and peter cook has the u.s. response to the crimea secession vote. we will get to peter in just a moment. european union foreign ministers imposed sanctions on russia after this weekend's disputed referendum in crimea. i am now joined on the phone from brussels. good evening. saw -- we and also imposed travel restrictions, effectively banning them from traveling within the eu. i spoke with seven for an ministers today. they go for economic stations just -- they won't go for economic stations just yet. or evenhotter get -- target russian business leaders. punishle point is to russia for this referendum that took place yesterday where the majority of ukrainian voters voted to secede from ukraine and join russia and discourage president putin from annexing crimea just because the crimean said they do not want to join russia hasn't mean to accept them. if president putin was to go forward it is entirely possible we could see sanctions for the european union. >> what are ukrainian officials saying at this point? >> ukrainian officials say the referendum wa

>> peter cook, joining us here in new york. for more on the crisis in ukraine, former nato supreme allied commander james joins us on the phone. welcome to "bottom line." thank you for your time today. >> nice to be with you. that russia has increased its military presence near ukraine's border, even as president vladimir putin promised to oppose a further division of ukraine. are these military movements just for show, or is russia preparing to annex parts of ukraine? >> i personally find it very unlikely that russia will make an immediate move into eastern ukraine. i think vladimir putin will take a strategic pause and see what the reaction is around the world. that is why it is so important that nato, the united states, and other allies around the world -- you saw japan unknown sanctions. it is so important that the

mckee, ethan harris, and peter cook will be joining us shortly from d.c.veryone has been watching the 6.5% rate. we are close to it at 6.7. the fact that they are abandoning this threshold now, what does this tell us? >> ethan has to watch it for a living. you have to watch a lot of depending onngs the evolution of the economy the between now and when the fed will be close to raising rates. want to watch various measures of the employment picture and inflation picture. >> we do not have any inflation to speak up. now, where is the inflation? >> in the grocery store. but there is some food inflation. one of the things they are considering and deciding whether toinflation? >> in the grocery store. end qe, they want to see inflation picked up. there is no evidence of any pickup. it will make it very awkward when they go into their exit. inflation is staying down at one percent. all the questions will come off about what is the trade-off. >> we were talking about the dissent. he thought the statement abandoned their pledge to defend the inflation target. it di

as peter cook just mentioned, the latest report seemed to be in large part about the weather.hat impact did you see whether conditions?onomic >> i will pick up our something specific you mentioned. the chicago region, a heavy manufacturing base, saw a decline in activity. you break that down. manufacturing activity tends to be a leading indicator for the broader u.s. economy. as we all know, the weather in february is miserable. i think we have got some fundamentally based weakness not living up to the optimism we came in to 2014 with, coupled with a little bit of weather. you cannot pull them apart. it is not possible. >> the market continued to improve in several areas. is this pick up sustainable long-term? >> the commercial real estate markets have had .remendous recovery we have heard anecdotal evidence of banksrtheast increasing their willingness to lend for real estate. it is positive when it comes to small and midsized businesses. think it is at the level where we see a big impact and -- and improvement. >> any concerns? >> not a lot. 2013 was a unique year. withd a la

peter cook has more. what is the white house strategy? ?hat are they doing >> this has been a threat all along and the president is pushing through. the white house has announced the president has imposed visa b ans with certain individuals involved with undermining ukraine. that means they could be applied to both ukrainian individuals as well as russian individuals. we do not have the actual list of people. this follows action by the european union. 18 were targeted by the european union. the president has also authorizing additional sanctions against individuals and entities seen as undermining ukraine and ukraine's sovereignty. asset freezes could be some of the things we are talking about in terms of targeting russian banks. the president is moving on his own and at the same time encouraging further economic action, eight de-escalation of the crisis. of thisescalation crisis. >> what about congress? are they willing to go further? of congress, including republicans, are critical of the resident for his handling -- president of this, bu

we have peter cook in washington. inn chilcote is live brussels with the first bloomberg interview with ukraine's party leader. good evening, ryan. >> good evening. today was the day for geopolitics, the eu leaders really striking a deal with you credit -- ukraine, making the same trade deal be ousted president of ukraine rejected for months ago here -- four months ago. you have the russians completing their work speed annexation of crimea, the russian president completing the process with a stroke of the pen. a day when you could really feel the gears of influence moving. sam paul ryan, talk about this much anticipated sit down with the member of parliament, vitali klitschko. so he is the reigning heavyweight champion. that is what many people know him as. he is also a leader of the political opposition in ukraine. he led the fight against the ousted resident viktor yanukovich. yanukovich. viktor the election is set for the end of may. i asked him in this not so >> time in ukraine, what he thinks russia is up to? he

