Bloomberg This Weekend | Trade War Escalates, Pushback on Beef Plan, Bond Market Intervention

Summary

Bloomberg This Weekend covers the collapse of last-minute U.S.-Canada trade talks and new 50% tariffs, Bessent's Treasury bond buybacks, the U.S. beef import proposal, Iran sanctions, and the narrowing U.S.-China AI gap. Guests discuss inflation and long-end Treasury yields, AI data-center debt risks, and commodity and sector impacts from policy moves.

• U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed overnight; 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods take effect with Canada vowing dollar-for-dollar retaliation.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's bond buybacks are widely viewed as too small to control long-term Treasury yields.
• President Trump's plan to allow tariff-free beef imports at 25% below market prices faces rancher and Republican pushback.
• Iran's promised economic D-Day and expanded sanctions are discussed with regional financing routes in focus.
• Chinese AI models are narrowing the U.S. lead and have surpassed U.S. model usage on one major platform.
• AI data-center financing is flagged as risky due to possible overbuild and Moore's Law dynamics.
• Other segments include Supreme Court construction actions, North Korea's sanctioned economic boom, and demographic pressures on U.S. higher education.