Greetings! Happy National Periodic Table Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇯🇵 Japan votes as Sanae Takaichi seeks a mandate. Polls opened February 8th for the 465-seat lower house. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office in October as Japan’s first woman leader. She called a snap election to revive the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Surveys point to a large LDP win, even solo majority talk. Her coalition with the Japan Innovation Party is chasing up to 300 seats. Takaichi wants higher defense spending and bigger military capabilities. She also argues for tougher immigration rules and stricter foreign-resident caps. She says she will step down if her bloc fails to win a majority. Record snowfall could hinder turnout and slow counting.

🇹🇭 Thailand’s early election tests three rival machines. Voting opened February 8th with 53M registered voters in play. A simple majority of 500 lawmakers picks the next prime minister. More than 50 parties are running, but three dominate nationwide. The People’s Party leads the reformist lane under Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut. It follows the Move Forward Party, which won in 2023 but was dissolved. Incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul fronts Bhumjaithai as the establishment’s pick. Anutin took office in September after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was forced out. Pheu Thai, tied to Thaksin Shinawatra, is pitching populist revival again. Voters also face a referendum on whether to begin replacing the 2017 constitution.

🎓 Pentagon cuts Harvard programs in a culture-war breakup. The American Department of Defense (DoD) says it is cutting ties with Harvard University. The move ends military training, fellowships, and related programs at the school. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the decision as a standards issue. He cited what he called divisive ideology and antisemitism concerns on campus. The directive tells defense components to discontinue Harvard-linked training tracks. It also ends select scholarships and fellowship pipelines tied to the school. The shift hits a prestige brand that has long fed Washington resumes. Supporters call it overdue accountability for elite institutions. Critics call it political litmus testing in uniform. Either way, recruitment is now another front in America’s culture fight.

🕊️ Trump’s Board of Peace plots its first Washington meeting. The White House says it wants the first session this month. A draft schedule targets February 19th in Washington. The plan frames the board as a deal-making forum beyond traditional diplomacy. Organizers describe a fund-raising drive for Gaza reconstruction. The venue is the United States Institute of Peace, now renamed for Donald Trump. That rename sits inside a legal clash over the institute’s seized building. The proposal calls for an executive committee led by the White House and State Department. Some invited allies reportedly declined, wary of sidestepping the United Nations. Backers sell it as speed and leverage, not symbolism. Critics see branding first, policy second, and the invoice already drafted. Editor’s Note: The polycrisis afflicting Gaza was officially considered a genocide by the United Nations (UN) and International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), with famine declared formally by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), confirmed by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, World Food Program (WFP), and World Health Organization (WHO), along with Global Sumud Flotilla eyewitnesses.

🎤 Bad Bunny turns halftime into a Puerto Rico-sized stage. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio says the show will center Puerto Rican pride. The National Football League (NFL) gives the slot about 13 minutes. Bad Bunny says he wants culture, not just spectacle, to lead. He describes the set as a “love letter” rooted in his home island. He says he is working with Puerto Rican collaborators behind the scenes. He has not confirmed any guest performers. The league and partners keep production details tightly controlled. The payoff is global attention that money cannot buy outright. The risk is a performance that gets memed before it gets heard. Either way, the clock will be loud, and so will the meaning.

🗞️ Will Lewis steps down as The Washington Post reshuffles. Will Lewis said he will exit as publisher and chief executive officer. The announcement landed days after layoffs cut a little more than one-third of staff. Lewis told employees the next phase needs different leadership. Owner Jeff Bezos will name a successor. Chief financial officer Jeff D’Onofrio will serve as interim publisher. The paper also shut down its standalone sports section amid the cuts. Lewis said he will stay on as a senior adviser during transition. The staff heard urgency, and also fatigue. Rivals smell weakness, while readers just notice thinner coverage. A legendary masthead is learning that legacy does not exempt payroll.

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That’s all for today!

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See you tomorrow!