our chief washington correspondent peter cook joins us with more.does the senator's plan look like jacob r? >> calling for a tax code overall, assessment regulations and repeal of obamacare and a few other ideas that are not giving the same play in republican circles. just laying out his ideas at the google office here in washington . part of his message came directly to high-tech community specifically. his main message overall, the son of cuban immigrants so the american dream is at risk aimed atajor policies changing economic growth. >> in order for us to harness the promise of a new era and build another american century, what we are going to need our millions of new, middle and higher income jobs, and we will face them -- face unprecedented global competition for the jobs. ,t is a competition we can win but not unless waiver form the current policies in washington. >> some of his specific ideas are to overhaul the tax code for the corporate and individual code he wants to shift. he proposes a national regulatory budget. federaly a cap on regula

he sat down with bloomberg's chief washington correspondent peter cook yesterday.at what we are facing here is much deeper than that. systemic do with changes in the very nature of our economy. automation is real. people have found jobs that they once relied on to get that the middle class have been outsourced. the 21st century isn't just about challenges. it is also about opportunity. this new postindustrial economy creates opportunities. we are facing the full brunt of the challenges but we are not capitalizing on enough of those opportunities. one of the reasons is because andinstitutions are logged washington has not caught up to that reality. we are trying to treat this like a cyclical downturn in that of a change in the very nature of our economic -- >> marco rubio has -- >> you put tax overhaul on the table. how would you approach this issue differently? -- theink the focus fundamentals of what it takes to grow the economy are never going to change. they are based on expanding access to markets, encouraging innovation and a parroting investment. my question,

peter cook has the latest. john kerry says progress was made that -- but risks remain.e spokewas upbeat as in paris late this afternoon. the comments followed separate talks with not only russia plus foreign minister but ukraine's foreign minister. he is talking as well with several of his european counterparts. all part of this effort to resolve the you came -- ukraine crisis. he suggested progress was made. >> we agreed today, both sides and the ukrainians also that where better served if this can be resolved through dialogue. that is important. ukraine, ground in the the special yuan envoy forced to cut short his visit after being threatened by 10 to 15 armed man and ordered to leave the region. he took refuge in a local coffee shop before he did head to the airport and leave the area. in washington, jack lew making the case to congress for $1 billion in loan guarantees for ukraine and immediate financial help. house republicans harnessing to do more than that. they're preparing to vote in the coming days on the loan guarantees for one but separately a nonbinding res

peter cook has the latest on the u.s. response. how worried is the white house by these latest developments? >> this is another step up in the escalation. the spokesman telling reporters there is no indication there is much of a risk of a natural gas shortage in ukraine. they have a lot in storage. europe could sense him toward ukraine. the white house is not thrilled with this latest development. russia prides itself on being a source of gas around the world. it might not want to undermine that. of that -- exercises that were planned a long time ago but still is a symbolic show of force. to talk.ides continue and secretary of state john kerry spoke to his russian counterpart by telephone. that is the latest. the russian threat to cut off gas has pressured the u.s. and the eu to speed up there promised financial aid to the ukraine so the country can pay its natural gas bills. one piece of news came from the imf. the head of the international monetary fund's team set the funding is prepared to support economic reforms. that was a co

peter cook has more on his message. the reception is expected to get?> generally expected to be pretty warm. this is the first time fischer has faced questions since he was nominated. ot.re is a lot o the fed has made significant progress in recent years. he praises the fed's moves as courageous and effective. normalcy has not been restored in his words. the unemployment at 6.7% -- the fed's job is still not done. requires theeserve continuation of expansionary even though the degree of expansion has been cut back. fischer gives no indication that she does not support that scaling back of the bond buying program. which has been called into question recently given the economic data. his confirmation is not in doubt in the senate. republicans and democrats alike cap raised his record. have praised his record. some democrats on the panel have questioned his experience as a bank regulator and his past ties to wall street. he tries to address that in his testimony, saying the fed is to remain ever vigilant in regulating financial institutions and markets. he

