$1.25 Trillion Musk Merger, UK Fears ‘Made in Europe’, Reform’s First Big Test

Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day

On today's podcast:

(1) Elon Musk is combining SpaceX and xAI in a deal that values the enlarged entity at $1.25 trillion, as the world’s richest man looks to fuel his increasingly costly ambitions in artificial intelligence and space exploration.

(2) Documents released by the US Department of Justice appear to show that Britain’s Peter Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a minister.

(3) France’s parliament adopted a budget for 2026 after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two no-confidence votes Monday, bringing the curtain down on months of political upheaval that’s rattled investor confidence in the country.

(4) The UK government is increasingly concerned that more protectionist policies pursued by the European Union could exclude British companies from supply chains in key sectors, derailing a reset in post-Brexit relations and potentially costing firms billions of pounds.

(5) President Donald Trump said he would roll back punitive tariffs on India in return for an agreement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would stop buying Russian oil, easing months of tension between the two countries.

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