Greetings! Happy Farmers Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇨🇳 China vows to stand firm on trade as Washington rattles the tariff sabre. Beijing’s commerce and planning agencies signaled that any new duties from the United States would meet calibrated countermeasures, while also prodding for less confrontational language to keep channels open. Exporters of machinery, consumer electronics, and green-tech components are bracing for renewed volatility as firms weigh inventory buffers against cash flow. The National Development and Reform Commission emphasized “security” in supply chains, a cue for tighter licensing on select inputs that complicate procurement for foreign buyers. Business groups warned that a tit-for-tat policy can bleed into currency moves and regulatory slow-walks at ports. The Federal Reserve is not a tariff referee, yet pricing shocks feed inflation math and rate expectations. Corporate treasury desks are mapping scenario trees that include alternate sourcing, tariff engineering, and deferred capital expenditures.

🇺🇦 Trump warns Russia he may send Tomahawks to Ukraine if war doesn’t end. The message packages pressure with a conditional off-ramp, dangling cruise missiles that would expand Kyiv’s strike options far beyond current ranges. European capitals read the gambit as both a deterrent and bargaining chip, with mixed views on escalation versus leverage. This follows as Putin and Zelenskyy exchanged terse words. Military planners note that integrating new platforms requires training, targeting, and hardened logistics, none of which happen overnight. Moscow framed the threat as destabilizing while signaling it would adapt air defenses and dispersal of assets. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will assess whether allied stockpiles and legal frameworks can support such transfers. Markets largely shrugged, but defense contractors quietly modeled order books in case policy moves from rhetoric to requisition.

🏛️ Vance warns “deeper” cuts ahead for federal workers as shutdown hits Day 12. The vice president’s comments telegraphed a harder line on furloughs and agency staffing even as negotiations sputter, raising the specter of prolonged gaps in service. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) continues to separate “excepted” operations from paused work, yet backlogs in permitting, inspections, grants, and civil cases are stacking up. Unions said threats to sever back pay and shrink headcount risk permanent attrition in roles that already face recruiting shortages. Economists estimate multi-week lapses shave tenths from quarterly growth through delayed procurement and travel pullbacks. House and Senate leaders remain split on policy riders that complicate a clean continuing resolution. The politics are noisy, but the math is simple for workers who missed a paycheck and have rent due.

⚖️ More detainees abandon their legal claims and accept removal from America. Immigration advocates and attorneys describe clients who feel hopeless after weeks in custody and opt for voluntary departure rather than prolonged fights with uncertain outcomes. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says asylum law remains available, but case backlogs and detention conditions shape decisions in real time. Public defenders point to limited access to counsel, language hurdles, and rapid-transfer policies that make continuity of representation difficult. Faith groups and nonprofits are trying to fill gaps with know-your-rights clinics and bond funds, though capacity is limited. Judges continue to balance statutory thresholds with credible-fear standards as filings fluctuate with policy signals. The collateral effects land on families, employers, and school districts as cases end abruptly and people leave.

🎬 Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning “Godfather” star of “Annie Hall”, dies at 79. The actor’s career spanned half a century of American cinema, from neurotic romance to crime sagas to prickly, humane comedies that aged with uncommon grace. Directors prized her off-kilter timing and lived-in intelligence, qualities that made even small gestures feel like thesis statements. Industry peers noted she navigated a system rarely designed for women over 40 and made it blink first. Film schools teach her performances as case studies in presence, modulation, and choices that read from the back row without shouting. Audiences remember the oft-imitated hats, pantsuits, gloves, and the sly smile that suggested the joke was bigger than the punchline. Retrospectives will now fill calendars while the canon reintroduces itself to new eyes.

🚨 Shooting in packed South Carolina bar leaves 4 dead and over 20 injured. Investigators said the melee unfolded near closing time, with multiple weapons recovered and an initial suspect detained for questioning. Trauma teams activated mass-casualty protocols as ambulances ferried patients to regional hospitals. Local officials appealed for blood donations and tips from witnesses who captured video on their phones. The bar’s security footage and ballistics will shape charging decisions in the coming days. Community leaders planned vigils while urging calm. The focus now is on stabilizing the wounded and building a plausible timeline that can stand up in court.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!