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. Khamenei’s son chosen as Iran’s supreme leader, extending hardline rule (WaPo)
“Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei — a powerful regime insider deeply intertwined with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — to succeed his father as supreme leader cements hard-line theocratic rule in the country and sends a strong message of defiance against President Donald Trump as Iran remains locked in a conflict with the United States and Israel. An assembly of Iran’s top Shiite clerics chose the 56-year-old son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who dominated the country for more than three decades before he was killed in Tehran as the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
“Trump told ABC News earlier Sunday that if Iran’s next supreme leader "doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.” The U.S. military announced Sunday that a seventh American service member was killed in action during the war with Iran. The service member, who was not identified, died Saturday after suffering injuries during the first weekend of U.S.-Israeli strikes and ensuing Iranian counterattacks across the region, Central Command said. In a wide-ranging interview with "60 Minutes," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. mission in Iran was “on track” and that surrender would be achieved by degrading Iran’s military power. He said the U.S. was not fighting a regime-change war, and that the military mission did not involve ushering a new government into power.”
Hereditary succession for me, but not for thee? Ironically enough, the Khamenei clan rose to power after it overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty back in the late 1970s. The family that was against monarchical dynasties has now furthered their own dynasty. The father of the 1979 revolution, Imam Khamenei, called hereditary succession “wrong and invalid,” believing it represented the “same sinister, evil system of government” that initiated martyrs. For Imam Kknamenei, it has “no place in Islam.”
So who is Mojtaba Khamenei? Writing over at the National Interest, Janatan Sayeh believes this move signals Tehran is opting for escalation over compromise during wartime. “Mojtaba Khamenei embodies his father’s legacy and all of the Islamic Republic’s defining pathologies: theocratic rule, human rights abuses, destabilizing foreign policy ambitions, and kleptocracy. Should he assume the role of supreme leader, his growing dependence on the IRGC would further cement the unholy alliance between clerical authority and military power, tightening repression at home while escalating confrontation with the United States.”
The anti-Cyrus the Great? Iran (Persia) is mentioned repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, even boasting a ruler who played a key role in biblical history. Cyrus the Great issued the proclamation that freed the Jews to return home and rebuild the temple. Cyrus was far from Jewish, but God did use him to advance human rights and to bridge cultural divides across the region. Today, if the past is any indication, Mojtaba Khamenei won’t be anything like Cyrus, but this won’t stop God from accomplishing his purposes. Operation World reports that in Iran alone, “50,000 mosques have closed in recent years as Iranians are disillusioned with both the regime and with Islam.” Cyrus may not be reigning, but God is still ruling and wooing those looking for rest. (2 Chron. 36, Ezra 1)
5. Improvised explosive device was thrown during dueling protests outside NYC mayor's home: Police (ABC News)
“NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday that one of the suspicious devices thrown during an anti-Muslim protest outside the New York City mayor's residence this weekend was an improvised explosive device. Tisch said the city's Bomb Squad had conducted a preliminary analysis of the device that was ignited and "has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.”
“An anti-Islam protest organized by right-wing influencer and pardoned January 6 rioter Jake Lang drew roughly 20 participants, while a counter-protest called “Drive the Nazis Out of New York” peaked at about 125 people, Tisch said. At around 12:15 p.m., a protester associated with Lang’s group used pepper spray against counterprotesters, Tisch said. About 20 minutes later, an 18-year-old counterprotester “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area,” which landed on a crosswalk, Tisch said.”
“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also released a statement Sunday, denouncing the protest and thanking the police officers who responded to the incident. "Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City," Mamdani said. "It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are. What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are."
Such hate has no place outside Gracie Mansion, but what about inside? The mayor’s wife came under fire over the weekend when reports emerged that she liked posts on social media that were supportive of Hamas and hateful toward Israel. There were roughly 70 posts she liked, with one describing Oct. 7 as “breaking the walls of apartheid.”
This event typifies salad bar extremists. Popularized by former FBI Director Christopher Wray, these violent extremists display an “amalgamation of different disparate beliefs, interests, and grievances.” Similar to the Gilded Age, the wealth disparity, declining trust in institutions, and rapid demographic changes set the scene for these individuals to justify their violence and demonstrate their hate.
