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-backed prayer festival on National Mall draws thousands: ‘We welcome Jesus!’ (WaPo)
“A crowd of thousands, many in red, white and blue, transformed a block of the National Mall into an evangelical-style worship service Sunday morning at a White House-led, day-long prayer festival tied to the country’s 250th anniversary. “We welcome Jesus into this place!” one of the first performers at “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” belted from a stage with ivory-colored pillars evoking the neoclassical architecture of the capital’s federal buildings.
“The event, funded with millions in public dollars, featured Christian clergy, music and in-person and virtual appearances by multiple senior government officials, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson. In a prerecorded message, Trump read from 2 Chronicles 7, reciting the well-known Bible verse calling on people to "humble themselves" and seek God."
Waylon is a Ramblin’ Man, but what type of Christian are you? In his book Faith in the Halls of Power, Michael Lindsay interviewed more than 300 Christian leaders from a variety of sectors in the marketplace, asking them how they live out their faith in public settings. He identified 2 types of Christians: populist and cosmopolitan.
The populist is more likely to attend revival meetings and listen to the Gaither family. They gravitate toward mingling with fellow believers rather than unbelievers, leaning more toward fellowship among the saints over fishing for men. In this instance, a populist is more likely to attend this type of gathering.
The cosmopolitan probably enjoys a fine glass of wine over a church potluck. This person prefers an art gallery opening over a monthly prayer meeting. Whereas a populist engages people of different faiths and “decides to retreat,” the cosmopolitan “interacts with people of different faiths or of no faith at all, and that actually compels them to engage even further."
The church is a big tent: there are Peters and Pauls, fingers and toes, and yet the same spirit. Essentially, different strokes for different folks (Phil.1:15-18). Legendary preacher D.L. Moody was once criticized for the way he shared Jesus. He agreed with the critic and asked her how she shared Jesus. She responded that she didn’t do it. He replied: “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.” (1 Cor. 12:4-11)
5. Trump says "Clock is Ticking" for Iran as shaky ceasefire continues (CBS News)
“President Trump said Sunday that "the Clock is Ticking" for Iran, warning that "there won't be anything left of them" if Iranian leaders do not "get moving, FAST." Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Friday that Tehran "cannot trust the Americans at all" and Iran is "trying to maintain" the "shaky" ceasefire "to give diplomacy a chance."
“Israel launched new strikes in southern Lebanon after agreeing to extend the current ceasefire between the countries by 45 days after two days of talks in Washington, D.C. Israel said it had launched over 100 strikes on Lebanon since Friday. One Israeli soldier died, the nation said, and several others have been injured.
“The U.S., not Iran, is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump declared, adding, "We wiped out their armed forces, essentially." An Iranian official said Saturday that the country would soon unveil its plan to allow some traffic through the strait, for a fee.”
Could leadership decapitation work for regime change in Iran? A fascinating paper released last week demonstrated how Iran has learned from failed regimes in the past (Soviet Union, Hitler’s Germany, etc.) to build its “mosaic defense.” Essentially, this refers to how authority is distributed, with the Supreme Leader being less a sole hub of the system and more an arbiter among competing power centers, and his removal still allowing the regime to function because elite commitment is high.
3 variables influence whether decapitation can produce regime change. First, there is authority concentration. Instead of relying on a singular charismatic leader, Iran developed a routinized authority that drew on institutional rather than personal power. Then there is elite commitment. Mitigating against elite defection, elite commitment rests on factors such as material interest or ideology. Finally, there is succession capacity. This is the strongest resilience indicator, knowing that time is undefeated and change is inevitable.
Like Queen Athaliah, the regime is attempting to stay in power. When her son, King Ahaziah, died, Athaliah attempted to solidify her control by systematically murdering the entire royal family— including her own grandchildren (except for one). She consolidated power and reigned for more than 5 years, but eventually, a young Joash would assume the throne. In this instance, Iranian leadership is attempting to stay in power, but they will one day realize the veracity of the old proverb: man plans, but the Lord prevails. (2 Kings 11, 2 Chron. 24)
4. Cubans prepare for ‘invasion’ as US escalates tensions with long-suffering island (CNN)
“Cuba intends to exercise its right to self-defence in the event of a military attack by the US, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. "The anti-Cuban campaign aimed at justifying, without any excuse whatsoever, a military attack on Cuba is intensifying by the hour, with increasingly far-fetched accusations," wrote Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossio on the X platform. "The US is the aggressor. Cuba is the country under attack, acting in accordance with the principle of self-defence."
