Edition - Wednesday, February 25, 2026

9.0

The Big Signal

US Supreme Court Strikes Down Presidential Tariffs, Benefiting China, India, and Brazil

•The US Supreme Court ruled that President Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs was illegal.
•Bloomberg reported a swift reversal of fortunes, with the hardest-hit countries now emerging as the biggest winners from the ruling.
•China, India, and Brazil are among the nations now seeing significantly lower tariff rates, according to Business Standard.
•The ruling curtails presidential authority to use emergency powers as a mechanism for imposing broad trade duties.
•The decision is expected to reshape trade dynamics between the United States and multiple major economies worldwide.

7.5

•University of Waterloo researchers engineered Clostridium sporogenes bacteria to target solid tumors from within, according to Technology Networks.
•The approach uses synthetic biology and quorum sensing to modify the bacteria for cancer treatment applications.
•The engineered bacteria are designed to exploit the oxygen-poor environments found inside solid tumors.
•Multiple outlets, including News-Medical and ScienceDaily, reported on the research as a promising development in cancer therapy.

7.4

•The US Treasury sanctioned individuals and entities based in Russia and UAE for cyber-related activities.
•Senator Richard Blumenthal is investigating Binance for $1.7 billion in transactions with Iranian entities.
•Binance is also scrutinized for potentially helping evade Russian oil sanctions.
•US military boarded an Iran-linked sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean.

7.1

•Paramount increased its takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to $31 per share, up from what PBS NewsHour reported was a previous $30 offer.
•Warner Bros. Discovery said Paramount's revised proposal could constitute a 'superior proposal' compared to its current deal with Netflix.
•Warner Bros. Discovery's board continues to recommend Netflix's bid while it reviews Paramount's latest offer.
•If the board deems Paramount's offer superior, Netflix would have the opportunity to submit a revised bid.
•The competing proposals could trigger a broader bidding war for control of the major media conglomerate.

7.1

•President Trump called the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling against his tariff policy 'very unfortunate' during his State of the Union address.
•Trump vowed to pursue his tariff agenda through alternative legal and policy methods despite the court decision.
•Politico EU reported that Trump signaled he would move forward with a new tariff regime in response to the ruling.
•According to Fox News, Trump claimed his tariff measures had fueled a historic economic surge.
•The address highlighted Trump's intent to make tariffs a central element of his administration's trade and economic strategy.