A 5% Stake in OpenAI & Walter Isaacson 7/2/26

On July 4th, the administration officially launched Trump Accounts, a new savings and investing vehicle for kids under 18 in the U.S. One of the orchestrators, Silicon Valley investor Brad Gerstner, explains the platform, SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell’s donation to it, and the vision for the American dream. Plus, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married at MSG in New York over the holiday weekend, and President Trump gave multiple speeches for the 250th celebration of American independence, highlighting a commitment to freedom and opposition to communism.    Brad Gerstner - 15:44   In this episode:  Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin 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 Donald J. Trump sits down with Joe Kernen for an exclusive, extended interview ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. In a wide-ranging conversation, the President discusses the stock market’s performance, the war in Iran, the Supreme Court’s latest decisions, AI innovation, and the government’s stake in Intel. Plus, President Trump addresses his own financial disclosures and considers his legacy in the context of the Presidents who came before him. Happy Fourth of July!   In this episode: Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk President Donald J. Trump, @POTUS Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

OpenAI is reportedly discussing giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, and Meta may be preparing to sell its AI compute power. Former Meta Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer maps out the future of tech’s infrastructure and consumption. Plus, to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, author Walter Isaacson penned “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” a deep dive into the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence. He reflects on the intention and legacy of America’s founders. Happy Fourth of July!   Mike Schroepfer - 13:22 Walter Isaacson - 23:27   In this episode: Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Cameron Costa,  @CameronCostaNY Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Crowley does not stop at bad news. His two young children, Megan and Patrick, were babies when they were diagnosed with Pompe disease, a rare and fatal form of muscular dystrophy. Crowley changed his entire life in a race against the clock to find a treatment for his kids and reinvented his career at the same time. It was a breakthrough that inspired a Hollywood film, he tells Becky Quick for CNBC Cures.  Since then, Crowley has built two biotech companies focused on rare diseases that were later acquired by larger pharmaceuticals and today leads the industry lobbying group, BIO.    Check out the video playlist of the first season of The Path:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVbP054jv0Ko-hAZBSDwZaejelC-FMjc_   Join us in advancing awareness and understanding of rare diseases. Visit CNBC.com/Cures to access more clips, resources, or to sign up for our weekly newsletter.    Learn more about rare disease – and what to do in a diagnosis – at the National Organization for Rare Disorders: https://rarediseases.org/   Follow Becky Quick on X: @BeckyQuick   Please share your thoughts or rare disease story in the comments, and join us on The Path. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp is fired up about the costs of AI lab tokens–and he assures us that every other CEO is angry, too. In a passionate interview, Karp addresses “tokenmaxxing,” national security, global AI competition, and Palantir’s expanded partnership with Nvidia. Then, two teens from opposite sides of the political aisle have come together to write a book about bipartisanship. Larra Mullin, daughter of DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and Ellie Gottheimer, daughter of Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), discuss their upbringing in and out of Washington, D.C. Plus, stocks are kicking off the second half of 2026 after a strong performance in the first, the U.S. government has lifted export controls on Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models, Nike has reported its quarterly earnings, and President Trump’s annual financial disclosure report is making headlines.    Alex Karp - 21:53 Ellie Gottheimer & Larra Mullin - 43:05   In this episode: Alex Karp, @PalantirTech Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Seema Mody, @seemacnbc 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 not signed the housing legislation that passed both chambers. Instead, the President has underscored his priority: the SAVE America Act. A commercial JetBlue flight hit a drone at JFK, and SpaceX may one day donate stock shares to “Trump accounts.” Former director of the CFPB Rohit Chopra is about to begin a new role as Business and Consumer Services Agency Secretary for California. He’s concerned about pricing pressures on American consumers, calling the current environment a “grocery price emergency.” Plus, head of Coinbase institutional strategy John D’Agostino discusses crypto’s tough year so far, and considers the inherent value of digital assets.    John D'Agostino        16:27 Rohit Chopra              31:47   In this episode: Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin 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 markets are coming off of a volatile week, and Comcast is spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky. Evercore founder Roger Altman discusses both. As the Round of 32 begins, donor to the US Men’s National Team Scott Goodwin explains why he’s helping to pay the salary of the head coach, Mauricio Pochettino. A hedge funder and a soccer fan, Goodwin believes in the unifying power of a national sports team. Plus, market indices are undergoing a reshuffle.   Roger Altman           12:02 Scott Goodwin       26:52   In this episode: Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Cameron Costa, @CameronCostaNY   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Investing legend Jeremy Grantham founded one of the first index funds in the 1970s, and in a special Squawk interview, he’s issuing a warning to investors. A permabear, Grantham expects a market decline of 70%, and he’s counseling his team to avoid U.S. stocks. Plus, OpenAI may wait until 2027 to IPO, and Apple is hiking product prices, thanks to rising costs of memory chips.    Jeremy Grantham - 16:00 MacKenzie Sigalos - 41:55    In this episode: MacKenzie Sigalos, @KenzieSigalos Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin 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 New York’s primaries, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) discusses the future of the Democratic Party in a midterm election year. Plus, Zynga founder and Reinvent Capital partner Mark Pincus has written a book, “Life at the Speed of Play.” Pincus discusses his thesis of how to build successful products from good ideas, as well as his investments in SpaceX and Anthropic. Pincus is still waiting for the “technology treasure” invention of the AI age. Plus, CNBC’s Kristina Partsinevelos explains the surge in Qualcomm and Micron shares.    Kristina Partsinevelos - 8:41 Mark Pincus - 19:08 House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries - 36:40         In this episode: Hakeem Jeffries, @RepJeffries Kristina Partsinevelos, @KristinaParts Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin 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 an extended interview, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses the administration’s approach to tariffs, negotiations with Iran, and his own view on America’s AI dominance and regulation, and the future of the Federal Reserve. The morning after the NYC primary elections, Sec. Bessent also weighs in on the future of the Democratic Party. Plus, Google parent Alphabet has replaced Verizon in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.   Sec. Scott Bessent - 16:24   In this episode: Scott Bessent, @SecScottBessent Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick 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.