peter cook has more on that part of the story. peter, the crisis in ukraine is adding new fuel to an ongoing energy debate here in the u.s.. >> a lot of new fuel to that debate. u.s. oil and gas industries are making aggressive pushes over the last couple of years for expanding exports of u.s. oil and gas, given the big boom here in the net states. ukraine prices is bolstering their case. ukraine relies on russia much force energy. russia has used that gas as a offon in the past. they cut the price, remain a threat in the standoff. shale boom in the u.s. means alternative gas. they want to lift limits on u.s. exports. and speed up approval of liquefied u.s. gas exports. chorus,ner joining the saying in a statement, the u.s. department of energy excruciatingly slower approval process accounts to a de facto ban on american natural gas exports that vladimir putin has exploited to finances geopolitical goals. they have approved six energy sincenals 2010. roughly 20 more applications are pending with the doe. there is a lot of interest

peter cook has the very latest. it sounds like people are trying to turn down the heat a little bit. >> trying to at least at the margins. an effort by vladimir putin to turn down the bid. tensions are still clearly running high and a resolution to this crisis appears a long way out. putin started the day by holding that unusual news conference where he defended russia's move to bolster its military installations in the province of crimea. he says there is no need for russian forces at this point to go further into the ukraine but he added that russia would be justified if they did do so, specifically to the ousted ukrainian president. as putin was speaking, john kerry was arriving in kiev and pledging support for the new ukrainian government, including a promise of $1 billion of u.s. loan guarantees for that new government. he carried a warning for vladimir putin. >> if russia does not choose to de-escalate, if it is not willing to work directly with the government as i hope they will then our partners will have ab

peter cook in washington, thank you so much. in brussels, european officials are meeting to decide if they will -- to decide if they will impose more sanctions against russia. what theested to see response has been to president obama's earlier sanctions. >> there is no question that the eu leaders want to punish president putin for fast tracking the annexation of crimea. david cameron, the british prime minister, angela merkel, the german prime minister, said they would like to see the sanctions -- the german chancellor, said they would like to see the sanctions strengthened. the first option is to expand their blacklist that they have that subjects russian officials to asset freezes in those -- and those travel bans. there is a perception that they went after smaller-fry russian officials and they should go further up the food chain to some of the closer associates of president putin. the second option would be to go after -- impose wider economic sanctions. keep in mind the european union is comprised of 28 different nations.

economics editor mike mckee is with us and our chief washington correspondent peter cook it outside theor department with those numbers in just a few seconds. we are expecting 100 49,000 jobs to have been created in february, 6.6% jobless rate from the prior month. peter? >> 175,000 jobs in february, betty, better than our survey forecast. plus, we had upward revisions. the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.7%. the 175,000 jobs is the best number we have seen since november. better than our survey of 149,000. we had revisions to january and december. january revised to 129,000. our three-month average 129,000, our 12 month average 189 thousand. the unemployment rate does take up to 6.7%. the unemployment number rose, employeee dash and the did rise. the participation rate holds steady at 63% of unchanged. long-term unemployed -- 3.8 million, up 208 thousand. the weather, wasn't a factor here? hard to say immediately, but in the household survey, we learned that 6.9 million americans worked -- reported a work part- time instead of full-time because of the weather. that is the biggest numb

but -- >> thank you very much, peter cook. that story's going to keep our attention. coming up on "taking stock" how to build a worldwide empire, and ice cream empire. i will talk to the chief executive of breast or's --bruster's realize cream. ? ♪ >> today marks the first day of spring and with at least the hope of warmer weather around the corner, ice cream stores are gearing up for their busiest season of the year. bruster's ice cream has over 200 stores around the world. i am joined by jim sahene. you cannot get away from it, can you? >> i started in 1986 with tcby. i switched gears and went to ice cream with bruster's into thousand two. -- in 2002. >> and not only that, but you became the owner of the company, right? >> right. >> what is it about bruster's that attracted you? >> it is by far the best ice cream in the stores today. and the reason is, we make it fresh everyday. every store, everyday makes fresh ice cream. >> what goes into the ice cream making? >> we manufacture the mix, ship it to the stores, and they put it inside an italian ice cream machine. an

