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. U.S. military turned back six ships in first 24 hours of Iranian port blockade (NBC News)
“During the first 24 hours of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, American warships issued warnings to six vessels, prompting them to turn around, a U.S. official said Tuesday. No shots were fired in the encounters, the official said, and U.S. personnel did not board any of the vessels before they reversed course.
“Five of the ships were carrying oil, according to the official. The contents of the sixth vessel was not immediately clear. Two of the oil-carrying ships turned back in the first two hours after the blockade went into effect on Monday morning.
“President Donald Trump announced the blockade a day earlier after negotiations with the Iranians failed to produce an agreement to end the war. Since fighting began in late Friday, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been at a near-standstill, sparking a rise in the prices of oil and other key goods.”
Contrary to Fleetwood Mac, you can’t Go Your Own Way… due to the American blockade. A fascinating study analyzed 41 blockades between 425 BC and 1973. 2 key themes relative to success emerged: longevity and economic dependency.
Blockades are rarely "fast-acting." Their success is positively correlated with duration, as they slowly deplete a target's stockpiles and industrial capacity. The "success rate" in achieving immediate political surrender is often lower than expected because nations adapt through substitution and rationing. And then there is economic dependency. Success rates are highest when the target nation relies heavily on a single sender for more than 50 percent of its imports/exports. In this moment, China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the primary buyer of Iranian oil, accounting for roughly 90 percent of Iran’s exported oil.
Are we willing to freeze to our sword? In 2 Sam. 23, we read about Eleazar son of Dodai. Fighting with the Israelites against the Philistines, Eleazar and his fellow warriors fought valiantly… until they didn’t. There came a point in the battle when the Israelites started to retreat, yet the son of Dodai stood his ground. He did so until his hand grew weary and “froze to the sword,” eventually securing victory. Time will tell how long this blockade lasts, but Alistair Begg put it well: “The race is not always to the swift but to him who keeps on running.”
5. Swalwell, Gonzales announce resignations in wake of allegations, shaking up Congress (Fox News)
“Embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, made his resignation from Congress official on Tuesday as he faced the looming, rare threat of expulsion from the House. Gonzales' brief resignation letter was read aloud on the House floor and will mark his exit from Congress amid scandal just before the stroke of midnight on Tuesday. Last month, Gonzales admitted to having a relationship with his former staffer, Regina Santos Aviles, who died last September before the allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced -- saying he “made a mistake” and “had a lapse in judgement.”
“Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., formally resigned his House seat on Tuesday amid a wave of sexual misconduct allegations that spurred calls to step aside or face expulsion. The announcement came after Swalwell said Monday that he planned to resign but did not lay out a clear timeline. Swalwell's resignation appeared to thwart a potential expulsion threat from Luna, who vowed to force a vote on a measure forcibly removing him if he did not voluntarily exit Congress. Another woman came forward with allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday, claiming the California Democrat drugged and raped her after he offered to help her career in 2018. ”
Friends aren’t the only ones in low places, Garth… Gallup asked Americans to rate the overall state of moral values in the country. In 2002, 40 percent said they were poor. Today, that number is 54 percent. 18 percent said they were excellent/good back in 2002. Today, that number is down to 11 percent.
The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves, according to von Goethe. Though a minister in the infant land of the free, Henry Ward Beecher said: “There is no liberty to men who know not how to govern themselves.” Why? Because as Benjamin Franklin noted: “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”
Jonah isn’t the only one who needs to watch out for big fish… Like a whale goes through a net, the strongest cords of our constitution can’t withhold avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry, according to John Adams. “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.” Instead of breaking through the net, virtue strengthens it so that you can bounce off it, according to George Washington. “Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.” The health of a nation is rarely determined by its policies alone, but by the character of those who craft them. (Pro. 14)
4. Another pardoned Jan. 6 rioter to admit guilt in child sexual abuse case (NBC News)
“Another Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by President Donald Trump will plead guilty in a separate case involving child exploitation of multiple victims, according to federal court records. David Daniel has reached a plea agreement in connection with a pending charge of sexual exploitation of a minor and possessing sexually explicit images of children in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina. According to court documents signed by Daniel’s lawyer Tuesday, in 2015 and 2016 Daniel enticed a minor under the age of 12 “to engage in sexually explicit conduct” for the purpose of producing “a visual depiction” of the conduct.
