Gold Soars as US Shutdown Enters Day 8; French Premier Optimistic on Resolving Political Crisis
On today's podcast:1) The Trump administration’s push to deny back pay to federal workers furloughed during the shutdown sets the stage for another round of legal battles over the president’s control of the workforce. The White House in a draft legal opinion Tuesday suggested it may withhold back pay from government employees when the shutdown ends, raising the threat of lost wages for potentially 750,000 civilian workers and stoking a broader clash over how much employees are owed after a shutdown ends. Meantime, spot gold smashed through $4,000 an ounce for the first time, as concerns over the US economy and the government shutdown added fresh momentum to a scorching rally.2) Outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu expressed optimism that an an accord can be reached to allow the formation of a new government without fully endorsing a new proposal to rethink a controversial pension law as demanded by the Socialists. 3) Teams from the US, Qatar, Israel and other nations are headed to Egypt as part of a final push for a deal with Hamas aimed at ending the two-year war that’s devastated Gaza and destabilized much of the Middle East. A US team that includes US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will join Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other senior officials in Sharm El-Sheikh.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-------- Â
16:09
--------
16:09
Trump Opens Door to Shutdown Talks; National Guard Deployments Continue
On today's podcast:1) With the US government shutdown closing in on the one week mark, President Trump showed signs of cracking Monday, sending mixed messages about the state of talks with Democrats on their biggest demand. Trump, who had remained on the sidelines of negotiations for days, on Monday said he was open to negotiating with Democrats over health care subsidies to bring an end to the funding stalemate, at one point suggesting those talks had already begun. The remarks appeared to mark a shift after days of Republicans maintaining they’d only consider a possible extension of Obamacare subsidies after Democrats first passed legislation to fund the government.2) A federal judge declined to quickly issue a temporary order blocking the Trump administration’s plan to deploy National Guard members to Chicago to counter protests against the US immigration crackdown, while urging the government to delay the controversial plan until she rules. US District Judge April Perry on Monday said she could not rule immediately on a request by Illinois for a two-week halt to the deployment, which would include National Guard troops under federal control from Illinois and Texas. She set a Thursday hearing for arguments.3) President Trump is pressing Israel and Hamas to secure a settlement to the two-year conflict that’s devastated Gaza and destabilized the Middle East, with the warring sides starting mediated negotiations. A key sign of progress in the talks, taking place in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, will be whether Hamas frees all the roughly 20 of its live hostages — plus the remains of those who are dead — in return for Israel releasing about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Indirect discussions between negotiators about preparing the conditions for that exchange got underway on Monday, AlQahera News reported on its X account, citing unidentified individuals. Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working with both sides to establish an appropriate mechanism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-------- Â
17:05
--------
17:05
French Premier Lecornu Resigns; Trump Pushes for Israel-Hamas Deal
On today's podcast:1) French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned Monday just a day after President Emmanuel Macron named a new cabinet, deepening the country’s political crisis. The premier quit less than 24 hours after Macron announced a government that retained most senior members from previous cabinets. That irked opposition parties looking for change, but in a surprising twist, the reappointed interior minister, Bruno Retailleau — who leads the center-right Republicans — also slammed the choice of ministers as failing to “break” with the past.2) President Trump is pressing Israel and Hamas to seal a settlement to the two-year conflict that’s devastated Gaza and destabilized the Middle East, with the warring sides set to begin mediated talks on Monday. A key sign of progress in the negotiations, taking place in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, will be whether Hamas frees all the roughly 20 of its live hostages — plus the remains of those who are dead — in return for Israel releasing about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.3) Unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers asked a US judge to immediately block any mass firings by the Trump administration during the government shutdown while they press a legal challenge.The emergency request Saturday night to US District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco follows what the unions contend are a series of statements from President Donald Trump and other senior officials signaling that agencies could take action on layoff plans as early as Monday. Kevin Hassett, Trump’s top economic adviser in the White House, said the administration is holding off on layoffs at least until Monday, when a divided Senate is due to vote for the fifth time on a stopgap bill to keep government open through November 21st.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-------- Â
21:11
--------
21:11
Special Coverage: Hamas Agrees To Release Israeli Hostages
Hamas agreed to release the last of the hostages from its 2023 attack on Israel but said the rest of a US peace plan would be subject to negotiation, a stance that offered uncertain hopes for an end to the conflict in Gaza. President Donald Trump responded favorably to the Hamas statement even though the group failed to address other key elements of his 20-point proposal that Israel has also demanded, including that it disarm. He called on Israel to stop its bombing campaign and said discussions were underway on “details to be worked out,” suggesting that he was willing to give Hamas some leeway. “I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE,” Trump said of Hamas in a social media post. “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” In a subsequent video post, Trump thanked the Muslim-majority nations he credited with assisting in the negotiations and pledged that “everybody will be treated fairly” in ongoing talks. “This is a big day,” Trump said. “We’ll see how it all turns out — we have to get the final word down in concrete.” For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Balance of Power host Joe Mathieu speaks with: - Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York- Bloomberg News State Department and Foreign Policy Reporter Eric Martin- Former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy ShermanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-------- Â
17:02
--------
17:02
Daybreak Weekend: Pfizer Deal, Nobel Peace, Golden Week
Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Tom Busby take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a look ahead to the impact of lumber and timber tariffs on housing, and President Donald Trump’s Pfizer deal on drugmakers. In the UK – a look ahead to the Nobel Prize decisions. In Asia – a look ahead to the impact of the Golden Week holiday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
UK