Breakfast with Ryan Huang, Emaad Akhtar and Audrey Siek

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses the latest developments in the United States in this weekly podcast.  Steve Okun, senior advisor, McLarty Associates, stands in for The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh who is on leave, and he chats with Money FM 89.3's Elliot Danker and Bharati Jagdish about the following points: Highlights (click/tap above): 00:50 Democratic Representative Grace Meng of New York introducing a bill to push for Lunar New Year to become the US' 12th federal holiday 02:12 The Republican National Committee's censure of GOP Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for probing the "legitimate political discourse" of the January 6 insurrection enshrined that principle in the party's policy dogma 04:15 US podcaster Joe Rogan apologises for using racial slurs and if the public is viewing Spotify - which pays Rogan - as a publisher or simply just a platform 06:19 Latest analysis of Russia-Ukraine tensions Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), The Breakfast Huddle, Money FM 89.3, Ernest Luis & Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters --- Discover more ST podcast series: Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

Pan Jingyi, Economics Associate Director, IHS Markit discusses how much the latest January reading of 467,000 jobs created in January, above consensus forecast of 150,000 - will move the needle in rate hike expectations this year.

According to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield's 2022 Global Data Centre Market Comparison report, Singapore scored highly on key criteria such as market size, fibre connectivity and availability of cloud services. But while we are ranked second, Singapore has paused new data centre development since 2019. Darren Hawkins, CEO, SpaceDC shares why companies are building data centres in other markets despite Singapore's high-speed internet connectivity, and the pros and cons behind Singapore's decision to lift its moratorium on new data centre projects. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), small farmers produce a third of the world’s food. But despite that, farmers are still finding it difficulties to sell their crops. Shaad Hamid, General Manager, GrowthOps Singapore shares why agritech companies are facing challenges in the marketing front and the role GrowthOps have in helping a business through complex challenges.

In this week's Washington report, Steve Okun, Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates gives an analysis of the proposal for Lunar New Year become the United States’ newest US federal holiday, the RNC's allegiance to former President Donald Trump and their stance on the violence at the capitol, Joe Rogan's apology for using racial slurs, and more. 

In this morning's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss the stunning gain of over 450,000 jobs in January 2022 over in the US, China Mobile's $14 billion Hong Kong buyback, and the earnings preview of various companies this week. 

On the Bigger Picture, Jackson Chan, Manager of Global Fixed Income, Bondsupermart gives an analysis of the inflation picture amid the US Feds interest rate hike, the risk of a taper tantrum, and what the outlook for Chinese real estate bonds look like. 

While the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 has led to the implementation of stringent lockdown regulations across several nations resulting in disruptions in import and export activities of floral gifting, it brought a significant shift in how we stay connected through technology and it had a ripple effect, a downfall in ways we express ourselves to our loved ones. Rahul Vyas, Business Head, Ferns N Petals - Singapore shares how those in the flower gifting scene can actually adapt and use technology to their advantage.

According to App Annie, mobile continues to dominate as consumers spent a record 3.8 trillion hours on mobile in 2021. 2021 was record breaking as consumers continue to embrace a mobile lifestyle. Cindy Deng, Managing Director, APAC, App Annie shares what the mobile landscape in Singapore looks like and how companies are bracing themselves for the app economy.   

With experts saying that daily Covid-19 cases could cross the 10,000 mark in the coming weeks despite muted CNY celebrations, should we be worried that this is a start of possibly another surge? Dr Jeremy Lim, Associate Professor, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore shares what are the factors contributing to a surge in walk-in patients, some with acute respiratory infection over the Chinese New Year holiday, and if the public should be overly concerned that daily Covid-19 cases could cross the 10,000 mark in the coming weeks.