Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

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  1. 4H AGO

    ACA Subsidies Set to Expire; Russia and Ukraine Trade Strikes on Black Sea Ports

    On today's podcast:1) Covid-era subsidies that help Americans pay for Obamacare health plans will expire today. It will result in more than 20 million Americans paying higher premiums next month. Democrats have tried to extend the additional support beyond the December deadline, but Republicans have balked, citing the cost of some $350 billion over the next decade. Meantime, a handful of House Republicans have joined Democrats in a maneuver that will put a three-year extension of the subsidies to a vote next month. 2) Russia and Ukraine struck each other’s Black Sea ports overnight, damaging infrastructure including an oil refinery. A drone attack on the Russian coastal city of Tuapse damaged a berth at the port and equipment at the local refinery, according to a statement from the emergency services. Fires at both sites were put out, while several residential buildings were also damaged. Two people were hospitalized. The Tuapse refinery, owned by Rosneft PJSC, has a processing capacity of about 240,000 barrels a day and produces mainly fuel oil, naphtha and diesel for export. In Ukraine, Russian forces struck the port city of Odesa, injuring at least six people and damaging residential properties and infrastructure, according to the local authorities. Some residents are without power, water and heating.3) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran should heed President Trump Warning's about not restarting its nuclear program. Speaking Tuesday to Fox News, he added that Iran is 'trying to' rebuild its missile capacity at new sites, and said he is aligned with Trump on wanting to give the new Syrian government a chance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 min
  2. 1D AGO

    Trump Ukraine Plan Wobbles; White House Warns Iran on Nuclear Program

    On today's podcast:   1) President Trump’s campaign to end the war in Ukraine faced new complications on Monday when Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would revise his country’s negotiating position after the Russian leader claimed Ukrainian drones targeted his residence. Putin told Trump of his decision in a call Monday, according to the Kremlin, even as Kyiv cast the Russian allegations as a fabrication aimed at derailing the peace process. Trump addressed the dispute while speaking to reporters in Florida, saying that Putin had told him about the purported attack during their discussion. The US president, seeming to side with Putin, said he was “very angry.”   2) President Trump expressed concern that Iran is moving to rebuild its nuclear capabilities and bolster its ballistic missile program after strikes by the US and Israel earlier this year, and threatened to target the country again to prevent Tehran from stockpiling weapons. “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are we are going to have to knock them down,” Trump said Monday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president also said he would support Israel in strikes if Iran continued with its ballistic missile program, which Netanyahu highlighted earlier this year as “existential” threat along with Tehran’s nuclear development.   3) President Trump said the US struck a facility inside Venezuela, in what would be a significant escalation in its campaign against alleged drug trafficking operations there. Trump’s reference to an attack within Venezuela would mark the first time the US has announced a land strike in the country. The administration has raised pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro by bombing boats in the region and implementing a blockade to disrupt the country’s oil exports. Separately, the US carried out another strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters on Monday, US Southern Command announced on X, sharing a 22-second video showing a vessel being destroyed in a fiery explosion.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    14 min
  3. 2D AGO

    Trump Praises Zelenskiy After Mar-a-Lago Talks; Trump and Netanyahu to Meet Today

    On today's podcast:1) President Trump said he made “a lot of progress” in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over a possible peace deal, but that it might take a few weeks to get it done and there’s no set timeline. The pair met at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort Sunday, where they had lunch and later spoke on the phone with a group of European leaders to brief them on their progress. Among the major sticking points left to be resolved: the future of Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is partially occupied by Russian forces. Trump told reporters the issue was still unresolved, but “getting a lot closer.”2) President Trump has another high profile meeting on the docket at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon. The two aim to boost a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, which faces challenges as it looks to move into a more complicated second phase. That phase involves rebuilding Gaza under international supervision, creating an international security force and normalizing relations between Israel and the Arab world.3) China kicked off military maneuvers around Taiwan that will include live-fire drills, a move that comes after the US announced one of its biggest arms packages ever for the self-run democracy. The exercises starting Monday would involve the army, navy, air force and Rocket Force, the Chinese military said in a statement. The exercises named “Justice Mission-2025” would “test the actual combat capability of theater troops in joint operations.” The People’s Liberation Army said in a separate statement that from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday it would hold live-fire exercises in five blocks around Taiwan, saying “any irrelevant vessel or aircraft is advised not to enter” the area. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 min
  4. 5D AGO

