Brown University Shooting; Australia Eyes Tougher Gun Laws After Hanukkah Attack

0:00Donald Trump is rewriting the Washington rulebook and reshaping the global economy. If you're trying to connect the dots behind the headlines, Bloomberg's Trumponomics podcast is here to help. I'm Stephanie Flanders, head of government and economics at Bloomberg. Every week, I'll bring you a smart, focused conversation with reporters and experts from Washington, Wall Street and beyond. Listen to new episodes every Wednesday and follow Trumponomics wherever you listen. Today's show is brought to you by Vanguard. To all the financial advisors listening, let's talk bonds for a minute. Capturing value and fixed income is not easy.

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1:14All investing is subject to risk, Vanguard Marketing Corporation Distributor. Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts. Radio. News. Good morning, I'm Nathan Hager. And I'm Karen Moscow. Here are the stories we're following today. Karen, we begin with a weekend that saw two deadly mass shootings 10 ,000 miles apart. It started at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where gunshots interrupted the second day of finals at the Rhode Island Ivy Campus's engineering building. Senior Joseph Oduro was leading a study session when the mass gunman entered their lecture hall and opened fire. I was laying right next to a girl who got shot in the leg twice.

1:59and the amount of pain that she was going through was unbearable. And we just all tried to support her as best as we could. Two students were killed in the building. Nine others were wounded. A person of interest was taken into custody early yesterday morning, but authorities released that individual late last night. Here's Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Narana. This is what these investigations look like. I've been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Naranja. As for the Brown University campus, students have been sent home and final exams canceled.

2:35Before this weekend's shooting, Brown, the home city of Providence, had seen just two homicides in all of this year. Meanwhile, Nathan, Australia's government says it will consider toughening gun laws after a father and his son killed 15 people in one of the deadliest terror attacks in the country's history. It took place at a Jewish community celebration of Hanukkah on Sydney's Bondi Beach. Dozens more were injured. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as an act of evil anti-Semitism. What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-Semitism in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with joy and it is forever tarnished by what has occurred.

3:24Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke at a news conference. We get more with Bloomberg Australia correspondent Paul Allen in Sydney. The investigation continues. The police say they're going to be leaving no stone unturned and that the public would be demanding nothing less because if I can characterize the mood in the country today it'd be shock and also very solemn I spent the morning down at Bondi Beach covering the news there, and it was a scene unlike I'd ever seen before. That area is usually extremely busy, very crowded. Of course, we're coming into summer here. Sunday evening, when this attack happened, was particularly warm, so there were a lot of people there.

4:07Today, however, the main street through there, Campbell Parade, a very busy road, was shut. There was police tape everywhere. where people were still able to make it down to lay flowers, and the pile of tributes was steadily growing while I was there. And Bloomberg's Paul Allen says a bystander who rushed and disarmed one of the attackers has won praise from leaders around the world. And another developing story we're following this morning, Karen, is in Hollywood, where actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife have been found dead inside their Los Angeles home. Media outlets say they both appear to have died from stab wounds.

4:43The son of legendary comedian and writer Carl Reiner followed in his father's footsteps. Rob Reiner's breakout role came playing Archie Bunker's liberal son-in-law in All in the Family. He later branched out into film directing with classics such as The Princess Bride. Rob Reiner was a well-known activist who contributed to liberal and democratic causes. He was 78 years old. Now, Nathan, let's get to the latest from the Middle East. President Trump is promising to retaliate after an attack on U.S. forces in Syria over the weekend. that killed two army soldiers and their American interpreter. The president is blaming the attack on Islamic State.

5:20There will be a lot of damage done to the people that did it. They got the person, the individual person, but there'll be big damage done. President Trump spoke at a White House holiday reception. He says the Syrian government fought by the U.S. side during the counter-terror operation in the city of Palmyra. U.S. Central Command says the gunman was killed. Syrian state-run media report five suspects have been arrested in retaliation to the attack. In Europe, Karen, Ukraine and the U.S. are due to hold a second day of talks in Berlin today on a plan aimed at ending Russia's war. The U.S. delegation says a lot of progress has been made on the 20-point peace plan, economic agendas, and other matters.

5:59We get more from Bloomberg senior European correspondent Oliver Crook. So we can take it as a good sign that it turns out that Jared Kushner and Steve Wyckoff actually did show up this weekend to have those talks because that was in question going into the weekend. Trump said, basically, we're not going to send a delegation of these talks in Europe unless we think meaningful progress can be made. They spoke yesterday for about five hours and the U.S. said that there had been a lot of major progress that had been made. They did not detail what exactly that includes. But we understand also going into the meeting, we had some conversations and some comments from President Zelensky suggesting that potentially Ukraine could back away from the idea of trying to join NATO, which of course is something that's been a very high priority for Ukraine, seeing it really as one of the only effective deterrents it would have that Article 5 guarantee from any other invasion.

