EU Elections, ECB Next Move & Putin’s Wartime Central Banker

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) After a series of recent setbacks, Europe’s far-right parties are aiming for gains in elections to the European Parliament that kicked off on Thursday. (2) The European Central Bank delivered on its promise to cut interest rates but left investors querying where policy is headed next by also saying it will take longer for inflation to reach 2%. (3) In a staggering loss for US prosecutors, a jury found UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch not guilty of criminal charges that he pulled off Silicon Valley’s biggest-ever fraud 13 years ago by duping Hewlett Packard Co. into buying his software startup for $11 billion. (4) Britain’s next government will immediately face a funding crunch in town halls after councils warned of a £6.2 billion ($7.9 billion) hole in their budget plans over the next two years. (5) Keir Starmer’s Labour Party plans to provide mortgage guarantees to first-time buyers in a bid to help young Britons get onto the housing ladder if it wins next month’s general election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.