Greetings! Happy National Apricot Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇷🇺 Russia fires Oreshnik again in Ukraine. Russia says it launched the hypersonic Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) late Thursday. The strike hit the Lviv region, near Poland, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply corridor. Local officials reported no casualties. President Vladimir Putin says Oreshnik can fly around Mach 10 and carry multiple warheads. The Pentagon calls it an experimental design with a 500 to 5,500 km class range. Moscow voices framed it as a warning against European troop deployments in any peace deal.

🇮🇷 Khamenei signals crackdown as protests climb to at least 50 dead. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused demonstrators of wrecking streets to please President Donald Trump. Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei promised maximum punishment without leniency. Authorities cut internet and international calls, limiting outside verification from Tehran. A rights group said more than 2,270 people have been detained. State media branded protesters “terrorists” and blamed agents of the American government and Israel. The unrest has tracked economic strain since December 28th, with the Iranian rial (IRR) approaching a peak of 1.4M per $1 (USD).

🚑 Immigration agents shoot two outside a Portland hospital. American Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said an agent fired a defensive shot at a vehicle. The driver then sped off with the passenger, authorities said. Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said both people were still alive. Mayor Keith Wilson and the council urged ICE to halt city operations pending an investigation. Hundreds protested outside an ICE building afterward. Officials cited possible gang ties, but independent corroboration was not available.

🚰 Sewer money dries up as floodwater keeps rising. Yvette Lyles says Cahokia Heights, Illinois floods send sewage into homes. A 2024 Justice Department settlement calls for about $30M in upgrades. Trump’s cuts have canceled or targeted hundreds of millions in water aid. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice office was eliminated in a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) purge. Projects hit include $14M for septic systems in Alabama and $20M for sewers in Thomasville, Georgia. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside nearly $50B for state loan funds.

🏛️ Senate war powers vote checks President Trump on Venezuela. GOP lawmakers advanced a resolution to limit further attacks without Congress. The procedural vote passed 52-47, setting up final passage next week. It follows a surprise weekend raid that captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Senator Josh Hawley said ground troops should require Congress to weigh in. Five Republicans joined Democrats, including Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Todd Young. Trump attacked them online, yet the vote exposed unease inside his party.

🛢️ President Trump pitches a $100B Venezuela oil revival to executives. He meets energy leaders Friday at the White House, the administration says. The White House expects executives from 17 oil companies. Chevron Corporation ($CVX) still operates there, while Exxon Mobil Corporation ($XOM) and ConocoPhillips ($COP) lost projects in 2007. That nationalization was ordered under President Hugo Chávez, predecessor to Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela remains plagued by instability, inflation, and legal uncertainty. Investors can like the geology and still hate the governance.

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That’s all for today!

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