Israeli and Lebanese leaders agree to a ceasefire, and Mexico hits back at US president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Plus, President Joe Biden is rushing to cement his legacy during his final weeks in office, and Russia’s rouble has plummeted to its lowest rate against the dollar since the first weeks of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Ceasefire deal reached in Israel-Lebanon war

Mexico hits back as Trump’s tariff threat shakes markets

Biden aims to Trump-proof his legacy with policy blitz in final days

Rouble slides as new Russian sanctions stifle foreign trade

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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The US Department of Justice is seeking to drop two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump, and Robert F Kennedy Jr’s nomination for top health role is concerning the pharmaceutical industry. Plus, Italy’s UniCredit has launched a €10bn takeover bid for domestic rival Banco BPM, Brussels is planning to force Chinese companies to transfer intellectual property in return for EU subsidies and TikTok is creating an unlikely frontrunner in Romania’s presidential race.

Mentioned in this podcast:

US special counsel Jack Smith moves to drop criminal cases against Donald Trump

Biotechs test IPO market despite concerns over Robert Kennedy’s health role

UniCredit makes €10bn offer for Italian rival Banco BPM

EU to demand technology transfers from Chinese companies

How a pro-Putin TikTok star topped Romania’s presidential poll

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Huawei is poised to launch its first flagship phone that can run its own apps, and Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Treasury is seen across Wall Street and Washington as a pragmatic pick. COP29 has produced a new global finance deal against considerable odds, and the FT’s Michael Stott warns that the US is being eclipsed by China in Latin America.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Huawei to launch flagship smartphone with breakthrough software

‘Sigh of relief’: Wall Street welcomes Donald Trump’s pick of Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary

Climate multilateralism clings on, just

Joe Biden loses to Xi Jinping in battle for Latin America

Credit: BBC, AP

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Clemens of George Mason University is an expert on the economics of migration, and a scholar of its history. With the newly elected President Trump promising to deport millions of immigrants, we thought it was the perfect time to talk about what illegal immigrants mean to the present economy and, more pressingly, what an economy without them might look like.

If you want to learn more about The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes, click here. New episodes available on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.

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Donald Trump mostly nominated mainstream conservatives to his first cabinet after the 2016 election. Some high-level appointees back then barely knew Trump, but this time around, he’s selected close allies and loyalists. The FT’s deputy Washington bureau chief Lauren Fedor, and Trump’s short-tenured former communications director Anthony Scaramucci join this week’s Swamp Notes to discuss what Trump’s picks say about how his new White House will operate.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Lutnick and Bessent’s battle for Treasury secretary turns bitter as Trump expands field

Donald Trump’s alarming picks for government

The life and tastes of Anthony Scaramucci

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Check out the latest episode of Anthony Scaramucci’s podcast, “The Rest is Politics - US”

Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration for US attorney-general, and billionaire Gautam Adani faces charges over an alleged scheme to bribe Indian officials. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and FT economics columnist Chris Giles unpacks just how much tariffs will increase prices in the US.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Matt Gaetz withdraws as Trump’s nominee for attorney-general

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani charged in US over alleged $250mn bribery scheme

ICC issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Tariffs and taxes are not very inflationary

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nvidia’s third-quarter revenue almost doubled from a year ago, and UK inflation accelerated in October as energy prices rose. Disgraced Archegos founder Bill Hwang is sentenced to 18 years in prison for fraud, and China has prepared powerful countermeasures to retaliate against US companies if president-elect Donald Trump reignites a trade war.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Nvidia revenue nearly doubles as AI chip demand remains strong

UK inflation accelerates sharply to 2.3% in October

More growth, inflation and uncertainty: the BoE’s Budget verdict

Archegos’s Bill Hwang sentenced to 18 years in prison

China arms itself for potential trade war with Donald Trump

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bridgewater is joining forces with State Street’s asset management arm to offer an ETF, Ukraine has struck a military target inside Russia using US-made long-range missiles for the first time, and Walmart’s third-quarter revenue beat forecasts. Plus, Asia’s arms makers and naval shipbuilders are leading a global surge in defence stocks.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Bridgewater opens strategy to retail investors through State Street ETF

Ukraine strikes Russia with US-made long-range missiles for first time

Walmart raises guidance as it beats third-quarter forecasts

Asian arms makers lead defence stock rally in bet on global rearmament

Thames Water dumps 104bn litres of sewage ahead of new tunnel opening

The FT News Briefing is produced by Niamh Rowe, Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Joseph Salcedo. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.