Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition podcast

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Kremlin Calls Russia-US Talks Constructive; Trump Sees Fed Chair Pick 'Early Next Year'
On today's podcast:1) The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin held “very useful” talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner though the sides failed to reach agreement on a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The negotiations lasting almost five hours were “constructive and very informative,” though “a compromise hasn’t been reached yet” on the critical issue of territorial control, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow. A possible meeting between Putin and President Trump “will depend on what progress is being made,” Ushakov added.2) Republicans averted an upset in a Tennessee-based US House race Tuesday, a relief to President Trump and his congressional allies. Matt Van Epps, the Trump-backed Republican candidate, was projected to win by the AP, NBC News and Decision Desk HQ, an election analysis website. Trump praised the GOP victory in a social media post and Van Epps declared victory. Yet even in victory, voters in a district Trump won overwhelmingly just over a year ago swung away from Republicans, the latest data point in a trend that is raising alarm about the GOP’s prospects in next year’s midterm elections, as Van Epps’ victory came about only after Republicans surged resources and expended political capital in a strident GOP district that would typically be considered safe.3) President Trump said he plans to announce his selection to lead the Federal Reserve in early 2026 and teased National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett as his possible choice on Tuesday, fueling further speculation about the next leader of the US central bank. Hassett is seen as the likely choice to succeed Powell, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News last week, and Trump nodded to that position at a separate event shortly after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Trump’s comments offer a clearer timeline for the announcement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been overseeing the selection process, previously said the pick could be revealed around Christmas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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15:47
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15:47
US Envoy Witkoff Heads to Moscow; White House Defends 'Second Strike'
On today's podcast:1) US envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin, who claimed a key Ukrainian city had fallen to Russia on the eve of talks about a potential peace plan to end his war. Putin said Russian troops had taken the city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region in a video announcement posted late Monday by the Kremlin, an advance that would be Russia’s most significant on the battlefield in nearly two years. Ukraine’s Military Staff spokesman Bohdan Senyk denied its forces had lost the city in a message early Tuesday. Bloomberg isn’t able to independently verify the claims of either side. Witkoff is due to hold talks with Putin on Tuesday on the latest proposals for ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine following negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida. Amid fears in Europe that the plan risks rewarding Russian aggression by forcing Kyiv into a deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the latest version “looks better” during a visit to Paris on Monday to meet with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.2) The White House defended the Pentagon’s handling of a September attack on an alleged drug-running boat and denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given an order to kill everyone on the vessel, rebutting a report that had led to allegations of possible war crimes. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed there were two strikes on the vessel in the Sept. 2 attack but stressed the actions were lawful amid a deadly domestic opioid crisis in the US. The comments signaled Trump continues to support Hegseth, who came under fresh scrutiny after the Washington Post reported Friday that he ordered the attack and demanded that those strikes kill everyone on board. That report led to accusations that the US military was committing war crimes in the waters off the coast of South America.3) Almost $1 billion of leveraged crypto positions were liquidated during another sharp drop in prices on Monday that brought fresh momentum to a wide-ranging selloff. Bitcoin slid as much as 8% to $83,824 in New York, bringing its decline since early October to almost 30%. Ether dropped as much as 10% to as low as $2,719, and is down 36% over the past seven weeks. The market downturn has been even tougher on smaller, less liquid tokens that traders often gravitate toward because of their higher volatility and typical outperformance during rallies. A MarketVector index tracking the bottom half of the largest 100 digital assets is down almost 70% this year. The crypto market is on shaky ground after a weeks-long selloff that began when some $19 billion in levered bets were wiped out in early October as President Trump whipsawed markets with threats of higher tariffs, data compiled by tracker Coinglass show. That was just days after Bitcoin set an all-time high of $126,251.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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14:36
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14:36
US Calls Ukraine Talks Productive; Trump Teases Fed Chair Pick
On today's podcast:1) US and Ukrainian negotiators said they had productive discussions about a framework for a peace deal, but there was no final breakthrough as President Trump continues to push for a truce with Russia. “There’s more work to be done,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Florida after meeting for at least four hours with Ukrainian officials led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. “This is delicate. It’s complicated.” The meeting, which took place in Hallandale Beach, Florida, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also in attendance, was likely the last chance for Ukraine’s negotiators to sway Witkoff before he leads a US delegation for talks in Russia this week. The two sides discussed potential parameters for a ceasefire as they pored over a 19-point proposal that emerged in Geneva last week — as well as the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, according to people familiar with the discussions. 2) US authorities believe the man suspected of fatally shooting a National Guard member and seriously wounding another in Washington, DC, was radicalized while in the US, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. Asked on NBC’s Meet the Press about the suspect’s motive, Noem said investigators are still collecting information and talking to his contacts. Federal authorities have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who worked with US forces and the CIA in Afghanistan before arriving in the US in 2021. He was subdued and taken into custody shortly after the shooting on a street a few blocks from the White House on Wednesday.3) President Trump said Sunday he has decided on his pick for the next Federal Reserve chair after making clear he expects his nominee to deliver interest-rate cuts. Trump has frequently excoriated current Fed chief Jerome Powell for failing to lower rates swiftly and signaled he wants a chair who will more forcefully pursue cuts. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News last week that White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Trump’s chief economic adviser, is seen as the likely choice to succeed Powell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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14:54
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14:54
Daybreak Weekend: Tech Earnings, Middle East and Africa Summit, Labubu Craze
Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a look ahead to earnings from Crowdstrike, Snowflake, and Salesforce. In the UK – a look ahead to the seventh Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit. In Asia – a look ahead to whether Asia's Labubu toy has hit its peak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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37:46
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37:46
National Guard Soldier Dead After DC Ambush; Trump Calls for 'Reverse Migration'
On today's podcast:1) One member of the West Virginia National Guard who was shot in the attack near the White House in Washington, DC, died after being in critical condition, President Trump said Thursday. US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, originally from Webster Springs, West Virginia, died after being shot Wednesday. US Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Federal authorities have identified the suspected shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who previously worked with US forces and the CIA in Afghanistan before arriving in the US in 2021. He was subdued shortly after the shooting and taken into custody. Trump said he is in serious condition.2) President Trump called for “reverse migration” in the US as he outlined a series of potential measures to crack down on immigration, including halting admissions from unspecified developing nations and revoking citizenship from some naturalized migrants. In a pair of Truth Social posts late Thursday that disparaged many US immigrants, Trump said he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” and “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” Trump offered no details on how he would implement these policies or what he considers a “third world” country, an ill-defined and often offensive term for developing nations. Congress for years has failed to pass major immigration reforms, and courts have blocked some of his previous executive orders limiting immigration.3) Washington's proposals for ending the war in Ukraine could be the basis for future agreements, but no final version exists yet, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, while signaling an openness to talks. The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to visit Moscow next week and meet with Putin, as President Trump continues his push for a resolution to Moscow’s nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Trump on Tuesday said there was “tremendous progress” made over the past week on his peace proposal, the original draft of which drew the ire of Ukrainians and Europeans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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16:53
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16:53