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. Supreme Court upholds principle that almost all born on U.S. soil are American (WaPo)
“The Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed the principle that almost everyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen, a major decision that rejects a push by President Donald Trump to fundamentally redefine who is American in ways not seen for more than 150 years. The justices struck down an executive order by the president that said citizenship would not be granted to children born to parents who are in the country illegally or those on temporary visas for work, travel, school or humanitarian reasons.
“Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the majority opinion for the ideologically mixed group of justices that included the court’s three liberals, as well as conservative Amy Coney Barrett. Conservative Brett M. Kavanaugh dissented from the 5-4 majority in ruling the executive order violated the 14th Amendment, but he joined the 6-3 majority in finding the order violated federal law. “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land,’” Roberts wrote for the majority. “We keep that promise today.”
Bruce Springsteen isn’t the only one Born In the USA… Research by Pew suggests that 320,000 children were born to illegal immigrants and temporary visa holders in 2023 alone, close to 9 percent of all births in the US. A fascinating study estimated that beneficiaries of birthright citizenship will have contributed $7.7 trillion to the US economy through their income between 1975 and 2074, including a projected $1 trillion by future children not yet born.
There are 2 forms of birthright citizenship: ancestry-based citizenship (jus sanguinis, “right of blood”) or birthplace-based citizenship (jus soli, “right of the soil”). The US observes a combination of unrestricted birthplace-based citizenship (anyone born in the US is automatically a citizen at birth irrespective of parents’ citizenship status) and restricted ancestry-based citizenship (a child born abroad to at least one US citizen parent may be entitled to citizenship, if they meet certain requirements).
As Christians, we don’t shy away from arguments, but we can model civil disagreements – including about citizenship. This is the beauty of our constitutional republic, according to Yuval Levin. In his book American Covenant, Levin points to the words of James Madison: “As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed.” In our constitutional system, we can differ “without rejecting one another’s legitimacy—disputing without being at war.” You may not be able to persuade the other side but you have been called to bear with the other side and love the opposing side. (Eph. 4:2, Col. 3:13)
5. Supreme Court upholds bans on transgender women in female athletics (WaPo)
“The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Idaho’s and West Virginia’s bans on transgender athletes playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for the LGBTQ+ community before the high court.
“In a decision led by the court’s six conservatives — but joined in parts by its three liberals — the justices found that states can separate teams based on “biological sex” without offending the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection or Title IX, a landmark 1972 antidiscrimination law involving education.
“Separate sports teams for biological males and biological females are reasonable: Given the inherent physical differences between the sexes, allowing only biological females to play on women’s and girls’ teams can reduce the risk of physical injury and ensure fair competition,” Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote for the majority.”
Is this fair? Writing in USA Today, WNBA player Brianna Turner shared how banning transgender individuals from female athletics is unfair. “In more than 15 years of organized basketball, I’ve played with and against people who are transgender and undoubtedly people with intersex variations… And I've never experienced any unfair advantages.” She concludes: “If we really want to protect the integrity of sport, let’s invest in fairness, opportunity and safety for every athlete.”
Jonathan Haidt, in his brilliant work The Righteous Mind, highlights how we are all beholden to an underlying moral vision—or metanarrative—which animates our values and informs our actions. Both sides of the aisle use the value of fairness to rationalize their positions and compel their actions. There are 2 versions of fairness, according to Haidt: procedural (involves whether impartial protocols are used when decisions affecting the well being of others are made) and distributive (making sure everyone gets a fair share). When it comes to the transgender debate, supporters will lean on distributive (all should get a chance to participate) and others will lean on procedural (the playing field is not level, potentially rigged against the majority for the sake of a few).
The Supreme Court isn’t banning; it's preserving. Guidelines are meant to keep the game fair and the players safe. When lines are crossed, fairness and safety are threatened. Transgender athletes still have a chance to participate; they are just limited, like all of us, in the venues in which they can. As Jezebel repeatedly demonstrated throughout her life, crossing lines perpetuates injustices and hurts innocent people. (Eph. 4:15, Pro. 31:8-9, 16:11, James 2:1-5).
4. Emergency Ordered for Largest US Power Grid as Record Heat Nears (Bloomberg)
“The Trump administration has declared a power emergency for the nation’s largest energy grid in advance of a dangerous heat wave that threatens to strain electricity infrastructure. The emergency order issued by the Energy Department Tuesday authorizes power plants in the PJM Interconnection LLC region, which serves 67 million people across 13 states, to operate at maximum levels and exceed some environmental requirements. A second Energy Department order authorizes the use of backup generators in the PJM region “as a last resort,” PJM said. Both orders run until 11:59 p.m. New York time July 3.
