Squawk Pod

Jay Clayton, former SEC chair and current U.S. Attorney for SDNY, offers a legal and regulatory lens on the Fed pick, high-profile investigations, and DOJ transparency. Conversations touch on market reaction to Kevin Warsh, handling of sensitive files like Epstein’s, and ethics questions around political and financial disclosures.

Markets react to a historic sell-off in gold and silver, leaving metals on edge. Oil retreats after signals of talks with Iran, shifting energy sentiment. A career government economist is tapped to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Plans surface to close the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations. A new Amazon documentary opens to stronger-than-expected box office returns.

Darren Woods, ExxonMobil CEO, on production gains, costs, Venezuela and the oil market. Wes Moore, Maryland governor and former nonprofit leader, on affordability, housing supply, wages and targeted taxes. They discuss energy, inflation, labor trends, pragmatic policy and how markets and government choices shape outcomes.

Dr. Stanley Crooke, founder of n-Lorem and pioneer of antisense oligonucleotide therapy, and Luke Rosen, parent-advocate who founded KIF1A.org after his daughter’s diagnosis. They discuss ultra-rare KIF1A disease, how personalized ASO treatments are developed and delivered, the emotional and logistical journey of seeking care, and barriers families face accessing research and therapies.

Amos Hochstein, former Biden energy adviser now TWG Global partner, weighs Iran’s military risks and energy market fallout. Paul Atkins, ex-SEC chair now focused on securities and crypto policy, discusses regulation, retirement access to digital assets, and coordinating lawmakers. They cover U.S. force posture, targeting implications, and how crypto rules could reshape markets and retirement options.

CNBC Leaders Playbook features candid conversations with the world’s top CEOs and business leaders about how they think, decide, and lead, hosted by CNBC Senior Media & Tech Correspondent Julia Boorstin.In this episode, Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison and Executive Vice President of Human Resources Janice Dupré discuss bringing new life to the home improvement brand and how they delivered a multibillion-dollar upgrade, from the sales floor to the supply chain. All-new episodes air Wednesdays at 10PM ET/PT on CNBC. Visit CNBC.com/LeadersPlaybook for more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb who scaled the home-sharing platform and steered it through major crises. He recalls the airbed origin, joining Y Combinator, and finding product-market fit during a downturn. He explains decisive crisis moves, leading through COVID with cash and reorgs, founder-mode involvement to speed decisions, and how a designer mindset shapes product-led scaling.

Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor focused on budgeting, taxes, public services, and immigration policy. Sandy Weill, former Citigroup CEO turned philanthropist who funded veterinary research. They discuss taxing the wealthy, closing a $12 billion city shortfall, preparing for ICE activity, investing in transit and services, and a $120M gift to advance animal-to-human medical research.

A quick rundown of today’s market movers and what to watch before trading begins. Coverage includes the Federal Reserve decision and Powell’s press conference. Discussion of Elevance Health’s stock drop after a Medicare Advantage rate proposal. Highlights SK Hynix’s record profit and U.S. AI plans. Recap of a broad chip-sector rally led by ASML and Texas Instruments.

Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and Harvard senior fellow, reflects on corporate responses to political crises. Steven Fulop, Partnership for New York City CEO and ex-mayor of Jersey City, discusses business-government relations and NYC policy. They talk about corporate statements after the Minneapolis shootings, business interaction with city leadership, budget and tax tensions, and protecting employees amid unrest.