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. Supreme Court expands Trump’s power over immigration (NYT)
“In a pair of sharply divided decisions on Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s aggressive crackdown on immigration to move forward, permitting the administration to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants from the country and to turn away others at the southern border.
“In one ruling on Thursday, the justices allowed the Trump administration to end humanitarian protections that have permitted people from Haiti and Syria to live and work legally in the United States for more than a decade. Mr. Trump has long pushed to terminate the program, known as Temporary Protected Status, as part of his efforts to restrict immigration. The court’s 6-to-3 decision, divided along ideological lines, clears a path for the potential deportation of 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians, and it is likely to have implications for T.P.S. holders from about a dozen other countries.
“In a separate decision that also split 6 to 3, with the liberals dissenting, the court on Thursday also said the Trump administration could turn away migrants seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border by physically preventing them from crossing into the United States as they sought protection from persecution. The administration had asked the court to permit the government to revive the policy, first used in 2016.”
Video Killed The Radio Star, but is immigration enforcement hurting productivity? Immigration is falling sharply here in the US, from roughly 2.7 million a year at its peak to about 1.3 million. As a result, US population growth has slowed to roughly 0.5 percent annually, the weakest pace since the pandemic. At current immigration levels, the US labor force is projected to shrink by 3.7 percent, or 5.9 million workers, by 2032.
Can machines (and AI) replace the productivity losses caused by the immigrant workforce? A study by the Yale Budget Lab concluded that foreign-born workers typically perform tasks that cannot be replaced by AI. A Morgan Stanley report found that fewer workers (and also fewer hours worked) will lower potential growth. Specifically, they estimate potential growth at around 2.3 percent, with the potential that it slips below 2 percent in 2026 if current immigration policy holds.
There are Ruths and Nehemiahs… The Ruths are those on the outside in need of a helping hand from those on the inside. For example, US authorities recovered in 2023 the remains of 890 deceased migrants along the border — the highest number ever recorded. Then there are Nehemiahs, those on the inside in need of protection from the outside. While it is true that illegal immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of US citizens for violent and drug crimes, one crime is too many. Compassion isn’t a one-way street; it is both helping some out and keeping others out. (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; 1 Pet. 3:8, Ruth 2, Neh. 3)
5. Venezuela earthquakes kill at least 235; death toll could exceed thousands as rescue efforts continue (NBC News)
“Back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela last night, killing at least 235 people and injuring at least 4,300, Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said. Those tolls could continue to rise given the extensive damage across the South American country.
“With frantic rescue efforts underway, pledges of aid poured in from around the world. The U.S. said it was “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. response would be “big, it’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective.” Images showed flattened buildings and collapsed roads in Caracas, while the area of La Guaira was hit particularly hard. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the death toll could be in the thousands and possibly more than 10,000.”
“I was young and had no idea the world killed people so casually,” writes Sebastian Junger in his moving book In My Time of Dying. The former war correspondent has seen death up close, reporting in dangerous areas around the world, but it wasn’t until his own near-fatal health emergency that he realized the miracle of life. “Finding yourself alive after almost dying is not, as it turns out, the kind of party one might expect. You realize that you weren’t returned to life, you were just introduced to death.”
Junger writes that “one of the core goals of life is survival; the other is meaning.” His closeness to death changed his view of it. “Everyone has a relationship with death whether they want one or not; refusing to think about death is its own kind of relationship… Instead of thinking of it as something scary, try thinking of it as something sacred.” He goes on: “Every object is a miracle compared to nothingness and every moment an infinity when correctly understood to be all we’ll ever get.”
As I am doing today… When King Hezekiah was close to death, the prophet Isaiah told him to set his house in order because he will die soon. However, Hezekiah was granted another 15 years of life. After being so close to death, he said, “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.” Why could he said that? Because he found meaning. “The living, they praise, as I am doing today.” I don’t know why some have tragically died in this horrific disaster, but perhaps, like Hezekiah, many will discover meaning. (Is. 38)
4. Trump abruptly cancels signing of bipartisan bill on affordable housing (WaPo)
“President Donald Trump abruptly canceled an event to sign a bipartisan affordable-housing bill Wednesday, announcing the ceremony was off as he fumed about the Senate not passing his bill to impose new rules on elections. An hour and a half before he was due to sign the bill at the Capitol at noon, the president caught lawmakers and his staff by surprise, declaring on social media that a news conference and signing ceremony was “hereby cancelled until such a time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency.”
