Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) President Trump demanded Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, raising pressure on Tehran before talks to turn a fragile ceasefire into lasting peace. The truce remains shaky, with Kuwait reporting large-scale drone attacks on “vital” facilities overnight into Friday and accusing Iran and its proxy groups of violating the ceasefire announced by Washington and Tehran two days earlier. The war has already killed thousands of people and damaged energy infrastructure across the oil-rich Persian Gulf. US and Iranian delegations are set to meet in Pakistan on Saturday, with shipping through Hormuz — which handled about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the war — a central sticking point. 2) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to hold direct talks with Lebanon about the conflict, with the focus on disarming Hezbollah. Trump called the Israeli leader on Wednesday and asked him to scale back strikes to ensure the success of negotiations with Iran, NBC reported, citing an unidentified senior administration official. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s strikes in Lebanon are a “clear violation” of the ceasefire and “will render negotiations meaningless.” 3) Oil rose a second day after Saudi Arabia said its production capacity has been reduced due to attacks on energy infrastructure, but futures remain on track for their biggest weekly loss since June. Saudi Arabia’s press agency said the nation’s production capacity has been cut by around 600,000 barrels a day due to attacks on energy infrastructure. That figure accounts for roughly 10% of the kingdom’s normal crude exports, according to Bloomberg calculations. Meanwhile, strikes on a pumping station serving the East-West pipeline — which Saudi Arabia has been using to export crude via the Red Sea — crimped daily throughput by 700,000 barrels this week, according to the report. Kuwait also said it was intercepting drone attacks and that some vital facilities were targeted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) President Trump vowed to keep US troops in the Persian Gulf ahead of talks with Iran that are planned to firm up a fragile truce, while Tehran warned there may be mines in a strategic waterway Washington wants reopened. Both sides accused each other of violating the truce that was announced Tuesday after six weeks of fighting, with a disagreement over whether the ceasefire extends to Lebanon emerging as a key flashpoint that could unravel the accord. Despite the escalating rhetoric, there were signs the ceasefire was largely holding, with a notable decline in attacks across Arab states in the Persian Gulf. Vice President JD Vance said Washington never suggested that fighting between Israel and Tehran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon would cease. But Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said continued attacks on Hezbollah — along with what Tehran described as an Israeli drone strike on its territory overnight — amounted to clear violations of the agreement. 2) President Trump lashed out at NATO after meeting with the military alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, making clear that his anger over the organization’s stance on the Iran war remained acute. “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” the president wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday evening. Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, was in the US on a mission to temper Trump’s public displeasure after NATO allies refused to help him protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz or let the US use some of their bases to attack Iran during the war that began on Feb. 28. Trump has also revived his grievance that NATO countries wouldn’t give him Greenland, a Danish territory. 3) A growing number of Federal Reserve officials worried the Iran war could further stoke inflation and wanted to make clear following their March meeting that the central bank may have to consider raising interest rates. Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s March 17-18 meeting, released Wednesday in Washington, showed policymakers wrestled with starkly differing scenarios for the US economy following the outbreak of the Iran war, and the policy reactions that might follow. Most officials worried a protracted war could hurt the labor market and warrant lower interest rates. At the same time, many policymakers highlighted the risk to inflation that might ultimately warrant rate increases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a last-ditch deal that averted President Trump’s threatened escalation of the war. Trump announced the agreement on social media Tuesday, hours after mediator Pakistan implored him to back off his deadline to unleash massive devastation on Iran if it didn’t meet his demands. The deal buys time for the two sides to reach a longer agreement to end the six-week conflict, which has killed thousands of people and sparked a global energy crisis. 