    Zelenskiy Plans to Meet Trump Soon; US Strikes ISIS Targets in Nigeria

    On today's podcast:1) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he plans to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump “in the coming days,” signaling optimism about reaching a peace deal to end Russia’s almost four-year war.“A lot could be decided before the New Year,” Zelenskiy said Friday in a Telegram and X post after receiving an update from Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s top negotiator with the US and head of the National Defense and Security Council. The Kyiv Post reported earlier that Zelenskiy is expected to travel to Florida, where Trump is spending the Christmas break, as soon as Sunday. It cited a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t identified. Kyiv and Washington are seeking to align on a 20-point peace plan to present to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including the provision of strong security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5, and a global post-war development program for Ukraine.2) The US launched a military strike in Nigeria against Islamic State targets in a security and intelligence collaboration with the African nation’s government, which has been struggling to contain increasing levels of terrorist attacks in parts of the country. President Trump said he directed American forces to carry out “a powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS. Nigeria’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed the “precision hits on terrorist targets” and said it remains engaged with international partners including the US to address the “persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism.”3) Gold, silver and platinum jumped to all-time highs to extend a historic end-of-year rally for precious metals, with support from escalating geopolitical tensions and US dollar weakness.  Frictions in Venezuela, where the US has blockaded oil tankers and ramped up pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro, have added to the precious metal’s haven appeal. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, a key gauge of the US currency’s strength, was down 0.7% for the week, its biggest drop since June. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    19 min
  5. DEC 24

    New Set of Epstein Files Released; Trump’s $100K H-1B Visa Application Fee Upheld by Judge

    On today's podcast:1) The US Justice Department released another tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, including some that add fresh pressure on President Trump over his past relationship with the late, disgraced financier. The trove includes thousands of additional pages of material related to investigations of Epstein, including a 2020 email from a prosecutor that contains new detail about Trump’s trips on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, which the president has said never took place. There are also fresh details on Epstein’s relationships with financial firms and figures.2) The US Supreme Court has refused to let President Trump start deploying National Guard troops in Chicago, dealing a setback to his drive to use the military in liberal cities across the country. Rejecting a Trump request in a 6-3 decision, the court on Tuesday left in force a judge’s ruling that has blocked the deployment since Oct. 9. The president wanted to use hundreds of troops to aid immigration enforcement in the third-largest US city. The court said the legal provision Trump sought to invoke probably doesn’t permit deployment of the National Guard in situations where the president wouldn’t have authority to send in active-duty military. The court said that under federal law, the president can deploy the armed forces to help execute the laws only in “exceptional” circumstances.3) A federal judge says the Trump administration can move ahead with a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, providing a setback for US technology companies that rely on hiring skilled foreign workers. US District Judge Beryl Howell said in a ruling Tuesday that President Trump’s move to radically increase the cost of the popular visa is lawful. The decision provides a boost to the administration’s campaign to restrict immigration and push demand for US workers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which sued to block the proposal, can appeal. Howell rejected the Chamber’s argument that the president doesn’t have the power to impose the fee, finding that his proclamation was issued under “an express statutory grant of authority to the President.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 min
  6. DEC 23

    Trump Issues Warning to Venezuela's Maduro, Renews Call for Greenland Takeover

    On today's podcast: 1)  President Trump warned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to challenge the US, and vowed to keep oil seized from a supertanker but declined to say if he’s seeking to oust the Venezuelan leader. “He can do whatever he wants to do, whatever he wants to do, if he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” Trump told reporters at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday evening. Asked if he would try to push Maduro out, he responded, “That’s up to him.” Trump spoke after the US stepped up its blockade of tankers going to and from Venezuela over the weekend, boarding a non-sanctioned ship owned by a Hong Kong-based entity on Saturday and pursuing a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Another very large crude carrier, the Skipper, was intercepted on Dec. 10. 2) During Monday's press conference, Trump also said he believed “people are very angry that pictures are being released” that connect them to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, days after the Justice Department released a new tranche of files tied to the late financier. Trump said he hated to see former President Bill Clinton, who appeared frequently in the release, being tarnished by the association, describing the situation as “terrible.” The Epstein files, and the fight over their disclosure, have sparked infighting among Trump’s supporters, adding to the political headwinds that the president is facing heading into next year’s midterm elections. 3) President Trump reiterated his desire for US control over Greenland on Monday, after announcing plans to appoint Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to the island. The president said Landry was “a deal-maker-type guy” who could help execute his vision for taking control of the territory. The president also said his desire was not rooted in Greenland’s energy or mineral reserves — saying the US had plenty of resources — but that he did not believe Denmark had devoted enough spending to protect the island. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 min

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Listen for today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. Get informed from Bloomberg's 3,000 journalists and analysts.

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