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. Co-pilot who tried to crash FlyDubai jet was ‘radicalized,’ Israel says (WaPo)
“The co-pilot who tried to crash a FlyDubai passenger jet on Wednesday was “suicidal” and “underwent Islamic radical indoctrination,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday during an appearance on Fox News, providing the first indication of a motive for the attack.
“The co-pilot, who has been identified only as an Omani national, was “radicalized,” Doron Spielman, a spokesman for Netanyahu, told The Washington Post. “He talks on his social media about killing Jews,” Spielman said. “So it’s very clear he had the intent and the motive to kill Jews before.”
“The harrowing midair drama on Flight 1073 to Tel Aviv, as retold by passenger witnesses and Netanyahu, sounded almost unbelievable: The co-pilot stabbed the captain in the cockpit, then sent the plane into a nosedive before passengers subdued him and backup pilots landed safely in Saudi Arabia.”
There is an old joke about how to explain Jewish holidays to non-Jewish neighbors: “They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat.” This resolve to celebrate often manifests in various ways, including feasting and singing, with the latter occurring earlier this week in a now-viral video. Footage from the rescue flight shows passengers cheering and singing as their plane touches down in Israel after their earlier flight suffered an attempted hijacking. Watch it here.
What were they singing? This famous song invites all to echo a glorious truth: "And the Lord, blessed be He, always loves me!" These passengers joined an eternal choir in lifting their voices in thanks. Like Deborah after Israel’s victory over Sisera, Hannah after giving birth, and Saul when he was in need of relief, these passengers continued in the tradition of making a joyful noise to the Lord. (Judges 5, 1 Sam. 2, 16)
You may not be able to carry a tune, but a song can shape and lift your soul. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks puts it well: “When language aspires to the transcendent and the soul longs to break free of the gravitational pull of the earth, it modulates into song… Faith is more like music than like science. Science analyses, music integrates. And as music connects note to note, so faith connects episode to episode, life to life, age to age in a timeless melody that breaks into time.”
5. Tennessee halts scheduled executions after inmate survives lethal injection (WaPo)
“Convicted murderer Christa Pike continued to breathe for nearly an hour after she was administered two rounds of lethal injection drugs Wednesday night, according to court filings by her legal team, prompting the state to halt her execution and begin emergency medical care.
“Gov. Bill Lee (R) said late Wednesday that he was halting all scheduled executions for the rest of 2026 and ordering a “comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred.”
“Representatives of the media who were in the death chamber in a Nashville prison described a harrowing scene, as Pike continued to talk, breathe and snore long after the proceeding was underway. Her lawyers said in a statement late Wednesday that Pike was being treated at a nearby hospital and that they had not been updated on her condition. “This is one of the worst botched executions in the modern death penalty era,” Robin Maher, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, said in an email. “Her attorneys warned of this exact scenario and were ignored.”
It is estimated that 3 percent of US executions in the period from 1890 to 2010 were botched. A study out of Amherst found that lethal injection had the highest rate of botched executions at 7.2 percent, with 75 botched attempts out of 1,054 total executions. Lethal gas followed with a botched rate of 5.4 percent, accounting for 32 botched executions out of 593 attempts. Hanging recorded a 3.12 percent botched rate, involving 85 botched cases out of 2,721 total executions.
What is the greater deterrence for crime: the severity of the punishment or the certainty of the punishment? A recent study found that increasing the certainty of punishment, rather than its severity, has a far greater deterrent effect. “A criminal’s behavior is more likely to be influenced by seeing a police officer with handcuffs and a radio than by a new law increasing penalties.”
Scripturally, the capital punishment debate hinges on two key perspectives. Opponents focus on Jesus ushering in a new paradigm of grace and redemption over retribution (Mt. 5:17, Jn. 5:39, Lk. 24:27, Rom. 12:19). Proponents trace authority back to Genesis 9:6 and Romans 13:1–7, where God empowers civil authority to "wield the sword" to restrain evil and uphold justice. While there are deep disagreements around capital punishment, we can all agree that punishments should be humane, not botched.
