Wednesday, April 25
Good morning from a rainy Manhattan.
Macron is on Capitol Hill today to address a joint session of Congress. His last-ditch appeal to salvage the Iran deal did not receive a warm welcome from his BFF. Trump meets with Tim Cook at the White House as Apple tries to head off a trade war. The President’s nominee to the VA who already had questionable management skills now has a drinking and a #MeToo problem. And Comcast makes a formal bid for Sky throwing down the gauntlet to Murdoch and Iger.
And lastly, the Royal baby will be named today. My money is on Arthur.
Even Macron Might Not Sway Trump on Iran Deal: Despite the effusive praise, smiles and hand-holding that have characterized the first state visit of Trump’s presidency, whatever rapport Macron has established with Trump may not be enough to overcome the U.S. president’s visceral aversion to a pact negotiated by his predecessor. (Bloomberg – Balance of Power)
Budding Bromance.
Credit: Clockwise from top left: Chris Kleponis/Getty Images, Chris Kleponis/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Vive la France: Trump Hosts Glitzy White House State Dinner (Washington Post)
The Complete Guest List (Washington Post)
Washington Today: Apple’s Tim Cook to Meet with Trump Amid U.S. China Trade Tensions (Bloomberg)
Pimco’s New Bond King Could Be Robot in Austin: Pimco will open a new office in Austin, Texas, later this year to help recruit more tech-savvy workers. The firm plans to grow its workforce by 10% this year, adding about 250 new staff. Many of those new employees will be engineers tasked with modernizing Pimco’s technology systems including the platforms that trade bonds electronically. (Wall Street Journal – subscription)
Most Read on the Bloomberg Terminal (Last 8 Hours):
Dollar Gains as Treasury Yield Hits 3%; Stocks Dip – Markets Wrap (Bloomberg)
Headlines from around the world.
The Independent (UK): Trump and Macron are the new Bush and Blair – and we all know how that ended
Les Echos (France): The buzz of the United States: dinner That nobody wanted to miss
The Times (UK): Ban on junk food deals as obesity drive unites MPs
China Daily: Trump confirms Mnuchin to travel to China for trade talks
The Japan Times: Japan Inc. happy with publicly unpopular Abe despite cronyism scandals
The Times of India: India won’t soften on terror from Pakistan during Modi-Xi talks
Best of late night.
On the growing bromance between President Trump and President Macron, and the Trump administration’s first State Dinner:
“When President Emmanuel Macron greeted President Trump, he kissed Trump on both cheeks. Then out of habit, Michael Cohen showed up and handed Macron $130,000.”
— Conan O’Brien
“It is Trump’s first state dinner, and in a major departure from tradition, Trump will not invite Democrats or the media. It’s true, none of those people are invited. If he doesn’t like you, you will not be there. Better luck next time, vegetables — they’re serving tacos tonight.”
— Stephen Colbert
On Melania Trump’s large white hat worn during the arrival ceremony for President Macron:
“The internet just erupted after Melania Trump was photographed wearing a Beyoncé-style hat. Yeah, and just like Beyoncé, Melania’s recording an album about her cheating husband. True story, it’s called ‘Orangeade.’”
— Conan O’Brien
On Amazon’s new service offering deliveries directly in to customer’s cars:
“Amazon, this is getting weird. You’re slipping into our lives in ways no one’s asking you to. I’m afraid the next time I order underwear I’ll get a message saying, ‘Look down. We already put them on you.’”
— Stephen Colbert
For more best of late night, click here.