Reuters World News - New Orleans, visas, Netflix and Putin

Episode Date: December 4, 2025

New Orleans is the latest front in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. H-1B visa applicants will also now face enhanced vetting. The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put troops at risk. And sources say a Netflix-Warner Bros Discovery combo could mean a cheaper price tag for subscribers. Plus, Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to India hoping to land some deals. Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Find the Recommended Listen here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Christopher Waljasper in Chicago. It's Thursday, December 4th, today. Federal agents launch an immigration crackdown in New Orleans. Trump orders enhanced vetting for H-1B visa applicants. Netflix says its bid for Warner Brothers discovery could mean lower costs for consumers. And Putin heads to India in his first visit in four years, with deals on his mind. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. U.S. immigration agents have kicked off an operation in New Orleans, Louisiana, to arrest immigrants in the country illegally.

It's the latest Democratic-led city to be targeted by President Trump's deportation efforts. Some residents are already bracing for the crackdown. A woman who asked that we only use her first name, Abby, told our reporter Ted Heson that she's already set up makeshift beds in her family's restaurant so that they can avoid traveling between home and work for fear of being profiled and detained. Here's Ted. She's feeling a lot of fear in the moment. She doesn't have legal status and several of her family members are in the same situation.

They came to the U.S. from Mexico 20 years ago, but haven't been able to find a path to legal status. But her 10-year-old son was born here in the U.S. and he's a citizen. What you're going to do with your son? And when I asked her if she has a plan for what she would do if she was arrested and her son separated from her,

she said at least at the moment, she doesn't even know what a plan would be. She thinks her son would stay in the U.S., but clearly it's something that's difficult for her to think through. And this sort of situation that no one wants to think about, the idea that you could be sent to a country that you haven't been to for two decades and that your son would be forced with the decision of either going there with you or remaining here

in the U.S. The operation is expected to run through the end of the year. Trump says the National Guard will also be deployed to the city in coming weeks. And speaking of immigration, a Reuters exclusive. The Trump administration is ordering enhanced screening of H-1B visa applicants for any involvement in what they call censorship. A State Department memo sent this week tells consular offices to review LinkedIn profiles and resumes of applicants and their families looking for work in content moderation, fact-checking, or online safety. The memo says anyone, quote,

responsible for or complicit in censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States should be considered for rejection. The policy, will hit tech workers, mainly from India and China, in an industry that's been crucial to Silicon Valley's growth. It's the latest example of Trump making free speech a foreign policy priority, and it could complicate hiring for the tech companies whose leaders backed his campaign. A Pentagon investigation has faulted defense secretary Pete Hegseth for using signal on his personal phone to send information about planned strikes in Yemen last March. The review says the communication could have endangered U.S. troops if intercepted.

That's according to two people familiar with the document. The Pentagon's Inspector General did not weigh in on whether the information Hegsef posted was classified. Hegsef took to X to respond, posting no classified information, total exoneration, case closed. The report is expected to be publicly released and comes at a time when Hegseth is under scrutiny of his leadership overseeing deadly strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean. A bid by Netflix to buy up both the film studios and streaming services of Warner Brothers Discovery could mean one login for customers wanting both Netflix and HBO Max. Netflix is arguing the acquisition would actually reduce costs for their customers,

despite concerns from antitrust regulators. Companies with smaller streaming services, like Comcast, which owns NBC's Peacock, are also vying to buy up Warner Brothers assets to try and compete with top streamers like Netflix and Disney Plus. Sherry Redstone, the former chairperson of Paramount Global, spoke this week at Reuters' next conference in New York City. So I think we're going to see a lot of successful integrations

and also ones that become more challenged. Redstone says Warner Brothers' real value to Netflix is in its library of TV and film offering. not its streaming customers. I don't know how it will end up with Warner Brothers, who will get it. But what's interesting, you see those of us who have traditionally been in the content creating business, and then companies like Netflix, who are a great distribution company, but now realizing the importance of creating content.

And if you missed the full discussion with Sherry Redstone at yesterday's next conference, don't worry. There's a full day of great discussions today as well. Topics include The Future of TV with the head of NBC and Michael Schur, the writer behind Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-A-N-B-B-K-Place. Our space reporter, Joey Roulette, will moderate a panel on the geopolitics of space, and a whole lot more. Kim Vennel is co-hosting the conference, and you can follow the action live on roiders.com,

as well as the app. There's a link to the live stream in today's show notes. And for markets today, we've got more Morning Bids, Amanda Cooper. Amanda, what have you got for us today? Hi there, thank you. Today we're talking about the dollar and how it's had its worst day since October. We're also taking a look at a Japanese government bond auction, which sounds in the weeds, but it's actually very relevant for anybody watching markets. And finally, we look at Microsoft, whose shares took a bit of a dent yesterday on reports about its software targets.

Head over to the podcast for more. Thanks, Amanda. Be sure to ask your smart speaker for Reuters' Morning Bid, or listen along wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch it on Spotify. Vladimir Putin arrives in India today for his first visit in four years. The Russian president will be pushing for more sales of Russian oil, missile systems, and fighter jets. But Indian officials are worried that any fresh deals with Moscow could trigger a reaction from President Trump. Mark Trevelyan is our lead writer for Russia and says, says India will have to walk a tightrope as it considers any potential deals. So this is taking place at a sensitive moment in the peace talks with Ukraine.

For Putin, this is a rare chance actually to, you know, show himself on the international stage. It's only the third major visit he's made this year outside countries of the former Soviet Union. since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India sharply stepped up its purchases of Russian oil, buying that oil at a discount. Trump in August doubled the tariffs on Indian goods to punish India for this. And so we are seeing a fall in Indian purchases of Russian oil. This month, they're set to hit a three-year low after Trump also imposed sanctions on two big Russian. oil companies. So oil will be an important part of these talks, but Russia is confident that it can find ways of continuing to sell its oil to India. Apart from the oil question, Russia is a

big seller of missile systems and fighter jets to India. However, India more recently has been diverse supplying its suppliers. It buys arms also from the United States, and it's trying to produce more of its own equipment. So Russia faces a challenge there to push for more sales. And there could be something interesting on the question of migrant workers from India because there's a shortage of workers in the Russian economy because of the demands of the war and the pressure on the defence industry and also the sheer number of people who've gone to fight in Ukraine. So it needs foreign workers and India is one of the countries from which it's keen to attract these people.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released video and photos of Little St. James, the private island owned by Jeffrey Epstein. They show a pool cabana and several bedrooms. Last week, President Donald Trump signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation. The material could shed more light

on the activities of Epstein, who socialized with Trump and other public figures before his 2008 conviction of soliciting a minor for prostitution. And for today's recommendation, back to the Reuters' Next Conference for a recommended listen. Yesterday, our Econ World podcast host, Carmel Crimmons, hosted a live edition of the show from New York. If you missed it, you can check it out by following the link in the podcast description.

For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.