“The heat dome is expected to build over the eastern two-thirds of the country, with New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., among cities expected to see record highs into the 100s, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. More than 100 record highs are expected to be set through Saturday night, along with about 250 record-warm overnight lows.”
Have you heard of aircophobia? Marteen Boudry referred to this recently, highlighting the recoiling of Europeans toward air cooling technology. While nearly 90 percent of US homes have air conditioning, only about 20 percent of European households are equipped with it. “Part of the answer is historical and cultural. Northern Europe in particular, with its cool climate and mild seasonal swings, had little need for cooling until a few decades ago. But that excuse no longer cuts much ice. The deeper cause is an ideological “less is more” sensibility, more potent in Europe than anywhere else, which frames artificial cooling as a decadent indulgence — something for profligate Yankees with oversized SUVs and backyard pools.”
Economist Alan Barreca has shown that the risk of death on extremely hot days in the US fell by roughly 75 percent over the twentieth century—a decline that mirrored the mass adoption of air conditioning after 1960. “The adoption of residential air conditioning explains essentially the entire decline in the temperature-mortality relationship.”
More Europeans die of heat death than Americans die of gunshot wounds. Tyler Cowen highlighted this reality in a column, pointing to the fact that more than 175,000 people die from heat-related causes each year in Europe. However, there were 46,728 gun deaths in the US in 2023.
In the heat, be like Abraham. In Genesis 18, we read how 3 men were standing outside his tent in the heat of the day. Immediately, Abraham rushed from his shady spot and offered them a refreshing drink, a place to rest, and food to eat. He didn’t assume they were good; he offered to make them good. He didn’t know them, but he knew how to treat them. And it turns out, heavenly angels may be as close as a needy neighbor. (Heb. 13:2)
Cultural News
3. Pride in being American reaches new low ahead of 250th anniversary (AP)
“About one-third of the country identifies as “extremely proud” to be an American, with a 56-percentage-point pride gap between Republicans and Democrats, according to a new Gallup poll. Just 33% of Americans say they are “extremely proud” to live in the United States in 2026, compared to 52% who were “extremely proud” to be an American one decade ago and 59% who said the same two decades ago.
“The overall pride numbers dipped by 8 percentage points in the past year, down from 41% who said they were “extremely proud” in 2025. 2026 marks the year with the lowest percentage of “extremely proud” Americans since Gallup began its patriotism poll in 2001. Likewise, fewer than half of polled U.S. adults choose to display the American flag outside their homes.”
I Stand Amazed… and I’m not alone. Over the past month, our international neighbors visiting for the World Cup have gone viral for their reactions to everything from our gas stations to fast food restaurants to ranch dressing.
My favorite, thus far, has been a visitor from Japan writing about his experience at a Mexican restaurant and the bottomless chips and salsa. “In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner…. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat… They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined.”
Some want to make America great again, and others think America was never great, but could it be that we have much to be grateful for? Yuval Levin notes: “Our country is uneasy with itself. The public arena is the scene of constant cultural strife. Our major institutions—social and cultural, academic and economic—are frequently theaters in that conflict. Many Americans feel compelled to take part, worrying that if this struggle goes the wrong way, the very preconditions required for our society to sustain itself, for raising our children and building our lives, are in grave danger. Counting your blessings almost feels naïve and irresponsible in such a time.” However, he writes that the very hunger to change is a reason to be grateful: “To be grateful is, in part, to know you have a lot to lose, and therefore also that you have a lot to offer the future, through acts of conservation and refinement, not just through acts of demolition.”
As Christians, we should thank God for our country but refrain from turning our government into a god. This land of the free, because of the brave, allows us to live shamelessly for the God who sets us free. The country isn’t perfect, but it does allow us to share about someone who is. We can celebrate our country this weekend, counting our blessings and thanking God that we have the chance to be a blessing. (1 Thess. 5:16-18, 1 Pet. 2:12, Ps. 115:3).
News You Can Use
2. When your kids play travel sports
Watch it here. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;” (Ps. 139:14)
1. Hiker speaks out after grizzly bear encounter
Watch it here. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7)
