Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it.

Infliction is killing me!

But who cares? Big retailers are making record profits!

That's why we support the Durban Marshall Credit Card Bill!

See? Banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll.

This bill would cut the vital resources they need.

While increasing megastore profits, they deserve it. Don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durban Marshall money grab for corporate megastores. Paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition.

Here's your morning brief for Monday, February 9th. I'm Daniel Bach for the Wall Street Journal.

Japan's benchmark Niki Stock Index surged to a record high today after Prime Minister

Sinai Takiichi won a powerful mandate to deepen ties with the U.S. and rev up Japan's economy.

The landslide victory in yesterday's elections gives Takaichi's government a more than two-thirds majority

in Japan's lower house and the ability to overrule the smaller upper house to push through its

agenda. That helped push Asian stocks to end the day higher, with European shares also gaining

in midday trading. That's in part because shares in weight loss drug maker Novo Nordisk

have rallied after American

telehealth company Hems and Hers dropped its plan to offer a knockoff version of Wegovi over the weekend.

The move came after the Food and Drug Administration threatened to restrict access to the ingredients needed for

compounding pharmacies to copy popular GLP1 medicines. Shares of Hems and Hers are down

more than 15% in off-hours trading since Friday's U.S. close. SpaceX says it's putting off

a planned mission to Mars this year and will shift its focus to a lunar voyage for NASA. The rocket

company told investors it will target a March 27 moon landing without humans on board.

The strategic shift comes as SpaceX doubles down on plans to launch AI data centers in space

...