6:44Bloomberg's Oliver Cook says about 10 European leaders are expected to attend today's summit, along with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Let's turn to the markets now, Nathan. Futures are higher as we kick off the last full trading week of the year. This week, we get the long-delayed announcements of monthly employment and inflation figures. Morgan Stanley strategist Mike Wilson says moderate weakness in this week's job data could feed bullishness in equity markets. That's because he says it would raise the probability of further rate cuts from the Fed.

7:17And speaking of the Fed, Karen, one of the frontrunners to be the next chair, Kevin Hassett, says he would consider President Trump's policy opinions if he is picked to lead the central bank. But Hassett says the president would not set the Fed's action. I think he has very strong and well-founded views about what we ought to do. But in the end, the job of the Fed is to be independent and to work with the group of people that are on the board of governors at the FOMC to drive a group consensus on where interest rates should be. And to do so, you know, basically with the guidance of the Fed chair.

7:50But in the end, it's a committee that votes. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett made those comments on CBS's Face the Nation. You can catch that program Sunday afternoons on Bloomberg Radio.

8:04Time now for a look at some of the other stories making news in New York and around the world. And for that, we're joined by Bloomberg's John Tucker. John, good morning. And good morning, Karen. We are digging out for up to half a foot of snow in the east. And now comes the deep freeze. Bloomberg's Ron Carolyn here with the update. John, the storm in the second half of the weekend produced under half an inch of snow around the district to as much as two or three inches across the Baltimore area. Then the heaviest amounts fell generally across the New York City area of Long Island and southeastern New England, with some areas seeing 48 inches over parts of Long Island and over four inches over parts of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard.

8:40Now we've got some cold air settling in behind the system. Temperatures are going to be well below normal for the district in Baltimore today through the New York City area and on up into New England. Good news is the cold doesn't last very long. We'll be turning milder by midweek. Bloomberg meteorologist Rob Carolin. Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted in a landmark national security trial in the city's court this morning. It could send him to prison for the rest of his life. A JetBlue flight halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S.

9:14Air Force refueling tanker. The pilot is blaming the military plane for crossing his path. This incident Friday involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curacao. New York City Mayor Alex Zoran Mondani says he's going to appoint a World Cup czar to push FIFA to lower ticket prices for the 2026 tournament. I want the price to be something that's affordable. This you'd have to mortgage your house to be able to afford that for a lot of people. And when it was last in the United States, you could get to the final in California for less than$200. That needs to be what we're looking for. Prices for the final, which will be in New York, are climbing as high as$4 ,000.

9:50iRobot, the company that revolutionized robot vacuum cleaners in the early 2000s with its Roomba model, has filed for bankruptcy and proposed handing over control to its main Chinese supplier. The Massachusetts-based consumer robot maker was founded in 1990 by engineers from MIT. Global News, 24 hours a day, whenever you want it with Bloomberg News Now. I'm John Tucker, and this is Bloomberg. Karen. Thanks, John. On time now for our Bloomberg Sports Update. And for that, we bring in John Stashauer. Thanks, Karen. Two teams clinched playoff first, the LA Rams and the NFC with a 41-34 win over Detroit.

10:30Seattle beat Indianapolis in their new quarterback and old QB, Phillip Rivers. Seahawks remain tied for first with the Rams. The Broncos clinched a playoff first in the AFC, 34-26 over Green Bay. It's Denver's 11th win in a row. The Patriots were going for an 11th straight and had a 21-0 lead on Buffalo. The Bills came back to win 35-31. That's your Bloomberg Sports Update. Stay with us. More from Bloomberg Daybreak coming up after this. Today's show is brought to you by Vanguard. To all the financial advisors listening, let's talk bonds for a minute. Capturing value and fixed income is not easy.

11:08Bond markets are massive, murky, and let's be real. Lots of firms throw a couple flashy funds your way and call it a day. But not Vanguard. At Vanguard, institutional quality isn't a tagline. It's a commitment to your clients. We're talking top-grade products across the board of over 80 bond funds, actively managed by a 200-person global squad of sector specialists, analysts, and traders. These folks live and breathe fixed income. So if you're looking to give your clients consistent results year in and year out, go see the record for yourself at Vanguard.com slash audio. That's Vanguard.com slash audio.

