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. Netanyahu rejects Trump-backed Gaza plan for Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal (WaPo)
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a U.S.-backed plan Sunday for Hamas to lay down its weapons in Gaza in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from the territory — a proposal President Donald Trump recently touted as a breakthrough toward ending the conflict there.
“Netanyahu, at the start of a government meeting, said that “Israel does not accept the 15-point document” and that an Israeli withdrawal will be carried out only after “genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.” His demands included that the Palestinian militant group give up all weapons: “Heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry,” he said.
“Hamas said in a statement Sunday that it reaffirms its commitment to the 15-point plan that it agreed on with the Board of Peace, calling on parties to help ensure its implementation. However, the militant group and Israel disagree as to which should come first: Israeli withdrawal or Hamas disarmament.”
Needtobreathe might Lay Em’ Down, but I’m skeptical of Hamas doing so… The agreement calls for the process to be overseen by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and for the weapons to be stored in Gaza. Hamas has spent nearly 2 decades embedding loyalists throughout the group.
The lack of trust in the region is only exceeded by the abundance of spin… Enter counterhistory. Coined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, counterhistory refers to the revision and distortion of past and present reality to align with ideological dogmas rather than objective facts. In this "new world of counterhistory," historical understanding relies on a "specially curated version of history." Instead of relying on rigorous evidence or nuanced analysis, adherents "sublet [their] judgment about facts and morals to a rigid ideology," creating an environment where moral inversions flourish and facts are altered or discarded whenever they fail to support a pre-packaged political narrative.
A need for another Jephthah… When the King of Ammon threatened to invade Israel under the claim that Israel had stolen Ammonite land during the Exodus, Jephthah sent diplomatic envoys and recited hundreds of years of detailed border history, explaining how Israel peacefully asked permission to pass through Edom and Moab, took land only from Sihon the Amorite who attacked them first, and had settled there without complaint for generations. In this moment, there is a great need for a better plan for peace and a man of peace. (Judges 11)
5. Pentagon presses defense firms to build weapons as Iran war depletes stocks (WaPo)
“The Pentagon is asking the U.S. defense industry to rapidly escalate the production and delivery of weapons, including munitions that are in extreme shortage due to the war with Iran, according to a Defense Department memo obtained by The Washington Post. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry leaders saying they had no more than 21 days to submit plans to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to the memo, which is previously unreported.
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.” The directive comes as the weapons shortage has been a source of tension between President Donald Trump and the Defense Department, two people familiar with the issue recently told The Washington Post. It is also the latest in a series of actions the Pentagon and the White House have taken to address an issue that may largely remain unsolved until a gridlocked Congress releases additional defense spending, according to industry experts.”
Friends aren’t the only things in Low Places, Garth… Back in December, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a report regarding missile stockpiles. “The recent THAAD, MSE, and SM-3 employment in the Middle East shows that current inventories and production rates of missile defense interceptors are insufficient.” In an April update, CSIS estimated that the US has 1,030 remaining Patriot missiles, down from a pre-war supply of 2,330, and between 232 and 262 THAAD missiles, down from a pre-war supply of 452. And in July, their updated report warned that diminished stockpiles “may force the United States and its coalition partners to take more risks with interceptions.”
How long does it take to replenish our stocks? On a Lockheed Martin earnings call, a company executive remarked: “The goal is to have an increase from our current levels of production which is, last year, 650 Patriot missiles per year, up to 2,000, and that’s going to take three to four years depending on supply chain and other considerations.”
What does this mean? A number of credible institutions have all come to the same war-gamed conclusions: The US military consistently runs out of critical long-range weapons within the first weeks of a major war. Hal Brands of AEI has warned that the US, without robust weapon investment, should “get ready for ‘missile famine’ if there is a great-power war.”