“The announcement came as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and other House GOP leaders were touting the housing bill at a news conference, the stage set for the president in the National Statuary Hall — including a table and chair to sign the legislation. The housing bill was set to be a rare bipartisan policy accomplishment for the president touching on an issue that has dogged him in polling ahead of the midterms: addressing Americans’ affordability concerns.”
While Fleetwood Mac says Don’t Stop, Pres. Trump did stop… the bill from moving forward. In his book Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss writes how negotiation is less a series of actions in a battle and more a process of discovery. “People who view negotiation as a battle of arguments become overwhelmed by the voices in their head… The goal is to uncover as much information as possible.” He notes that he “who has learned to disagree without being disagreeable has discovered the most valuable secret of negotiation."
Are you familiar with the Ackerman Model? This offer-counteroffer bargaining method has 4 steps: set your target price (your goal); set your first offer at 65 percent of the target price; calculate 3 raises of decreasing increments (85 percent, 95 percent, 100 percent), drawing on a lot of empathy and different ways of saying no; and finally use precise figures when providing your final offer, thus giving it credibility and weight. "Your job as a negotiator isn't just to get to an agreement. It's getting to one that can be implemented and making sure that happens...'Yes' is nothing without 'How.' While an agreement is nice, a contract is better, and a signed check is best.
At the core, negotiating is a form of stewardship, prudently valuing and utilizing the gifts we have been given. Abraham negotiated with God regarding Sodom, Moses went back and forth with God over the Israelites, and Jacob shrewdly bartered a bowl of stew to secure Esau’s birthright. In this moment, some want boldness from their leaders, not giving an inch to the other side. Others want unity, only insofar as everyone unites around their position. But perhaps what is most needed is discernment, understanding that this is less of a battle for our future and more of a discovery concerning what type of future we want. (Gen. 3, 18, 25)
Cultural News
3. ‘Whimsy,’ a New Trend, May Be a Life Raft for Zillennials (NY Times)
“Whimsy” is having a moment, thanks to Gen Z-ers and some millennials who have recast the word to characterize a lifestyle that blends playfulness, spontaneity and being present. Etsy, a marketplace known for whimsy-adjacent products like handmade and vintage items, said that searches for “whimsical jewelry,” “whimsical décor” and “whimsy-related items” were each up by at least 50 percent from last year. “We’re seeing shoppers turn to whimsy as a form of everyday escapism, seeking out pieces that feel personal, playful and a little unexpected to make everyday life more extraordinary,” said Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy’s trend expert.
“And it’s not just products. For example, sending postcards and doing activities one’s 10-year-old self might have enjoyed are considered “whimsy hobbies.” There is a whimsy lexicon — those who use it might say “saunter,” for example, instead of “walk.” But whimsy enthusiasts see it as a response to compounding anxieties over a series of stressors, including a challenging economy, multiple wars and a volatile presidency. For some, embracing this brand of quirkiness amid the uncertainty offers a sense of control.”
Don’t You Worry About A Thing – Stevie Wonder sings it, and Zillennials are embracing it. Interestingly enough, research indicates that 91 percent of the things participants worried about didn’t end up happening. Seneca was right: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
I’m not a whimsy guy (few of us are who wake up at 3am to write), but I do see great value in it. In his book The Way of Excellence, Brad Stulberg offered this sobering thought: "There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your life. What will change your life is how you are transformed in the process of going for it. When you select what goals to pursue, you are selecting what kind of person you want to become… Keep in mind that the real reward isn't just what happens when you reach the top of the mountain. It's who you become on the sides."
Are you Martha? Is your biggest problem not the actual problem but the anxiety stemming from the problem? We should address issues, but we also shouldn't let our issues keep us from experiencing the richness of life. John Stott put it well: “A Christian's freedom from anxiety is not due to some guaranteed freedom from trouble, but to the folly of worry and especially to the confidence that God is our Father, that even permitted suffering is within the orbit of His care.” God won’t always take you out of stressful situations, but he will never leave you alone in such situations -- with or without whimsy. (Ps. 23, 1 Pet. 5)
News You Can Use
2. Kid Chef Goes Viral…
Watch it here. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 18:10)
1. 81-year-old couple renew wedding vows at Taco Bell
Watch it here. “What therefore God has joined together, don't let man tear apart.” (Mt. 19:6)
