge instead of cheer, it turns an opportunity to bless people into another self-imposed obligation to please other people. I’m not the biggest fan of giving cash at a wedding, but at the core, a good gift minimizes the preferences of the giver in order to bless the soul of the receiver. (2 Cor. 9)
News You Can Use
2. Greg Olsen coaching his son's baseball team is the best thing you’ll watch all week! The ending is hilarious
Watch it here. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Pro. 22:6)
1. Passive aggressive prayer requests
Watch it here. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Mt. 6:7)
