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. Trump hails 'turnaround for the ages' in record-long SOTU packed with wins and warnings (Fox News)
“In a record 108-minute speech, President Trump said the Supreme Court’s ruling that his tariffs are illegal was “very unfortunate,” but vowed to continue them, predicting that they will “replace the modern day system of income tax.” Trump floated a new kind of retirement plan, declared a “War on Fraud,” and urged lawmakers to pass a bill to stop Congressional insider trading. He also said that he secured pledges from tech companies to pay for the energy costs associated with their AI data centers. Trump invited a swath of various guests to the speech, including everyday Americans, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, the U.S. men's hockey team fresh off their gold medal win, military members who acted heroically in the time of crisis and families who have suffered tragedy at the hands of illegal immigrants.
“For the second straight year, Democratic Rep. Al Green was kicked out of the chamber, this time for holding a sign that read, “Black people aren’t apes,” a reference to Trump sharing a racist video on social media this month that depicted the Obamas as apes.
“Following the speech, newly elected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered the Democratic response, focusing on affordability and accusing Trump of inciting chaos in the US and abroad.”
I Just Can’t Wait To Be King – Simba sings it but Thomas Jefferson rejected it. He believed delivering the State of the Union was too "monarchical" and time-consuming. So he opted for a letter instead of a speech, giving Congress the "relief from the embarrassment of immediate answers on subjects not yet fully before them."
King Wilson? Woodrow Wilson, in 1913, transformed this written letter to Congress into an oral lecture in front of Congress. He asked for their “indulgence… to depart in some degree from the usual custom.” He went on: “I hope that it may not be deemed an impertinent intrusion of myself into the picture.” Highlighting various issues within the Union, Pres. Wilson asked for “early treatment in the future, because the list is long, very long.”
Then in 1923, Calvin Coolidge (Silent Cal) took it a step further and gave the first SOTU on radio. 24 years later, Harry Truman jumped on TV to give his assessment. And then in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson moved the address to prime time so that Congress and the larger country could watch.
Opinions vary on the State of the Union, but the command to pray for the leader of this union is not contingent upon the status of the state. We live in highly partisan times, but we follow a God who reigns on high. Politicians vie for your support, God wants your obedience, and your neighbor needs your good works. (1 Sam. 15:22, Ps. 115:3, Rom. 12:1-2, Mt. 5:16)
5. Family of Nancy Guthrie offers $1 million reward as hope of recovery dims (WaPo)
“The family of Nancy Guthrie, the missing 84-year-old mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, announced Tuesday that they will offer a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her recovery or an arrest. In a tearful video message 24 days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, Savannah Guthrie said the family realized their mother may no longer be alive but still hoped to bring her home. Guthrie pleaded for anyone with morsels of information to come forward so the family “can either celebrate a glorious miraculous homecoming or celebrate the beautiful, brave and courageous and noble life that she has lived.”
“We need to know where she is,” she said in the video. “We need her to come home.” Savannah Guthrie said Tuesday that her family would also donate $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which helps families put in the same position as them. On Instagram, Guthrie wrote that the reward would be subject to the same criteria as the FBI’s $100,000 reward, paid for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery or an arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.”
There is a difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation… and Guthrie is appealing to the latter with the reward. Intrinsic compels action for its own sake, rooted in a commitment to character and virtue. Then there is extrinsic, which is often evidenced by performing in order to be rewarded… like with $1 million. Quality often characterizes the results of the former, and unfortunately quality is often undermined with the presence of the latter.
The research on the effectiveness of rewards is mixed, but there is an emerging picture about the value of character. One study focused on attendance with high schoolers, rewarding them for their presence in certain classes. Researchers found that rewarding them had a temporary effect but didn’t last. They concluded that it was easier to reward behavior than create a system to inculcate character, shaping a student who wants to come to class – with or without a reward.
