Bezos spoke to Trump as he tries to seeks more government contracts for Blue Origin, WSJ reports
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump at least twice this month as he tries to capitalize on a feud between rival SpaceX founder Musk and Trump and bag more government contracts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The CEO of Blue Origin, Dave Limp, also made a trip to the White House to meet with Trump's chief of staff, the WSJ said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
US hits back at accounts Iran moved uranium
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's administration hit back on Wednesday (Jun 25) at accounts Iran may have moved enriched uranium before US bombing, as a row grew on how much the strikes set back Tehran's nuclear programme. Trump, seeking credit for ordering military action and then quickly announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, has lashed out angrily at media accounts of a classified report that doubted the extent of damage to Iranian nuclear sites. Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400kg of enriched uranium - which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country. "I can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. "As for what's on the ground right now, it's buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening," she said. Vice President JD Vance, asked about the uranium on Sunday, had sounded less definitive and said the United States would discuss the issue with Iran. "We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel," Vance told ABC News programme This Week. The quantity of uranium had been reported by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, with which Iran is considering severing cooperation after the Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear programme. "The IAEA lost visibility on this material the moment hostilities began," the agency's chief, Rafael Grossi, told France 2 television. But he added: "I don't want to give the impression that it's been lost or hidden." TRUMP LASHES OUT The US military said it dropped 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs - powerful 13,600kg weapons - on three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has repeatedly said that the attack "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain. But an initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran's nuclear programme was set back only months at most. Trump furiously lashed out at the CNN reporter behind the story, taking to his Truth Social platform to demand that the network fire her. Trump also said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he dubbed "war" secretary, would hold a news conference at 8am on Thursday to "fight for the dignity of our great American pilots" after the media accounts on the efficacy of the strike he ordered. Trump's intelligence chiefs also pushed back on Wednesday. CIA Director John Ratcliffe in a statement said that new intelligence from a "historically reliable" source indicated that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years." Iran's government has said that its nuclear facilities were "badly damaged". The uranium in question is enriched to 60 per cent - above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. The IAEA, in a report cited by the United States and Israel to justify their attacks, said that Iran was not complying with obligations but did not find that Tehran was making a nuclear bomb.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
South Korea's Lee Jae Myung urges approval of US$22.5 billion extra budget
SEOUL: South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday (Jun 26) called on parliament to approve a US$22.5 billion supplementary budget aimed at reviving the economy, in his first address to MPs since taking office. Lee was elected in a snap vote this month following the impeachment of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his disastrous martial law declaration in December. The new president's appeal comes as Asia's fourth-largest economy – heavily reliant on exports – reels from steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. In April, the United States slapped a 25 per cent tariff on South Korean goods as part of Trump's sweeping global trade measures. The rates were later put on a 90-day hold, giving both sides until July to reach a deal. "Timing is everything when it comes to the economy, and now is the time to act," Lee told lawmakers in the main chamber of parliament. "To overcome the downturn and restore livelihoods, we have drafted a supplementary budget totalling 30.5 trillion won," he said, adding the package was designed for swift implementation. More than 40 per cent of the spending would go towards universal consumption coupons, according to the proposal, with individuals eligible for up to 520,000 won (US$380) each. He described the measure as "the minimum" his government could do to breathe life into the economy. Economic growth remained below 1 per cent for four consecutive quarters, before posting negative growth in the first quarter of this year, Lee said. Private consumption and government spending also contracted in the first quarter, he added. Consumer prices rose to 1.9 per cent in May from the year before, official data showed. Lee's request is widely expected to pass, as his centre-left Democratic Party commands a majority in the 300-seat legislature. On North Korea, he reaffirmed his campaign pledge to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang without preconditions, saying peace on the Korean peninsula was key to economic growth. "I will create a virtuous cycle where peace drives economic growth, which in turn further strengthens peace," he said. Lee's tenure begins as South Korea finds itself in the middle of a growing superpower standoff between the United States, its traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Dollar slips on Fed credibility concerns, euro tops $1.1700
SYDNEY : The dollar slipped to multi-year lows against the euro and Swiss franc on Thursday as concerns about the future independence of the U.S. Federal Reserve undermined faith in the soundness of the country's monetary policy. According to a Wall Street Journal report, U.S. President Donald Trump had toyed with the idea of selecting and announcing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's replacement by September or October, aiming to undermine his position. "Markets are likely to bristle at any early move to name Powell's successor, particularly if the decision appears politically motivated," said Kieran Williams, head of Asia FX at InTouch Capital Markets. "The move would raise questions about the potential erosion of Fed independence and potentially weaken credibility," he added. "If this was the case it could recalibrate rate expectations, trigger reassessment of dollar positioning." Trump on Wednesday called Powell "terrible" for not lowering interest rates sharply, while the Fed Chair was telling the Senate that policy had to be cautious as the President's tariff plans were a risk to inflation. Markets have nudged up the chance of a rate cut at the Fed's next meeting in July to 25 per cent, from just 12 per cent a week ago, and are pricing in 64 basis points of cuts by year-end, up from around 46 basis points last Friday. "While this stands to be the latest hammer blow to the dollar delivered by the hands of the White House, I do expect it to gain some support in the coming sessions from month-end and quarter-end rebalancing flows," said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG. NOT SO EXCEPTIONAL For now, though, the dollar was under broad pressure as the euro gained 0.4 per cent to $1.1710, its highest since September 2021. The break of resistance at $1.1692 opened the way to the next chart target up at $1.1909. Sterling rose 0.3 per cent to $1.3723, its highest since January 2022, while the dollar was at its lowest in more than a decade on the Swiss franc at 0.8030. The franc also struck a record peak on the yen around 180.55. The dollar lost 0.4 per cent on the yen to 144.62, while the dollar index sank to its lowest since early 2022 at 97.401. Trump's chaotic tariff policies are also coming back into focus as the clock ticks down to his July 9 deadline for trade deals. JPMorgan on Wednesday warned the hit from tariffs would slow U.S. economic growth and lift inflation, resulting in a 40 per cent chance of a recession. "The risk of additional negative shocks is elevated, and we expect U.S. tariff rates to move higher," JPMorgan analysts wrote in their report. "The upshot of these developments is that our baseline scenario incorporates the end of a phase of U.S. exceptionalism." The ending of "exceptionalism" has been a major theme in the dollar's decline in recent months, as investors question its dominant reserve currency status and as the main safe haven among currencies. The euro has been a big beneficiary, with investors also hoping that massive new investment in European defence and infrastructure will bolster economic growth across the continent.
