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. House set to vote on ending government shutdown (ABC News)
“The House will be in session on Wednesday for the first time in 54 days, with all eyes on a vote to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The House will hold first votes as early as 4 p.m. ET on Senate-passed legislation to reopen the government, according to a notice from House Republican Whip Tom Emmer. Wednesday marks the 43rd day of the shutdown, shattering the previous 35-day record.
“The record-long shutdown is still impacting US air travel. FAA-mandated cuts to US flights rose to 6% today, and US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the percentage would increase substantially if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Until a deal to end the federal government shutdown is officially inked, airlines must continue to follow the FAA’s emergency order to incrementally reduce flight capacity this week. By Thursday, 8% of flights will be cut, the order said. On Friday, up to 10% of flights are expected to be cut.”
Was this shutdown a success? Depends on who you ask… Some on both sides would say yes, with Republicans believing that not budging was a victory and Democrats asserting that highlighting healthcare cuts and affordability counts as a win. Others, primarily a contingent of Democrats, would say no, unsatisfied with simply highlighting the cuts and desiring to secure substantive changes.
How do you measure success? A study out of Harvard identified 4 factors: achievement, happiness, significance, and legacy. Relative to achievement, this is less about past results and more about making measurable progress in the moment. With happiness, this refers to contentment with the status quo. Significance consists of having a valued impact on others, such as those you do life with and/or work with. And then there is legacy, which isn’t just your accomplishments but how those achievements infused values into the lives of others.
Success looks more like obedience than sacrifice… In 1 Sam. 15, King Saul was instructed by God to destroy, not simply defeat, the Amalekites. When the prophet Samuel learned that the king veered from the instructions, he confronted him. For Saul, success was tied to sacrifice. For Samuel, success looked like obedience. While the differences were minor, the consequences were major. Francis Chan put it well: “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.”
5. Trump proposes 50-year mortgage plan as housing costs soar (ABC News)
“A proposal for a 50-year mortgage wasn't fully vetted by top Trump administration officials and wasn't ready to be made public, sources told CBS News. The 50-year mortgage idea came about when Pulte spoke to the president at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, two of the sources said. Politico reported earlier that White House officials were upset with Pulte, the head of the independent Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks, which are tasked with providing liquidity to member institutions for home financing and community investment.
“Some Trump officials this week vented their frustration with Pulte over the move. One source said Mr. Trump was lukewarm about the suggestion but announced it "to get Pulte to shut up about it." Another source disputed the characterization of the president as tepid about the mortgage proposal, however, and said 40-year and 50-year mortgages had been discussed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett and others in the administration… Three sources said the Trump administration has been working on other ideas to promote affordability for Americans, including strategies to alleviate the housing crunch."
I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time… to pay off this 50-year mortgage, Elton John. At this moment, there are fewer houses, at higher prices, bought by older buyers than ever before. The median age of a first-time homebuyer is 40 years old. In the 1980s, that number was 30. The median sales price for homes sold in 2024 was about $415,000, nearly 50 percent more expensive than a decade earlier. And in 2006, the US built roughly 23.9 million housing units. Last year, that number was 19.5 million.
You will save in the short term, but pay in the long term. For example, if you take out a $400,000 mortgage loan at 6.25 percent and choose 50 years over 30, you will save $283 monthly. However, you will pay an extra $421,000 over the life of the loan.
Ace of Base Saw The Sign, but the government can send confusing signs when it gets into the mortgage market… A study of the 2007 mortgage boom found that the expansion of private mortgage insurance from Fannie and Freddie “facilitated an unprecedented increase in risky purchases, extending the mortgage boom into 2007 and precipitating their collapse.” The researchers concluded that it was “a general moral hazard problem in insurance, coupled with misaligned incentives in the government-backed mortgage market.”
