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. Hegseth estimates war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion (ABC News)
“U.S. forces concluded an 11th straight night of strikes targeting Iran, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The war with Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but experts told CNN the bill is likely much higher. He testified before Congress on Tuesday to seek additional war funding.
“The estimate also does not encompass the cost of rebuilding American military bases in the Middle East damaged during the conflict. Under questioning from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Hegseth declined to say whether the Pentagon intends to request additional funding for the repairs.”
Can you finish what you start? Will Walldorf, writing in Foreign Policy, asserts that, in recent history, American presidents are virtually never able to end the stalemated wars they start. With a unique stake in the conflict, presidents often exercise “sunk-cost thinking (“we’ve invested so much, we need to show some kind of gains”) and worry about credibility (“backing down will hurt our image abroad”), which inevitably pushes out good cost-benefit thinking."
Consider the Korean War and the Tet Offensive. During the summer of 1951, Pres. Truman left office with no peace treaty with Korea despite “concerns about looking tough on communism at home, U.S. credibility, and sunk costs pushing him to pursue rigid terms in armistice negotiations.” Then there is the Tet Offensive. Pres. Johnson’s concerns about his standing at home, sunk costs, and U.S. credibility pushed him to a rigid position in peace talks. “I can’t get out, I can’t finish it with what I have got. So what the hell do I do?”
Walldorf writes that “stalemated wars don’t last forever, of course. But it’s generally the successor to the war-initiating president who brings about a resolution because successors tend to be freer from the constraints of their predecessors. They didn’t start the war, so they feel less obligation to continue it.”
What Ahab started, Jehu finished. King Ahab of Israel formed an alliance with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to reclaim Ramoth-Gilead from the Arameans. Despite warnings from the prophet Micaiah, Ahab went to battle and was mortally wounded by a random arrow, leaving the conflict unresolved. When Ahab’s sons took leadership, they didn’t end the fighting but simply continued it. However, when Jehu was anointed king by Elisha’s messenger, he took the throne and brought an end to the cycle of wars begun under Ahab's reign. In this instance, I know Pres. Trump started the war, and we can rest assured someone will end it one day. (2 Kings 8-10)
5. Nearly 400 noncitizens voted in elections in New Jersey, governor says (WaPo)
“New Jersey mistakenly registered 6,600 apparent noncitizens to vote over the course of a year, including hundreds who went on to improperly cast ballots, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D). Sherrill attributed the incident to a software error on Tuesday, less than a week after President Donald Trump used a White House speech to argue that voting by noncitizens was a major problem. Studies have found that noncitizen voting is rare, but Sherrill’s announcement shows that it does happen.
“I am appalled by the reckless failures that allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time,” Sherrill said in a social media post, which noted that the problem occurred before she won the governorship last year. People who indicated on a keypad that they were noncitizens when applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards from June 2023 to June 2024 were nonetheless registered to vote, Sherrill said. An initial review found that fewer than 400 of them later voted, she said.”
Gov. Sherrill had a coyote moment… In her book Being Wrong, Kathryn Schulz compares being wrong to a Wile E. Coyote cartoon. We run off the cliff (make a mistake), but we don't plummet until we look down and realize we are wrong. Until that realization, we confidently believe we are standing on solid ground. “We don’t experience, remember, track, or retain mistakes as a feature of our inner landscape,” so wrongness “always seems to come at us from left field.”
We all have disagreement deficits, according to Schulz. This refers to how we are all shielded from our blindspots, kept from being able to see where we might be wrong. This happens in 4 parts: “First, our communities expose us to disproportionate support for our own ideas. Second, they shield us from the disagreement of outsiders. Third, they cause us to disregard whatever outside disagreement we do encounter. Finally, they quash the development of disagreement from within.”
