Squawk Pod

Rebel forces led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overtook Damascus, prompting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and seek refuge in Russia . NBC’s Raf Sanchez joins from the Golan Heights border with the latest developments in Syria. Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman explains what the Assad’s fall could mean for politics in the Middle East...

Two days after a man fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, NYPD’s manhunt is ongoing . Former Boeing Chief Security Officer Dave Komendat explains how executive security details assess threats to executive leaders, especially as negativity abounds on social media. New York City Mayor Eric Adams discusses safety in the city, as well as housing and immigration in his city. Next, Taylor S...

Andrew Ross Sorkin shares highlights from The New York Times DealBook Summit yesterday, including his interviews with Jeff Bezos, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Prince Harry and former President Bill Clinton. Notable moments included Jay Powell comparing bitcoin to gold , OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling Elon Musk a “mega hero,” and Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s comments on DEI. Plus, bitcoin has hit $100,000...

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly announced a period of emergency martial law on Tuesday, but reversed the order hours later after backlash from citizens and South Korean Parliament. In France, lawmakers will hold a vote of no-confidence today in Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s minority government. CNBC contributor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera discusses the international politics and econom...

Following news that Tesla buyers could be excluded from lucrative EV credits in California, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) is urging the state’s leaders to keep manufacturing in the state. In the name of bipartisanship, Rep. Khanna shares a list of agenda items ripe for collaboration across the aisle. Next, Crunch Labs founder and YouTuber Mark Rober discusses how he’s making science cool for kids....

The holiday season is in full swing, and happiness guru Arthur Brooks is offering advice to maximize gratitude into the new year. Host of the “How to Build a Better Life” podcast says Thanksgiving offers a helpful psychology, and that an emphasis on being “grateful, not cheerful” can improve mental health. Next, on this Cyber Monday, Amber Venz Box discusses the rise of live shopping on social med...

Black Friday is here, and while many shoppers are hitting the malls, others are taking advantage of deals on social media. Marketing and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk highlights the rise of live shopping on social media as a potential disruption to the retail industry. Influencers are making millions of dollars each month through live shopping events on TikTok, he says, much like QVC. Next,...

In this bonus episode of Squawk Pod, the beloved “Roundball Rock” NBA theme song could make a return to NBC. CNBC’s Alex Sherman shares the latest on the rights to the iconic song and whether fans will hear it when the NBA returns to NBC starting in 2025. The Roundball Rock composer himself, John Tesh, heard us squawking about his song and  reacted to it on his podcast . Tesh then joined Squawk Bo...

Israel and Hezbollah reached a permanent ceasefire agreement overnight after nearly 14 months of fighting. In Washington, CNBC’s Eamon Javers discusses the latest picks for Trump’s economic team, and in Silicon Valley, OpenAI is allowing employees to sell about $1.5 billion worth of shares in a new tender offer to SoftBank. Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan is turning her nearly 25-year-o...

President-elect Trump says he plans to raise tariffs by an additional 10% on China and impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada . CNBC’s Megan Cassella talks through the latest reporting on Trump’s plans for tariffs on day one of his administration. Next, the U.S. has finalized a $7.9B award to Intel to fund chips projects. Chris Miller, Tufts Fletcher School professor and ‘Chip War’ author, discus...

President-elect Trump’s Treasury Secretary pick Scott Bessent prompted a positive market reaction as the last few cabinet roles are filled. Sports team owner Mark Wilf had a big weekend, scoring a trifecta of wins for his teams: Orlando Pride, Orlando City, and the Minnesota Vikings. He discusses the Pride’s first NWSL championship victory and his return on investment in women’s sports. Plus, Wick...

A big weekend is coming up for the box office, with Wicked and Gladiator II  expected to bring in a combined $200 million . CNBC’s Julia Boorstin explains the stakes and the marketing blitzes for both movies. Puck’s Matt Belloni discusses Wicked-ator and Comcast’s rationale for “SpinCo,” its cable spinoff. Restaurant review platform The Infatuation is out with its best new restaurants of the year....

