Balance of Power

A preview of the House Republican annual retreat starting on March 9 led the March 9 edition of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Washington Policy Pulse. Republicans are expected to discuss the next steps on an Iran supplemental defense bill as well as chances for another reconciliation bill -- potentially tied to health care, taxes and tariffs. We also discussed the likelihood of the DHS shutdown ending next week as well as a Congressional update views towards the US-Iran conflict. We also previewed several of the key races to watch in the US midterm elections.The Bloomberg Intelligence Financial Policy weekly call is designed to provide investors an opportunity to learn about the most recent relevant policy research, information regarding forthcoming political catalysts and other on-goings within Washington DC. The call is open to all and is held every Monday at 10:00 a.m. EST. You can register for the call here: https://bloomberg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__PqCkwY-S2m3hbQqvVC1_Q#/registrationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.US President Donald Trump confronted mounting pressures on the 10th day of the Iran war as oil prices surged past $100 and the Islamic Republic announced the hardline son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as its new supreme leader.Oil pared some gains Monday as the world’s largest economies considered a coordinated release of emergency oil stockpiles. Turmoil in weekend trading saw prices top $118 a barrel. The Strait of Hormuz remained all but closed, with no finalized plans on how nations will safeguard ships passing through the key waterway.Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with: Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall. Former Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harman. Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino and Bluestack Strategies Founder Maura Gillespie. Bloomberg Markets Live Blog Managing Editor Kristine Aquino. CIBC Private Wealth Managing Director Rebecca Babin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.US President Donald Trump demanded Iran surrender as the war on the Islamic Republic raged for a seventh day, with the impact reverberating across global supply chains and energy markets.Washington won’t negotiate an end to the conflict and will only accept “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday, raising fears of a protracted conflict. The US and its allies plan to select a “GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s),” he said.  US crude futures hit $90 a barrel and Brent crude neared $95 a barrel for the first time in almost two years during the session, with traders warning $100 could be on the horizon sooner rather than later. US oil is on track for the biggest weekly percentage gain in at least two decades.Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall is in for Kailey. Joe and Tyler speak with: Gulf Oil Chief Oil Advisor Tom Kloza. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. Former White House Director of Legislative Affairs March Short. Bloomberg This Weekend Co-Host Christina Ruffini. Groundwork Collaborative Managing Director of Policy and Advocacy Liz Pancotti. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.President Donald Trump removed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary after months of controversy and announced he would replace her with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.Trump posted on social media Thursday that the move would take effect March 31. He said that Noem would take a role as a special envoy for the Western Hemisphere. The change marks the first time Trump has replaced a Cabinet member during his second term. “I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS),” Trump posted. “I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.’”Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with: Bloomberg White House Correspondent Jeff Mason. Israel's Ambassador to the US Michael Leiter. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Bully Pulpit International Managing Director Adam Hodge. Center for Strategic and International Studies Vice President of the Defense & Security Department Emily Harding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.The White House said the Iranian regime has been “absolutely crushed” while the timeline for military operations remained deeply unclear on the fifth day of the Middle East war, which continued to stress financial and energy markets.The US has sunk more than 20 Iranian vessels, eliminated 49 Iranian officials, struck more than 2,000 targets and is moving toward “complete and total control of Iranian airspace” in a “remarkably successful” mission, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday.The conflict showed no sign of abating, with Tehran again targeting Israel and Gulf states. Meanwhile, Israeli and US forces made good on pledges to bomb more targets in the Islamic Republic. The US sank an Iranian warship in international waters, marking the first time since World War II that an American submarine has attacked a surface vessel.Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with: Bloomberg This Weekend Co-Host David Gura. Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino and Bluestack Strategies Founder Maura Gillespie. Former US Central Command Commander Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie (Ret.). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.The US-Israeli war on Iran reverberated across the region for a fourth day, with oil and gas prices surging and the world adjusting to a conflict that President Donald Trump has said could last for weeks. Israel bombarded Tehran with a fresh wave of strikes on Tuesday, and hit a building in the city of Qom where Iranian clerics were meeting to elect a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel’s Kan News reported. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said the building was attacked but wasn’t in use at the time. The Islamic Republic fired missiles at countries including Qatar, Bahrain and Oman that host US bases, with Doha saying targets weren’t limited to military interests. Qatar and Iraq halted production at major energy sites, heightening concern over supply and prices. Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with: Bloomberg News National Security and Capitol Influence Reporter Jamie Tarabay. Bloomberg News Equities Reporter Alexandra Semenova. Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall. Stimson Center Senior Fellow Kelly Grieco. Democratic Congressman Bill Foster of Illinois. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.President Donald Trump said the US would keep up its military offensive against Iran for as long as it takes, outlining for the first time a set of four objectives he hopes to accomplish toward reducing the threat he said is posed by Tehran.“We projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” Trump said at a White House event on Monday about the timeline he foresaw for the campaign. “Whatever the time is, it’s OK. Whatever it takes.”The president has faced mounting pressure to better define the goals of his extraordinary military intervention on Iran, after days of sending mixed signals about what he wanted to achieve. Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with: Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall. American Enterprise Institute Nonresident Senior Fellow Heather Conley. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. Rapidan Energy Group Founder and President Bob McNally. Bloomberg Markets Live Blog Managing Editor Kristine Aquino. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A briefing on the current state of the US-Iran conflict, with a focus on the defense contractors like Lockheed, RTX and Northrop, led the March 2 edition of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Washington Policy Pulse. Senior Industry Analyst Wayne Sanders discussed how the attack on Iran is likely to be a limited engagement relying primarily on air and naval assets, supporting increased US investment in those assets. We also discussed how we think Congress is unlikely to authorize -- or block -- President Donald Trump's tariff strategy and gave a timing update on the future of the Basel III endgame, set to impact Bank of America, Citigroup and other large banks. The Bloomberg Intelligence Financial Policy weekly call is designed to provide investors an opportunity to learn about the most recent relevant policy research, information regarding forthcoming political catalysts and other on-goings within Washington DC.  The call is open to all and is held every Monday at 10:00 a.m. EST. You can register for the call here: https://bloomberg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__PqCkwY-S2m3hbQqvVC1_Q#/registrationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Bloomberg This Weekend' features unique conversations on business, news, lifestyle and culture. Join David Gura, Christina Ruffini and Lisa Mateo Saturdays and Sundays for discussions with business leaders, lawmakers and cultural icons.  Watch the show LIVE on Bloomberg Television from 7AM-10AM Eastern Time.   Listen to the show LIVE on Bloomberg Radio from 7AM-10AM Eastern Time.   Listen to the Podcast for the best conversations from the show.   Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bloomberg-this-weekend/id1878739308Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5DQ8CEg9LeS1xGJSaxt47lSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Israel began striking targets across Iran, with President Donald Trump urging Iranians to overthrow the government in a conflict that threatens to spiral across the oil-rich Middle East.   “The hour for your freedom is at hand,” Trump said, addressing Iranians in a video posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “When we’re finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”   The military campaign could be a defining moment for Trump, risking a drawn-out regional war that leads to a surge in energy prices and American casualties ahead of mid-term elections this year. Iran quickly responded by firing missiles on Israel and US bases around the region, and countries in the Persian Gulf closed their airspace.  Israel’s military said the campaign would target “dozens of military targets,” and Iran media reported strikes on defensive and civilian sites, including more than 50 people dead in a strike on a school in Hormozgan, in the south of the country. Several large explosions were reported in the capital, Tehran.   Bloomberg's David Gura and Christina Ruffini lead our team coverage in this instant reaction podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.