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 announces historic new US tariffs across the globe (CNN)
“President Trump unveiled a battery of new tariffs on Thursday targeting exports from dozens of U.S. trading partners, as he followed through with a disruptive plan to remake global trade. Steep tariffs on more than 60 countries are set to snap into place at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 7, as the president realizes his vision for changing trade patterns he has long criticized as unfair and made central to his presidential campaign. Tariffs will range as high as 50 percent on some countries that the president has deemed to have unbalanced trade or that have not offered concessions to Washington in recent negotiations.
"This is historic. This is a new system of trade. We’re moving from a system where the core principle was efficiency at all costs to one where the core principle is fair and balanced trade,” said a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. average tariff rate, which began the year around 2.5 percent, will sit at 18.4 percent once the new levies take effect, according to the Yale Budget Lab."
Do economists not understand tariffs? VP Vance thinks so. In June, the PPI (producer price index), showed no change, despite the forecast indicating a 0.2 percent increase. In a Bloomberg survey, all 50 forecasters predicted it would increase. Vance, in light of the news, responded: “It's almost like the economics profession doesn't fully understand tariffs.”
Are you familiar with tariff engineering? This refers to how some entities reclassify products into lower-tariff categories or ones with no tariffs at all. For example, Delta is attempting to avoid tariffs by removing US-made engines from their new Airbus jets in Europe and then installing them in grounded, US-based planes. Those now engine-less jets are playing the waiting game in Euorpe…
Or there are moves like Levi Strauss. In early April, the CEO shared with investors that to avoid possible tariffs, the company had “already imported most of the products it needs for spring and summer seasons.” They weren’t alone. Imports of consumer goods increased 28 percent in March. While Levi has the space to store their surplus, many smaller entities don’t…
The old joke goes that economists have successfully predicted 9 of the last 5 recessions… They may be wrong in this moment but that doesn’t mean they will be wrong in future moments. Gloomy predictions (like from economists) and suggestive declarations (like from VP Vance) aren’t always bad; however, they aren’t always good. As Apollos demonstrated, it is important to be right and equally as important to be humble because, one day, you could need more information. (Acts 18)
5. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israel ambassador Mike Huckabee to travel to Gaza on Friday (NBC News)
“Special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will travel to the Gaza Strip on Friday, the White House announced, a significant move as Israel continues facing mounting international pressure to allow increased aid into the enclave. “Tomorrow, special envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee will be traveling into Gaza to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Thursday's press briefing.
“The trip comes as an increased number of people in Gaza are dying from malnutrition, prompting more nations to call for Israel to address the humanitarian situation. Leavitt said that the U.S. officials would work toward a plan for additional food and aid distribution.”
Are you familiar with the blind elephant fallacy? This refers to the classic tale involving a group of blind men hearing about an elephant coming to town. Unfamiliar with the animal, they each touched a certain part of the elephant to learn more about the massive beast. One felt the trunk and said it was like a snake, another touched the ear and compared it to a fan, and another felt the leg and likened it to a pillar. Essentially, they were all limited in their understanding based on their singular experience...
A little boy’s picture is being pushed by a variety of news outlets to highlight the food shortage in Gaza. This picture is absolutely heartbreaking yet incomplete. The articles fail to mention the boy suffers from cerebral palsy. He is medically vulnerable and needs a specialized formula and medication. The NY Times issued a correction to their original story to include this. One outlet even went so far as to say the curvature of his spine is due to starvation.
Then there is the BBC. An internal memo leaked earlier this week that included prescriptive instructions to staff on how to cover the situation in Gaza. For the BBC staff, the "argument over how much aid has crossed into Gaza is irrelevant.” Staff should say “the current distribution system doesn’t work.”
Be cautious of Simons… In Acts 8, we read about Simon the Sorcerer, who “amazed all the people of Samaria” with his magic and ways. When the apostles arrived in the area, the Spirit of God started to fall on people. Simon, who once amazed the people, was now amazed by the Spirit being given to people. Instead of inquiring as to why this was happening, Simon was primarily focused on how he could acquire that same power. Throughout history, and even today, some are less interested in the bigger picture and more interested in what they want to see in the picture.
