How do you look at the way that this might evolve and what that that might mean, how it might play out. >> I sort of see this as there being a few different options if we're talking specifically about what the military options are. You know, one would be using uh some of the covert assets that the US uses, trying to use special operations forces to do some type of regime change from within.Um I think that that's a little bit more of a less likely scenario. So instead, that makes me think that there's probab ...

Well, it's the end of an era on Wall Street, Legendary investor Warren Buffett says he is, quote, going quiet and speeding up the pace of donating some $1.3% billion to four of his family's foundations. Joining us now is Bloomberg's Alex Rossman, who follows Buffett closely and just wrote this story. Alex, I guess when it comes, of course, to Buffett going quiet when it comes to the annual letters.Not entirely unexpected given that he has handed over the reins. Right, Right. He's not going to write the annu ...

Content Strategy & Revenue Growth - Paramount 需要通过更多院线和剧集内容来填充其服务，特别是 Paramount+ [2] - Paramount 旨在加速内容制作，并通过将 UFC 纳入 Paramount+ 来差异化内容，无需按次付费 [3] - Paramount 计划明年将超过 15 亿美元再投资于其 DTC 资产，如 UFC 和 Paramount+ 原创内容 [4] - David Ellison 认为，公司需要增加内容，并在制作和发行方面保持灵活性，拥抱新的发行方式 [5][6] Potential Acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery - Paramount 收购 Warner Brothers Discovery 将不会面临反垄断问题，因为 Paramount 是较小的工作室 [8] - 由于有线电视网络业务持续下滑，将 Warner Brothers Turner Networks 与 Paramount 的有线电视网络合并也不会有问题 [9] - 从战略和监管角度来看，Paramount 可能在收购 Warner Brothers Discovery 方面具有优势 [10] - Larry Ellison 可能会利用其 Oracle 股份为收购 Warner Brothers 的交易提供资金 [11] Industry Consolidation & Cost Savings - 行业整合的关键在于内容规模能否奏效 [4] - Paramount 计划将成本节约重新投资到业务中，包括 DTC 资产 [4] - Paramount 正在进行裁员，以实现协同效应，并将成本节约用于更多内容和新的发行模式 [3][6] Market Performance - Paramount 股价上涨约 24% [12]

Economic Outlook - The economy has been resilient, with growth around 18% [2] - The labor market is near full employment but cooling, with both demand and supply decreasing [2][13] - Inflation is closer to 3% than the 2% target [2] - Consumption remains resilient, driven by wealth effects for higher-income households and increased debt for lower-income households [6][7] Consumer Finances - Consumer balance sheets are generally okay, but there was an increase in subprime loan and credit card defaults over the past year, which has since stabilized [8][9] - Lower-income consumers are increasingly using credit card debt to maintain consumption [7] - Many people are having more month than money, with increased visits to food pantries and requests for utility assistance [27] Company Concerns - Companies report that uncertainty has plateaued, allowing them to operate with a higher level of uncertainty [11] - Companies are experiencing higher costs, including those related to tariffs and insurance [11] - Companies closer to the consumer are having difficulty passing on costs due to pushback from buyers [12][13] - Companies are more concerned about non-interest costs, such as raw material and insurance costs, than interest costs [21] Labor Market - The labor market is cooling in an orderly way, with both supply and demand decreasing [13] - Compensation growth is reported to be between 35% and 4% [6] - Layoff announcements have been made, but weekly claims remain stable [13][14] Monetary Policy - Monetary policy is somewhere between modestly restrictive and neutral, closer to neutral [26] - The real federal funds rate is around 1%, which is the long-run neutral rate [26] - In the past year, the real federal funds rate has declined by 250 basis points, with 150 basis points from nominal interest rate reductions and 100 basis points from rising expected inflation due to tariffs [19] - There is limited room to ease policy further without it becoming overly accommodative [24][25] - It is important to bring inflation back towards 2% to allow households to catch up with their real incomes [28] Asset Prices - Financial conditions are very accommodative, and asset valuations are notable [29] - House prices and stock prices seem elevated relative to historical standards [30]