2) Oil and gas prices both plummeted after the US and Iran's announced ceasefire. Brent fell as much as 16% before trading around $95 a barrel, while European natural gas futures posted their biggest decline in more than two years, shedding as much as 20%. Prices of refined fuels such as diesel and jet fuel — which had been the biggest threats to global inflation — also tumbled. Much will now depend on how quickly transit through Hormuz can resume. It’s the route for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, and the near-halt of traffic has pushed prices for real-world crude to a record. Faced with an unprecedented disruption to flows, the world is rapidly running down supply buffers to offset the loss. 3) Republican Clay Fuller is projected to win a US House seat in a deeply conservative Georgia district even as Democratic gains serve as an early warning for Republican lawmakers navigating President Trump’s threats of a widening war in Iran and voters’ growing economic unease. With 83% of the votes counted, Fuller had 57% compared to 43% for the Democratic candidate, Shawn Harris, according to Decision Desk HQ. That would keep the seat vacated by conservative firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene in Republican hands, but by a narrower margin than in recent elections. Trump had carried the district by 37 percentage points in 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that’s expected to halt the American-Israeli military campaign in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump announced the agreement Tuesday on social media hours after Pakistan, a mediator in talks, implored the US leader to back off his deadline to unleash massive devastation on Iran if it did not meet his demands. The deal buys time for the two sides to reach a longer agreement to end the six-week-old war, which has killed thousands of people and sparked a global energy crisis. Trump said he had agreed “to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks” as long as Iran agrees to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Radio host Doug Krizner speaks with: Bloomberg State Department and Foreign Policy Reporter Eric Martin Bloomberg This Weekend co-host Christina Ruffini Bloomberg White House and Washington correspondent Jeff Mason Terry Haines, founder of Pangea Policy Daniel Byman, Director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) President Trump’s latest deadline for Iran to agree to a deal is just hours away, and investors are once again finding themselves forced to prepare for a range of possible outcomes. Trump insisted that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz be part of any deal to end the Middle East war and escalated threats to obliterate key Iranian infrastructure if his terms aren’t met before a Tuesday deadline. Trump said Monday that talks with Iran are “going well” and that reopening the strait is “a very big priority.” The president in recent weeks has said an agreement on the strait wasn’t among his core prerequisites for ending the conflict. Trump laid bare the consequences Iran would face if it doesn’t reach a deal by his Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern Time cut-off, saying the US military could destroy “every bridge in Iran by 12 o’clock tomorrow night.” Power plants would be rendered “burning, exploding and never to be used again,” he said. Attacking civilian infrastructure is barred by the Geneva Conventions, but Trump said he was “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes. 2) NASA’s four Artemis astronauts swung behind the moon and are headed home, in a journey that shattered space travel distance records and brought people the closest they’ve been to the lunar surface in more than 50 years. At their nearest distance to the moon, the Artemis II’s Lockheed Martin Corp.-built Orion capsule came within an estimated 4,067 miles of the lunar surface, according to calculations by NASA. From the crew’s point of view, the moon would have appeared roughly the size of a basketball in someone’s outstretched hand. The spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth minutes later, reaching 252,756 miles, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a post on X. The astronauts earlier broke the distance record for space travel. Shortly before 2 p.m. New York time on Monday, they surpassed the distance the Apollo 13 crew traveled in 1970 of 248,655 miles (400,170 kilometers) from Earth, NASA said. 3) The University of Michigan Wolverines basketball team its second national title in men's basketball and first since 1989, beating the UConn Huskies by a score of 69-63. Michigan shot just two three-pointers all game, but relied on defense, holding UConn to under 31% shooting. Final Four Most Outstanding Player Elliot Cadeau led with 19 points. UConn’s bid for a third title in four seasons fell short, despite 22 offensive rebounds in the championship match. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) President Trump issued increasingly aggressive threats to destroy Iran’s power plants starting Tuesday and bring “Hell” to the country following the rescue of a US airman more than a day after his fighter jet was shot down. Iran rejected Trump’s latest ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying it would only fully resume operations when war damage is compensated. Tehran continued striking energy targets in Gulf neighbors, including Kuwait’s oil headquarters. Trump, in renewing his threats to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, used an expletive in a social media post and told Axios he would be “blowing up everything over there” if Iran doesn’t make a deal. He said he plans a news conference at 1 p.m. on Monday and posted about a Tuesday 8 p.m. deadline, without offering details. 2) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she is looking to hold talks with Iran’s leader and possibly also a separate call with President Trump, as the clock ticks on the US president’s latest threat to bomb key Iranian infrastructure. “We are currently making preparations for leadership level talks,” Japan’s Takaichi said of talks with Iran during a parliamentary session Monday. “We will continue to do everything in our power to find an off-ramp to this situation and return to peace.” Takaichi’s comments came with Trump warning Tehran that the US will bomb Iranian power plants unless it opens up the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point through which Japan secures over 90% of its oil. Takaichi said that Japan would do what it can ahead of the Tuesday ultimatum set by Trump, suggesting that she was also seeking a phone call with Trump, though nothing has been finalized yet. Whether Japan can help defuse tensions or even play a mediation role remains unclear, but the nation has a key interest in maintaining a working relationship with a country that currently controls passage through the Strait of Hormuz. 