Geopolitical tensions intensified as China imposed stricter export controls on drones and dual-use technologies in retaliation for U.S. sanctions, complicating the lead-up to President Xi Jinping's planned September visit. Domestic infrastructure faced similar scrutiny after a significant AWS regional failure in Oregon caused widespread outages for services like Apple Pay and DoorDash, underscoring the systemic fragility of centralized cloud dependencies. In landmark legal developments, a federal judge ruled the National Firearms Act unconstitutional for items now taxed at zero, while the federal government began issuing $100 billion in tariff refunds following a Supreme Court invalidation. Separately, the Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as the permanent CDC director, and HHS decertified an organ procurement organization amid severe patient safety investigations. In macroeconomic news, Brazil’s central bank cut its Selic rate to 14% citing cooling inflation.