You make mistakes but mistakes don’t have to make you. From denying Jesus to forsaking Paul, Peter made a few mistakes in his life. But those minor setbacks preceded major comebacks. Instead of being defined by them, he learned from them. Adam Grant is right: "Owning up to your mistakes doesn't cast doubt on your credibility. Admitting you were wrong shows that you care about getting it right. Recognizing moments of bad judgment is a step toward demonstrating good judgment.” (Luke 22, Gal. 2, 1 Jn. 1:9)
4. Veteran with ‘anti-ICE’ views targeted federal building in New York, FBI says (WaPo)
“A former U.S. Army soldier who harbored disdain for immigration agents attacked the federal building in Lower Manhattan on Monday morning, using an incendiary device to start a large fire before he was detained, FBI officials said.
“The man, identified as 43-year-old XXXX, approached the building at 26 Federal Plaza armed with two pellet guns, a hammer, machete and three knives, James Barnacle, the assistant director of the FBI’s New York field office, said during a news conference. The suspect then detonated fireworks before dumping gasoline to start a fire, he said.
“XXXX was quickly detained by private security contractors who work at the federal building, according to Barnacle. Two of them, as well as a civilian, received minor injuries during the attack and XXXX's subsequent arrest, he added. Barnacle said he was “targeting that building” where federal employees and civilians were entering and exiting.”
He went from fighting for his country to hurting those in it. Research shows people who engage in protest do so because they feel angry about injustices perpetrated against groups they are committed to and believe they can make a difference. In this instance, a perceived injustice caused him to do a grave disservice.
Passion clouds reason. Psychological research has found that when people don’t believe their appeals to authorities will be heard, protesters may be more likely to adopt violent methods of protest. Under these circumstances, people think they have “nothing to lose.” They may have nothing to lose, but they often forget that their actions are rarely done in isolation.
Protests are meant to shine a light on a problem, but this protest only created more problems. Such is the way of the violent person, who is described in the Bible as an abomination to God. Whereas God was subject to violence to show his power, the violent person uses physical force to exert their power. (Pro. 3:31-33)
Cultural News
3. Up to 5 cups of coffee per day may potentially lower heart disease risk, doctors say (ABC News)
“Drinking up to five cups of coffee a day is safe for most adults, and regular coffee consumption may be linked to a lower risk of stroke, diabetes and heart failure, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA). The official report, published Monday in the journal Circulation, addresses years of conflicting advice regarding caffeine and the heart.
"Coffee is potentially linked to lower risks of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart failure, though its relationship with blood pressure is complex and data isn't entirely consistent across the board," said Dr. Jennifer Miao, a board-certified cardiologist and ABC News Medical Unit Fellow. While older guidelines relied heavily on lower-quality studies, the AHA panel integrated recent clinical trials showing that even for patients who have had a procedure to address an irregular heart rhythm, daily coffee can cut the risk of the condition returning by 39%.”
Channeling Queen, I Want It All… it being coffee. One survey found that 77 percent of coffee drinkers need 2 or more cups of coffee to feel productive on a workday. The average person spends nearly 50 hours each year getting and preparing their coffee.
While 20 percent prefer just black coffee, the rest prefer cheffing… This refers to tweaking your order, subtly communicating to the waiter that your preferences trump the chef’s vision. Relative to coffee, it’s been said that there are 87,000 ways to order a drink at Starbucks. This highlights a hallmark of the American psyche: individualism. In her book Devoured, Sophie Egan writes: “Science and innovation are America’s bread and butter (if you’ll excuse the phrase), our prized global exports. So we’re apt to embrace those traits in everything from the Mars Rover and Facebook right on down to our pizza crusts and taco shells.”
Coffee energizes you and waiting on your order of joe shapes you, as any exercise of patience often does. Henry Ward Beecher likened the exercise of patience to being put on an anvil, positioning the great blacksmith to shape us more into his image. You may have to wait for that beloved, customized cup of coffee, but God waited much longer for you – his treasured possession that he fearfully and wonderfully made. John Wesley put it well: “Humility and patience are the surest proofs of the increase of love.” (1 Tim. 1:16, Deut. 14, Ps. 139)
News You Can Use
2. Nurse who went above and beyond gets heartfelt send-off: "You're an angel"
Watch it here. “Pay to all what is owed to them… honor to whom honor is owed.” (Rom. 13:7)
1. Choosing the Chickfila Short Line
Watch it here. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” (Ps. 139:23)
