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. US hit 20 targets inside Iran, after Tehran shot down U.S. helicopter (Fox News)
“The U.S. military launched a new round of strikes on Iran on Tuesday evening, hours after President Donald Trump said doing so would be necessary because Iranian forces downed a U.S. Army helicopter. U.S. military officials said in a statement that it had completed “self-defense strikes” at Trump’s direction in response to the downing of the helicopter, hitting Iranian air-defense sites, ground-control stations, and surveillance radar near the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil flows from the Middle East.
“The action came after the helicopter, carrying two U.S. soldiers, was downed on Monday evening while flying near the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the crew members were “fine” — with no injuries — and said the United States “must, of necessity, respond to this attack.” The aircrew was rescued Monday about 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, two hours after they went down, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Tuesday… Some 14 US soldiers have died in the war, while more than 7,000 people have been killed in Iran and Lebanon."
Similar to Tom Petty, no one is backing down. Despite dealing devastating blows to its forces, US classified intelligence assessments have concluded that Iran can still field about 75 percent of its mobile launchers and retains about 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpile. In addition, Iran has rebuilt access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz.
Horizontal or vertical? Both, according to Mona Yacoubian of CSIS. Tehran’s war plans include both horizontal and vertical escalation, with the former referring to widening the geographic scope of the war and the latter entailing ratcheting up the conflict through the choice of targets, tactics, and weapons. But why? “Tehran has undoubtedly infuriated its Arab neighbors and deepened their distrust, but its aggressive response also serves as a reminder that Iran is part of the region. As many Gulf officials and analysts privately lament, Iran will forever be their neighbor. Currently living their “nightmare scenario,” Gulf governments will need to find a way forward that acknowledges Iran’s enduring regional presence.”
Augustine once asked, “What is the evil of war? Is it the death of some who will soon die in any case, that others may live in peaceful subjection? This is merely cowardly dislike, not any religious feeling. The real evils in war are love of violence, revengeful cruelty, fierce and implacable enmity, wild resistance, and the lust of power, and such like.” Channeling the soldiers approaching John the Baptist and the Roman soldier meeting with Jesus, Augustine knew there was a need for war, but cautioned against growing numb to the deaths that occur in war. (Lk. 3, Mt. 8)
5. Graham Platner projected to win Maine Democratic Senate primary, setting up race against GOP Sen. Susan Collins (CBS News)
“Democrat Graham Platner and GOP Sen. Susan Collins will face off in a November contest that could determine which party controls the Senate next year, a race that was shaken up in recent weeks by a spate of allegations against Platner. In the days ahead of the primary, The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner's wife told his campaign that he sent sexually explicit text messages to other women soon after the couple were married in 2023. Then, The New York Times reported on allegations of Platner's "unsettling" behavior toward women he dated, including one claim that he was physically abusive. Platner has denied that he was physically abusive and suggested that the allegations are politically motivated.
“Platner won the Democratic primary on Tuesday night after facing minimal opposition, CBS News projects. Collins was unopposed in the Republican primary. Platner, a 41-year-old veteran and oyster farmer, had seen surging support among Democrats in Maine when he jumped in the race last year, billing himself as a working class, anti-establishment candidate with a focus on opposing the "billionaire class." He quickly gained support from leading progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and later, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.”
Campaigns aren’t just competitions to win races but also contests to matter. Rebecca Goldstein, in her fascinating new book, writes about how we each possess a desire to matter, and that instinct shapes identity, relationships, culture, and conflict. We find ourselves engaged in a “ceaseless struggle against entropy.” Like boats against the current, we attempt to keep ourselves from succumbing to the chaos that characterizes these days. Identifying that animating principle serves as a “missing piece in the puzzle of understanding ourselves, one another, and our troubled times.”
Ironically enough, some who lament the chaos of the present moment have added to it by nominating this problematic candidate…
Consider the mattering map. First introduced in her 1983 novel, The Mind-Body Problem, Goldstein highlights how this mattering instinct manifests in different ways in different types of people. There is the “heroic striver,” who believes the meaning of life is found in the next achievement or accomplishment. The “transcender” seeks fulfillment in a relationship with the divine. The “competitor” is driven to defeat others and secure victory, like in a campaign. And the “socializer” seeks to matter by mattering to others.
