Private Credit Woes & Psychedelic Wins 4/20/26

As concerns mount regarding the health of the private credit ecosystem, Oaktree Capital Management co-chairman Howard Marks offers perspective–and some investing advice–when it comes to private lending. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb discusses Eli Lilly’s deal to expand its cancer treatment pipeline as well as President Trump’s executive order on therapeutic psychedelics. Plus, Kevin Warsh’s Fed Chair nomination hearing is this week, and Anthropic’s Mythos is at work within the NSA, despite being blacklisted by the US government.    Steve Liesman          14:36 Howard Marks             23:54 Dr. Scott Gottlieb          41:27   In this episode: Steve Liesman, @steveliesman Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer,  @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the Middle East, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, and Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping. Meanwhile, President Trump reassures Americans that the war in Iran is going “swimmingly.” Former Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt discusses the negotiations in the region and the leverage of each stakeholder. In business, Anthropic may be bringing its Mythos LLM to some government agencies, and Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings is stepping down. Plus, obesity expert Dr. Angela Fitch addresses the link between GLP-1s and mental health.    Mark Kimmitt - 14:04 Dr. Angela Fitch - 24:32   In this episode: Kelly Evans, @KellyCNBC Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the DHS shutdown has crossed 60 days, pressure is on House Republicans to end the standoff. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin discusses the latest in the funding battle, Democratic demands for ICE reforms, policy changes at the department, and the real-world impact of the prolonged shutdown. As Anthropic’s “Mythos” model grows more advanced, concerns about AI risk are also accelerating. Stuart Russell, UC Berkeley professor and president of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI, explains the potential harms of increasingly powerful systems, the push for safer development, and the case for regulation. Plus, the Trump administration taps automakers to boost weapons production, and LIV Golf faces a potential shutdown as Saudi backers weigh pulling funding.   Dan Murphy - 08:11 Sec. Markwayne Mullin - 19:07 Stuart Russell - 29:49   In this episode: Sec. Markwayne Mullin, @SenMullin Kelly Evans, @KellyCNBC Michael Santoli, @michaelsantoli Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) offers his party’s perspective on the Iran War, the President’s delivery on the economy, and America’s affordability crisis. This week, the market digested multiple economic data sets. On Tuesday, the producer price index, a gauge of pipeline costs for final demand goods and services, made the biggest 12-month gain since February 2023. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that U.S. import prices rose less than expected in March, and petroleum import prices increased 9.4% as the war in Iran drove energy prices higher. CNBC’s Steve Liesman and Rick Santelli break down the data and the market’s expectations for that data, and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack explains what the numbers could mean for the Fed’s next interest rate decision. Plus, CNBC’s Phil LeBeau discusses the potential for airline mergers in the current administration, Anthropic is reportedly turning down VC money, and Kevin Warsh’s Fed nomination hearing has been scheduled after a delay.    Phil LeBeau - 11:13 House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries - 19:33 Steve Liesman & Rick Santelli - 36:48 Beth Hammack - 42:47   In this episode: Hakeem Jeffries, @RepJeffries Phil LeBeau, @Lebeaucarnews Steve Liesman, @steveliesman Rick Santelli, @RickSantelli Kelly Evans, @KellyCNBC Michael Santoli, @michaelsantoli Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lowe’s is launching annual subscription service HomeCare+ to deepen the company’s relationship with customers. CEO Marvin Ellison discusses the initiative, the investment he’s making in trade skill training, the future of the labor market, and the ideal housing environment for his bottom line. Then, Robert Frank reports on the Iran War’s impact on luxury shoppers in the Middle East and, by extension, on luxury conglomerate LVMH. Plus, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby reportedly pitched a merger with American, and CNBC’s Steve Liesman reports that the NFIB small business optimism index for March of 2026 fell to its lowest level since the Liberation Day tariffs in April of 2025.    Steve Liesman - 6:46 Marvin Ellison - 16:24 Robert Frank - 33:19   In this episode: Steve Liesman, @steveliesman Robert Frank, @robtfrank Kelly Evans, @KellyCNBC Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Trump has announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks between the U.S. and Iran failed over the weekend. Founder and senior chairman of Evercore Roger Altman discusses the business community’s response to the conflict, CNBC’s Dan Murphy reports from the UAE, and former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discusses the perspective of U.S. allies around the world as the Iran War continues. Plus, McDonald’s is exploring an expansion to its beverage menu, and Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second year in a row.    Dan Murphy - 08:27 Roger Altman - 21:37 Jens Stoltenberg - 34:16   In this episode:  Dan Murphy, @dan_murphy Kelly Evans, @KellyCNBC Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March CPI data revealed an annual inflation rate of 3.3%. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discusses the pressures on American consumers, including an Iran War-prompted energy price surge and DHS funding. NYT investigative journalist John Carreyrou spent years digging into the real identity of bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and concluded that it is famed computer scientist, Adam Back. Adam Back, though he’s made notable contributions to the foundations of bitcoin, denies the conclusion. Back makes his case directly–and explains why anonymity might be good for bitcoin. Plus, OpenAI has fired at Anthropic in a new memo to shareholders, Kevin Warsh’s Fed nomination hearing was delayed, and a fake research paper fooled AI models.    Pete Buttigieg            15:09 Adam Back                  31:29 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The state of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire appears fragile amid Israel’s strikes in Lebanon. Council on Foreign Relation president Michael Froman discusses the fog of the Iran war, the confusion in negotiation, and the many stakeholders in the region. Head of policy at Palisade Research Dave Kasten discusses Anthropic’s newest model Mythos, an LLM so powerful the company isn’t rolling it out to the public. Kasten shares his worries about the AI race, including developers’ increased tolerance of AI “bad behavior” in the name of innovation progress and speed. Plus, Anthropic has lost its bid to temporarily block the Pentagon’s blacklisting, and a few Polymarket users won big on particularly well-timed Iran war bets.    Dan Murphy - 3:42 Michael Froman - 21:03 Dave Kasten 31:04   In this episode:  Dan Murphy, @dan_murphy Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, energy prices dropped. CNBC’s Brian Sullivan is watching the flow–or lack thereof–of ships through the Strait of Hormuz to monitor progress of the world’s oil supply. CNBC’s Dan Murphy reports on the ceasefire from the UAE, and CNBC’s Phil LeBeau gets the impact on jet fuel and air travel prices from Delta CEO Ed Bastian. Plus, Anthropic is holding the public release of its newest model Mythos over concerns about its capabilities to exploit digital weaknesses.    Dan Murphy       2:52 Ed Bastian        22:02 Brian Sullivan       32:45   In this episode:  Dan Murphy, @dan_murphy Phil LeBeau, @Lebeaucarnews Brian Sullivan, @SullyCNBC Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Trump is threatening Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless a deal is struck tonight to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. CNBC’s Dan Murphy reports from Dubai. The Artemis II crew is on its way home from the farthest away any human has ever been. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman discusses the agency’s space strategy into 2027 and beyond. Paul, Weiss Global Chair of M&A Robert Kindler advised Comcast in its $72 billion acquisition of AT&T Broadband and Time Warner Cable in its $78.7 billion acquisition by Charter Communications. Today, Kindler weighs in on Bill Ackman’s $64B pitch for Universal Music, the politics in business, and the IPO pipeline in 2026. Plus, the University of Michigan Wolverines have won the NCAA Championship.    A block Dan Murphy         3:23 B block Robert Kindler       18:59 C block Jared Isaacman   35:07   In this episode: Dan Murphy, @dan_murphy Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.