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. White House launches 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations in this region (USA Today)
“The White House launched 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations, all selling fuel at $3.47 a gallon. The White House announced the initiative on July 7 on X with a video of customers thanking President Donald Trump for lowering gas prices. The gas stations are located in the greater Philadelphia area, the White House told USA TODAY in an email on Tuesday, July 7.
“The move comes as Americans continue to worry about gas prices at the pump ahead of the November midterm elections. But the price of Freedom gas is only slightly lower than the national average. According to AAA data, the national average price of fuel was $3.79 on Tuesday, July 7.”
Pump Up The Jam? We need more refining than pumping, Technotronic… While attention is being given to how much crude oil is being pumped out of the ground, the real culprit for high gas prices is the drop in refining. Rory Johnston notes that: “The supply of refined products isn’t driven by how much crude oil is pumped out of wells in the US —or even released after four months stranded in the Persian Gulf. Instead, the supply of refined products depends on how much of that crude oil is processed each day in the world’s more than 500 oil refineries.”
Are you familiar with the crack spread? This is the difference between the price of crude and the price of refined products. At the core, a refinery is a big chemistry lab that “cracks” the hydrocarbons in crude oil into various other products (heaviest (e.g. asphalt), middle (e.g. diesel), and lightest (e.g. propane)). “There is too much crude, which is crushing crude oil prices, and not enough refined products, which is spiking consumer prices.”
What accounts for the spike in consumer prices? Consider the Ukraine attacks on Russia and the Strait of Hormuz. Relative to the Strait, the prewar daily flow of 20 million barrels (15 million crude; 5 million refined) has significantly decreased. And relative to Ukraine, Energy Intelligence estimates “nearly one-third of Russia’s total refining capacity, or more than 2 million barrels a day, was offline due to attacks through June, with domestic refining runs at their lowest point in more than two decades.”
Supply and demand… During the reign of Israel’s King Jehoram, the Arameans laid siege to Israel’s capital city to such an extent that “a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver.” Essentially, the demand for anything was driven by a supply of nothing. At this moment, many have a great need for refined oil products, and with the newly limited supply, this has caused prices to rise. However, though there is scarcity this side of eternity, there is coming a day when scarcity is scarce. (2 Kings 6-7)
5. Top Democrats call on Graham Platner to drop out as sexual assault allegation emerges (CBS News)
“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the leadership of the Maine Democratic Party urged Senate nominee Graham Platner to drop out of the race Monday, after a bombshell Politico report accusing Platner of sexual assault. Platner insisted the allegation is "categorically false" but said his campaign is reflecting on "the best path forward."
"Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins," Platner said in a video his campaign posted to X. The Maine Democratic Party is all but declaring war against its Senate nominee Graham Platner for his refusal to drop out of the race. Devon Murphy-Anderson, the executive director of the state party, released an extraordinary video on X late Tuesday night, accusing Platner of trying to assert inappropriate influence on the process to choose his successor. Murphy-Anderson said the party has been “working around the clock” to develop a process to replace Platner that is “open, inclusive, transparent and fair.”
Like the ceasefire with Iran this morning, it looks like Platner’s race for Senate is over…Prospect theory illuminates much of the thinking regarding Platner recently. This theory is a behavioral model that helps us decide between alternatives that consist of risk and uncertainty. We first edit, then evaluate. In the editing phase, the decision-maker organizes and reformulates the available options to simplify the choice. And concerning evaluation, we then choose the one with the highest value, rationalizing away warning signs – like Nazi tattoos, sexual assault allegations, etc.
Platner isn’t the only one who failed… In his insightful A Time To Build, Yuval Levin persuasively argues that America’s most important institutions, like political parties, have come to be thought of as platforms more than molds. Instead of being shaped by an institution, individuals increasingly use institutions as platforms to extend their brand. “When we don’t think of our institutions as formative but as performative… they become harder to trust. They aren’t really asking for our confidence, just for our attention.” Instead of the party moving on from the problematic candidate months ago when problems began to emerge, the party rationalized away worries about the candidate.