peter cook, thank you so much.e will also tackle how all of this is going to affect negotiations with iran. >> and the entire geopolitical situation. you have iran and syria to deal with. our position as a country could be weakening around the world. that is the question we will ask. stick around. ♪ >> russia isn't the only front on which the president is waging a battle. mr. obama sent a video today to iran emerging tehran to take the necessary steps to assure the west its nuclear program is not for harm. president on the council of foreign relations is still with us. is there a chance that the situation dealing with putin is going to sabotage the situation dealing with tehran? >> i doubt it. the russians don't want to see the iranians with the nuclear weapons program, either. the principal dynamic is not between iran and russia, but between iran and the united states. it could complicate things, but i don't think it will be toisive. >> it's interesting think about where we could lose a little bit of power in the

we will be discussing it with peter cook. thinkhree words do you best describes vladimir putin? this is "bloomberg surveillance ." streaming live on your tablet, phone, and bloomberg.com. we will be right back. ♪ >> good morning, everyone. "bloomberg surveillance." coming up, we are celebrating international women's day. ofis a special edition "market makers." be sure to tune in as eric and stephanie interview jpmorgan's chief financial officer and iconic magazine editor, tina brown. this is "bloomberg surveillance ." i am tom keene. it is jobs day. i am with scarlet fu and adam johnson. thee are staying with russia, ukraine, u.s. story. president obama was on the phone with president putin for an hour. >peter cook joins us now. was this the second phone conversation held between the two presidents? >> it was the second phone conversation since this crisis really kicked off over the last couple of days. they spoke over the weekend as well. this was a call where apparently things did not go all that well. they are not on the same page. for the most part, it sounds look they are t

thank you. >> i want to bring in peter cook. what are your biggest takeaways?earned much more from the president that we -- we did not learn much more than what we did not already know. you heard the tone coming from the white house. the president is criticized by some on the republican side as being weak is trying to take a tougher tone with russia right now and announcing the steps today is part of that. there is more to come on this. it is hard to imagine the action today by the united states and europe will get vladimir putin a step down. this will escalate and there is russians will respond with some sort of economic reprisal of their own aimed at the united states and europe. we will watch for that and the immediate reaction of the russians. there is latitude here for the united states to ratchet this up further. we did not hear any isolation from russian banks that is been talked about by members of congress going after state owned banks and freeze them out from the u.s. financial system. that will be another step. we .id not hear direct action that has

. >> peter cook is in the house from d.c. good to have you here.are we going to see tougher sanctions? >> we have already heard from i'll -- joe- joe biden who is in poland. speech, butusual the message is right there, they are going to annex crimea and they are not going to move further into ukraine. not everyone is sure that's going to play out, so everyone is prepared to ratchet these sanctions. we had a top treasury official today who happens to be the most disliked man in russia. he is responsible for imposing sanctions whether it is in iran or russia. i asked about the credibility factor and whether or not sanctions are tough enough to threaten the russians in any way. powerful tool, a flexible tool, and one that we have in other circumstances demonstrated we are quite capable of using. understandrussians we have a very good track record sanctionsf applying in an escalating fashion in response to an escalating threat. >> escalating fashion is what is important. the u.s. has maintained along with the eu that as russia takes additional steps th

peter cook.sitting down with senator rubio later today to talk more about economic ideas. stay with us for that interview. moving and shaking this hour, colorado governor john hickenlooper who is seeing a lot more green since the state legalized recreational use of marijuana. innging in almost $2 million the first month. he wants to use the first $40 million in marijuana tax money for school construction. he called for spending more money on drug education and substance abuse programs. trend ofad, a new grains making their way into mainstream eateries in an era. we will talk to a bigger to see what he thinks of this trend. the most anticipated video game of the year, titans ball went on sale at night. our resident gaming expert, matt miller, has spent all night lightning. he only got a few hours of sleep that will give his take a moment. ♪ >> 's first there was whole wheat bread. then the country went crazy for key watch. the latest tell trend is alternative grains. tried to fit that on one recei

peter cook has the latest on the development. any sign of trouble in congress so far?real there are some differences out there between what republicans, democrats in congress might want to do. large, republicans and democrats support the idea of giving financial help to ukraine and a lot of them support even tougher sanctions on russia, perhaps even going as far as targeting russian banks. i just heard from ed royce of california, who says the resolution the house could consider will go that far. that's a pretty dramatic step and one we have not even heard directly from the administration. a short time ago the house majority leader erik cantor, after addressing his troops and a closed door meeting, had this to say about the ukrainian package. >> the world community should stand united against this invasion. if there are issues out there to watch, it it is the billion dollars of loan guarantee, will it be paid for. the other thing is, how far do the sanctions go? the possibility that russian banks will be targeted. there are concerns if it is too tough, that might send

