Greetings! Happy National Mole Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇪🇺 Europe and America tighten Russia sanctions to force talks. The new package targets banks, machine tools, and dual-use components that keep missiles and drones in the fight, while blacklisting logistics nodes that launder parts through third countries. Officials say the goal is not collapse but coercion: cut the inputs, raise the costs, and move the Kremlin toward real ceasefire terms. Enforcement will hinge on secondary penalties and customs data sharing, where loopholes usually live. Energy remains the carve-out, though insurers and shippers report rising friction on “lawful” cargoes. Kyiv’s allies argue that pressure plus credible security guarantees beats paper frameworks with no leverage. Markets will watch diesel and metals pricing for early signals of bite.

🇨🇦 Canadian PM Carney vows to double non-American exports. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the goal as a hedge against political whiplash in Washington, promising new trade finance, export credits, and “single-window” permitting for critical minerals and clean tech. The plan leans on Asia and the Gulf for demand growth while nudging manufacturers to diversify away from a border that feels close until it suddenly isn’t. Economists say success requires ports, rail capacity, and faster customs clearances, not just slogans at podiums. Small and midsize firms will need help with standards and contracts, the unglamorous work that turns MOUs into invoices. Currency math matters too: a softer loonie juices shipments but raises import costs for machinery and inputs. Doubling is a verb, measured in containers, not speeches.

🏀 Rozier, Billups, 30+ others charged in Mafia betting and poker schemes. Prosecutors allege Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups participated in illicit sports wagering and a Mafia-tied high-stakes poker ring along with over 30 others, in a conference featuring Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kashyap Patel and US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella. The case implicates the Five Families of New York’s Italian-American organized crime syndicate, La Cosa Nostra (LCN). The National Basketball Association (NBA) league integrity units are coordinating with investigators while reiterating bright-line bans on betting inside the sport. Collective bargaining rules permit discipline apart from criminal outcomes, so suspensions could precede any trial. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and the coaches’ association requested access to evidence before commenting on due process. Sportsbooks emphasize account monitoring and location data, but straw bets and cash tables remain hard to track. Fans will hear lectures about integrity; the real test is whether locker rooms believe the rules are fair and enforced.

🚁 Relatives of an Illinois gubernatorial candidate die in helicopter crash. The campaign for hopeful Darren Bailey said a private helicopter carrying four family members went down in Montana, with weather and terrain complicating recovery. Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will parse flight logs, maintenance records, and engine data to determine whether downdrafts, icing, or mechanical failure led the sequence. Rural search teams described a challenging approach through timber and broken ridgelines that demanded daylight windows. Grief counselors were dispatched to local schools and churches as the family asked for privacy following the tragedy. Insurance adjusters will work alongside investigators to assess liability exposure for operators and owners. In the meantime, campaign events will be paused while state authorities release identities and timelines.

🏥 Shutdown stalemate keeps healthcare compromise distant. Negotiators remain split over Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidy extensions, Medicaid funding patches, and hospital payment updates that usually ride in must-pass bills. The longer the lapse, the more clinics defer hiring and elective procedures while community health centers ration hours. State exchanges warn that open enrollment navigators and call centers cannot run on goodwill, even if websites stay up. Insurers model adverse selection when outreach falters, a quiet cost that shows up months later in premiums. Public health departments, already thin, pause data systems and lab contracts that keep outbreaks small. The budget fight is loud; the damage is granular and cumulative.

🌡️ Extreme heat is endangering pregnant farmworkers. Researchers link sustained wet-bulb temperatures near 80–85°F to higher risks of dehydration, hypertension, and preterm birth among agricultural laborer expecting mothers. Field reports describe limited shade, scarce water breaks, and fear of retaliation for slowing down, a triangle that turns weather into hazard. Obstetricians say heat stress compounds anemia and gestational diabetes, two risks already elevated in low-income populations. Advocates want mandatory rest-water-shade standards, prenatal screening on-site, and cooling gear grants for smaller growers. Growers counter that margins are thin and compliance must scale with farm size; economists suggest phased rules and tax credits. The takeaway is clear: climate models project longer, sustained, more punishing heatwaves by mid-century, which means today’s “extreme” becomes tomorrow’s baseline.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!