Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

On today's podcast:1) President Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers going into and leaving Venezuela, ratcheting up pressure on Caracas as the US builds up its military presence in the region. The move threatens to choke off the economic lifeblood of a country that was already under severe financial pressure. But it will have a less profound impact on global markets due to the diminished status of Venezuela’s oil industry. The OPEC member’s crude output has slumped about 70% through more than 25 years of socialist rule to less than 1 million barrels a day. It could potentially rebound if the governing regime were to change.2) The US is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter. The US is considering options, such as targeting vessels in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to transport Moscow’s oil, as well as traders who facilitate the transactions, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The new measures could be unveiled as early as this week.3) OpenAI is in initial discussions to raise at least $10 billion from Amazon.com Inc. and use its chips, a potential win for the online retailer’s effort to broaden its AI industry presence and compete with Nvidia Corp. The deal under discussion could value OpenAI north of $500 billion and see it adopt Amazon’s Trainium chip, a person with knowledge of the matter said, asking to remain anonymous to describe private negotiations. Talks, however, are at a preliminary stage and terms could change, the person added. A deal would mark a win for Amazon’s fledgling semiconductor division. While Nvidia dominates the market for the powerful chips required to create AI platforms, developers such as Meta Platforms Inc. are starting to explore rival offerings from the likes of Alphabet Inc.’s Google.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's podcast:1) US negotiators offered more significant security guarantees to Kyiv as part of President Trump’s renewed push to end the Russia-Ukraine war, but the effort still appeared part of a bid to pressure President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on territory. The Trump administration offered to provide Ukraine with strong “Article 5-like” security guarantees — a reference to NATO’s mutual defense clause — as part of the current deal to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, a US official told reporters, without providing any details. Later on Monday, Trump said a negotiated end to the war was “closer than” ever and that the US was working with Europe on security guarantees. But then he appeared to suggest Ukraine ought to give up land as part of the deal. 2) Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested and booked for the murder of his parents, the Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner. The son was being held in jail in Los Angeles on no bail, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on X. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for filing consideration on Tuesday. Reiner, who directed 1980s classics like The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap, was found dead Sunday at his home with his wife, both of whom appeared to have died from stab wounds, NBC News and other outlets reported, citing a source close to the family.3) Shock over a shooting rampage at Brown University over the weekend is giving way to frustration over the lack of video footage and suspects. Authorities in Providence, Rhode Island, said Monday they hadn’t identified any new persons of interest in the shooting that killed two people and injured nine on the Ivy League campus Saturday afternoon. A person detained earlier was released late Sunday, and officials have said a lack of clear security-camera footage from inside the Barus & Holley engineering building where the shooting took place has slowed the search.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's podcast: 1) Brown University, mourning two students killed during a shooting rampage Saturday, sent students home and called off final exams, classes and assignments for the fall semester. A blanket of snow covered the campus and downtown Providence, Rhode Island, on Sunday morning as the Ivy League school reeled from its first encounter with mass violence. Students recounted barricading themselves in their homes, waiting out the shelter-in-place orders by huddling together in the dark for hours as a manhunt ensued for the suspect who opened fire as the undergrads were preparing for exams. The shooting interrupted the second day of finals on Brown’s campus, shattering the calm in a study session in the Barus & Holley engineering building. 2) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state leaders pledged to strengthen gun laws a day after a father and son killed 15 people in the nation’s deadliest terror attack. The National Cabinet has tasked police ministers and attorneys-general to explore options including caps on the number of firearms an individual can hold, limits on open-ended licenses, stricter rules on the allowed types of guns and modifications, and a requirement that license holders be Australian citizens. Albanese also said in a statement following an emergency National Cabinet meeting that ministers pledged to eradicate antisemitism, hate, violence and terrorism. 3) Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner, who helmed 1980s classics like The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap, died Sunday in murky circumstances that triggered a police investigation. He was 78. Reiner was discovered in his Los Angeles home alongside wife Michele Singer Reiner, both of whom appeared to have died from stab wounds, NBC News and other US outlets reported, citing sources close to the family. Representatives for Reiner didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a look ahead to the November jobs report and quarterly earnings from Nike. In the UK – a look ahead to the Conference of Paris. In Asia – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Bank of Japan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's podcast:1) Global stock gauges have record highs in their sights after a week in which affirmation that the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate easing cycle remains intact helped clear the way for a year-end rally. Europe’s Stoxx 600 rose as much as 0.5% to a fresh peak. A measure for Asia advanced to less than 2% from its all-time high. S&P 500 futures were slightly lower after the benchmark posted a new closing milestone in the previous session, when gauges for blue-chip and small-cap US stocks also pushed into record territory.2) Broadcom Inc., a chip company vying with Nvidia Corp. for AI computing revenue, slumped after its sales outlook for the red-hot market failed to meet investors’ lofty expectations. The shares fell about 5% in premarket trading on Friday, following unsettling commentary from Chief Executive Officer Hock Tan on a conference call with analysts. He said the company has a backlog of $73 billion in AI product orders that will be shipped over the next six quarters — a number that disappointed some investors. But Tan sought to clarify that the figure was a “minimum.” 3) President Trump said the US would be willing to contribute assistance to Ukraine as part of a security agreement to end the war with Russia, but continued to express frustration with the pace of talks. Still, he expressed disappointment that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had not more readily signed off on an American peace plan, adding to pressure on officials in Kyiv who pushed back on an earlier US proposal seen as too accommodating to Moscow.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.