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 signs 2 immigration actions to limit birthright citizenship and curb ‘birth tourism’ (NBC News)
“President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is once more trying to limit the number of people who are born in the country who can become American citizens, in a sign that even after his first attempt at limiting birthright citizenship was rejected by the Supreme Court, he’s ready to try again.
“The president said he was signing two executive actions on immigration, including one limiting the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship after being born in the United States, while another focused on stopping people from coming to the U.S. to give birth.
“The written executive order released later Thursday was narrower in scope than the previous one shot down by the Supreme Court and appeared to focus on restricting automatic citizenship to specific categories of people, including children born to adults with connections to foreign embassies or organizations as well as anyone considered an “alien enemy” of the United States. It also aimed to restrict birthright citizenship to anyone whose parents “engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship.”
Sugar Ray isn’t the only one who wants to Fly… There has been a growing number of companies in places such as China and Russia that offer to facilitate travel, visas, medical care, and other guidance for expectant mothers seeking to give birth in the US. The fees reportedly range from $20,000 to $100,000.
Here in the US, recent studies show that approximately 320,000 babies—about 9 percent of all US births—were born to unauthorized or temporary legal immigrant mothers in 2023. Of those, roughly 22,000 to 26,000 were attributed to birth tourism.
Remember Edom… As Israel journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land, they came to the border of Edom and asked the king for peaceful passage. They promised they would not harm anyone, steal anything, and would pay for any water they used. Despite their assurances, the king refused to the extent that he even called his army out to enforce his order. In this instance, protecting your border is good, considering what those wanting to cross will need is prudent, and assessing who can cross is wise. (Num. 20, Josh. 2, 1 Sam. 29, 30, Rom. 13)
5. America's water systems are getting hacked amid security gaps: "No one guarding these systems" (CBS News)
“A wave of cyberattacks targeting U.S. public water systems is heightening concerns about security gaps at utilities, with government officials warning that hackers are exploiting a particularly vulnerable industrial computer, according to security experts. U.S. water systems in at least a dozen states have been targeted by the attacks, which officials suspect may be linked to Iran-backed hackers. Officials say the attacks have not affected drinking water, and utilities have quickly regained control of their systems. But cybersecurity experts said the incidents expose longstanding weaknesses in thousands of public water systems, many of which rely on poorly secured, internet-connected industrial computers.”
“Hackers tried to break into at least 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota on July 26-27, 2026. Since then, Michigan, New Jersey and several other states have reported similar cyberattacks.”
Roughly 97 percent of water systems here in the US are run by small, local agencies (serving less than 10,000 people). During the pandemic, when many began working from home, many of these municipalities connected their older systems to the internet to enable remote work for their employees. When connected, unfortunately, there were some instances in which no real password was set.
In their book The Fifth Domain, Richard Clarke and Robert Knacke predict that the next major US war will be provoked by a cyberattack. They highlight how intelligence agencies acknowledge that Russia has the ability to disrupt America’s power grid and that China can take control of some pipelines. An effective cyberattack from Russia could “technologically revert us to the nineteenth century, but without all the equipment that people in the nineteenth century had to deal with life in a society without electricity.”
Similar to Rachel, hackers go where they are not welcomed and take what is not theirs (Gen. 31). However, they will eventually have to answer for their activities.
4. Trump Administration to Deregulate Head Start (NY Times)
“The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would move forward with a plan to eliminate hundreds of federal regulations governing Head Start… The proposed plan, detailed in earlier reporting by The New York Times, would remove most of Head Start’s 133 pages of federal requirements for math and literacy curricula, class sizes, medical screenings, home visits. Even a requirement that children brush their teeth after meals would end.
“Health and Human Services Department officials claimed that the changes — particularly the lifting of rules on small class sizes — would allow Head Start to serve up to 236,000 more children than the 700,000 it does today. They also said that stripping away requirements such as classroom curricula, or rules that require Head Start staff to ensure that students have dental exams, would save about $2.2 billion. And they noted that the proposed changes would also include new requirements for children’s physical activity and nutrition.”
Leave Them Kids Alone – Pink Floyd and the Trump administration by eliminating Head Start regulations. Interestingly enough, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), regulations cost the US economy at least $2.153 trillion annually, averaging $15,859 cost per household. Regarding their Unconstitutionality Index (so named because Congress, not the executive branch, is supposed to do most of the legislating), CEI found that for every law Congress passed in 2025, executive agencies issued 22 regulations. But in this instance, the Executive Branch is removing rules, not establishing them.
Regulations may have well-intentioned means, but they can cause less-than-desirable ends. A famous study by Michael Greenstone looked at the effects of the Clean Air Act. He found that the regulations led to 40,000 job losses a year in facilities in parts of the country that had “dirty” air. Another study found that using regulation to achieve 80 percent greenhouse gas reductions would reduce GDP by between 0.6 and 2.3 percent by 2050, costing the average American $10,300.
Are you plucking grain? When the hungry disciples picked heads of grain to eat while walking through a field on the Sabbath, the Pharisees accused them of breaking the law by harvesting. Jesus reminded them that human need takes precedence over pedantic ritual rules and declared, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Rules aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but they can become a problem if they keep you from doing the main thing. (Mt. 12)
Cultural News
3. Helicopter Parents Are Co-Piloting Their Adult Children’s Careers (WSJ)
“Gen Zers make up nearly one-fifth of the adult workforce, and bosses and recruiters say it often feels like the nervous parents who hovered over them through childhood and college are right alongside them. What began as the occasional parent ride-along to a job interview coming out of the Covid era is now full-on career “co-piloting,” said Jasmine Escalera, head career coach at résumé templates service Zety.
“More parents are calling up hiring managers, applying for jobs on their adult child’s behalf, and even showing up—or lurking just off-screen—on Zoom calls to help navigate difficult conversations or go over benefits packages.
“The phenomenon is becoming so commonplace it made the agenda of human resources organization SHRM’s national conference in June. When James Harrell asked a room of 250 professionals if they ever had a parent calling on behalf of a young employee or coming to an interview, more than half raised their hands.”
The Chainsmokers aren’t the only one who are drawing Closer... And the numbers back this up. A study that analyzed 11 countries, including the US, found that in 1965, the average mother spent 54 minutes with their children a day. Today, that number is 104 minutes. As for dads, that number has jumped from 16 minutes a day to 59.
We have gone from the “Helicopter Parent,” who flies in to rescue a child in crisis, to the “Snowplow Parent,” who flattens any obstacle in their child’s way, and now we are entering the “Lighthouse Parent” era. Popularized by Kenneth Ginsburg, the Lighthouse Parent stands as a “steady, reliable guide, providing safety and clarity without controlling every aspect of their child’s journey.
While being there for your child is admirable, eradicating all obstacles for your child could be detrimental. Paul David Tripp puts it well: “Parenting is not first about what we want for our children or from our children, but about what God in grace has planned to do through us in our children. To lose sight of this is to end up with a relationship with our children that at the foundational level is neither Christian nor true parenting because it has become more about our will and our way than about the will and way of our Sovereign Savior King.” (Pro. 22:6)
News You Can Use
2. Kind Wisconsin stranger helps rock band make it to their tour stop after car breaks down
Watch it here. “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (Rom. 12:13)
1. TV Anchor Nods Off During Live Broadcast
Watch it here. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Ps. 4:8)
