Sanctions & Iran Supply Chains: OFAC launched “Operation Economic Outcast,” sanctioning dozens of individuals and entities tied to Iran’s military procurement, including weapons-component sourcing and financial enablers. Sanctions & Mexico Cartels: Treasury also sanctioned nearly 50 Sinaloa Cartel leaders, facilitators, and money-launderers, targeting corruption near the U.S. border. Banking Tech Growth: Gate City Bank expanded with Alkami’s digital sales and service platform, citing big gains in logins, marketing ROI, and fraud-loss prevention. Consumer Confidence Slips: The Conference Board index fell to 81.9 as inflation fears and fuel costs weighed on expectations. Gold Moves on Macro Worry: Gold hit session highs after weaker confidence data boosted rate-cut hopes. Nuclear Licensing Milestone: The NRC issued TVA a construction permit for a BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Tennessee, signaling a clearer U.S. SMR pathway. Housing Policy: Sen. Chris Van Hollen introduced a bill to create “Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers” for families facing homelessness. Port & Supply Chain: Savannah’s Ocean Terminal renovations are 60% complete, aiming to expand capacity to 1.75M TEUs. Cybersecurity: A Pentagon personnel database breach exposed sensitive data for 2.76M living and 294K deceased service members. Healthcare Access: Livingston HealthCare expanded financial assistance eligibility up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Trade & Jobs Politics: Trump’s planned $15B Iowa steel mill is framed as a midterm jobs and reindustrialization push.