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On today's podcast:

(1) Iran fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, a sharp but brief escalation between Middle Eastern adversaries that threatened to trigger a fresh round of attacks as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.

(2) Global benchmark Brent climbed above $74 a barrel, after briefly spiking more than 5% on Tuesday following the Iranian assault, which was preceded by a warning from the US. West Texas Intermediate advanced to near $71, although it also remained below the previous session’s peak.

(3) Vice presidential nominees JD Vance and Tim Walz met for their first and potentially only debate before the November election, as the two Midwesterners with economic populist streaks try to win over undecided voters.

(4) Prime Minister Michel Barnier delayed a target date to bring the budget deficit within the European Union limit by two years in an admission of the dire state of France’s finances.

(5) Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to Brussels on Wednesday will be his first real foray into forging a new post-Brexit relationship with Europe, a process expected to take months, if not years amid competing priorities. 

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