intentions to innovate evening arcadia when we got the offense for much of the vets correspondent peter cook of stories reporting to a strong he said. now the white house says the russian president of the airport and has called us president barack obama to discuss washington's proposal for a diplomatic solution of the crisis in crimea the kremlin says prisons adjusted examining how the situation could be stabilized. according to white house spokesman. obama said russia should put a response in writing the pharmacist is from the two countries are expected to meet soon to discuss the next month russia's takeover of crimea has sparked international condemnation of the us proposal for a diplomatic resolution was developed in consultation with ukraine and other european countries they asked what a person submitted a proposal to russia's lower house of parliament to terminate agreements with you cry over the black sea fleet the russian president also said ukraine could regain some alms of the equipment promina three units in crimea that did not switch their loyalty to russia united nations secreta

peter cook joins us now with the latest from washington. peter? >> there is a lot of back-and-forth today, but the worst standoff since the cold war so was no signs of easing. settling in for an extended stay. there were reports that were mobilizing more of their forces on the russian side of the ukrainian border. again, every indication that the the russians are trying to increase their grip and crimea. this is all in response to the ouster of the russian backed president in ukraine. they say they are simply protecting russian citizens in the ukraine, but again, the european union and the united states responding, condemning the action so far. the president is urging vladimir putin to back down and not face prospect of isolation. >> if they continue on the current projectory they are on, we are examining a whole series of steps, economic, diplomatic, that will isolate russia. and we will have a negative impact on russia's economy, and status of the world. >> already, negative impact on the russian economy today, the drop in the ruble. the next mo

joining us now on this crisis we have peter cook and william and a and -- pmmeranz market advisor. t me first go over to you, peter. essentially, we are threatening sanctions if russia takes over crimea. is that going to be enough or do we run the risk putin is going to take around? >> i think he is. he wants it. the people of crimea wanted. my family is from ukraine. there is a clear distinction between east and west and the people in crime area --crimea are comfortable under russian control. >> if they want it, shouldn't it be? shouldn't we allow the will of the people to determine their own national fate? >> we should, but the russians are proceeding in a way not in compliance with international law. there has to be a recognition crimea is a part of ukraine. if there was going to be any referendum on crimea longing, it would have to be pursuant to cranium law. >> this is a violation of international treaties. what kind of president would we be setting if he took over the area? >> there are very precedents dealing with this issue but in this instance, when a peninsula has been occ

peter cook has more on that story. what are the options?anna goldman was telling they are limited. let's go through the limited options. >> they are not great options. he does have a few options. first of all, no military response. nobody at the white house is suggesting the u.s. will step in militarily. there is an appetite or that. the strategy at this point, highlight the risks and the cost of vladimir putin by doing this. show support by including financial support. you have john kerry going to kia. show symbolic should go -- for the u.s. since -- some diplomatic way to save face. a senior u.s. official making the case that it is putin who has miscalculated. the russian economy is vulnerable. we have seen the drop in the ruble. there is essential for more risk to come. the u.s. has arty stopped g-8 reparations and canceled other russian talks over the next few weeks. john kerry warned there will be more pain and less putin backs down. >> he will lose all of the glow that came out of the olympics. his 60 billion dollar extravaganza. he w

let's go to peter cook, our chief markets -- chief washington correspondent with more on janet yellen's away. >> the main take away for the this speech,t janet yellen details over the course of 15 pages that there is considerable slack in the u.s. economy right now and slacken the labor market. she talked about it in detail, building off of what she said of course at the press conference, the last federal reserve meeting. she said the money long -- moneyline in this age in chicago's page 11. "i think extraordinary commitment is needed and will be some time and i believe this believe is widely shared by my fellow policymakers at the fed." she is referring to the fed's record accommodative policy over the last couple of years. she said of course the economy has improved enough they can continue to taper at this point the bond buying program but the basic message at the news conference is that the fed needs to effectively keep its foot on the gas in terms of still trying to stimulate the u.s. economy. what is most interesting about this speech is this is the first speech she has made outsi

