Overview
- U.S. consumers filed a lawsuit in California seeking to block Netflix’s planned purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning the deal could lead to higher prices.
- Japan publicly rejected a Politico report claiming it opposed using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine loans at a G7 finance ministers’ meeting.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said national elections could occur within 60–90 days if Western partners help secure safety.
- Australia’s nationwide prohibition on social-media use by those under 16 took effect, described as the first country-level ban of its kind.
- The Dow fell by 179 points as investors reassessed prospects for Fed rate cuts, and a leading Fed chair contender emphasized central-bank independence.