Watch out for the Philistine blacksmith monopoly… To keep Israel subjugated, the Philistines enforced an embargo on metalworking, keeping all local blacksmiths from working with the Israelites so they couldn't forge swords or spears. Israelite farmers had to travel great distances and pay exorbitant fees just to sharpen their plowshares, axes, and sickles. However, the ban impacted their readiness but not their resourcefulness. In this moment, a shortage of weapons will require an abundance of inventiveness. (1 Sam. 13-14)
4. Former NBA first round pick Enes Kanter Freedom declares for 2027 WNBA Draft (Fox News)
“Former NBA player Royce White plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft — the second former pro to test the league’s policy on trans athletes. White, 35, a Republican candidate for US Senate who only played three games in his short NBA career, made the announcement on Friday on the heels of former first round draft pick and Knicks center Enes Kanter Freedom’s declaration earlier in the day.
“Article XIII of the WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement says, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” Yet the 409-page document never defines “women” or offer any policy on transgender eligibility, nor does it state whether self-identification alone is sufficient.”
“WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a letter to teams on Friday addressing concerns over the inclusion of transgender athletes in the league as two former NBA players announced their intentions to declare for the next WNBA Draft. "I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention," Engelbert wrote in the memo, per The Associated Press.”
Should we mock others? There are instances in the biblical narrative where mocking is looked down on (Pro. 1), where it is deployed for the good (Elijah in 1 Kings 18), and where it is leveled against our King (Lk. 22, Mt. 27). CS Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, offered this: “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.”
What is the goal in mocking? In The God Who Is There, Francis Schaeffer offered this poignant reminder when deploying mockery in an argument: “I need to remind myself constantly that this is not a game I am playing. If I begin to enjoy it as a kind of intellectual exercise, then I am cruel and can expect no real spiritual results. As I push the man off his false balance [false worldview], he must be able to feel that I care for him. Otherwise, I will only end up destroying him, and the cruelty and ugliness of it all will destroy me as well.”
As Christians, we have competing demands: truth and grace. To share the truth without grace isn’t bold but rather incomplete, less about winning the person and more about winning the moment. And to show grace without sharing the truth is unloving, failing to invite someone to experience the fullness of life that has been offered. With mocking, the goal shouldn’t be to delight in the wrong but to move the other person toward the right. (Col. 4, Eph. 4)
Cultural News
3. A $20 burrito is dividing the GOP as party debates food prices (News Nation)
“An online debate about the cost of food has erupted among GOP conservatives after Andrew Kolvet’s viral tweet regarding a college student’s complaint that “A burrito shouldn’t cost $20.” There was no shortage of feedback. Pundit Marc Thiessen encouraged students to economize like he did as a young person and to lean into prepaid cafeteria meals. This prompted an acidic reply from Vice President JD Vance, who posted on X, “If you’ve ever met (Thiessen) in person, it’s quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito.” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, meanwhile, offered his own thoughts: “Stop whining, get a job, eat Ramen like the rest of us did in college, on a budget with 4 roommates.”
Sweater Weather? Pretty close, Pres. Carter. In 1977, a harsh winter caused severe energy and natural gas shortages across the US. To save energy, Carter dropped the White House thermostat to 65 degrees and wore a cardigan instead of a suit in an address to the American people. He urged citizens to save energy by putting on extra layers.
You can make a burrito for under $20 in your sweater, but the price of burrito ingredients has increased. Grocery prices are up 31 percent since the pandemic. Food away from home (e.g. restaurant) prices have gone up over 36 percent. However, there are some variances based on tax rates in certain jurisdictions. A study found that the exact same McDonald’s Big Mac costs $4.36 in Austin, Texas, and $7.06 in Seattle.
Can both camps be correct? Prices are higher, and lifestyle creep is real. As Christians, we see money as a gift and ourselves as stewards. Randy Alcorn asserts that God sees our finances and our faith as inseparable. When we steward our money wisely, we make heaven come to earth. When we waste our money, we improperly view the earth as heaven. In his book Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Alcorn rightly notes: “Abundance isn't God's provision for me to live in luxury. It's his provision for me to help others live.” (1 Chron. 29:11, 2 Cor. 9:7)
News You Can Use
2. Dad, What Was it Like Checking the Weather in the 90s?
Watch it here. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
1. How a duck helped a dog recover from panic attacks, medication that brought him down
Watch it here. “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Ps. 34:10)
