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 storms off 'Meet the Press' interview, rips Welker, ABC, CBS, CNN as 'crooked' (Fox News)
“President Donald Trump abruptly ended a tense "Meet the Press" interview with host Kristen Welker in Wisconsin Sunday after she repeatedly challenged his claims about election fraud, California’s vote count and his proposed "anti-weaponization" fund. Trump cut off the interview after accusing NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN of being "crooked" during a final exchange over his claims about U.S. elections. "You’re a one-sided crooked network," Trump told Welker. "Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time."
“The exchange escalated during the final block, when Welker pressed Trump on a proposed $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate people who said they were targeted by the former President Joe Biden administration’s alleged "weaponization" of government.”
Tim McGraw isn’t the only one who is Angry All the Time… In addition to Pres. Trump walking off the set of Meet the Press yesterday, Scott Pelley said in an interview with the NY Times that “CBS News is on fire” and the news division’s editor in chief Bari Weiss should be removed from her job. The former employee said she was “putting a thumb on the scale” on behalf of the Trump administration, has a “subtle political bias,” and said the network needed “adult supervision.” When asked if he believed the show had become biased over the years, before Weiss, he responded that he “certainly didn’t believe that.”
Like The Monkees, I'm a Believer... in their bias. Back in 2004, 60 Minutes featured forged memos alleging that then-President Bush had gone absent without leave during his service in the National Guard. An independent review forced resignations and an on-air apology. Then there was Bob Simon back in 2012, claiming that Israel erected a security fence around Bethlehem to protect its citizens. The report was wildly false and easily provable. And then who can forget back in 2021 when the show falsely accused Governor Ron DeSantis of a pay-to-play vaccine-rollout scheme.
In this moment of truth decay, we need more Peters… Despite boldly claiming he would die for Jesus, Peter famously denied even knowing him 3 times on the night of Jesus' arrest. However, after the resurrection, Jesus met Peter by the Sea of Galilee and asked him 3 times, "Do you love me?" After answering in the affirmative each time, Jesus invited him to prove his commitment. In this moment, both sides have legitimate trust issues. With trust, it is rarely regained in a moment but is often rebuilt by regularly meeting expectations. Both sides can say they are trustworthy, but they will have to prove it. Similar to the famous quip from Margaret Thatcher, being truthful is like saying you are a lady: if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t. (Lk. 22)
5. Iran accuses U.S. of violating ceasefire after both sides exchange strikes as stalemate continues in peace talks (CBS News)
“Iran on Saturday accused the U.S. of violating the fragile ceasefire as the U.S. military reported that it had shot down six Iranian one-way attack drones over the past two days that were headed toward the Strait of Hormuz. Seven ballistic missiles fired at Kuwait and Bahrain early Saturday local time were largely intercepted as well. The U.S. retaliated by launching strikes on Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. An adviser to Iran's supreme leader told CNN that negotiations are "at a deadlock" and "the ball is in Trump's court," urging the U.S. to unfreeze billions in Iranian assets.
“Israel said it struck military targets in Iran, hours after Tehran fired a barrage of missiles toward the country for the first time since a ceasefire took effect in early April. The exchange of fire threatened to further complicate efforts to broker a lasting peace deal to end the months-long U.S.-Israeli war with Tehran and raised the prospect of a return to open conflict. The Israeli Air Force hit sites in western and central Iran, its military said on social media early Monday local time, without providing further details. Iran’s attack on Sunday followed Israeli military strikes on what Israel said were suspected Hezbollah positions in Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier in the day.”
How do you go from stalemate to settlement? There is a “master narrative,” according to the RAND Corporation. Researchers analyzed 71 conflicts resolved between 1944 and 2010, and focused on the 13 that ended in a negotiated settlement. They found that each of the 13 cases generally proceeded along 7 steps executed in a common sequence…
“(1) military stalemate and war-weariness created an environment that was "ripe for resolution," (2) the government accepted the opposing side as legitimate negotiating partners, (3) the parties brokered one or more cease-fires, (4) the parties entered into official intermediate agreements, (5) the government extended a power-sharing offer to the other side, (6) opposing leadership became more moderate and willing to engage in political compromise, and (7) a third-party guarantor helped reinforce the settlement and transition.”