3) Saudi Arabia has raised the price of its main oil grade to Asia to a record high premium, as a widening conflict in the Persian Gulf and Iran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz convulse energy markets. State oil producer Saudi Aramco will increase flagship Arab Light crude prices for May sales to a premium of $19.50 over regional benchmarks for refiners in Asia, according to a price list seen by Bloomberg. Still, the level is less than the $40 a barrel premium anticipated by traders and refiners in a Bloomberg survey. The gap with market expectations is in part because of a volatile market, and as prices of some Middle Eastern grades dipped in the last week of March, according to traders. Aramco’s oil is also priced for loading in the Persian Gulf port of Ras Tanura, though all of the company’s exports are currently being shipped from the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Buyers typically incur additional costs to collect those barrels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special Good Friday Holiday edition of Bloomberg Daybreak, host John Tucker discusses: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) President Trump finally tried to sell the American public on his Iran war. But his primetime address five weeks into the messy conflict instead underscored the US president’s growing defensive posture, as pressure mounts on global shipping routes, gas prices and his political party. Trump said the US operation was close to completion, in an attempt to reassure a skeptical public. Still, the speech lacked new announcements — most notably a precise timeline for an exit. He also pledged more aggressive actions in the next two to three weeks, including potential strikes on electrical plants. The president also did not present any new arguments or explanations for the war, instead reiterating his desire to destroy Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities. Likewise, there was no concrete plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy thoroughfare. While he said diplomatic discussions continue, he shared no breakthroughs on ending the conflict. Treasury yields climbed and the dollar pushed higher as Trump’s remarks triggered gains in crude oil. US equity futures retreated. 2) European allies are skeptical President Trump will actually pull the US out of NATO. But they still fear the president’s renewed threats to do so are eroding the military alliance at a precarious moment. Trump on Wednesday capped mounting US critiques of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with a suggestion that he was strongly considering leaving the alliance. His comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, typically seen as Washington’s NATO defender, chided the alliance for its “very disappointing” response to the war in Iran. While the rhetoric isn’t particularly novel — Trump and his cohort have long bashed NATO allies as free-loaders who don’t help the US — the president’s latest ire is posing a greater risk to the alliance as his war in Iran deepens and he looks for people to blame, according to officials familiar with discussions among allies. 3) NASA’s crew of astronauts launched to space and reached a stable orbit, kicking off a landmark journey that will take them closer to the lunar surface than anyone has been in more than 50 years. The initial phase of the 10-day mission to lap the moon, a multibillion-dollar feat about a decade in the making, clears a major hurdle for NASA and its legacy aerospace contractors as the agency works to establish a base on the lunar surface and ultimately venture to Mars. The crew’s Lockheed Martin Corp.-built Orion capsule, stacked on the shoulders of Boeing Co.’s Space Launch System rocket, thundered off the launchpad at 6:35 p.m. local time at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket system, taller than the Statue of Liberty, reached speeds of around 17,500 miles per hour as it hurtled to space. It blazed a trail of fire and smoke as it climbed and eventually shed its spent side boosters, which provided extra thrust. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump said the war in Iran is “very close” to completion, even as he signaled strikes could escalate in the near term. Trump in a rare prime-time address on Wednesday cast the war as a success, saying the operation had nearly achieved its military goals, including destroying Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, air force, navy and industrial base. He said those steps would prevent Tehran’s proxies from destabilizing the region and cut off the country’s path to nuclear weapons. “Tonight I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” Trump said from the White House in a roughly 20-minute speech. “We are going to finish the job. and we’re going to finish it very fast, we’re getting very close.” The speech came as the president is grasping for an off-ramp in a conflict that has quickly slipped out of control. For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Radio host Doug Krizner speaks with Bloomberg This Weekend co-host Christina Ruffini and Bloomberg White House and Washington correspondent Jeff Mason. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) President Trump said he foresaw ending the war on Iran within two to three weeks, suggesting the US had largely accomplished its military goals and would leave it to other nations to resolve issues with the Strait of Hormuz. Trump indicated that it was possible that Iran could still reach a deal with the US during that timeframe but said an agreement with Tehran was not necessary for the war to end. Trump added the US would leave when Iran was not able to obtain nuclear weapons and claimed the regime now in power was better than the leadership before the war. 2) Oil tumbled after President Trump again signaled a potential end to the Iran war. Brent crude fell below $100 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was around $97. Trump told reporters that the US could leave Iran within two to three weeks, and indicated an agreement with Tehran may be reached but wasn’t necessary for the conflict to end. The president will give an address to the nation at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday to provide an update, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Trump has regularly vacillated between saying an Iran deal is imminent and warning he’s prepared to ramp up military operations. 3) The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on President Trump's assertion that the 14th Amendment's citizenship provision was designed to cover only the children of freed slaves, amid his executive order to block citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visitors. Trump will attend the oral arguments at 10am ET on Wednesday, according to his official schedule from the White House. Critics say Trump is seeking to rewrite the 14th Amendment, which promises citizenship to "all persons" born in the US and "subject to the jurisdiction thereof", a provision many scholars and public officials say is straightforward in its breadth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) Iran hit a fully laden Kuwaiti oil tanker off Dubai in a drone attack, a sign it’s willing to escalate strikes on energy sites and infrastructure as the war drags on. Despite the attack, crude prices were steady in early trading, with US benchmark prices trading at about a $102 a barrel. That was partly because of a report in the Wall Street Journal saying US President Donald Trump is willing to wind down hostilities and pressure Tehran diplomatically to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 2) US gasoline climbed above an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since August 2022, one of the most visible measures of consumer pain in the world’s largest economy resulting from the war in Iran. The nationwide average retail price for regular unleaded gas rose to $4.018 a gallon on Monday, according to the American Automobile Association. Prices have surged by more than $1 since the start of the war, up from $2.98 on the day before the US and Israel launched attacks against Tehran. 3) Unilever Plc said talks to sell most of its food business to McCormick & Co. are advanced and a final deal could be announced later on Tuesday in a historic move that will transform both companies. The Anglo-Dutch maker of Hellmann’s mayonnaise will offload most of its food unit, excluding some parts like its operations in India, for $15.7 billion cash upfront and the rest in McCormick equity, according to a statement Tuesday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) US and Israeli forces pressed ahead with attacks on Iran while the Islamic Republic launched missiles across the Persian Gulf, sending oil prices higher once again amid no sign of an imminent peace deal. The Israeli military said on Monday that it’s carrying out airstrikes on Iranian military targets a day after attacks resulted in power outages in the capital, Tehran, and nearby areas. The United Arab Emirates issued multiple alerts overnight and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reported strikes. 2) Treasuries firmed, supporting US stocks, as fears that the war in the Middle East will trigger a sharp economic slowdown prompted traders to dial back bets on higher interest rates. Brent hit $116 a barrel. 3) The Trump administration is planning to let a Russian oil tanker dock in Cuba, alleviating an energy crisis triggered when the US prohibited deliveries to the Communist regime.The shipment of crude is expected to be allowed to arrive in coming days, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified without permission to speak publicly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you want to build a diversified portfolio, you need to assemble assets that respond to different return drivers. Digital assets can play a central role. For starters, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin behave differently than traditional equities or commodities, giving portfolios exposure to unique sources of risk and return. And within the crypto universe, you can find coins, protocols, and equities that all behave differently under different market conditions. By investing in a wide range of digital assets you can potentially both mitigate risk and improve returns. This episode is sponsored by Coinbase. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) The Senate passed legislation early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, forging a path to end a lengthy partial government shutdown that snarled airport security and threatened to ripple through an economy already roiled by the Iran war. The bill, which must still pass the House and be signed by President Donald Trump, marks an abrupt reversal for Republicans, who had blocked similar proposals backed by Democrats to partially fund the department for weeks. The legislation passed the Senate by voice vote. 2) President Donald Trump again pushed back his deadline for Iran to strike a deal with the US or face more attacks, saying talks with the country were going “very well.” Trump said he would extend by 10 days his pledge to refrain from attacks on Iranian energy sites, his second extension since Saturday’s threat to eviscerate Iran’s power plants in the absence of a deal. 3) Anthropic PBC is considering going public as soon as in October, according to people familiar with the matter, as the artificial intelligence company races with rival OpenAI Inc. to hold an initial public offering.The maker of the popular Claude chatbot has had early discussions with Wall Street banks about taking leading roles on a potential listing, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information isn’t public. