Squawk Pod

Efforts at  diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine have so far been unproductive, and foreign leaders including Vice President Kamala Harris and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are now in Poland to facilitate talks and support Ukraine. The conflict has affected American gas prices, and Operation Hope CEO John Hope Bryant discusses impacts on consumer wallets and on corporate strategies. In th...

Following over 300 other western companies,  McDonald’s has temporarily closed its restaurants in Russia while Vladimir Putin continues his war in Ukraine. CNBC’s Steve Liesman, a founding business editor of The Moscow Times and a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Russia, recalls the first Russian McDonald’s and what it symbolized for a nation once cut off from the western world. In c...

In the latest international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the  U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil . As the conflict escalates, global oil prices are skyrocketing, and Again Capital’s John Kilduff points out that oil price spikes have historically preceded recessions. Global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets Helima Croft traces the ripple effects of the invasion throug...

The U.S. and its allies are considering banning Russian oil and natural gas imports in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Daniel Yergin, S&P Global vice chairman, discusses oil and surging gas prices ahead of the 40th annual CERAWeek energy conference. NBC’s Molly Hunter reports that Russian and Ukrainian officials are working on a humanitarian corridor for evacuations, but no deal has...

After the Russian military fired on and seized control of Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine, retired U.S. army colonel and a Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs discusses Vladimir Putin’s military strategy, as well as the war’s most likely outcome. CNBC’s Robert Frank details the sanctions levied on dozens of Russian oligarchs, and author Ben Mezrich reflects on his experience yachting an...

The Biden administration has unveiled a new plan for the ongoing pandemic, continuing production of vaccines and tests to minimize disruptions in the face of any new waves of infection. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb discusses U.S. preparedness and the likelihood of new strains emerging in the fall. A week into Russia’s war in Ukraine, CNBC’s Kayla Tausche reports that over 2,000 civil...

Famed value investor Bill Miller of Miller Value Partners joins Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson to share investment advice as war abroad escalates and inflation at home rises. Some of Miller’s biggest positions are in Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta, and he says, Meta stock is cheap, and the case for bitcoin is strong. Hobson says value investors are enthusiastic about leisure and entertainment...

As the Western world’s sanctions pile onto Russia, CNBC’s Steve Liesman considers the effect they’ll really have for the Russian economy and the Russian people. Speaking from his experience as a journalist in Moscow, Liesman explains the Russian government’s relationship to its citizens and the country’s difficult financial history. Meanwhile, U.S. corporations including  Netflix, Disney, and Warn...

Bill Daley, vice chairman of public affairs at Wells Fargo and former chief of staff in the Obama administration, discusses new sanctions against Russia, including the move to block some access to the SWIFT international payment system. CNBC’s Kayla Tausche breaks down the latest moves from the U.S. Treasury Department against Russia, CNBC’s Robert Frank reports on the swath of new sanctions from...

As Russia bombards Ukraine and advances on Kyiv, and Western powers consider deterrence strategies, market swings match changes in the power dynamic. After a call between China’s President Xi and Russia’s President Putin, Russian news outlets reported that Russia would be willing to start talks with Ukraine at a meeting in Minsk. Niall Ferguson, renowned historian, Hoover Institution senior fellow...

Russia has launched an invasion of its neighbor Ukraine, with military assaults on several key Ukrainian cities including its capital, Kyiv. City officials said the offensive has already killed dozens of soldiers and several civilians. Jack Jacobs, retired U.S. army colonel and a Medal of Honor recipient, discusses global deterrence strategy and says, "It is a war, there's no doubt about it." CNBC...

Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams discusses her new book, “Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Your Business Back,” and shares her plan for bolstering small businesses across the country. In a wide-ranging conversation, Abrams covers Congressional fundraising, voting rights, and the state of the Democratic Party. As Russia appears poised for further invasion of Ukr...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine after announcing Monday evening that he would recognize their independence. NBC’s Matt Bradley reports from Kiev on the  escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine , as well as international implications for China and responses from the EU, UN, and NATO. Marriott CEO Tony Capuano discusses the reb...

