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Good morning, I'm Nathan Hager and I'm Karen Moscow. Here are the stories we're following today, Karen.
President Trump is ramping up threats with his latest deadline for a deal to end the war with Iran now just hours away. The President says free flow of traffic through the Strait of horror moves must be part of any agreement, and if there's no deal by eight o'clock tonight, he says, the US will lay waste to the country.
Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by twelve o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again.
I mean complete demolition.
President Trump spoke yesterday at a White House news conference heard live on Bloomberg Radio. We get more from Bloomberg Middle East correspondent Jumana Bursecci in Dubai.
Very tense twenty four hours coming up over here in the region. And you don't need to go so far as to look back at the various comments that President Chump has made over the course of the weekend, including that very explosive truth social polls that he put up on Easter Sunday, essentially saying to Iran that unless they open up the straits and do so unconditionally, then the US would have no option but to strike back and
to go after their power plants. And he then subsequently gave that deadline eight pm Eastern Time, which translates to around three four in the morning over here in the region.
Bloomberg's Jumani Burssetti reports Iran has threatened to ramp up its own attacks on energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf if President Trump goes after civilian targets, Iran's president must sued Pozsesshki and says fourteen million Iranians have volunteered to sacrifice themselves in the war, including himself. Irani and state media are reporting at least eighteen people were killed today in an air strike targeting Albors province bordering Tehran.
Nathan Now a Bloomberg exclusive. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbon told of life dmir Putin during a phone call that he was willing to go to great lengths to assist the Russian president. Bloomberg News obtained a transcript of a phone call between the two leaders Ben Sils is our managing editor for Economy and Government news in Europe and Russia.
It pulls back the curtain on the relationship between Uban and Putin. We've known for a long time that Uban is an ally of Putin, that he has been working to further Russian interests and often frustrate what most of the EU members would consider European interests for a number of years, particularly over the war in Ukraine. But what this morning's story kind of shows you is just how close Orban is with Putin.
And Bloomberg's Ben Sills says the relationship between Orban's government and the Kremlin is coming under increasing scrutiny as Hungarian's prepared to vote in an election this weekend.
Karen, the four astronauts of Artemis two are preparing to head back to Earth after a history making trip around the far side of the Moon.
One of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the Moon and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again after being out of communication for about forty five minutes. It really just reminds you what a special place we have.
Mission specialist Christina Cook reflected after the Orion Crue capsule emerged from the communications blackout last night. The spacecraft came within four thousand and sixty seven miles of the lunar surface at its closest point. Minutes later, it reached a record setting distance from Earth, more than two hundred and fifty two thousand miles. President Trump phoned in to congratulate the astronauts on their achievement.
Your mission paves away for America's return to the lunar surface very soon. We're going all out. We're doing everything we can, and it's set it up by Jared. We'll plant our flag once again, and this time we won't just leave footprints. We'll establish a permanent presence on the Moon and we'll push on to Mars.
And the President invited the astronauts to the White House, but before that, they've got a splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
That final phase of Artemis two is set for Friday.
Well, Nathan back here on Earth. Voters in Georgia's fourteenth Congressional district will pick a replacement for Marjorie Taylor Green in a special congressional runoff. In Bloomberg's Amy Morris has the latest.
The runoff is between Democrats Sean Harris and Republican Clay Fuller, the top two vote getters in the March tenth special election. Harris is a retired Army brigadier general who lost to Marjorie Taylor Green in the twenty twenty four general election. Fuller is a district attorney who has President Trump's endorsement. The outcome of this runoff will affect the balance of power in the US House, where Republicans currently have a two hundred and seventeen to two hundred and fourteen majority.
In Washington, Amy Morris Bloomberg Radio.
Thanks Amy.
From Ballots to Brackets.
Now, for the first time in more than thirty five years, the Michigan Wolverines are men's NCAA basketball champions. Let's get the details from Bloomberg's sports reporter Johnson dash Our John.
Nathan it was a tight game in Indianapolis. I had grinded out low scoring affair. One team had the lead throughout the second half.
Caravan trucks it down with two seconds with one he throws at the half court. And since nineteen eighty nine, there's been a blank space in the Michigan trophy case. Write the name Michigan to twenty twenty six men's basketball National champions.
I WESTWN won sixty nine sixty three over Yukon Wolverine SSEN only thirty eight percent, made only two three pointers, but made all but three of their twenty eight free throws, capped to thirty seven and three, season, handing Yukon its first ever tournament final defeat. The Huskies had been six and oero reaction coming up in sports, John Stashwar Bloomberg Radio, Karen Nathan.