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) The White House has insisted that peace talks with Iran are ongoing, even as Tehran publicly rejected US overtures and issued fresh conditions of its own to end the conflict that’s wreaked havoc across the Middle East and global markets. President Trump claimed Iran was desperate to make a deal to end the nearly month-long hostilities. “They want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it,” Trump told congressional Republicans Wednesday night in Washington. The comments ran counter to Iran’s earlier statements through state-run media publicly rejecting Trump’s push for talks. Tehran is also seeking its own guarantees, including that the US and Israel won’t resume their attacks, reparations for war damages and recognition of its authority over the Strait of Hormuz, according to state-owned Press TV. 2) Ticket prices on major routes connecting Asia and Europe have surged up to 560% this month and are likely to stay elevated through the summer and into fall as war-related disruptions ripple through the Persian Gulf, the world’s busiest transit corridor, according to Alton Aviation Consultancy. For June travel, fares across seven popular Asia-Pacific to Europe routes are averaging about 70% higher than a year ago, based on Alton’s analysis of data from analytics firm Cirium and online travel agencies. A Sydney-to-London ticket now averages more than $1,500, roughly double last year’s price. Fares include direct and one-stop flights, as well as transits through Gulf airports. Prices are expected to remain about 30% above last year’s levels even as far out as October. 3) Officials in Germany have started mapping vulnerabilities in US supply chains to identify points where Germany and its European Union partners could apply pressure, according to people familiar with the effort. Their goal is to create a consensus among EU nations on how they can use their leverage, if and when they get drawn into another dispute with the White House. The initial findings suggest ways to target the massive US tech firms with close ties to the White House, the officials said. Other options could aim for the AI investment boom that has helped to drive US stocks to record highs this year or push up drug prices for American voters, an issue the president has already shown he’s sensitive to. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: 1) Iran kept up missiles and drone attacks on Arab Gulf states and Israel overnight, after the US floated a proposal to end a war that’s wreaked havoc across the Middle East and in global markets. Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone in the east of the country, while a strike targeting Kuwait set ablaze a fuel tank at its main airport. Iranian media said more missiles were fired at Israel. There were no reports of casualties in any of the incidents. The US sent Iran a 15-point plan, which Pakistan delivered, according to people familiar with the matter, highlighting the urgency within the Trump administration to resolve the conflict it started as the economic toll mounts. The details remain unclear, though President Trump has publicly signaled that any peace agreement would have to include a prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon or enriching radioactive material for civilian purposes. Iran has yet to comment on the proposal. Trump, when he first announced talks with the Islamic Republic on Monday, implied he hoped to get an agreement by Friday. That may be difficult given the wide gaps that remain between the sides, with several Iranian officials saying the country isn’t ready to negotiate and that Trump is merely trying to calm markets and push down oil prices. 2) A system designed to help air-traffic controllers monitor vehicles and airplanes on the ground failed to alert personnel at LaGuardia Airport before an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck late Sunday evening, killing the two pilots. An analysis found the system, known as ASDE-X, issued no alert to the two controllers in the tower due to “the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging near the runway,” US National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference on Tuesday. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey fire truck involved in the crash also wasn’t equipped with a transponder that would have helped pinpoint its location, Homendy said. The Federal Aviation Administration last year encouraged airports with ASDE-X to voluntarily equip their vehicles with special transmitters to “improve airfield safety.” 3) Senate Democrats have rejected the latest offer from President Trump and Republicans to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security and end a lengthy shutdown that has snarled airport security checkpoints and threatened to ripple through an economy already roiled by the Iran war. The Republican plan does not include any of the policy proposals Democrats have insisted on in their fight to overhaul Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics following the killings of two protesters in Minneapolis by agents earlier this year. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters his party would send a counter-offer to Republicans, which would include changes to immigration enforcement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.