Bloomberg News Now
White House May Launch U.S. Home Builder Probe, Benghazi Suspect Arrested, More
06 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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news when you want it with Bloomberg News Now. I'm Amy Morris. Trump administration officials are exploring opening an antitrust investigation into U.S. homebuilders to tackle the country's housing affordability crisis. The Department of Justice could open the probe in the coming weeks with a potential focus on how information is shared through the leading Builders of America trade group.
Shares of D.R. Horton now down more than two percent. Lennar shares down about two percent. Fourteen years after a mob attacked U.S. consular facilities in Benghazi, Libya, killing the U.S. ambassador and three staff members, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an arrest and extradition.
The FBI has arrested one of the key participants behind the Benghazi attack. Zubar al-Bakrash landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m.
this morning. Bondi says al-Bakrash faces murder, arson, and terrorism-related charges. Iran says it's agreed with the U.S. to continue indirect talks to de-escalate tensions and avert a military confrontation. With Tehran describing the first day as positive, Will Todman is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
historic protest movement last month in January. The economy is crashing and the regime is still really weakened after the military strikes that Israel and the US conducted last year. And so for the US, then I think they see this as an opportunity to try to get concessions out of Iran.
Iran's foreign minister says discussions were limited to nuclear issues. U.S. officials say they should include Iran's missiles and Tehran's support for regional militias. We are watching a rally in tech stocks after a drawdown all week as stock buyers go bargain hunting. We check markets for you all day long here at Bloomberg. The S&P 500 is up 1.5%. NASDAQ up 1.7%.
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Chapter 2: What investigation is the Trump administration considering regarding U.S. home builders?
The Dow up nearly 2%. The 10-year Treasury yield at 4.21%, the 2-year yield at 3.5%. Bitcoin now nearly 12% higher, reclaiming almost all of yesterday's losses, now up to $70,000.
Amazon shares are down nearly 8% after the e-commerce and cloud computing companies' much higher-than-expected $200 billion annual capital spending forecast underlined concerns about how much big tech companies are spending on AI-related investments. BlackRock CIO of Global Fixed Income Rick Reeder says AI is having an impact on markets and is the way for companies to protect themselves.
You hear the discussion about CapEx and the CapEx was too high. And, you know, I would argue there's some other things at play there. CapEx is your moat. CapEx and R&D spend are the way companies can build their moat. And it's actually data utilization. And the companies that are exploiting data that are building bigger moats, that is at the core of what is happening.
Reader was on Bloomberg Open Interest. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America all boosting their bonus pools for bankers and traders by at least 10%. The payouts reflect a strong year for the nation's largest banks, which collectively posted their largest annual profit since 2021. Consumer sentiment in the U.S. has improved to its highest level in six months.
The University of Michigan survey shows a bump to 57.3. That's up from 56.4. But still, survey director Joanne Xu says that's not a lot.
So this improvement is very, very small. It's less than one index point. It's well within the margin of error.
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Chapter 3: Who was arrested in connection with the Benghazi attack and what charges do they face?
This should be interpreted as a no change.
Concerns persist about the job market and the impact of inflation on personal finances, with respondents assessing the highest probability since July of 2020 of losing their own job. Atlanta Fed President Rafael Bostic says it's important to keep interest rates at a level that returns inflation to 2 percent.
He says he's cautiously optimistic about the economic outlook this year, citing the fading effects of tariffs and the potential boost from tax cuts from Congress.
For today, I think most businesses and most households are not thinking that the worst of the possible outcomes are going to happen. They're not sure they can get to the best ones, but everyone's trying to find a steady state where they can get through. So I think the sentiment is one of cautious optimism, but I put emphasis on the cautious as opposed to the optimism.
I think people are really trying to wait and see what happens.
Bostic, who is set to step down from his role at the end of the month, spoke to Bloomberg TV's Mike McKee in an exclusive interview. Savannah Guthrie's brother renewed the family's plea for their mother's kidnapper to contact them, saying, quote, we want to hear from you and they need proof she's alive.
Authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the kidnapping of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, and investigators are taking seriously the notes seeking ransom sent to media outlets. Attorney General Pam Bondi says the FBI is helping.
We're doing everything to assist the locals. We're working with the locals.
The FBI is offering up to $50,000 for information. Work on a $16 billion Hudson River rail tunnel project is set to come to a halt today after the Trump administration's decision last year to freeze its funding.
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Chapter 4: What is the current status of U.S.-Iran indirect talks?
As a place to do business, the UK stands apart. Not because of a single advantage, but a uniquely powerful combination of many. As one of the world's leading financial centres, the UK puts over Ā£10 trillion to work every day, fuelling innovation across every sector. Home to four of the world's top universities, it provides exceptional talent and breakthrough research.
This sits alongside a clear 10-year industrial strategy, unlocking smarter regulation and making it faster and easier to operate. Stability with dynamism. Global connectivity with local depth. It all adds up to greater growth. Visit business.gov.uk slash growth.
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