All right, John, thank you well. Every year Bloomberg assembles a group of business and finance titans to pick out their March Madness brackets for a cause, and each of the participants picks at charity and pledges twenty thousand dollars. This year's winner is Newberger Berman CEO George Waller, who successfully picked Michigan to win it all. Mister Walker's charity selection was Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Well, another billionaire, Karen bill Ackman, is thinking of a big deal in music. His Pershing Square Capital Management is offering to buy Universal Music Group in a deal that could be valued at more than sixty billion dollars UMG. Represents artists including Taylor, Swift and Drake. Under a proposal, Acman would merge Universal Stock with an acquisition company, effectively moving the listing from Amsterdam to New York.
Well, we have several major insurance stocks on the rise this morning, Nathan. The jump comes after the US Medicare program finalized a two point four to eight percent rate hike for health insurers in twenty twenty seven. Investors see the pay boost as a meaningful improvement over the initial
rates the agency proposed in January. Shares of Alignment Health a surging seventeen percent, u Meta at more than ten percent, and United Healthcare and CBS throughout more than six percent in early trading.
Karen Broadcom says it plans to deliver chips to AI startup and Thropic. It'll use Google's Tensor processing Units or TPUs, offering an alternative to technology developed by Nvidia. The three companies are also expanding a strategic collaboration that will let Anthropic access about three and a half gigawatts worth of computing power that will begin in twenty twenty seven.
Time now for look at some of the other stories making news in New York and around the world, and for that we're joined by Bloomberg's Michael Barr. Michael, good morning, Good.
Morning, Karen. Vice President JD. Vance visits Hungary today, where he will meet with Prime Minister Victor Orban ahead of that country's election on April twelfth, and spoke briefly to the press as he boarded a plane in Maryland.
Looking forward to.
Seeing my good friend Victor, and you know, we'll talk about any number of things related to the US Hungry relationship.
Obviously, I'm sure Europe.
And Ukraine and all the other several bigger and pretty prominently.
Orbon is trailer in the polls to anti corruption opposition candidates Peter Magyar. Orban has led Hungary for sixteen years, and according to a person familiar with the matter, Hungary will reach a deal to buy oil from the US. During vance His visit, the World Health Organization announced that it was suspending evacuations from Gaza after a worker contracted to help them was killed. On Monday. Israel and Amas
have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. In Indianapolis, a city council member who reportedly voted to approve a data center had gunshots fired at his home. Police say they're searching for a suspect. Councilman Ron Gibson says he and his eight year old son were home at the time of the shooting.
Well, my fate called me to forgive. I'm a Christian, so I must forgive. I would just ask him why.
Counselman Gibson says thirteen rounds were fired at his home, some of those bullets landing just steps from their dining room. Table centers are used to store, train and operate AI models. They are considered controversial because they also gobble up power and water. New York Mayor Zoron Mumdani has reportedly named a former senior Biden administration official to be his new child Welfare Commissioner, Rebecca Jones. Gaston spent time in foster
care as an infant. The mayor plans to officially announce Gaston's appointment later today. Global News twenty four hours a day and whenever you want it with Bloomberg News Now Michael Barr and this is Bloomberg Karen.
All right, Michael Barr, thank you time now for the Bloomberg Sports Update. Here's John Stashower. John, Good morning, Glori.
Ker not the way Michigan usually wins. In the first five of the NCAA tournament, Wolverine scored ninety or more points.
The scoring was down in the championship game.
In Indianapolis, but Michigan pulled it out over Yukon sixty nine sixty three, capping a thirty seven and three season filled with lopsided victories.
The Michigan coach.
Is We've talked about being in close games. Well, we haven't been in a close game like this all year, where there was a lot of friction in our huddles. The emotion was pouring out late in the game because there were such extreme runs. There's always runs, these were extreme runs, and I.
Was proud of our guys.
They were able to regulate their emotions, get back together and figure out a way to.
Win michigan second title ever. The other was nineteen eighty nine. They had lost to the title game four times since Yukon, and its history in championship games was six and zero, including two recent ones. The Huskies Alex Caravan was trying to win for him a third title.
It hurts a lot right now, but I'm just reminding myself right now that you know when I came into Yukon, how much I've grown, and I've I'm ultimately leaving Yukon at a better place right now from where it started. So I gave it everything I got.
I gave it my heart.
