Warren Buffett is bringing back his famed charity lunch — this time with a high-profile twist.

The 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman will be joined by Stephen Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, along with author and lifestyle entrepreneur Ayesha Curry, for a new fundraising auction that pairs investing icon with celebrity appeal.

“Over the years, I’ve seen how the business community and innovative nonprofits can work together to create real change, and I’ve always believed in supporting organizations that are making a meaningful difference,” Buffett said in a statement. “This event is about coming together again — in a new way — with people I admire, to support work that truly matters. Partnering with Stephen and Ayesha to help launch something new in support of these communities is something I’m very happy to be part of.”

Online bidding for the lunch will open May 7 at 7:30 p.m. PDT on eBay and run through May 14 at 7:30 p.m. PDT, with proceeds benefiting the Glide Foundation and the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, a charitable group founded by the Curry family focused on childhood literacy, nutrition and active lifestyles. San Francisco-based Glide provides services for vulnerable populations, including meals, shelter, health-care testing and job training.

The winning bidder — along with up to seven guests — will join Buffett and the Currys for an exclusive lunch in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 24. Proceeds from the auction will be split evenly between the two charities.

Buffett last hosted the lunch in 2022, capping a two-decade run that raised millions of dollars for charity. The auction reached an all-time high winning bid of $19 million in 2022 and has generated more than $50 million in total.

Previous winners have included prominent money managers such as David Einhorn, while Ted Weschler — now an investment manager at Berkshire — was among those who famously paid millions for the opportunity.

Buffett stepped down as Berkshire’s CEO at the beginning of 2026 after six decades running the conglomerate. He remains chairman of the firm.

The European car industry is in a structural crisis. Slowing demand for electric vehicles, lost market share to Chinese competitors and higher borrowing costs have created the perfect storm for the sector over the past five years, as sales volumes continue to slump well below pre-pandemic levels. 

Europe’s automakers have a long history of producing defense equipment and weapons when called upon during wartime. Some firms now think returning to these roots could offer a lifeline.

Analysts at Citi have dubbed this shift the “anything but autos” trade.

On Monday, Renault announced it was developing a ground-based drone for military and civilian use. This followed its announcement of a partnership with defense group Turgis Gaillard in January to produce aerial drones in France. 

Meanwhile, German automaker Volkswagen is reportedly in talks with Israeli defense firm Rafael to produce parts for missile defense systems.

The pair are in discussions to convert VW’s factory in Osnabrück, Germany, into facilities for making components for the Israeli Iron Dome missile-defense system produced by Rafael, the FT reported on March 24. 

European autos are struggling to compete directly with Chinese rivals, such as BYD. While new-car sales dropped in the EU through January, BYD stunned the market by reporting a 175% year-on-year increase in deliveries to 13,982 units, according to ACEA data.

The industry’s decline is felt in carmakers’ share prices, too. The Stoxx 600 Automobiles index has fallen 30% over the past five years as of April 2, while VW has tanked over 60% since then. Stellantis, which owns brands including Fiat and Peugeot, has shed 58% over the same period.

By contrast, the European defense industry is booming. The urgent need to rearm following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and an apparent fracturing of relations within NATO mean Europe must become more self-sufficient in its defense production. 

Last year, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was in an “era of rearmament” and could mobilize 800 billion euros in defense investment through loans and other programs.

“The defense industry has huge growth prospects with government budgets and Nato requirements backing it,” Rico Luman, senior sector economist for transport and logistics at Dutch bank ING, told CNBC by email. 

“For the defense industry it’s rather a question of how to expand production than if. Redirecting production capacity is an opportunity for the automotive industry.”

But other analysts question whether riding the coattails of the defense sector will be enough to save the ailing auto industry, flagging several concerns about carmakers’ ability to grow in this space. 

Polymarket removed a forum related to the rescue mission of U.S. military servicemembers amid political pressure, the latest sign of mounting scrutiny around prediction markets.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., decried the Polymarket page that allowed users to bet on which day the U.S. would confirm the rescue of the two airmen after an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran. The lawmaker called the page “DISGUSTING” in an X post.

“They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member,” Moulton wrote on Friday. “And people are betting on whether or not they’ll be saved.”

In a response on X, Polymarket said: “We took this market down immediately as it does not meet our integrity standards.”

“It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards,” Polymarket wrote.

In a separate X post, Polymarket said it doesn’t “make money or charge any fees on any geopolitical markets.”

U.S. and Iranian military forces are searching for a missing American airman after its F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday. One crew member has been rescued, but another is not accounted for.

Moulton last month banned his staff from using prediction market platforms like Polymarket or Kalshi, a policy that his office believes is the first of its kind in Congress.

