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Welcome back and thanks for joining us as we kick off the week. In the news today: Trump faces a new inflation warning; the U.S. bombs Iran as Kuwait is targeted by missiles and drones; and a pro-Trump candidate leads in the first round vote for Colombia’s president. Also, decades after going extinct, colorful crested ibises are taking flight again in Japan.
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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a roundtable event about no tax on tips, April 16, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)
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Trump is facing a new inflation warning from the bond market, adding to his midterm challenges
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The world is getting more uptight about lending money to President Donald Trump’s government. The energy price spike triggered by the Iran war has seeped into the price of bonds that help fund the U.S. government. That's caused interest rates to climb in ways that are worsening affordability pressures. Read more.
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- Trump has tried to assure Americans that he has a plan to trim the roughly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit. However economists say Trump’s strategies are unlikely to deliver the promised results.
Higher interest rates make it harder to buy or renovate a home, afford a new car or manage credit card debt. And the rising rates are giving Democratic candidates another line of attack to use in November’s midterm elections at a time when voters are already concerned about high costs for food and gas.
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US bombs Iranian military sites and Kuwait is hit by drone and missile fire
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The United States said Monday that it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it launched a strike of its own, and Kuwait reported incoming fire. Read more.
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The nominal ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. has been repeatedly tested with such back-and-forth attacks, even as officials from both countries try to negotiate an end to the war. It’s not clear how close they are to a deal — and there is always the risk that an attack could derail those talks.
In the meantime, Iran has maintained its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and fighting has also escalated between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, despite their nominal ceasefire.
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Pro-Trump candidate pulls ahead in Colombia presidential vote as ruling party sows doubt in results
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Tough-on-crime, pro-Trump outsider Aberaldo de la Espriella took the lead in Colombia’s presidential race in the first round of voting Sunday night, setting up a runoff with Iván Cepeda, an ally of Colombia’s outgoing President Gustavo Petro who questioned the results of the election. Read more.
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Voters across Latin America are increasingly ditching leaders that pitched progressive policies aimed at addressing the root issues of conflict. Instead, voters have increasingly turned to candidates promising heavy-handed security crackdowns.
The polarized vote comes as the Trump administration is playing a more aggressive role in Latin America than any U.S. government in decades, placing mounting pressure on countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador to crack down on crime.
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A crested Ibis flies as it was released into the wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, Sunday. (Kazushi Kurihara/Kyodo News via AP)
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It’s been nearly two months since I’ve started waking up extra early to write the Morning Wire, and I’ve been loving it. Thanks for sticking with me and please let me know what you think of the newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Nadja
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It’s been nearly two months since I’ve started waking up extra early to write the Morning Wire, and I’ve been loving it. Thanks for sticking with me and please let me know what you think of the newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Nadja
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