4. Kamala Harris will not run for California governor, opening door for 2028 run (WaPo)
“Kamala Harris will not run for governor of California next year, she announced Wednesday, leaving the door open to another White House bid in 2028 as the former vice president considers her political future following her loss to Donald Trump last fall. Having ruled out a run for governor, Harris is exploring the prospects of forming new groups to keep her involved in politics and positioned to advocate for the ideas she championed during her 2024 campaign.
“Harris expressed deep concern about U.S. democracy, describing it as a broken system on CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Thursday evening, in her first interview since the 2024 presidential election. She denounced Congress for “sitting on their hands” and for failing to “stand in the way” of some of President Donald Trump’s policies. Harris did not address a question from host Stephen Colbert about the possibility of her running for the White House in 2028.”
One Direction wonders What Makes You Beautiful and I’m trying to figure out how you make decisions… In their book Decisive, Dan Heath and Chip Heath shine a light on the villains that cause us to make bad decisions and how we can counter them using the “WRAP process” to make better choices. The villains are narrow framing (we limit our options, often in binary terms), confirmation bias (we only look at data that confirms our beliefs), short-term emotions (we are more influenced by our gut than the data), and overconfidence.
To combat these villains, the Heath brothers suggest you WRAP: widen your options (seek out diverse perspectives to widen your choices), reality-test your assumptions (challenge assumptions by gathering more information), attain distance before deciding (take a step back and imagine you are advising a friend before making a decision), and prepare to be wrong (adopt a bookend-approach, identifying the best possible scenario and the worst-case outcome).
Simon Sinek rightly observes that there is “no decision that we can make that doesn't come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.” Decisions entail trade-offs, but they also serve as opportunities to experience the benefits of community. While only one person can make the decision, an abundance of counselors can shape and speak into the future decision -- like deciding against running for governor. (Pro. 15:22)
Cultural News
3. Trump to bring back presidential physical fitness test canceled by Obama (WaPo)
“President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday alongside a coterie of current and retired professional athletes to bring the presidential fitness test back to U.S. schools — a national test of physical performance that had been administered inside school gyms across the country for decades. “From the late 1950s until … 2013 … scholars all across our country competed against each other in the presidential fitness test, and it was a big deal. This was a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back.”
“A version of the test was first deployed during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential administration. For decades, it pushed children across the country to do 40 push-ups, 10 pull-ups and a 6½-minute mile. The Obama administration disbanded the test in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health instead of athleticism. Several high-profile athletes attended the ceremony and will serve on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. The attendees included professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau, who will chair the council; controversial National Football League kicker Harrison Butker; World Wrestling Entertainment mainstay Paul “Triple H” Levesque; golfer Annika Sorenstam; and football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.”
Everybody Hurts…especially after a workout. Unfortunately, fewer people are hurting because of workouts. A recent study found that 77 percent of youth between the ages of 17 and 24 cannot qualify for military service. In 2017, that number was 71 percent.
Make PE Great Again? A fascinating working paper focused on a program out of Texas that sought to improve middle schoolers’ fitness, academic achievement, and behavior by requiring them to participate in P.E. every day. The researchers concluded that the daily mandate didn’t have any positive impact on kids’ health or educational outcome. However, there were detrimental effects, correlating with an uptick in discipline and absence rates. This was partially attributed to bullying.
Focus on numbering your days instead of the numbers on the scale... In the Scriptures, we read that there is value in bodily training, but greater value in spiritual training. This doesn’t mean we disregard the former for the latter, but rather, we prioritize the two appropriately. Some, like the Cretans, neglect their body for the sake of their desires. Others, like King Ahasuerus, idolized the body. It is far better to be a steward of your body than a slave to it… (1 Cor. 6, Titus 1, Est.1, 1 Tim. 4)
News You Can Use
2. Average Dad’s Garage on MTV Cribs
Watch it here. “But all things should be done decently and in order.” (1 Cor. 14:40)
1. People are flying across the country just to spin a wheel and get whatever haircut it lands on
Watch it here. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” (Pro. 16:33)
