Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe Edition

The US and Israel began striking targets across Iran, with President Donald Trump urging Iranians to overthrow the government in a conflict that threatens to spiral across the oil-rich Middle East.

“The hour for your freedom is at hand,” Trump said, addressing Iranians in a video posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “When we’re finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”

The military campaign could be a defining moment for Trump, risking a drawn-out regional war that leads to a surge in energy prices and American casualties ahead of mid-term elections this year. Iran quickly responded by firing missiles on Israel and US bases around the region, and countries in the Persian Gulf closed their airspace.

Israel’s military said the campaign would target “dozens of military targets,” and Iran media reported strikes on defensive and civilian sites, including more than 50 people dead in a strike on a school in Hormozgan, in the south of the country. Several large explosions were reported in the capital, Tehran.
Bloomberg's David Gura and Christina Ruffini lead our team coverage in this instant reaction podcast.
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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 February jobs report, along with a focus on 3 stocks for the week ahead.
In the UK – a look ahead to "Made in Europe" the tagline of a new scheme to rejuvenate Europe's defense, energy, and manufacturing sectors.
In Asia – a look ahead to China PMI data.
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Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day.

On today's podcast:

(1) Netflix dropped out of the fight to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the way for rival bidder Paramount Skydance Corp. to clinch its $111 billion deal for the historic Hollywood studio.

(2) In the UK, The Green Party won a special election for a Manchester seat in the House of Commons, underscoring the threat posed to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party on its left flank.

(3) Anthropic rejected the Pentagon’s latest offer in a dispute over safeguards around the use of its artificial intelligence technology by the US military, escalating the standoff a day before a government deadline for the company to drop its restrictions or face severe consequences.

(4) US and Iranian officials ended the latest round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday by agreeing to reconvene as soon as next week, opening the door to further diplomacy even as President Donald Trump masses military forces in the region.

(5) Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she denied any association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a “repetitive” hours-long deposition before congressional investigators Thursday.

Podcast Conversation: What the First Billionaire Reveals About the First Trillionaire
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Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day.

On today's podcast:

(1) Nvidia the dominant maker of artificial intelligence processors, failed to impress investors with its latest sales forecast, signaling that concerns about an overheated AI economy will continue to dog the company.

(2) President Donald Trump’s new tariff program will leave about €4.2 billion ($5 billion) of European Union exports facing levies above the 15% ceiling agreed in the EU-US trade accord.

(3) The UK’s top banks are resisting a regulatory initiative to boost lending by lowering their capital levels, people familiar with the matter said, casting doubt over an effort to boost growth.

(4) Cuban forces killed four people who had opened fire from a speedboat with Florida tags, an incident with the potential to escalate an already tense standoff with the US.

(5) The Trump administration imposed sanctions on more than 30 entities that support Iranian oil and weapons sales, ramping up pressure on Tehran amid nuclear talks and the looming threat of US airstrikes.

(6) President Donald Trump said this week the US would “easily” prevail in any military confrontation with Iran. Recent activity on the ground in the Islamic Republic, though, indicates any victory might be short-lived.

Podcast Conversation: Middle-Aged Patients Fuel Growing Demand for Subtle Nose Jobs
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Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day.

On today's podcast:

(1) President Donald Trump offered a strident defense of his administration and economic record, declaring the nation is “bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before” in a State of the Union address that contained few new policy announcements.

(2) HSBC reported better-than-estimated earnings for 2025 as Europe’s largest bank closed out a year in which its market value broke through £200 billion ($270 billion) for the first time in its history.

(3) A few weeks ago, analysts at UBS Group AG laid out a worst-case scenario for defaults in the private credit sector. Their outlook is even more grim now.

(4) Money manager Danny Moses, immortalized in The Big Short, said private credit and private equity firms’ push into retail products reminds him of the years preceding the subprime mortgage crisis.

(5) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will deliver on its €90 billion ($106 billion) loan package to Ukraine “one way or another” as the war-battered nation is set to run out of funds in a matter of weeks.

(6) Lawyers acting for Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to Washington who was linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, said his arrest at home was prompted by a “baseless” suggestion that he was about to flee the country.

(7) Spain is the euro zone’s fastest-growing major economy since 2022, but construction hasn't kept up and now its housing crisis is reaching a boiling point.

Podcast Conversation: MAGA Meets Europe: Trump’s Envoys Rip Up Diplomatic Playbook
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