Michigan's Elliot Caddo named Attorney's most Outstanding Player. The Knicks in Atlanta, facing the hot team they could be meeting in the first round of the playoffs.
It was a playoff atmosphere in the Hawk.
CJ McCullum hit a shot from beyond half court that would have set the game to overtime, but it left his hand a fraction of a second after the buzzer.
The next one one, eight, one five.
Michael Malone, who three years ago coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA Championship, the new coach at North Carolina, where the football coach is six time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick. Dexter Lawrence, the middle of the Giants defensive line the past seven years, now demanding a trade, won't show up for the Giants offseason workouts. Lawrence has two years left on his contract. Mets hosts the A's tonight.
They have foot one Soto on the injured list with a strange cast, Soto won't play the next two to three weeks.
John Stashawer Bloomberg Sports, Karen Nathan.
Stay with us more from Bloomberg day Break coming up after this.
Coast to coast on Bloomberg Radio, nationwide on Sirius XM, and around the world on Bloomberg dot Com and the Bloomberg Business opp This is Bloomberg Daybreak.
Good morning on n and Hagar.
Coming up to the latest deadline for Iran to reach a deal to end the US war. President Donald Trump is ramping up threats against key infrastructure. If there's no agreement by eight o'clock tonight.
The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.
And that was President Trump and a White House news conference yesterday I heard live on Bloomberg Radio this morning. Joining us from Dubai is Bloomberg Middle East correspond to Jumana Borsecci, the anchor of Bloomberg Horizons, And among the many questions this morning, Jumana is whether President Trump follows through at this latest deadline and what it could mean for the war if he does.
Good morning, Yeah, absolutely, I mean, he's got a couple of options here. He could follow through if there is no deal and all, I mean, the signs are looking pretty slim now for diplomatic breakthrough. So if he does follow through, then that would mean we would see a massive intensification of these military operations, possibly maybe even ground troop involvement. We've been reporting on the bulking up of military assets in the region and of course repercussions from
Iran onto Gulf states as well. So there's a real sense of nervousness the next twenty four hours. But then he could equally move the deadline. He could shift the ultimatum. He's done that before, at the risk of undermining US credibility of course, or he could also do nothing and the declare victory, which is you know, also within the range of outcomes. So we don't really have a lot of visibility about what is going to happen. Ultimately, this
decision will lie and rest with the US President. But what I can tell you from the region is there have been that has been intensification of mediation efforts in the last twenty four hours from the likes of Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt to try to bring the two sites together at least to secure our seasfire.
Have they gotten any closer to coming together? I mean, the last we heard from the Iranian side was not only did they reject the latest seasfire proposal, but they came with even more demands of their own.
That's correct. And again multiple media reports so overnight, you know, some suggesting that there is a window, a glimmer of hope for diplomacy. If you go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of each one of those countries that I mentioned, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, all of them are pointing to many backchannels that are taking place, including conversations with Steve Whitcoff and reportedly Jdvans is going to be involved in those discussions as well if there is a follow through. But to
your point, the Iranians continue to be defiant. They have put forward their own counterproposals of what they would like to see, and Iranian State TV over the weekend has said very clearly that they don't want to see just a temporary ceasefire. What they would like is a permanent cessation of hostilities. They want to see assurances from the US that this would never happen again, war reparations, and then the new one. Of course, this is their new leverage.
Their point of leverage is some form of a new pro over control of this Strait of Hormos, and they are insisting that they should somehow be able to effectively manage still and introduce perhaps even a toll structure around the vessels that are capable of passing through the straits, an outcome which of course is unacceptable for the rest of the world.
Of course, the President's put the straight front and center in his latest ultimatum as well in our last thirty seconds. What does that say about the pressure he's under right now?
Yeah, well, it all comes back to energy. And the longer the Strait of Hormo stays closed, the more you're going to see upward push on not just oil on gas, on energy products, on helium on gas. And you're beginning to see that it's beginning to bite the price of gasoline. Retail gasoline prices in the US is started to shoot higher. And as that happens, public opinion and support of this war against the fate. So it becomes a matter of
political pressure. And I think he's identified that it's not an acceptable outcome for the rest of the world or for global energy market in which Iaron nteins sovereignty.
On the street, this is Bloomberg Day Break, your morning podcast on the stories making news from Wall Street to Washington and beyond.
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And I'm Nathan Hager. Join us again tomorrow morning for all the news you need to start your day right here on Bloomberg Daybrey