peter cook is taking a closer look.or would be on the sanctions hit list the white house is putting together? >> we do not know exactly, because the list is not public yet, and they have not pulled the full sanctions trigger. but they have offered some clues for us. they have also offered a roadmap in europe will stop foremost on the list would be former ukrainian officials suspected of looting the country. that starts right at the top, with former president viktor yanukovych and his sons. they have already been targeted for an asset freeze by the europeans. likely the u.s. would do something similar. deputies as well, those who carried out the actions in ukraine. that would be the first and foremost on the list for the .s. after that, you have to look at russians. the war regime. anyone seen as undermining ukraine would be a target for asset freezes if the u.s. pulls the trigger, which it has not done yet. that certainly would be the next move. >> we know that yannick ovitz allegedly looted hundreds of millions, if not

peter cook following the latest. >> we have a very special guest this morning. to talk about the crisis in the ukraine and a whole lot more. he is the president of the world bank. pledged $3 billion in aid to the ukrainian government. president cam tell us -- president kim, what will the money be used for? about $3.7dy have billion worth of programs going on in ukraine, including two in crimea. this is the next wave. mostly what it will be is to provide basic services. i just met with the prime minister when he was in town. he is facing a difficult situation. for us to move forward, we need to see some commitment to a reform agenda. they pass a really impressive reform agenda. this is a government that said even in the mists of all these difficulties, they will do things like remove subsidies. we feel they are moving forward so we will be able to move forward quickly if they continue on that path to being committed to those reforms. confident thatbe the money going to ukraine will find its way to the right people and the right programs and won't be siphoned off

peter cook was in the room. there was a little bit of confusion in terms of what she and whatar as timing the dots on the paper main. >> there was some confusion. it was not janet yellen or the fed's goal and it did not start out that way. she was up there onstage initially delivering what the markets were looking for. is said the economy improving and the fed will continue scaling back its bond dying program but she said it's not healthy enough for the fed to consider interest rate increases anytime soon. she and her colleagues changed their forward guidance. the unemployment rate is out as a key metric but she said a range of labor market indicators like inflation and other factors will guide the fed going forward. >> in short, the larger the shortfall of employment or inflation from the respective objectives set by the fomc and the longer any such shortfall is expected to persist, the longer the target federal funds rate is likely to remain in the present 0- 1/4% range. >> the fed stressed that rates could re

chief washington correspondent peter cook on a hill with the top republican on the panel, senator mikes you said, senator mike crapo busy these days, and no one to start first with the confirmation hearing this morning for stan fischer. do you expect any confirmation problems for him? >> with the nuclear option that is been exercised by the democrats, it makes it a little difficult when they're going to push candidate through. i think all of the questions or the tough questions will still be asked about the quantitative easing, cash benefit analysis, the regulatory burdens they have a big party managing. the issues are going to be put out there. >> what about quantitative easing? are you convinced they're on the same page? >> i think so. and that is a concern to me. i raised these issues with janet yellen. they continue to keep pumping the money into the bonds of country. i understand the rationale behind it, but i think we are creating a huge problem. >> did he indicate any willingness to speed up the taper? >> all of the candidates say they're willing to evaluate it, but in the same

peter cook joins us now. give us the white house angle. the question is not if the u.s. will respond with more sanctions but when. a lot of it will depend on what happens in brussels, what the europeans and out because the united states would like to move in tandem with the europeans and show solidarity in terms of this response to russia. we had the president on sunday, his third phone conversation with vladimir putin in two weeks. thehat conversation, president told vladimir putin that the united states will never recognize the crimean referendum and the european union and the u.s. is a dish -- sanctions.to impose u.s. senators traveled to ukraine over the week and including john mccain. he called for a firm response to russia's move into crimea. >> russia is a gas station masquerading as a country. it is autocracy, corruption, it is a nation that is dependent on oil and gas for their economy. economic sanctions are important. several ofain and the senators are calling for tough sanctions to be imposed by the united states. they might do moves beyond that. ofhad chris

peter cook joins us now. tell us about this. >> this is good for domestic politics to be sure.f the most right now,ists because it shows you are a nationalist flavor. thatird told -- was told now i'm at peace because he is on the list as well as his friends. you have nine u.s. officials, including several top members of congress from both rds about house eager john boehner, harry reid and john mccain, they very critical senator. i guess this means my spring break in siberia is off. a little tongue-in-cheek lamotte john mccain, but the best news of all, she is in a tough reelection fight in louisiana, and she thought this might be the best news and reelection campaign that they may have gotten. >> was there any sign that these toll? we did heaabout economic sanctit was really the bank and those individuals. >> there are some signs that thee is some rattling of russians. the stock market has taken a hit, down 30% for the year. -- 13% for the year. rush into have got negative because of the sanction of and there started to feel the pinch. this entireto sell staying on march 19 to

