Beneficial Ownership Rollback: FinCEN permanently ends Corporate Transparency Act beneficial ownership reporting for U.S. companies and U.S. persons, and will delete previously submitted U.S. person data from the BOI database—aimed at cutting red tape for millions of small owners. Small-Business Hiring Mood: NFIB reports small-business optimism jumped to an 11-month high in July as more owners plan to hire, though labor shortages remain a top worry. AI Payoff for SMBs: New reporting highlights a widening gap between growing SMBs that actually see gains from AI and those that spend without results, with time savings translating into faster decisions. Cybersecurity Help: Senators Todd Young and Adam Schiff introduce a bill to evaluate and improve federal cybersecurity resources for small businesses. Local Contracting Overhaul: Kansas City moves to replace its minority- and women-owned business program with a broader small-business contracting plan after legal challenges. Energy Costs & Data Centers: Mississippians raise concerns that Entergy’s push to power Amazon data centers could drive higher residential bills. Hunger-Free Schools: Nebraska Sen. Bob Andersen backed LB966 to expand free school meals statewide. Disaster Recovery Support: SBA and SBDC partners run disaster-recovery workshops for CNMI businesses, focusing on loan applications and resilience planning. Housing Market Pressure: Existing home sales fall again in July as higher mortgage rates and tight supply keep buyers out.