On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss another record Wall Street week on strong employment despite tariff turmoil as Congress hands President Trump a legislative victory that will increase US debt by more than $3 trillion dollars that in turn has contributed to the weakest dollar since the financial crisis of 1973 with the greenback down 10 percent; the administration hinted at a series of tariff deals, including with Europe that would see baseline tariffs increase by 10 percent, but that news that is causing friction among European members with France’s industry and energy minister Marc Ferracci calling on union leaders to reject a deal that would force Europe to live with higher baseline tariffs; a fiscal drama in London as Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer’s administration is forced by its own party to backtrack on benefits cuts, cause another bond crisis; China went on a charm offensive in Brussels, Berlin and Paris where Wang Yi also candidly admitted that China can’t afford for Russia to lose in Ukraine; Washington halts aid to Kyiv by falsely claiming US weapons are running out as Germany negotiates with Washington for more weapons for Ukraine, including two Patriot batteries and interceptors as Russia steps up strikes; Germany’s outspoken chief of defense, Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais, is sacked for being too blunt as Berlin prepares to order 1,000 new tanks and 2,500 armored fighting vehicles; a banner week for Airbus that sold more than $12 billion in new jets to Malaysia’s Air Asia; Embraer nails a $4 billion order with SAS for 55 jets as Air France KLM takes a 60 percent stake in the carrier; and Bombardier scores a big order with an unnamed customer.