“Constituents that we serve should trust us to make decisions based on the right thing for do for our nation, not based on how bets might turn out,” Moulton said Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Moulton also said on X that Donald Trump Jr., the son of President Donald Trump, “is an investor in this dystopian death market and may have access to intelligence that isn’t public yet.”

Requests for comment from Moulton and Trump Jr. weren’t immediately returned to CNBC.

The Massachusetts lawmaker is part of a growing chorus of voices in Washington calling for stronger oversight of these betting platforms as interest swells.

A group of congressional Democrats introduced legislation late last month that would bar prediction markets from allowing wagers on elections, war and government actions, in addition to sports.

In February, six Democratic senators urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to clarify that it will prohibit any contracts related to an individual’s death. These contracts “present dangerous national security risks,” the lawmakers wrote.

The CFTC on Thursday announced lawsuits against three states over what it saw as efforts to circumvent the organization’s sole regulatory authority over prediction markets.

The NFL has also asked prediction market operators to keep specific event contracts that the league deems “objectionable bets” off their platforms. The league outlined examples of event contracts that could be easily manipulated, inherently objectionable, related to officiating, and knowable in advance — and asked that operators refrain from offering such trades.

— CNBC’s Dan Mangan, Azhar Sukri and…

Does it matter where you sit if you’re sipping Champagne in first class? United Airlines is betting that for some travelers looking for luxury at a discount, it doesn’t.

The carrier is launching new, cheaper tiers for its top-end Polaris and premium economy cabins that come with many of the same perks — but plenty of restrictions too.

Starting this spring, United will offer “Base” Polaris fares which will include a spot in the airline’s long-haul business class cabins featuring lie-flat seats, but will charge those customers extra for advanced seat selection.

The new ticket class will also come with only one checked bag instead of two, and with access to the United Club airport lounge but not the higher-end Polaris lounge, which include showers and other plush features. Ticket changes aren’t allowed.

The other categories for Polaris will be “Standard” and the more expensive “Flexible” option that allows for customers to pay up for the new, more spacious Polaris Studio suites.

The new fares show that United — and perhaps soon, other airlines — are dividing up the front of the plane into smaller categories, just as they have with coach over the past decade, from restrictive basic economy tickets to extra legroom fares.

United’s new strategy comes as it overhauls its nearly decade-old Polaris class with new suites that feature sliding doors and bigger screens, while customers continue to show their willingness to pay more to fly in better seats. United and its competitors have been racing to add more premium seating on its planes, sometimes removing some economy seats to do so.

A spokeswoman for United said customers in Base Polaris would get the same meals — including ice cream — as other passengers in the cabin. She declined to say what the price differences between the fares will be, but said the Base Polaris fare is meant to be an entry-level point for the premium class.

United is also launching similar segmentation for its premium economy class, Premium Plus.

The new options will be available in certain markets starting this month and will expand to other international and long-haul domestic markets later this year, United said.

Rival Delta Air Lines last year said it was also considering segmenting front-of-the-plane cabins.

Warren Buffett warned that the spread of nuclear weapons is making the world a more dangerous place, saying the prospect of Iran acquiring a bomb would heighten the risk of a catastrophic conflict.

The Berkshire Hathaway chairman said the growing number of nuclear-armed states has fundamentally altered the global risk landscape, amplifying concerns he has voiced for decades about proliferation.

“Now you’ve got … nine countries,” Buffett said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “We worried enormously about it when there were two. … You were not dealing with unstable people or anything like that. The ship’s turned around.”

Buffett pointed specifically to rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran and North Korea, suggesting that the potential presence of nuclear weapons in those regions raises the stakes considerably.

“Just think of how you’d feel with North Korea having it and Iran wanting to get it,” he said. “The most dangerous thing is, actually, somebody that’s got their hand on the switch, who is dying themselves, or is facing enormous embarrassment. … I don’t know the answer for it, but I do know that … it’ll be more difficult if Iran has the bomb than they don’t.”

The 95-year-old investor has long warned that the spread of nuclear capabilities increases the likelihood of a worst-case scenario. Asked what advice he would give a U.S. president confronting the issue of enriched uranium, Buffett struck a fatalistic tone about the long-term trajectory.

“I would say that one way or another … in the next 100 years — maybe it’s 200 years, who knows — something will happen to cause it to be used,” he said. “And we can’t take what’s out there now.”

United Airlines hiked its checked bag fee by $10 on Thursday, becoming the second U.S. carrier in less than a week to raise the fee as the industry grapples with this year’s surge in fuel costs, airlines’ biggest expense after labor.

United’s new fee will be $45 to check a first bag on most domestic itineraries if the traveler pays ahead of time and $50 if they pay within 24 hours of their flight.

