On today's podcast:
1) NJ Transit locomotive engineers go on strike affecting the commute for hundreds of thousands of commuters. The strike is the result of failed contract negotiations between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen over a wage increase, with the union seeking the rail workers' first raise since 2019. The shutdown will severely impact service, with engineers responsible for operating the trains, and NJ Transit officials encouraging riders to work remotely and travel on the system for essential purposes only.
2) President Trump to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin 'soon' as he heads home from the Middle East. The president told reporters Friday he would return directly to Washington at the end of his Middle East visit, despite flirting with a potential in-person meeting with Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy with the aim of ending the war in Ukraine.
3) SALT remains a sticking point as Congress debates a tax bill. Republican infighting in the US House is threatening to sink President Trump’s legislative agenda over details of the giant tax bill. Republicans plan to work through the weekend to resolve the issue and other unresolved matters, with plans to bring the bill to the House floor next week.

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