[00:00] Noah Feldman: This is Neural Newscast.
[00:02] Announcer: Here is What Matters This Morning.
[00:04] Noah Feldman: From Neural Newscast, I'm Noah Feldman.
[00:07] Announcer: And I'm Hena Whitmore.
[00:09] Noah Feldman: President Trump addressed the nation last night.
[00:12] Noah Feldman: He claimed overwhelming victories in the military campaign against Iran known as Operation
[00:18] Noah Feldman: Epic Fury.
[00:20] Noah Feldman: The president asserted that opposition forces have suffered unprecedented, large-scale losses
[00:26] Noah Feldman: over the past few weeks of engagement.
[00:29] Announcer: Tehran was quick to reject those claims.
[00:32] Announcer: Iranian officials stated their military capabilities remain intact despite the televised address from Washington.
[00:41] Announcer: Overnight, the conflict intensified.
[00:44] Announcer: There were four rounds of Iranian missile strikes targeting Israel,
[00:48] Announcer: along with further attacks across Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
[00:54] Noah Feldman: The lack of a clear exit strategy has caused stock futures to tumble.
[01:00] Noah Feldman: Meanwhile, crude oil prices jumped nearly 10% to over $109 per barrel.
[01:07] Noah Feldman: In response, 35 nations are convening in the United Kingdom to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
[01:14] Noah Feldman: Notably, this is being done without United States participation.
[01:19] Announcer: Tensions are also mounting within NATO.
[01:23] Announcer: Reports indicate that European leaders are considering blocking United States military access as the president weighs a potential withdrawal from the alliance.
[01:33] Announcer: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutt is scheduled to travel to Washington next week for high-stakes negotiations.
[01:42] Announcer: Turning now to Indonesia, a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Malacca Sea off Ternate Island early Thursday morning.
[01:51] Announcer: The tremor occurred at a depth of 35 kilometers and prompted immediate tsunami warnings for several neighboring countries.
[01:59] Noah Feldman: While those tsunami alerts were eventually withdrawn, the impact on land was severe.
[02:06] Noah Feldman: In North Sulawesi, a 70-year-old woman died after being crushed by debris.
[02:13] Noah Feldman: Another resident suffered a broken leg while attempting to evacuate a building during the shaking.
[02:20] Announcer: Local residents in Manado and Bittung reported this was the strongest seismic activity they had felt in at least six years.
[02:29] Announcer: At Salome Hospital, medical staff were forced to set up makeshift treatment areas in the streets as patients were evacuated in wheelchairs and vehicles.
[02:38] Noah Feldman: Authorities have reported significant damage to local buildings and the regional sports complex, where metallic structures were bent by the force of the quake.
[02:49] Noah Feldman: At least two significant aftershocks followed the initial tremor, and the National Geological
[02:55] Noah Feldman: Agency remains on high alert.
[02:58] Noah Feldman: In other news, Advertising Giant Publicist Group is set to acquire the sports agency 160 over
[03:04] Noah Feldman: 90 from WME.
[03:05] Noah Feldman: This move is designed to capture a larger share of advertiser spending
[03:10] Noah Feldman: as corporate interest in major sporting events continues to grow.
[03:13] Announcer: This acquisition reflects a broader trend of consolidation
[03:17] Announcer: within the advertising and talent management industries.
[03:20] Announcer: It allows publicists to integrate specialized sports marketing into its global portfolio,
[03:27] Announcer: as brands look for more direct ways to engage with audiences.
[03:31] Noah Feldman: Meanwhile, in the technology sector, NVIDIA has reached a new agreement with Marvell Technology
[03:37] Noah Feldman: to collaborate on future hardware developments.
[03:39] Noah Feldman: This partnership focuses on enhancing specialized chip performance for high-demand computing environments.
[03:46] Announcer: The deal is expected to streamline production and innovation cycles for both companies.
[03:51] Announcer: Analysts suggest that such alliances are becoming essential as the complexity of hardware requirements outpaces the capacity of individual firms.
[04:01] Noah Feldman: Here is what else we're watching.
[04:03] Noah Feldman: We are following the upcoming release of financial performance data for major institutions like Visa and overseas Chinese banking corporation.
[04:11] Noah Feldman: Investors are looking for signals on how higher energy costs might be impacting global consumer spending patterns.
[04:17] Announcer: We are also tracking the latest market talks regarding Australian miners.
[04:22] Announcer: With shifts in basic material demands, these reports will provide critical insights into the supply chains for global manufacturing and construction.
[04:31] Noah Feldman: Finally, we will be monitoring the formal closing of the WME and Publishes deal.
[04:37] Noah Feldman: The final terms and leadership structure of the newly acquired Stortz Agency will likely set a new benchmark for the industry this year.
[04:44] Noah Feldman: Tomorrow, we will look at the latest developments in global manufacturing.
[04:48] Noah Feldman: I'm Noah Feldman.
[04:50] Announcer: And I'm Hannah Whitmore.
[04:51] Announcer: This has been Neural Newscast.
[04:53] Announcer: Thanks for listening.
[04:54] Noah Feldman: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[04:58] Noah Feldman: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.