11:44All investing is subject to risk, Vanguard Marketing Corporation Distributor.

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12:55Coast to coast on Bloomberg Radio, nationwide on Sirius XM, and around the world on Bloomberg.com and the Bloomberg Business app. This is Bloomberg Daybreak. Good morning. I'm Nathan Hager. The world is reeling from two deadly mass shootings on both sides of the world. First at Brown University, where a gunman killed two people and wounded nine others studying for finals. And at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where two shooters killed at least 15 gathered for the first night of Hanukkah. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it was an act of pure evil. There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation.

13:34Let me be clear, we will eradicate it. It was Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albany's in the aftermath of the shooting at Bondi Beach. Joining us now is Bloomberg News Chief Asia Correspondent Rosalind Matheson. And Ros, first off, what is the latest that we know about what the Australian Prime Minister is calling an act of terror on his shores? Good morning. Good morning. Well, that's right. So the Australian government has said this was a targeted attack on the Australian Jewish community, the worst terrorist attack in Australian history. It seems to have been a father and son duo who carried out the attack.

14:12They're accused of doing so, and the father was shot dead during the attack. He came to Australia from an unknown country on a student visa many decades ago. His son is an Australian-born citizen, critically ill, in hospital now with gunshot wounds. He did come on the radar of the Australian intelligence community back in 2019. it's a bit unclear exactly the circumstances of that and we don't know again exactly their motivation but we do know what they were targeting and it comes at a time as Australia like many countries is dealing with a domestic debate around the events in the Middle East, the war in Gaza, the recognition of a Palestinian state and more and certainly Australia has not been immune to rising anti-Semitic incidents.

15:02There's been certainly an uptick in those in recent years. So the motivation does seem to be pretty clear in that, although we've not heard directly from the perpetrators. We certainly have heard, though, from global leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had some pretty strong words for the Australian government in his mind, seeing them as not doing enough to counter anti-Semitism. This raises so many questions, Roz, not just about that issue, but about the immigration issue, the gun rights issue, that, you know, so many of these issues have parallels in this country as well.

15:37Well, that's right. It's going to reopen a lot of those debates in Australia, and they are very delicate and tricky, as they are in many countries. I mean, Australia is not the only country that has moved to recognize a Palestinian state. A lot of other countries, including in Europe, have done similar, and Israel has been critical of all those countries for those moves. But you've got the debate internally around the war in the Middle East. You've got issues around immigration, as you were saying, the rise of far-right parties in Australia have been really playing on that immigration mood and pushing the existing government potentially further to the right in the process.

16:14And that's going to feed into that debate. Again, this terrorist attack. And on the gun side, Australia has some of the most stringent gun control laws on the planet. They've been lauded for the laws they've had in place for decades since a lone gunman opened fire on people in Tasmania and killed more than 30, banning automatic and most semi-automatic weapons. However, in recent years, there's been a proliferation of guns again in Australia, people holding more than one weapon. And so the government's saying they're going to re-examine those laws, bring them up to date perhaps, and bring in further rules around gun control.

16:51because it's clear, you know, this incident is an unusual one for Australia. It doesn't have a high rate of gun violence compared to other countries. But that seems to be the feeling that perhaps that's led to a little bit of complacency as a result. And in just 30 seconds, the same could really be said about Rhode Island, home to Brown University, also with some of the strictest gun laws in this country. You wonder where that debate's going to go in the U.S. now. Well, that's right. And particularly shocking for that community, as you say, gun violence is extremely rare where this attack occurred.

17:22And it's been shocking to people as a result. And, you know, essentially closing the university, sending students home who have not completed their final exams for the semester, shuttering the university in a real sense of shock, both in the university and the community that this could happen, you know, and someone still potentially at large. This is Bloomberg Daybreak, your morning podcast on the stories making news from Wall Street to Washington and beyond. Look for us on your podcast feed by 6 a.m. Eastern each morning on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen. You can also listen live each morning starting at 5 a.m.

18:01Wall Street time on Bloomberg 1130 in New York, Bloomberg 99.1 in Washington, Bloomberg 92.9 in Boston, and nationwide on Sirius XM Channel 121. Plus, listen coast-to-coast on the Bloomberg Business app now with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces. And don't forget to subscribe to Bloomberg News Now. It's the latest news whenever you want it, in five minutes or less. Search Bloomberg News Now on your favorite podcast platform to stay informed all day long. I'm Karen Moscow. And I'm Nathan Hager. Join us again tomorrow morning for all the news you need to start your day right here on Bloomberg Daybreak.

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