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. Israel announces 'tactical' military pause in 3 Gaza areas, as aid routes set to open (ABC News)
“The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it would begin a scheduled "tactical" pause of its military activities in three areas in Gaza, as it opens aid corridors to allow food and medicine into the enclave. A suspension in military activity was scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Al Mawasi, Deir al Balah and Gaza City, according to Avichay Adraee, an IDF spokesperson. The suspension was to begin Sunday and continue every day until further notice, he said in a statement on social media.
“The decision was made in coordination with the United Nations and other international aid groups, according to COGAT, the Israeli body that manages the flow of aid into the territory. The 10-hour pauses would begin in areas where "the IDF is not operating," the Israeli military said… The Israeli army also began airdropping food parcels overnight into Sunday. Several Arab countries in the region, including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, also said they will also conduct airdrops.”
Desperation defines this moment on both sides. On the Gaza side, they are desperate for food. As the WSJ reported: “The threat of starvation under these conditions is so severe that there’s no way you can create a stable system in unstable surroundings.” Some reports indicate that upwards of a third of the Gaza population has gone days without eating.
On the Israeli side, leaders are desperate to keep the country safe after the horror of Oct. 7. Over the years, Hamas has used food and aid shipments to strengthen its position to attack Israel. Post-Oct. 7, Israel has gone to great lengths to make sure that no food or shipments make their way into Gaza that could potentially strengthen Hamas or those who might wish Israel’s destruction. Knowing this might cause a backlash, Menachem Begin, then the prime minister of Israel, urged Israelis back in 1981 to “never pause to wonder what the world will think or say.”
There is a difference between a state and a society, according to Jonathan Sacks. In his book The Politics of Hope, Sacks highlights how the state, brought into being when Samuel appointed Saul as king, functions as a secondary interest in Israel, making it distinct from other countries around the world. The state exercises power, but the society fosters soul formation, inculcating virtues in its members. The society, initiated with Moses receiving the commandments on Mt. Sinai, is of primary interest, largely concerned with shaping the character of the people. Tragically, there are innocent people suffering in this war, as is often the case in wars. But this is not because of the virtues of Israel, but rather the lack of virtue with Hamas. (Ex. 31, 1 Sam. 9)
5. Trump announces US and EU reached framework for a trade deal (CNN)
“President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States and the European Union reached a framework for a trade deal after talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry, Scotland. “The European Union is going to agree to purchase from the United States $750 billion worth of energy,” Trump said. “They are going to agree to invest into the United States $600 billion more than they’re investing already.”
“Trump began talks with von der Leyen earlier Sunday with Friday’s deadline looming to reach a trade deal to avoid 30% tariffs on European imports. Trump said the United States could not go lower than a 15% across-the-board tariff rate for the European Union. The framework comes after Trump announced duties on most EU goods would be increased from the 10% universal baseline to a 30% levy on August 1, citing that the United States and European Union have one of the “largest trade deficits” and failed to reach a deal by Trump’s previous July 9 deadline.”
And The Race Is On… to get deals in before the Friday deadline. The Budget Lab at Yale estimates, as of July 13, the average US. tariff rate on imported goods is now 20.6 percent, an increase of 18.2 points from before Trump took office. Even after import patterns shift in response to existing tariffs, the average effective rate will fall to 19.7 percent, a 17.3 point increase, which is the highest since 1933.
In an effort to bring jobs to America, it could end up costing Americans their jobs… A new study found that the higher cost of doing business could cause the unemployment rate to tick up 0.5 percent by the end of 2025, meaning 641,000 fewer Americans will be employed. In addition, studies suggest that tariffs could cost the average American household an extra $2,200 each year.
