Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) Fighting between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance continued unabated, even as President Trump claimed talks are under way to end the conflict. Iran launched overnight missile and drone attacks on the Israeli cities of Eilat, Dimona and Tel Aviv, as well as US bases in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone in its eastern region, and Kuwait said some power lines were put out of service after an Iranian attack. Sirens sounded in Bahrain. In Iran, the Fars news agency reported US-Israeli attacks that damaged a gas pressure-regulation plant and an administrative building in the central city of Isfahan. There was also a strike on a pipeline supplying gas to the Khorramshahr Combined Cycle Power Plant in southwestern Iran, according to Fars. The attacks continued after Trump postponed strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing “productive conversations” with Tehran. The US president’s claims of behind-the-scenes diplomacy were widely denied by Iranian officials, causing confusion over the participants in the talks and the parameters of a potential deal.
2) Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have taken steps toward joining the Iran war, the Wall Street Journal reported, potentially signaling an escalation of the fighting. Saudi Arabia agreed to give the US military access to King Fahd Air Base, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter, an apparent reversal after saying its bases couldn’t be used to attack its longtime rival. The newspaper also cited people familiar as saying the United Arab Emirates closed an Iranian-owned hospital and club — undercutting a key source of support for Tehran.
3) Senators in both parties expressed rising optimism late Monday about reaching an agreement to end the five-week partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has increasingly snarled air travel across the United States. After Republican senators met at the White House with President Trump on Monday, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, a key negotiator, said she thought they had a solution to the impasse. On the floor she could be seen talking with members of both parties including Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader. Schumer said “both sides are working in a serious way” as he left the Capitol after a day that began when Trump soured the talks with demands that Republicans tie passage of the partisan SAVE America Act voting legislation to Homeland Security funding. 

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Stocks and bonds rebounded after President Donald Trump said the US and Iran had “very good” conversations about an end to the conflict in the Middle East.  
President rump said strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants would be postponed for five days following the start of talks with Iran to end the war.  
For details on this development, Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney speak with Bloomberg Middle East Reporter Joumanna Bercetche, Silvercrest Asset Management Head of Investment Policy & Strategy Robert Teeter, and Veda Partners Co-Founder Henrietta Treyz.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

1) Iran carried out fresh strikes across the Persian Gulf hours before President Trump’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expires, as the waterway’s closure continues to rattle global energy markets. The United Arab Emirates reported drone and missile attacks by the Islamic Republic overnight into Monday. Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on infrastructure in Tehran and said it’s preparing to expand ground operations in Lebanon, where it’s fighting Iran-aligned Hezbollah. Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum to “fully open” the vital strait — a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports — expires at 7:44 p.m. eastern time on Monday, after which he’s threatened strikes on Iran’s power plants. Should such an attack occur, Iran has threatened to hit power and water plants across the region. One senior Iranian official said on social media that the headquarters and assets of financial entities that buy US Treasury bonds are “legitimate targets.”

2) Global bond yields have risen to the highest since May 2024 as a surge in energy costs due to the Middle East conflict leads traders to position for central bank interest-rate hikes. US yields are perched at their highest in months after a third straight week of bond losses on speculation the Federal Reserve may be compelled to raise borrowing costs to combat inflation. Australia’s 10-year yields climbed to the highest level since 2011 on Monday, while those in New Zealand are at the highest since May 2024. India’s 10-year yield rose to a level last seen in January 2025. Japanese and South Korean bond yields also climbed, while European bond futures dropped. 

3) Oil gained from the highest close since mid-2022, as investors assessed President Donald Trump’s two-day ultimatum to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s threat of reprisals. Brent rose above $113 a barrel, up for a fifth day, while West Texas Intermediate was near $100. Global benchmark Brent has surged by more than 50% since the strikes by the US and Israel on Iran began in late February. The conflict has shown no signs of abating, with key petroleum-product markets rallying even harder than crude. That’s threatened to unleash a wave of global inflation, bringing turmoil to financial markets from commodities to stocks and bonds.

