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. U.S., Iran reach a deal to end fighting, both sides say (WaPo)
“The United States and Iran reached a limited deal on Sunday to end months of fighting, according to President Donald Trump, a top Iranian diplomat and the leader of Pakistan, which has been mediating between the two sides. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” Trump said Sunday on Truth Social, adding that he had agreed to end the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports in exchange for Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a continued halt to fighting.
“The two sides plan to keep discussing the limits to Iran’s nuclear program that Trump has sought. They’re scheduled to sign the agreement on Friday. The timing of the announcement on Sunday allowed Trump to celebrate the deal on his 80th birthday. U.S. officials said the deal was in jeopardy earlier in the day after Israel launched an air strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. As Iran prepared a retaliatory strike, Trump publicly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for endangering the talks.”
Feels Like The First Time? Not so fast, Foreigner. Pres. Trump has reportedly claimed at least 39 times that a deal to end the Iran war is around the corner. So what makes this so difficult?
In Oriana Skylar Mastro’s insightful book, The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime, she highlights how even the idea of peace talks could be perceived as weakness, keeping parties from laying down their arms. There are 2 factors that obstruct the emergence of negotiations: “the likelihood that the enemy will infer weakness from an open diplomatic posture” and the enemy’s “strategic capacity,” or “degree to which it can prolong, intensify, or escalate its war effort in response.”
While some avoid the perception of weakness, Jacob embraced it. Decades earlier, Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and blessing. Fearing for his life, Jacob fled the country to avoid his big brother. When God commanded Jacob to return home, he learned that Esau was marching to meet him with 400 men. Terrified of a violent retaliation, Jacob decided to actively pursue peace, sending waves of generous gifts ahead of him to soften his brother's heart. When he finally saw Esau, Jacob bowed to the ground 7 times as he approached—completely lowering his pride. While some don’t want to be seen as weak in war, God has been known to use the weak to end war… (Gen. 32-33)
5. Trump hosts UFC fights on White House lawn (NY Times)
“President Trump, who turned 80 on Sunday, is spending this evening hosting Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts on the South Lawn of the White House, an event that has transformed the grounds in what historians called an unprecedented way. It comes as the president is mired in negotiations to end the war with Iran, a conflict that has raised gas prices and lowered his poll numbers.
“The price tag for the U.F.C. and its affiliates was more than $60 million, far higher than a typical event. But the chief executive of U.F.C.’s parent organization, TKO Group Holdings, said the publicity was worth it. Mr. Trump holds a small stake in the company, raising concerns of ethics groups.
“Justin Gaethje finally reached the mountaintop and forced Ilia Topuria to retire at the end of Round 4 in a brutal and violent showdown to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. It was a monumental upset in a Fight of the Year candidate at the White House in front of President Donald Trump and over 4,000 fans, with another estimated 80,000 on The Ellipse exploding into jubilation for the American who finally realized his dream of becoming the undisputed champion.”
Play Something Country? More like play something, Brooks and Dunn. Over the years, the White House has hosted a variety of sporting events. Harding hosted tennis matches, Eisenhower built a putting green, H.W. played horseshoes, and Obama set up a basketball court. UFC may be violent, but at least Pres. Trump wasn’t fighting like Teddy…
In his autobiography, Roosevelt shared how “after a few years I had to abandon boxing as well as wrestling, for in one bout a young captain of artillery cross-countered me on the eye, and the blow smashed the little blood-vessels.” He continued: “Fortunately it was my left eye, but the sight has been dim ever since, and if it had been the right eye I should have been entirely unable to shoot. Accordingly I thought it better to acknowledge that I had become an elderly man and to stop boxing. I then took up jiu-jitsu for a year or two.”
Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of MMA, just as I wasn’t the biggest fan of a trans activist going topless at a Pride event at the White House during the Biden administration. However, we should be able to disagree, like Paul and Barnabas, without demonizing one another. This demonization, which refers to the intensification of disagreements, unnecessarily elevates some issues with people to the detriment of trying to live at peace with all people. (Acts 15, Rom. 12, 15)
4. Knicks win 1st NBA championship in more than 50 years, setting off pandemonium in NYC (ABC News)
“The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs Saturday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, winning their first NBA championship in 53 years and setting off a giant party across the five boroughs of New York City. Back in the Big Apple, crowds across the city cheered as they watched from bars, outdoor watch parties and even outdoor kiosks.
