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. Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic is effectively at a standstill despite Iran ceasefire (NBC News)
“Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a virtual standstill Thursday, with only a handful of ships passing through the vital waterway since the announcement of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Just five bulk carriers had transited the waterway in the first 24 hours of the deal, according to data from the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic and Kpler, a data and analytics firm, while S&P Global Market Intelligence said nine vessels had passed through across Wednesday and Thursday.
“But the exact numbers are unclear, as some ships turn off or spoof their GPS trackers during transit. Yet the current traffic is a trickle compared with the prewar average of more than 100 vessels sailing through the strait daily. It is also far from the “total reopening” that President Donald Trump had demanded as a condition for the truce.
“Throughout the war, Iran attacked several vessels and vowed to hit any that it viewed as connected to the U.S. or Israel, effectively blocking a route through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas once passed. President Donald Trump issued a warning on social media Thursday while responding to "reports" that Iran is collecting tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, saying "they better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!"
Have you changed your mind on our approach to Iran over the past month? For context, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that the war in Iran had cost the U.S. Treasury $12.7 billion over the first 12 days of the war. This comes out to approximately $260 per American household. Now, if you take into account the economic impact outside of just the military costs (gas, goods, etc.), that number is $410.
Does knowing the price change your perspective regarding the worth of the product? A fascinating study looked at price primacy, which refers to how knowing the price first impacts how we view the product. The study found that when the product came first, consumers were more likely to ask if they liked it. But when the price came first, they were more concerned about whether it was worth it.
Count the cost…. In Pro. 23, we read about a stingy man who invites a neighbor to eat while "inwardly counting the cost." In calculating the cost of every bite, we realize the great disparity between the words from his mouth and the meditations of his heart. The host stands in stark contrast to the Luke version. When Jesus tells his disciples to count the cost, his counting is less rooted in greed and more centered on faithfulness. It is less about how much you are losing but rather how much you are willing to gain. Opinions vary as to whether our attack on Iran is worth it, but there is no disagreement about whether Jesus is. (Luke 14)
5. Melania Trump blasts ‘lies’ linking her to Epstein and calls on Congress to hold hearing for victims (CBS News)
“First lady Melania Trump on Thursday delivered remarks denying any friendship or relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and she called on Congress to hold a public hearing with Epstein's survivors. In a six-minute livestreamed statement from the White House, the first lady for the first time following the Justice Department's release of troves of Epstein records publicly and directly addressed the Epstein matter. The first lady said "now is the time for Congress to act."
"I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors," the first lady told a group of gathered reporters at the White House. "Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record. Then and only then, we will have the truth. Thank you."
"We don’t believe what we see; we see what we believe," according to Aja Raden. In her book The Truth About Lies, Raden traces not only why humans lie but also why we are so prone to believing those lies. She likens this to an “arms race” between liars and lie-detectors throughout history.
"The internet didn’t create the liars; it just gave them a faster horse," according to Raden. The internet has quickened the formation of consensus reality. Essentially, if enough people believe a lie, it becomes a functional truth. The echo chamber of the internet makes it easier than ever to find "evidence" for any lie we choose to believe. In this instance, in order to confront a functional truth in this consensus reality, the first lady has to share the truth.
It has been said that C.S. Lewis likened a lie to a pregnancy, in that it doesn’t take long for everyone to find out. While "long" is a relative term, especially in this internet age, eventually the truth will emerge, as Judah and Tamar learned. (Lk. 8:17)
4. 710,000 fewer babies were born last year in U.S. compared with two decades ago (NY Times)
“The U.S. fertility rate fell slightly in 2025, to another record low, extending two decades of declines, according to federal data released on Thursday. The fertility rate — the number of births per 1,000 women of childbearing age — dropped to 53.1, from 53.8 in 2024, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The number of births dropped too, falling by 1 percent from the previous year, to 3,606,400.
"The fertility rate has been falling since 2007, a trend that has become something of a demographic mystery. The drop began during the Great Recession, and experts first attributed it to the sharp economic downturn, following a common historical pattern. But the rate has continued to drop, and demographers have been trying to understand why.”
“Amid all of our society’s material plenty, one resource is conspicuously scarce. That resource is babies,” writes Ross Douthat in his phenomenal book The Decadent Society. Douthat defines decadence as economic stagnation, scientific exhaustion, institutional sclerosis, and cultural repetition. He writes that our wealth, prosperity, and individualism have served as “the seedbed of stagnation” relative to birth. He argues that falling birthrates accelerate the “closing of the frontier.”
The future is bright with babies, but it is repetitive without them… "We are living in a culture of the 're-': reboots, sequels, and remakes. It is a sign of a creative imagination that has run dry… In a decadent society, the high arts become more and more niche and academic, while popular culture becomes more and more repetitive and nostalgic." Look no further than the current obsession with nostalgia that characterizes social media as of late…
In his book What To Expect When No One’s Expecting, Jonathan Last writes: “There are many perfectly good reasons to have a baby. (Curiosity, vanity, and naiveté all come to mind.) But at the end of the day, there’s only one good reason to go through the trouble a second time: Because you believe, in some sense, that God wants you to.” Babies are a beautiful reminder of God’s goodness, grace, and blessing (Psalm 127:3-4, Luke 18:16). The less we see of them, the less we see of God’s kingdom (Matt. 19:14).
Cultural News
3. Everyone has regrets, but what are the biggest regrets people over 65 live with? (CT Insider)
“A new survey of 2,000 over 65-year-olds by life insurance agency Choice Mutual found that the top regret voiced by Americans was "not saving or investing earlier in life," according to a news release. "Many respondents said they didn’t take saving seriously until their 40s or 50s," according to the release. Second on the regret list was not prioritizing health and fitness.
“The survey rounds out the remaining regrets (in descending order) as not traveling more when they had the chance, letting fear or self-doubt hold them back, not spending enough time with family, staying in a relationship they should have left sooner, letting important relationships fade, not pursuing a passion or dream, not planning well for retirement and avoiding tough conversations.”
Do you, like Cher, wish you could Turn Back Time? A recent survey took a closer look at American regrets. 22 percent of Americans regretted something involving their family, 19 percent concerning their partner/spouse, and 16 percent pointed to something related to education. The majority of Americans regretted something they didn’t do (57 percent) over something they did do (36 percent).
In his book The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink identifies 3 steps to make regrets work for you. First, reframe your regret by exercising “self-compassion.” This doesn’t ignore your screw-up, rather it “emphasizes that being imperfect, making mistakes, and encountering life difficulties is part of the shared human experience.” Next, disclose your experience. Pink notes that by “divulging regrets, we reduce some of their burdens, which can clear the way for making sense of them… Using language, whether written or spoken, forces us to organize and integrate our thoughts.” Finally, we can extract a lesson by exercising self-distancing. Instead of plunging into “your regret like a scuba diver,” you should “zoom out from it like an oceanographer.” Distancing through time can also help us find lessons in regret.
Arthur Miller once observed that maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. We all have regrets, things in the past we would do differently. Regret will either trap you in the past or launch you into the future. Forsake the former for the latter. (2 Cor. 7:8-13)
News You Can Use
2. A kid is shooting hoops in the driveway when a band rolls by on the back of a truck and gives him a musical tune after he makes the shot.
Watch it here. “Rejoice with those who rejoice.” (Rom. 12:15)
1. Jesus actor won’t stop ascending…
Watch it here. “I will come again…” (Jn. 14:3)