Before the deal between the US and the EU, there was Tyre and Israel. King Hiram of Tyre furnished cedar and cypress wood to King Solomon of Israel, who, in turn, gave wheat and olive oil to Hiram. These products were taxes these kings collected from their people, and then they bartered with other kingdoms to acquire other goods “year after year.” Trade deals aren’t a new thing, but they can be a good thing, meeting the needs of our neighbors and providing means for our family. (1 Kings 5)
4. Suspect in Michigan Walmart stabbing faces terrorism and assault charges (CNN)
“After nearly a dozen people were stabbed at a Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan, Saturday afternoon, the quick actions of a couple of Marines and other bystanders helped stop the attacker from causing further harm. Two of the injured were in serious condition Sunday afternoon, after what police described as a “random” act by a lone attacker. One victim was treated and released, Dr. Thomas Schermerhorn, the chief medical officer at Munson Medical Center, said at a Sunday afternoon news conference. All victims are expected to survive, he added.
“It appears that these were all random acts,” Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said earlier Sunday. “The victims were not predetermined,” and there’s no indication of additional suspects, the sheriff added. The suspect, identified as 42-year-old XXXX of Afton, Michigan, faces charges of one count of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder, Shea said Sunday afternoon.”
While God has come to give life and give it abundantly, the enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy. But do Americans believe this? A recent Gallup poll found that 59 percent of Americans believe in Hell, and 58 percent believe in the Devil. In 2001, 71 percent believed in Hell and 68 percent believed in the Devil.
Footholds function as doorways for demons, according to JT Thomas. In an interview, Thomas shared how there is a rightness in getting angry but it can turn bad when you stay angry, letting evil forces get a foothold in your soul (Eph. 4:26-27). He noted that when you stay angry for long periods of time, you open yourself up to evil forces that can take hold of your soul and cause you to perpetuate evil actions… like attempting to murder innocent people in a Walmart.
In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis chronicles 2 workers reporting to “Our Father Below.” In it, he noted: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” In a 24-second news cycle that prefers swift content over substantive context, stories like this should cause us to pause. After all, it was the senior demon Screwtape that told the junior tempter Wormwood: “It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” (1 Pet. 5:8)
Join us as we equip and empower the next generation of business leaders to stand firm and stand out. Click here to learn more.
Cultural News
3. The US fertility rate reached a new low in 2024, CDC data shows (AP)
“The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman, new federal data released Thursday shows. The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.
“The new statistic is on par with fertility rates in western European countries, according to World Bank data. Alarmed by recent drops, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase falling birth rates, like issuing an executive order meant to expand access to and reduce costs of in vitro fertilization and backing the idea of “baby bonuses” that might encourage more couples to have kids.”
Will humanity start to shrink in 2055? One researcher thinks so, referring to this as the standard modernization story. With the global movement from rural areas to cities, kids become less critical as a source of agricultural labor. With access to contraception and education, women go from having 6 kids to, on average, 2 kids. While the UN has asserted that the global population will begin to decline by 2084, this researcher believes that it will actually decline 29 years earlier because the fertility rate will either flatten, or it will rise to somewhere between 1 and 2 births per woman, which is still below the replacement rate.
Is Pres. Trump to blame for the drop-off in babies being born? Researchers from UC-San Diego think so. They discovered that after Pres. Trump’s election in 2016, through the end of 2018, 38,000 fewer babies than would otherwise be expected were conceived in Democratic counties. And only 7,000 more than expected were conceived in Republican counties in that same period.
I know some don’t want kids, but I’m also aware that some desperately want them and are struggling to have them. But I know this: he heard the petitions of Hannah, listened to the cries of Sarah, and answered the prayers of Rebekah (1 Sam. 1:5-6, Gen. 11, 25). In the biblical narrative, we read how babies are a beautiful reminder of God’s goodness, grace, and coming kingdom (Psalm 127:3-4, Luke 18:16). Babies are a sweet reminder, but they aren’t the only ones.
News You Can Use
2. Send this to your spouse to help them understand what golfing is all about.
Watch it here. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” (1 Thess. 4:13)
1. Newfound siblings at 76 years old
Watch it here. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Ps. 133:1)
