US Shutdown Looms Large, 20-Point Gaza Plan, Starmer Pitches Decency

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

(1) Vice President JD Vance said he believes the US government is on track to shut down, seeking to pin the blame on Democrats one day before federal funding is set to lapse.

(2) President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had agreed to a 20-point plan designed to end the war in Gaza, though the prospects for peace remained unclear without the direct involvement of Hamas.

(3) Chinese President Xi Jinping is renewing a push for the US to change a decades-old phrase describing its stance on Taiwan independence, a concession that would be a major diplomatic win for Beijing.

(4) Theresa May danced to ABBA. Rishi Sunak had his wife introduce him. Liz Truss spent the whole time scrapping budget measures announced only days before.

(5) European Union leaders meeting in Copenhagen this week will discuss a slate of flagship defense projects, including a European drone wall and an air-defense shield.

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