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On today's podcast:

(1) Spot gold smashed through $4,000 an ounce for the first time, as concerns over the US economy and a government shutdown added fresh momentum to a scorching rally.

(2) From across the political spectrum, Emmanuel Macron’s rivals are turning up the pressure on the French president, demanding their choice of prime minister, snap elections and even his resignation.

(3) Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is raising more financing than initially planned, tapping backers including Nvidia Corp. to lift its ongoing funding round to $20 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

(4) Teams from the US, Qatar, Israel and other nations are headed to Egypt as part of a final push for a deal with Hamas aimed at ending the two-year war that’s devastated Gaza and destabilized much of the Middle East.

(5) Saving a lifetime’s worth of earnings still wouldn’t be enough for the average British worker to reach the ranks of the wealthy, according to a new report revealing that economic inequality in the country has dramatically worsened over the last 15 years.

(6) Cristiano Ronaldo’s football career has been a series of glittering firsts, from a record transfer to Real Madrid to scoring more competition goals than any man in history. He’s now notched up another huge win off the pitch: becoming the first billionaire player.

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ROTS 85: And So It Is