Bloomberg Businessweek

Jeff Vaughn, a former CBS anchor, says a 2022 billboard convinced him that being White and male was becoming a liability, and he sued CBS in 2024 after being fired in 2023. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is urging White men to come forward with complaints about their treatment by employers looking to diversify their workforces, with EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas saying that anti-discrimination laws apply equally to everyone.
Jeff Green, Bloomberg News Managing Diversity Reporter, writes how white men who sue their employers over perceived discrimination may face career damage, with experts saying that bringing a lawsuit can make it difficult to find a new job, as potential employers can discover the lawsuit with a basic Google search.

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Federal Reserve officials signaled renewed worries over inflation with “several” policymakers suggesting the central bank may need to raise interest rates if inflation stays above their goal.
“Several participants indicated that they would have supported a two-sided description of the committee’s future interest-rate decisions, reflecting the possibility that upward adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate could be appropriate if inflation remains at above-target levels,” a record of the central bank’s January meeting showed.
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s Jan. 27-28 meeting released Wednesday also revealed that a “vast majority of participants judged that downside risks to employment had moderated in recent months while the risk of more persistent inflation remained.”

The FOMC voted 10-2 at the meeting to hold the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5%-3.75%. Governors Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran dissented in favor of a quarter-point reduction. Officials dropped language pointing to increased downside risks to employment that had appeared in the three previous statements.
The minutes further signaled that one group of policymakers was embracing a view less open to additional rate cuts, at least in the near term.
Today's show features:

• Michael McKee, Bloomberg TV and Radio International Economics & Policy Correspondent, on the latest FOMC minutes
• Mike Wilson, Chief US Equity Strategist and Chief Investment Officer for Morgan Stanley, and Bloomberg News Equities Reporter Alexandra Semenova
• Kamini Lane, President and CEO of Coldwell Banker Realty, on latest US Housing data
• Bloomberg News Senior Technology Reporter Kurt Wagner on the Social Media Addiction trial

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Marvina S. Robinson is the Founder & CEO of B. Stuyvesant Champagne. Founded in 2020, B. Stuyvesant Champagne is a luxury, woman-owned Champagne house produced and bottled in Épernay, France. The brand develops its cuvées in partnership within the Champagne region, focusing on small-production wines crafted according to traditional méthode champenoise standards.

Beyond the bottle, the company operates a Brooklyn tasting room and curates elevated Champagne experiences designed to make luxury Champagne more accessible while honoring the heritage of the region. B. Stuyvesant Champagne continues to grow through experiential activations, disciplined brand expansion and a focus on long-term value creation within the global luxury beverage market.

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Warner Bros Discovery Inc. has agreed to reopen negotiations with rival Hollywood studio Paramount Skydance Corp. after the suitor proposed raising its bid and sweetened other terms of its offer, setting the stage for a renewed showdown with Netflix.

Netflix, which Warner Bros. still described as its preferred bidder, has granted the board seven days to discuss Paramount’s most recent proposal, according to a statement Tuesday. The decision came after a Paramount banker told a Warner Bros. board member that Paramount would offer at least $31 a share, or $1 a share higher than its previous offer, if the company agreed to reopen talks. Warner Bros. now wants to see that, and other aspects of Paramount’s new bid, in writing.

Warner Bros. said the board still unanimously recommends shareholders vote in favor of its binding agreement to sell its namesake studios and HBO Max streaming business to Netflix for $27.75 a share, or $72 billion. Paramount’s all-cash $77.9 billion bid, which is backed by billionaire Larry Ellison, is for the entirety of Warner Bros., including its cable TV channels such as CNN and TNT that are otherwise planned to be spun off under a deal with Netflix. Warner Bros. has scheduled a shareholder vote on the Netflix deal for March 20.

The decision to reengage with Paramount, which confirms Bloomberg’s reporting Sunday, adds another twist in the long drawn-out saga over control of one of Hollywood’s most iconic properties. The fight for Warner Bros., the century-old studio behind films from Casablanca to Batman, and hit TV series like Friends, is one of the biggest media deals in years and has the power to reshape the entertainment industry.

Today's show features:

• Bloomberg News Managing Editor for Media & Entertainment Lucas Shaw and Bloomberg News Senior M&A Reporter Michelle Davis on Warner Bros. Reopens Talks as Paramount Signals Higher Bid
• Bloomberg News Managing Editor for Global Consumer Tech Mark Gurman on Apple Ramps Up Work on Glasses, Pendant and Camera AirPods (CLEAN UP LINE DROP)
• Bloomberg News Finance Reporter Max Abelson on The Leon Black Files: Epstein Was Fixer for His Deepest Secrets
• Drive to the Close with Bill Smead, Founder, Chairman and CIO of Smead Capital Management, on the energy market and his stock pick

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Brad Finkel founded Hoboken Farms in 1992. His family has had deep roots in Hoboken dating back to around 1895. As a youngster, whenever Brad visited friends, he was always asked to bring fresh bread, mozzarella, and pastas from Hoboken's local shops. Soon, neighbors and ex-Hobokenites who missed these local delicacies began requesting deliveries as well. Brad saw an opportunity and started a small business to meet this demand.

