Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your morning brief for Tuesday, January 13th. I'm Daniel Bach for The Wall Street Journal. President Trump will meet with senior officials later today as he weighs how to respond to anti-regime protests in Iran. We report the White House is considering a last-ditch offer from Iran to resume nuclear talks, an option backed by Vice President J.D.
Vance, while Trump is leaning toward military strikes. Other options include launching cyber attacks or boosting anti-regime accounts online. Meanwhile, Trump has signed off on 25% tariffs on countries that do business with Tehran, which could hurt China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Armenia.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock average closed at an all-time high today, driven by growing expectations for a general election next month.
Chapter 2: What are the potential military responses Trump is considering for Iran?
Reports citing government sources in Japan say Prime Minister Sanae Takeuchi is considering dissolving the lower house later this month. Some economists said that a win at the polls would allow the popular Takeuchi government to pursue more aggressive fiscal policy and invest further in growth and security, which could boost stocks linked to defense, energy, semiconductors, and AI.
And a federal judge has said work on a major wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut can now resume. The ruling marks a temporary win for the offshore wind industry, as President Trump seeks to block any windmills from being built.
The case is the first of three challenging the administration this week, following Trump's order in December to freeze five big projects on the East Coast over national security concerns. Asian stocks ended the day mixed, European stocks are looking for direction in midday trading, and U.S.
stock futures have edged lower ahead of bank earnings from Bank of New York Mellon and JPMorgan Chase, as well as the release of December's inflation report due out at 8.30 a.m. Eastern. And we have a lot more coverage of the day's news on the WSJ's What's News podcast. You can add it to your playlist on your smart speaker or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.