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. Platner Denies Hurting Ex-Girlfriend and Says He Will Not Quit Senate Race (NY Times)
“Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, appeared Thursday night in his first interview since a New York Times report about his treatment of several women he had dated, denying one woman’s account that he had physically harmed her and saying he would not drop out of the race. He described a history of self-medicating, and a pattern of “not exactly acting with the best behavior” after his service in the military. But he reiterated that any allegations that he had behaved violently toward a girlfriend were “simply not true.”
“Hours earlier, The Times reported that Lyndsey Fifield, a 40-year-old Virginia conservative who has worked for Republican campaigns and right-leaning groups and dated Mr. Platner roughly from 2013 to 2015, recalled that he regularly grabbed her by the shoulders. She said he once twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she could not get out, telling her to remain there until she calmed down. He never hit or punched her, she said. The Times also reported that two other women who had dated Mr. Platner recalled him drinking heavily and womanizing. One of the women, Jenny Racicot, 41, a Maine Democrat, said his behavior was “unsettling” and “reckless,” and she described him as someone who “does not respect women.”
In today’s political environment, do some politicians serve the public or perform for the public? David Brooks notes that we live in “an age of performance politics.” Tish Harrison Warren takes this further, highlighting the temptation to brand yourself instead of being yourself and serving others.
“The point of online branding is often less about doing excellent work, building healthy institutions or contributing to society and more about gaining notoriety through personality or spectacle… To reduce ourselves to brands… is to do violence to our personhood. We turn ourselves into products, content to be evaluated instead of people to be truly known and loved. We convert the stuff of our lives into currency.”
Former President Calvin Coolidge believed character to be the only secure foundation of the state. George Washington believed morality functioned as an indispensable support of a free government. Even in this performative moment, holding office is a high privilege, not an inalienable right. We the people entrust certain individuals to lead us into a more perfect union. When character takes a back seat, the road trip rarely goes well. (Jer. 17:14, 1 Tim. 1:16).
5. Luxury cars seized after alleged $30 million fraud ring involving children's health services busted, officials say (CBS News)
“Federal law enforcement officials on Thursday announced that two Ohio state employees and two co-conspirators were indicted in connection with an alleged $30 million Medicaid billing fraud scheme involving children's behavioral health services that were never rendered. At a press conference in Ohio, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Medicaid fraud case was just one of several cases unsealed over the last week targeting some $50 million of fraud, including one case involving a $1.4 million COVID-19 loan fraud scheme.
“All four defendants involved in the Medicaid fraud case turned themselves in to authorities this week, a source familiar with the investigation told CBS News. As part of the investigation, 14 vehicles were seized, including a Maserati, a Mercedes, a Bentley and a McLaren, according to the source. The defendants are alleged to have offered therapeutic behavioral services and psychotherapy to young adults and children who were attending summer camps, church groups and recreational programs, according to the source.”
The Black Eyed Peas want to know Where Is The Love, but some want to know where the money is… For example, consider the Super Bowl of Fraud. Also known as the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, this initiative had a staggering 36 percent improper payment rate. Total federal losses stretched beyond $200 billion, possibly far higher.
The optimal amount of fraud isn’t zero, according to Megan McArdle. Attempting to stamp out every single abuse costs more than the fraud you are trying to prevent. “The more important speed is, the more risk of fraud you have to tolerate.” For example, in financial institutions, for every $1 lost to fraud, $4 are spent on establishing systems and controls to prevent it.
In the Scriptures, we read that the root of all kinds of evil is the love of money. From Pro. 11 to Lev. 19, we learn about God’s distaste for dishonest scales, rigging weights to cheat customers in trade. When you commit fraud, you may gain in the moment, but it's at the expense of your neighbors near and far.
4. John Bolton expected to plead guilty in classified-documents case (WaPo)
“John Bolton, a former national security adviser turned outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, is expected to plead guilty in a case involving his alleged mishandling of classified materials. Bolton pleaded not guilty in the case in October. A change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for June 26 before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Maryland. The spokesperson declined to comment further.
“Bolton plans to plead guilty to one count of retention of national defense information and has agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an agreement that has not been made public. Under the agreement, Bolton could face anywhere from no time behind bars to five years in prison, the person said. Had Bolton taken his case to trial and lost, he could have faced up to 10 years behind bars on each of the counts.”
Girls Just Want To Have Fun, and some apparently just want to keep classified documents. This is known as classified spillage, which describes how classified government documents fall outside of protected places. You're probably familiar with former Pres. Biden and Pres. Trump, but you may not be aware of how a Defense Dept. contractor allowed classified info to sit unprotected in a commercial cloud for nearly 2 years. Or when the Army inadvertently handed classified material over to a private attorney.
These incidents reveal a potential normalization of deviance. This refers to cultural drift, in which behavior once deemed “not okay” is slowly reclassified as “okay.” Diane Vaughan coined the term and used the Challenger space shuttle disaster as an example. Damage to a crucial O-ring was identified repeatedly but eventually determined to be an “acceptable risk.” Repeated over time, this behavior became routinized into what organizational psychologists call a “script.” Tragically, this script ended in poorly.
Time to tear some clothes… In the Scriptures, Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law when doing renovations on the House of the Lord. He went before King Josiah and read from the book. Immediately, Josiah tore his clothes when he realized a normalization of deviance had taken place over the years. We don’t need to tear our clothes literally, but our leaders do need to change their behavior quickly. (2 Kings 22)
3. House delivers rebuke to Trump with vote to end Iran war (ABC News)
“The House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted a resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers by a vote of 215-208 -- delivering a major rebuke to the administration’s handling of the three-month-old conflict for the first time.
“Four Republicans -- Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Thomas Massie of Kentucky -- joined Democrats to adopt the resolution. The successful bipartisan vote, while largely symbolic, sends a strong message to the administration and expresses the sentiment of the lower chamber.
“The concurrent resolution -- which would call on Trump to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces in hostilities against Iran or any part of its military or government unless a declaration of war or authorization to use force is enacted -- now heads to the Senate. Even if the Senate follows suit, a concurrent resolution does not carry the weight of law and is not presented to the president or subject to veto.”
While 38 Special wants to Hold On Loosely, I’m more interested in who is holding the purse and who has the sword… James Madison, drawing on the idea that the sword and the purse ought to rest in the same government, emphasized that the “sword and purse are not to be given to the same member… The sword is in the hands of the British King. The purse is in the hands of the Parliament. It is so in America, as far as any analogy can exist.”
But why? In Federalist 74, Alexander Hamilton noted that “the power of directing and employing the common strength forms a usual and essential part in the definition of the executive authority.” This is largely due to the fact that the executive can act with “decision, activity, secrecy, and dispatch.” However, as Federalist George Nicholas replied: “The President is to command. But the regulation of the army and navy is given to Congress. Our Representatives will be a powerful check here.”
Is it time to go shopping? After the prophet Elisha healed the Syrian commander Naaman of leprosy, Elisha refused to accept any monetary gifts. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, grew greedy, ran after Naaman, and lied to get silver and clothing under Elisha's name. When Gehazi returned, Elisha asked him where he had been. Gehazi tried to lie, but Elisha revealed that his spirit was there when Naaman turned from his chariot, asking, "Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes?" In this instance, like Gehazi, though we all have some measure of power, it is important to have a check on power so that it doesn’t consume us. (2 Kings 5)
News You Can Use
2. Man reunites with his mom after being taken as a baby and adopted to a US family
Watch it here. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me…” (Jn. 14:3)
1. Army specialist has a surprise reunion
Watch it here. “Beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news…” (Is. 52:7)