“United is raising first and second checked bag fees by $10 for customers traveling in the U.S., Mexico and Canada and Latin America beginning with tickets purchased Friday, April 3,” the carrier said.

United last raised checked bag fees in February 2024 and, like other carriers, is trying to cover the recent surge in jet fuel costs.

Fuel prices for Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York averaged $4.88 a gallon on Thursday nearly double the price since the day before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb.28, according to data from Argus published by industry group Airlines for America.

JetBlue Airways on Monday hiked its checked bag fees at least $4 per bag — and up to $9 per bag, depending on when a customer’s travel is booked — CNBC first reported.

Competitors often follow suit with such fee increases. There are loopholes, however. Airline credit cards often give customers a free checked bag when they’re on domestic itineraries in coach and it usually comes as a perk with elite frequent flyer status. Also, first-class seats generally include a free checked bag.

“United Chase credit card holders, MileagePlus Premier members, active military members and customers traveling in premium cabins can still check a bag for free, and customers in most markets will still enjoy a $5 discount if they prepay for their bags online 24 hours before their flight,” United said.

Higher fuel is showing up at gas stations and other sectors, too. Amazon is adding a 3.5% “fuel and logistics-related surcharge” to fees it collects from third-party sellers who use its fulfillment services, CNBC reported earlier Thursday.

— CNBC’s Annie Palmer contributed to this article.

The U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact.

Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. February’s number was revised down by 41,000 while January was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, putting the three-month average around 68,000.

The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%, though that was largely from a sharp reduction in the labor force.

“The bottom line is March was somewhat encouraging, but it’s been a rocky year for the labor market with almost no hiring since last April,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. “The March data will keep the Federal Reserve on hold, but no one is declaring victory yet. It’s likely to be a tough spring for job seekers.”

As has been the case, health care was responsible for much of the growth, with the sector adding 76,000 jobs. A strike at health-care provider Kaiser Permanente in February hit the sector. The BLS said ambulatory health care services rose by 54,000, with 35,000 coming from the strike workers returning.

Construction saw an increase of 26,000, while transportation and warehousing posted a gain of 21,000.

On the downside, the federal government saw a loss of 18,000, while financial activities lost 15,000.

Though the unemployment rate posted a decline, the move largely came from a decline of 396,000 in the labor force. The share of working-age Americans in the labor force fell to 61.9%, its lowest since November 2021.

The survey of households, which is used to compute the unemployment rate, showed 64,000 fewer people holding jobs. An alternative unemployment figure that counts discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons edged up to 8%. Long-term unemployment continued to be elevated, though the average weeks of unemployment fell to 25.3.

Wages also rose less than expected, with average hourly earnings up just 0.2% for the month and 3.5% from a year ago. Economists had expected respective readings of 0.3% and 3.7%. The annual increase was the lowest since May 2021. Hours worked declined 34.2, down one-tenth from February.

The U.S. stock market was closed in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Stock market futures were slightly negative following the report. The bond market continued to trade, with Treasury yields higher ahead of an early close.

The report comes amid a changing labor market, with the economy needing to add fewer jobs to keep the broader employment picture stable. The St. Louis Federal Reserve estimated recently that payroll growth of as little as 15,000 could keep the unemployment rate steady.

Federal Reserve officials have been weighing the jobs data as they plot their intentions regarding interest rates. Most policymakers have been…

Shares of Sakura Internet surged as much as 20.2% Friday after Microsoft said it has begun discussions with the Japanese cloud company and SoftBank to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure in Japan.

Microsoft said it plans to invest $10 billion in Japan between 2026 and 2029 to build AI infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity and train 1 million engineers and developers by 2030.

Sakura Internet, which provides internet infrastructure services using domestic data centers, and Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp. will partner with Microsoft to provide AI computing resources, including graphics processing units located in Japan.

The announcement came during a visit to Japan by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, who met Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Smith said the investment comes as demand for cloud and AI services grows in Japan. Around one in five working-age people in the country use generative AI tools, compared with the global average of about one in six, according to Microsoft’s AI Diffusion Report.

The partnership will allow data to be processed in Japan and support the development of advanced AI systems such as domestic large language models, Microsoft said in a statement.

SoftBank and Microsoft Japan are also discussing a joint solution that would allow Microsoft Azure customers to use SoftBank’s AI computing platform.

Shares of Softbank Group were up 0.22% in Friday trade, while SoftBank Corp. rose 1.02%

Separately, Microsoft will partner with five other major Japanese IT companies, including NTT Data Corp., NEC, Fujitsu and Hitachi, to train 1 million AI professionals by 2030.