Middle East Escalation: The US and Iran traded retaliatory strikes for a second day, hitting radar and surveillance sites in southern Iran as markets wobbled and oil prices rose. Market Pressure: Tokyo’s Nikkei slid and other Asian indexes fell early on, with investors citing the ceasefire strain and higher crude. Immigration Fallout: A Yakima office tied to Alexandra Lozano’s immigration firm shut down after bar discipline, leaving tens of thousands of pending cases in limbo. AI & Regulation: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged mandatory safety testing and stronger government controls before advanced AI is deployed. Small Business Tech: New Zealand announced AI-powered support to help 600,000 small firms find growth opportunities. Energy & Industry: Bulgaria approved a plan to compensate energy-intensive firms for high electricity costs, while also backing higher defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Food Security: New SNAP work rules are already putting benefits at risk for some New Yorkers. Governance & Data: Detroit lost a court fight over the Census Bureau’s “county cap” population method, which officials say undercounts residents.