4. Attorney General Letitia James appointed special prosecutor in alleged Cornell 'gang rape' case (ABC News)
“New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she issued an executive order to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor for the alleged “gang rape” that took place at a Cornell fraternity in 2024. The woman — identified only as Jane Doe, who was 20 at the time of the alleged incident — recently filed a civil lawsuit against seven then-Chi Phi fraternity members and the university, claiming they failed to protect her and prevent the alleged assault. While Cornell conducted an internal investigation, and expelled or suspended several of the men, no criminal charges were brought against the accused at the time.
“Jane Doe told police in part that she had agreed to an initial sexual encounter with two of the men, described being encouraged to take drugs and said she did not remember some parts of the night. “I would say that it was the most intoxicated I’ve ever been in my life,” she told police about how she was feeling later in the evening. “I felt like I was unable to make any decisions because of how intoxicated I was.”
Consent is such a low bar for such a sacred act… While weekly sexual activity has plummeted over the past 30 years, the actual act has still maintained its sacredness, which is why this story pings our conscience. Caroline Downey, writing at National Review, highlights how this story reveals that “deep down, they know that just because it may have been consensual doesn’t mean it wasn’t messed up.”
“The drama at Cornell lays bare the perils and false promises of sexual liberation. It opened Pandora’s box, from which sprang hookup culture on college campuses, OnlyFans, and rampant pornography, which no doubt influenced the seven men’s behavior that October night. With consent as its only moderating principle, the sex-positivity movement invited a world of depravity with blurred lines and infinite regret.”
From Shechem to Onan, history is littered with selfish individuals who commit atrocious actions for their sensual pleasure. And though some go to an actual prison for their actions, everyone is locked in their own prison. In C. S. Lewis’s words, the result of their actions is “sending the man back into the prison of himself, there to keep a harem of imaginary brides... No demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification is ever imposed on his vanity. In the end, they become merely the medium through which he increasingly adores himself.” (Is. 55, Gen. 34, 38, Rev. 21-22, Rom. 8)
Cultural News
3. Gavin Newsom signs Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha into law as new California state holidays (Fox News)
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that formally recognizes two Muslim holidays as state holidays, making it the second state to formally recognize both holidays statewide. California Assembly Bill 2017 officially added Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to the list of state holidays, which would permit public schools and colleges to close and allow state employees to be eligible to observe the holidays.
“However, schools and businesses will not be required to close on these days, and courts will be required to stay open. This makes California the second state in the country, after Washington state, to pass statewide legislation recognizing the Muslim holidays. Republican opponents criticized Newsom for appearing to prioritize bills recognizing Muslim holidays over bills allowing for equal treatment for Jewish holidays.”
California, Here We Come? Not so fast, Phantom Planet. California is home to an estimated 500,000 Muslims, making it the second-largest state population of Muslims in the US after New York (720,000). For context, Muslims make up roughly 1.3 percent of California's total population.
Holidays are expensive in more ways than one… California has approximately 245,803 active state employees (excluding the California State University system). A legislative analysis estimates that a paid holiday costs California about $16.3 million annually. For context, state officials often rely on reserves and borrowing to achieve a balanced budget.
Why do some reject the master’s invitation? In the Parable of the Great Banquet, a host prepares a massive feast, but when the time comes, all the original, prominent guests offer weak excuses—ranging from buying property to recent marriages—to decline the invitation. Outraged, the host instructs his servant to bring in the outcasts from the streets, ensuring his banquet hall is filled. While so many are distracted by the things of this world, God is inviting those with an open heart in this world to the feast. In this instance, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan’s fast, which could be the perfect excuse to pull up an extra chair at your table and throw an open-door feast. (Lk. 14:12–24)
News You Can Use
2. If Self-Checkout was Southern
Watch it here. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. 4:8)
1. Door County bride’s Sheepadoodle steals the show in viral wedding video
Watch it here. “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other…” (1 Thess. 3:12)
