Plus, Trump tries an economic reset.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. Hopes for a deal to end the Iran war grow, Trump tries an economic reset as Republicans fret over high gas prices, and Russian strikes kill 16 across Ukraine.

Plus, US lawyers say AI chats could be used against you.

Today's Top News

 

Israeli soldiers near the Israel-Lebanon border. REUTERS/Florion Goga

Middle East

  • Optimism grew that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of US President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
  • Trump told ABC News that he's predicting an "amazing two days ahead." White House correspondent Steve Holland tells the Reuters World News podcast that Trump's timeline is likely overly optimistic. Listen now.

United States

  • Trump will look to brush off concerns about the economy and the sagging political prospects of his Republican Party during a campaign-style swing through the battleground states of Nevada and Arizona, as the war with Iran pushes gasoline prices higher.
  • US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will highlight nutrition and food safety when he appears before lawmakers, leaving out references to overhauling ‌the vaccination schedule and identifying the causes of autism, his written testimony shows.
  • As people increasingly turn to artificial intelligence for advice, some US lawyers are telling their clients not to treat AI chatbots like trusted confidants when their freedom or legal liability is on the line.

In other news

  • Russia unleashed its deadliest attack so far this year on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and ‌other cities overnight, killing 16 people, including a 12-year-old child, and wounding scores.
  • Pope Leo urged Cameroon's government to root out corruption and resist "the whims of the rich and powerful", in a forceful speech given in the presence of President Paul Biya, who has led the country since 1982.
  • South African opposition politician Julius Malema was given a five-year prison sentence for firing a rifle in the air at a rally, a magistrate's court decided.
 

Business & Markets

 
  • The European Union is drafting plans to tackle a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials said. European airlines have warned of jet fuel shortages within weeks as ‌a result of the Iran war, disrupting travel ahead of summer. 
  • China's economy picked up speed early in 2026, riding an export surge before the Iran war sent energy costs soaring and put global demand - vital to Beijing's growth ambitions - at risk.
  • The prospect of a smooth-and-on-time transition to Trump's pick for the next Federal Reserve chief, Kevin Warsh, looks increasingly to be on shaky ground, setting up a possible clash over who runs things in ‌the meantime.
  • The US nearly turned into a net crude exporter last week for the first time since World War Two as shipments surged close to a record high to meet demand from Asian and European buyers scrambling to replace Middle East supplies.
  • Boeing is hiring around 100 to 140 factory workers a week, the highest pace since 2024, as the US ‌jetmaker replaces retirees and increases staffing to support higher production rates and new models, a union leader said.
  • Economists gathered this week for the IMF and World Bank meetings amid soaring oil prices. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how debt-laden countries face an impossible task of managing inflation.
 

Myanmar refugees seek risky sea routes to safety

 


Deadly maritime journeys have become a recurring feature of a long-running humanitarian crisis, as refugees from Myanmar continue to risk their lives on overcrowded, unseaworthy boats in search of safety and opportunity.

For years, members of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority have risked their lives on flimsy wooden boats, driven by violence at home and desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, hoping to reach safety and opportunity in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.

Read our visual story
 

And Finally...

Steven Spielberg at the Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon. Las Vegas, Nevada. REUTERS/Caroline Brehman

Steven Spielberg described his 1977 UFO film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" as ‌his own "speculation" about intelligent life on other planets.

His new alien movie, "Disclosure Day," will offer what Spielberg believes is "more truth than fiction," the veteran filmmaker told theater operators at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.

Read more
 

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