Salad bar extremists are like some of those at Colossae back in the 1st century, namely because of their syncretic beliefs. The Colossians tried to combine Paul’s teaching about Christ with local pagan and folk beliefs, forming a salad bar of spirituality. In the context of magic, some were trying to initiate local Christians into a mystery religion that venerated angels. In a world hungry for answers and peace, some are headed to the salad bar, but more need to know and see the fruit of the Spirit. (Col. 1-2)
4. The U.S. labor market lost 92,000 jobs in February in warning sign for economy (WaPo)
“The U.S. labor market lost 92,000 jobs in February in a striking loss signaling the economy’s vulnerability after a tough month for health care industry jobs, which have been propping up the labor market. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Forecasters had predicted that employers added 50,000 jobs last month. But health care strikes, including by 31,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente in California and Hawaii, as well as job losses in February across a broad swath of industries resulted in the second largest decline in monthly job creation since the pandemic. December jobs gains were also revised down, showing the labor market lost 17,000 positions that month.”
Are we about to experience a jobocalypse due to AI? Writing over at AEI, James Pethokoukis makes 2 important distinctions regarding the potential horizon: capability/substitution and old/new tasks. First, there’s a difference between what something is capable of doing and what it actually does. He writes how AI might draft a tight legal brief, but that isn’t the same thing as being a lawyer. “Jobs are bundles of discrete tasks: drafting contracts, yes, but also judgment, client trust, and making decisions that someone — not some thing — must ultimately take responsibility for.”
Then there are the old/new tasks. Citing a study from Goldman Sachs, Pethokoukis highlighted how roughly 60 percent of American workers today are employed in occupations that didn’t exist in 1940. More than 85 percent of net job growth over the past 8 decades has accrued to entirely new occupations. “Predicting which present jobs will be radically changed by a new technology is hard, but not nearly as difficult as predicting the future jobs that entrepreneurs will create.”
Setbacks set up for comebacks… Before David assumed the role of king, he was betrayed by his son and chased out of town. Prior to a young Elisha looking up to the great Elijah, the latter was looking down on himself after running away to hide in a cave. And then there is Moses, who didn’t let harsh correction from strangers keep him from leading his people to their promised home. Losing your job can be tough personally, but professionally, your future workplace just won the lottery – and they don’t even know it yet -- even if they use AI. (2 Sam. 15, 2 Kings 2, Ex. 2)
Cultural News
3. LA Marathon runners receive option to acquire medals at Mile 18 (Fox News)
“LA Marathon organizers made a head-scratching decision to reward runners "who have had a tough day" through 18 miles of the course. Runners participating in the marathon have the option to receive their medals at the 18-miler marker, and don’t necessarily have to cross the finish line after 26.2 miles.
"Organizers cited the weather for race day on Sunday, with high temperatures set to reach into the 80s, as the reason for the new option — available for this year only. About 26,000 had registered to run, according to the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon website. “There is no shame in making a smart decision for your body,” the website read. "If you're having a tough day and want to end your race before 26.2, you can choose to take the turn at Mile 18 and head into the finish line early," The McCourt Foundation says on its website. "You do not need to notify anyone of your decision and can opt to take this route at any time."
It May Be Getting Hot Out Here, Nelly, but that doesn’t mean you should get a medal… Carol Dweck, in her insightful book Mindset: The Psychology of Success, points to this dynamic as illuminating the fixed mindset, as opposed to the growth mindset. With a fixed mindset, people “believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits.” As a result, they avoid challenges, give up easily, and see effort as useless. Dweck goes on to highlight how this aligns with the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality, disconnecting praise from achievement. “The problem is not praise itself. The problem is praising children for their intelligence or talent rather than for the processes they use.”
Then there is the growth mindset, which is rooted in the idea that “people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.” She writes: “Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life. Effort means you care about something.”
Don’t run like Jonah or the Pharisees. With fixed mindsets, their stubbornness kept them from experiencing a richer life and finishing well. Instead, run like Paul and Moses, who didn’t run a perfect race but a complete one, stumbling at moments but showing persistence throughout. And in this instance, the mettle that comes from finishing is far greater than the medal that will hang around your neck. (Jonah 3, Ex. 7-12, 2 Tim. 4, Deut. 34)
News You Can Use
2. Airport Employees With Your Luggage
Watch it here. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:4)
1. Finish line drama: Front-runner falls and challenger crosses at 2026 LA Marathon
Watch it here. “I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” (2 Tim. 4:7)
