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 announces Nidal Hasan execution 'will not be streamed' (ABC News)
“President Trump on Thursday canceled the Pentagon’s planned livestream of the execution of the Army officer who was convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting. Pentagon officials said last week that the execution of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, would be broadcast via livestream. But Mr. Trump said Thursday that only immediate families of Mr. Hasan’s victims would be able to watch the execution in person.
“Many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” he wrote on social media. “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.” Democrats and Republicans in Congress panned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the shooting, and even Vice President JD Vance expressed doubt about the plan.”
Similar to early 90s pop trio Wilson Phillips, Pres. Trump thinks we should Hold On… Some, like Pastor Josh Howerton, suggested public execution is biblical. Citing Lev. 24 and Deut. 13, he argues that death penalties were performed before “all the assembly” for the purpose of justice and public deterrence, so the rest of the people, “shall hear and fear, and never again do any such evil.”
But do we want to be like Iran and Afghanistan? Admiral William McRaven, writing in The Atlantic, highlights how 17 people were publicly executed in 2025, 11 in Iran and 6 in Afghanistan. “We are lowering ourselves to the ranks of brutal and failing regimes… No one should shed a tear for Hasan. I certainly won’t. But if Hegseth thinks that this public display will somehow deter others from horrible acts of violence, he is mistaken. Terrorists seek attention above all. Publicizing Hasan’s death therefore could incite other extremists to do equally egregious acts. And it adds to the narrative, advanced by our enemies and ever more worrying to our allies, that the United States has lost its way.”
Just because it is permissible doesn’t mean it is beneficial. Writing to the church at Corinth, Paul sought to provide order to their liberty. It was obviously important to consider whether something was legal, but it was just as important to think about whether it was beneficial. In this instance, public execution may be permissible, but that doesn't mean it is beneficial -- all things considered. (1 Cor. 10)
5. Justice Dept. sues California officials over 20K alleged noncitizen voters (WaPo)
“The Department of Justice on Thursday sued the top election officials in California and Los Angeles County, claiming they were planning to count ballots from more than 20,000 alleged noncitizens in next month’s midterm elections. The unusual lawsuit came two days after Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter sent Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan a computer thumb drive with the names of suspected noncitizens and told him to agree within 48 hours to prevent the counting of their ballots unless he had proof they were citizens who are eligible to vote. Logan responded by saying he hadn’t opened the file because doing so would conflict with privacy and data security protocols.
“Canceling a voter registration requires verifiable information and “not assertions of unconfirmed data matching,” he added. On Thursday, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to issue an injunction preventing election officials from counting the ballots of the voters it has identified until their citizenship status can be verified.”
Is Everything Alright, Stevie Wonder? A 2026 Reuters analysis found that over the last 30 years, just 129 people have ever been criminally charged in federal court for “voting by aliens.” A 2022 Georgia audit found that just over 1,600 noncitizens had tried to register to vote in a 25-year period—but none had successfully registered, and none had voted.
Why do so few noncitizens vote? One study found that very few noncitizens want to risk drawing attention by trying to vote. This is a smaller part of a larger narrative: by and large, immigrant communities tend to have lower crime rates than similar communities.
Equal justice but not privilege… In the Scriptures, we read how judges were warned not to subvert justice for the stranger. The foreigner was to be granted fair treatment and equal protection under the law, but they weren’t extended all the privileges of citizenship. Ruth was allowed to glean from the corners of the land, but she wasn’t allowed to take the entire land. In this instance, voting is a great privilege but not a universal one. (Pro. 11:19, 14:34).
4. White House press secretary Katie Zacharia confirms she never passed bar exam after saying she's a lawyer (CBS News)
“White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said Thursday that she never passed the bar, although she's called herself a lawyer and President Trump has referred to her as an attorney. Zacharia made the comment in an interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec after the Wall Street Journal reported that she failed the bar exam in California in 2011 and did not pass the bar in any other U.S. state in which she's lived. Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University's law school.
“Zacharia told Posobiec she took the bar exam in California but didn't pass, saying she was distracted by her plans to get married and move to China for her husband's work around the same time. She said she "didn't think much" of the results, and said she didn't need to pass the exam to do her work in China.”
Like the Foo Fighters and the press secretary, I have a confession to make: I also failed an exam… my driver's test. I refuse to be a Pretender with you all. Though I’m still Learning To Fly, I can report I have learned to drive… kind of. Nevertheless, roughly 30-40 percent of people fail the bar exam. And just for context, roughly 20 percent fail the driving test the first time.
Should we blame LinkedIn? While roughly 70 percent of American adults stretch the truth on their resume, largely due to the exaggeration effect, a fascinating study of LinkedIn reveals how we stretch the truth. Interestingly enough, public scrutiny on the professional social network acts as an honest broker for hard facts. Terrified of public call-outs, applicants actually lied less about verifiable work experience and more about responsibilities, where it is harder to check the receipts.
Pride can cause us to hide, but confession invites us to enjoy the light. Confession is an audible surrender, a decision to emerge from hiding, to stop running, and to accept your need for grace. In this instance, the press secretary may have failed to pass the bar due to her personal life, but as Adam Grant notes: “True failure is not falling short of your goals, but failing to pursue your most meaningful goals.” (Acts 5, Jn. 8:32, Pro. 25:28)
3. Bend, Oregon elementary school shooting: 3 children, 1 teacher killed; teen suspect dead (ABC News)
“Three children and one teacher are dead after a shooter forced his way into an elementary school in Oregon on Thursday afternoon and opened fire, authorities said. The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old, was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a news conference Thursday evening. The three children who were killed were 5, 8 and 11 years old. In addition, a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to the hospital with critical injuries, police said.
“Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek confirmed that a “community member” stopped the shooter during a press conference held by the City of Bend. The shooter was described as a 16-year-old Bend resident, Mike Krantz, Chief of the Bend Police Department, said. Kotek said the bystander “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.” She addressed the bystander directly, saying, “Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.”
For most, kids are a glorious reason to live; for the twisted few, kids are a way to make an evil point. Thankfully, the number of school shootings continued its downward trend in 2025 with a recorded 233 incidents — the lowest number since 2020, when 116 school shootings took place.
Thank God for the good guy with a gun…. From 1990 to 2015, there were at least 10 instances of a good guy with a gun stopping a mass shooting. One study looked at data on mass public shootings from 1977 to 1999. Researchers studied 13 types of gun-control laws and the impact of law enforcement. They found that right-to-carry laws reduced both the frequency and the severity of mass public shootings.
There are 3 types of people in the world, according to Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman: sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. In his book On Combat, Grossman notes that sheep are innocent citizens with no capacity for violence, wolves are unempathetic citizens with a capacity for violence, and sheepdogs are those who have a capacity for violence and a deep love for their fellow citizens. I don’t know if there are only 3 types of people in the world, but I am exceedingly grateful for that courageous sheepdog in Oregon. (1 Pet. 4:10)
News You Can Use
2. 11-year-old boy marks successful bone marrow transplant with traditional New Orleans celebration
Watch it here. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” (Jer. 17:14)
1. When an Arizona teen saw an elderly man wearing a pair of shoes that were falling apart, the 18-year-old offered him his own
Watch it here. "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.” (Mt. 6:3)