“Other pardoned Jan. 6 defendants have been convicted in other criminal cases including child sexual abuse cases. Daniel Tocci was sentenced to four years in prison in March. Andrew Paul Johnson was sentenced to life in prison in March after he was convicted of child sex crimes. Florida prosecutors said Johnson tried to silence one of his victims with the promise of money from a Jan. 6 settlement he expected to receive.”
A pardon is a “prerogative of mercy” dating back to the 7th century during the reign of King Ine of Wessex. This royal decree has been described as a type of “safety valve” that functions as a “dispensation of mercy and compassion.” The law is good but not perfect, and a pardon allows for human judgment to be exercised where the law fails to "properly address human frailties."
In the Federalist Papers (#74), Alexander Hamilton argued that without a way to pardon, “justice would wear a countenance too sanguinary and cruel.” The “principal argument” for the power, he wrote, was that if the US ever experienced an insurrection or rebellion, “a well-timed offer of pardon to the insurgents or rebels may restore the tranquillity of the commonwealth.”
Remember the wayward servant… In Matthew, we read how a servant owes a king a huge sum of money he cannot repay, but the king forgives the entire debt. This same servant leaves the king grateful, but then encounters another servant who owes him a much smaller amount. He demands repayment of that debt, coldly refusing to extend the same grace he has received. A true measure of grace isn’t just found in the act itself, but also in how the grace compels the recipient to abandon the ways that lead to the transgressions in the first place. (Mt. 18)
3. Most Americans say they pay too much in taxes. Here's what the data shows. (CBS News)
“As the April 15 tax filing deadline nears, most Americans say they believe they are paying more than their fair share — a sentiment that is strongest among the nation's top earners, according to recent polling from the Pew Research Center.
“That belief has become more widespread in recent years, despite new tax cuts for everyone from seniors to tipped workers, Pew found. Many Americans are also getting bigger refunds in 2026, with the typical refund up about 11% compared with a year earlier, IRS data shows. The bigger refunds reflect new tax breaks under the "big, beautiful bill" enacted in 2025.
“About 68% of top earners — defined as households with total annual income of more than $155,600 — say they pay too much in taxes, the highest share of any income bracket, according to Pew. Only about one-third of those polled say their tax burden is appropriate.”
Contrary to John Cougar Mellencamp, doing your taxes does not Hurt So Good. The Tax Policy Center estimates that 60 percent of US households receive more money from the government than they pay into it. However, the top 1 percent make approximately 20 percent of the money in the US and pay roughly 40 percent of federal taxes.
Are you like former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld? Every year, he would send a letter to the IRS expressing his frustrations about the complexity of this process. “It is important for you to know that I have absolutely no idea whether our tax returns and our tax payments are accurate. I say that despite the fact that I am a college graduate and I try hard to make sure our tax returns are accurate.” He went on: “The tax code is so complex and the forms are so complicated, that I know that I cannot have any confidence that I know what is being requested and therefore I cannot and do not know, and I suspect a great many Americans cannot know, whether or not their tax returns are accurate.”
How much we owe the government is confusing, but what we owe God isn’t. While we owe the government a portion of our earnings to keep the peace, we owe our lives to the one who died to bring about peace. I don’t know many people who like paying taxes, but we do have the chance to honor God by rendering to Caesar what he is due (Ephesians 4:25, Deuteronomy 5:19, Proverbs 11:1, Is. 42:8).
News You Can Use
2. Couple's animated discussion at NBA game goes viral
Watch it here. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger…” (Eph. 4:26)
1. 102-year-old New York man strives for perfection through pottery
Watch it here. “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48)
