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. Iran's supreme leader urges Muslim countries to confront the 'real enemy' (Fox News)
“Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement marking Islamic Unity Week on Sunday, calling on Islamic countries across the Middle East to confront the "real enemy." The written statement was posted to Khamenei's Telegram account, saying division among Islamic countries only helps Islam's enemies. “My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it,” Khamenei wrote.
“U.S. forces attacked two Iranian rocket launchers attempting to disperse sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to U.S. Central Command. The attack was the first by the United States against Iran in a month and appeared to be limited rather than a resumption of large-scale American bombing. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for Central Command, said that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps forces had been observed preparing to launch rockets armed with mines from Larak Island into the waters of the surrounding strait, a vital shipping waterway for oil and gas.”
Washington holds 4 wrong assumptions regarding Iran, according to Nazee Moinian at the Middle East Institute: rational actor, pain threshold, battlefield/negotiation losses, and domestic unrest. First, US officials assume Iran is a rational actor weighing costs and benefits. However, Moinian suggests that this is still a revolutionary state sustained by ideological conviction, making "ordinary compromise feel like apostasy, not prudence." Then there is the pain threshold. “The problem may not be that Tehran’s threshold is unreachable but that Washington keeps stopping short of it.”
Third, there is the mistaken belief that battlefield losses become negotiating losses. “Iran’s proxies are gutted, and its air defense has been breached twice, yet no invasion has followed, and its negotiators in Oman still behave as though they are winning.” Finally, Moinian highlights the domestic unrest. "A regime willing to kill its citizens by the thousand has demonstrated that it can absorb and inflict a great deal of pain before it yields.”
When the escaping Israelites found themselves trapped between the mountains, the desert, and the Red Sea, Pharaoh assumed they were wandering in confusion. "They are entangled in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.” He assumed they were lost, but in reality they were found faithful by God, who led them through the sea. Pharaoh’s fatal flaw wasn’t a lack of chariots, but an abundance of assumptions—a mistake no leader should repeat. (Ex. 14)
5. 'Approximately' 85 Americans remain missing in Nepal floods (ABC News)
“State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Sunday that approximately 85 Americans remain unaccounted for following catastrophic flash flooding on the border of Nepal and Tibet. The death toll rose to at least 919 people as of Monday, according to the latest updates from Nepali and Chinese officials, with more than 4,700 people reported missing. At least 903 bodies had been recovered in Nepal as of Monday, the Nepal National Disaster Management Authority said in a post to X. At least 4,247 people were listed missing, the authority said, marking a significant jump on Sunday's figure.
"This morning, I can say we now have 85 Americans, approximately, that are unaccounted for. We've also now seen nine Americans be safely evacuated. We are currently unaware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time,” Pigott told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. Rescue teams are racing against the clock as weather conditions slow missions in the region, and Nepali authorities warn of possible new flooding.”
One headmaster saved 1,643 students. Mr. Dadabi received a warning that a village upstream had been swept away by the river. He immediately rang the school bell and moved the children and teachers to higher ground.
“Don’t come back here.” As he moved the children, he called the school buses and told them to turn around. However, one school bus was already on the way. When he finally reached the bus driver, the man reversed course, crossed the bridge, and retreated to safety. Minutes later, the bridge collapsed, the 3-story school was washed away, but the 1,643 children were safe.
Oswald Chambers defined courage as the quality “of mind which enables people to encounter danger or difficulty firmly, without fear or discouragement.” Like Esther and Moses before him, Mr. Dababi acted with great courage that day so that many could live to see another day. (Est. 4, Ex. 14)
4. British far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos deported after ICE arrest (ABC News)
“Far-right British political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was deported to the United Kingdom after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday. Yiannopoulos was arrested at New Orleans International Airport, according to a DHS spokesperson.
“The spokesperson said in a statement that Yiannopoulos legally entered the country in 2019 and allegedly "chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws." "Yiannopoulos was issued a final order of removal by an Immigration Judge on July 22, after failing to show up for his immigration hearing," the spokesperson said.”
Jo Dee Messina isn’t the only one saying Bye-Bye… Immigration arrests rose from 43,000 in June to 49,000 in July, which is closer to meeting a recent goal of 2,000 daily arrests. Deportations have averaged over 1,000 people a day since last summer. The share with a past violent criminal conviction fell to less than 4 percent.
At least 2 factors account for this uptick: more agents and more partnerships. ICE has hired thousands more agents, numbering 29,000, up from 21,000 when Pres. Trump first took office. In addition, they have expanded a program to deputize local police officers to arrest immigrants. Known as 287(g), this program accounts for roughly 14 percent of arrests. However, in some states, it can be more than 50 percent.
From the watchmen in Ezekiel to the armed guards in Nehemiah to the judges in the book of Judges, God has provided law enforcement officers throughout history to enact justice. These men and women uphold the cause of the poor, rescue the weak and needy, and provide deliverance to those held captive. While some break the law, these men and women uphold it, and in turn, strengthen our communities. (Ez. 33, Neh. 4, Judges, Rom. 13)
Cultural News
3. “Throwback Trips” Use Adult Money To Accomplish Childhood Dreams (Bustle)
“Today, 2000s nostalgia has officially transcended past capris and ballet flats — it’s shaping vacations, too... If you’re a truly committed fan, a full tank of gas or a boarding pass is a small investment toward making your childhood dreams come true. Enter: the “Throwback Trip.” Throwback Trips may not be as luxurious as a European vacation based around the Eras tour or as convenient as the concert stop in your home city… A few years ago, people on TikTok started calling out all of the ways they still feel like a “teenager in their 20s”: loving teen romance shows, reading fan fiction, and buying things they wanted but couldn’t afford as kids.”
Carry on My Wayward (and nostalgic) Son… Surveys show that the percentage of people taking vacations with paid lodging has dropped to multi-year lows as inflation stretches budgets. However, enter the calculated traveler. Rather than canceling travel entirely, people are making smart trade-offs. They are choosing domestic road trips over expensive flights, visiting less popular or off-the-beaten-path locations.
She Works Hard For The Money, but she isn’t only working… Economic historian Robert Fogel found that in 1880, the typical American devoted about 182,100 lifetime hours to work and had only 43,800 hours left for leisure. By 1995, lifetime work had fallen to 122,400 hours, while leisure had risen to 176,100 hours. For the first time, leisure accounted for the majority, about 59 percent, of discretionary life.
Ben Sasse, in his book The Vanishing American Adult, highlights how the Puritans emphasized making the most of every moment – including recreation. They understood recreation as “an exercise or escape used to restore people—to refresh and “re-create” them—so that they can get back to being productive for the glory of God and the good of their neighbor.” So whether you’re heading back to work or taking a throwback road trip to see your favorite 90s band, remember that even a night of rock-and-roll nostalgia can be a holy reset for the soul. (Ps. 118)
News You Can Use
2. Guys realizing they’re becoming their dads
Watch it here. "We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord." (Ps. 78:4)
1. Golf caddy gets a full ride to University of South Carolina with some help from the club
Watch it here. “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Heb. 13:16)