our chief washington correspondent peter cook has more. is the administration prepared to turn up the heat on putin? >> they are prepared to do that but have not pulled the trigger yet. over the weekend we heard more tough talk but no significant steps forward with regard to sanctions. we heard the deputy national security adviser speaking on the sunday talk shows, saying the united states is not going to recognize the referendum that ryan talked about in crimea, and the u.s. is prepared to tighten the economic news around russia if vladimir putin does not back down. >> we have seen russian markets going down, the ruble going down and investors sitting on the fence. so wes is paying a price. the question is whether they will take an off ramp -- so russia is paying a price. the question is whether they will take an off ramp. there is a way out that could take into account russia's interest and concern but maintains ukrainian sovereignty. >> in the meantime, you have congress still working on getting the current -- president more authority f

let's go to peter cook for more on what the president said.d like tough words, light on details. what is your take away. >> a couple of details that stand out. in terms of ratcheting up the sanctions, the last round of sanctions aimed at seven russian officials, laughed off by the russians. this one could get their attention. the president testified a russian bank will be targeted. key sectors of the russian economy will be targeted as well. we need to find out which bank and which sectors of the russian economy. are we going after the energy sector? that would be significant. it would be a significant escalation by the united states. we need to see the list of supporting the russian government that on this sanctions hit list. until we see that list, it is hard to tell whether an asset freeze would make a difference at all. is a step up from what we have heard before. the details matter. the russians may laugh it off again, but what we're seeing is the administration taking gradual steps each time. will wait to see the russian reaction. moving

chief washington correspondent peter cook talked to senator marco rubio about the accusations. >> let me just say that i think that story has two sides. it is more complicated than what is being put out there. at the end of the day, there should be an impartial investigation as to what happened. you may find out from both sides that both sides committed mistakes. >> marco rubio. those are the top headlines. >> thank you carol massar. joining me to talk about caesars and their earnings is isi analyst richard hightower. can you describe the brief history of what caesars has been and what it has become? >> it is the world's largest gaming company. most people are concerned about the size of the debt relevant to the assets. with the most recent transactions, one entity with selling assets to another to generate liquidity to help the first entity pay off its debt service. >> how do they get so much debt? >> the company was taken private in 2008 by private equity sponsors. it put $20 million of debt onto the company to take it private. since then, it has been a question of where operations

washington, -- our chief washington correspondent, peter cook joins us now. they are not rallying to the side, some of them even calling him weak. >> american politics are often stop at the water's edge, not this time around. the president has and probably criticize from top republicans for his handling of the ukraine crisis of and for his handling of vladimir putin over the past few years. it really crank up this sunday when senator graham accused president of bombing -- obama of and today senator john mccain telling a pro-israel group that the crisis is of presidential leadership missing in action. >> why do we care? result of a feckless foreign policy were no one believes in america's ring anymore -- strength anymore. [applause] >> even mccain acknowledged today that there are no military actions for the u.s. on the table right now besides economics agents. -- sanctions. thugboehner called obama a -- called putin a thug, and that is a dilemma for republicans. unless they are prepared to commit the u.s. military to this they do not have anything all that di

he sat down with bloomberg's chief washington correspondent peter cook yesterday. rubio has things minutes. but he also has that immigration issue hanging out there like a huge red flag for republican voters. he has to get back. he has things to his advantage. he also has that immigration issue hanging out there like a huge red flag republican voters. a little background here. his parents are cuban. they came to florida in the 1950's. e orderedation judg authorities to deport his father. his parents were eventually naturalized. for four years, rubio's father might have been undocumented. that may have informed his own views about immigration. his father seems to have a slightly different focus than his conservative base. at a could not arrive better solution so we could get it done. it will be difficult to do anything comprehensive. people don't like to hear this but it's true. given the lack of trust in its president that republicans have. round up and deport 12 million people. which of the consequences be for having violated our immigration laws echo what is the