Warren Buffett is setting the record straight after The Wall Street Journal insinuated that Berkshire Hathaway might have had inside information on the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal that informed his own timely ATVI buy. Buffett said the stock buys were made by “one of the two investment managers who operate independently of me at Berkshire” – a reference to Berkshire investors Ted Weschler a...

Ongoing tension at the Russia-Ukraine border continues to impact market sentiment. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations says the  conflict has reached a “crucial moment” and that Russia is moving toward “an imminent invasion.” Senate Republicans are blocking votes on President Joe Biden’s five nominees for the Federal Reserve Board, creating an impasse while the central bank is under increasi...

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel finds it  “reasonable” to think the pandemic might be over , but economies and politics around the world must recover in its wake. Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, discusses the increased labor and product costs hitting all restaurateurs, whether Covid ends or not. Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and The Atlantic contributor, discusses Canada’s Pr...

Russia appears to be  backing away from an immediate invasion of Ukraine , cooling geopolitical tensions that have knocked the stock market down the last three days. Daleep Singh, deputy national security advisor for international economics and a deputy assistant to the President, discusses the Russia-Ukraine border crisis and confirms that the U.S. is prepared to levy severe sanctions on Russia,...

A super-sized episode, starting with St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard’s suggestion of a super-sized hike in interest rates. After Bullard’s original comments spooked the markets last week, he makes his case to mitigate 40-year inflation highs with a fast reaction from the U.S. central bank. Abroad, tensions between Russia and Ukraine--and now the rest of the world--remain unresolv...

Inflation is squeezing consumer wallets, and it’s likely to soon start affecting the housing market. Becky Quick and Brian Sullivan discuss how the latest inflation data may strongarm the Fed into taking more aggressive economic action than originally planned for 2022.  Truckers protesting vaccine mandates  on the U.S.-Canada border are disrupting an already fraught auto industry. New York Times c...

Inflation rose 7.5% over the past year, its highest level since 1982 . Jim Paulsen, The Leuthold Group CIO, CNBC’s Rick Santelli and Steve Liesman break down January’s key consumer price index data. Twitter reported fourth quarter financial results that missed analyst estimates on earnings, revenue, and user growth. The report is the first under new CEO Parag Agrawal after Jack Dorsey stepped down...

Support is growing among lawmakers on Capitol Hill for legislation that would ban lawmakers from trading stocks. CNBC’s Ylan Mui reports on Pelosi’s proposal, and Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, explains the bipartisan support to ban stock trading among Congressional lawmakers. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg discusses U.S. companies investing in manufa...

Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein says investors should not expect rising inflation or a major stock market downturn to spiral the United States into a recession. Rubenstein shares his market outlook and the impact of growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Millions of Americans are expected to  bet on the Super Bowl this weekend . CNBC’s Contessa Brewer reports on what has changed as...

Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, the two largest low-cost carriers in the U.S., have agreed to  merge in a $6.6 billion deal , CNBC’s Phil LeBeau reports. Frontier will control 51.5% of the new airline. Former SEC chairman Jay Clayton discusses the Department of Justice’s latest probe into roughly a dozen short-selling firms, and considers the value of all market players, positive and negati...

AT&T is spinning off WarnerMedia in a $43 billion merger with Discovery. AT&T CEO John Stankey and Discovery CEO David Zaslav discuss the deal, the rollout of 5G, and the separate futures of telecom and streaming from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament. Plus, the executives respond to the surprise departure of CNN President Jeff Zucker.    In this episode: John Stankey,  @ATT David Zasla...

Facebook parent  Meta delivered disappointing quarterly results , and its stock is taking a hit in response. CEO Mark Zuckerberg cited supply chain and inflation issues hitting advertiser budgets and fallout from Apple’s new iOS, but the stock still lost a fifth of its value overnight. Adam Singolda, founder and CEO of advertising platform Taboola, joins venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary to discuss...