We may struggle to feel like we matter, but Christians know they matter regardless of the struggle… or the outcome of an election. Bearing the image of the divine, humans often struggle, but we always matter. Our identity isn’t rooted in the struggle but in the one who struggled and overcame. In this instance, each side is struggling to matter and, in turn, win the election. But when we quiet our conscience in this struggle to matter, we dishonor the one who matters most. (Mt. 5)
4. Trump administration launches largest-ever effort to denaturalize U.S. citizens accused of fraud or other crimes (CBS News)
“The Trump administration on Monday announced it is seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 U.S. citizens accused of immigration fraud, expanding its unprecedented denaturalization campaign. CBS News exclusively reported about the plans before they were unveiled by the Justice Department.
“Officials said the move represents the largest-ever effort by the U.S. government to use its denaturalization powers, which were rarely invoked before President Trump returned to the White House last year with promises to launch a historic deportation blitz.
“Federal law has long allowed the government to try to denaturalize foreign-born U.S. citizens who officials believe committed fraud to obtain their citizenship, such as by concealing information, like criminal conduct, on their immigration applications. But the process has been historically lengthy, complex and seldom exercised, requiring officials to persuade judges to strip naturalized citizens of their citizenship in civil or criminal proceedings in federal court.”
Do you remember the Palmer Raids? Pres. Woodrow Wilson signaled a deep distrust of "hyphenated Americans," largely skeptical about immigration in general in light of the Great War. And he wasn’t alone. In a New York Times editorial in December 1919: "There are ten or eleven millions of aliens here. Why give any questionable new arrival the benefit of the doubt? Why not give the country that benefit? Why let loose aliens who are to be deported? The humane sympathies of the immigration authorities do them honor, no doubt, but sometimes lead them into strange tenderness towards undesirables and even anarchists."
This Red Scare initiated large raids. In 1919 and 1920, acting under orders from Pres. Wilson, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer arrested as many as 10,000 so-called radicals, many of them labor activists. Roughly 550 noncitizens were deported. For context, between 1990 and 2017, there was an average of 11 denaturalization cases each year.
There are at least 2 theories of immigration for the Christian, according to Mark Amstutz. The communitarian approach heeds the moral duty to care for refugees, but also accepts the obligation “to maintain our own societies as stable and well-governed.” Then there is the cosmopolitan approach, which focuses largely on seeing the world as a “coherent global society united by the simple fact of our common humanity, and often regarding the nation-state as an impediment to international justice.” Essentially, compassion should animate a response to those outside our borders, but it should also compel concern for the implications for those within our borders. (Ex. 23, Lev. 19, Rom. 13, 1 Pet. 2)
Cultural News
3. Burnout sells (Axios)
“The wellness economy has entered its next phase, moving beyond fancy gym memberships, meditation apps and longevity doctors in what Vox dubbed the "burnout economy," Axios' Natalie Daher writes.
“Sleep tourism is a billion-dollar business and growing. Hotels like Equinox in New York charge nearly $2,000 a night for sleep-optimized rooms… Executive function coaches are the new career coaches. Burned-out workers are paying $100 to $300 a session to rebuild skills that can erode under prolonged pressure: planning, focus and task initiation… The gym is the new social spot. Younger consumers have already ditched the bar, but they're shifting their social lives to fitness studios, Bloomberg reports… The longevity market is widening: It's a luxury amenity. The Wall Street Journal reported that high-end apartment buildings are bundling in on-site body scans, genetic testing and a so-called "longevity cafe."
Do you know a busy bragger? For this person, busyness subtly reveals the scarcity of their free time and the value of their time. However, they are more likely to be perceived as less likable — and less competent — by their colleagues, according to a study. Research shows most people feel persistently time poor. One national poll showed that nearly half of Americans suffer from time poverty, needing another 14 hours a week.
Busyness has replaced leisure as a symbol of status, according to researchers. This is linked to the advancement of knowledge-intensive economies. “In such economies, individuals who possess the human capital characteristics that employers or clients value (e.g., competence and ambition) are expected to be in high demand and short supply on the job market.
The difference between successful people and really successful people, according to Warren Buffett, is that “really successful people say no to almost everything.” From Jesus initially saying no to turning water into wine to David choosing not to build the temple, the Scriptures reveal a divine truth: busyness doesn’t equate to holiness. The goal shouldn’t be to have a packed calendar but a purposeful one. Seth Godin put it well: “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from.” (Jn. 2, 2 Sam. 7)
News You Can Use
2. New Jersey school requires freshmen to go on 55-mile hike
Watch it here. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)
1. We had it made in the 90s..
Watch it here. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” ( Phil. 4:12)