Dave Ramsey, in his book The Total Money Makeover, noted: “It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sign of immaturity. Being willing to delay pleasure for a greater result is a sign of maturity.” As Christians, we count the cost and call on counselors – especially when it comes to purchasing a house (Luke 14:28, Pro. 11:14). As stewards of God’s resources, we carefully consider our commitments of what God has shared with us, knowing one day we will give an account. Ramsey is right: “A budget is people telling their money where to go instead of wondering where it went… You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.”
4. Obama surprises veterans on flight to DC with special Veterans Day salute (ABC News)
“President Barack Obama gave a group of war heroes a surprise they will never forget. The former president surprised a flight of Korean and Vietnam War veterans on an honor flight from Madison, Wisconsin, to Washington, D.C., ahead of Veterans Day, according to a video he posted on X.
"Ahead of Veterans Day, I was honored to welcome a flight of veterans and their families as they arrived in DC. To all those who bravely served our country, thank you to you and your family for your extraordinary service. The sacrifices that all of you have made to protect our country will be honored, today and every day," Obama posted alongside the video on X.”
It has been said that all gave some, but some gave all… and, unfortunately, the some is shrinking. The American veteran population has shrunk to 18 million today, nearly 50 percent less than what it was 25 years ago. By 2048, that number is estimated to be 12.1 million.
Gratitude is a form of social glue, according to David Brooks. “In the capitalist economy, debt is to be repaid to the lender. But a debt of gratitude is repaid forward, to another person who also doesn’t deserve it. In this way each gift ripples outward and yokes circles of people in bonds of affection. It reminds us that a society isn’t just a contract based on mutual benefit, but an organic connection based on natural sympathy — connections that are nurtured not by self-interest but by loyalty and service.”
God isn’t a dissatisfied boss… Lover of cheerful givers, God has given us commands not to be burdensome but rather meant to help us experience the fullness of life and the completion of our joy. One of those commands is to give thanks… such as to veterans for their service. As Bryan Chapell noted: “If thankfulness does not move us to serve God, then we do not truly understand who our God is and what He has done in our behalf. Without gratitude for Christ’s sacrificial love, our duty will become nothing more than drudgery and our God nothing more than a dissatisfied boss.” (2 Cor. 9, 1 Thess. 5, Jn. 10, 1 Jn. 5)
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Cultural News
3. What’s the best place to raise kids? See how your county ranks. (WaPo)
“In our search for the best place for raising children, we gathered data for every county in the United States across four metrics: affordability, quality of education, neighborhood safety, and state policies on abortion access, parental leave and LGBTQ rights. All these factors are important for the well-being of parents and children.
“The places with the highest scores are outside D.C., in pockets of Virginia and Maryland. They strike a balance between quality education and cost of living. They are also low-crime areas in states that do not impose many restrictions on women and children’s rights.”
Patsy Cline isn’t the only one going Crazy… In an attempt to rank the best place to raise kids, the Washington Post included a metric that allows for the death of kids. Not only that, but they gave abortion a higher priority and score (60 percent) than family leave (10 percent).
This illuminates Package-Deal Ethics, which refers to how most people don’t choose beliefs individually but subscribe to “packages” of beliefs offered by a tribe. Chris Williams bluntly put it this way: “If I can predict all of your beliefs from one of your beliefs, you’re not a serious thinker.”
In Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, she writes: “To a parent, your child wasn’t just a person: your child was a place, a kind of Narnia, a vast eternal place where the present you were living and the past you remembered and the future you longed for all existed at once.” I imagine some places are harder to raise kids than others, but I like to think that being with your kid makes almost any place better. (Ps. 34:18, Pro. 31:8-9)
News You Can Use
2. This Adopted 4-Year-Old Could Barely Speak 1 Year Ago. Now His Words of Thanks To His Parents Are Going Viral
Watch it here. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being.” (James 1:27)
1. A Hallway Mic Captured High Schoolers Sharing the Good Things in Their Lives. Their Responses Were Beautiful
Watch it here. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18)