The clothing of Dorcas… Also called Tabitha, she was known for her quiet, consistent acts of charity — specifically making clothes for widows and the poor. She was more interested in making a difference than making a headline, opting for the intrinsic reward over the extrinsic. And her impact was only fully realized by her neighbors until after she passed away, with the community showing Peter many of the tunics she quietly had made. Thankfully (and miraculously), Peter brought her back to life, and hopefully, a Dorcas can offer information to bring Nancy back to her family. (Acts 9)
4. Longevity guru Peter Attia exits CBS News after Epstein emails surface (WaPo)
“Peter Attia, a physician and prominent longevity influencer, is stepping down from his role as a CBS News contributor after the Justice Department released hundreds of previously undisclosed emails between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to two people familiar with the decision, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private employment details.
“But new troves of emails released by the Justice Department in recent days revealed a chummy, more personal relationship between the two. “You [know] the biggest problem with becoming friends with you?” Attia wrote to Epstein in an email on June 24, 2015. “The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul …” In another email dated Feb. 19, 2016, Attia used vulgar language referring to women.”
An old proverb is applicable here: “Everything can be moved from one place to another without being changed, except speech.” Essentially, what is said in private among friends can sound different in public among strangers…
What explains these comments? The social proximity effect and Milgram’s experiment. The proximity principle is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to mirror the behaviors, habits, and values of those they spend time with. We are all malleable, whether we realize it or not.
Then there is Milgram’s experiment. Conducted back in the 1960s, Stanley Milgram explored whether individuals would obey instructions to harm another person because an authority figure told them to, highlighting the value of loyalty amidst pain. Participants were instructed by an authority figure to administer increasingly intense electric shocks to a learner. Despite displays of discomfort, a significant percentage of people obeyed the authority figure, demonstrating that ordinary people are surprisingly likely to obey authority figures, even when those orders conflict with their own moral beliefs. While Attia wasn’t hurting anyone, he was bruising his conscience…
Similar to Ezekiel at the entrance of the court, we find ourselves becoming intimately acquainted with the brokenness of man (Ez. 8). And what happens in the dark cannot hide from the Everlasting Light (Is. 60:19).
Cultural News
3. "Fuhgeddaboudit!" New York accent is slowly disappearing, study finds (CBS News)
“Quintessential New York pronunciations like "dawg," "cawfee" and "fuhgeddaboudit" could slowly be things of the past, a new study revealed. The Word Finder asked more than 3,000 Americans which regional accents people are using less often. Appalachian, Southern and Louisiana vernaculars are fading at the highest rates, according to the list.
“The New York City dialect ranks No. 12 on the list for accents the country is quietly losing. Researchers said "major-city prestige accents" such as the Big Apple, New England and Philadelphia are at risk but less likely to be dropped than others.”
Have New Yorkers, like Alan Jackson, Gone Country? Not so much. Known as leveling, research has shown a person’s accent will move towards the group of speakers with which they identify with at that stage in their lives. Essentially, accents are a fluid feature of speech. Linguists think the accent shifts have more to do with moving, with people slightly modifying their accents based on the people they engage with at work and in life.
Everybody Talks, including the Neon Trees, but not evyerone says the same thing… Consider language attrition. This new field of study concerns how language and slang is lost. More than the accent, the less you utter regional sayings and phrases, the less likely you are to use them in the future – even when the situation calls for it… like fuhgeddaboudit.
How do you say shibboleth? In the Scriptures, Jephthah judged accents to ascertain their allegiance in battle, issuing the shibboleth test (Judges 12). You can take the person out of the country, but Jephthah knew you couldn’t take the country out of the person – especially if you were listening closely. While we aren’t fighting like Jepthah, we are building the kingdom like Nehemiah. As Christians, we know words reveal a heart and also have the power to plant seeds to redeem a heart… accent and all. (Mt. 12:34, 1 Sam. 16:7, James 2).
News You Can Use
2. Son stops mid race to give his mom a kiss during the Special Olympics
Watch it here. “All the brothers and sisters greet you. You in turn should greet each other with a holy kiss.” (1 Cor. 16:20)
1. Punch the viral lonely monkey makes a new friend
Watch it here. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Pro. 17:17)