Mergers & Acquisitions - The bidding war between Novo Nordisk and Pfizer for weight loss drug startup Met Sara has ended, with Novo Nordisk stepping aside [1] - Novo Nordisk withdrew its offer due to potential regulatory risks flagged by the FTC regarding the deal structure [1] - Pfizer intends to acquire Met Sara to enter the obesity business [3] Weight Loss Drug Market - The industry anticipates lower costs and greater availability of weight loss drugs in oral form within a year or two [4] Delivery Services - Instacart's futures are up 6-8%, indicating strong demand for grocery and restaurant delivery services [4][5] - Instacart generates approximately 29% of its revenue from non-delivery transactions, including grocery technology, subscriptions, and advertising sales [6] - Instacart introduced an AI-powered assistant for grocers to aid in purchasing decisions [6] Food Industry - Tyson Foods - Tyson Foods' shares decreased by as much as 15% [8] - Tyson Foods anticipates little change in results for the next year [8] - The beef segment is projected to experience an adjusted operating loss of $400 million to $600 million next year [8] - A cattle shortage is driving up prices for Tyson Foods [8] - The U S cattle herd is expected to begin rebuilding next year, but the benefits won't be seen before 2028 [9] - Higher demand for chicken is offsetting losses in the beef segment [9][10]

You know, Tom, it's really a tale of two producers. You've got the super majors, the big guys, and they've managed to get some significant scale that's driven a lot of efficiencies and driven down cost. And then you have the smaller guys who really have to have well above $65 a barrel to to make significant money.So there's there's a difference between the two producers and it's tempered. We're seeing some really depressed oil prices recently. And it's it's not a it's not a great mood here in Houston.So. An ...

Government Shutdown & Legislative Process - Senate is facing potential delays in voting due to Senator Rand Paul's expected obstruction, potentially extending the process from hours to days [1] - Senator Thune expressed hope for resolution within hours, not days, regarding a plan that includes a stopgap measure to reopen the government until January 30th [2] - The compromise includes a rollback on the firing of federal workers, a policy previously championed by the White House [3] - President Trump is expected to sign the compromise if it reaches his desk, according to Senator Thune [4] Political Dynamics & Leadership - Eight senators broke ranks, including Dick Durbin, a member of the leadership, to support the compromise [5] - Chuck Schumer's leadership is being questioned due to the loss of eight votes, with some calling for his resignation [6] - The fact that none of the eight senators who broke ranks are up for reelection next November suggests a strategic calculation in their decision [6][7] - Schumer faced criticism months ago for keeping the government open in March, but the changing circumstances, particularly the impact on food benefits, have altered the calculus [8] House of Representatives & Potential Obstacles - House conservatives, particularly members of the House Freedom Caucus, may oppose the compromise due to spending levels and provisions regarding fired federal workers [9] - The Republican majority in the House is narrow, allowing for only two or three lost votes if Democrats remain united in opposition [10] - Representative-elect Gray from Arizona is expected to be sworn in before the House vote, potentially influencing the outcome [10]

I'm thankful to welcome you to what appears to be the beginning of the end of the longest government shutdown in US history. As shameful as that is, it's after 40 days of wandering in the wilderness and making the American people suffer needlessly, some Senate Democrats finally have stepped forward to end the pain. It appears to us this morning that our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end, and we're grateful for that.The Senate's vote last late last night of 60 to 40 opens the door now. The ...

The head of the UK's national broadcaster, the BBC, and the boss of BBC News, have quit in a dispute over editing that stretched all the way to the White House. At the center of the Fiori was a documentary by the BBC which featured remarks by Donald Trump. It spliced together sections of the US president's speech on January the 6th, 2021, the day of the capital riots.The edit made Trump appear to say that his supporters should walk down to the capital and fight like hell. In fact, he said they should cheer ...

We will sit down with any Republicans anytime, anyplace, anywhere. In order to find a bipartisan path forward. But we're not down with that my way or the highway approach to governance that's failed the American people.It's been a disaster for the American people and the American people know it. They fired more than 2000 federal and 100,000. Federal employees prior.To the shutdown that they started beginning. So of course, there's reason to be deeply skeptical of the administration and their motives as it r ...