Bloomberg News Now: US Says Witkoff, Kushner Had Positive Talks on Iran
Bloomberg News Now covers multiple major developments including positive US-Iran negotiations in Qatar, Colorado primary elections where progressive candidates defeated establishment incumbents, a Supreme Court rejection of Trump's birthright citizenship executive order, and Trump's financial disclosures showing $1.4 billion in crypto-related earnings.
Summary
The broadcast opens with Middle East developments, reporting that US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff held positive discussions with Iranian counterparts in Qatar, with technical talks continuing. Iranian officials claim $12 billion in frozen assets are being released and oil sanctions lifted, though the US has not confirmed these assertions. An Iranian state television report mentions a foreign container vessel ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after failing to follow Iran's approved route.
Domestically, Colorado held midterm primary elections with significant shifts toward progressive candidates. In the first district, 29-year-old Democratic Socialist Melody Cross unseated 30-year incumbent Dianne DeGette 51-42%. In the gubernatorial race, state attorney general Phil Weiser defeated Senator Michael Bennet 56-44%, positioning himself to face the Republican primary winner. The eighth district saw progressive Democrat Manny Brudenell win decisively over Shannon Byrd 61.5-34%.
In Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson's attempt to advance the Save America Act attached to a must-pass defense bill failed when 13 Republicans voted against it. Republicans are now considering alternative strategies including amending the defense bill or using fast-track procedures.
The Supreme Court rejected a central element of Trump's immigration agenda, finding his executive order limiting birthright citizenship to children with at least one US citizen parent unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. The Court's conservative majority spent much of the term expanding presidential power and gun rights while taking a more cautious approach on Trump's tariffs, efforts to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and birthright citizenship.
Trump's annual financial disclosures reveal he earned at least $1.4 billion from crypto and meme coin-related businesses last year, with his net worth now estimated at $7.6 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Critics argue he is mixing official duties with personal profit.
Finally, the US government lifted foreign access restrictions on Anthropic's Claude 5 AI model following private talks between Anthropic executives and Commerce Secretary Howard Ludwig, reversing a ban implemented three weeks prior.
Key Insights
- Iranian officials claim $12 billion in frozen assets are in the process of being released and that oil sanctions have been lifted, though US officials have not provided confirmation of these assertions.
- The Supreme Court's six conservative justices rejected Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, finding it does not align with the 14th Amendment, representing a significant setback to a central plank of the president's immigration agenda.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson's attempt to attach the Save America Act to a must-pass defense bill failed after 13 Republicans voted against the measure, with GOP hardliners arguing it would make it too easy for the Senate to remove provisions from the bill.
- Trump reported earning at least $1.4 billion from crypto and meme coin-related businesses in his latest annual financial disclosure, with critics claiming he is using the presidency to generate personal profit.
- The Supreme Court's conservative majority spent much of the term expanding presidential power and gun rights but took a more cautious approach on Trump's tariffs, his bid to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and his birthright citizenship order.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] News when you want it with Bloomberg News now. I'm Nathan Hager and I'm Karen Moscow. Karen, we begin with the latest developments in the Middle East. A senior administration official says U.S. negotiators have had positive discussions with regional leaders in Qatar, and technical talks with Iran are moving ahead. We get more from Bloomberg Middle East correspondent Abeer Abu Omar. What we've heard from our own sources is that the meeting between Jared Kushner and Steve White calls. Those are President Trump's two top negotiators with the Iranian side in [0:33] Qatar had went positively. We don't have a lot of details yet. What we have from the American side was that some concessions were reached, what…
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