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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Alexis Christoforous take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look at to what we can expect for  mortgage rates in 2026.
• In the UK – we preview Denmark's upcoming snap elections
• In Asia – a discussion on what we can expect when EV maker BYD releases earnings

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) Iran pressed ahead with attacks on Arab states in the Persian Gulf even after Israel signaled it would refrain from hitting the Islamic Republic’s energy infrastructure, fueling volatility in markets roiled by the war in the oil-rich region.
2) Oil headed for another weekly gain as the war in the Middle East dragged on, with the Strait of Hormuz all-but-closed, strikes continuing across the region, and analysts warning the crisis may deepen.
3) Sanae Takaichi had warned her first summit with Donald Trump in Washington could be “extremely difficult,” after the US asked her to deploy warships to Iran. Instead, she showcased Japan’s deep ties with the US — and her own agility on the world stage. Takaichi smiled politely during the only obvious moment of tension during their Oval Office meeting on Thursday, when Trump referenced the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Otherwise, the Republican leader praised Takaichi, highlighted new areas of economic cooperation and pledged to speak up for Tokyo when he eventually meets Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) President Trump sought to stop attacks on energy facilities in the Middle East after Israel and Iran struck key targets, fueling concern that a prolonged war will cause lasting damage to oil and gas infrastructure. Iran unleashed waves of retaliatory strikes on projects in Arab countries across the Persian Gulf overnight into Thursday after its prized South Pars gas field — part of the world’s largest gas field shared with Qatar — came under Israeli fire, jolting markets.
2) A Qatari complex housing the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant suffered “extensive damage” amid a sharp escalation of attacks on energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.
3) Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made it clear the US central bank won’t cut interest rates again until inflation resumes cooling. And that’s before it even starts considering the possible impact of the war in the Middle East.

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Bloomberg's Tom Keene and Jonathan Ferro discuss remarks from Fed Chair Jay Powell following the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.

Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged and continued to expect one rate cut this year as they acknowledged increased uncertainty due to war in the Middle East.

Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that to resume lowering rates, officials would have to see progress in reducing inflation, especially goods inflation that has been boosted by tariffs.

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Bloomberg's Tom Keene and Jonathan Ferro break down the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) Iranian attacks on Israel and Arab states in the Persian Gulf continued overnight into Wednesday, while President Donald Trump said the US could end the war with the Islamic Republic “in the near future.”Iran launched fresh waves of missile and drone attacks, targeting the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It also struck Tel Aviv and killed two people.
2) President Donald Trump is desperate to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease a growing global energy crisis. He won’t achieve that easily without a ceasefire in the war on Iran.Iran’s sporadic attacks on vessels and the threat of mines have cut traffic in the vital waterway to a trickle, effectively putting Tehran, not outside naval forces, in charge of the flow. The strait carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies, and the disruption has led to production cuts, fuel shortages and price increases from Asia to Europe and Africa.
3) Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic nomination for the state’s US Senate seat on Tuesday, beating a rival who far out-spent her and handing a victory to her boss and potential 2028 presidential candidate, Governor JB Pritzker.With more than 80% of the ballots counted, Stratton garnered 40% while Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi took 33%, according to Decision Desk HQ. Representative Robin Kelly, who some Democrats thought would undercut support for Stratton, trailed with 18%.

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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) Iran set a massive natural gas field in the United Arab Emirates ablaze as it steps up attacks on key energy sites, while US President Donald Trump appealed to allies and the likes of China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
2) President Donald Trump’s request for a delay to his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping is a likely welcome development for Beijing, even as it threatens to inject new uncertainty into ties between the world’s two largest economies.
3) US stocks fell and Treasury yields rose after attacks on key energy infrastructure in the Middle East drove a renewed advance in oil prices.Futures for the S&P 500 dropped 0.3% as optimism from the previous session faded. Brent climbed 3.6% toward $104 a barrel after Iran struck energy facilities around the Persian Gulf. Treasuries declined modestly, with the 10-year yield rising one basis point to 4.23%. The dollar was little changed.The US-Israeli war against Iran continues to reverberate, with traders focused on crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Rising oil prices are fueling inflation concerns ahead of the Federal Reserve and other major central bank meetings, with US diesel topping $5 a gallon for the first time since 2022.

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