“Axios reports, citing intelligence sources, that Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and has recently begun discussing plans to use them for attacks on the US base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, on US military ships and possibly on Key West in the US state of Florida, which lies only around 170 kilometres from Havana."
Metallica isn’t the only one who needs Fuel, Fire, and That Which They Desire… While Cuba prepares to fight, Cuban officials prepare daily to determine who will have power due to a woefully unreliable electric system. Reports indicate that on an average day, the Cuban government can meet only 50 to 70 percent of its country’s electricity needs. More than half of the national energy demand is unmet. Every morning, provincial leaders across the island choose which of their communities will lose power and for how long (at times, for 19 hours).
Why is this? Lack of diversification and underinvestment. The International Energy Agency has emphasized that the country’s generation mix remains heavily dependent on oil (80-plus percent), with little diversification (among other sources like natural gas, coal, wind, solar, etc.) compared to its regional peers. So when there is a disruption in supply, like say due to a war in Iran, difficulty looms because of their great reliance on imported oil (approximately 50 percent).
Then there is underinvestment. The National Electric System hasn’t seen significant investments since it was built (1960s). Standard problems like transmission line failures and generator trips cause widespread outages. From 2010 to 2024, Cuba spent about 32 percent of total investment on tourism-related infrastructure, and only 12 percent on energy infrastructure.
What they lack in fuel, they make up for in faith. The Christian Chronicle recently highlighted the efforts of local churches to serve not only their members, but also their neighbors. Despite being a communist country that regularly targets Christians, including just recently a 16-year-old, a Christian noted, “Everything’s hard, but we trust in God.” He went on: “We live the Christian life as an adventure of faith.” The same God who used Gideon and Deborah to free his people is the same God reigning and ruling today, inviting others into the adventure. (Judges 4-8)
Cultural News
3. Writers Are Going to Extremes to Prove They Didn’t Use AI (WSJ)
“I’ll use aggressively casual language, like, ‘hey yo, for real,’ or drop a bunch of exclamation points,” said Harvard, a 32-year-old copywriter in Brooklyn, regarding her posts and essays. “It feels so icky to do this, but it’s what you have to do to sound human.”
“Call it a reverse Turing Test. As AI-generated writing floods the internet, more people are trying to detect which creators are using such tools to spin up copy. That means writers penning all their own work—and people who acknowledge using chatbots for help—are trying to master something they never worried about before: how to sound human.
“Like many writers, Harvard fears being accused of wielding machine-made material. She’s seen it happen to others and is proactively trying to prove her human bona fides. “It’s like the new McCarthyism,” Harvard said. “It’s just crazy. People are demanding proof of something that can’t be proven.”
The Beatles aren’t the only ones who need Help... Are you familiar with grade inflation, which refers to professors awarding higher academic grades for the same quality of work over time, resulting in a rise in average grades? Surveys have shown that parents are more inclined to trust report cards than test results. As a result, some parents are shocked when their student is three grade levels behind…
“There’s not much to be said about the period except that most writers don’t reach it soon enough,” according to William Zinsser. In his classic On Writing Well, Zinsser notes: “Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard.” He concludes: “Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other.”
In the biblical narrative, God instructed each king to write for himself a copy of the law in the presence of the Levitical priests (Deut. 17:18). Though this may be repetitive, Paul commented to the church at Philippi that writing the same things was no trouble for him and safe for them (Phil. 3:1). Francis Bacon was right: “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”
News You Can Use
2. Birthday cheesecake falls ‘flat’ in viral frenzy
Watch it here. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Ps. 34:8)
1. Chili’s Review by Anthony Bourdain…
Watch it here. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.” (Pro. 18:21)
