Greetings! Happy International Men’s Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇺🇦 Russian strike kills 25 in western Ukraine. At least 25 people, including 3 children, died after missiles and drones hit apartment blocks in Ternopil. Authorities report 73 injured and roughly two dozen still missing under rubble. Officials say two nine-story buildings and a kindergarten took direct hits. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko says many victims were trapped in fires before rescue crews arrived, even as Russia launched about 500 drones and 50 missiles across Ukraine. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan to seek tougher pressure on Moscow. The attack shows how “rear” cities remain squarely on the war’s front line.

🇺🇳 Trump’s UN nominee calls the body ‘ineffective’ and biased. Tammy Bruce, nominated as American deputy ambassador to the United Nations (UN), told senators the organization is “too often ineffective and politicized”. She pledged to press for tighter budgets and measurable results across peacekeeping and aid programs. Bruce argued that agencies that fail to reform should see American funding withheld. She criticized what she called institutional bias against Israel. Supporters say her skepticism will sharpen oversight in New York. Critics fear a hollowed-out UN that leaves more room for rival powers, especially concerning genocides in Gaza and Sudan. The hearing signals a future where multilateralism is graded on a curve of American interests.

📉 Tariffs help shrink the trade gap, with caveats. The American trade deficit fell 24% in August to about $60B as imports dropped faster than exports. Economists link much of the change to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods. Purchases of consumer products and industrial supplies fell sharply. Export volumes also slipped, a sign that global demand is not booming either. Some analysts warn that the narrower deficit reflects slower trade, not a growth miracle. Businesses that rely on imported parts still face higher costs. The data gives the White House a talking point to defend and pursue its agenda, even as household budgets feel little immediate relief.

🛒 Target warns of a lean holiday after profit slide. Target ($TGT) reported its quarterly profit fell as shoppers pulled back on discretionary spending and focused on essentials. Comparable sales slipped, and store traffic barely grew. Executives say middle-income customers are trading down, delaying purchases, and hunting promotions. Inventory levels are leaner than last year to avoid markdown gluts. The retailer trimmed expectations for the key holiday quarter. Analysts note its share price is still far below its pandemic-era highs. The chain’s aisles now double as a sentiment survey on persistent inflation fatigue, tariff concerns, and cautious, rational optimism.

🏛️ Clay Higgins becomes the Epstein vote’s lone dissenter. Representative Clay Higgins, a fifth-term Republican from Louisiana, was the only House member to oppose forcing the release of Jeffrey Epstein files. He says he supports exposing predators but fears misidentification of innocent people. Higgins, a member of the Freedom Caucus, is known for hard-line rhetoric on crime and borders. His vote put privacy arguments against an almost unanimous transparency push. Colleagues across the spectrum backed disclosure as a rare point of consensus. Advocates for survivors say one “no” cannot blunt the signal Congress sent, which shows even 427-1 still carries a backstory.

✈️ F-35 deal with Saudis raises tech and ethics questions. The Lockheed Martin ($LMT) F-35, a stealth fighter jet packed with sensors, network links, and precision weapons, costs tens of millions of dollars and carries software that regularly phones home for updates. President Donald Trump is pushing to sell the aircraft to Saudi Arabia as part of a wider security and investment package. Supporters say the deal deters Iran and deepens ties with a key oil producer. Critics cite the kingdom’s human rights record and past misuse of American weapons. The aircraft’s sensitive technology would require strict safeguards and training. The precedent has been set, and every export of next-generation hardware now doubles as a foreign policy test.

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That’s all for today!

Much obliged and many thanks for reading and sharing today’s newsletter.

See you tomorrow!