Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
In the first two weeks of the U.S. war with Iran, the average gas price has surged
to $3.70 per gallon on average, according to AAA, and crude oil prices tonight are over $100 of barrel. But as the war continues, the Trump administration says the spike in prices will be short-lived. If here's Luke Garrett has more. During the war, Iran has largely closed the straight of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for
the world's oil and economy. But energy secretary Chris Wright told ABC News, "The war will quote certainly end soon." The conflict will come to the end in the next few weeks, and we'll see a rebound in supplies and pushing down a prices after that. On Saturday, President Trump said other countries would help to reopen the straight.
“Right, did not say which countries would assist the U.S. or when?”
The energy secretary then argued the war will ultimately make gas cheaper.
This is short-term pain to get through to a much better place where the Middle East can no longer
be held hostage by the one rogue nation in Iran. But Wright also said, "There's no guarantees in wars." Luke Garrett and Pyrenees, Washington The Iraqi government is raising concerns over the security of ISIS detainees, transferred last month by U.S. forces from Syria to Iraq.
It's after what it says for six attacks yesterday on the Baghdad airport compound, where they're being held. If yours, Jaina Raff, has more. The detainees are being held in Camp Cropper, which is a facility set up and used by the U.S. military after it invaded Iraq in 2003.
The hold would it called "high-value detainees," officials from Saddam Hussein's regime, and from militant groups. U.S. forces had been based around there and had a large base at the airport.
“They've largely withdrawn, but they are still coming under attack.”
And Pyrenees Jaina Raff reporting.
The Treasury Department is set to receive a $10 billion fee charged by the Trump
administration for brokering a deal to sell TikTok's U.S. business. As if here's Bobby Allen reports, the payment's drawing more attention into how Trump is using the presidency for dealmaking. The $10 billion represents about 70% of TikTok's U.S. valuation, typically bankers who complete large deals receive more like 1%.
And the deal to sell off most of TikTok's Chinese investment only occurred to comply with a law congress passed. So in some sense, it's a fee for brokering a deal to comply with the law. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of the TikTok deal are longtime Trump allies, like Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, which is the lead investor in the new TikTok entity.
The fee, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is being defended by the White House as a fair payment for saving TikTok. In September, Trump said the public would soon learn about, quote, "atremendous fee," Bobby Allen and PR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.
Economic and trade talks between China and the U.S. got underway in Paris today, according to China's official news agency, Shen Wa. The meetings led by Treasury Secretary Scott Vicentant, Chinese Vice Premier Helifong, are expected to pave the way for President Trump's state visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leadership Xi Jinping in about two weeks.
The White House has Trump will head to China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing has not officially confirmed it. The United Kingdom is preparing to issue a new generation of bank notes in British currency, the pound. But plans for a new design, with animals, are proving controversial for some.
As Empire's law and frayer reports from London. Wild life will replace the royals and other historical figures on the next generation of British cash. The bank of England says 60% of people it surveyed want more nature, less humans. The bank is drafting a short list of native species of animals than the public will get
away in this summer. But some politicians here are opposed. Far right leader Nigel Faraj calls this "woke," a portrait of Winston Churchill, the World War II era prime minister is currently on five pound notes, and Faraj says Churchill deserves better than to be swapped out for a beaver.
Scotland has already replaced humans with animals. Some of its bank notes feature otters, macro, red squirrels, and offspring. Lauren Frayer and PR News London. "You wish futures contracts are trading higher at this hour. Dow futures are up about 86 points.
Nasdaq futures are up 61 points. S&P 500 futures are up 15 points. They're listening to NPR News."
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