“About a block from Times Square, at the intersection of West 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, the Fire Department responded multiple school bus fires around 2:47 a.m. on Sunday. Five school buses that were being used to transport soccer fans from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were set ablaze and damaged by people jumping on top of them or pounding them with baseball bats, according to the NYPD. In total, 63 people were arrested on charges stemming from aftermath of the Knicks' victory, including assault on a police officer, criminal possession of weapon (a gun), criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration, according to the NYPD.”
Like Frank Sinatra, Knicks fans celebrated Their Way… It was rowdy and also inevitable. In his book The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki concluded that groups often gravitate toward consensus to the detriment of decorum. Research has shown that there isn’t always wisdom in a crowd, with a small contingent having the ability to sway the majority of the group.
Be cautious around clapping… One study found that individuals were more likely to start clapping if a larger percentage of the audience had already started. If 50 percent of the audience was clapping, for example, individuals were 10 times more likely to start clapping than if 5 percent of the audience was clapping. In this instance, these fans, and I’m sure others, saw a crowd and decided to clap their hands in support…
The game is over, but the temptation of the crowd remains. Eugene Peterson observed that there are 3 ways humans try to find transcendence (religious meaning) apart from God: “through the ecstasy of alcohol and drugs, through the ecstasy of recreational sex, through the ecstasy of crowds. Church leaders frequently warn against the drugs and the sex, but, at least in America, almost never against the crowds. Probably because they get so much ego benefit from the crowds.” This morning, the crowds have scattered, yet they remain powerful. However, as Christians, we may join crowds from time to time, but we have been adopted by a Creator for all time. As such, we can celebrate the Knicks, but there is no need to cause chaos for them. (Rom. 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 15)
Cultural News
3. Wedding Inflation Has Desperate Brides Paying Witches for Perfect $100,000 Days (Bloomberg)
“Danaher wanted the moment she said “I do” to be picture perfect, but that was a tall order for a February wedding in bitter-cold Chicago. So the 32-year-old hired a witch on Etsy with the hope that a “Good Weather Spell” would keep the day blizzard free and above freezing… When the pivotal day arrived, it was a balmy 55 degrees, a weekend so uncharacteristically temperate that guests spent much of it commenting on the weather. At $14, the spell was the cheapest thing Danaher bought for her $100,000 wedding. But, magic or not, she believes it sent her good vibes on a particularly anxiety-riddled day.
“Weddings have always been stressful affairs, but today’s couples are under pressure like never before. Social media can make it seem as if each of their peers have somehow conjured a marriage moment more beautiful than the one before. Often the secret is not magic, but money. The average cost of a wedding hit $34,200 this year, according to data from the Knot, a wedding planning website. That’s up $6,200 from five years ago. In expensive cities like New York and Los Angeles, wedding expenses can balloon to much bigger figures.”
Bruno Mars wants to Marry You, but is he willing to buy a witch for you? Research has shown how weddings have shifted from community receptions to guest experiences. The event is less about merging the two families and more about entertaining family and friends.
What makes witches so compelling? Desperation for control. This is a type of will to power, popularized by Nietzsche, that illuminates the desire to exercise control and dominion, or “self-overcoming.” Studies have shown that the Salem witch trials were less a response to magic and more a reaction to crippling poverty. In their thinking at that time, they could either reach out to witches as a last-ditch effort or blame/kill them if things didn’t turn around.
Witchcraft is bad fruit from outside the Garden of Eden. At the core, it has its roots in Satan’s first temptation to Eve: “You can be like God.” Witchcraft serves as the vehicle to allegedly know about the future and control the present. Look no further than Saul with the medium and Pharaoh with his magicians. Some try (and fail) to control the present, others rest (and trust) in the one who ultimately does. (Ex. 8, Gal. 5, Is. 8)
News You Can Use
2. Sleep well, NY.
Watch it here. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Rom. 12:15)
1. The Star-Spangled Banner hits different on home soil at the FIFA World Cup
Watch it here. “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (Rom. 13:7)