Tough peace talks are not unique to this moment. Consider Jacob and Laban. After years of working for his deceptive father-in-law, Laban, Jacob secretly packed up his family, livestock, and wealth and fled in the middle of the night. Laban pursued him with a small army, catching up to Jacob in the hill country of Gilead. Laban felt robbed of his daughters and property, while Jacob was furious over decades of exploitation. Yet, they both came to a conclusion that a conflict would ruin both parties. So they built a pillar of stones as a physical landmark of their non-violent pact. In this instance, the master narrative is fascinating yet the ancient narrative is reassuring, knowing that peace is possible even in the most difficult moments. (Gen. 31)
4. Trump pardons former GOP congressman convicted of insider trading (WaPo)
“President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon for Steve Buyer, a former Indiana Republican congressman who was convicted of insider trading in 2023, following appeals from Republicans who claimed he was the target of a politically weaponized justice system. The president has sought to use his second-term pardons as a way to address what he sees as weaponization by the Justice Department under President Joe Biden. This latest act of clemency marks his 13th pardon to a current or former member of Congress across his two nonconsecutive presidential terms.
“The Securities and Exchange Commission in 2022 accused Buyer of abusing his role as a corporate consultant by using nonpublic information to inform his investments. The SEC said he used his position to purchase shares of companies ahead of significant announcements in 2018 and 2019, then sold them at a profit after the information became public and the stocks rose. All told, the SEC said he accrued more than $300,000 in illegal profits. When Buyer was convicted by a jury in 2023, Judge Richard M. Berman said their decision was not a close call because the evidence “screams guilty.” Later that year, Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison.”
Was this a good decision? How do you even make one? In their book Decisive, Chip and Dan Heath argue that smart people make poor choices because of 4 mental traps. These "villains" are narrow framing (unnecessarily limiting the number of options), confirmation bias (natural tendency to only look for data that confirms our beliefs), short-term emotion (letting temporary feelings cloud your long-term judgment), and overconfidence (believing you know exactly how the future will play out).
How do you counter these biases? WRAP: widen your options (deploy multi-track thinking; look for other examples of this situation), reality-test your assumptions ("ooch" your decisions by running small, low-risk experiments to test the waters before fully committing), attain distancing before deciding (deploy the 10-10-10 rule: how will I feel about this choice in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 years?), and prepare to be wrong (plan for both the best and worst case scenarios).
A pardon is a costly decision, either erasing a debt from the past or paying a price for a move in the future. Both parties have misused the pardon, with each side providing another precedent for further abuse. Eventually, one side is going to have to heed the old Puritan axiom: "You've chosen to be the last one to do the right; I've a mind to be the first and set the rest an example." (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)
Cultural News
3. Millions of Americans are paper-wealthy, wallet-poor (WaPo)
“A newly released report from Gallup and Edward Jones explains this paradox and divides Americans into three groups, showing how people differ in their money mindsets.
“Financially fulfilled. Representing 16 percent of Americans, this group reports high financial confidence, clear long-term goals, and a deep sense of control over their finances. People’s spending and saving habits align with their values. While this mindset is more common among older adults who have had time to build wealth, the survey notes that “income and age do not fully explain financial fulfillment.”
“Financially conflicted. Making up the 51 percent majority, people within this group experience a frustrating mix of economic stability and strain. They may be doing fine for now, but they are deeply worried about the future.
“Financially stressed. At 32 percent, this group is twice the size of the fulfilled crowd. People in this category are stuck in a state of constant anxiety. The biggest factor separating those who have achieved money harmony from the other two categories is not just their earnings. It’s how intentionally they track their money, seek professional guidance and plan for the future, according to David Gunn, head of the U.S. and Canada Business Units at Edward Jones.”
What Makes You Beautiful? More like what makes you feel financially secure, One Direction… In his book The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel asserts that “doing well with money has little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave.” Housel writes that we “think about and are taught about money in ways that are too much like physics (with rules and laws) and not enough like psychology (with emotions and nuance).... Financial success is not a hard science. It's a soft skill, where how you behave is more important than what you know."
"The hardest financial skill is getting the goalpost to stop moving,” according to Housel. “If expectations rise with results, there is no logic in striving for more because you'll feel the same after putting in extra effort… Modern capitalism is a pro at two things: generating wealth and generating envy."
Be free. Before Paul told a young Timothy to beware of those lovers of money, he shared with the church at Galatia to stand firm and be free. The propensity to become enslaved was strong yet subtle, not necessarily with literal shackles but with spiritual shackles. Our satisfaction and mood shouldn’t be tied to the market but freed from the market. Housel rightly concludes: "The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up every morning and say, 'I can do whatever I want today.'" (2 Tim. 3, Gal. 5)
News You Can Use
2. My toddler horrifying the neighbors
Watch it here. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” (Ps. 139:13)
1. Musician in audience saves the show
Watch it here. “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” (1 Pet. 3:15)