peter cook, live in d.c., thank you so much. this special edition of "in the loop" live from new york and san francisco. a tribute tune into bloomberg tv for -- make sure you tune into bloomberg tv for "bottom line." first newsn's conference as fed chair print and then on "street smart" with me, a big international play in south korea. you don't want to miss that. i will see you back here at 3:00 pm eastern. ♪ >> it is 56 minutes past the hour and that means bloomberg television is "on the markets." i am scarlet fu could we are four hours away from the fed policy announcement. u.s. stocks opened lower and are now little changed. mind,p 500, keep in within 10 points of a new high. treasuries are falling as traders weigh the prospects for the fed to tweak its interest rate guidance over concerns that tensions between the u.s. and russia will increase over crimea. the u.s. dollar modestly higher, 1/10 of one percent. gold prices easing, down one percent 201-week low. at the end of last week, it was at a six-month high. let's move t

peter cook is standing by. you are watching a special edition of "bottom line" on bloomberg television. it is 2:00 in washington. >> there is another 10 billion reduction in the bond buying by the federal reserve. the six point five percent unemployment threshold has been replaced with a more qualitative approach. the economy slowed in the winter months due to the inclement weather. let me get to the forward guidance changes. let me redirect you. maximum employment and price stability, a highly commodity to state -- stance remains appropriate. the committee will assess progress, both realized and expected number towards its objectives of maximum employment and two percent inflation. this will take into account a wide range of information. readings on financial development. the committee continues to anticipate that a likely will be appropriate to maintain the current target range for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends. the statement goes on to say, when the committee decides to remove pol

peter cook is standing by. watching a special edition of "bottom line" on bloomberg television. it is 2:00 in washington. >> there is another 10 billion reduction in the bond buying by the federal reserve. the six point five percent unemployment threshold has been replaced with a more qualitative approach. the economy slowed in the winter months due to the inclement weather. let me get to the forward guidance changes. let me redirect you. maximum employment and price stability, a highly commodity to state -- stance remains appropriate.

peter cook has the details. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. there has been a lot of talk over the last couple of years ever since the first allegations of manipulation of this inchmark lending rate 2008. you have had to traders who have been fired or put on leave. you had investigations in the u.s. and abroad over the interbank scandal. now you have the fdic filing a in new in federal court york that accuses more than a dozen banks of manipulating libor. they are alleging that that meant oblation -- manipulation -- they are seeking to recover losses suffered by those close banks. the fdic took those banks over and is trying to get this money back by suing these banks. a lot of these banks -- very big names here. more than a dozen banks that includes bank of america, thesehe bank -- some of banks have had to deal with investigations already. here,s complaint, it says "in the absence of inclusion, the panel bank defended the banks involved here. the banks that helped set libor could not have set the rates." suggesting the manipulation of this ra

. ♪ >> i am peter cook, here on capitol hill, where in just of -- just in a matter of moments, houseoting to authorize a financial lifeline to ukraine. i'm joined by one of the key players here, the chairman of the house foreign affairs and many, ed royce of california. i know you are getting set to vote here. on this issue, support for ukraine, it sounds like some criticisms of president obama, are republicans and democrats on the same page? >> i just talked with the german ambassador, and as you know, europe is moving with their proposal. we just moved a unanimous vote in order to move in unison and put pressure on russia so they are not emboldened and hopefully they will move in the direction of ratcheting down this crisis. rather than stepping it up. >> it doesn't feel like things are ratcheting down. there was a referendum in crimea -- where do you sense how dangerous this is? >> my riemer he focuses on eastern ukraine, the eastern third of the country. onby primary focus is eastern ukraine. my worry is having russian agents put up the russian flags. consultations in that part o

. -- peter cook has more. we have been talking about this for years, why might it finally change?because there are numbers like this that have democrats and republicans acknowledging the problem that u.s. corporations are leaving so much of this money overseas because the u.s. tax code is incentivizing them to do that. 307 companies in the s&p 500, the total amount out point $95 trillion and it went up in 2013. microsoft, apple, and ibm accounted for the eight alien dollars. these are the top five. apple is quadruple what it had three years ago. the reason these companies are leaving that money abroad is because of they brought it to the u.s., they would have to pay 35% on those profits in the don't want to do that when they can leave it somewhere else like ireland. they could pay 12.5% on their profits overseas. this is more incentive for congress and the it ministration to reach a deal on what to do with these overseas profits. there are lots of ideas out there but not a lot of agreement right now. there is a general acknowledgment that there is a problem. >> we have taken a clo