Hoboken Farms, once a part-time endeavor, became Brad's full-time obsession. As his community grew to encompass around 800 markets annually, so did his commitment to providing nourishment and inspiration through food and family. Brad details his growing line of farm market products and how a critical new investment is helping Hoboken Farms continue its evolution into a beloved supermarket brand. Brad speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.

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It’s an open secret that the Chinese government has engaged in a global campaign to acquire intellectual property from foreign rivals. At the center of that campaign is the Ministry of State Security, China’s elusive intelligence agency. The US has apprehended hundreds of people accused of giving information to the MSS, but the agency’s inner workings have been a mystery –  until now.

The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness – and a cunning FBI sting – led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.

The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught.

Listen to episodes 1 and 2 now on Bloomberg's Big Take podcast.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Europe’s fate is intertwined with the US while faulting the continent for what he said was a drift away from their shared Western values. 
The double-edged message offered some reassurance to allied leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference but did little to temper their push for more independence from Washington. 
“We want Europe to prosper because we’re interconnected in so many different ways, and because our alliance is so critical,” Rubio told Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on the sidelines of the conference on Saturday. “But it has to be an alliance of allies that are capable and willing to fight for who they are and what’s important.”
“What is it that binds us together? Ultimately, it’s the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization, and it’s a great civilization,” he said. “It’s one we should be proud of.”
Rubio’s comments elaborated on a speech he delivered to the event, Europe’s premier annual security gathering, earlier Saturday morning. The speech was the most anticipated of the three-day conference, with fellow leaders eager to hear if he would double down on the contemptuous tone voiced a year earlier by Vice President JD Vance at the same venue.

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Featuring some of our favorite conversations of the week from our daily radio show "Bloomberg Businessweek Daily."
Hosted by Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec

Hear the show live at 2PM ET on WBBR 1130 AM New York, Bloomberg 92.9 FM Boston, WDCH 99.1 FM in Washington D.C. Metro, Sirius/XM channel 121, on the Bloomberg Business App, Radio.com, the iHeartRadio app and at Bloomberg.com/audio.

You can also watch Bloomberg Businessweek on YouTube - just search for Bloomberg Global News.
Like us at Bloomberg Radio on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @carolmassar @timsteno and @BW

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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Wall Street got a degree of relief as relatively tame inflation data spurred bigger bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts, with bond yields falling. While most stocks gained, weakness in tech giants kept a lid on the market.

Treasury two-year yields dropped toward their lowest since 2022. Money markets priced in higher chances the Fed will slash rates more than twice this year. About 370 shares in the S&P 500 rose, but the gauge was little changed at the end of its worst week since November. A gauge of megacaps lost 1.1%. Amazon.com Inc. saw its longest slide in almost 20 years. The Russell 2000 index of small firms climbed 1.2%. Bitcoin jumped.

The consumer price index rose 0.2% in January, the smallest gain since July and restrained by lower energy costs. While services costs picked up last month, prices of core goods remained stable. The core CPI rose from a year ago by the least since 2021. The overall gauge also eased on an annual basis.

Today's show features:

• Dr. Adam Posen, President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, on the global economic outlook and the path for US monetary policy
• Christina Stembel, Founder & CEO of Farmgirl Flowers, on the importance of Valentine’s Day to her company’s annual sales
• Bloomberg News Banking Reporter Todd Gillespie on Kathy Ruemmler leaving her position as the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs following a monthslong saga over her previous association with Jeffrey Epstein
• Bloomberg Tech Co-Host Ed Ludlow on SpaceX considering a dual-class share structure in its planned IPO
• Bloomberg News Executive Editor for Crypto, Payments and Digital Finance stacy-marie ishmael on Coinbase’s post-earnings surge and the broader crypto trade

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Brooks Running creates performance running footwear, apparel, sports bras, and accessories distributed worldwide. Since 1914, Brooks has been focused on designing products that cater specifically to how humans move, pushing the limits of motion science, engineering, and technology. Brooks is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and is headquartered in Seattle.

Dan Sheridan began his journey with Brooks in 1998 as a field rep, building and driving the company’s strategy and growth in every role as he increased his responsibilities and leadership impact. He discusses the firm's full-year results from 2025, which turned out to be a record year. Dan speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.

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