NHL legend Wayne Gretzky is readying a congratulations for Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals player set to break one of Gretzky’s many career records. The Great One weighs in on the recent growth of the sport, as well as the impact of his most famous quotes. Bitcoin is cruising toward its 100k milestone; Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) is a crypto enthusiast, and she’s supporting a Bitcoin...

Comcast plans to spin off its cable networks , including CNBC, E!, and MSNBC. CNBC’s founder and NBC Cable’s first president Tom Rogers is optimistic about the move and the influx of resources it might present for cable channels. Delta CEO Ed Bastian joins ahead of the airline’s 100-year anniversary and Delta’s annual investor day . Despite retailers like Target reporting inflation-conscious custo...

Department of Justice antitrust officials will reportedly ask a judge to force Alphabet to sell its Chrome browser. Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt considers the friction between big tech and the government, and weighs how tech regulation might change under another Donald Trump administration. In Schmidt’s new book “Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit,” he explores the fu...

As President-elect Donald Trump quickly reveals his picks for roles in his administration, Axios co-founder Mike Allen suggests what each name means for Trump’s priorities in his next administration. While some picks are surprises, the contenders for Treasury Secretary are predictable, so far. In the AI revolution, platform Perplexity is rolling out a shopping feature to extend user queries from i...

Vaccine stocks are falling after President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Walgreens Boots Alliance executive, John Driscoll, shares his concerns about the potential impact and what it could mean for the future of healthcare policy. Home Depot CEO, Ted Decker, discusses how inflation is hitting consumers and how the compa...

President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R) Florida, to be attorney general . CNBC’s Eamon Javers has the latest from Florida on the surprising selection, as Gaetz is the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct. Tom Barrack, a longtime Trump ally who chaired his 2016 inaugural committee, shares his insight on the pr...

President-elect Trump announced last night that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a Department of Government Efficiency , DOGE for short, to trim government spending during his second administration. CNBC’s Eamon Javers has the Trump team’s latest from West Palm Beach. Next, the Senate is gearing up for a vote today on who will be the next majority leader . Eric Cantor, Wall Street executive...

Lawmakers and economists are debating the future of the Federal Reserve after President-elect Trump’s promises to fire Fed Chair Jay Powell and Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) call to #EndTheFed . Judy Shelton and CNBC’s Steve Liesman to discuss the role of the central bank and the constitutional precedent for Fed independence. As the AI revolution ramps up, Goldman Sachs’s Jared Cohen highlights the in...

President-elect Donald Trump has begun to make his first appointments in his new administration. Over the weekend, he named Tom Homan as border czar , said Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo will not join  his second term, and wrote on Truth Social that the Senate majority leader should agree to allow recess appointments to Trump’s cabinet . On X, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) suggested reasons to “#EndtheFe...

In the central bank’s latest decision, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate by 25bps . While Democrats wrestle with what went wrong for Vice President Harris, Republicans are making plans for President-Elect Trump 2.0. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and former Trump staffer turned Harris-backer Anthony Scaramucci debate immigration policy and whether the country can...

In the week leading up to election day, presidential election contracts on Polymarket, Kalshi, and PredictIt all indicated Donald Trump had a wider lead ahead of Kamala Harris than traditional polls. In his first-ever TV interview, Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan discusses his company’s role in elections and the rising popularity of prediction markets , which allow bettors to wager on election outcom...

Another Trump administration might mean big changes to America’s financial system. Scott Bessent, economic advisor to Trump and potential Treasury Secretary pick, shares insights on Trump’s proposed tariffs and a red Senate. Plus, Bessent discusses his behind-the-scenes role in shaping Trump’s economic policies. Bessent - 03:33 In this episode: Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Andre...

What are the market implications of a potential "red sweep" in the 2024 election? Billionaire private equity investor and Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein offers his take on what the outcome could mean for the country’s economic future and the markets. Plus, Rubenstein weighs in on the challenges ahead, from tackling the national deficit to navigating political divisions. Rubenstein - 03:...