This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.Part I (00:13 – 09:26) Why is President Biden Skipping this Meeting of the UN’s Conference of the Parties? Climate Change Hypocrisy, Wars, and Political Expediency Are Parts of the PicturePart II (09:26 – 16:15) The Dangers of Social Media Now Out in the Open: Lawsuit Documents Reveal Social Media Platforms Intentionally Prey on Teenage UsersMeta Designed Products to Capitalize on Teen Vulnerabilities, States Allege by Wall Street Journal (Jeff Horwitz)At Meta, Millions of Underage Users Were an ‘Open Secret,’ States Say by New York Times (Natasha Singer)Part III (16:15 – 18:42) A Parable of Parental Negligence Over Social Media: Mother in Hot Water After Giving Twin 7-Year-Old Sons Access to YouTubeHow Your Child’s Online Mistake Can Ruin Your Digital Life by New York Times (Kashmir Hill)Part IV (18:42 – 25:34) ‘Heresy’ is Indispensably Theological, So Why Did the New York Times Use It? The Death of a Bishop and the Ever Present Danger of HeresyCarlton Pearson, Pastor Deemed a Heretic for Denying Hell, Dies at 70 by New York Times (Trip Gabriel)Heretic in the headlines: Why did The New York Times use that word? by WORLD Opinions (R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every weekday morning.Follow Dr. Mohler:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeFor more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu.For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com.To write Dr. Mohler or submit a question for The Mailbox, go here.

This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.Part I (00:13 – 09:00)Welcomed Back into the Arms of Vladimir Putin: The Merchant of Death Returns to Russia in Brittany Griner ExchangeViktor Bout’s Release Is Hailed in Russia as a Kremlin Victory by New York Times (Richard Pérez-Peña)Part II (09:00 – 16:11)A New Morality of Hostage Takers: Why the U.S. (And Other Democratic Nations) Will Get the Short End of the Stick in Government International Hostage SituationsU.S. Reluctantly Embraces New Era of Hostage Diplomacy by Wall Street Journal (Aruna Viswanatha and James T. Areddy)Part III (16:11 – 18:48)‘A Role Model and Inspiration to LGBTQI+ Americans’: The Political Pressure on the Biden Administration That Led to the Swap for Brittany GrinerBrittney Griner Swap Puts Spotlight on Americans in Russia by New York Times (Valerie Hopkins, Anatoly Kurmanaev and Jonathan Abrams)Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, December 8, 2022 by The White HousePart IV (18:48 – 28:55)There’s a New “Independent” in the Senate? Kyrsten Sinema Changes Political Affiliation — But This Is an Unfolding Story, With Interesting WrinklesKyrsten Sinema Switches to Independent, Complicates Democratic Control of Senate by Wall Street Journal (Eliza Collins and Lindsay Wise)Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every weekday morning.Follow Dr. Mohler:X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeFor more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu.For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com.To write Dr. Mohler or submit a question for The Mailbox, go here.

DOCUMENTATION AND ADDITIONAL READING
PART 1
(0:0 – 15:9):
──────────────────
But Who Will Regulate the Regulators? Who Will Govern the Governors? Frustrated Activists Protest at Glasgow Climate Summit

FINANCIAL TIMES (THE EDITORIAL BOARD)
More Hot Air Than Progress At COP26

WASHINGTON POST
Greta Thunberg Says ‘COP26 Is A Failure,’ As She Leads Glasgow Protests

PART 2
(15:10 – 23:22):
──────────────────
The Secular Worldview Asserts Itself: What Explains the Rapid Acceptance of Assisted Suicide in the West?

THE ECONOMIST
In the West, Assisted Dying is Rapidly Becoming Legal and Accepted

PART 3
(23:23 – 25:48):
──────────────────
What the Commissioning of Just One Navy Ship Tells Us About the Seismic Shift In the Morality Of Our Nation

USA TODAY (JOHN BACON)
Navy Christens Ship USNS Harvey Milk, Named After Gay Rights Activist