While some may try to cover up wrongs, eventually your cover will be up. Russell Moore rightly notes: “No cover-ups can outlast the eschaton. There is no attorney-client privilege at the judgment seat of Christ. That should prompt us—no matter what institution we serve, no matter how much we love it—to call it into the light, into accountability, into the protection of the vulnerable.” (Lk. 12:2-3)
4. Unstable building on East 42nd Street forces multiple evacuations in Midtown Manhattan (CBS News)
“An unstable building under construction in Midtown Manhattan has forced evacuations and street closures, firefighters said. More than 100 fire and EMS personnel responded to reports of bricks falling just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday at 235 E. 42nd St. New York City’s buildings commissioner said late Tuesday that a compromised high-profile housing project under construction near Grand Central Terminal was stable for now, even as he said that the neighborhood around it may remain in a tense situation “for the next couple of days.”
“The call initially came in as just bricks falling from the 37-story building, but when the FDNY arrived on the scene firefighters found buckling and sagging floor conditions. Department of Buildings officials said when they arrived, they didn't see falling debris but found structural damage. No injuries were reported, and all workers have been accounted for, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.”
The inconveniences of an evacuation were worth avoiding a potential tragedy… Essentially, decisions in life are more like a game of poker than chess, according to Annie Duke. In her book Thinking in Bets, Duke writes: “Chess, for all its strategic complexity, isn’t a great model for decision-making in life, where most of our decisions involve hidden information and a much greater influence of luck… Poker, in contrast, is a game of incomplete information. It is a game of decision-making under conditions of uncertainty over time.”
A bet is really a decision about an uncertain future, according to Duke. “What good poker players and good decision-makers have in common is their comfort with the world being an uncertain and unpredictable place...They embrace that uncertainty and, instead of focusing on being sure, they try to figure out how unsure they are, making their best guess at the chances that different outcomes will occur.”
NYC officials were betting they could endure the frustrations to avoid tragedy. Like Joseph with his grain storage system, the calculated decision inevitably required tradeoffs, but the willingness to own inconveniences is far greater than wrongly assuming there are no consequences. Duke put it well: “What makes a decision great is not that it has a great outcome. A great decision is the result of a good process." (Gen. 41)
Cultural News
3. Dinner Decisions Are Complicated, New Survey Reveals (DV)
“A new survey of 2,000 adults found that the average respondent spends nearly 16 minutes a day deciding what to have for dinner, according to Talker Research… More than half of respondents, 58 percent, said splurging on a lavish or premium meal is their go-to move for turning around a rough week.
“Sixty percent said that the thought of having an interesting meal at the end of the week motivates them during the week. The idea of saving favorite meals only for special occasions may also be fading. Seventy-two percent said they would rather enjoy their favorite meal more regularly, while 68 percent said “fancy” foods should be eaten any day of the week.”
Duran Duran isn’t the only one who is Hungry Like The Wolf… Studies on American dining habits show that the average American eats out roughly 5 times per week. Americans spend an average of $847 per month ($10,164 per year) on food. This breaks down to $235 per week on groceries (food at home) and $115 per week on restaurants/takeout (food away from home).
The abundance of choices often triggers decision fatigue. This phenomenon, also known as ego depletion, describes how our ability to make decisions can get worse after making many decisions. It can work its way out in one of 2 ways: either by becoming reckless by not thinking through the implications of a decision, or by doing nothing when faced with a choice.
Meals are present at the beginning and end of the Bible. Jesus, who refers to himself as the Bread of Life, taught over meals, miraculously prepared large meals, and cooked an early morning meal for his disciples after the resurrection. The table is a sacred space, a place where calories are consumed, conversations are had, and souls are formed. While answers may ease a broken soul, hospitality around the table can bring comfort to a weary one. (Gen. 3, Rev. 22, Jn. 6, 1 Cor. 6)
News You Can Use
2. The man who had raised her for 17 years was surprised when the 18-year-old girl gave him adoption papers
Watch it here. “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…” (Eph. 1:5)
1. Jonah the sad dog who didn't get a hot dog at Florida Marlins game goes viral
Watch it here. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Pro. 13:12)
